Generic Touring Thread

Great write up and pics. I am stealing this itinerary. Thank you.

I'm selling a couple of sleeping mats if anyone is looking.
Here

anyone looking for a companion for a tour? ideally this would be based either in/near the Netherlands or going spain-ward or doing the turino-nice together. elsewhere in uk and europe considered. i could drive one other person/bike to a start. I’d love to do road gravel or mountain bike based light touring

When you thinking? I was considering a late summer tour around northern France somewhere for a week or so.

I'd love to scream YES but life looks full, and holidays booked.
Very tail end of summer and something like the Eiffel for a few days might work though...

My get from train station to holiday hut setup.
Uckermark really is lovely.

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It looks like your bike is herding the bins into a wagon train.

Is that a Rambler? I’m hoping to get one next month when the new shipment arrives.

I’m very excited about having so much tyre clearance.

I’ll be heading to Spain at some point for
Sure. Keep us updated on your plans here and perhaps we could link up.

Your Stooge looks great! I like the colourful panniers, the basket, the lot.

No, scrambler. So much fun with my skills and the 27,5x3.0 on trails, and seems like it would be a fun tourer too with the moderate 29s.
But merging my v.o. polyvalent and this into a rambler and then getting a full sus would be awesome.

Keep us updated on the rambler, so good.
If it's anything as much fun as a scrambler you'll love it.

Thanks!
Basket just makes sense. Bags are Larca by Ortlieb, best panniers ever.
I'll hopefully manage to convince partner that we finally go touring this or next year, this setup should carry all the creature comforts she wants.

I realised I should have cropped the picture...

I like it. Such an unusual combo of elements. All the crap we want to escape from juxtaposed with the means to get away and be free.

Exactly. We spent a week with extended family in a very empty part of Germany 100km from Berlin.
Coming back to the city felt strange as always, somehow I didn't take a picture of the bike before coming back.

Talking of these tours, I'm tempted to ride to Netherlands for the Tour de Femmes grand depart, or watch a stage. Anyone ridden that Rotterdam before?

Rotterdam is a very easy ride from the ferry at hook of Holland.

Ah, for some reason I thought that ferry stopped.

Portsmouth to London to Harwich, ferry, roll around Rotterdam for a week, sounds lovely I think!

No, it's a good ferry, and in summer you'll find plenty of other touring cyclists to make friends with.

Any suggestions on decent tyres (700 c) with tan walls for on road touring (20-25 kg load)? Especially tyres that have decent grip and without too much rolling resistance?

Thanks.

Me and my partner have done this twice in the past few years - and are going next week again. We’re going full Zeeland to ride all the flood defence barriers etc this year, but I can link you our routes previously if you like.

I’d really recommend going out to the Biesbosch national park - is next to Rotterdam and super scenic.

decent tyres (700 c) with tan walls

Does. Not. Compute.

Mutually exclusive.

I use 700x32 panaracer paselas, the rigid ones, sometimes pt sometimes the other ones, not really sure on the difference. They’ve done me well and are ok on gravel as well as tarmac, normally last a few thousand km

A few routes would be great, thanks!

I’d be interested in exploring compatibility with all three rides mentioned N. France, to Rott and Spain. Will DM