Cycling UK Forum

I did a similar route in the opposite direction in 2009, starting in Dieppe and riding more or less due south, skirting to the east of Tours and Poitiers, and west of Limoges, until Millau, then veering south east into Provence, and then Italy. I recollect a pretty gentle ride as far as the Loire, t...

I flew out of Marrakech in 2011. The airport's not far from the city centre – four/five miles maybe. I had no trouble finding a taxi to carry my boxed bike. IIRC if you go into the main square of the old city (Jemaa al'Fna) and veer to the right, there's an area with lots of small cheap hotels. The ...

I used the train last year, and it's at most a five-minute ride. Also likely to be free as there is hardly time for the ticket man to find you. I asked the driver what to do as I got off, and he said to just accept the freebie.

I want to get a 'basecamp style' camping mat. I shan't be carrying it on my bike, so weight's not an issue, and I'm looking for comfort (10cm thick), warmth, and durability. I'm looking at the Vango Comfort 10, and wondering what else there is on the market to compare it with. Any recommendations?

albal1 wrote:Never assume. Never judge.

What's with the partnership is everything thing?

Who assumed anything?
Who judged anyone?
Who suggested 'partnership is everything'?

It's possible to alternate –
When I'm touring alone, I do 40-50 miles a day, mostly camping, the odd hotel.
When we're a deux, we do about 25 miles every other day, mostly hotels, the odd campsite, eat out more, drink more wine, etc.
They're both extremely enjoyable, in very different ways.

I'm reading Sheldon Brown on the geometry of cantilever brakes, and can't make sense of it. Specifically, he says that the shorter the yoke cable, the greater the MA. And conversely, the least MA will, in theory, come from an infinitely long yoke cable. But as I visualize it, pulling up on a very sh...

What if it barks at an elderly frail person who then has a heart attack and then dies? Being alive is an inherently risky business, and you can't legislate for every potential hazard. Personally I'm not a dog lover – especially after being brought off my bike by one last year, and needing five stit...

ANTONISH wrote: perhaps a few days of acclimatisation.?

+1. Personally I thrive in the heat, but it always takes several days to adjust.

You could also think of starting from Dieppe rather than Calais. Nice quiet flat ride through Chartres to the Loire, then a long steady ride up the Loire, with good facilities. Bit of a climb over the watershed, then drop down into Lyon. From there the Via Rhona bike route roughly follows the Rhone ...

Sorry to be harsh but I think it is totally irresponsible to try to get up and over a pass that is closed. You're absolutely right, but ... nobody has said anything about doing that. I am a little confused if you are talking about Italy why you are asking about French mountain passes? Ummm - becaus...

I'm fantasising about a trip to Italy early next year, and wondering when the French Alpine passes become navigable. I assume that if a pass is 'open', it's cyclable, and if it's 'closed', it's not. But there are two categories in between, 'ESR' and 'ESO' – special equipment recommended/obligatory. ...

I've suffered a recurrence of my squeaky-brake syndrome, which I thought I'd fixed. Which, indirectly, has set me wondering, what is it about French beans that makes them squeak when you chew them? And halloumi? This fall within your remit Brucey?

The word has a wide range of meanings.

Isotonicake wrote: flying to Florence, then going Bologna, Torino, Grenoble, nimes, Carcassonne, Bordeaux, Biarritz then home from Bilbao...

Great area for cycling - especially honeymoon cycling - but be aware of big hills between Florence and Bologna. And, I believe, between Italy and France.