Cycling tours

selana

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about aiming to do small weekend tour in Ireland.

Its looking like I'll be out of work from June and I plan to start a proper cycling routine to get some fitness up and keep my mind off things.

But I'd be looking to do a weekend tour (maybe three days) starting and ending in Dublin.

Anyone got any ideas? What gear would need to do this? I'm riding a spesh sirrus at the moment, and won't have a lot of funds to put into this.

S.

Canis Lupus

Depends, if you intend to stay in hostels/b&bs and eat in cafes/restaurants not much at all. Cheap rack and a pannier for change of clothes (can keep gear in plastic bags to keep stuff dry if you don't have a waterproof pannier). Spare tube, puncture repair, pump and a map and you're away with it.

If you want to wild camp then the weight goes up a touch as you'll need a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mattress and head torch. (If the thought of bike touring is something you'd like to keep doing then consider buying these bits as it'll save you a ball of money in the long run). If camping out baby wipes will be your new best friend for keeping fresh :P

Not sure what tyres you have but use slicks. That's pretty much it

selana

Cheers,
how much are the bits and pieces?

I lack the fitness and funds to go abroad this summer but I want to work up to the fitness to go abroad next summer.

feck sake lads

well my advice for what its worth dont go buying junk money down the drain, i know of a lad on this forum who knows a guy selling ortlieb panniers which is regarded as the best you can , sellin at a good price.
what else you need depends entirely on what type of touring your planning. but listen buy wise and your making a great move once you start this you can get hooked very easy.

Canis Lupus

selana wrote: »

Cheers,
how much are the bits and pieces?

I lack the fitness and funds to go abroad this summer but I want to work up to the fitness to go abroad next summer.

How long is a piece of string? Chain reaction cycles is good for the bike stuff. I like Endura clothes. Tubus make quality racks, ortlieb make arguably the best panniers. MSR hubba (hubba hubba) for decent mid to high range free standing tent also msr for cooking gear. Thermarest for mattress.

All my gear is decent cept the sleeping blanket (balked at the idea of paying 200 odd sterling for a good one!!)

Do you need to spend a ball? Mmmh... Quality is always worth it in the long run but I met a German dude in Africa who had cycled there on an old racer with a rack bodged on with a tent nd sleeping bag that was just as old with a bit of foam for a mattress. So.... Up to you

selana

Thanks guys,

I'm thinking about something like Dublin - Galway - Limerick, and then back to Dub by train.

Anyone done that before? Any other better ideas?

selana

feck sake lads wrote: »

well my advice for what its worth dont go buying junk money down the drain, i know of a lad on this forum who knows a guy selling ortlieb panniers which is regarded as the best you can , sellin at a good price.
what else you need depends entirely on what type of touring your planning. but listen buy wise and your making a great move once you start this you can get hooked very easy.

Cheers, what would I be looking at for a set of rear panniers and a rack to mount them on?

feck sake lads

selana wrote: »

Cheers, what would I be looking at for a set of rear panniers and a rack to mount them on?

do you want me to find out if the panniers are still for sale.
as for rear rack the tubus racks are excellent have a look at there site and choose one you like the one i have is the cargo.
anyway let me know on the panniers.

selana

If you could let me know if it is still for sale and the price, that would be excellent.

feck sake lads

selana wrote: »

If you could let me know if it is still for sale and the price, that would be excellent.

ok no problem i'll text the guy now and let you know as soon as possible stay tuned.

feck sake lads

selana wrote: »

If you could let me know if it is still for sale and the price, that would be excellent.

sent you a pm;)

blorg

selana wrote: »

Thanks guys,

I'm thinking about something like Dublin - Galway - Limerick, and then back to Dub by train.

Anyone done that before? Any other better ideas?

I did a similar route a few years ago, link:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055698949

Dublin-Galway is very boring, skip it. Get the train/ bus to Galway and start from there; you could finish in Cork and train back from there. Alternately Dublin to Cork via Wicklow and Waterford (Comeragh mountains, Waterford coast) is a nice route.

As to cost, the best of everything for a three day jaunt around Ireland is massive overkill. Keep it as cheap as possible. You don't need a Tubus rack and Ortlieb panniers (although if you can get the latter cheaply second hand, certainly go for it.) No point splashing out if you might decide not to take it further. I like Tortec aluminum racks, I paid €20-25 for mine and have been on the road two years now without issue. I still also have the same old set of Karrimor cotton duck panniers that are at least a decade old.

I did the Camino de Santiago on a Sirrus, it is a decent bike for touring.

hardCopy

Anyone been across Italy? Am heading over there soon, planning on heading from Venice to Nice via Lake Garda, Milan and Sanremo then along the coast.

Have flights booked and accommodation at either end, hope to just B&B it along the way. Any tips on finding accommodation each evening?
How late we can arrive in a new town?
Any point trying to book ahead each day?
Good places to find wifi?

feck sake lads

blorg wrote: »

I did a similar route a few years ago, link:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055698949

Dublin-Galway is very boring, skip it. Get the train/ bus to Galway and start from there; you could finish in Cork and train back from there. Alternately Dublin to Cork via Wicklow and Waterford (Comeragh mountains, Waterford coast) is a nice route.

As to cost, the best of everything for a three day jaunt around Ireland is massive overkill. Keep it as cheap as possible. You don't need a Tubus rack and Ortlieb panniers (although if you can get the latter cheaply second hand, certainly go for it.) No point splashing out if you might decide not to take it further. I like Tortec aluminum racks, I paid €20-25 for mine and have been on the road two years now without issue. I still also have the same old set of Karrimor cotton duck panniers that are at least a decade old.

I did the Camino de Santiago on a Sirrus, it is a decent bike for touring.

say blorg is all your tours done ultra light. i was checking out that link you posted excellent stuff ,but to be honest i would rather be self sufficent on tour cooking camping that kind of thing ,on my upcoming tour mizen to malin in may no matter how hard i tried i could not get all my gear into two rear panniers. so i went for 4 panniers loaded the bike up took it for a test ride and was surprized how the bike handled the load mind you it is built like a tank the thorn sherpa but still a sweet bike to ride and i reckon any bike with panniers its going to be heavy sluggish up any hill.
anyway i'm one of these guys that only buys quality gear reason being it does exactly what its supposed to do and more than likely will outlast the cyclist or camper .those panniers that i was telling the op about are ortlieb bikepacker plus in black only used once in perfect nick so im led to believe and selling for 100 euro by another forum member (i know him sound fella) the OP is obviously not interested as she didn't get back to me. so anyone else interested well a great chance to buy..

If you're in Dublin you could cycle to Wexford, ferry over to Fishguard, cycle back through Wales and get the boat from Holyhead back to Dublin. It's a great little trip, and Wales is great (roads are almost perfect too). For a shorter one you could go Dublin to Holyhead then cycle around North Wales and then come back a different way to Holyhead to Dublin.

Or you could go along the south coast until you reach Cork, then get the train back or something. Or train it somewhere in Ireland and cycle back. Plenty of options

blorg

feck sake lads wrote: »

say blorg is all your tours done ultra light. i was checking out that link you posted excellent stuff ,but to be honest i would rather be self sufficent on tour cooking camping that kind of thing ,on my upcoming tour mizen to malin in may no matter how hard i tried i could not get all my gear into two rear panniers. so i went for 4 panniers loaded the bike up took it for a test ride and was surprized how the bike handled the load mind you it is built like a tank the thorn sherpa but still a sweet bike to ride and i reckon any bike with panniers its going to be heavy sluggish up any hill.
anyway i'm one of these guys that only buys quality gear reason being it does exactly what its supposed to do and more than likely will outlast the cyclist or camper .those panniers that i was telling the op about are ortlieb bikepacker plus in black only used once in perfect nick so im led to believe and selling for 100 euro by another forum member (i know him sound fella) the OP is obviously not interested as she didn't get back to me. so anyone else interested well a great chance to buy..

I'm loaded touring at the moment but on a far longer tour (total tour length planned around 50,000km, 20,000km done so far.) I'm carrying about 15-20kg in two rear panniers and a small bar bag. That includes camping equipment (one pannier,) which is necessary as I've ridden across relatively uninhabited regions, but I don't cook; it is cheaper to eat in restaurants in much of Asia and if there are none I am happy with cold food. I cycled with a French girl for ten months from Istanbul to Kathmandu; she had cooking equipment but we hardly ever used it.

This week gone I left my panniers in Phnom Penh and just took a small backpack and my bar bag to do a visa run to Vietnam and then ride around the southern coast of Cambodia. Just brought shorts, jersey, one set off bike clothes, swimming stuff and the stuff that goes in my bar bag (camera, phone, charger.)

Four panniers are completely *unnecessary* for almost any tour (I would make exceptions maybe for the likes of riding across Siberia in winter) and I often meet people on the road carrying what I consider to be an insane amount of stuff... But it is entirely personal preference. Part of the philosophy behind this tour for me was to get away from having a lot of 'stuff;' to live for an extended period of time with only what would fit into my two panniers. I have everything I need, (a lot of tools and spares, in particular) but not much more. Less stuff for me equates with more freedom. But I can completely understand why people might want to carry more and have more comfort: my 1kg tent is like a coffin, and sleeping in my girlfriend's much larger tent while she was with me was certainly more comfortable (she had four panniers and lots of stuff.)

Second hand Ortliebs at a good price are a no brainer and no doubt OP could resell without losing much if anything if she didn't want to get into it. My point is just that you don't *need* to go out and buy lots of expensive stuff to tour, you can go with what you have and make do. Particularly if your planned tour is only three days! My girlfriend rode to Kathmandu on a bike she retrieved from a skip. If it fails, you can repair it; after a collision with a motorbike in Iran I've had my panniers' bike attachment tied with steel wire in Iran, reriveted in India, stitched in Nepal and then fixed with a Velcro strap in China. Still going strong 18 months after they first broke. I had a new zipper stitched into my bar bag here in Cambodia for $2. My right SPD cleat broke back in January, I'll get it fixed next month in Thailand. Ditto with my snapped saddle rail which broke back in November. Equipment problems are not a big deal, unless you make them a big deal. Almost nothing material really matters. :-)

Bike and tent, near 5,000m on the Tibetan Plateau. I have extra food and a big fleece strapped to the back here as it was remote and freezing. Normally it is just the panniers and a small amount of food in the backpack. I gave the fleece away once I got down to 3,200m.

feck sake lads

wow what a tour i would never have the balls to do what you do thats the truth .i can safely say i'm a fair weather cycle tourer i do like a fair bit of comfort on a tour , but i would have no where the experience you have, but yeah maybe i'll have another look at my packing list again.
best of luck with the tour sure sounds like one big adventure.

mr spuckler

you using a garmin edge there blorg? how do you keep it charged on the go if so?!

Tonyandthewhale

hardCopy wrote: »

Have flights booked and accommodation at either end, hope to just B&B it along the way. Any tips on finding accommodation each evening?
How late we can arrive in a new town?
Any point trying to book ahead each day?
Good places to find wifi?

Are you bringing a tent at all or planning on sleeping indoors every night? While I have toured fairly extensively I can't say I've much experience of booking accomodation as I generally just sleep where-ever I find myself once it gets dark. If you're not opposed to carrying the little bit of extra weight for a tent and sleeping bag (which realistically isn't much) then you can cut a huge amount of stress out-of your trip as well as saving a good bit of money.

If you plan your route so you're relatively near a relatively large town at the end of each day then you should be ok though. Provided you're not fussy and leave yourself a little time at the end of each day you shouldn't have to sleep rough. It doesn't make sense booking ahead for the whole trip as you don't know how your mileage is going to work out day to day or where you'll end up but every morning you should have a rough idea of how far you're going to go that day so I suppose you could use the wi-fi/local knowledge in one hostel/B&B to book the next one.

I don't know why you'd want to though, you won't be cold sleeping outside in Italy.

hardCopy

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Are you bringing a tent at all or planning on sleeping indoors every night? While I have toured fairly extensively I can't say I've much experience of booking accomodation as I generally just sleep where-ever I find myself once it gets dark. If you're not opposed to carrying the little bit of extra weight for a tent and sleeping bag (which realistically isn't much) then you can cut a huge amount of stress out-of your trip as well as saving a good bit of money.

If you plan your route so you're relatively near a relatively large town at the end of each day then you should be ok though. Provided you're not fussy and leave yourself a little time at the end of each day you shouldn't have to sleep rough. It doesn't make sense booking ahead for the whole trip as you don't know how your mileage is going to work out day to day or where you'll end up but every morning you should have a rough idea of how far you're going to go that day so I suppose you could use the wi-fi/local knowledge in one hostel/B&B to book the next one.

I don't know why you'd want to though, you won't be cold sleeping outside in Italy.

It's our first tour and we have very little camping experience so want to keep it simple and stay in real beds. I suppose we could buy a tent over there if accommodation becomes a hassle (also need somewhere to plug in her hair-dryer :rolleyes:)

dewindygap

Hey blorg...........nice to hear from you. I oftimes wonder how you are getting on. Are you perchance keeping an up-to-date log of your trip on-line somewhere? Have you converted to Buddism on your travels ? Safe cycling and ignore the envy.

blorg

mr spuckler wrote: »

you using a garmin edge there blorg? how do you keep it charged on the go if so?!

I use a 705 and will be replacing with a 800 in a month or two due to 705 failures/wear and tear.

@dewindygap- I'm afraid I don't have an up to date account, but I attach a few recent pictures from Cambodia! I have managed to maintain my atheism but have met many Buddhists and have a thread about my wrist.

dewindygap

Hi blorg. Thanks for the reply and lovely photos. Nice to see somebody living the dream. Any major mishaps? In general have your roads been good? Stay safe.

P.s......did a quick search but couldn't find that 'thread about your wrist'

Tonyandthewhale

Blorg, what kind of shoes and pedals are you using?

Mr. Grieves

dewindygap wrote: »

P.s......did a quick search but couldn't find that 'thread about your wrist'

Ha ha, very good. Reminds me of the joke about the Dalai Lama going into a pizza shop and asking "Can you make me one with everything?"

There's a funny clip on Youtube of somebody telling the Dalai Lama himself that joke - but he doesn't get it!

blorg

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Blorg, what kind of shoes and pedals are you using?

Shimano SPD sandals. I have been wearing them pretty much all the time on and off the bike for going on two years now. The right one has broken; I have a replacement waiting in Thailand. Shimano M540 pedals.

@Dewindygap- no major mishaps, a few mechanicals and thefts but nothing fatal. In case it wasn't a joke, the thread is a piece of string around my wrist, it is a Buddhist superstition.

eoin88

I would suggest jumping on a train to Killarney, then around the Ring of Kerry and on to Dingle and Slea Head before heading back on the train from Tralee. If you're really up for a challenge you can go across the Conor Pass on the way to Tralee! I did a variation of this last May, some really rewarding climbs and great scenery along the way.

Vélo

I'm getting the train to Cork for a mini tour of Ireland on Saturday morning.

The plan is to do the following over a week.

Cork - Skibbereen 75km
Skibbereen - Kenmare 55km
Kenmare - Tralee 60km
Tralee - Kilkee 72km
Kilkee - Ballyvaughan 72km
Ballyvaughan - Offaly 120km
Offaly to Meath 90km

I'll be spending two nights in Ballyvaughan to give the legs a rest for the final push home.