B*ke touring- tips/advice

Off-topic
1

Hi everyone,
I’ve decided to ditch my plans to travel to Italy for Unicon next year, instead, i’m planning to spend a year (maybe two if my funds stretch) cycle touring all through Asia. I have done self supported touring on a uni (2000km in 28 days) and TBH it was pretty silly and masochistic so this trip will be on a bike.

Why? Just recently my relationship of 3 years with my girlfriend broke down (it was mutual but still a pretty big shock to the system), I have money saved from a job i’m more than happy to quit at the end of the year, and I want to see the world while i’m still young.

Just looking to see if anyone on the forums has much experience of cycle touring in Asia/Central asia/ Middle east? or has other general tips- places to visit, equipment advice etc.

I’ll be riding an old cromo Trek 870 mtb, 21 speed, with panniers front and back.

thanks,
Mark

2

Can’t help with any advice, just had to pop in to say that it sounds like it could be an epic adventure.

Ken Looi is probably your best bet in terms of information.
He’s organised a couple of uni-tours in Asia and should be able to help you out with some of the basic organisational info.

3

For a world view of places to visit, have a look at Joff’s site.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/joff1
Done on a wheel to which we owe an historic debt.
This one, he made himself.

4

Hi Mark,

Sorry to hear about your breakup, and that you’re not coming to Italy :frowning:

I don’t have much experience bike touring- all my tours have been on one wheel. If I hadn’t gotten into Unicycling though, I always had the intention of cycle touring on two wheels.

On the other hand, I have been to lots of places in SE Asia- Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand…so if you want to have a chat about what to see and do, talk to me sometime on Facebook chat.

Crazyguyonabike is a great website for info and inspiration. I’m hoping to get similar stuff up on Adventure Unicyclist .

When are you thinking of doing the tour?

Ken

5

I’d seriously consider getting a light touring b*ke (or mod a roadie to fit racks).

A lot more miles in less time and effort than done on a mtb.

6

It depends on where you’re going though- a lot of places in SE Asia have pretty rough roads, and if he’s going away for months, it’s likely he’ll encounter some of them.

If I was a bike tourist, I personally would ride a SS, rigid MTB. Makes life much easier not having to worry about bits breaking. You can always slap on some slicks.

7

@ Ken- I will hit you up for some info on SE asia one time when you’re free. Although I had a great time at the last UNICON i’m not sure if i can justify the expense for one or two events- I only ride muni these days. Plus the type of riding we’re into isn’t really catered for at the Unicons (yet) so for the moment i’m sticking with the more accessible and cheaper bike races I’ve been getting into lately.

@Skilewis74- I did look into getting a dedicated touring bike for a while. But I was kinda disappointed with the options out there. It seemed kinda stupid to pay 1.5k for a steel framed, rigid bike with rim brakes when i could get exactly that in an older style mountain bike.

Like the more expensive options my bike has a Cro-mo frame so, in the unlikely event it cracks or breaks, any 3rd world welder can repair it. It is simpler in its gearing, brakes, and general mechanics than lots of the other custom ‘expedition style’ touring bikes. I should be able to fix it on the road myself (i’ve been doing up vintage bikes and selling them for a while). And it is a 26" so i’ll never be struggling for tyres and tubes. And perhaps the best part, i got it off the classifieds for $200 so with the $1300 left over i’ve been able to buy some Ortlieb front panniers, a tubus rack, A 2 man tent, some good semi slick touring tyres, some stainless steel bar to make my own rear rack (need to compensate for chain stays that are a little to short for my rear panniers), a brooks b17 saddle, bull horn bar ends, a water purifying pump with plenty left over for other stuff when I decide what equipment to go with.

Thanks for the link to the crazy guy on a bike website. Plenty of good reading and inspiration in there.

Speed really isn’t an issue for this trip. Reliability and versatility are the two things i’m aiming to achieve with my set up. I like the idea of being able to take off with a weeks supplies on a sketchy dirt track in Mongolia or Kazakhstan and not have to worry about my bike being able to handle it. I wonder if it would be worthwhile looking into getting a good suspension seat post like a thud buster?

Thanks for the kind words and input,
Mark

8

My top 3 for touring are: simplicity, reliability and lightweight. That’s why I generally prefer to tour on an 29’er Unguni these days. As I said earlier- if I hadn’t gotten into Unitouring…I’d probably tour on a lightweight rigid Chromoly MTB if I was away for several months.

Don’t go too sturdy though…I’ve seen some real tanks being used for touring- I’m sure they’re bombproof, but inevitably, there will be times when you need to get in a train, throw it on a truck, cart it up steps etc…it’s no fun. We rescued two French riders after they had an accident in Mongolia- and their fully laden, overbuilt bikes weren’t a particularly good fit in our minivan.

I reckon your Trek 870 should work well. They were a great MTB in their day. You don’t want it too fancy or you’ll have to worry about getting it damaged or stolen.

I don’t have experience with a suspension seatpost, but again, I think it’s extra weight and complexity. Get a good saddle instead. If you really wanted suspension, get a pair of front shocks. However, with front and back panniers I reckon it’s going to cause more annoyance and serviceability issues than anything else (you’ll need a shock pump and on a long trip you might get oil leakage and other problems, unless you can service it).

The tracks in Mongolia aren’t too bad (at least where we went). It’s more open grassland steppe with 4WD roads criss-crossing the country.

9

Napalm

I think your bike will be more that adequate for the tour.

As you said, tyres and tubes will always be available for 26" wheels, and compared to a larger 700c road bike wheel, it should be stronger for those rough roads.

As far as panniers go, the consensus is that Ortlieb is the way to go, so good choice there.

I would recommend fitting as many water bottles to the frame using the existing mounting holes and these (they are strap on mounts for additional bottle cages) http://www.parker-international.co.uk/53/Elite-VIP-Bottle-Cage-Clamps.html, just to allow more room in the panniers so you can either pack more, or make everything inside more accessible/less packed in.

I cannot emphasise enough how important handlebars are. After many miles with your hands in one position, they start to hurt. You want to be able to move your hands to different positions for relief. I would recommend butterfly bars because they offer an infinite amount of hand positions and unlike drop downs you do not need to get new brake levers or gear triggers (and with drop downs, you will never really use the bottom position while touring- too uncomfortable). Get thick padding as well (not just thin bar tape!)

One last thing, mudguards! They are a much needed accessory because it stops your feet, back panniers etc from getting soaked. Try to use a rear (longer) mudguard on the front and have that mudguard set so it is close to the floor and also extends up past the exact top of the wheel to stop spray drenching your feet and to stop forwards travelling spray getting blown back into your face by the wind respectively.

Actually I lied, on more thing. Use clipless pedals. Most tourers use MTB clipless rather that road clipless, because MTB clipless shoes are easier to walk in. I like shimano M520’s, they are very good, simple, tough and cheap. And get some overshoes for your clipless shoes otherwise your feet will get soaked in the rain.

Oh and bike lights- since your on a budget, get a Planet bike superflash for the back (aka smart superflash)- they are very highly rated within the cycling comunity. For the front, lot’s of people are mounting torches instead of dedicated bike lights, simply because of better bang for your buck, or should I say better lux for your buck.

As far as technique goes, a higher cadence is more sustainable (80-100). If you want to know why just ask me, because this post is quite long already lol. And eat and drink lots. And wear lycra. And get a cycling computer.

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Just a note on bike shorts- if you intend cycle-touring all across SE Asia, and you don’t want to end up looking like some odd-ball tourist, get some regular shorts to throw over your lycra or get some of some padded cycle-shorts that have the Lycra/padding sewn in…Ground Effect and NZO do some nice ones in Australia/NZ.

If you are in a village somewhere off the beaten track and you turn up in skintight Lycra, people aren’t going to be as forthcoming. Dress conservatively. That’s our general advice on the AU Unitours I’ve organised.

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thanks for all the advice Raymanh and Ken.

@ Raymanh- I saw that Ortlieb panniers were getting a good wrap from everyone that had used them (plus they are really similar to my crosso rear panniers which work a dream) so I got a pair of front roller classics, the classic handlebar bag and a rear rack rucksack (try saying that 3 times fast!).

About the shoes situation- I think i’m going to steer clear of the SPD style shoes. I’m thinking of taking my 5:10 impacts and using them with toe straps and then having a pair of flip flops/sandals for off the bike. I want my shoes to be as versatile as possible and the 5:10s are great for hiking, riding and don’t look too bad if they are clean. The only problem with them is they are a bit heavy, and they stay wet if you let them get that way. So a pair of shoe covers is on my list of things to get.

Good idea on the water bottle cages. My bike currently only has 1 but I will get some of those clips you linked to and put on some more.

I like the look of the butterfly handlebars but i’m not sure how i would go about getting my brakes and gear shifters on! (they are twist shifts- and can’t be put on around bendy corners as far as i can tell). I will have a look and see if there is a way to get around it and buy one if I can fit my mech on them.

I don’t like the look of any of the Mud guards i’ve seen so far, so i ordered some extra 12mm 316 stainless steel with my order of 20mm stuff (for my rear rack) and plan on making my own mud guards- they might not end up being pretty but at least i’ll know exactly who’s to blame if they don’t function properly!)

I am a convert to the advantages of Lycra- and will probably have 2 pairs of cycling nics with me on the trip- but if i’m in populated areas i’ll probably chuck some sport shorts on over the top of them so I don’t put anyone off.

The one thing I am struggling with at the moment is finding a good set of maps to use for my planning of the trip. I want to be able to have some good maps to stick on my wall and earmark locations and routes so I can figure everything out- but i don’t know what to look for (scale etc) and where to get them from. Any help in this department would be greatly appreciated!

Mark

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Nitto Albatross bars are the way to go. They are so comfy and offer a few hand positions, and put you in a nice position for touring.

Hopefully we can get a few uni rides in Australia before you head off!

As far as shoes go…I used Mtb style spd shoes, that were quite comfy, and just put on crocs when I got to my campsite. Crocs may look dumb, but they are super light weight and comfy. If you wanted a versatile shoe that was good for hiking, biking, and dried fast, I would recommend the Salomon XT Wings…unfortunately the newer version is bright orange, but the older version wasw gray/black. It dries faster than most shoes I’ve worn and is super comfy - it is supposed to be a trail running shoe, but I use it for unicycling and hiking as well.

13

in general I totally agree with this, you can run a flip flop hub for the flat sections. Though I’m not sure I would like the geometry of a mountain bike that long. Maybe a LHT done up as a ss, they can take some beefy tires too, so if the roads get rough you can just slap on some foldables with more tread.

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Yeah, you’ll need more than one bottle- the places you are going are pretty hot and humid. Maybe you could braze on some, or get one of the underseat bottles cages- I think profile make some nice ones.

@juggleaddict- yeah, I reckon flip-flops are the way to go. Otherwise, Mr Schumpf actually does a great bottom bracket hub. Match that up with a Rohloff and you have a simple chainline and no derailleurs to get clogged with mud or broken in transit. Having said that, it means the bike becomes a little too valuable to use as a tourer.

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You slide them on at the ends (which go inwards), no need to slide them around the bends.

Here’s a pic http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8BZqOcjsG20/SfysYJH6YSI/AAAAAAAAEmk/WzKRban41vI/IMG_5188%255B14%255D.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hikewales.co.uk/2009/05/cannondale-touring-bike-is-finished.html&usg=__vnmru9QpJU35YwbV-Y4-qv6HsHE=&h=333&w=500&sz=74&hl=en&start=40&zoom=1&tbnid=ggSs2ZC4QOX_gM:&tbnh=162&tbnw=229&ei=YkbETYSLH4Sr8QOJ59HSAw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbutterfly%2Bbars%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D683%26tbm%3Disch0,792&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=146&vpy=396&dur=620&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=138&ty=113&page=3&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:40&biw=1280&bih=683

Oh, and I would just have thick tape all the way around them, don’t put on your grips, it will allow you to move your hands to any position you want.

16

Ah thanks for the link Raymanh. I was looking at the handlebars by themselves on a website and had them oriented the wrong way in my mind!

I placed an order the other day for them and can’t wait to test them out. Now I just have to wait for a couple of weeks while all the little packages make their way from all over the globe so I can put it together and take it for a proper spin! (I was sick for most of last week and spent an unhealthy amount of time on Ebay and other online stalls buying stuff while the Australian Dollar was at $1.10US!)

Still no luck on the issue of maps- anyone with clues?

Mark

17

How are the bars, have they arrived?

I can’t really help about the maps, but if you are really struggling you could print some out from google maps I suppose.

18

Mark fwiw I reckon keeping your rig simple is a good move.

If I toured again today I’d go with a similar setup to the MTB I used back in the day in 1988, worked really well:

Couple of things

my arse got so leathery as the months rolled by, after while it was like built in knicks. I tossed the knicks out, no need and a PITA to keep them clean.

re the handlebars I’d just go for bar ends myself vs something like the butterfly. Would still give you variable hand positions, and when the MTB isn’t loaded up and you want go for a fang it’ll be set up ok for that too. Probably doesn’t matter much though, especially if your handlebar has a sweep etc that suits you.

and lastly, and most importantly imo, don’t kill your adventure by researching it to death beforehand, as tempting and easy as that is to do these days. I think intense personal adventure was much easier to come by before the days of the internet, before mobiles etc - where you just headed out into the unknown, alone with a few bits and pieces and let it unfold.

Hope you have a great adventure, and not to sound too brutal but don’t sweat the relationship. A trip like this while you’re young… man it is beyond GOLD. GO FOR IT!

19

Hey Pete- thanks for the advice and putting up the link. Sounds like you had a great adventure. Its funny how the issue of identical bikes came up in your trip- My friend, who is accompanying me for the first section of my travels, asked me to find him a bike because he travels lots in the bush for his work (conservation council) and doesn’t have a lot of free time on his hands. So I answered an ad in the classifieds for a bike and went down to have a look at it only to find that it was an identical bike to mine! Same colour and decals and everything. So we will be in identical steeds- which could come in handy for carrying spares if we start to have mechanical problems- or if i need to cannibalise his bike for parts when he has to come back home.

I got my brooks b17 saddle and stainless steel bar recently and have made my rear pannier rack and a set of front/rear mudguards too. I’m waiting for a low rider front rack and handlebars so i can mount my new front panniers and handlebar bag. I’ll chuck up a few photo’s once its all together.

In many ways we will have the exact same cargo set up Pete. I’m also on the same page as you in terms of trip preparation. I want to have a few goals and destinations in mind but nothing all encompassing. I will have to have my act together for visas etc for some countries (Bhutan, Iran etc) but apart from that i’m keen to take local advice, and just find my own way. My only limiting factor is my finances- but hopefully by the end of the year i will have enough squirrelled away for up to 2 years. If i’m still not done, i can always get my folks to sell my car and other assets- however I want to come home to something!

Looks like the next thing to hunt down on my list is a hat

Thanks for the advice and support,
Mark

21

howdy folks,
Well a few more bits and bobs have arrived in the post and i’ve got the bike coming together slowly. I’m still waiting on the Tubus Tara low rider front rack but I have made my own rear rack and mud guard frames (out of 316 stainless steel bar). New handle bars and saddle are on there too. It starting to look ok. The next mission is to do an overhaul of the wheels. The stock ones appear to be single walled alloy rims on shimano stx hubs. I’m looking for something hardier and more reliable but without a massive price tag (imagine the nimbus equivalent in the bike world? :roll_eyes: )

Anyone know the ways of the dark side and can help me out?

mark