Search found 29 matches

by Brains
5 Feb 2017, 5:24pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Any tips for touring on the cheap?
Replies: 47
Views: 3603

Re: Any tips for touring on the cheap?

One thing to be aware of when wild camping in France is the "7 a 7" rule

If you are wild camping, do not put up your tent before 7apm and take it down before 7am.

In some places you will notices to this effect, and if your are camping in the national parks they will move you on at 7am (I have experience of this!)
by Brains
5 Feb 2017, 5:18pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Any tips for touring on the cheap?
Replies: 47
Views: 3603

Re: Any tips for touring on the cheap?

I'd start by loading up all your gear, cycling 20 miles to a camp site, spend the night, and then cycle home again via a different route (or if you live in a city, take a train out and then cycle 40 miles or so between two stations)

That will give you the start of the experience.
You will find you have taken way too much equipment, so the following weekend do the same thing with half the gear.

You will then also find out what you need for the bike. Is it good enough as is, or do you need to make changes or even get a new (second hand) bike
by Brains
5 Feb 2017, 3:35pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Motorhome including a driver hire !
Replies: 17
Views: 15187

Re: Motorhome including a driver hire !

The idea 'could' work, but not as a business.

You could volunteer to do the odd JoGLE run as support, and get paid for your trouble, but it would only work if the riders were doing it for a charity and you were only charging expenses.

Having spent years of my life in tents and motorhomes, spending a couple of weeks in very close proximity to a bunch of (smelly) strangers without a get out option can be difficult and only suits some people
by Brains
1 Jan 2012, 10:54pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Best way to cross the Alps?
Replies: 14
Views: 4928

Re: Best way to cross the Alps?

Hanibal and Napoleon both used the Mont Cenis pass which is above Modane and the Frejus tunnel.
It's a bit over 2,000m and is do-able on a bike if you are fit but I would not like to try it on a loaded tourer, I think you would be doing a lot of up hill walking!
That said, as long as you picked a nice day and started early I think you could do the top by mid day.
by Brains
1 Jan 2012, 6:20pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Best way to cross the Alps?
Replies: 14
Views: 4928

Re: Best way to cross the Alps?

Frejus rail tunnel (though I can’t find any evidence that you can take bikes through it)

You can, just get on a train at Modaine and get off t the other end

There is a camp site in Modaine, above and the the east of the train station

However I would have thought the best Alpine crossing is the Via Claudia Augusta
http://www.tyrol.tl/en/mountain-biking- ... gusta.html
by Brains
25 Jan 2009, 3:06pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: boxing your bike for travel (flight,trains,etc..)
Replies: 15
Views: 2416

The rules vary from airport to airport and carrier to carrier

We shipped 2 bikes from Gatwick to Shannon without any packaging, just turned handlebars and slightly deflated types and removed pedals.

Coming back however (same carrier) they would not take the bikes unless boxed, wheels removed etc. (Despite website saying unboxed bikes were fine)

Luckily a couple coming in from the USA were assembling their bikes in the airport foyer and we got the boxes from them, otherwise it would have been a case of missing the flight and paying again

Whatever is said on the airline website is often of zero relevence to the situation on the ground.
by Brains
25 Jan 2009, 2:56pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Route - London to Berlin
Replies: 12
Views: 4634

Get hold of the brilliant Bikeline books - written German, but even if you don't understand well worth getting for the maps alone
by Brains
15 Mar 2008, 11:39pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Puglia - Italy's 'heel' Anyone toured there ?
Replies: 1
Views: 502

Puglia - Italy's 'heel' Anyone toured there ?

We are thinking about touring in Puglia, Italy's 'heel'

I can't find any CTC info on the area, and even google seems sparse.

Has anyone cycle toured in the area ?
by Brains
10 Mar 2008, 6:11pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: london -> athens
Replies: 3
Views: 929

The other route could be Up the Rhein, Down the Danube, turn right at the Black Sea, Istambul and then Greece.

Bike path all the way from North Sea to Black Sea

The river route would also be a lot cooler, at least until Turkey
by Brains
25 Feb 2008, 6:28pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Where to tour in N. Europe ?
Replies: 7
Views: 1575

Tauren looks good - any more ideas ?
by Brains
18 Feb 2008, 1:02pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Imperial, Metric, or Impric?
Replies: 86
Views: 6297

Metric Years have been tried before, the last attempt was by Cambodia which measured year one as being when Pol Pot took over.

A more serious attempt was made by the French after the revolution (along with changing their imperial system to decimal)

I have a picture on my wall of a France vs. England naval battle that took place in year 7.

I forget how many months there were in a metric year, but I seem to remember they had good names like Wine month and Flower month

I think they also had a shorter working week (4 days on 1 day off ?)
by Brains
16 Feb 2008, 7:07pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Where to tour in N. Europe ?
Replies: 7
Views: 1575

Where to tour in N. Europe ?

Hi.

I'm looking for a Northern European tour:

The spec: (in priority order)
1 - Flat
2 - Lots of things to see and do

Could either be Credit card touring
or car based camping, (so we go out on day rides from a central point)

We have done the Danube (Passau/Vienna) as a credit card tour and thought it was great.
We have also toured from a couple of central points on the Loire, which was also good in a different way.
Whilst I enjoyed a full camping tour in the south of France, my wife did not, so we are looking for one of the above.

Any ideas ? Holland ? Germany ? France ? Italy ?
by Brains
16 Feb 2008, 6:49pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Advice on Prague to Vienna
Replies: 2
Views: 807

The best books by far are the Bikeline Esterbauer books.

They are worth getting, even if you don't speak german, just for the maps alone. But with the aid of a dictionary you can translate the dritical bits (such as where is the next campsite)

The Danube section between Passau and Vienna and Vienna to the sea is available in English

A word of advice, you should get a amall bar bag with a map pocket on top, it makes lif SOOoooo much easier

http://www.esterbauer.com/

To look at all the books, if you are in london or bristol go to Stamfords Map shop
by Brains
16 Feb 2008, 6:35pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Cable lock users beware...
Replies: 21
Views: 2477

A rule of thumb is the locks should cost >10% of the value of the bike

I have a 'work' lock (serious Abus gold cable)
A 'home' lock (serious Abus Gold D-Lock)
A 'pub' lock (best light cable lock i could find, which lives on the bike)
and two 2m kyriptonite cables

There have been occasions when the lot has been used, but it usually one or the other. I'd guess the toal value of the locks is close to £200, so the 10% rule is about right.
by Brains
12 Feb 2008, 9:06pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Dawes Horizon v Dawes Galaxy
Replies: 13
Views: 10163

Read this months 'Cycle' there is a review of the Dawes Galaxey. End result is for £150 more you can get the Hewett Cheviott wich is a much better bike and a much higher spec.