Generic Touring Thread

Ah cheers, they look interesting, pretty wide. Currently sold out..

Where does one put the levers on this?

Used http://cycle.travel/ to come up with this Harwich to London route

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23522492

Any silly billy roads I'm going to go down?

Same as On One Midge, if they have any stock.
I found this blog post very useful when setting up mine:
http://www.63xc.com/mattc/midge.htm

not sure about billy roads but I know cycle route 1 is a nice way from London to Colchester, but might be a bit longer

Just looking between Chelmsford and Harwich as they're the bits I'm familiar with, it looks like a decent route.

Between Colchester and Wivenhoe it's routed you along the Wivenhoe Trail which is a compacted dirt track, doable on a road bike but not that comfortably. Just before the trail it takes you past the old heath rec a weird way along some footpath that I wouldn't choose. I personally just ride along the A134 a bit further north when I head that way.

Just before that on Berechurch road the route seems determined to keep you on the silly cycle path that keeps crossing the road. I always ride along the road itself, it's low-traffic and fine to ride and doesn't mess you about. e: streetview on this road is really out of date, it's been widened, resurfaced and all the foliage has been removed to get rid of blind corners since then.

This is his setup

1 Attachment

thanks :)

I'm riding London to Edinburgh solo single speed next week. Planning to follow Sustrans route 1. Says it's signposted. I don't use tech. Any tips?

Answers on a postcard?

Personally I would have a list of town/village names I'd be aiming to pass through so that you can use signposts other than just the NCN ones. It's almost guaranteed that signs will be missing in quite a lot of places.

We used the sustrans paper maps to ride around Scotland. They fall apart after a couple of days but do the job well enough.
Its very well signposted in Scotland

Thanks folks.

NCN routes can be pretty bad for signage some times, and even a little confusing.
A list of towns and basic route description will help.
I would study the route before you go as well. Sometimes they, in a effort to stay on quieter roads, can be so needlessly complicated and therefore very slow. This is mainly through towns and cities. I've found it easier to choose a direct route through and pick the NCN on the way out.

EDIT: I have not experience of NCN1 but I have ridden a number of others.

I did Edinburgh to Ashington earlier this year, before diverting inland and coming down the Pennines to Nottingham. I had tech, but found that section very well signed saving a small section near this Tesco https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.8822428,-3.087751,3a,75y,176.56h,80.28t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s2xcufAQaTGBSu0two_dxAA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D2xcufAQaTGBSu0two_dxAA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D23.076857%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656 which I think is new and has disrupted the signage, it took me some questing to pick it back up after losing it.

Not sure what bike you are on, but worth noting that I found the off road section from Berwick-Holy Island good value on my disc-braked cross bike (28mm slick tyres), fairly heavily rutted grass track.

The Drift Cafe near Cresswell was excellent.

I had route ~on my basic garmin (line only, no maps) but also cut up a cheap road map and highlighted the route which was a useful back up.

Thanks SW and Tomo. All really helpful. Will let you know how it goes. Cheers.

SW. What mileage were you managing daily? I'm aiming at approx 100 which seems reasonably relaxed. Given I've got all day.

I was lightly loaded (~6kg), staying mainly in hostels which sort of dictated my day lengths. I think I also aimed for ~100 miles per day (think I did a little less) averaging around 20 km/h by myself, going steadily. It was definitely nice to have days of varying lengths.

Obviously I did a different route (a bit hillier?) but for info I did Edinburgh-Berwick (a bit too long and weather sucked), Berwick-Seahouses (short day to then spend a day with my parents), Seahouses-Ninebanks (near hadrians wall), Ninebanks-Scotch Corner, Scotch Corner-Hawes, Hawes-Edale, Edale-Nottingham

Thanks again SW. Ah. Seahouses. They don't mess about with place names up there do they? Sea..... And houses. Spent many a day out there with my folks in the 60s. Wooler too. Rothbury. Alnwick. Berwick. Sounds like you were on a nostalgia trip too? I'm from Houghton le Spring. Northumberland then was a 2 hour drive in an Austin A35 van with a bus seat in the back with a stop once across the border for a brew (paraffin stove and teapot!) in the heather. We were happy kids then....tomato sauce sandwiches in a brown paper bag and a milk shake for a treat. Oh dear....You've got me started...

I'm about to do my first solo tour, and I was wondering, what do people do with their bikes/kit when they have to leave them (say to pop into a shop etc)? I'll have a lock, but to take off and carry round a pannier and a seat pack would be pretty annoying.

what do people do with their bikes/kit when they have to leave them (say to pop into a shop etc)?

Depends on where you're going obviously and for how long you're going to leave the bike alone, but I just lock it and take valuables with me (electronics, cash, etc).

Put your friendliest face on and ask if you can bring your bike in.
Rarely will someone be a complete ass and say you can't.
You do sometimes just have to hope that no one will pinch anything but as long as your bike is locked you can always buy new kit.

Thanks folks,
Its mostly hope for the best/damage limitation I suppose.

I'm looking to buy a new frame for my touring bike. One I can transfer all the parts from my current bike to, so preferable canti mounts and room for 700x40 tyres. I dont really want a surly and have about 600 pounds to spend. Anyone ideas?

http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/grand-randonneur-frame-set

Designed for 650b wheels and cantilever brakes