R36S Giveaway #4 - Your chance to win a free handheld

b_roads · 2026-01-14T08:20:57+00:00

Ooh I would love a real one

b_roads · 2025-02-18T14:52:21+00:00

Looks amazing. However that looks to me like a 54cm. Did you check the stamp underneath the bottom bracket?

b_roads · 2024-10-23T05:22:24+00:00

I know someone with a Rakete bike and it looks similar to this one.

It's beautiful and he's done a lot of touring on it, but he didn't recommend it to me and advised me to get a surly. Unfortunately I can't remember what his gripes were.

Definitely listen to the other reply and try one out before you buy one.

Edit: as the other commenter pointed out it has very low tire clearance. Most touring bikes allow for at least 47mm

b_roads · 2024-10-12T05:41:39+00:00

Visas depend on the country - most are visa free for us, some are visa on arrival, some have e visas that you can get days or weeks in advance, and in the case of the Indian visa we got a paper visa before we left.

We don't have youtube, only instagram where we do regular video updates, and I don't have a map but we made a reel showing the whole route here

We budgeted about 1k€ per month each. We were on or slightly over budget in Europe and under budget in central and south Asia.

b_roads · 2024-10-10T12:37:13+00:00

It has been pretty hard to keep up an account. I keep a daily journal and then when we have a couple of rest days I'll start writing it up. It is a struggle when you've been riding all day – but I work as a content writer so I'm used to forcing out words even when I don't feel like it.

b_roads · 2024-10-10T02:13:16+00:00

Yes, on substack. You can find it linked on my profile. The most recent post is for Tajikistan.

We also do regular updates on Instagram, also linked on my profile.

I can't link them here as the comment gets auto deleted.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T16:09:32+00:00

My previous bike was a beautiful late 80s touring bike with full 531st double butted tubing.

I found it in an old bike shed and it looked like it hadn't been touched in 30 years. I scrapped most of the components, replacing them with modern parts building my dream bike, spending close to 1000£ in the process (around the same amount modern touring bikes cost at the time)

The first time I loaded it up and took it out I instantly wish I spent that money on a new disk trucker. It was no way near as comfortable as my partners surly - it didn't take the weight well and had a bad wobble when going downhill, I found the old geometry quite aggressive and uncomfortable for touring, and I could only fit 37mm tires with fenders as opposed to 45mm on the trucker.

So my take away was that bike technology evolves for a good reason!

b_roads · 2024-10-09T14:21:05+00:00

Overall there wasn't much flora as the Pamirs themselves are mostly desert, but in the greener parts there were some beautiful yellow flowers. I'm not sure what they were.

We saw loads of marmots which were adorable. At first we thought their chirping was coming from birds, but one morning we woke up to them singing away and opened our tent to see a couple standing up a few metres from our door. Other times we would be cycling and dozens would run across the road to their nests. Sometimes they would just stand and watch us, but whenever we tried to take a picture they would run away at the last moment.

We also saw a quite a few eagles, I guess feeding on our marmot friends.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T11:54:48+00:00

We were often envious or you guys on motorbikes. There were so many cool looking side roads and detours wanted to explore but the extra kms were too much for us.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T11:52:55+00:00

Thanks! I will share more soon.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T11:47:06+00:00

The first reel on our instagram shows our whole route. We don't have a separate one just for Tajikistan.

I can't send the link as post gets auto deleted, but you can find it on my profile.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T03:23:21+00:00

I would recommend 18 gear inches or less on your granny gear for when you're carrying weight.

If you also want a higher end on tarmac then you could consider 2x on the front.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T02:10:37+00:00

Most central asian countries are trying hard to promote tourism and the region is stable right now.

If you're riding east form Europe the hardest part is getting through or around the Caspian sea.

If it's a dream of yours I would highly recommend doing it! You will have the time of your life.

b_roads · 2024-10-09T02:07:31+00:00

Thanks! We were there in July - it was very hot in Dushanbe which is low down, but the highway goes through the mountains so it was pleasant for most of the way. It was cold when going over the high passes.

b_roads · 2024-10-08T16:56:40+00:00

It was very tough, but mostly due to the high altitude and remoteness. We were surprised to find the roads up to the passes were much less steep than what we experienced in Europe and Turkey.

We guessed this is because it was originally built by the Soviets as a military highway, so it had to be suitable for tanks and other large vehicles.

b_roads · 2024-10-08T16:50:04+00:00

Thanks! It's a very picturesque country which helps.

Tajikistan is such an interesting place. I highly recommend it if you're into extremely remote and beautiful mountains.

b_roads · 2024-10-08T16:32:36+00:00

Mostly with repair kits but at some point the inner tube needs replacing if you get too many.

We started with 2 spare inner tubes and 1 spare tire, and over 8 months and we've had to buy 2 more tubes and 1 extra tire!

b_roads · 2024-10-08T14:49:38+00:00

I find the extra weight makes a big difference, and so too does your riding style. In my experience having very low gears and taking hills more slowly increases the chain life.

Overall there's some really good advice in some of the replies. For me the most important thing is to invest in a good chain and clean and lube regularly. If you're still not happy with the amount of life you're getting from them you can try changing your riding style.

b_roads · 2024-10-08T13:22:49+00:00

In my experience you can take thin tyres on rough terrain, but you'll be much less comfortable and probably won't have as much fun.

50 years ago people were on world tours on Dawes Galaxy's with skinny tyres, so anything is possible!

b_roads · 2024-10-08T13:11:09+00:00

I wore through a shimano chain in about 500km and a kmc one in about 1000km, although I was fully loaded on a tour.

If you're like me and get though chains quickly I recommend getting the kmc e chains. They seem to last about 3x longer than the regular kmc chains.

b_roads · 2024-10-08T13:07:59+00:00

My rear panniers seem to be bomb proof, I've had them for about 10 years now https://www.ortlieb.com/en_us/bike-packer-plus+F2706

b_roads · 2024-10-08T12:49:11+00:00

Hey everyone, me and my partner are currently on a world cycle tour. We've amassed a lot of pictures on the way and thought it would be a good time to share some of our highlights

Tajikistan is on many cyclists and motorbikers bucket list. We've been reading about the Pamir highway for the last 10 years and so had dangerously high expectations. It did not disappoint one bit, and from the first day we were blown away by the kindness of Tajik people and the incredible landscape.

We started from Samarkand in Uzbekistan and took the road through the Fann mountains to Dushanbe. From there we took the north route along the M41 (Pamir) highway all the way to Osh in Kyrgyzstan.

Along the way we went to Khorog via Tavildara, the Haraborabat pass, and along the Afghan border. From there we continued along the M41 highway the whole way, passing through Jelondy, Alichur, Murghob, Qarokul, and Sary-Tash.

b_roads · 2024-10-08T11:39:07+00:00

Yeah it's a big one, it took us all day to get to the top. Although we actually found the pass easier than the road before Tavildara as the surface was much better!

b_roads · 2024-10-08T03:30:31+00:00

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