I finally bought a bike! now to plan my tour - suggestions very welcome
08-15-05, 02:00 PM
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I finally bought a bike! now to plan my tour - suggestions very welcome
Well, I finally bought myself a Trek 520, I managed to find a new 2004 model for well below the MSRP, which was fantastic.
Anyway, I finish up school in the spring and plan on taking a very significant break from everything - school, career aspirations, friends, family, everything. I have basically two general plans that I was looking at: touring from spain or portugal to russia. Or going from spain or portugal all the way to china. Which I decide to do will largely depend upon my financial situation as the time approaches. So I've decided to basically completely plan out both tours to figure out everything I will need. So, I've got a few general questions:
1. My general plan for the first one is Spain-France-Italy&orSwitzerland-Germany-Czech Republic-Slovakia-Ukraine-Russia. Any reason I should reconsider this plan?
2. Second one is the same as the first, then adding Kazakhstan and China. I haven't been able to find a lot on touring in Kazakhstan, and it's certainly the part of the tour that has me the most worried. Do any of you have any experience there? Any ideas or suggestions? Also, is there an alternate route I might be able to take that would minimize the likelihood of encountering inclimate weather (i.e. snow and rainy seasons).
3. These are going to be long tours, and I will almost certainly encounter a lot of snow. How do you guys deal with snow while touring, and what are some precautions I should take? Do you guys have any recommendations for good and light camping equipment that will be suitable for all the weather conditions I'm likely to encounter?
4. Where might be a good place to purchase maps of these areas (preferably online) in order plan out a general idea for a route?
5. I already speak Russian, and I will likely have an opportunity to study Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and possibly Czech. If you had the opportunity, which language would you study? Which do you think would be the most useful?
6. Any other general suggestions, thoughts and ideas?
Anyway, I finish up school in the spring and plan on taking a very significant break from everything - school, career aspirations, friends, family, everything. I have basically two general plans that I was looking at: touring from spain or portugal to russia. Or going from spain or portugal all the way to china. Which I decide to do will largely depend upon my financial situation as the time approaches. So I've decided to basically completely plan out both tours to figure out everything I will need. So, I've got a few general questions:
1. My general plan for the first one is Spain-France-Italy&orSwitzerland-Germany-Czech Republic-Slovakia-Ukraine-Russia. Any reason I should reconsider this plan?
2. Second one is the same as the first, then adding Kazakhstan and China. I haven't been able to find a lot on touring in Kazakhstan, and it's certainly the part of the tour that has me the most worried. Do any of you have any experience there? Any ideas or suggestions? Also, is there an alternate route I might be able to take that would minimize the likelihood of encountering inclimate weather (i.e. snow and rainy seasons).
3. These are going to be long tours, and I will almost certainly encounter a lot of snow. How do you guys deal with snow while touring, and what are some precautions I should take? Do you guys have any recommendations for good and light camping equipment that will be suitable for all the weather conditions I'm likely to encounter?
4. Where might be a good place to purchase maps of these areas (preferably online) in order plan out a general idea for a route?
5. I already speak Russian, and I will likely have an opportunity to study Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and possibly Czech. If you had the opportunity, which language would you study? Which do you think would be the most useful?
6. Any other general suggestions, thoughts and ideas?
