Adventure Cycle Touring Handbook - 3rd edition

Informationen zum Autor Neil & Harriet Pike have cycled extensively in Europe, Asia and South America. They began their travels by buying bikes in Istanbul, Turkey, and cycling home to Oxford. An 18-month bike tour through the Andes followed, igniting a passion for cycling high roads which led to a traverse of the Himalaya and other parts of Asia. They blog at pikesonbikes.com and run the website andesbybike.com. They are the authors of another Trailblazer title: Peru's Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash – The Hiking & Biking Guide.When not travelling they live in Bristol, England. Klappentext '...the definitive guide to how, where, why and what to do on a cycle expedition...' Adventure Travel Magazine (UK)Every cyclist dreams of making the Big Trip, the Grand Cycle Tour abroad. Whether that's a two-week trip or a year-long journey, the Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook is the comprehensive manual that will make that dream a reality. Riding across Asia, cycling in Africa or pedaling from Patagonia to Alaska, whether you're planning your own Big Trip or just enjoy reading about other people's adventures, the Handbook is guaranteed to illuminate, entertain and above all, inspire.This fully revised 3rd edition includes:? PART 1 – Practical informationHow to prepare for a long-distance tripWhat to look for in a new bike with reviews of some of the world's best touring- and trekking-bikesAdapting a standard bike for the Big RideChoosing components, equipment for the road and reviews of camping gearHealth precautions, inoculations, visas, money and safety? PART 2 – Worldwide route outlinesAcross Europe, Asia, Australasia, North and South America and Africa; recommended routes within countries and overland. Everything from popular routes eg India's Leh-Manali Highway to lesser-known cycle-touring areas such as Mongolia.? PART 3 – Tales from the SaddleTen first-hand accounts of spoke-bending biking adventures worldwide. IntroductionWhy are so many people going bike touring these days? A minority pastime during the heyday of the car, cycling has once again become a popular choice for travelling—especially for long overseas trips.The first cycle-touring craze began in the 1870s. Then, as now, the bicycle offered a revolutionary way of touring: you go exactly where you want, when you want, and all under your own steam. This was before the age of the car and walking or riding a horse were the only other options until the bicycle. In 1885 the Rover Safety Bicycle came along, and for all the innovation since then, most modern touring bicycles would be recognizable to a Victorian, as would their derailleur gears.Bike touring is undergoing a boom at the moment but it is really one of many periodic rediscoveries. Bicycle design, components and gear are evolving to suit the changing needs and tastes of people. It's a combination of experimentation and using tried and tested designs, such as the 'diamond' frame of the Rover Safety Bicycle. The Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook is all about looking at what people are choosing and using: what kind of bikes, what gear and what destinations are being chosen by today's bike tourers.There are many reasons for taking a bike on your next long trip. My own guess as to why bike touring is back in fashion is that many travellers get burned out by backpacking, which really amounts to travelling by bus and train for most of the time. Buses are certainly fast but they go from one noisy town to another, leaving little possibility of exploring the spaces in between, the places where the bus doesn't stop.Others use bikes to go even further off the beaten track: they want to go where buses don't go at all and perhaps where other vehicles cannot get to either. Paul Woloshansky built his own racks to carry extra gear after being told all too often: 'There's a prettier way to go but there's nothing out there at all.' Other adventurers, such as Sweden's Janne Corax (see p122), have said the same thi...

List of contents

INTRODUCTION

(1) PART 1: PRACTICAL INFORMATION—What kind of bike? (Touring , MTB, Trekking, Tandem, Recumbent, Which frame material- steel or aluminum, Folding bikes), Buying new: Top ten internationally available bikes, Setting up your bike for the Big Ride (Wheels, Tires, Gears, Pedals, Saddle, Comfort, Seat position, Saddle position, Handlebars - type, adjustment, padding), Load carrying (Racks, Panniers, Trailers, Bar bag and other add-ons), Bike Equipment Checklist (Tools, Spares & Repairs), Clothing (Bike shorts, Footwear, General clothing suggestions & lists), Camping Gear (Tent, Bag & Mat, Stove, Filter), Other gear (bike computer, altimeter, GPS, headlights. Electronics & Communications), Health and ailments (Vaccinations, First Aid kit, bikers ailments, Stress & fatigue, Survival rules)

(2) PART 2: TRANS-CONTINENTAL ROUTE OUTLINES—Europe (France & Spain, Mediterranean route, Northern Europe, Danube, Alps. Eastern Europe), Asia (Overland - Central Asian route, Southern route (Turkey, Iran, Pakistan etc.), India, Central Asia, China & Tibet, Himalaya and Karakoram, SE Asia, Japan), North America (Classic routes, East to West, West coast, Great Divide MTB route, Baja California), Central & South America, Australasia (Gold Coast, Nullarbor & South coast, Biking NZ), Africa, Capetown to Mombassa

(3) TALES FROM THE SADDLE—10 new tales of contributors' adventures

(4) APPENDICES

(5) INDEX

About the author

Neil & Harriet Pike have cycled extensively in Europe, Asia and South America.

They began their travels by buying bikes in Istanbul, Turkey, and cycling home to Oxford. An 18-month bike tour through the Andes followed, igniting a passion for cycling high roads which led to a traverse of the Himalaya and other parts of Asia.

They blog at pikesonbikes.com and run the website andesbybike.com. They are the authors of another Trailblazer title: Peru's Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash – The Hiking & Biking Guide.

When not travelling they live in Bristol, England.

Product details

• Authors: Stephe Lord, Stephen Lord, Harriet Pike, Nei Pike, Neil Pike, Neil Pike Pike
• Publisher: Trailblazer
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.06.2015
• EAN: 9781905864683
• ISBN: 978-1-905864-68-3
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 25 mm
• Series: Guide; Guide; Trailblazer Guides
• Subject: Travel > Sports and active travel > World, Arctic, Antarctic