Do the TransSiberian take a Road bike and a trailer ?

[barc M]

Hi everyone , this is my first post here .
I'm planning a continental cycle trip from Vladivostok to Paris this summer . I currently live in Tokyo but will leave in May to come back in France after 15 years of good services for Japan Corp ... so worth a little detour !
I might not cycling on a regular randoneur but on my italian road bike , light weight aluminium frame , plus a trailer , and try to keep everything light . I 'm quite confy with long hours ride on this road bike , it's light and I can fix almost anything quickly . Needless to say with my 700/25c tires I have to stay on asphalt or semi paved roads , and I know what " russian roads " mean !
Regarding the russian visa limitation of 90 days and my time constraints I'd prefer to take the bike and his 1m50 trailer in the Trans Siberian from Vladivostok to Novosibirsk or Krasnoyarsk . So my question : is it possible and at what rate ? any alternatives to the train between these cities ?
Thanks a lot !
Marc

 

[Yellow7]

I’d really recommend contacting the Russian railways, or maybe contact the country’s tourism office directly. As a start 30 seconds on Google and I found this

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Aside from you main question, here is a cut-n-paste from a reply I made to another member concerning trailers:

Before my first big tour the thought of a trailer had interested me so I looked into it. The general impression I found was that on a good smooth roads they’re fine, but on bad, bumpy, pot-holed, gravel-board roads they’re a rear-hub wrecker.

As the trailer wheel is considerably smaller, ‘mechanical filtering’ effect decreases (think how a large wheel will roll over a pot-hole easier than a smaller one). As a result the bike’s rear wheel gets ‘tugged’ at by the trailer when on bad bumpy roads, causing extra stress on the hub.

I witnessed this, but fortunately not personally. On my African tour in Mauritania I met two French tourers whom had been using a trailer that had damaged the bearings to the extent the axle’s inner bearing-cup face had gouged out / filed by the very swarf produced from the actual wear, escalating the very problem further. Their only option was a new hub or wheel - an easy option in Europe, but not so in Africa, an inconvenience wherever one may be.

Using a trailer equals another wheel, so chances of punctures are increased. A small wheel means more revolutions per distance, so the trailer’s bearing also wear out more so than the bike’s.

Taking a trailer means more space, and can lead to packing (unnecessary) stuff - my philosophy is if you have to think you ‘might’ need something, then you won’t. Some say using a trailer minimises load height, lowering the centre-of-gravity - but bearing in mind most of the weight is on the saddle, baggage height becomes no so important.

All the best whichever you decide! Will you be blogging / CGOAB?

Mark

 

[albal]

Interested in your journey, any blog running?

 

[Rob B]

sounds like a very cool trip

 

[albal]

I'm interested in doing this trip next March 2015, ultimately ending in Porto at the end of the year. Hence my interest in your journey.

 

[mmmmartin]

Read the blog by @takeonafrica
Helen is currently riding in Siberia, and to get to Mogolia she used the transiberian, but sent her bike on ahead in a package. It worked perfectly.