1st tour - San Marino to Monaco

jmmL

I'm planning my first tour with a mate of mine - 700km from San Marino to Monaco over about a week's cycling time (plus a few days for sightseeing, 10 days total).

I'm completely new to road biking. I'd love all the advice that more experienced riders have to offer. This thread will contain all the little questions that occur to me over the next month.

I'd like advice about carrying spares. How many inner tubes should the two of us take? We're both on unmodified Carrera Virtuoso's - is it worth fitting new tubes? We're planning to fit Gatorskins as well - should we take a spare or two of these as well?

The other thing that's bothering me at the moment is how to pack the bikes safely for the flight home. I've heard riders pack the bike in cardboard and a plastic bag - is that right? If so, we won't have room to take the cardboard with us - how does everyone protect the bike for the flight home; scavenge cardboard from supermarkets?

Thanks!

ACP2010

Hi, I've done a fair few tours so these are my thoughts...

Take one inner tube each and a puncture repair outfit, punctures are actually fairly rare if you buy tyres that have a protective belt eg kevlar built in, never used Gatorskins so don't know. Repair a tube at the end of the day if you do have to change. Spares - you will be loading the bike more than usual so take an example of every type of spoke on the bike, when they break the wheel can go out of true rapidly, some spokes are unique and only obtainable by mail order. Tape the spokes to your frame somewhere convenient, it keeps them straight.

The bag question is a perennial one. The airlines insist you put the bike in a bag, after that it's up to you how much protection you add. They are not typically gentle with them once they think you're not looking, I once saw mine flung from the aircraft hold down onto the trolley, then other bikes flung on top. I've done tours where we used CH foam lagging for the tubes, then for cycling clipped it all into one block so to speak, folded the plastic around it and bungied it to the top of the rack. Weighs next to nothing so it's just a matter of tucking it out of the breeze. Nothing wrong with the cardboard approach provided you can get the message across in French I guess. Leave the wheels on and shift the rear derailler to 1st gear adjacent to the wheel and pack cardboard behind to use wheel to support, it WILL bend otherwise. If you have a choice which side to stick the shipping tag, make sure it is on the derailleur side of the bag, the bike will then travel the conveyor belts derailleur upwards, less chance of damage this way

Travel very light with bare minimum of stuff, sounds obvious but very important, also segregate the valuables in your luggage such that you can take them with you when you leave the bike. Always lock the bike up.

Pack some Sudocreme, I don't need to elaborate on that one..

Good luck, Richard