Cyclists report in!
Your favorite country or region you have cycled in?
cyclist here, but you're going to have a way better time of this on /n/
Balkans.
>tfw no time do to a long bicycle tour this year
>>946335
This is more /m/ but I guess there's some crossover.
I had a great time climbing this spiral bridge in Chongqing, China. It's kind of scary how high it is and how low the side-wall was. The whole climb I'm turning into the wall due to the turn of the spiral and a bit of fixation on the edge. I had to keep trying not to look at the drop.
>>946812
I meant /n/
I also liked riding along the flood levies by the Yangtze in Hubei. The bike was a local purchase, well and truly paid for itself with fun, convenience and free transport around cities.
>>946335
A whole month in the south of Italy. from the center to the tip of the south. Was awesome.
Next year I go alone for thee months to New Zealand. Again from north to south. The whole Country.
>>946818
>New Zealand
Go in summer (December - February). NZ is cold and wet most of the time.
The Italy trip sounds glorious though there's a part of me that shudders at living out of panniers. I just can't imagine fitting my current pack load into panniers, let alone shouldering the things to take them into a hostel or something.
>>946823
I'm going in January till March 2016. then I jump over to Tonga. for another two months.
Yea I know it's hard to live out of two panniers. But when you have no choice you will manage it. You will see, you really don't need so much.
And Italy is famous for stealing so I was very surprised that nothing was stolen. Even when we let our bikes an panniers on the campground.
Australia, didn't last long cuz I had to return home for a family emergency but for the time that I was there it was very beautiful and would love to return back some time.
>>946834
some beach in NewCastle.
Right now I'm planning for a tour around Canada for the summer.
>>946834
Question: Is this handlebar better for bike-traveling?
Long distances and the whole day.
I'm thinking about this now - I'm about to take off for a year of backpacking around the world, including the summer in Europe. Any suggestions on routes that would be good for a first-time bike tourer that only speaks english?
>>946335
I live in Poland and I love to cycle in Kraków-Częstochowa Upland also called Polish Jurassic Highland, it's full of medieval castles, full of forests and consists of a hilly landscape with Jurassic limestone rocks, cliffs, valleys and vast limestone formations, featuring some 220 caves.
pic related
>>946850
which handle bar bag?
in general, i bought one from topeak and decided not to use it because i dont use a map that often and i have a garmin edge gps. i'd recommend a good quality frame bag instead.
>>946875
He's asking for the handle bars, not a bag. The ones in your photo let you lean on them, is that position more comfortable for biking?
Also, has anyone here used bike trailers/carts? Something like pic related would seem a good option for a person with a bit more gear. I know there's some down sides to having one, an extra wheel that could get damaged, extra drag, the cost of one, etc. But it seems like they would be quite helpful.
>>946854
I would say the north of Europe. People can speak english & better infrastructure. The south has nothing and (Italy, France, Spain ... ) ONLY the youth may speak a bit english.
>>946854
It's more fun in places where they don't speak English. As a bike tourist you will seem very un-thretening and as such people will be very friendly towards you. I'd say go around Eastern Europe on a bike, people will be very open to having you as a guest. On top of that the food will be much cheaper and imo it just seems easier to find a place to camp. Also people will be more likely to give you a bed if you're looking for one along the way.
>>946882
lol completely thought handlebar bag. The ones on my surly LHT are stock. I do a lot of road cycling so im just used to drop bars, but really, just get w/e is most comfortable for you. Some ppl just keep it flat, other get butterfly handle bars as it gives you the option for a lot of different positions.
Recently I purchased an aerobar, the one that loops around, just so that i can also change positions when riding and when I get really strong head winds, they do help.
As for a trailer, I wouldn't recommend it because that already assumes that all the space on ur bike is used up (front, back and top panniers) meaning that you have some serious weight which going uphill will not be fun.
Turkey
Lots of mountains, friendly people, good roads, delicious food, stable weather, no problem with wild camping.
Only the cities are crazy but it's easy to avoid them (except Istanbul).
I only ride my bike to commute. I have never cycled in another country.
Pic related. Its my new bike.
>>946961
nice bike
>>946335
China has some good quality roads for the long-distance routes but you have to jump fences to use them. Someone did an article on it, you take the service road that runs along the highway and a few km down the road, you climb the embankment and hop the barrier, then you're fine for 100KM or so until the checkpoint, you blow through that and are back on local roads until the next checkpoint when you take the local road for a few km, find an embankment and do it again.
>>946961
>>946799
People, I hate to be all velocerati about this but there are rules...bikes are photographed on the drive side at all times. The NDS has nothing that we need to see unless you're showing a pic for diagnostic purposes or something.
Also, mandatory link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn0FF1KwL4I
Posting my bike here to not derail the Tunisia thread.
>>946335
On my first major trip right now. Started in August near Dresden (Germany), right now I'm in Malta.
>Your favorite country or region you have cycled in?
Not sure about a definite favorite, but I liked Apulia a lot.
>>947069
autism
>>947110
What did he mean by NDS?
The Nintendo device wouldn't make any sense here.
Currently planning my first tour and headed to a travel agent tomorrow to get some info
Hoping to spend 2-3 months riding from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city along the coast of Vietnam, anyone here have any experience of travelling in Vietnam and any recommendations or tips for someone who has little knowledge of the country?
>>947113
non-drive side
>>947118
I think of Vietnam as a wild-west version of China, everything is just a bit less reliable and organised and a bit more primitive and lawless. It's also smaller in every way including the crowds.
2-3 months is a long time to do Vietnam, you can take your time with it. You should be ok, regulation wise Vietnam is easier to travel in, hotels don't need special permits for foreigners I don't think. If they did then they probably wouldn't care anyway.
English is reasonably common though you could get by without it for the most part. Get used to stocking up on bread rolls and laughing cow cheese to make snacks during the day, buy bottles of water regularly. You're rarely going to be far from a store that sells these things. The coast is well populated and bike shops are around as well as lots of corner bike repair stalls.
Thievery is more of a problem in Vietnam than most places so take extra care and don't leave shit unattended or unlocked. Not sure how you'll secure panniers when you want to do shopping, were you planning on sleeping in hostels/hotels every night? If so then you might want to get in the habit of dropping panniers in hotel rooms and then doing shopping. It'll get rifled through but not as badly as if you left it on the street. Just keep passports and cash on you and electronics in your daypack that doesn't get left in the hotel. Hotel cleaners are not to be trusted as a general rule.
Isn't that famous video of a cat guarding a bike from Vietnam? (pic not related, from my last trip)
I have essentially no knowledge about camping conditions or regulations in Vietnam though I would assume that both are unsophisticated.
>>947123
Oh, Vietnamese roads are pretty shit, even long distance ones, so take repair kits, tubes and invest in marathon pluses and the like. Consider slime etc for the most bullet-proof tire solution you can think of.
Also be aware that long-distance truck drivers are maniacs in Vietnam and you're expected to dodge anything bigger than you regardless though they'll lay on the horn constantly as a courtesy to let you know they're coming. You're going to be riding on the shoulder a lot and half the time it will be littered with broken red bull bottles (and red bull clones).
How the fuck do you people take off for three or four months at a time?
I could conceivably manage an extended tour by saving up for a few months to ensure I had a budget for lodging, camping, and resupply along the way but I'm salaried and pretty sure I couldn't just tell my boss I'm leaving for three months
>>947118
Did Hanoi to HCMC by motorbike last year but met a few cyclists along the way.
Buying a local SIM and using GPS will save you all kinds of trouble. By a decent hat, long sleeve jersey and a buff/bandana to keep the dust kicked up by passing traffic off you. Wear sunscreen. With 2-3 months you should be able to avoid Highway 1 which is great news. Sugar cane juice is sold literally everywhere and is great fuel for cycling. Buying a bike in country is something to consider. Bicycle tour companies will sell you a mountain bike for a sensible price. Would also recommend a square taper bottom bracket.
>>947069
Sorry bruh. I am left handed, it is more natural to rest the bike in this way.
>>946866
have you got a map of that route? I sometimes visit family in Krakow.
>>947146
Life > work
Unfortunately not seen that way by Americans.
>>947272
>Unfortunately not seen that way by Americans.
had a decent civil service career, chose to apply for the VA to increase my rating to 100%
not all yanks worship working
>>947146
You have regular employment and probably a career, not everyone does.
If the job you're ditching is just washing dishes, then it's easy to walk away. Lots of industries are more about projects or short/medium-term contracts. Some salaried positions would let you ask for and take a few months of unpaid leave. I know people in professional jobs that have done that and I've done it myself for a shorter period.. If you're changing jobs then you might negotiate a late start or just not start looking immediately (if you're confident of getting something easily anyway).
>>947272
>work = health insurance
Fixed that for you
>>947401
>'murica: bond people into a lifetime of labor by extorting them with a basic human right
fun fact: did you know that America violates the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights by denying health care to those who can't afford it and thus
>>947408
That's different from saying we don't take 12 weeks off every year because we hate to go on vacation
