Cycling UK Forum

I'm in the process of upgrading my handlebar setup from a standard drop bar with top brakes to a custom butterfly bar set up, I just thought I'd show you what I have come up with so far. Though it is still very much at the prototype stage I would say I am very pleased with the results so far.

What I have done is shim sections of an old chromed drop bar over some cut down bar ends and then position those mid way on some butterfly bars. This has let me use the old drop bar shifters in a forward riding position but also let me use the top mount levers on the much closer flats of the butterfly, giving me braking when I'm more upright.

While the bars are a little longer than I hoped, I'm going to take them on a couple of rides before making any changes.

Myself and a couple of friends cycled the Transfăgărășan last year (Bratislava - Budapest - Sibiu - Bucharest) in mid June.

I don't know if we were just very unlucky or had timed it wrong but after reaching the top and having around 5 km of nice downhill there were road repairs going on. This took the form of a 2 ft wide, 3 in deep trench dug across the entire width of road every few hundred meters for the next 10 to 15 km. As these weren't signposted and the first one was shortly after a corner we all ended up hitting it at speed resulting in various flying panniers/racks and even a cracked rim (the next 100km to the nearest bike shop with a flat spot on the rim was not enjoyable for my friend).

So obviously our planned 'free wheel' to bucharest hit a slight snag but apart from this, Transylvania was spectacular and I will definately be returning there at some point.

Hi all,

I am about to undertake my first cycle tour this June for 5 1/2 weeks, flying out to Slovakia, going through Romania and Bulgaria and finishing on the south coast of Turkey, around 1500+ miles total.

First of all I would like to thank you to everyone as this forum has been a great resource for selecting equipment ect.

I've started off essentially from scratch, having no bike or gear and have been out of the saddle for about 3 years (since having my bike stolen when first arriving at uni and not replacing it). Being a student the budget has been pretty limeted, I am prepared to spend money where necessary but I also like to be frugal wherever I can.

As far as the bike goes I was inspired by al_yrpal's post
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=36102
but I opted for the Carrera one for £215, purely as I am familiar with V-brakes and would feel uncomfortable taking any vital piece of equipment that I couldn't fix on the road. I've fitted mudguards, rear rack, kickstand, butterfly bars (I really like the dozens of possible hand positions) to it so far, I have a suspension seat post from a friend that I will put on when I can get hold of/make a suitable shim as the seatpost tube is a whopping 31.6mm. The only things left to fit are a front rack (I have a grand idea of making one myself but I'll see how it goes), replacement saddle and speedometer.



I've been building up my fitness and took it for a 30 mile ride the other day, rides perfectly well but the saddle will have to go. The 26" wheels does seem to limit my top speed but I doubt that will affect me when I'm fully loaded http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&vps=2&jsv=332a&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211201541676606589006.0004a147de467dc5943cf

Gear wise, so far I have
karrimor xlite 200 tent - 1.9kg - http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-x-lite-200-tent-783152

Gelert Try-brid 800 sleeping bag - 800g http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00322QRJG/ref=oss_product

Silk sleeping bag liner

Canyon waterproof pannier bags x4 - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380316758788&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

M Part evolution punp - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=45877

Hymini wind charger for mp3 player etc http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Uniross-Hymini-Wind-Charger-/110426625053?pt=UK_ConsumerElectronics_Batteries_SM&hash=item19b5f0941d#ht_499wt_928 - (from a friend)

solar powered AAA battery charger for torches, bike lights etc.

Where I can I have been keeping the weight down but of course that is usually offset by cost.

The next major piece of equipment to buy is the camping stove, I have previously used a home made penny can stove when camping and love it for its lightness and simplicity, the only reservation I have is the availability of meths on the road. Ideally a petrol stove would be best but they are pretty expensive and a home built one would be FAR too dangerous, despite its usefulness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhWhCH1CMiQ, I know in the video he used alcohol but petrol would also work (in theory, but thats another project for another day).

The other thing I currently have on my mind is that of the cycle computer. I am of the opinion that using a sat nav ruins the fun of getting lost so I dont need anything too fancy, that said I love the myTracks app I have on my phone (it would be great to have my phone with me but the battery would be useless) and I think it would be great if I can get a GPS logger that would enable me to have the entire journey plotted on a map for me to look back on. I have been eyeing up this http://www.ankaka.com/gps-receiver-data-logger-photo-tagger-distance-monitor-all-in-1_p46497.html
as it would also double up as a speedometer/odometer however the battery life may be a little low (though it being AAA is pretty useful) and I reckon that I the memory might be a little limited though I could transfer the data across to the mp3 player if I stumbled across a cyber cafe.

Well that just about covers the state of affairs so far, I was just hoping to get some feedback on the decisions I've made so far and some general advice on what I need next. I will like to get tips on the route to take at some point but that will be for another thread at a later date. Oh and of course comments on that massively important, utterly vital piece of gear that I have completely overlooked (if there's less than three than I will consider myself lucky).

Many thanks in advance

Matt

(this is my first thread so please play nice)

Hi Al

I am doing my first touring trip this June and I looking at sorting myself out a reliable bike. Being a student this naturally has to be done on the cheap and I have been inspired by your post. I'm currently looking at a barely used Carrera 2 on gumtree for £175 (seems like a bit of a steal). I was just wondering if you have had any advice on whether this is a suitable option for a long tour (4 to 5 weeks) and if you've had any major problems?

Any help for a newbie like me would be greatly appreciated

Matt