Touring Ireland

Ok I've been considering this for a while and I'll probably go for it this summer.The plan is to do it on a mountain bike(so I can do a little bit of off-roading along the way.) and I hope to do about 70km a day.Just a couple of questions for people who've done this sort of thing before.

As regards luggage, what's the easiest way to transport it? Panniers seem to be the way to go but what's the chance of these being ransacked if I lock the bike somewhere i.e can they easily be removed or opened.Also has anyone done this sort of thing with a backpack.I've done all of my longer cycles with a heavy backpack but I'm unsure how my back would cope over 2 weeks.Also what essentials would I need that you've found useful in the past,and what's the easiest way to wash clothes,would B&B's be obliging if you asked nicely:p

Also I would be spending a lot of my time over the first few days on national secondary roads,probably the worst of all.What I usually do on these roads is cycle towards the centre of the lane so I avoid any debris to the inside of the lane and drivers won't try any stupid overtaking manouevers when cars are coming as so often happens :mad: So is this method the best on these kind of roads or am I likely to get myself killed

Would really appreciate any advice or tips,thanks.

blorg

You can get panniers that remove quickly and easily; I've always toured with panniers and kept all valuables in a bar bag at the front. I would not like a backpack personally; even 2kg in one annoyed me on my 6km commute!

Depends on the road but I have found national secondary roads quite good- well surfaced but quiet. Cycling out a bit is indeed good advice, just try to keep an awareness of what is behind you (a mirror can help here) and be courteous but safe.

daymobrew

Deleted User wrote: »

Also I would be spending a lot of my time over the first few days on national secondary roads, probably the worst of all.What I usually do on these roads is cycle towards the centre of the lane so I avoid any debris to the inside of the lane and drivers won't try any stupid overtaking manouevers when cars are coming as so often happens :mad: So is this method the best on these kind of roads or am I likely to get myself killed

When I was training for the W200 I used mostly unnumbered roads or some R roads. The surfaces were mostly okay and traffic quiet enough. I have the Ordnance Survey 'Discovery' maps for this, though at ~8 euro each, it won't be worth your while getting the entire set (>70 maps), but they might have province maps that give similar information.

Morgan

I'd definitely use panniers - much more comfortable. I also wouldn't leave them unattended for a minute in this country - maybe abroad.

Washing is no big deal - just handwash your kit in a sink every day or two. Drying can be the hard part depending on the weather. Make sure all your gear is of the quick-drying variety.

It might be worth bringing two sets of tyres - a road pair and an offroad pair. Knobbly tyres will wear away fast on 70 road km a day and will slow you down. A folding pair of tyres won't take up too much room.

Snapper1

I did this last year and used a backpack but I'd probably choose panniers if I was to do it again. for obvious reasons, having the frame/wheels support the weight of your gear is much less awkward than carrying it yourself. But don't discount the backpack, it can be done.

With regard to the roads, we travelled on National Primary roads wherever we could simply because it was the fastest way to get to our next destination. It turned out there was plenty of scenery and photo ops even on the busiest of roads. So again, don't discount the option of using the main routes.

There's been some previous threads where I've given more info so you could check them out.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055255263

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055157106

blorg

For what it is worth I used Schwalbe Marathon tyres for the Camino, around 25% on track, rest on road. These would only be up to light off-roading mind but they were pretty much perfect for my use. Pumped them up to full pressure on the road and let air out of the front tyre in particular for the track sections.

Blorg:Thanks for the bar bag idea but is there an easy way to secure the panniers to the bike so they're not that easy to remove or open?I'd be leaving the bike when getting lunch or visiting any interesting spots so this could prove a problem.

Daymobrew:I'm planning on using minor/regional roads if possible but on the south side of the Ring of Kerry I won't really have a choice.I have about 15 of the OS maps already,very useful but you're right I should look for a better more comprehensive map,buying and bringing another 30+ OS maps may be a bit difficult.

Morgan:Never even thought about the sink,thanks for that.Drying the clothes should be grand as long as we don't have a summer like last year!As for the tyres I've used the knobbly tyres on several 60-70km road cycles.I've never actually used slicks so I don't know how much they slow me down.How hard is it to find slicks for a mtb?Would they need to be bought online and would they be very prone to pinch punctures on the worse roads?

Snapper1:Thanks for the links,they had some good information.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.I'll probably go on a shorter tour around the south west peninsulas first to see how it goes and then later on in the summer do the whole country.

blorg

There is a 4-map "holiday" series of Ireland that I imagine should do you OK. Personally I did Dublin-Cork recently firstly with no map and then bought a single map of the whole country in Athy because I was getting a bit freaked out that I had no idea at all where I was in relation to anything (I had just made a vague list of towns in my head to target and was following signposts to get to them.) That single map did me more than fine, I honestly think you could get around the whole country with it- it only falls down when you are IN a town, then it is useless and you have to ask directions. I have the Discovery Series for around Dublin and Wicklow but I don't think you should be looking at them for a round-Ireland tour.

No effective way of locking/closing panniers 100% that I know of but there probably is something. When touring like that, I would just leave them and take the bar bag with me, for 1 or 2 hours away certainly.

Yeah I may just throw my clothes in the panniers and stick everything else in the bar bag.I can't imagine anyone going to the effort of stealing some old clothes.Will probably go with a small backpack on the handlebars so containing the camera,lenses,bike bits and maps.As for the discovery maps I may buy them for the tour around the south west as there are a lot of headlands,beaches,castles,off-road routes etc. that I want to visit.I'll look out for one of those maps though for the round Ireland tour.Thanks again

Morgan

Deleted User wrote: »

Morgan:Never even thought about the sink,thanks for that.Drying the clothes should be grand as long as we don't have a summer like last year!As for the tyres I've used the knobbly tyres on several 60-70km road cycles.I've never actually used slicks so I don't know how much they slow me down.How hard is it to find slicks for a mtb?Would they need to be bought online and would they be very prone to pinch punctures on the worse roads?

Slick MTB tyres are widely available online (e.g. Chain Reaction) and in shops. If anything you'd be less likely to pinch-flat since you'd be running them at a higher pressure.

I've used Discovery series maps on a couple of short tours and I noticed you'd get right across the map in a few short hours - they're a bit too detailed for road journeys.

Valuables in a handlebar bag and everything else in the panniers is definitely the way to go. If you really have to leave the panniers you could use a small cable to lock them to the bike - this could easily be cut or the pannier straps cut but it might stop an opportunist just passing by.

I scrapped the idea of doing some off roading and ended up getting a cheap touring bike and some panniers in the end.What PSI would be the best for the tyres? I'm new to this whole road bike malarkey

Fion_McCool

Deleted User wrote: »

I scrapped the idea of doing some off roading and ended up getting a cheap touring bike and some panniers in the end.What PSI would be the best for the tyres? I'm new to this whole road bike malarkey

It's usually written on the side of the tire in this format... MIN 30 bar (45 psi) - MAX 60 bar (70 psi)