Generic Touring Thread

Or of course if anyone already has a route or any suggestions they'd like to share then feel free! Last time I went cycle touring I had to carry my bike up lots of stairs, I'm quite keen to avoid that this time.

That's going to be amazing, when are you going to do it?

The only part of that I have done before is Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel, along the amazing cycle path which runs alongside the river/lakes. That would be a great way to start.

Where the infrastructure in the east is new, it's brilliant, but where it's old, it's nigh on impossible to cycle on. There's a good amount of cycle paths across Germany, but some you would only really want to ride on a 'Trekking-Rad'.

Or of course if anyone already has a route or any suggestions they'd like to share then feel free! Last time I went cycle touring I had to carry my bike up lots of stairs, I'm quite keen to avoid that this time.

There's always the route of the German super brevet Hamburg-Berlin-Köln-Hamburg, which may give you some useful tips. I have no idea what it's like, but Audax routes that long are usually pretty good. :)

http://www.audaxclub-sh.de/node/586

(All in German, scroll down for a map.)

http://www.audaxclub-sh.de/node/586

@tommmmmmm - Tell me more about this cycle path, where do I pick it up from? I'd be on a road bike so definitely need either the nice new East German stuff or I'll take my chance on the roads. I'm going at the end of next month.

@Oliver Schick - That's an excellent suggestion, audax routes are not to be sniffed at. Danke!

http://www.reiseland-brandenburg.de/themen/radfahren/havel-radweg.html

http://www.havelradweg.de

The stretch I did was from Potsdam to Brandenburg. I didn't really know it existed and just planned to do the stretch on road, but it was a revelation. Berlin to Potsdam is easy enough, and you can do the majority of that on traffic-free or quiet roads through Grunewald.

I would love to go all the way to/from Berlin, how much time are you allowing?

Bitteschön!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0078y2t/map-man-series-2-1-bartholomews-cycling-map-of-england-wales

Nicholas Crane rides across the lakes on an old roadster

Looks amazing. Interested in your route if you have a record of it?

Just back from the Highlands - 750km and just under 10,000 metres climbing in 5 days. Beautiful scenery, varying weather (though not bad for the time of year) and only a few insect bites.

Nick Crane is a legend, Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a good read, they basically did what is now being rebranded as bikepacking 30 years ago.

PDF of the above

Control was from a cut-down Simplex gear shift to a Shimano 600 EX derailleur. In order to save weight, there was no front derailleur or lever, we used heel kick-down for lower gears and finger lift-up for higher.

How much time... I'm not sure yet. Maybe 10 days, allowing for time in Berlin and the Hague to see friends.

And pics of set up / kit info etc. It's always good to hear how people get on with different approaches.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6082116

Some of the roads between the suitably named Killin and Glencoe were a little busy, lots of buses and lorries but I think these things are unavoidable in some mountainous areas. The Glencoe Pass is worth the prior 40km of big roads anyway. Also worth noting the Old Military Road between Kinlochleven and Fort William would be unpassable on normal touring tyres. I was pushing up parts with 1.8" tyres.

In terms of packing it was pretty much one pannier of clothing (1 change of base layers plus a windproof shirt, arm/leg warmers, down jacket and a waterproof) and one pannier of other bits (stove, paper map, wash bag, washing line). Food was then split over the two panniers. In the saddle bag I took my tent and on the dry bag on the front rack was a sleeping mat and my sleeping bag. Frame bag took mostly tools, spares and snacks.

Mostly followed my Garmin (Edge 200) for route finding, which I was charging via dynamo hub. Charged very quickly, 30 minutes a day connected was enough to see me through to the following morning. Then used my phone for photos and finding shops and food through the app OsmAND, which is offline vector maps which you can then apply layers over in order to display different services (shops, restaurants, toilets, petrol stations, etc). Useful when you are likely to have no phone signal. There's a free version which is completely functional but it was so handy I think I'll show some support and buy the full thing.

First proper tour and not too much went wrong. Next time I'd probably get a cassette with a wider range as the Applecross climb was pretty tough loaded, even with a triple. I think I'm going to invest in one of Soma's low trail forks some time over winter too.

Nice setup. What front rack?

Surly Nice. Heavy but dependable.

Ah yeah weigh a metric ton.

Surly Nice. Heavy but dependable.

I think you're being too nice by calling it's heavy.

It's a fucking monster, that what it is.

Cheers, let me know how you get on, any must sees and any things to avoid!

Is there an OTP groupset with disc brakes and STIs? I'd like to build up something like a Straggler for light touring duties (and winter commuting).

Forgive me if this is the wrong thread or if this questions has already been covered elsewhere.

@Dom

No. There is not.

Just get 105, and buy it in parts not as a whole, and then 105 hydralic shifters and brakes.

The other option is that if you're running SRAM, all you need to do is buy the new brake/shifter set, and mate it to the old 10 speed groupset, cable pull are the same.

Very good setup, J.Dennis!
I would like to make a not too long trip with a similar equipment. It would be my first “adventure” along with some friends and I’m still taking note of what is strictly necessary to have a safe and good experience. A friend of mine talked about portable solar panels. In his opinion it could be very useful to recharge devices such as smartphones, digital cameras and a Garmin GPS. He showed me this photo with the panel he was talking about.

So, my question is: have you ever tried to use this alternative solution? I’ve noticed that the panel appears to be light and foldable, so it would be comfortable to be taken with me. Obviously, I have to take into consideration the devices I want to power balancing the overall weight… what do you think?

Generally unless you're going 'out out' I don't think you'd need/want a solar panel. A large capacity battery will recharge your devices multiple times over and can be plugged in itself at cafes/pubs/hotels/camping sites. It probably weighs the same as the solar panel and you don't need to chase the sun.

Milder stuff than the amazing" road to karakol " posted upthread.
Will get your Mojo up.
http://vimeo.com/groups/wereldfietser/videos/112047920

Cycled from Warsaw to Budapest in the summer heading down through Poland then the roads through the tatra mountains in Slovakia.

Made a video if anyone is interested!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stCl_0jkD4Q

always on the back of my mind. a singlespeed, budget tour through south africa, cape town to johannesburg or vice versa, something. dangers and delusions aside, sounds like fun.