Doing a big ride to celebrate the end of my A-Levels in the summer, hopping of the ferry in Calais and doing a big 3/4 month trip round Europe! Hoping to cover about 5000 miles, doing about 80 miles a day, along with a couple train rides along places I've already been too. If anybody has any recommendations on excellent places to travel to, it'd be appreciated, I'm stuck in a couple states about routes at the moment.Further more, I'm a student on a part time job, so I'm really looking at a bike about £180 to do me, which even I know will be tough! Anybody got any good tips in terms of the type of bike? To finance the preparation of this trip, anybody know the absolute least amount I could get away with? I don't mind being uncomfortable, and I'm about as fit as I can be for my age, so just looking for any advice really!Thanks for any help,George
5000 Mile Tour
- Thread starter Woody44
- Start date
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steveindenmark
Legendary Member
I was just wondering why 5000 miles and why 80 miles a day? You are putting pressure on yourself before you even set off.
I used to do trips like that but quickly realised that it is far better to point the bike in a direction and just go and see what turns up and meet people. Your way sounds as though you will see a lot of tarmac. But IMO the trip has to be about places and meeting people.
But it is your trip after all.
Just put touring bike in on e bay and something suitable will come up.
Don't forget to sign on for Warmshowers, Couchsurfers and maybe even Helpx
Enjoy the trip and if you get near Denmark give me a shout.
Steve
I used to do trips like that but quickly realised that it is far better to point the bike in a direction and just go and see what turns up and meet people. Your way sounds as though you will see a lot of tarmac. But IMO the trip has to be about places and meeting people.
But it is your trip after all.
Just put touring bike in on e bay and something suitable will come up.
Don't forget to sign on for Warmshowers, Couchsurfers and maybe even Helpx
Enjoy the trip and if you get near Denmark give me a shout.
Steve
Salad Dodger
Legendary Member
- Location
- Kent Coast
+1 for what stevindenmark wrote. Don't plan a route that REQUIRES you to cycle 80 miles every day just to keep on schedule. There will be days where the weather is really cr*p, days where the topography of the countryside works against you, days where you are feeling really cr*p, and maybe days where the bike is giving problems. So allow some "slippage" time on your itinerary.
Also, you may find some places on your route that are just amazing (and I hope you do!) and it would be a shame to have to move on the following day, just to keep to a schedule.
Set yourself a loose kind of target: say home to Vienna and back again (or whatever target suits you) and then just take each day as it comes.
Also, read a few books by cycle tourists. You will see this theme of how variable distances covered can be, even if the person is trying really hard. Somedays they will struggle to do a seemingly short distance, and on other days they will feel like they are flying and cover a ridiculously huge distance.
Best of luck, and I hope you have a great time.
Also, you may find some places on your route that are just amazing (and I hope you do!) and it would be a shame to have to move on the following day, just to keep to a schedule.
Set yourself a loose kind of target: say home to Vienna and back again (or whatever target suits you) and then just take each day as it comes.
Also, read a few books by cycle tourists. You will see this theme of how variable distances covered can be, even if the person is trying really hard. Somedays they will struggle to do a seemingly short distance, and on other days they will feel like they are flying and cover a ridiculously huge distance.
Best of luck, and I hope you have a great time.
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Eighty miles per day for three months isn't what I'd consider to be a relaxing experience. Asking other people where you should go is as useful a guide as throwing darts at a map and pedalling to the perforations. It can be incredibly hot and you'd be surprised how much that slows you down. You could get by on 10€ per day plus camp site fees of anywhere between 7€ and 25€ per night. You'd have to be well disciplined to keep your spending down at €10 per day.
If you want a long ride, you could consider Eurovelo Six from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. It has the advantage of being well mapped out, signposted and having several guidebooks written for it. There's plenty of campsites villages and shops en route not to mention museums, castles, cathedrals and other nice things to look at.
If you want a long ride, you could consider Eurovelo Six from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. It has the advantage of being well mapped out, signposted and having several guidebooks written for it. There's plenty of campsites villages and shops en route not to mention museums, castles, cathedrals and other nice things to look at.
A bit of mental arithmetic tells me that if the OP is going to cover 5K miles in 3 or 4 months, then he won't need to cover 80 miles EVERY day. That would mean 2400 miles every month! Maybe he meant 80 miles max per day.....
Anyway, if it was me I wouldn't be sticking to any hard and fast plans. Just get over the channel and then go with your mood. Some places you will want to spend more time in than others. I want to do France north to south, but that's just me. I love France and most things French. Cycling over there is just so much more enjoyable than the general experience that is cycling in the UK..
The main thing is just to go and actually DO it. You will enjoy it and remember it for years to come.
Anyway, if it was me I wouldn't be sticking to any hard and fast plans. Just get over the channel and then go with your mood. Some places you will want to spend more time in than others. I want to do France north to south, but that's just me. I love France and most things French. Cycling over there is just so much more enjoyable than the general experience that is cycling in the UK..
The main thing is just to go and actually DO it. You will enjoy it and remember it for years to come.
Tigerbiten
Guru
I've done around 4k miles in 4 months for the last 3 summers.
It works out to be around 40 miles per day plus days off.
Have a look at the EuroVelo long distance cycle routes for ideas.
Also read some of the logs on "Crazy Guy on a Bike" for more ideas.
I'm another one who plans a destination and then plays it by ear as I go along.
Next summer the plan is the follow the Rhine and Danube to the Black Sea before heading north through the Ukraine , and swinging west in Poland towards home.
It works out to be around 40 miles per day plus days off.
Have a look at the EuroVelo long distance cycle routes for ideas.
Also read some of the logs on "Crazy Guy on a Bike" for more ideas.
I'm another one who plans a destination and then plays it by ear as I go along.
Next summer the plan is the follow the Rhine and Danube to the Black Sea before heading north through the Ukraine , and swinging west in Poland towards home.
For the bike, have a good look at the wheels and check they have plenty of life left. The rear on my Ultra Galaxy wore out after about 4000 miles and a couple of friends got serious cracks in their rims after about 3000 miles of touring. You can put up with irritation of skipping gears or some discomfort from an ill fitting bike but a wheel failing on a descent could be dangerous.
Take advantage of your freedom. Have a vague plan in mind but adjust it according to the weather, sites or people you meet. You won't be able to do this often in your life. Enjoy!
Take advantage of your freedom. Have a vague plan in mind but adjust it according to the weather, sites or people you meet. You won't be able to do this often in your life. Enjoy!
SatNavSaysStraightOn
Changed hemispheres!
- Location
- ɐᴉlɐɹʇsn∀ 'ɐɹɹǝquɐƆ
Hi George.
Slow down and enjoy the ride - it is not about how far you get, it is about what you do, who and what you see and above all enjoyment. You should be able to manage 50-80 miles a day at your age without over doing it - but take into account that you will want to see places and do things and not spend all day every day on your bike. Don't rigidly plan your iterinary. Life does not work that way. You may find you come across somewhere really interesting and want to stay longer.
If you head east, you will find life cheaper for food. North is good for wild camping - the whole of Scandinavia has the Everyman's law where you can camp wild (Denmark has a variation of this with tent sites for cyclists/walkers/kayakers/horse riders where you can camp free or pay only £3 equivalent per night, but you need to purchase a book to find the +1100 sites across Denmark). As an idea on how far you can get on 5000 miles, its all the way to Nordkapp (North Cape) and back again from the UK and there is a lot of land north of the UK.
Slow down and enjoy the ride - it is not about how far you get, it is about what you do, who and what you see and above all enjoyment. You should be able to manage 50-80 miles a day at your age without over doing it - but take into account that you will want to see places and do things and not spend all day every day on your bike. Don't rigidly plan your iterinary. Life does not work that way. You may find you come across somewhere really interesting and want to stay longer.
If you head east, you will find life cheaper for food. North is good for wild camping - the whole of Scandinavia has the Everyman's law where you can camp wild (Denmark has a variation of this with tent sites for cyclists/walkers/kayakers/horse riders where you can camp free or pay only £3 equivalent per night, but you need to purchase a book to find the +1100 sites across Denmark). As an idea on how far you can get on 5000 miles, its all the way to Nordkapp (North Cape) and back again from the UK and there is a lot of land north of the UK.
Bodhbh
Guru
Just to add what others have said, allow for plenty of days off. Unless you're completely anti-city and want to stay in the wilderness, any of the cities you pass thru, you'll probably want to spend at least a couple of days hanging about. If you're going to visit places like Hamburg/Budapest, Prague, etc etc etc, you'll want to do them justice. Or you might just want to make a base camp and go hill walking for a couple of days or something.
Think you're pushing it with the bike for 180quid. You could hope to get a 2ndhand tourer off eBay, or something like the Subway seems to be to be up to the job with racks and mudgards fitted.
Think you're pushing it with the bike for 180quid. You could hope to get a 2ndhand tourer off eBay, or something like the Subway seems to be to be up to the job with racks and mudgards fitted.
Indeed - 7,200 miles in 3 months. So lots of days off.
Either that or he's definitely not doing maths for A-Levels.
No sir, it is most definitely not one of my subjects! I was thinking 80 miles max, but i had no idea that I could cover that many miles, that give me a lot more freedom, thanks! Also thank you for all the advice, I'm getting a general theme about what I should do and whilst I won't make any definitive route, I'll try and get a general direction about where about I want to go! Thanks for all the advice about bikes as well, I knew £180 was never going to set the world alight, but I genuinely appreciate all the help!
Ticktockmy
Guru
- Location
- Crawley, West Sussex
Good advise from Bodhbh, learn to repair all parts of the bike, and building up or repairing/bringing up to spec a 2nd hand bike will teach you that.
