Cycling UK Forum

Brucey wrote:slightly confused because your fist pic shows mini-Vs fitted I think.



With the shortys I presume that you had them set to mid-arm mode (as per the RHS of the photo below)



If so yes, they would (with the right levers and cables) give good power.

Sherpa is a good solid bike. If you are on a budget you can build something that is comparable, starting with the right MTB frameset, but it won't ever be quite the same thing.

cheers

Good spot! Yes, I did try the mini Vs but the clearance above the tyres was just too tight, so I took the plunge and went for the Avids. I set them for maximum power as the mud clearance issue wasn't an issue for me. They're very, very good indeed.

If anyone's thinking of buying a 26" wheel tourer, then they could do much worse that a Thorn Sherpa.

Having toured New Zealand twice on a 700c bike, I wanted something more at home on gravel roads and, having done quite a bit of research, I opted for a Thorn Sherpa frame with Ryde rims and Deore hubs supplied by SJS. They also fitted the headset for me. I then built the bike using Shimano 105 5703 shifters mated with an XT rear mech and an Ultegra cross bike front mech (FD CX-70), Spa 2XD chainset with 48/36/24 and an 11-34 cassette. The tyres I chose are Schwalbe Marathon 50mm and I topped it off with a Brooks B17T.

I was worried about the brakes as I've tried canti brakes on touring bikes before and been less than impressed on steep, long descents when the rear brake does nothing but make a rubbing noise and the front brake fades as the rims heat up. (I once spent what seemed like an age, but was probably only 5 minutes, convinced that I was going to die when descending the Otira gorge and never want to repeat it.) I have discs on another tourer and found those no better either. I had good results with Tektro mini Vs but the size of tyre meant they were a non-starter. Thorn recommend the Avid Ultimate Shorty brakes and at £65 a pair I thought they must be something special so I took a chance. When I first tried them on the flat, I thought I'd been conned as they really didn't seem anything special. However on a 16% hill near Palmerston I found out why they cost so much. I've never used anything that instilled so much confidence when riding an 85lb bike over a virtual cliff.

Having completed 820 miles in two weeks on South Island, with 150miles on gravel I can honestly say the bike is superb. It's as tough as old boots and really instils confidence in its strength when on rough terrain. It's also very stable when laden and very comfortable indeed. I did a couple of very long, tough days on it and was always ready to climb back on the next morning. Since returning to the UK I've been using the bike for my commute and am equally impressed with its suitability as a commuter. The wide tyres are great on muddy, gravelly roads and the bike is super stable over pot holes and broken tarmac.

In short, I'd ride this bike anywhere. It may not be quick (it isn't) but if I could only have one bike, this would be it.

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5B00E749

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The only significant damage I've had taking a bike on a plane was a dented down-tube and broken rack mounts. Nowadays I've learned my lesson and use pipe lagging on the tubes and remove the rack from its mountings. I also unbolt the rear mech and attach it with a cable tie to the chainstay, take the bars and stem off and tie them to the crossbar and remove the seat. So far, so good.

I've just returned from my third consecutive annual holiday touring South Island for two weeks and will be booking to go again next year. No, the standard of driving out there isn't great, but the traffic is generally very light apart from the major cities and as long as you keep your wits about you, it's safer than touring in this country in my opinion - and I've done both.

However, given the level of drink driving I've witnessed, I wouldn't use the roads at all at night - even in a car. It may be different in the cities but out in the sticks you will see people drinking for several hours on any given night and then jumping in their cars to drive home. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the same road as them on a bike in the dark.

Having said that, out winter is their summer and it gets light around 7 and dusk is about 9pm, which gives you 14 hours to wear yourself out on some of the most scenic cycling in the world.

The flights are about £1,000 (although last year I only paid £665) return and camping is as cheap as chips if you're on a budget, so you can have two weeks of fantastic biking for about the price of a fortnight on a costa in the summer.

I'd recommend it to anyone.

I did this trip a few years ago, with the ferry back from St.Malo. I camped pretty much all of the way and found the French campsites cheap, plentiful and usually really nice just as I always have when touring France.

I avoided the coastal route because, as someone else pointed out, it's full of holiday makers and was told it's pretty featureless for much of the way. I went north between Bordeaux and Bergerac, through Poitiers and Tours before taking the Loire valley to Angers then Rennes and St.Malo. It's a nice route with plenty of variety. Also, if you time it right you can get a night ferry from St.Malo for about £60 including a cabin and you don't waste a day travelling.

For the section of the trip across northern Spain, I would recommend that you search fro Bikepackers very useful post from a few years back which details how to avoid a massive hill and how to avoid Bilbao itself.

As for maps, I never use them in France. As long as you have a smartphone with Google maps you'll be fine. I do take a Garmin for navigating through cities, but if you can mount your phone and use the turn by turn on that, you wouldn't need anything else (apart from a back-up battery)

Northern Spain may well not be all that warm and sunny as it can be surprisingly wet near the coast at any time of year. You'll be better inland, but the terrain is challenging to say the least and there aren't very many campsites in many areas.

Have you thought of Burgundy? Plenty of hills if you like them and wide river valleys if you don't. Quiet roads and some nice canal paths as well. Beautiful countryside and fantastic food as well as an abundance of reasonably priced, top quality camping. Should be hot enough for anyone in July but August best avoided as it's like the halls of hell when the sun shines. If that doesn't sell it to you then one word should: Chablis!

Once you're in France, I wouldn't bother too much with detailed route planning. When touring there I just follow my nose and ride till I get an idea of where I want to stop for the day and then Google campsites in the area. In my experience you're never further than 10 miles from a decent campsite in France. I think maybe twice I've been caught out and had to use small hotels but at around £35 a night, it's worth the risk. I've also always had 4G internet everywhere in France apart from a few steep valleys in the mountains

All French roads apart from the motorways are great for cycling apart from where you are within a few miles of a major city centre. Again, this is where Garmin comes into its own with its "Avoid highways" setting. It may take you around the houses sometimes, but you never end up on a dual carriageway.I did the route you're doing from Santader but to St Malo via Poitier, Tours, Anger and Rennes and never had any problems with traffic. The biggest problems on French roads can be lonliness!

I did this route in 2013 from Santander to St Malo. The ferry across the bay to Somo leaves from a jetty about 200 yards from the main ferry terminal. Once across, there is a campsite in Somo which I used and was fine. The next one is I believe in Laredo, but I don't know what it's like or even if it's still there.

The coast road from Somo to the border was fine for cycling as far as I was concerned. The first day was Somo to Sopelana, having used the transporter bridge at Portugalate to cross the estuary and avoid Bilbao. Second day was Sopelana to a campsite just past Deba and the third day took me over the border to Biarritz.

Things to note: the road to Portugalate is quite quiet and has a good shoulder to cycle on, but it gets a bit busier as you approach Bilboa. It's fairly flat most of the way apart from a big hill at Castro Urdiales. From Sopelana to Deba is mostly green route cycling and very quiet indeed, but there is a big (3 miles @ 7%) hill just past Deba which is quite narrow. Having said that, the drivers were all very courteous and I never felt threatened on the climb. At the top of the hill, turn left and the campsite is about a mile down the lane. The road to san Sebastian was fine until a couple of miles outside the town where the traffic was quite heavy, but nothing worse than commuting in this country and again the drivers were fine.

I spent a long time planning trying to find a route from San Sebastian across the border before I left, having heard tales of woe about dual carriageways and tunnels, but in the event I navigated by using my Garmin and routing first to Pasaia and then to Lezo with the routing set to avoid highways. I got across to France without realising I'd done it, mostly via quite residential streets.

There's a load of other threads on here if you search with more details on this route, but my main advice would be not to listen to people who say it's difficult or dangerous. Compared to touring in the UK, it was a breeze!

Vans are as good as anything. Fairly light, comfortable and they last really well and can be machine washed time and time again. You'll also be down with the kids

Helen wrote:I've been taking my bike on planes since budget airlines started about 20 years ago, using big plastic bags. Last couple of years getting more and more hassle at check in. Such a bad experience returning from Charleroi last year, I haven't dared book a trip this year.

Airlines often don't specify EXACTLY what they mean by "bike box or bag". (At Charleroi I was shown photos of different airlines' specs, and Ryanair at Charleroi apparently decided it had to be a ZIPPED bag. Nowhere on any website does it say that. They tried to make me buy a canvas bag at customer services for 90 euros. I said I had no money, my tools had been checked in, and my bike had been accepted like that on the outward journey to Eindhoven airport. My passport was taken and enquiries made to see if this was true. Then they rang the baggage handlers who of course said No Problem.
I had threatened to leave my bike on the floor and walk out!

Does Cycling Uk not have legal advice for us? We are being held to ransom.

This is my worst nightmare. It is disgraceful that airlines don't all have clear guidelines. I flew to NZ with Emirates/Quantas earlier this year and they were fine. They tell you it has to be a box and what the dimensions need to be, but Ryanair are so vague that it really is a case of taking pot luck.

2008sean wrote:just found this on offer has anyone any experience of this bike is it a good buy it looks ok for £999.99?

looking to start touring next year and this seems to have everything i need and price seems good?

http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/bikes-c97/touring-c114/ridgeback-panorama-deluxe-touring-bike-p49928

So, did you buy it? I did and I'm really pleased with mine. Still a few left if you hurry....

A word of advice: If you haven't toured with weight on the bike before, you may be surprised how much extra effort it takes. 75 miles a day in the lake district on a heavy bike is pretty tough going by most people's standards.

I've toured and camped with two and four pannier set-ups and must confess that It's a struggle to get everything in two bags and a bar bag, but it can be done. A frame bag will obviously give you a bit extra and that would help, but one thing you'll certainly miss is the stability that front panniers give so you might want to try a descent or two before you commit to a long tour.

I've toured in France and Northern Spain on a Vodaphone contract using their £3 a day Eurotraveller so that I can use my minutes and data as if I were at home. The only difference is that at home, the coverage with Vodaphone can be hit and miss whereas I always get a good signal when I'm touring abroad - even in the middle of nowhere I get 4G coverage! I use the phone and my Garmin for navigation and don't even take a paper map anymore.

I'd agree with the partner thing. It's all very well and good having company in the evenings, but I always find the cycling more enjoyable when I can just go at my own pace. Also, you get to meet more new people if you have to make the extra effort for some conversation. With regards to practicing for the mountains, I wouldn't bother. Just make sure you've got the correct gearing, don't carry too much weight and listen to your body. You'll soon ride yourself fit and will find that on day 10 you can easily climb hills that would have you off and pushing on day 1.

I haven't done Scandinavia (yet) so can't help you there, but the UK leg looks a bit bonkers to me. It may be off road, but it looks like someone joined the dots between all the hilly bits on the way! Why not just head across Cambridgeshire and around The Wash following the coast? The only worry you would have is the wind and there's loads of quiet roads to follow.