Last Spring, Jon Watts rode his bike from Virginia to Boston and then continued on to Buffalo, NY. In two months, Jon played 18 shows and covered 1,000 miles carrying 120 pounds of gear on the back of his bicycle in what ended up being a successful attempt at finding an alternative way to do a musical tour.
Click on the audio player below to hear an interview with Jon by Elise Gidding of BikeTouringBliss.com about his epic “2010 Two Wheel Tour”.
For the past three months I have been touring on an Xtracycle Radish. From Richmond to Boston and then on to Buffalo, NY, I ended up riding about 1,000 miles with all of my gear, which turned out to be about 120 Lbs. (!)
Click here to find out how I fit all of
that equipment onto my bike.
Two Wheel Tour Vlog
For ten weeks, I recorded and uploaded a vlog every week, which included footage from my performances and from the ride… and revealed some of the secrets of how I made my trip happen!
Now, for the first time, all of that footage is combined into one window. You can watch all the way through or find the most interesting episodes, all from this page!
Vlog #10 in my Two Wheel Tour Series. After a good time in Boston and playing for the Chenery Middle School Extension Program, I made it to The Meeting School. Decision time! After much discernment, I have decided to stay on my Xtracycle Radish for the next three week tour in the Farmington-Scipio region of upstate New York.
When I first had the idea of doing my East Coast tour on bicycle, I looked into bike trailers. I couldn’t imagine any way to fit my guitar and amplifier onto the back of a bike without towing something behind. (not to mention my box of CDs, t-shirts, posters, tent, food, clothing, sleeping bag, stove, etc!)
But towing a trailer would have felt bulky… two wheels of extra friction on the road? And where would I leave the trailer when I wanted to ride around without all of my stuff?
The answer that I settled on: Xtracycle.
Carrying a Guitar on a Bike
Me with all my gear loaded on my Xtracycle.
So my plan was to ride my bike from Richmond, VA to Boston, MA and play shows in every city on the way. This would be easy if I were simply a wandering minstrel, but I am a professional musician. I booked this tour months and months in advance. I was selling CDs and T-shirts, had banners and posters, kept up with my facebook and twitter followers and released a regular vlog of my travels.
I needed not just my guitar, but an amplifier, a looping pedal, a big box of CDs, t-shirts, postcards and posters, a banner, a digital video camera, my laptop… not to mention all of the stuff I needed to survive on the road.
Check out the video below to see how I managed to fit all of that stuff onto a bicycle for my ride to Boston.
How I Fit My Amplifier, CDs, T-shirts, and Guitar On A Bicycle
Successful Music Tour on a Bike
In the end, I made it to Boston. I didn’t miss a single show (and I even booked a few more along the way!). And I had surprisingly little trouble carrying my guitar and all my gear on the bike.
And – perhaps best of all – I had a lot of fun. I got into shape. I saw and interacted with a whole lot of people and places that I wouldn’t have if I was driving or taking the train. And I loved every minute of it. Here’s more about why I decided to bike this one: http://www.jonwatts.com/2010/why-im-going-to-boston-on-an-xtracycle-radish/
Vlog #5 – Finally!! All the prep work is done, the kickoff shows are all played. I get on my Xtracycle Radish and begin my journey to Boston. First leg of the journey: Ashland to DC on Bike Highway One for a show at The William Penn House. Difficulties in biking through the Quantico military base. Question of the day: How do you coax your inner child to quit whining? (responses in the comment section below)
Last Spring, Jon Watts rode his bike from Virginia to Boston and then continued on to Buffalo, NY. In two months, Jon played 18 shows and covered 1,000 miles carrying 120 pounds of gear on the back of his bicycle in what ended up being a successful attempt at finding an alternative way to do a musical tour.
BikeTouringBliss.com is a series of free participatory interviews that you can log into and stream live.
