Bicycle touring in Kyushu, need some suggestions

nice gaijin said:

Ahh today I cleaned off and tuned up the old pilgrimage bike and rode about 40km today. Even though it's a little small for me, I missed it!

I have no idea how I did 1600km+ with those stock ones, halfway through the ride my hands were killing me! I was looking for bike gloves but settled on some new handlebars with palm rests and side grips,
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nice gaijin said:

Nice! Is that an R3 Escape? looks like our setups are identical, even the same kickstand and pannier rack haha. I bought mine specifically for doing the 88-temple pilgrimage in Shikoku back in 2015, and outside of that I don't have any real touring experience (it was a mix of camping/hammocking and staying at places set up for ohenro). The bike has been sitting in a friend's garage, waiting for me to come back and put some more miles on it.

I installed my new handlebars yesterday (~¥2700, worth every yen), I really wish I had done this from the start, the stock Giant handlebars are way too rough on the palms. I remember even with heavily padded gloves that became a sore point while touring. Your mileage may vary, but if you're going to do any serious distance every little comfort goes a long way.

Also, be aware of how much weight you're putting on the bike; if you have a lot of cargo, consider getting a front rack and spreading it out, or you'll end up with broken spokes! View attachment 29146

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nice gaijin said:

Nice, mine is a 2014 or 2015 i think, but it doesn't look like they've changed much. Unfortunately the L size in Japan feels more like a M back home, so it's a bit undersized for me. I think I have the stock seat but I threw one of those padded seat covers on it, and when I rode long distances I'd wear padded shorts. Chamois butter is your friend! The tire upgrade is a good idea; sounds like you'll be riding pretty light so you may not need to worry about the wheels too much. The one thing I didn't really like about the Escape was that the wheels had too few spokes, which led to trouble on my tour.

Shikoku was not an easy ride, but it was a fantastic experience. I think I only got away with it cause I was in decent shape to begin with, and determined to see it through. I'm in the Nagoya area now, so i'm just riding along the roads here which is... alright I guess. As long as the weather is nice it's nice to be in the saddle.

If you get a chance and want a REALLY nice ride, I highly recommend the Shimanami Kaido, which I used to bike from Honshu to Shikoku: しまなみジャパン - しまなみ体験ナビゲーション / English: GO SHIMANAMI - Bridges, islands, pirates and shimmering seas

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