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cycle touring

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    #62
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 16,720 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    thebouldwhacker wrote: »
    I have a bullet proof trek 4300 which I'm gonna flip, change the nobbly tyres put on rear panniers and do a few short trips, hoping to hit Wales next few months. My gf is new to long cycles so no need to invest in more expencive gear yet. The trek gearing is perfect for lugging around all the gear on, I promised her that she wouldnt be loaded for the first few trips.

    Yeah good old Wales, I'll be doing a small bit of touring there at the end of July hopefully. Plan is get the train to Rosslare, boat to Fishguard, cycling to Holyhead (going the scenic route) and then get the boat back from Holyhead.


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    #63
    FergusF
    Registered Users Posts: 133 ✭✭FergusF


    Chazziemann wrote: »
    The Kona smoke is made of Chromoly butted steel, (same steel as the LHT) has a wheel base and chain stay almost same as the Sutra. The only thing it that the gears brakes etc were of low standard.

    So i decided that it was a good buy.

    I bought myself the Super C panniers and the tubus cosmo rack.

    Its a treat to cycle...

    Commuting Bicycle turned tourer

    thebouldwhacker have you a touring Bike??
    I agree, the Kona Smoke makes a good, cheap and tough touring bike.

    I have a 2004 (?) model, upgraded with a Brooks B67, Schwalbe Marathon + tyres and a Blackburn rack. Never had a problem with the gears although they are a lower spec they have a good low range for the hills. Changed the brake pads to Koolstops and find them fine now.

    Never missed a beat on a 400km tour of the north coast of Spain a few years back, I now use it for spins on gravel tracks and back roads. A bit heavy but very comfy and a smooth ride.


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    #64
    Chazziemann
    Closed Accounts Posts: 50 ✭✭Chazziemann


    FergusF

    Id say that was a nice trip??.... Was looking at getting myself one of the saddles, have read good reviews about them. Any tours planed for this year??/


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    #65
    rottenhat
    Registered Users Posts: 1,352 ✭✭✭rottenhat


    Dónal wrote: »
    Yeah good old Wales, I'll be doing a small bit of touring there at the end of July hopefully. Plan is get the train to Rosslare, boat to Fishguard, cycling to Holyhead (going the scenic route) and then get the boat back from Holyhead.

    You might want to doublecheck that you can actually bring a bike on the train to Rosslare - certainly a couple of years ago you couldn't as it's not an intercity service, just one of those glorified commuter trains. Wales is great though.


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    #66
    FergusF
    Registered Users Posts: 133 ✭✭FergusF


    Chazziemann wrote: »
    FergusF

    Id say that was a nice trip??.... Was looking at getting myself one of the saddles, have read good reviews about them. Any tours planed for this year??/
    Yes, a great trip alright, until I ran into some serious storms near Santander, chickened out and took the bus the last 150km or so to Gijón.

    I finally finished the whole Camino, last September cycled the last 400km but on a different bike.

    Later this year I'm planning a (hilly!) 200km trip from Gijon to Palencia. Also thinking of exploring the Main Radweg (http://www.mainradweg.com/) in southern Germany, if I can convince some friends to join me.

    I'd definitely recommend the Brooks B67 or Champion Flyer, very comfy especially on rougher surfaces, the springs really help smooth out the bumps.


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    #67
    billyhead
    Registered Users Posts: 9,875 ✭✭✭billyhead


    Dónal wrote: »
    Yeah good old Wales, I'll be doing a small bit of touring there at the end of July hopefully. Plan is get the train to Rosslare, boat to Fishguard, cycling to Holyhead (going the scenic route) and then get the boat back from Holyhead.

    I would be interested in arranging something similar for a trip away. Any further info on your plannin gfor this let me know i.e would you be planning to stay overnight etc?


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    #68
    ridertothesea_
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭ridertothesea_


    Great thread.

    I've done the USA coast to coast www.cyclingusa.blogspot.com on a Trek 520. Also Cherbourg-Paris. I also have an idea festering in my head of cycling to Iran - you can get a non stop train back from Tehran to Istanbul. Will be scrapping off the 'handbuilt in the USA' sticker for that one.

    No where compares to West Cork. Skib-Ballydehop-Bantry-CTB-Allihies-Eyeries-Healypass is the best road I have ever travelled by any means.

    Short term am thinking of cycling the grand canal from my appartment at the grand canal dock across to the Shannon. Has anyone done this? Is there a continuous path?

    Happy travels


    Ridertothesea


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    #69
    feck sake lads
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 ✭✭✭feck sake lads


    ridertothesea_ wrote: »
    Great thread.

    I've done the USA coast to coast www.cyclingusa.blogspot.com on a Trek 520. Also Cherbourg-Paris. I also have an idea festering in my head of cycling to Iran - you can get a non stop train back from Tehran to Istanbul. Will be scrapping off the 'handbuilt in the USA' sticker for that one.

    No where compares to West Cork. Skib-Ballydehop-Bantry-CTB-Allihies-Eyeries-Healypass is the best road I have ever travelled by any means.

    Short term am thinking of cycling the grand canal from my appartment at the grand canal dock across to the Shannon. Has anyone done this? Is there a continuous path?

    Happy travels.

    Wow you sure get around brilliant stuff so how was your us tour would you recommend it .
    Theres a book on the cycling the canals of Ireland by john Dunne it called towpath tours might be worth having a look . did you write up your tour on crazyguyonabike like to read that.;)


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    #70
    Pizarro
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭Pizarro


    Does anyone have any recommendations for a good 1 or 2 man tent? I'm looking at the Eurohike Backpacker in Millets (it was mentioned by a friend who used to work there as being pretty good) I'm looking for something light so I can carry it on my bike and possibly with a bit of a porch so I can stow my panniers in the night.


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    #71
    feck sake lads
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 ✭✭✭feck sake lads


    what kind of money are you willing to spend,i have the hilleberg akto it's a great tent but expensive the way i reckoned if im caught out in a storm i want a tent that could survive it and keep me nice and comfy ,so the akto ticked all the boxes my next tent will be the nallo by hilleberg .;)


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    #72
    keenan110
    Registered Users Posts: 326 ✭✭keenan110


    Pizarro wrote: »
    Does anyone have any recommendations for a good 1 or 2 man tent? I'm looking at the Eurohike Backpacker in Millets (it was mentioned by a friend who used to work there as being pretty good) I'm looking for something light so I can carry it on my bike and possibly with a bit of a porch so I can stow my panniers in the night.

    I have this Gelert tent which i bought in Millets, its a very good tent for the price and there is plenty of space to in the porch for panniers!


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    #73
    DualFrontDiscs
    Registered Users Posts: 932 ✭✭✭DualFrontDiscs


    Pizarro wrote: »
    Does anyone have any recommendations for a good 1 or 2 man tent? I'm looking at the Eurohike Backpacker in Millets (it was mentioned by a friend who used to work there as being pretty good) I'm looking for something light so I can carry it on my bike and possibly with a bit of a porch so I can stow my panniers in the night.
    Budget? MSR Hubba was recommended to me recently. It's about €270 here, or online in the UK for c.£200.

    msr_hubba.jpg

    http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/fast-and-light-tents/hubba/product.

    It's definitely a one man tent. MSR have a good reputation too. It weighs about 1.3kg.

    Thinking of getting one myself.

    DFD.


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    #74
    Pizarro
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭Pizarro


    Sorry, should have mentioned I'm trying to budget €50-75 for a tent. Millets seem to have a good range that I'll check out tomorrow if I have the time and the Auld Fella has a tent if I can't find anything I can afford.


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    #75
    Chazziemann
    Closed Accounts Posts: 50 ✭✭Chazziemann


    rottenhat wrote: »
    You might want to doublecheck that you can actually bring a bike on the train to Rosslare - certainly a couple of years ago you couldn't as it's not an intercity service, just one of those glorified commuter trains. Wales is great though.


    Just after coming back from cork to wexford with my bike on the bus. 12euro for the bike.... no problems just removed the peddles and handlebars and it fitted in at 45 degrees, no damage.


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    #76
    Chazziemann
    Closed Accounts Posts: 50 ✭✭Chazziemann


    Pizarro wrote: »
    Sorry, should have mentioned I'm trying to budget €50-75 for a tent. Millets seem to have a good range that I'll check out tomorrow if I have the time and the Auld Fella has a tent if I can't find anything I can afford.


    I have used a 20euro tent from argos for a while now. Cant remember the make. Its a orange one person. Hasn't let me down as of yet.


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    #77
    thebouldwhacker
    Registered Users Posts: 3,565 ✭✭✭thebouldwhacker


    I agree with keenan, imho you cant beat gelert, their gear is at a suspiciously low price but any gear I have made by them always serves well and is pretty good quality. The only tent i have by them is a 4 man so no idea what weight a one man would come in at but I'll bet the price will be agreeable.


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    #78
    Heisenberg.
    Registered Users Posts: 7,541 ✭✭✭Heisenberg.


    This post has been deleted.


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    #79
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 16,720 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Scien wrote: »
    Have you done this before Dónal?


    I've a week off soon so I was just mapping it out here in the opposite direction:

    Day 1. Holyhead to Porthmadog 80km
    Day 2. Porthmadog to Aberstwyth 93km
    Day 3. Aberstwyth to Fishguard 92km

    No idea about headwind though, would it be better to start at Holyhead or Fishguard?

    Nope, never even been to Wales before. Reason we're heading that direction is really so that we can end and get the ferry back to Dublin on the last day, rather then having to get the train back up.

    Haven't looked properly at the route but my initial plan would be to head east to the Brecon Beacons, and then wander back up towards Holyhead. Thinking of 4 days cycling time for this so just over 100km a day.


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    #80
    Peetrik
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭Peetrik


    Just did Dublin - Galway, Galway - Dublin. 454k over 4 days

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Blackhall+Pl&daddr=53.346978,-6.285789+to:Chapelizod+Rd%2FR109+to:Lower+Rd%2FR109+to:Kilcock+Rd+to:River+St%2FN80+to:Main+St+to:R339+to:B%C3%B3thar+na+dTreabh%2FN18+to:Fairgreen+Rd+to:Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FcgKLgMdVyWg_w%3B%3BFXQALgMdh4Gf_w%3BFSo7LgMdbH2e_w%3BFcaJLgMd2Teb_w%3BFTrvLQMdBtiL_w%3BFVLCLgMd8CaK_w%3BFX5aLQMdW5h3_w%3BFeYALQMdNQ53_w%3BFVznLAMd3Pl1_w%3BFWOnLAMdORJ1_w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9&dirflg=w&sll=53.346145,-6.284695&sspn=0.009633,0.01929&ie=UTF8&ll=53.592505,-7.476196&spn=2.451922,4.938354&z=8

    Day 1 106k, camped just outside of Moate
    Day 2 117k, stayed in a campsite in salthill
    Day 3 125k, phone dead at this stage so no gps, took a 5k detour off towards birr before I realised my mistake
    Day 4 106k, back in Dublin with one hell of a farmer tan

    Few snaps...
    118199.jpg

    118200.jpg

    118201.jpg

    118202.jpg

    118203.jpg


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    #81
    feck sake lads
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 ✭✭✭feck sake lads


    well done peetrik I'm amazed you got all your gear into that bag and carried it all on a road bike well done, did you wild camp all the way.


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    #82
    Peetrik
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭Peetrik


    Cheers, was trying to see how little I could take. Im fairly light >70kg and all my gear + tent & bag was under 10kg so I figured there are plenty of 80kg riders about on road bikes and that I should be ok.

    Yeah camped wild on the first night and again on the way back, I asked a few locals and they said nobody would have any problem with me staying in any of the fields around.
    Stayed in a campsite in Galway.

    Learned a lot but suspect Iv barely scratched the surface of what I need to learn if Im to try abroad :) Great fun all round tho


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    #83
    feck sake lads
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 ✭✭✭feck sake lads


    Peetrik wrote: »
    Cheers, was trying to see how little I could take. Im fairly light >70kg and all my gear + tent & bag was under 10kg so I figured there are plenty of 80kg riders about on road bikes and that I should be ok.

    Yeah camped wild on the first night and again on the way back, I asked a few locals and they said nobody would have any problem with me staying in any of the fields around.
    Stayed in a campsite in Galway.

    Learned a lot but suspect Iv barely scratched the surface of what I need to learn if Im to try abroad :) Great fun all round tho
    well done I'm off to the uk this week i can tell you i'm carrying a lot more than 10kg.i find cloths to be the big problem take up so much room and they weigh a bit, but better to be looking at them than looking for them ;)


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    #84
    Peetrik
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭Peetrik


    Ah Im jealous :)

    Got your route planned?


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    #85
    empirix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,723 ✭✭✭empirix


    Chazziemann wrote: »
    Some more pics...

    West cork is supposed to have a great coast line. The beara peninsula cork is lovely i heard...

    Lol - even brought a mattress :D

    Id love to do something like that, i wonder would it be tough going on a mountain bike?


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    #86
    feck sake lads
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 ✭✭✭feck sake lads


    Peetrik wrote: »
    Ah Im jealous :)

    Got your route planned?

    going to a vintage cycle rally in a place called watlington near enough in the middle of the uk basically in the sticks if we get the weather it should be a good tour,I'll be camping all the way not much of a cook but it has to be done:D
    i've just finished packing my panniers (rear only) there bloody stuffed sorry to say but i need it all ,my barbag is also stuffed amazing how much stuff a fella needs to survive a week's touring.:rolleyes:


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    #87
    Peetrik
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭Peetrik


    Good luck! Hope you have fun


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    #88
    feck sake lads
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 ✭✭✭feck sake lads


    Peetrik wrote: »
    Good luck! Hope you have fun

    thanks so do I.


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    #89
    Heisenberg.
    Registered Users Posts: 7,541 ✭✭✭Heisenberg.


    This post has been deleted.


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    #90
    Peetrik
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭Peetrik


    My hands were fine, I wear big winter padded gloves that look ridiculous but are soft and cushioned and exactly the job, arms and shoulders began to feel it by the end of the second day alright but I'm guessing thats just because I'm a beginner.

    Sunscreen, Im really wishing I had invested in some sunscreen :)

    Other than that I suppose a handlebar bag to spread the weight a little and an emergency phone charger.

    Best of luck on your trip Scien!


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    #91
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,497 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Lads just curious, I'm using a Trek 7.1 FX, how suitable is this for holding panniers either front or back.

    I might be mad but I'm thinking of giving touring a go, either just myself or with a friend of mine. Although the first time I went camping was the weekend and prior to that 1997 I'm also going to risk that to :)

    It just seems like a challenge and a good experience for this summer.


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