Cycling UK Forum

Hi....I am on the Danube Eurovelo 6 at the moment but soon to go north to Prague to catch my plane back to England...

From Linz ,the eurovelo 7 follows this route and wondered if anyone has cycled this and could give me any information on it..e.g. are the roads good for cycling..is there plenty of accommodation..is it signposted...how long might it take (They say it is approx 300 km).
Also, any suggestions as to where I can get a bike box once I am in Prague.
Thanks ...
Bob. J.

Hi...I recently enquired with KLM about a flight to Bucharest from Lds/Bfd. but they said I had to buy my flight ticket FIRST (cost over £200... not sure about cost for the bike plus having to change at Amsterdam) before booking my bike on later which left the possibility that there wouldn't be room for it on that particular flight.
I subsequently changed my itinerary and got a flight to Budapest instead from Manchester (easy to get there by train) on Jet 2 which cost me £50 for the flight £30 for the bike and £22 hold luggage fee...1/2 the price. Get there quicker as well. Good luck...enjoy your trip.
Bob. J.

Hi...I will be flying to Budapest at the end of August then cycling on to ROMANIA to climb the above iconic passes. Just wondered if anyone out there has done these and could share their experiences. For instance, is there plenty of accommodation/ campsites over the route and also can I obtain food and water supplies on the way. Are the roads very busy? Anything else do I need to know.
Many thanks. Bob. J.

Hi...I was wondering if you might reply Simon, you are the Guru of SE ASIA.
Thank you for your thoughts but it is a pity you haven't been..I will certainly pass on anything useful before you go yourself . I will be flying to Penang tomorrow from Udon Thani so I have left my planning a little late. I hope to get more info. from a tourist information, other cyclists I see and a warmshower host on the island of penang when I get there.
I have found some useful stuff from a Travelling Two blog which relates a tour from Gerik to Cameron Highlands. I Want to stop at Gua Musang after Jeli and Dabong and then catch the train to Kota Bharu before cycling down the east coast to Singapore.
Between Gerik and Jeli they say there is a luxury hotel by the Temengor reservoir at 43km after which it is a 82km isolated journey to Jeli where there is an hotel. Should be doable providing the weather is good..lots of heavy unpredictable rainstorms they say.
Btw...what is man in seat61 all about. Don't fancy going into Thailanx but an Air Asia flight might take away any apprehension..i'm getting a little old for trailblazing.
Cheers, will keep in touch by email maybe.

Hi...I want to get from Penang to Kota Bharu on the east coast via Jeli, Dabong and Gua Musang but need accommodation along the way which seems to be in short supply particularly from Gerik to Jeli. Has anyone got experience riding this route please. I haven't got a tent and anyway a cyclist I met in Laos said that a sudden thunderstorm can flatten one.
I also want to know if there is a train service between Gua Musang and Kota Bharu which will take bikes.
Cheers. Bob.J.

Hi simon....thank you for responding to my post on vietnam... firstly i'm meeting up with a friend from France whom I cycled with for a few days in Thailand and can't speak for him but we are of similar age and ability....yes...I like climbing mountains but not TOO happy in the cold &wet (who is) occasionally it's fine....ok with the heat. Mileages: anything up to about 100 steady km per day depending on conditions.
Don't want too much rough stuff. Open to the idea of taking the train (or bus)..i'm not being sponsored.
Need some kind of written down rough guide for time management , roads not advisable to take etc
Can you message me here (is that possible) simon and i'll give you my phone/e mail numbers.
Thanks...your assistance it's very much appreciated. Bob.j. from Bradford.

Hi ... flying into Hanoi on the 23rd. Feb. next year after doing a 1 month tour round Sri Lanka and it would be useful if we could follow a suggested tour [ mileages, places to see, type of terrain etc.] together with an intinerary for an onward cycle trip to Saigon . We have 4/5 weeks after which we hope to take time[approx.3 weeks] to carry on through Cambodia back to BKK for a flight home. Perhaps there are a few pertinent blogs out there with good information on that part of the world.
Thanks.. any information would be useful. Bob.J.

Hi...thank you all so much...plenty of information there to check out especially from Ronk. I will sift thru it all and get back with anything of use to others contemplating this trip . One thing I will be looking at is going in dec.( Their Summer) instead of oct. I will then move onto Bangkok for a tour to cambodia/vietnam without having to come all the way back home. May get better weather. Thanks again. Bob. J.

Hi, I am hoping to embark on another 2 month long distance tour in Oct/nov/dec.... this time to New Zealand and have just started my research. Like the ACA in the US and the ctc here, is there a cycling association in New Zealand who issue a suggested cycle route from the top to the bottom of the two islands and has anyone got any suggestions where to fly to and from so as to secure the most inexpensive /shortest flight . Also , will I need a Visa...and is there anything else I definitely need to know. Whilst posting this, I thought I would ask if there are any interested cyclists wanting to to do this with me and they have the time [and money] . let me know. I will be camping, hostelling and staying at the occasional B & B. Bob. J.

Hi ..I recently visited the nec cycle show and saw a rather colourful e-bike..it was red with white spots and my daughter said it was 'awesome' when she saw a photograph of it. I thought I might buy one for her but unfortunately didn't pick up a leaflet so I can't make contact with the retailer. Can anyone help please. .Thanks. bob j.

Hi. Thanks guys..I think I have enough to go on there and should get fixed up with a decent bike in the 6 days which I have spare. It's a good excuse to add to my fleet and also I reckon I usually adapt well to riding different steeds. I will take heed of your advice when I next book a ticket, however, when I checked with Emirates Airlines they were quoting twice what I actually paid and after making another search with Mid Eastern Airlines it came up with the same airlines which I actually booked with... but it was about 60 quid cheaper...one of those I could have cried moments. Thanks again. Cheers. Bob. J.

Hi, I have just booked a flight to Bangkok for a lengthy cycle tour in Thailand, next Feb. However I am having great difficulty in registering my bicycle onto the aircraft for various reasons. I have therefore thought about flying there without a bike and hopefully purchasing one when I get there, The options then are: sell it at the end of the tour, give it away to a good cause or take it back home with me. Has anyone ever done this please and did it present problems. What should I take with me, my own pedals? my own saddle? my own rear rack? etc.. Can anyone recommend a good cycle shop in Bangkok who could fix me up with a good touring/mountain bike at a reasonable price [what could say £300 buy over there?] Cheers. Bob. j.

Hi, I stayed in an Albergue when in Santander back in April 2011 after doing the Camino. Only cost me 6 Euro, There are a lot of these in Spain on the Camino routes and they're ok if you are happy with shared hostel accommodation. It's quite near to where the ferry boat harbour is though I can't really direct you...if you ask a local or go to a tourist information place, they should know . I was a solo cyclist and it was early season so they allowed me to bring my bike inside the hostel. Don't let them persuade you to have one of their set meals in the restaurant below, you'll get a better feed if you get something from a supermarket and cook it yourself in their kitchen. Have a good trip. Bob. J.

Hi, some time ago on a ctc tour in Northern India, some of our bikes sustained damage and one of the guys had to buy a bike locally. It was called a Hero, singled geared in black and cost about a fiver. He continued with us for some distance including climbing the highest motorable road in the world...The Kardungla at 18,000 ft. He gave it away when the tour finished. I suppose if your very fit, up for a challenge and want to avoid all the hassle of carrying bikes on planes , go for it, particularly if the terrain is predominately flat.

Hi, I'm doing the Transam from East to West (Washington to Seattle) this summer and will be using the adventure cycling assoc. maps apart from the bit from Friedricksburg to Charlottesville,( I'm taking a short cut.) If anyone has any suggestions regarding this bit, let me know. Best wishes and good luck, I'll give you a wave as we meet in the middle? Bob. J.