Cycling UK Forum

Have you tried searching the web???

The website man in seat 61 is pretty good on all things trains
[http://www.seat61.com/France.htm]

You could also fly from Nice airport.[/url]

New tyres are a good idea - I just wash the bike with washing up liquid and a bit of disinfectant. I then tell the Quarantine guy this is what I have done, so far no probs (X3). Last time he then looked at my panniers which were unwashed after a trip to Thailand and wasn't amused. Moral of story, it ain't only the bike. Take care and (as they say) no worries.

Also bear in mind you can't take in anything organic or animal so even stuff like pepper or a pot of herbs in your camp kitchen may (?) be banned.

lauriematt,

Are the cracks little ones coming from the spoke holes? If so then this has been a fairly common problem with certain (Mavic) rims. Do a search on Mavic and read all about it.

I bought a basic MTB 'in a hurry' for a planned tour of Vietnam after my previous bike died at short notice. It was kitted out with so called entry level stuff ie Alivio, Acera and Altus. It happily coped with 2,000 kms in Vn, then 2,500 in Sri Lanka and India, plus another 2,000 in Thai and Lao before I needed to replace the components, which I have now ugraded to a mix of XT, LX and Deore. (The 'cheap' CroMo frame is still going strong).

My point is that for what you want even the basic Shimano kit is probably going to be more than adequate - so after that it depends on how much you want to spend and how 'nickable' you want your bike to be.

Is the web address correct? I can't access it.

South East Asia.
Laos, Vietnam, Thaliand, Cambodia and Malaysia.

Cheap, great roads, wonderful scenery, plenty of culture, good food, etc, etc

What sort of suggestions do you want? I have cycled all of the SE Asia countries you mention but without specific questions it is inmpossible to know what you want.

Also, you are more likely to get info on these areas, particularly the more obscure 'stans' on the On Your Bike branch of the Lonely Planet 's Thorn Tree, but please try to target your posts a bit more. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/f ... eywordid=0

If you want a copy of the Lonely Planet Cycling Australia , try your local library. They can normally order from other libs - I get lots of books like this. Then you can just p/copy the Sy>Bris bit.

The LP route is a good one, but a bit paranoid about keeping off the highway. Most Aussies are paranoid about their roads, but they are not as bad as they make out if you are a Pom used to our glorious UK roads. (Yes I have cycled quite a bit in Oz and on plenty of your long distance highways.)

I rode all the way, staying in hostels or cheap pubs (AU$30 max)

Another interesting option which makes a break from the coast, avoids some of the (dreaded) highway and the long Lonely Planet dirt road diversion is to get a train up the Hunter valley from Newcastle to Scone(?), then ride down the Hunter Valley area and head north via Morpeth, Stroud and Gloucester along the Bucketts Highway which rejoins the coastal route.

Seeing as the poster hasn't replied, I wonder if he is even reading any of this?

Maybe it's the lack of oxygen, or the cheap beer, but I'm sure I've spelt rhythm wrong???

In my opinion lots of short climbs are nothing like one long one. The idea that you rest when going down hill is not the point - it breaks your rhythm - all you are doing is whizzing your legs around and maybe stretching a bit. Then you all too quickly get to the bottom, determined to carry as much speed as poss up the hill, so you are in too high a gear. Lots of changing down, before you hit that mini wall of getting (back) into the rhythm.

Give me one long climb. The stops are rest breaks, but you carry on in the way you left off - in the groove.

I don't know which is physically 'easier', but another point about the long climb is that even in the tropics, conditions start to change at altitude (cloud, rain, cold, etc), plus you have the diminishing oxygen factor. None of these come into play on the smaller ups and downs mentioned before.

(Currently sitting at 1600 metres after a wonderful 'straight up' 1500 metre one.)

Well I am in Vietnam with my bike at the moment. I normally fly twice a year and have no problems. I agree, get a good airline, confirm with them and all will be OK. If you go for an ultra cheap charter flight you will have problems.

The main problem you may have is how they want it packaged, etc.

eileithyia, maybe more details please on which airline your friend used. I don't know of any of the major carrriers that do a 30 quid fee for long haul flights. Otherwise we are into urban myth here.

I know you say money is tight, but have you thought of somewhere more exotic. Thailand or India are both great at that time of year. You could get a flight for 4-500 pounds (or less if you hunt around) and will spend less than 10 per day (could easily be a lot less). That is staying in hotels and eating great food. It should cost no more than 700 quid for your 3 weeks and (in my opinion) a lot more fun than the Atlantic coast in January.

I think the problem is due to the coating they put on the new tubes. I have had great difficulty in getting patches to stick, even after vigorous sanding. The best solution is to wash the tube thoroughly in water with washing up liquid or something else to kill the grease- a bit difficult when on tour.

Most LBSs don't repair, they just replace, I think this is why. In Asia where I often tour, they use a wire brush to rough up the surface - seems to work OK, but looks a bit frightening. One bloke in Cambodia, burnt (flames and everything) a patch on - not sure how or why but it worked and only cost about 6 pence.

TeamR. The oiginal poster implied that they were doing it themselves and hence my comments. As you are going on an escorted tour, I imagine that you will be bused for parts of the trip - such as out of the Delhi. I can't imagine that you'll be riding great lengths of the Grand Trunk Road! Don't worry about it, they will look after you and you will have a great time. India is a truly mind blowing place and as long as you have a fairly open mind you will really enjoy it. I hope you get hooked.

Once you have been 'broken in to India' on a tour group, you will be confident to go back and DiY with more freedom and a great savings in cost - my last 2½ month trip cost about £1100 ALL in.

My post wasn't meant to be 'less positive', just more realistic. As I said, I love cycling in India and have been there many times (top to bottom, side to side, etc, etc). I was trying to warn a possible first timer that the golden triangle, whilst being a tourist 'must do' isn't the best place to cycle - for all the reasons I stated. I did also suggest what I and many others consider to be the 'best' part of India for cycling, ie the South.

I have been to Rajasthan, but unfortunately not on my bike (yet) and think that it would be a great place to tour (hopefully I will be there next year).

I would be happy to answer any specific questions on cycling in India but note that the orig poster hasn't come back with any questions - just put out the fairly vague 'tell me all you can' post.