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By Torrey Pass

Is your budget the only thing holding you back from hitting the road? Start packing! My wife Lucie and I left Montreal over a year ago with meager savings, and so far have made it over 20 000 km from Anchorage, Alaska to northern Argentina. While it's true that we couldn't have gone very far without unfailing support from our sponsors, families and friends, our journey has been possible and continues in part thanks to a few equipment and, er, lifestyle choices, for lack of a better term.

Here are a few tips for riding on the cheap while staying happy and healthy. They should apply to touring in any remote region where fancy bike shops are hard to find.

Equipment: Cheap, Simple, Durable, Repairable

What: Tempting though it may be, you don't need to invest thousands of dollars in an internet-researched custom touring bike. If you can lay your hands on a “golden age” steel mountain bike from the 90's, you'll have an awesome travelling companion. Slap on some tough tires, drill the rims for fat schraeder valves, retrofit a 7- or 8-speed drive train and you're pretty much ready to take on the world.

Why: The standard wheel size outside of our bike boutique reality is 26 inches, and the rest of the world hasn't heard of those skinny presta valves. If you're riding 700c wheels with presta in a southern country, be prepared to special order your tubes.

Steel is a great option because, unlike aluminium, if your frame breaks you can have it fixed on the fly; in countries where things get repaired instead of thrown out or replaced, pretty much any town with a population greater than 100 has a resident welder. Steel racks are ideal for the same reason.

9-speed (let alone 10- or 11-speed) has not yet reached the pueblos of Mexico and beyond – if you're on a longer tour lasting several thousand kilometers, you'll need to change your chain at least once. 6-, 7- and 8-speed drivetrains all use chains of the same width, and you can usually find one for around 5$ in a hardware store. A 9-speed chain, however, will run you about 30-50$ anywhere in the world, and can only be found in extremely rare high-end racing shops. Cost and availability of 9-speed cassettes and chainrings will likewise cause frustration and blow holes in your budget.

V-brakes are standard everywhere. You may save your rims with disk brakes, but you'll never, ever find spare parts if you need them. For the same reason, STI shifters (integrated brake-gear levers for road bikes) are inadvisable because of their high replacement cost and virtual non-existence south of California. Hydraulics of any kind should be dutifully avoided.

Living the Dream: Meet Tent and Stove

Sleeping

Once you take hotels and restaurants out of your budget, you can go really far on a few bucks. Our first rule is to avoid paying to sleep somewhere when possible (99% of the time). This rule may seem strange when riding through countries where accommodation can be had for $5 a night or less, but it adds up. People we've ridden with who indulge in the odd hotel room require at least twice our monthly budget. Best to keep that door closed. In most of the world, you'll be riding through a lot of orchards, pastures and wilderness; few will deny your request to throw your tent among their mango trees for the night. This is also a great way to meet people and creates possibilities for cultural exchanges that just don't happen in the impersonal, monetary relationships that go along with paid accommodation.