Complexities in touring

[tyreon]

Age and arthritis complicate touring. Not much can stop you when you are younger: yes,I know some things.

I wonder whether any folk here have found themselves in any 'uninvited' spot and what they did about it. Such past experiences give me some room for caution.

Had a large exciteable dog bound down to me on a rural road. Some traffic going by. It was becoming more and more excited,with the possibility it was going to get out of hand+++. I had to stop and seeing no passing traffic was going to stop to help me,I left my bike and stopped the traffic getting into one guys car (uninvited)before all the traffic stopped and the owner of the isolated bungalow came down to claim the animal. Wottacarryon! This could have been serious.

Out on a rural Spanish road the rear tyre goes. Yes,fixed it. But what if I hadn't been able to? It was hot. 35c. I was fatigued. No one was stopping. I guess out into the road I go to stop traffic to ask for help. The nearest village was 15 miles away...and that would not have any bike shop. My thoughts were to phone a friend in the UK giving my road location. They google the place and pay for a local taxi firm to come out and pick up myself and the bike. I pay them back. I don't carry a fancy phone wherein you can 'log-in' from the outback. Have you been in such a similar situation? What happened to you?

You get thru when yer younger and fitter. Older and slower I think I would have been K.O'd.

[bobs]

I think you need to consider a SAGA holiday. 
I think all your concerns are part of touring. Perhaps you need to tailor your adventures to your requirements and ability. If necessary book your accommodation in advance , buy a smart phone and travel to less remote places and you will still be able to enjoy touring.

[jags]

tyreon your a man after me own heart
i have a smart phone thing is im not so smart not a clue how to use it properly, i don't have a problem asking the locals for help most people do i often wondered why such people  cycle tour .
mind you i can fix me bike just as well really because if im in a strange country i get lost most of the time, but sure so what  ,just dont run out of water.


anto.

[energyman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXDeUJrsbNc  and many others.

Not sure it would be much use at present with the weather we are having,

(Reminds me of the person who asked me if the dynahub on the front wheel charged my e-bike battery   )

[tyreon]

Just out of interest... How do the younger cycle tourists get out of this fantastical 35 miles wide cities: I'm talking about Mumbai,Delhi...big,big cities in China. Bangkok. Do they have these techno gizmos which guide them out. When I'm in a foreign city I get the train out. They seem to cycle out amongst a maze of belching lorries,taxis,buses,cars,scooters,pot holed roads. The filth and mayhem...all good stories and experiences to tell when younger?...or just plain daft?
I 'know' London and some other cities. Would take me 4 hours to break free from the 'hell-hole'...and I wouldn't expect to find a reasonable place to stay whilst travelling thru the asthma inducing concrete dump(and I speak the lingo). Sorry to all city dwellers: I live in a 'minor city'(to get out bush on any regular ride takes me 40 minutes. Unpleasant)

[Matt2matt2002]

Just out of interest... How do the younger cycle tourists get out of this fantastical 35 miles wide cities: I'm talking about Mumbai,Delhi...big,big cities in China. Bangkok. Do they have these techno gizmos which guide them out. When I'm in a foreign city I get the train out. They seem to cycle out amongst a maze of belching lorries,taxis,buses,cars,scooters,pot holed roads. The filth and mayhem...all good stories and experiences to tell when younger?...or just plain daft?
I 'know' London and some other cities. Would take me 4 hours to break free from the 'hell-hole'...and I wouldn't expect to find a reasonable place to stay whilst travelling thru the asthma inducing concrete dump(and I speak the lingo). Sorry to all city dwellers: I live in a 'minor city'(to get out bush on any regular ride takes me 40 minutes. Unpleasant)

My last big city exit was Addis Ababa. I used my etrex20 loaded with a free map. Holding it in one hand while I zipped through the traffic was fun. Well, depends on your definition of 'fun', I guess.
Same for Marrakesh.
You just need 360 degree eyesight and a positive attitude.

[j-ms]

Just out of interest... How do the younger cycle tourists get out of this fantastical 35 miles wide cities

I don't consider myself younger, sixty being just a year away, but find mapping applications pretty easy to use.  We generally use Maps.Me on our mobile phones.  It provides offline maps so we don't need a data connection.  With this we have navigated pretty easily through some enormous cities - Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Kyoto, Singapore, Santiago, Seoul all come to mind.  The only time we have regretted not using a train was heading eastwards out of Bangkok - strangely enough we found the western side much easier.  Some of the bigger cities have good cycle paths - Maps.Me will often guide you to these.

[tyreon]

I tip my hat to you both,sirs. You have more techno know-how than myself and probably much better patience. I never like to go back,thus if I made a mistake on reading the techno map or didn't interpret it right,I have a tendancy to just journey on...with all the mistakes this can bring! I also don't like lottsa stops to verify where I am or next where to go....no wonder I get frustrated! What I am seeing is how measured you are with how casual or indolent I am myself. I shall continue to leave the exiting of of such monstrous conurbations to you younger crowd ;I'll carry on or avoid such stress busters in my own irritated Basil Fawlty way.

A by-the way: d'you wear helmets when touring? I don't. But would reconsider coming out of some of the joints you mention. I rely on a mirror and my 'pedestrian pace'.

Psychotherapy might help me...or going back to 35

[jags]

yip always a lid better safe than sorry.

[bikepacker]

yip always a lid better safe than sorry.

Not always. 

[jags]

hah ha you had me murdered climbing that feckin healy pass  i was boiling up besides i was only doing 2mph at that time.

great view from the top tho worth the pain,

anto...
i wonder did that bike (thorn sherpa) do anymore touring since i sold it, never heard a dicky from the lad i sold it to .

[jags]

that was the second climb we  still  had to go up the other side of that mountain .
who said cycling was easy.

[rafiki]

A by-the way: d'you wear helmets when touring? I don't. But would reconsider coming out of some of the joints you mention. I rely on a mirror and my 'pedestrian pace'.

When you cycle again in Spain be aware that it is the law to wear a helmet when cycling outside of urban areas. It's not well policed at the moment but neither were motorcycle helmets or seatbelts not so long ago. There are exceptions: you are exempt during periods of excessive heat, on steep hills or if a professional cyclist(!) Cyclists under 16 years old must wear a helmet at all times and in all areas.

[bikepacker]

i was boiling up besides i was only doing 2mph at that time.

Pauline says she's the only one that climbs hills that slow. 

[jags]

as long as we get to the top