World Tour - Questions

[chris__P]

Hello

I am planning on cycling around the world and I have a lot of questions.

First, some background. I love cycling and I love cycle touring. I cycled around New Zealand earlier this year and I have just cycled from the UK to Kiel in north Germany. I have also done a few small tours in the UK, southern France and Spain. All of this has been enough to convince me that I want to make a BIG trip, around the whole wide world. I am only 25, have no commitments and think this is something I really want to do.

I probably won't start until late next year or 2011 because I want to get some funds together and theres also one or two other projects I might want to think about first, so nothings urgent. But I have been thinking a lot about the trip and particularly the bike and so I wanted to ask some questions now. You will have to forgive my naivety a little. I love cycling, but I hate bikes. Well, when things go wrong anyway.

My idea for a route at the moment is as follows:
UK and Ireland
Northern Europe, east Germany to Russia then back west through Scandanavia.
Iceland
Canada. (work here 6 months or a year)
USA
Central America or Carribean or a bit of both (or all of both)
South America
New Zealand (work 1 or 2 years)
Oz (maybe work)
Asia
Middle East
Africa - down the east coast and back up the west
Southern Europe

Ok so its a little ambitious, but I did say I wanted to go everwhere! I'm planning it'll take me somewhere between 5 and 10 years so its certainly a big trip.

SO, I am going to need a decent bit of kit for this I guess. I know I need a damn good bike, but what suggestions do people have? I guess the most important thing will be a strong frame? What wheels should I get? Mountain bike wheels? I think 26" will be better right? easier to get parts? What bikes are best for getting parts worldwide?

And what about tyres? I won´t be hitting Africa for a long while, and Europe and N america are going to be first and so maybe I should start with slicks, but maybe I should have the option to go off road. And should I get some puncture resistant tyres? Kevlar? What do people think about that.

Ok, big question about wheels would be spokes. I´m gonna have a lot of gear, so I should get extra strong spokes / wheels right? Do some bikes come with these, what bikes?

What about gears?

I have Ortlieb panniers and will take front and rear panniers, although i have never used front panniers before I think I will need the extra space.

Ok, maybe thats enough questions for now. As for budget, I don't mind spending as much as I need to, I just want a bike which isn't going to need too much maintenance en route, but then again not so expensive that its going to be a target for theives or that I would lose too much if it was written off or whatever.

Thanks for ny help

Chris

 

[jags]

wow what a trip.but i reckon your going to need more than one bike for such a tour 5 to 10 years no way your going to do it on one bike .
anyway take a look at thorn bikes /hilleberg tents nallo gt/exped mat basicall the lightest and best gear you can get ,why not hit allthe big bike shops and adventure sports shops for sponsorship,your going to need all the help you can get.
btw hope you make it it's a big dream but a great one.

 

[Brains]

Africa - down the east coast and back up the west

You might get down the east side in a few years time, forget Sudan at the moment, but up the West side has not been possible since the early 1960's and I doubt will be possible for at least 2-3 decades, and probably not even then.

I'd start with a European tour, head east, maybe Turkey, and then see if you can make India, after that Oz may be possible.

One bit at a time.

For bike use the Thorn EXP as your benchmark bike

 

[Tony]

I don'tsee why he will need more than one bike.....
All depends on what you are willing to spend. There are a number of "expedition tourers" out there such as the Koga-Miiyate range and the old-style Dawes Sardar. They use 26" wheels because those are easier to find spares for, and are intrinsically stronger than 700c ones. Steel frame for ease of repair in out of the way places (it can be welded) and old-style shifters rather than STI or similar.The reason for that is so that if the gear indexing heads West, you can switch to friction shifting.
All of the above is very common advice for anyone doing an expedition rather than comfort-zone touring. See the site in my links for lots of advice and stories.

 

[rich p]

Have a look on www.crazyguyonabike.com in general and look at what other world travellers have used. There's a lot more info on there than you'll find on here TBH for an epic trip like that.

 

[HelenD123]

Have a look on www.crazyguyonabike.com in general and look at what other world travellers have used. There's a lot more info on there than you'll find on here TBH for an epic trip like that.

+1 It's a fantastic site (not that this one isn't, it's just different).

 

[Crankarm]

I reckon you should get yourself any decent touring or MTB based touring bike, a decent camera, at least £3k in savings but maybe more, sort out Visas for countries which are difficult to get one for before you go. Make sure you have a full 10 year passport. Then head off. It's pointless planning for something so far in advance with so many variables, not least, as to how you are actually going to take to the open road experience. Also in this time you will age from a comparatively youthful man in his mid/late twenties to a road weiry one in his mid/late thirties or older. Five to ten years is such a long time. People get married, have families and get divorced in this time.

As others have said visit CGOAB.com to read of others RTW experiences. It's not for every one but for those who do take to it, they seem to love it. Some can even write a fairly decent travelogue of their travels which can be immensely enjoyable for armchair world touring cyclists .

This guy is currently doing a rather good travelogue IMHO. He's been on the road since summer 2008.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=129990&v=j


A plan is definitely a good idea with strategic points you want/need to achieve. As the age old maxim "fail to prepare, prepare to fail" tells us, but more importantly, you actually have to set off........

The longest journey begins with the smallest step.

It looks like you have already made a few small touring steps.

Good luck.

 

[hobo]

I would say most importantly is a good tough set of 26"wheels,but as a bike anything decent is capable. I would use 26" so you can run wide knobly tyres for unpaved rough roads and then carry slicks for long paved roads.
As for Africa ive just finished reading 'Around Africa on my bicycle' by Riaan Manser, a South African who circumnavigated the continent of Africa in 808 days. A couragous and at times dangerous (he was almost kidnapped) journey. Circoming to despairing delays with trouble from a unsuitable rear wheel!
Theres also another guy who rode around for 4 years eating mainly bananas on a tight budget, i think he spent about £10k.
Budget wise on my dream world ride i would budget for £10 a day ,£3-4k ayear though this being dependant upon the country you would be travelling in. I have known riders run out of budget during the ride and receive from kind hearts, donations in one way or another. Riaan Manser second half of his journey was soulley off donations.
So good look to you, my trip only got to dream stage as i met my wife and since got married instead. Though i am let out for smaller trips now and then.

 

[chris__P]

Hey thanks for the replies guys. I will take a look at crazyguyonabike soon. Just got back to Kiel from a little mini tour up to Denmark, so I'm a bit knackered. If I had a decent bike and a little bit of money I would just keep going, but my bike at the moment aint up to much. Big problem I had on the way out here was broken spokes. Is that a common problem, or if I get a decent tourer will they be generally fine you reckon?

Brains - with regards Africa, do you mean its not possible to ride on the coast itself? I won't stick right to the coast but it is possible to cycle there, I actually have a friend who cycled from Korea to Cape Town and he went down the west coast (mainly becasue he#d done the east coast before) and he also went via Afghanistan and Iran and Iraq. He called it the axis of evil tour and yes he is a little bit of a strange fellow. He's planning on swimming the Atlantic next year and try teling him something is impossible!

I thought about heading east but see I want to work a while early on, and Canada and NZ are the 2 places I figure I can get work, and going east I won't get to either of them for a while. Plus, everyone always goes east. ANd I don't want to go to Africa first, well, because I want to be a bit more experienced and I also figure everywhere else will be a little plain after that.

As for budget, I know I can stretch that a long way. I can survive in Europe for 2 euros per day, and I figure thats about the most expensive place in the world. Although thats wild camping every night and couchsurfing and I guess in some other countries I wouldn't want to camp so much so I might actually spend more. I reckon I'll start with about 2 grand and see what happens. But I don'T mind spending a lot on the bike, because it would sure be nice to get the whole way on one machine.

Anyways, I'll keep you all updated.

p.s. I don't have to be back in London til the 18th November. Anyone got any ideas on a good route back? I might go south through Germany towards Strasbourg and then turn west, maybe even take in Paris. Holland and Belgium were a little boring

 

[Crankarm]

This site may be able to give you a lot of help and inspiration, a couple who've ridden 80 countries and 80,000km,

http://www.worldbiking.info/


Also this excellent site below has a wealth of info and tours short and longer world tours, the contributors tend to be more European than on CGOAB where the greater proportion of contributors are from the US,

http://www.trentobike.org/index.html

Have been a fan of it since it started, years ago.

HTH.

 

[hubbike]

Wow sounds like an amazing adventure. I'd recommend you go for it with everything you've got!!! For the bike I would suggest you buy a Roberts Roughstuff (thats what I've got) or a Thorn Raven Tour. Money doesn't matter too much because you are going to work (and save?) at various points. . . I'd probably want about 5 grand in the bank before I left, just for comfort.

I can suggest a few websites and books you might find useful:
www.alastairhumphreys.com/ ~ An encouraging and motivational blog. Al cycled around the world for 4 years and wrote 3 great books about his experiences. He is writing another book about a hike across India and planning some pretty full on expeditions (Antarctica. Enough said).
http://www.tour.tk/ ~ Another good website. I like the records of the books they've read, and the "tip of the month" and recommended links and country info.
www.josiedew.co.uk/ ~ A smashing cycling author (her first book 'Wind in my Wheels' is fantastic) and now a mum! Read how she manages to cart her toddler, Molly, about on her Roughstuff. . .
www.downtheroad.org/ ~ Tim and Cindie Travis are on an aparently never ending round the world tour. Their site contains vast amounts of useful infomation.
http://www.hobobiker.com/ ~ Randy and Nancy cycled from Canada to Chile. They have a very readable and inspirational website.
www.thehungrycyclist.com/ ~ Tom Kevill-Davies has a mission to his cycle tours: eat. He seeks out local recipes and will happily eat everything from bulls testicles to barbecued guinea pig.
bicycletouringpro.com/blog/ - Darren Alff is a prolific cycle tourist and blogger. There is some good information, ideas and debates on his site. The site has a professionalism its name suggests and he often takes an original slant on things. The audio interviews are particularly good.
www.mark-ju.net/ Terrific website with many quirky details.
www.bio-nica.info/Biblioteca/Vickers1999BicycleExpedition.PDF ~ A well written technical guide to organising bike expeditions.
petergostelow.com/?page_id=331 ~ After cycling back from Japan, and writing an wonderful journal with sensational photographs along the way, Peter Gostelow is now on his way across Africa (his new website is www.thebigafricacycle.com/). The old website has a comprehensive links page.
www.crazyguyonabike.com/ ~ A database of journals, forums, and articles - great content, great photos, very basic style (so works well on computers worldwide). I try to look at journals for specific locales and pick ones with the appropriate number of days to your tour (i.e. I looked for tours longer that 6 months or 180days).
www.adventure-cycling-guide.co.uk/ ~ An excellent overview and encouragement. Prices on bikes getting a bit out of date.
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa - Helpful travel forum, use the On Yer Bike section.

Books I would suggest are:

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Richard and Nicholas Crane ~ Eccentric cousins race to the pole of inaccessibility. Across the Himalayas on racing bikes.
Full Tilt by Delvra Murphy ~ In the early sixties, Irish lady Delvra and her bike Roz set off to India via, Persia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and meet colourful characters on the way.
Wind in my Wheels by Josie Dew ~ Cycling tales written with fun and enthusiasm.
Moods of Future Joy and Thunder and Sunshine by Alastair Humphreys ~ Al's 4 year round the world bike trip makes for a good read.
The Hungry Cyclist by Tom Kevill-Davies ~ A witty and two and a half year ride from NY to Rio seeking out local recipes. His book is funny, self deprecating and highly enjoyable.
Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook by Stephen Lord ~ Packed full of useful information.

Oh and of course I should plug my own blog peterhubbard.blogspot.com

 

[HelenD123]

Thanks What a great post! I fear there will be many 'wasted' evenings ahead reading through all those links.

 

[chris__P]

Thanks so much for the links! I think they will be a great help - I just have to stop at a computer long enough to read through them all!

Was in a German cycle shop this afternoon talking about my plans and he showed me a German tourer, can't remember the manufacturers name now, but it was second hand at 600 euros (new 3000) and it got me thinking, whether it would be better to buy something like that because for one thing, being German built, it might be more reliable (!?) I don't know. Also I thought, with it being second hand, I thought why buy new, because if I'm going to ride it 50,000 miles, who cares if its already got a few on the clock, right? ANd so much cheaper. ANyway, I didn't buy it because for one thing it was aluminium and I think a steel frame will be better, but I was almost tempted...

 

[hubbike]

Kogas are aluminium and some folks have put 200,000 miles on them ! 2nd hand is a great option. keep an eye out for second hand Thorns on e-bay, they do come up. A cheap and nasty option is to get a 2nd hand steel framed mtb and treat it as disposable (like Al Humphreys). just buy another one when (not if) it is beyond repair or stolen. People (like Peter Gostelow for instance) have done very long tours on simple cheap 26" bikes like Cannondale Bad Boy or Marin Muirwoods. Getting some really good handbuilt wheels made and buying decent racks (tubus or old man mountain) would probably avoid most problems.

Many european touring bikes are 700cc. For various reasons (read some here) 26" are probably better for the out of the way places you are likely to have to go through. They are stronger and because of the proliferation of chinese mtb's compatible parts are available everywhere. The disadvantage is that they are slightly slower. But your not in a race right?

 

[Brains]

Brains - with regards Africa, do you mean its not possible to ride on the coast itself? I won't stick right to the coast but it is possible to cycle there, I actually have a friend who cycled from Korea to Cape Town and he went down the west coast (mainly becasue he#d done the east coast before) and he also went via Afghanistan and Iran and Iraq. He called it the axis of evil tour and yes he is a little bit of a strange fellow. He's planning on swimming the Atlantic next year and try teling him something is impossible!

Cycling up from South Africa to Morocco via west Africa.
At present - But the situation will be different by the time you get to South Africa, it 'may' be possible to cycle through Angola, most of the mines are now cleared.

Congo - you will not be cycling in the normal sense of the word. There is no remaining road system, however is is theoritically passable on a motorbike and a bicyle. Cycles are used as beasts of burden, you load the thing up and push it, not ride it. You may be able to bypass Congo by taking a boat, if you can find a boat.

Liberia, Sierra Leone, just gone through wars. Not really safe yet, but situation will be different by the time you get there