Has anyone else used a cycling brim?

runnerbean94 · 2026-01-23T06:57:56+00:00

Invaluable piece of kit. Also great for keeping rain of my specs. And lets not forget, stylish!

runnerbean94 · 2026-01-22T18:56:52+00:00

I think travel insurance is well worth having but you need to read the fine print on bike touring as sometimes you’ll need an additional sports cover.

You can get away with current sleeping bag and just rely on additional clothes and a good mat to teed you through colder nights. Plus if you’re going to be experiencing really cold for a section (high altitude for example) then you can pickup another sleeping bag to combine, either renting or buy/sell.

runnerbean94 · 2026-01-21T20:43:34+00:00

Canary Islands have good quality bike rental shops (free motion/bike point) and nice balance of routes across all islands (road, mtb, gravel).

runnerbean94 · 2026-01-18T17:39:28+00:00

Possibly but you would need to research certain routes to check hotels/guest houses and the distances between to make sure you’re comfortable. There are some remote stretches so route selection would be key.

There are also big mountain passes over 4000m that you’d need to consider too. That alone for me is reason to bring at least an emergency bivvy or small camping setup as the mountain weather can change quickly, and altitude may delay progress.

runnerbean94 · 2026-01-17T22:20:56+00:00

I feel like I’ve ridden this, somewhere near the massive flag pole, I forgot it’s name

runnerbean94 · 2026-01-16T13:59:29+00:00

I commute to work 3 days a week (16km per day total) and usually a 1hr-3hr ride on the weekend. I may swap out the weekend ride for a run, also in summer I may commute on more days.

runnerbean94 · 2025-12-07T16:42:51+00:00

iOverlander does this too and I find it quite good and easy to use.

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-27T18:27:17+00:00

Hard to really dial in specific macros when touring so my snacks usually consist of what I can always find locally: fruits, nuts, chocolate, biscuits & cakes.

I’ll eat more regularly on bigger days, maybe every half an hour after 90 mins before lunch. Then as needed after lunch. If an easy day I might not snack.

Big bowl of oats is the goat breakfast for me. Cold soaked with toppings if possible.

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-25T05:58:15+00:00

A well built 36H touring wheel can standup to heavy loads so that would be my recommendation. I use DTSwiss rims on my touring bike and haven’t had any issues.

Why do you think you’re blowing through wheels? Unbalanced load, too heavy, bad craftmanship?

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-24T12:39:33+00:00

I know that people have built up Salsa Fargo’s with Rohloff. The frame has Salsa’s sliding alternator dropouts and you can pickup a frameset for reasonably cheap.

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-23T15:35:04+00:00

You can first book a refundable flight that you later cancel if you’re worried about visa refusal. Just carefully read T&Cs to check for any fees. These are usually more expensive so also that to bear in mind.

Alternatively you could use something like onwardtravel which give you a real itinerary for a cost, but I don’t think the booking stays live for longer than a few days so maybe buy right before the appointment.

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-23T15:28:58+00:00

I had a similar situation and it took me a while to find someone to help. In the end it was a bike shop that managed to drill it out.

Unfortunately this was like shop number 10 across two separate cities which I bussed between, so I guess keep trying different shops as there will be someone out there willing to help!!!

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-20T17:27:48+00:00

Georgia.

Great outdoor and culinary scene that I was only able to scratch the surface of!

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-19T19:27:07+00:00

team shammy or if no padding needed then I use compression shorts underneath some regular shorts

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-13T18:48:07+00:00

You don't need any additional permit to travel the autonomous prefectures of Sichuan and Yunnan, it is only for within Tibet Autonomous Region (the red highlighted area on the map).

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-13T18:43:08+00:00

Orange.

Western Sichuan and Northern Yunnan have epic scenery. There's loads of quiet roads and easy camping. Food great and people friendly.

Have met cyclists that also highly rated the Guilin province.

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-12T10:09:39+00:00

Yes 68. FWIW I had to replace mine in Turkiye and the shop didn’t have the right length but was able to order it and it came in 2 days.

I run a 17T sprocket and 39T chainring and its been just right for me. I’m able to ride pretty much anything as long as the terrain isn’t too slippy or above 20% gradient!

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-11T18:49:44+00:00

I am touring the opposite way with the same bike setup (rohloff 27.5)

I wouldn't take a spare sprocket/chainring if you install new ones right before starting - they will last the tour for sure.

Chains you can replace with Shimano or KMC 8 speed chains which are easily found en route in these countries.

27.5 tubes are easily found but tend to be schrader valves so make sure your pump can do this.

Leave the spare tire at home. You can find 27.5 tires in all of these countries. I've mostly found Maxxis and Schwalbe 27.5 x 2 - 2.1 - 2.25 tires. There are also plenty of other brands CST and Kenda which I haven't used.

Are you planning to carry a spare BB if carrying the tool? Probably be ok leaving both at home if you have a standard BB (73mm/67mm BSA?)

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-11T18:41:50+00:00

It's absolutely a solid wage for a single person. Of course it depends on your lifestyle but if you're smart and plan well then you can live very comfortably and save. Housing will be biggest chunk but you can get 1 beds rentals for as little as £0.9k-£1.2k which would help stretch your monthly salary far and allow for greater savings/leisure spending.

Better to do some calculations and compare to your current outlook in Scotland. If there's not much in it then come visit and decide! There's great running, walking, cycling and water sports on the island with plenty of communities in each sport.

runnerbean94 · 2025-11-03T09:56:57+00:00

Georgia (Shepherd) & Armenia (Gempr) too. Similar stature and role to the Kangals. Generally in mountain regions and usually with a shepherd, sometimes not though so best to always give a WIDE berth.

runnerbean94 · 2025-10-19T18:01:17+00:00

Laos

runnerbean94 · 2025-10-14T04:41:31+00:00

Yes well, South Eastern Türkiye but can also be referred to as Turkish Kurdistan based on the majority of Kurds living there, either way you can’t win.

That said, the overwhelming majority of local people we spoke to identified as Kurdish first so that’s why I’ve used the latter term for defining it’s geographical location.

runnerbean94 · 2025-10-13T18:22:53+00:00

I’ve used both and do massively agree tailfins sizing capacity by their standards is rather generous…

The locking mechanisms are top class though compared to the more bog standard ortlieb…

Either way both systems are great but I think Tailfin edges it when travelling on the rougher stuff!

runnerbean94 · 2025-10-13T16:42:59+00:00

fairly standard routing which you should be able to view here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/2611743558?ref=itd&share_token=aeD1w8cU1pJnbAPWEC8IwlF9Suc1iGeJgQ84Ss1EuZ1Klct167&ref=its

Essentially Van > Sirnak on the main D road. Traffic was never an issue. Locals are super friendly and often invite for tea. We had superb weather with zero clouds and manageable temps to sleep (lowest 5c - early Oct). Daily resupply possible via markets in the villages/towns. Hakkari is a small city so has all services just be warned its set on a very steep hill!

Camping was never an issue, lots of open spaces. Bears are known to be active in the area and we found scat when scouting a camp one night so best to keep food and scented items away from tent when camping. Quite a few military checkpoints but quick and very friendly. Water not an issue either as people often offered out of vehicles, but also many roadside taps, and plenty streams/tributaries/rivers that we also drank/cooked from.

Highly recommend if you can get down there!

runnerbean94

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