Cycling UK Forum

Re the exhausting madhouse - once you're up in the mountains it's fine - as anywhere where there are no people there's no problem.

Show and tell: I made myself a double ventile sun hat to keep the sun off and the sweat in...


...and a lightweight handlebar bag /box - why are bought ones always so heavy? It's also double ventile but as there's no through stitching it's waterproof.


Given how long it took, there won't be any Mark II versions, but I love the hat and the bag works well even if it looks quite boxy.

My knowledge is out of date but bikes + express trains used to be a complete non-starter. A better bet will be the buses, with the added bonus that you won't have to get a ticket months in advance you can pretty much turn up at the bus stand on the day. Rickety state buses will have roof racks, luxury and executive coaches will have luggage room underneath.

HobbesOnTour wrote:There are no roaming charges in the EU anymore, so in theory any EU provider should work. However, given the nature of Finland, it might be better to find out the best provider there and make sure that your provider has a reciprocal arrangement (if not using the Finnish provider).

Also, just bear in mind that with Brexit looming on the horizon, nothing is certain in relation to UK services going into the EU and vice versa.

There are threads elsewhere on this forum for people to argue the toss about Brexit so please don't hijack this thread anybody, but just to point out to Woodtourer that 3, EE, Vodafone and O2 have all said they won't introduce roaming charges after Brexit so I would work on the assumption that you'll be okay. Also to say you can buy UK sim cards on eBay (with or without credit preloaded) and someone might be willing to post one out to the US if you emailed and asked.

No real advice other than to go for it. But just to check early on in the thread, do you mean bikepacking as in carrying minimal kit in frame bags and tying stuff to the forks and so on, or did you have the "more traditional" pannier racks and panniers set up in mind? [EDIT: or maybe a trailer?]

Discard banana skins on the road and let car tyres do the work of grinding them down into a paste.

Just a recommendation for Soundpeats bluetooth ear buds. I have the Q30s. Anyway, they stay in my ears pretty well, they have a degree of water- and sweatproofedness, the sound quality is good enough for the gym so I'm guessing fine for riding along a road. The important bit is they only cost £20 or so so there's nothing to lose if you lose them. Available from Amazon...

eileithyia wrote:Welcome to the forum. What a lovely lady you are...

Cugel wrote:I just wonder .... if it was a bloke posting that he was going to build a surprise bike for his partner of the female gender, would there be all this "ask her first" talk? Just wondering.

Welcome to the 21st Century. You both assume the OP is a woman.

Cyril Haearn wrote:Will he be allowed to stay in Monaco after Black Friday 29.3.2019?

Just to point out that Monaco is not in the EU and not even in the EEA, so there is no freedom of movement for EU citizens in the first place. Not really the best thread to shoehorn a remainer whinge into, Cyril Haearn.

Geraint Thomas:

matt2matt: ...so you promptly posted the fact on an internet forum for posterity. Genius!

You might want to look at "backpacker" insurance policies as these are aimed at longer trips. They used to be aimed at students but less so now and they they don't seem to have low age limits any more.

You would want to make sure that cycle touring is covered as a non-incidental activity (ie it's the main activity of the trip not something done on a whim one day) also be wary of any potential weasel clauses that might get them out of a big claim on the grounds of safety equipment - (you weren't wearing a helmet when you broke your leg? Sorry you're not covered.)

Other insurers are available, but I usually end up with I&G as they don't seem to have a complete hatred of cyclists, although their understanding of hypertension treatment leaves a lot to be desired.

A quick suggestion of Restrap Diagonal Straps (also google Powergrips). You'll have no problem flicking the pedal to get into them if you're used to toe clips, getting out of them is lightening fast, when you straighten your foot that snugs them up. I did have cleats on my tourer but I prefer to wear non-cycling shoes/sandals. Also Restraps are totally silent with no metal on metal creakings and grindings.

Do you need a trolley - I generally manage without by having the bike prepped in its bag. I don't tape up the bottom until I get to oversized check in. Or I just carry it by the cross bar with my laundry bag full of panniers in the other hand. You are allowed to put them down for a rest!

Alternatively, you say "bikes" so surely one person has the trolley loaded up with panniers/laundry bags and another person carries/wheels the bikes.

I don't know if there's still a street level black market for foreign exchange, Mick F, but in any case I wouldn't get involved on a two week trip as you'd probably end up with a fistful of demonetised notes or something.

There are cash machines throughout India so I would expect to do it all via ATM. Delhi/Delhi Airport won't be a problem, Manali and Leh won't be a problem, I think there were ATMs in Keylong, and probably some along the last 50km into Leh as it's pretty built up with army bases and so on. Failing that I'm sure you'd also be able to get a cash advance against a card in the Leh and Manali backpacker ghettos.

There's probably not enough time to get a Clarity Card? but if you get a large wad out on your normal debit card, the charges probably won't be too bad as a percentage, depending on who you bank with. It's when you get a tenner out at a time that you get clobbered, or if you have one of moneysavingexpert.com's bank cards from hell.

For backup currency in India I would still take a bit of sterling, but don't know if I would rely on plastic tenners being accepted yet. I didn't know you could still get travellers cheques!