tour concerns for a newbie

hum3z

I love the idea of heading off round Europe with my bike and the more I think about it, the more perfect an idea it seems.

But where do you put your bike if staying in a hostel or when in a cafe/ doing touristy stuff?
If camping, how do you transport everything?
How do you get your bike to europe~?

thanks in advance guys,
dave

pneumatic

First, you should do it, it is a really good experience.

In answer to your questions:

Take a lock, but usually you will eat outside where you can see the bike anyway. For overnight stays, most hostels will have somewhere semi-secure for bikes. If not, at the risk of tempting fate, I have to say that in all my tours on the continent, I have often left my bike, fully laden, leaning against walls, hedges and lampposts and nobody has ever touched it. If you think about it, a fully laden tourer is not a very appealing joy-ride and, if you keep all your valuables in a detachable bar bag, what you are leaving behind is the equivalent of a transit van fully of smelly kit.

For camping, get a lightweight tent and put it on the rack (between panniers ideally). You also need mat and sleeping bag which can be quite bulky. Be disciplined about packing and you'll be fine.

Try to avoid flying with the bike. It can be done but it is a real pain. Instead, think about a ferry or the European Bike Express (a comfy coach full of cyclists and a trailer full of their bikes).

Other advice: Join the Cyclists Touring Club, trawl this bit of this site for loads of discussion of tents, panniers, routes etc.., learn a bit of basic maintenance and, most of all, have a blast!!

andymiller

Eurostar is a very easy way of getting to the Continent.

xilios

Read many journals from people who have done it at www.crazyguyonabike.com.
Also some tips on our page below.
cheers

Cunobelin

Take a step back................

Why not take a couple of weekends and perhaps a week touring in the UK and settle your own style and capabilities before the big project.

The increased confidence and skills in packing , navigating and equipment will be well worth the investment when planning the "big one"

Personally I tend to find that a lock is the essential item and do not compromise, my Abus Granit tours with me!

yer gran

I've always cycled onto a ferry, although I'm looking into Eurostar for a trip this summer.
I always take an Abus heavy duty cable lock and a flimsier cable and padlock - I lock the pannier handles front and rear to the frame with this when cafe/bar stopping in cities or towns. The abus secures the bike. Bar bag is always by my side. In villages I seldom lock anything, overseas and at home. Obviously this is your own call.....dont blame me; although if you cant physically lift the bike onto your shoulder, then neither can anyone else.
One thing I love to do more and more is to jump on a local train and cover some distance that way. Mix and match, have fun.

hum3z

thanks for the replies people;

Some trips in the UK are my priority. Theres so much out there on my doorstep and Ive just gotta go out there and grab it. What's the point in going direct to Europe when I hardly know anything about my own turf. So much to enjoy here first, right? It will also help out with the practicalities, thanks Cunobelin.

pneumatic, wont thieves just strip the bike down and get rid of all the stuff thats going to hold them back/ put em off? I cant believe you can sleep just leaving it against hedges!

Im going to buy an Abus heavy duty cable lock...

And the thought of getting on the eurostar/ferry still gets more perfect a way to spend a holiday the more i contemplate it.

Gotte

Depends.

Firstly, if you stay in a hotel/hostel/gasthaus, then you can more often than not leave your bike in a back room, courtyard, cellar, even. If your're camping, then you take it with you (nothing better for getting round town and seeing the sights than on bike), or chain it up somewhere on site.

Never bike-camped, I'm affraid, though I do have a nice 3lb tent and small, lightweight cleeping bag. Of course, it;s all the other stuff that, I suspect, could make it all a bit difficult - the stoves, the pots and plates, the condiments and the mattresses. Of course, you could always camp and eat somewere else, this saving on some baggage. Personally, I always wondered about taking a lightweight sleeping bag and a bivvy bag even when staying in hotels, just in case I get out in the Kuds and can;t find accommadation, which I've almost done a few times.

I've flown with my bike a few times, and though it means you can get to more interesting places, it is a pain - firstly packing up your bike, then wondering if your bike is going to be trashed, wondering if it;s on the plane, then, if it does arrive okay, having to put it back together. Of course, where I live in Manchester, you pretty well have to fly, or limit yourself to Britain or a day's drive to Dover and the Low countries (unless, of course you have a lot of time, which I never have).

Actually, there are other options, like the coach service which runs to the continent, but it is expensive, and limited in itinerary (from memory).

Hope that helps

All the best.

Tourist Tony

Mostly been said, and you will be surprised at exactly what sort of place will sort you a secure place for your bike out of sight of folk.
Cunobelin's tip re the UK first is apposite. I would take a few weekend runs just to get used to the handling/camping, and would suggest finding a reason for the run, even if it is only eating an ice cream at the beach.

pneumatic

hum3z wrote:

pneumatic, wont thieves just strip the bike down and get rid of all the stuff thats going to hold them back/ put em off? I cant believe you can sleep just leaving it against hedges! .

I suppose I subscribe to the view that the biggest risk is the opportunistic thief, rather than the determined one.

If they really want to clean you out, they'll gas you in your tent and help themselves to everything, including the wallet in your pocket and the keys to your bike lock (a popular technique in Southern Italy at one time).

I did have a bike stolen on tour once, from a bike shed in Dorset. Since then, I've weighed up the risks as I perceive them (i.e. generously!) and acted accordingly.

On the topic of touring in the UK, remember that the roads are three times as congested in England as in France or Spain. Consequently, it feels much more relaxing on the continent. It is therefore worth seeking out the remoter places on these islands for an equivalent experience.

tardington

We should have 'touring tips' topic - I wish I'd known that I should have brought some antibacterial hand rub when I put my hand in a sheep poo at 2am getting out the tent for a wizz!

Tourist Tony

Should have kicked her back outside afterwards.

nwallace

pneumatic wrote:

If they really want to clean you out, they'll gas you in your tent and help themselves to everything, including the wallet in your pocket and the keys to your bike lock (a popular technique in Southern Italy at one time).

Is still a popular method for camper vans and caravans pitched in motorway service stations in Italy and France

Joatamon

Motorhome gassing is a hugely controversial subject.

Some say that those waking to find their vehicle ransacked may have driven for far too long and then drunk too much wine.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists has questioned the accuracy of the reports.

mercsport

A recurring thread this .
I'll have to declare that , as in my life in general , a laissez-aller approach has worked for me . In all my touring I've never carried a lock and frequently left a fully laden bike unattended for hours as I did my touristy 'thing' ( once left it for nearly a week outside the railway station at Bressanone whilst I went into the mountains and it was still there on my return - I confess I'd never thought of the 'left-luggage' office there ! Touring bicycles are hugely unattractive things to the discriminating thief of today . Wild camping or 'dossing' and cold feeding have been my watchword . No pots , pans or cooker . Buy grub on the hoof . One set of clothes - I have learnt - is all you'll need in the best months on the continent .
However , ' each to their own ' .

mz__jo

In France you can use Formule 1 hotels (the cheapest) and put the bike in the room in most places. Try to leave the crud outside though.
Cheers Jo

andymiller

mz__jo wrote:

In France you can use Formule 1 hotels (the cheapest) and put the bike in the room in most places. Try to leave the crud outside though.
Cheers Jo

I'm sure 99% of hotels or gites d'etape in France will allow you to put a bike in the room or will have somewhere secure for you to keep it.