Contemplating first trip/tour - questions!

[chris-s]

I'm contemplating taking a little tour/trip on my bike from Roscoff to Paris to see the end of le Tour in July. Never done a trip like this on a bike so I'm sure I will have a lot of questions, but first I wanted to run the idea by you guys to see if it's a non-starter.

Living in Cornwall, the Plymouth/Roscoff route is the easiest for me to take, so I was thinking of doing that then take six days to travel the 350 miles to Paris for the Sunday completion, then take the train back to Morlaix on the Monday and pop up the road to Roscoff the next morning for the ferry home. Thats the theory anyhow. Camping all the way, maybe a hostel/hotel in Paris, no catering so eating out as I go.

Questions, firstly, the only bike I have at my disposal is my Bianchi via Nirone road bike, not your first choice for touring, but lightly and thoughtfully loaded will it do the job? It's a compact chainset and the rear cassette is a 12/28, not the standard 11/25, so that should help and I don't think the route is terribly hilly.

Whilst it does not have eyelets for rear panniers, surely this is surmountable with p-clips or something? The camping kit I have isn't suitable so I'll need to get some sensibly priced summer season kit around 2kg for both and with the minimal amount of clothes, wash kit and other bits I would hope to be taking less than 10kg in total (hopefully significantly less than 10kg).

Route wise, I've got 350 miles to cover in six days so say 60 miles a day. I was planning on taking a pretty direct route using 'D' roads; are these ok for cyclists? I don't mind traffic but would avoid the busier routes. Ability wise, I can quite happily cycle 60/70/80 hilly miles at a good 15mph average without feeling totally drained, I'm otherwise fit and healthy and training for a couple of triathlons before then so feel the comfortable with the distance and efforts required.

So, to me this sounds perfectly feasible, but what do you more seasoned travellers think?

Cheers

Chris

 

[frank9755]

Hi Chris.
Your bike sounds like it will be fine as long as it is not over-laden. The gearing is not bad, it's not too hilly and you sound fit enough. The distance is also reasonable for a camping trip. I've done longer but it gets quite hard as the distance goes up.
I've no experience of p-clips but I am sure it can be done. However, if you could get your gear in a saddlebag, the bike would definitely handle better than with panniers. A Camper Longflap will take 24 litres.
A good source of recommendations on lightweight camping stuff are posts by Willem on this forum. He has cycle-camped for many years and knows what is available and what is good. After a tour in France last year I upgraded my old and heavy stuff and got a Terra Nova Laser Competition tent and an Alpkit 400 sleeping bag, which weigh about 1kg each.
The D-roads in France are generally a joy to cycle.
Also have a look at the thread in the Informal Rides section, as a bunch of us are intending to ride from London to Paris via Dieppe that weekend.

 

[samid]

I was also going to suggest the Camper Longflap but even then, a rack to support the bag is a good idea.

 

[chris-s]

Thanks for the replies guys. That camper long flap looks positively cavernous! Knowing no better, I would have thought panniers would have made a more stable ride due to the lower c-g.

Thankfully nobody has said my idea is a no-go, so it's now down to more detailed planning - let the fun begin!

Cheers

Chris

I'm now having fun trying to understand how the french train system works regarding bikes

 

[frank9755]

....Re weight distribution, what matters is not having too much weight behind the rear axle. A racing bike has shorter chainstays than a tourer so, to get heel clearance, you have to put the panniers a long way back. Added to more twitchy steering, the risk is that the tail can start to wag the dog on a twisty descent!

That's the theory: my experience is that I used to use panniers for commuting but, carrying the same gear in a saddlebag, the bike feels lighter and better balanced.

A rack is a good way to support a saddlebag. A Tortec Ultralight is ideal - cheap, light and strong enough for that purpose.

 

[andym]

Don't underestimate how hilly it is in Brittany. But there's less hilliness further inland.

Check your train connections etc carefully if you are depending on them to get back - especially as a lot of the area is served by TGVs which may not have cycle carriage facilities.

There are a couple of D roads in Britanny where you can't ride a bike but they are generally fine.

Roscoff is a great departure point. There's a useful voie verte that goes past the ferry terminal (although there's a rocky bit at the start which you can easily avoid). IIRC there's a decent campsite in the next village on.

 

[Falwheeler]

Did you want to see the end in particular, because the first five stages are in Britanny and the Vendee, easily reached from Roscoff. I went over two years ago and watched two stages in Britanny. I'm also from Cornwall, Falmouth in fact and I'm going over to ride the Nante Brest canal in June

 

[chris-s]

Hi Falwheeler, it's a timing issue really, I've got a triathlon near the beginning of July and then work gets in the way.

Chris

PS I've probably seen you out and about, we wouldn't know each other but I'm with the Truro cycle club, enjoyed your audax the other week.

 

[Falwheeler]

Glad you enjoyed it, gets more popular every year and great food at the end, although nearly all gone by the time I finish

 

[chris-s]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Passport is being renewed, ferry booked, train booked, tent ordered, sleeping bag ordered, saddle bag ordered, guess there is no turning back now!

Chris

 

[willem]

This should be fun. As others have said, reducing weight and volume is the thing to do with a road bike like this. So here come some last minute suggestions.

You will need some sort of support for the saddle bag. The Carradice Bagman would perhaps be a bit unstable for a big bag. The Nitto R-10 may be a better option.
You do not mention a mattress. The Thermarest Neoair is about the lightest and most compact one on the market, but Exped now also do some ultralight models like the Synmat basic ultralight. All these are for summer use. The heavier Synmat Basic is excellent at lower temperatures, and even more so (because lighter at 540 grams) the new Thermarest Neoair All Season, available only from July.
Eating out adds up. You can get nice cold food in many French stores, so with no more than a set of dirt cheap and ultralight GSI lexan cutlery and a cheap plastic plate from e.g. IKEA you can avoid eating out every day. We also take lexan wine glasses and a Platypus Platypreserve wine bag.
Fit the widest tyres your bike will take, like Panaracer Pasela 25 mm's.
Take a plastic bag or something to sit on. We have a small foldable piece of closed cell foam.
Keep us informed,
Willem

 

[chris-s]

I've also ordered a tortec ultralite rack as a support, it'll need some p-clips to fit it but it looked a bit more sturdy than the bagman and gives me the option of securing other stuff if the need arises.

I've been looking at mats but hadn't yet drawn up a short list, I'll check out those you mentioned. Tires, glad you suggested something, it's on my list to investigate as I doubt my 23mm Shwalbe ultremos would be suitable!

Thanks again for the tips and I'll keep you updated. Perhaps I should start a new thread once it starts coming togethe.

Chris

 

[andym]

You do not mention a mattress. The Thermarest Neoair is about the lightest and most compact one on the market, but Exped now also do some ultralight models like the Synmat basic ultralight. All these are for summer use. The heavier Synmat Basic is excellent at lower temperatures, and even more so (because lighter at 540 grams) the new Thermarest Neoair All Season, available only from July.
Eating out adds up. You can get nice cold food in many French stores, so with no more than a set of dirt cheap and ultralight GSI lexan cutlery and a cheap plastic plate from e.g. IKEA you can avoid eating out every day. We also take lexan wine glasses and a Platypus Platypreserve wine bag.

The SynMat comes in different lengths and versions details here (pdf). The shortest and lightest (but still a bit warmer than a typical self-inflating mat) comes in at 350 grams. I don't know how these compare with the thermorests in terms of size and r-values. EDIT: the specifications for the NeoAir All Season are impressive. (But a bit of a digression - Britanny is famous for its unpredictable whether but even in Britanny in July it will be warm.

My 'picnic kit' consists of an Opinel knife (get a stainless steel one if you can). I must admit I'm tempted by the idea of the Platypreserve - do they work with a normal hydration backpack

. I did buy a plastic foon/spork from tesco for something like 40p.

One of the best meals I had on my trip in Brittany was when (on a cold, rainy day) I stumbled into a restaurant/cafe that was doing a 'menu ouvrier' - three courses plus water and coffee for less 10 euros.

Oh and if you have a sweet tooth you have to try the Breton speciality of Kouign Amann (pronounced, more or less, Queen Aman').


And you have to go to the 'Maison des Johnies' in Roscoff - dedicated to the Breton onion sellers who spent months away from home selling onions door-to-door in the UK and travelling by bike.

 

[Brains]

I would strongly suggest a 'trial run' at least two weeks before you go.
So book it now !!!

Saturday PM - Cycle to a nice campsite 20 + miles from home.
Sunday AM - Cycle home via a different route

Now make a note of what kit you have not used, and what kit you were missing
There is very little difference between what is required for a single night and a single week

 

[chris-s]

OK, so I'm slowly accumulating bits and pieces. The main purchases, tent, s/bag and mat took a bit of deliberation but came in just under 2.5kg, I could have saved a little more on the tent (1.3kg) but favored the space/price of my final choice and I've lost over 4 kilos in body weight over the last couple of months, (78.5 -> 74) so thats gonna help.

A bugger with the Carradice bags, everyone seems to be out of stock - arghh!

Questions -

1/ Handlebar bag, I was thinking one would be useful, something like 3 to 6 litres, shower proof, map pocket, 31.8mm bars, suggestions please. I have Tiagra shifters so the cables come out the side of the levers, is this an issue?

2/ Tent peg putter-inner, if the ground is soft'ish I can use a foot, if the ground is hard I don't really want to be carting around a thumping great mallet, any suggestions other than relying on finding a rock? (Just thought, soak the ground then use foot)

3/ Tyres - folding Panaracer Pasela, where the heck can I get these from? I was looking for the folding ones as they are lighter by 50 to 60 grams each, or is this not something I should worry about when loaded up? My current tyres are 185 grams each so I'm worried these will seem horrendous in comparison. Size wise, I can certainly get a 700x25 on, not sure about a 700x28, would it make a much difference ride wise?

Thanks!

Chris