touring in france ... any tips

[XXX_er]

20 days in france this july/aug ,starting in toulouse heading towards the med and coming back thru spain/andorra

using old hard tail mtn bikes with 1" slicks,racks panniers, taking a tent some bags and a stove

any tips ?

[Mic]

stuff that keeps off the mosquitos and lots of sun tan lotion. you should have planned a trip for your "proper" bike because there is some really wicked riding...(Kranked 3......you remember?).

[XXX_er]

well the plan is to tour with the GF

just put the 1" city slickers on and a nice fizak plateau saddle , thinking an old easton flat bar and bar ends might be better for touring than the crowbars I use for ratting around town?

got a pretty good 27spd drive train ,some shitty V brakes but they are plenty good enough

my old lake skater type shoes with cleats are so worn the cleat hits the ground all the time...not good for walking around .I don't wana buy another pair & I don't think I wana wear mtnbike shoes.The GF figures toe clips cuz we only got room for runners and maybe tevas

[XXX_er]

so the bikes are packed and we are bookin for europe tomorrow,got a new superlight weight MSR hubba hubba and some lightweight sleeping bags and new panniers from MEC but we decided to leave the stove&pots behind for a france trip

Th e front panniers were a pain in the ass,we had some axiom pannier racks for a front suspension XC fork ,I think they will fit any XC fork except a manitou ex-vert super (guess what I got on my XC bike?) cuz the dropouts are JUST infront of the fork lower instead of being in-front AND below the fork lower.SO I had to swap from a superiour ahead set type fork/stem to a threaded head set and the shitty suntour fork&stem off of my GF's kids's mtn bike including the headset and everything , big hassle ... next time I do this I will swap out the suspension fork for a lighter/solid aheadset type non-suspension fork if I can find one

the flat bars weren't long enough so I put the Jbars back on ,I will be Using barends on non-flat bars ,I know they look totally faggot but I could give a fuck what anybody thinks ... I want comfort .

bon huit

[sanrensho]

I know they look totally faggot but I could give a fuck what anybody thinks ... I want comfort .


Bar ends on risers...Think Different.

More hand positions are always good. Have a good trip, pots and pans aren't necessary as you can live on French tabouleh, baguettes, wine, pate and whatever you can find at the local boulangerie/patisserie.

[biopace]

If you want to fit in with the locals: dope.

[sanrensho]

If you want to fit in with the locals: dope.

He said France, not Kazakhstan?

[XXX_er]

its everything and more ...highly recommended

camp on the cheap in the numerous camp sites with good washrooms for 12 euros and spend yer money on FANTASTIC food and booze which is available everywhere ... live like a king for well under 100 euros a day without cars or hotels

the yellow or white roads on the map are fantastic riding , mostly deserted and the french drivers give way to bikers ... as opposed to english drivers in GB who will kill you for sport

drink LOTS of water , rear view mirrors are great, an elastic around a brake lever makes a great park brake

chilling in the pyrennes waiting out weather doing laundry ... the col de tourmelat tomorrow

[Mic]

Post some pics...and cool that you are having a good time.

[XXX_er]

ended up doing the 6 major cols of the tour in the pyrennees ,the toughest was the port et de aspet at an average 9.75% grade,we rode up where around where Luigi cassoroti the olympic champ was killed descending in 92 and the grade was 17% .

there are loads of roadies in france,lots of old men on nice bikes, doing the col de tourmelat we probably seen over 100 riders but hardley anybody touring. most of the major cols have bars at the top so its all quite civilized

made it into spain for 15 KM or so but had to pass on andorra,but we got to carcasonne and back to toulose along the canal du midi

spent a day in Luchon and took the gondy up to the ski hill right from downtown like whistler , you can take yer freeride bike up and they have a park but nothing like whistler .Seen mostly Sunn or Commencal bikes

france is a great place to bike

made it up to paris for 2 days ,paris is incredible way cooler than London IMO

back in smithers doing laundry

[the flying moose]

sounds like an amazing time. hope you post up some pics for all to see.

[XXX_er]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12538701@N08/

OK so I finaly got around to playing with flickr

[wallyjames]

Nice work. Those European mountain passes really are something. They pave damn near anything over there.

[XXX_er]

ya everything is paved ,even acess roads in a ski resort that would be 4x4 here , High pressure slicks were perfect,I had 1 flat due to a twisted tube on instal that eventualy developed wore a hole in itself... shoulda used talcum powder .

Special K ordered a 1:100,000 michelen map,some books,internet searches and we mapped out a route with minimal orange roads(equivlent of a BC 2 lane highway)but stuck mostly to yellow roads (a mostly deserted country road in BC) and some white roads (would be gravel in BC)


went for our 1st ride after france and 700K of LSD under load has given us both wicked legs