Bordeaux to Narbonne

[Michael McHale]

Hello all,

A complete novice here who will be cycling with a friend from Bordeaux to Narbonne this summer along the Garonne, Lateral Canal and Canal du Midi .

I have been advised against using my B'Twin triban 5 road bike and told that alternatively the frame of my Rockrider 5.2 MTB would much more suitable with a few moderations.

My question is, can anyone who has done this route before advise as to which moderations the 5.2 would require?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Michael McHale]

*moderations = modifications

 

[betty swollocks]

I'm assuming that the person who advised you thought that the MTB would have the better capability of coping with rough tracks?
I also assume that modifications would have to do with rendering it capable of carrying luggage. ie panniers or something?
I do not know what these canal paths are like, so cannot comment further about this.
How long are you planning to take over this trip and how are you planning to overnight? This will largely dictate the amount of stuff you'll need to take with you. If it is more than sandwiches, water, tools etc do not use a rucksack.

Found this.

 

[srw]

Take a look at the links in my sig file.

From Bordeaux to Toulouse at least (and 20-odd miles beyond) you'll be absolutely fine on a road bike. The towpaths and bike routes vary from pristine tarmac to tarmac that wouldn't embarrass a British county council. There's a decent map available online in PDF format that one of the tourist boards puts out which lists accommodation etc. It looks like http://www.canal-et-voie-verte.com/index.php?lang=en might be the website.

Beyond the ecluse de l'Ocean (the last lock going uphill) the towpaths become muddy and narrow tracks, I gather. Even an MTBer on a bike tour might prefer to take to the roads at that stage.

The main reason to use an MTB would be that it might be easier to add a rack - and you'll want a rack to carry your luggage on.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

I haven't done the whole route, but when I cycled to Barcelona I ended up following the Canal du Midi bike path. It's fine from Toulouse to around Avignonet-Lauragais: good quality path and a pleasant ride. However, afterwards the path is more like a MTB route than a cycle path and it became necessary for me to cycle on the main road. The cut-off point corresponds to two different départements: the Haute-Garonne and the Aude. Apparently, Aude is less interested in this cycle route than the Haute-Garonne.
Oh, and as you're heading to Narbonne - beware of wind! I've never been blown around so much on a bike in my life. I ended up having to take shelter in Narbonne for two days until it calmed down. Apparently, such conditions are very frequent in the area.