raven and soon to be nomad

[chris_kerr]

theres some pictures of a previous trip round europe in the gallery of www.alongridehome.com

riches new raven up in the gear section and my nomad will be up soon picking up tomorrow.

setting off in may and will be posting to the website from the road!

[philb0412]

Hey. I had a look at your website. Your photos of your tour to Greece look similar to a tour myself and a big haired friend took in 2010 to Portugal, he even had the Heinz jersey! I take it like me it spurred you on to go further. I'm heading to China and back. Are you planning on cycling through Iran and Pakistan? And did you know there is no land route from India to SE Asia because of Burma, or are you gonna try and risk it? Phil

[chris_kerr]

Hi phil, currently the plan is to head into Nepal then China and down into SE asia from there. do you know of any problems with this?? at the moment planning to cycle Iran Pakistan but that might change depending on situation and if get a yes to a visa. theres plenty of other options. Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan is probably second consideration but i have been warned that Turkmenistan visa can be just as hard as an the Iranian one. I think as long as you go through an agency and get ripped off and do it plenty of time before hand you should get one. When do you plan to set off  Phil? Are you aware of the lonely planet thorntree for good up to date advice on visas and how countries are etc? even a cycling section.

[philb0412]

Hi Chris. All I have read on the internet, even the Thorn tree forum (very good like you say) over the last few years have said that it's very difficult to cross from India to China.  (I have a friend in Katmandu who is keeping her ears open for any travellers crossing the border successfully) Even if you do cross the border, you are not allowed in Tibet without a guide, and 4x4 backup, which costs an absolute bomb. Which is a shame because the road is supposed to be amazing (This guy is the Don of cycling Tibet http://www3.utsidan.se/corax-e/ ).

I am going to fly from Nepal to Bangkok I think, or maybe hop on a train down to port in India to try and get on a ferry going to Thailand or Malaysia, a lot more faff but trying to fly as little as possible. I will cycle up SE Asia to China to get a job somewhere, as opposed to going South like you.

With regards to Iran and Pakistan I think they are going to be pretty sketchy and hard to get visas for at the momen;, I'm sure most of the people are nice, it's more the authorities and the risk of being held kidnapped and held to ransom by some bad egg. You are right though you can go through Azerbaijan over the Caspian sea to the 'Stans, I will be doing this on my return route from China. The 'Stans look amazing, especially Kyrgystan and Tajikistan, should be one of the highlights I expect. Here are a couple of good websites of people who have cycled in the 'Stans (http://www.timbarnes.ndo.co.uk/tajikistan.htm     http://www.cyclingnomads.org/ben/category/tajikistan/ )

However if you take that route on the way you end up with the option of going in Afghanistan or China. If you do cross into China then there is no way to get to India. Damn politics!

I might be wrong on some of this information, but it's what I seem to have concluded after pottering around the internet, I was planning on maybe heading to the States after Eurasia, but seeing as I'm flying over Iran and Pakistan though I would make it a round trip. It means I can take another few years doing the Americas properly in the future too.

I'm heading off at the end of August. What about you? What millage are you planning for by the way?

[Danneaux]

Chris, Phil,

Stephen Lord's Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook is a terrific resource for planning trips of the sort you are contemplating, complete with a section presenting a variety of proven, tested routes and by-country suggestions for navigating entry and visa requirements with suggestions specific to local cultural norms and practices. Barring the vagueries of politics and weather, it might be regarded as a handy "first-stop" for global trip planning. Stephen rides a Thorn, they feature heavily in his book, and he has appeared and posted to this forum in the past.

His website for the book is here: http://adventurecycle-touringhandbook.com/
The 2nd Edition of his book is available at a number of outlets, including this one: http://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Cycle-Touring-Handbook-2nd-Worldwide/dp/1905864256

Best,

Dan.

[chris_kerr]

dan that books super. rich used to own the first edition but borrowed it out and it never returned! phil bet you can't wait to get going. off in may and i recon the route on the website its about 40 or 50 thousand but thats a total guess. and its very much up for change. i think the stans is the way forward. heres a pic of my nomad from a ride in the lakes this weekend.

[Danneaux]

Chris!

This is just fabulous -- right out of the picture books!

You may be taking this trip alone, but the rest if us are on pins and needles, awaiting the next installment as things come together for you. Please keep up posted as things develop.

My! That is a fine-looking setup you have, and the Tonka Yellow bike looks "just right" with the red bags. A combination I haven't seen that often, and like very much indeed. The snowy scene really sets it all off very nicely, and I can imagine you're getting more excited by the day. May will be here before you know it. We wish you all the best, of course!

Stay safe, have fun; Adventure awaits!

Dan.

[chris_kerr]

it was looking great dan - until the snow melted as i cycled south towards home

[Kuba]

Stephen rides a Thorn

Not any more, he swapped his Raven Tour for a second hand Roberts Roughstuff shortly after writing the book! As far as I remember, he already rode the Roughstuff on his trip in Indian Himalaya, which is featured in the second edition of the guide. Stephen seems to be one of those guys who don't get on with the Rohloff, and I think he also found the fit of Roughstuff more comfy too.

[Danneaux]

Not any more, he swapped his Raven Tour for a second hand Roberts Roughstuff shortly after writing the book!

Well, I'll be! Thanks for the update, Kuba...I was wondering what Stephen Lord was getting along on since he has been inactive on the forum. I noticed a certain wistful fondness for derailleurs in the equipment section of Edition 2 and it had me wondering. By any chance, do you know what he's up to now? I wonder if he might be open to a contact by Chris, Phil, or others with regard to specific routes...

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Chris,

Looking again at that wonderful photograph of your Nomad in snow, I notice you've attached a holder for a 1.5l bottle to the underside of the downtube. This is a favorite location for me, too, since it does such a good job of placing the weight as low as possible, yet water is still readily accessible whenever needed. Thanks to Andy Blance and Thorn for leaving sufficient clearance to make this possible with such large bottles. Andy's experience really shows in such thoughtful touches.

No doubt you'll do fine, but you may wish to consider tying the neck of the bottle to the downtube with a spare toe strap. Of course, it depends on the type and placement of the cage, but I've sometimes found really rough, bumpy roads can put a little added stress on the top of such cages when they are carrying a full (and therefore heavy) bottle. Bracing the top of the cage with a zip-tie or the neck of the bottle with a toe strap eliminates any bounce that can contribute to an eventual break and is easily removed when you no longer need it or the cage is empty.

Lookin' good, and the mud gathered on the return home is "inspiration", not dirt! You'll do fine!

All best wishes,

Dan.