cycle touring

blorg

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Double post for for expeditions how often should one give their chain a proper clean and how many kms should you give before switching to a new one?

Clean/relube whenever it needs it- this will depend on the conditions. I haven't been too diligent on the cleaning (maybe every 3-4 months) but have been relubing whenever it feels/sounds like it needs it. I don't use a lot of chain lube at all- around 30ml over the first 10,000km. Put a small drop into each roller, don't just splash it all over the place. I prefer the wet lube, even in dry conditions- I started on wax lube in India and it just disappeared continually, went through a 60ml bottle in the 2,600km to Kathmandu.

I have been changing the chain to an extent when I get the opportunity. So far:

Istanbul +3,222km
Tehran +3,655km
Kathmandu +5,440km

Still on the original cassette with no problems skipping, etc.

I see some people rotate chains every 1000 to 2000km and wondered if that's a reasonable course of action? (weight isn't a problem).

Do you mean take off a chain and keep it to be put back on later? Utterly pointless in my opinion. Just measure and make sure to replace the chain before it does damage. Then throw the old one out. You can measure with a standard inch ruler.

Is a powerlink a good investment as well for long term expeditions?

I have one for possible emergency use (it weighs nothing) but haven't had to use it. I have been putting on the new chains (Shimano) using the joining pins, which I am used to at home. I also have a load of spare joining pins but again haven't had to use them. I use a Topeak Super Chain Tool which works extraordinarily well for something so compact. I left the allen key that comes with it at home as I have a full set of ball ended ones and use them instead.

tomasrojo

blorg wrote: »

I use a Topeak Super Chain Tool which works extraordinarily well for something so compact.

That's great design. I really like the chain hook. I must make one.

Harrybelafonte

I've been told the Kaffenbach frames from Planet X will be on sale again this month. They've been recommended for touring elsewhere, but I'm beginning to wonder how important the frame is, i.e. would an older touring frame be just as good?

feck sake lads

emm hard to know, if the old frame was a good one to start with then maybe yeah it would be better than a cheap new one;).

petethedrummer

What about the rear dropout spacing for modern groupsets?

Harrybelafonte

petethedrummer wrote: »

What about the rear dropout spacing for modern groupsets?

I always thought there was some leeway with the spacing, but that the brakes were more than likely a bigger issue?

Tonyandthewhale

I built up a 20year old 531 british eagle touristique last year for a friend of mine. Put a deore groupset on it and a new set of wheels with 135mm spacing deore hubs and mavic rims and it's much nicer than my modern raleigh royal with budget groupset and wheels despite the fact that the rebuild was cheaper (I got the frameset for 40e off adverts). So yes I would say that an older tourer frame can be just as good if not better than a cheap modern frame (that's not to say the frame isn't important, just that the design was pretty much perfected quite a while ago).
However you will probably be stuck with a 1 inch steerer column and thus a crappy threaded headset. You'd want to look out for something with canti-mounts as older long-reach calipher brakes are springy as fuck.
A lot of older bikes are also 126mm rear spacing whereas modern touring bikes us 135mm mountain bike hubs or sometimes 130mm road hubs. I'd have no problem using a 130mm hub in a 126mm steel frame as steel can bend a bit without causing problems. 126mm to 135mm spacing is probably doable but it wouldn't be ideal and frankly I wouldn't bother unless I had no other options.

Tonyandthewhale

Getting on the plane to Barcelona tomorrow. I don't suppose you're allowed bring those campig gaz canisters on a plane (even in the hold)? Anyone know for sure?

feck sake lads

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Getting on the plane to Barcelona tomorrow. I don't suppose you're allowed bring those campig gaz canisters on a plane (even in the hold)? Anyone know for sure?

i would say definitely a big no they took a few air canisters off me one time.but just but a gas stove over there should pick one up easy enough.

Tonyandthewhale

Thanks feck sake lads, thought it might be a no no. Ah well, I'm sure there's a camping shop or something similar somewhere in Barca.

Harrybelafonte

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Thanks feck sake lads, thought it might be a no no. Ah well, I'm sure there's a camping shop or something similar somewhere in Barca.

I'm bored, so:

"Some good places to look for a tent include El Corte Ingles (take advantage of the sales!), Carrefour (some of the cheapest on the market,) xxxx on Ronda San Antoni no. Xxx, as well as the army surplus shops in the Gothic and Raval areas, and the Balmat shops in Comte de Urgell 72 and Gran Via 527. "

http://www.barcelonaconnect.com/showlevel1.asp?pid=45

keenan110

Just back from a short 4 day cycle from Dublin to Limerick. I cycled the tow paths of the Grand Canal to the Shannon and then just followed the Shannon into Limerick and got a train back to Dublin.
Had pretty mixed weather but majority of the time it was cloudy and rainy, but this didn't really dampen our spirits.

The first day: Dublin to Edenderry. 67km

The tow paths heading out of town were paved all the way to the 13th Lock, but there was loads of gates along this section which made it very slow. After this section there was a very bumpy section with large rocks all over the tow path, but it only lasted for a few kms. There were quite a few sections of firm grass which was fine for cycling.
We camped about 5km outside Edenderry on the tow path which was deserted, didn't see a single person when we were camped there, a really nice spot.



The Second day: Edenderry to Shannon Harbour. 74km

The tow paths were much the same as the first day, some paved, some light gravel but mainly grass. Again there were some very bumpy sections but mostly it was fine. We camped by the 36th Lock in Shannon Harbour which was a perfect place, very quiet and a there was a nice little pub for pints that evening.


The third day: Shannon Harbour to Mount Shannon. 64km.

After the two previous days on the tow paths this day was entirely on road which was a a really nice change, even the bumpy roads seemed super smooth compared to the tow paths. I camped in Lake Side Campsite on Lough Derg. It was a brilliant campsite with really good facilities and there was nothing better than a swim in the lake after the days cycling.



The Fourth Day: Mount Shannon to Limerick. 57km

I rushed the last day so i could be in Limerick for 12 so i could get train back to Dublin but to be honest there wasn't any great scenery along the way after passing Scarriff (apart from Killaloe which is a nice town), so this suited fine.

feck sake lads

keenan fantastic report thanks for that.
it's a pity that route is not paved it would make a great tour.
what kinda weight had you on the rear rack .
I'm curious because thats how i tour 2 rear panniers but i reckon i could go lighter. how i don't know but every tip helps.

keenan110

feck sake lads wrote: »

what kinda weight had you on the rear rack .
I'm curious because thats how i tour 2 rear panniers but i reckon i could go lighter. how i don't know but every tip helps.

My rack was pretty heavy, 14kg. The tent i have is just under 4kgs and in the dry bag it brings it to over 4kgs. My sleeping bag and mat are heavy enough too, cause i kept everything else down to bare minimum!

feck sake lads

keenan110 wrote: »

My rack was pretty heavy, 14kg. The tent i have is just under 4kgs and in the dry bag it brings it to over 4kgs. My sleeping bag and mat are heavy enough too, cause i kept everything else down to bare minimum!

all the gear i have is lightweight ,i have two tents hilleberg akto brilliant tent a doddle to pitch very light but i find it a bit cramped but thats just me.i bought a tent from a lad on this forum, mountain hardware spear gt brilliant tent loads of room which suits me but yeah it's a bit on the heavy side.
i'm still trying to find the perfect packing list:rolleyes:

Vélo

Had a great time in Wales even with the amount of hills I had to climb.

Day 1.

Holyhead to Llandwrog.

Easy enough with a few hills, there were a few with the gradient around 14%. Caernarfon looked fantastic but didn't stop as we needed to crack on. We had a bad end to the day as there was nowhere to camp, so had to get a B&B. We ended up cycling just over 100km (including the spin to Dublin Port). The weather was fantastic, very warm and sunny.







Day 2.

Llandwrog - Barmouth

Legs tired as we set off (not used to 100km and carrying 32lbs of gear). The 1st 10km or so was flat with a strong enough headwind. Had a problem with the bike on the 1st climb, for some reason the rear wheel popped out of position and it just jammed, I suppose I was lucky I was barely moving. Undulating hills again for most of the day. We stopped and bought our breakfast for the next day which ended up being a life saver. We had spotted a lovely little town (Tremadog) but didn't stop there for lunch. We had decided we'd stop in Portmadog but this was a kip and said we'd get something just outside of the town. There was nowhere, so I got out the Trangia and cooked the sausages and rashers, washed down with a coffee. The Trangia stoves are brilliant and would highly recommend them. Somehow we managed to lose our route and to get back on track we had a climb with over a 20% gradient. At one stage we had our "Walk of Shame" I just couldn't get the bike up the hill and to make things worse I had accidentally stopped my Garmin and missed out on 9km of that days cycle. Found a great campsite. The weather was ok at 1st that evening but after we got the tent up and cooked dinner it lashed rain for the whole evening and night.





Day 3.

Barmouth - Aberystwyth

When we got up it was very wet out. So packed away the tent and put on all the rain gear. By the time we got to the town of Barmouth it had completely cleared up. On leaving Barmouth we had to pay a £1.50 toll to cross the wodden bridge to join the Mawddoch Trail. This was a beautiful cycle, completely flat and cycling beside water with mountains to the left. After this the real hills started, which didn't stop for the rest of the day, we even hit 425m at one stage. The route was tough but probably the most enjoyable on the whole trip. We did over 80km but there was nowhere to camp again, so ended up staying in a hotel. This actually turned out OK as we got clothes/gear washed and had a good sleep.





Day 4.

Aberystwyth - Newport

Legs were tired and dead again this day but still managed 85km. By this stage we had made our minds up to go to Fishguard and get the ferry accross. We didn't want to risk going to Cardiff and not getting the bikes on a train to Holyhead. This day was the longest day in the saddle, it was relentless cycling, up and down hills all day and I did manage to get up to 62kmph at one stage. At around 7.30pm we found a campsite. For £4 each we weren't expecting much and didn't get much either. It was just a field with a dodgy shower and toilet in the corner but I did manage a shower (with my socks on). It was a beautiful evening and we cooked Pasta and sauce and had this with breadrolls and beer. It was a very dry night but was surprised to find the tent was very damp inside the outersheet. When the inner part of the tent touched off it it got wet, I doubt this is normal so I'll have to look into it. I'll give a full review of the tent when I upload the photos tomorrow. We woke up very early and had an easy enough cycle into Fishguard (still some hills though).

Harrybelafonte

Was in Donegal at the weekend and saw tourers each day. A pair in Creeslough on Thursday, a group of three very lightweight packed bikes in Dungloe on Saturday along with someone carry front and rear panniers at Gweebara. All of which I take to be a positive uptake of this type of holiday again. There was somebody out on a bike everyday I was there including a sportive around Glenties on Saturday which I think is amazing progress. As a kid I used to be out on my own all the time, now there's a chance of bumping into someone.

feck sake lads

i'm heading up to dunbrody park in rostrevor in two weeks taking a lad from the fellclub (england) up to see his northern cousins:D
has anyone camped in dunbrody park whats it like.

thebouldwhacker

I thought I'd post this up here rather than the main forum. I have a bit of a confession to make. I dont like wearing Lycra while touring. I prefer to go with more casual clothing than the 'racer' look I am familiar with on the road bike. I have donned the odd jersey now and again bit dont think the skin tight Lycra bib shorts & jersey combo is suitable for a sluggish loaded tourer.
Don't get me wrong, I fully realise that touring is long hard work but I just thought I'd share and see what others think.....

tomasrojo

Ken Kifer did a lot of touring, and I rather like his site
http://kenkifer.com/

I think he was pretty old-school. This seems to be his set-up, including some visual clues of what he wore:



(Note the solar panel on the rear rack.)

Harrybelafonte

Shorts or 3/4s made by Endura which have clickable padded shorts inside and a loose-ish merino wool jersey?

clonmahon

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I thought I'd post this up here rather than the main forum. I have a bit of a confession to make. I dont like wearing Lycra while touring. I prefer to go with more casual clothing than the 'racer' look I am familiar with on the road bike. I have donned the odd jersey now and again bit dont think the skin tight Lycra bib shorts & jersey combo is suitable for a sluggish loaded tourer.
Don't get me wrong, I fully realise that touring is long hard work but I just thought I'd share and see what others think.....

I'm with you on this, I don't really do lycra as sluggish touring is my thing, hiking boots, light cotton trousers, t shirt, sweat shirt and high vis vest is my basic kit. A light jacket if it gets cold and a plastic cape for the rain, completes the kit.

If the weather is OK I'm off to Mayo on Wednesday morning, with my 12 year old daughter, we intend to spend 5 days on the road and cover about 560 kms, including the new Great Western Greenway. We are flexible and will wait a few days to go, if the weather is not good.

On the question of weight I'll be hauling 15 kg and my daughter will have 5 kg. This includes full camping and cooking gear, food, cooking fuel, water and a good tool kit. I've just bought a Kelly Kettle and complete cook set, which will do all our cooking and weighs in at 1.5 kg, I will carry about 1.5 kgs of dry wood for cooking fuel and forage for fuel on the route. www.kellykettle.com

thebouldwhacker

clonmahon wrote: »

12 year old daughter, we intend to spend 5 days on the road and cover about 560 kms...my daughter will have 5 kg.

Thats impressive!

feck sake lads

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I thought I'd post this up here rather than the main forum. I have a bit of a confession to make. I dont like wearing Lycra while touring. I prefer to go with more casual clothing than the 'racer' look I am familiar with on the road bike. I have donned the odd jersey now and again bit dont think the skin tight Lycra bib shorts & jersey combo is suitable for a sluggish loaded tourer.
Don't get me wrong, I fully realise that touring is long hard work but I just thought I'd share and see what others think.....

i agree i only ware the bibs on the road bike, when I'm on the touring bike i have a pair of mountain bike shorts but the inside are Lycra with a fantastic padding, i bought them from a company in england Corrinne Dennis excellent cycling gear.mind you i still ware the cycling tops .
when i was in england last year at a fell club meet most of the lads were wearing short sleeve shirts, but I'm only a little guy i look stupid dressed like that:D:D
so stick up a photo of yourself there TBW.;)

thebouldwhacker

feck sake lads wrote: »

stick up a photo of yourself there TBW.;)

Ah stop now... you have me all a blush ............. I have a gf you know.

feck sake lads

sorry for embarrassing you :Dbut stick up the photo anyway;)

clonmahon

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Thats impressive!

It's a loose plan, all depends on the weather. From home its 109 miles to Westport , first day to Ballaghadreen, 60 miles, day 2 to Westport 50 miles, day 3 to Keem Bay, Achill and back to Westport, 80 miles (no load), day 4 Clare Island and back to Westport 49 miles (no load), day 5 Westport to home 109 miles, fully loaded. The 109 miles in one day will only happen if we get a good tail wind, if not we will camp some where in Roscommon and get home the following day.

Its all about pacing, the aim is a cruising speed of 10 mph, we will spend a lot of hours on the bikes, but never push it hard. The idea is to see the countryside. The key things to prevent are a sore arse and sore hands.

I should also add our bikes weight about 16 kgs each.

thebouldwhacker

Does she cycle long distance or back to back days at the moment?

clonmahon

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Does she cycle long distance or back to back days at the moment?

She cycles a lot but this will be a big jump in distance for her, but she is a very fit, active and mentally tough young woman, who also walks a lot. We will probably cycle for 3 hours and then break from an hour or an hour and a half, then another 3 hours on the bikes, then break again and so on. That the plan, but the plan will change to suit conditions. If she is finding it tough we may shorted the distance planned on the 3rd day and not go as far as Achill.

CramCycle

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I thought I'd post this up here rather than the main forum. I have a bit of a confession to make. I dont like wearing Lycra while touring. I prefer to go with more casual clothing than the 'racer' look I am familiar with on the road bike. I have donned the odd jersey now and again bit dont think the skin tight Lycra bib shorts & jersey combo is suitable for a sluggish loaded tourer.
Don't get me wrong, I fully realise that touring is long hard work but I just thought I'd share and see what others think.....

I went on a trip down to Carne in Wexford over the weekend and just wore a comfy pair of beach shorts and a jersey. I wasn't hitting any speed at any point but I felt very comfortable, I really only wear the lycra on events. Met a guy from Poland on one of the Audax events last year and he covered the 200+km in a wool jumper and a nice pair of trousers (looked like those Snicker workwear trousers but thinner material) and he was in better shape than the majority of the lycra clad lads.

blorg

You can tour in anything but I always ride in standard lycra shorts and jersey when I can purely for comfort reasons. It is just is more comfortable than anything else, as much so touring as on a road bike. I wouldn't be without the back pockets on my jersey. Plenty of other long distance tourers also in lycra.

I rode in non-cycling clothes with shorts underneath through most of the Middle East for cultural sensitivity reasons. Still technical fabrics just loose. It was fine but I wouldn't do it by choice, it was less comfortable. I felt naked when I got back into the lycra, in both comfort and self-conscious senses!

I did meet other riders in Iran in full lycra kit (including local cyclists) but I just wouldn't have felt comfortable and don't think I would have been able to interact with the locals so well. Not feeling comfortable in lycra in Europe though is nuts, if you are on a bike of any sort it is normal.

I do wear a wool long sleeve when it's cold, which it certainly is at the moment (over 4,000m on the edge of the Tibetan plateau in western Sichuan.)

Cabaal

clonmahon wrote: »

I will carry about 1.5 kgs of dry wood for cooking fuel and forage for fuel on the route. www.kellykettle.com

Seems rather heavy, may I suggest a Trangia for cooking in future

Got one about a month back and managed (just about) three meals a day for two people for a week on about 600ml of fuel (runs on methylated spirits so its cheap and easy to obtain from hardware stores and camping shops)

Unit packs very small and weighs around 900g
This is the unit I bought http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trangia-Non-Stick-Cookset-Kettle-Spirit/dp/B0014BJL1I/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1312872904&sr=8-9

However if you need smaller there's always http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trangia-Mini-Trangia-Cookset-Spirit-Burner/dp/B000LN7HUC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312872904&sr=8-2

Very hard break it and the fuel would be much lighter then what you have to carry.

If you had the same unit I had and fuel it would likely come in around the 1.5-1.6kg weight total (maybe less)

clonmahon

Cabaal wrote: »

Seems rather heavy, may I suggest a Trangia for cooking in future

Looks good, will maybe invest before next tour.

Vélo

clonmahon wrote: »

Looks good, will maybe invest before next tour.

I have that Trangia also. It's a really good piece of kit. Wiggle sell them also.

Vélo

feck sake lads

has anyone come across a nice plain loose fitting jersey they would recommend for cycle touring

Harrybelafonte

feck sake lads wrote: »

has anyone come across a nice plain loose fitting jersey they would recommend for cycle touring

I wear one of the Shutt Velopide jerseys for more relaxed cycling. It's looser and very comfortable and "airy"

feck sake lads

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I wear one of the Shutt Velopide jerseys for more relaxed cycling. It's looser and very comfortable and "airy"

thanks can you tell me where you bought it thanks.;)

Harrybelafonte

Bought it off their site: http://www.shuttvr.com/

But someone might have a suggestion from Wiggle/CRC etc, that might be more accessible.

feck sake lads

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Bought it off their site: http://www.shuttvr.com/

But someone might have a suggestion from Wiggle/CRC etc, that might be more accessible.

thanks for that will take a look.;)

thebouldwhacker

feck sake lads wrote: »

has anyone come across a nice plain loose fitting jersey they would recommend for cycle touring

I have some old kit from aldi/lidl which are simple colours, no design and look like normal tops at first look.
I also buy kit in TK maxx, the 'sports' tops there often are great on the bike/in the pub clothes. They have an eclectic mix, something for everyone!

rflynnr

It's an expensive route to go but I find Rapha's short-sleeve tops are ideal. They're not as close fitting as a racing jersey and they tend to come in fairly discreet (i.e. not logo-covered) colours. But again, they are expensive.

titanan

feck sake lads wrote: »

i'm heading up to dunbrody park in rostrevor in two weeks taking a lad from the fellclub (england) up to see his northern cousins:D
has anyone camped in dunbrody park whats it like.

There is no dunbrody park in Rostrevor, there is a Kilbroney Park and it is a very good and well run site, I might add, in August it is always booked out at the weekends so you should always try to book far enough in advance.

feck sake lads

titanan wrote: »

There is no dunbrody park in Rostrevor, there is a Kilbroney Park and it is a very good and well run site, I might add, in August it is always booked out at the weekends so you should always try to book far enough in advance.

yeah its kilbroney park I'm looking at thanks for that hope now i can get a pitch.

CramCycle

rflynnr wrote: »

It's an expensive route to go but I find Rapha's short-sleeve tops are ideal. They're not as close fitting as a racing jersey and they tend to come in fairly discreet (i.e. not logo-covered) colours. But again, they are expensive.

Lovely jerseys but they are a case of "when I win the lotto i will spend that much on a cycling jersey". Met the Rapha team over in Wales on a long distance photo shoot?!? absolute gents and the gear looks top notch, if only I wasn't so poor

Canis Lupus

Have to give a thumbs up for icebreaker tops (although I have an endura 'baabaa' top as well which is holding up really well) Merino wool is like some weird magical material that you can just wear and wear and wear and it doesnt smell. Brilliant if your on a long haul stealth camping trip. Also it's warm at night and oddly still comfortable in the heat (I've been in 35c temps here in Spain the last 3 weeks) and they dry really quickly.

feck sake lads

just on the subject of gear i bought the thermarest compressible pillow for my trip up north , fantastic bit of kit i finally got a nights sleep while camping:D:D i have tried in vain three blow up pillows but just cant get on with these at all , so if anyone is looking for the perfect pillow get the thermarest you wont be disappointed.;)

Tonyandthewhale

Just back from two weeks cycling across Spain, Andorra and France. Great trip but it was slightly marred by the fact RyanAir smashed the forks on my girlfriend's bike on the way out to Barcelona and one of the lads got a nasty chest infection half-way through France so we had to get a train the last bit. All the same I heartily reccommend Catalyunia for bicycle touring and of course France was good to us as always.

feck sake lads

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Just back from two weeks cycling across Spain, Andorra and France. Great trip but it was slightly marred by the fact RyanAir smashed the forks on my girlfriend's bike on the way out to Barcelona and one of the lads got a nasty chest infection half-way through France so we had to get a train the last bit. All the same I heartily reccommend Catalyunia for bicycle touring and of course France was good to us as always.

i cycled the camino route from Bilbao 3 years ago what a fantastic trip it was .anyway did you manage to get your girlfriends bike fixed

Tonyandthewhale

feck sake lads wrote: »

i cycled the camino route from Bilbao 3 years ago what a fantastic trip it was .anyway did you manage to get your girlfriends bike fixed

Yeah, whole new fork, 160e and lost a day's riding, bad buzz. Won't be flying with bikes again any time soon if I can help it, at least not without a solid bike box (which is not exactly practical on tour), bike bag and loads of aero-board is just not enough it seems.