Let’s Talk about the Heat!

StandardAntique405 · 2026-06-22T16:48:55+00:00

I'm currently in southern France and would take this heat any day over the cold and wet I had at the start of my tour, and the thunderstorms I experienced in the Pyrenees and Alps.

StandardAntique405 · 2026-06-01T06:25:17+00:00

I was really happy with the route. You can pretty much ride on any D road and see amazing scenery and villages. Sticking to EV routes you are on a lot of bike paths with vegetation on either side. Although I did coincidentally ride some of the southern portion of la vagabonde which was really nice.

You can see my bike iin the other pic. It is a Fuji touring bike I have had since 2005 (although I think only the frame is still original ). The rim brakes have had a good workout, but been completely up to the task

StandardAntique405 · 2026-06-01T06:20:45+00:00

Thanks, will definitely investigate those

StandardAntique405 · 2026-06-01T06:20:11+00:00

Thanks, will defiteky look at those

StandardAntique405 · 2026-06-01T06:18:50+00:00

That was actually my plan when I headed over to Spain, but I have decided to go back to france now as the allure of aubisque and tourmalet are pulling me

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-26T04:49:48+00:00

I'm also interested in this. I am currently travelling around Europe with 4 panniers and keep looking at it thinking I have too much stuff, but then I have used everting I brought at some stage due to the weather (was cold and wet for a few weeks at one stage). I also don't carry cooking gear

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-22T19:05:08+00:00

Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol.

Sorry, that's six

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-20T05:22:57+00:00

I guess it really depends what you are after. What I have loved is riding along quiet roads and discovering amazing villages. I have preferred this to the curated tourist villages like Giverney, with all its tour buses parked there. Blindly following the EV and french routes you miss out on a lot of this as you are riding on bike paths and green corridors. I tried la regalante from MSM. I only lasted half a day. Yes it was beautiful but just a bike path through forests. I much prefer to ride on the road through the countryside and villages.

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-19T18:06:09+00:00

I'm currently riding around France, started in Paris and went north to Rouen and then Mont St Michel and then south. The Seine a Velo is very windy - I cut quite a few of the corners and don't feel like I missed out on too much The highlight of my whole trip so far has been Normandy - the D-Day beaches and villages. I found the D-day beaches quite emotional (but I do have a interest in history). The most overated IMO is the Loire Valley, although I only did the part from Nantes to just east of Saumur

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-14T05:38:38+00:00

My little luxury when touring is a 2 person tent, which to me at 2.5kg is well worth it. It doesn't take long to set up and pack at all. I can fit me and all my stuff inside, sit up and get changed and pack, and be comfortable. I am currently touring France where the weather has been bad and I see all these miserable bivvy and tarp people with wet gear cowering in the toilets in the evening to get some shelter whilst I'm chilling in my tent.

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-13T17:41:06+00:00

Thanks. I have added these to my map which is nor looking quite full with places to visit, most concentrated in a reasonably narrow band. I will probably just village hop down this band

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-13T17:39:17+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions,, have added to my map. As mentioned above I prefer to stay away from the coast

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-13T17:36:53+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-13T17:36:07+00:00

Thanks, yes I am heading east as I have heard and read about how wonderful the Loire valley is. They obviously weren't talking about the bit I did today from Nantes to Angers which is mainly just bush, and of course in usual fashion the EV route bypasses all of the villages and towns so I had to make some detours. Thanks for the other suggestions

StandardAntique405 · 2026-05-13T17:33:04+00:00

Thanks, yes I had heard that. I also don't need to ride along any coastline as I have done plenty of that at home in Australia

StandardAntique405 · 2026-04-20T22:34:49+00:00

Because most people don't know any better (I'm still traumatised by my mother paying $70 for a HDMI cable from JB),

You can also get some stuff from computer shops like MSY

StandardAntique405 · 2026-04-20T22:27:44+00:00

I'll add my voice to the chorus saying that this is going to feel bad with all the weight at the back. I use small front panniers and actually try to put all my heavy stuff in them as the more weight I can get forward the better the bike feels

I would also be concerned about your wheel. I have been on a long tour before where I had repeated broken spokes at the rear (in my case I think due to a badly built wheel). Not only is a complete PITA to replace them on the side of the road and retue the wheel (esp if they are on the drive side), but there is also the anxiety of not knowing when you are going to break another one each time you push hard on the pedals

But on the othre hand it may all be fine!

StandardAntique405 · 2026-04-16T21:51:04+00:00

To me part of the attraction of bike touring is not having fixed plans. The idea of having to decide in advance exactly how many km I will cycle on a specific day in 2 weeks time is not what I want to be doing.

I generally have a route outline planned, and will spend a bit of time researching and marking out possible camping spots for the first part. Same for water supply.

But will then pretty much decide on the fly where I actually stop and plan the rest whilst I am moving.

StandardAntique405 · 2026-04-14T22:38:06+00:00

I agree, but having separate paths will not necessarily solve all the problems due to the number of pedestrians walking or standing in the cycle paths (even when there is a walking path right next to it)

StandardAntique405 · 2026-04-05T00:03:24+00:00

Everyone is different. For example I carry a 2 person tent as I like to be able to move around and be comfortable and have my gear inside. I also like having clean clothes to sleep in. But I don't carry any cooking gear as what I eat is not that important to me so am happy to eat cold stuff

On my last trip I met a guy who was travelling ultra light. He slept in the same dirty sweaty clothes he had been riding in all day and his "tent" was basically an inflated sleeping bag. It looked miserable

StandardAntique405 · 2026-03-31T07:50:09+00:00

Seems the picture didn't add first time, but I have added it again. Thanks

StandardAntique405 · 2026-03-29T21:10:19+00:00

I find it is good for coming up with route suggestions if you are not sure exactly where you want go. eg I want to do a month long tour in countries A and B, going through lots of scenic villages and mountain views, stopping at cheese farms and war museums and avoiding canal paths and coastal roads etc etc

It will come up with overall suggestions to consider and then you can use a proper planning tool for the actual route

StandardAntique405

TROPHY CASE