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I've not ridden my bike for years, a long succession of being punted off by cars will make you twice shy I suppose, but find myself yearning to get away for a low stress bike tour. I'm hideously unfit now so want it flat(ish) and days of 50 miles or less.
Has anyone any experience or suggestions for routes of any length that spend little time around traffic, ideally accessible from one of the Channel ports? Canals or EuroVelo, camping or B&Bs, I'm keen to hear of your good experiences.
I'll kick off; some time ago I spent a long weekend going down the Canal d'Ille et Rance from St Malo and remember it being very pleasant with nice gravel tow paths, stereotypical Breton towns and villages all selling Kouign-amman and punchy cidre, and lots of campsites dotted along the canal to just roll up to and pitch for the night. I'd happily do it again, but variety is the spice of life and all that.
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A side note to the F-16s to Poland conversation, I'd be surprised if the Polish, or any, Air Force didn't have significantly more pilots trained on any one type than the total number of aircraft available.
When I learnt to fly at my then (Naval) gliding club, a USN F/A-18 pilot was over on secondment 'flying a desk' with the Fleet Air Arm. He told me with lament that even with all the planes the USN have the pilots are on 3 (or 6, I can't quite remember) year cycles of being a 'front line' pilot and then doing some other role, only flying enough to keep current. The result being far more qualified pilots bashing about than seats in cockpits. I guess it's a way to keep a number of reserve yet current pilots on roster if they're needed.
All this plane geekery is interesting and all, but it gives me chills to think there are normal people like me out there in Ukraine and other wartorn parts of the world on the receiving end of what these planes and pilots are designed and trained to do.
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100% Yes! I'm now convinced I'm going to low rent carbon copy this on my Randonneur. A paint job will be nice but I also kind like it in it's characterful 'worked-on' look.
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Nice project! I've got an earlier Randonneur so am watching what you do with great interest.
RE those top tube cable guides; they're up top on my unmodified frame because there's a pump peg below the top tube. If the cables were down below they'd get in the way. Also, I find it useful having them out of the way for shouldering the bike up steps/over stiles & gates CX style. It's a good thing!
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Another thought - I don't know how wide the movement of the front (looks to be) Simplex derailleur is, it might not swing far enough for a triple up front. No personal experience of those.
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Should add, don't mean to naysay your dreams for that bike. If you really love all other aspects of it every issue I just posted about can be surmounted, just might take a bit of forethought
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A word to the wise; watch out for French threads.
That rear wheel has a 4 speed (by the looks of it) freewheel on it, not a cassette, and will most likely be the weird French size. An English freewheel will wind on 3/4ish of a turn and then bind. Ask me how I now and I'll reply in Atom/Maillard/Normandy tinged curses.
Pretty sure old French frames will also have French sized & threaded bottom bracket shells too, which could be pertinent if you're thinking of swapping to a square taper Stronglight/TA crankset. Oh, and don't forget about French pedal threads too... Oh boy!
All that aside, the Stronglight/TA cranks have a properly narrow P factor, so you shouldn't actually have an issue with the big ring being miles out from the smallest cog in terms of chainline. But you might have an issue with the 3rd inner chainring fouling the chainstay, depending how tight it is already, which would lead to the need for a longer bb axle (entre: bb du Français issues) and then that outer chainring-small cog chainline could become an issue!
(Edited: Saw you already said it is a French bike)
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The Mack Workshop rack bags don't have any 'internal structure' like a rando bag does, it's just the material giving it form - like a backpack. No easy way to put any plastic board or whatever in it to give any rigidity as the floating liner is stitched in at the top.
I couldn't get it to work with my SJS small canti-rack, but that's my fault as it's really designed for a rack that's full width/a basket.
So glad I asked the question, thankful for all the great advice here. It's really got me stoked to go do some riding, it's been pretty shit being scared off from doing something I love because of 2 tonne battering rams piloted by arseholes.
Given the amount of Netherlands suggestions I'm going to have to really think about it! To the people that have ridden around NL, how did you get there? Is the train the best option? I've not got much cash to splash, so what's the camping situation like over there?
My main reasons for asking about France were because I know it well, can just about cobble together a conversation in the language, like the food, and live only a 20 minute ride away from Portsmouth Ferry Terminal on NCN224. Most of the ferries go to France but there is one that goes to Bilbao, so @hippy 's suggestion of the Trans Euskal are definitely one to remember for when I regain my fitness (looks hilly af).
Thanks @frank9755, your easy loop from the Hook of Holland sounds really ideal, think I'm going to look deeper into that
Great shouts from @d0cA voies vertes, @Aroogah francevelotourisme.com, and @elswick for cycle.travel too. I'm used to just following a paper map and signposts but I'm feeling a GPS of some kind might reduce the stress even further. Does a smartphone suffice or have people got suggestions?
I think @RonnieOatmilk & @T_Unit have hit the nail on the head with EuroVelo4. The St Malo > Caen suggestion might win here for me on this occasion. I know Brittany and Normandy well already, can get ferries to and from both destinations from Portsmouth, and riding NE means the prevailing SW winds should help me along.