Cycling around the world

mk1rich

Hello, firstly i would like to say what a superb forum, i have been browsing it for a few weeks and its turning out to be so useful i thought i had better post.

On The 23rd of August i am embarking on a round he world trip which i am getting quite excited about now its geting ever closer, a bit about me and why i am going for it, i am 26, and am an engineer from south wales, i decided to ask my company for a year off to do this as i have always wanted to get out there and its for a worthwhile charity (maggies cancer centres) they said yes and i had no excuse other than to get match fit and build a bike to do the job, modifying my marin bear valley to do the trip which i have had for a long time and has never let me down! the lady who is doing the fundraising for the charity side has made a just giving page http://www.justgiving.com/whoneedsareason and am now into the detailed planning of the route and training.
i would love to hear what you guys think and if anyone is thinking of doing something similar,
Thanks
Rich

mk1rich

one thing i will add to my opening post is that 100% of the money raised for charity will be going to charity i am funding the expenses out of my own pocket and also if anyone has any quality trekking gear they dont need or want anymore i would be most happy to hear from them as this credit crunch thingy is making it a bit hard to get stuff at knock down prices from the bike stores.

Chaz.Harding

Hey man, sweet idea, have to say, it's gonna be some trip...

Obviously your gonna have your digital camera with you..? Make a website and keep us updated!

This might sound stupid, but if your doing sooo many miles, you need good gear. Something that never fails to piss me off is punctures. Make sure you got some GOOD wheels and tires. Also, try using a 24" (if your bike has 26" wheels) downhill tube, prob a 2.5-3.0" beast. It'll fit great, and you'll hardly (if ever) get a flat.

mk1rich

thanks for the tip, i am going to give that a go the website is under construction at the moment so should be ready early next month, just doing some pics and the final route on there then going to publish it in one go. me and my digital camera are getting most excited
Thanks
Rich

mtbhenry888

just to add my two cents worth, Schwalbe marathon plus or XR go for the plus if you will be doing more road riding and the XR if you will be doing more off roa, broken raod stuff, i''m not sure of your route but i would def. def. get one of these tyres, prooven th world over, you probably wont ever get a puncture with the plus and it is very unlikely with the XR

they aren't a bargain but the plus's you can get for £42 a pair delivered from SPA cycles and the XR are about £50-55 a pair if you shop around i think (don't quote me on it)

for going round the worl di would only use schwalbe, other tyres just can't cut it for durability and puncture protection, hope this helps!

Toonraid

Would be interested to know the route you are taking and the countries you'll be passing.

mk1rich

Thanks for the tips i have been looking at those tyres and all the good reviews they have had but it is nice to have someone say they really are the biz for what you are doing, thankyou

Thats the rough list of countries along my planned route

UK, France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia & Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, India, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Usa

Toonraid

I was wondering if you were going along the old silk route but i guess you are taking some overland flights too.

mk1rich

I will be missing out Iran and Pakistan, but i am as far as bulgaria so far in my detailed planning so i am sure to have overlooked something that i will add to the rough list in the next few weeks

Toonraid

Perhaps not a bad idea to skip Pakistan given all the trouble there as well as Mark's feedback http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/drivin ... 334746.ece

I have done London to Turkey by car, alas a different route as it was in 1991 when they had civil war in old Yugoslavia. I started in London - Dover - Oestend (belgium) - Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece (Bari - Pathos) Turkey and really enjoyed it.

andymiller

Just out of curiosity - how would you avoid Iran and Pakistan? Flying?

It's supposed to be quite difficult to get visas for Iran but it's supposed to be friendly, safe and culturally rich.

xilios

Check out these guys tour from the UK to OZ http://www.mark-ju.net/ maybe some tips?
Hope you have a goood tour.

Toonraid

The old silk route is a very popular cycling route between Europe and India/China but post 9/11 Pakistan has become a week link for obvious reasons but the actual historic route never went through Pakistan or India. It started from Xian (China) across the Gobi desert and on to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Uzbekstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey where it was shipped across the Med to Europe via Rome or Greece with some variations along the way.

http://www.orexca.com/silk_road.html

mk1rich

some good articles to have a read through this evening, yep flying over iran and pakistan and the mileage i save on those two countrys will allow me to take my time a bit more in oz so it works out better for me and what i want out of the tour

robthehungrymonkey

Have you read Alastair Humphreys books?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h ... =alastair+


They're a very good read, and the 2nd one is very relevant to your journey.

Good luck, sounds amazing!

robthehungrymonkey

andymiller wrote:

Just out of curiosity - how would you avoid Iran and Pakistan? Flying?

It's supposed to be quite difficult to get visas for Iran but it's supposed to be friendly, safe and culturally rich.

A friend of mine is going to climb a mountain in Iran later this year, so it doesn't sound impossible to get a visa, but i imagine it's difficult to get one that's at all felxible

mk1rich

I have just had a look at alastair humphreys page what an amazing adventurer, truely awesome, and somegood advice on there too, nice one

GyatsoLa

You should also have a look at Stephen Lords book from Trailblazer - the Adventure Cycle Touring guide:

http://www.adventurecycle-touringhandbo ... heretobuy/

It has some good suggestions for Silk Road routes - there are several options that are still do-able, despite current politics. Although its a hassle, most people seem to have still managed to get Iranian visas.

If you check out the Lonely Planet Thorntree forums (especially the On Your Bike branch), you'll find lots of discussions on trancontinental routes and getting over the visa issues.

dpiper

I've done a fair bit of your intended trip so you might get a few ideas here:

www.tra-velo-gue.co.uk

scottgeniusltd2005

hi m1ckrich,

when are you planning on hitting indonesia, i am planning on doing medan - lake toba, around hari ryah time, my wife is indonesian and wants to celebrate this year with her mother.

cheers

nasz

My wife and I cycled from London to Sydney unsupported, so if you need some info let me know.

Have racked up about 500,000kms touring, so we've been around a fair bit

mk1rich

www.whoneedsareason,co,uk thats the link to my site which is a work in progress but is starting to have a bit of shape to it
Thanks
Rich

Theresa

Hi Mk,

What an awesome project!

You may find some useful info on www.tourdafrique.com.

All the best with it... looking forward to following your journey.

Cheers
Theresa

rjh299

mk1rich wrote:

www.whoneedsareason,co,uk thats the link to my site which is a work in progress but is starting to have a bit of shape to it
Thanks
Rich

If you haven't already noticed, slight typo on that address, commas instead of full stops.
www.whoneedsareason.co.uk

All the best for your trip!

mk1rich

finally getting around to posting, made it through europe which was just like the uk but a bit more relaxed and with less potholes in the roads, India was an experience cycling past anything from 300 goats or cows in the road to a bunch of camels is the norm and just got to Australia starting the trip from perth and heading across to sydney and its a bit warm at the mo 8)

agg25

Hey well done and good luck mate, hopefully those Perth people (my home town) treated you well before your send off, I guess Perth to Sydney would be your most isolated section. To do it in an unusually hot Aussie summer is to be congratulated!