My first tour in East Europe - Please help a total NEWBIE!!!
 

Hi guys,

My first post and hopefully my first tour! :)

I'm thinking seriously of going on a tour from Athens to Ukraine passing from FYROM, Serbia, Hungary, and Slovakia.

I haven't done any tour before.

I've got a bike like this, my favourite Brooks from London, a pair of rear Ortliebs and lots of doubts whether I can make it! :)

My questions are:

1) Which tent would you recommend? I don't want to get my bike stolen so I am considering one that I can put my bike in. What do you think of those tents? Any ideas?

2) Any suggesions in terms of good routes/towns in the countries I mentioned above?

3) I'm thinking of doing it on my own. Is that safe? Anyone want to join maybe? :)

If you have any sort of suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks a lot,
Angelos

If you have no done so you might consider checking out the site Crazy Guy on a Bike. You can research potential routes by reading other peoples journals. Another site CyclingAbout will help also.

I think that you're going to need a fair sized tent to actually get yourself and your bike into- might not be all that fun to haul around. No, you don't want to get your bike stolen but maybe just take a lock and a tarp to cover it with and that will discourage someone from taking a closer look. You can do a lot of research on the net re. routes, equipment, etc. When you get some stuff together, take a 3-4 day local tour to get an idea of what it's all about. Good luck!

Wrt itinerary, you probably want to look at eurovelo

Wrt the tent... You'll probably be better off in a smaller tent (less bulky to carry). Locking your bike and eventually have a guy line tied to the frame should reassure you.

I don't recall reading any anecdote of someone stranded on tour because of a stolen bike.

Have fun.

I wentNL>UK>NO DK> PL> CZ >Austria in 1991 just shortly after the Warsaw Pact & the Berlin wall became History . Its Dated Now ..

No Web Forum to ask or No Cell Phones then.

CTC, the Cycle Touring Club in England is another source .. its Over 100 Years Old..

Buy & read Country Guide and history Books too.

You have absolutely no info on yourself on here, so we have no idea if you're leaving from Europe, the states, etc. It sounds like you're American with typical "can-I-travel-alone?" fears. If you're European, I'd be surprised that you're afraid of having your bike stolen and traveling alone. Don't know why you have those fears - it's Europe.

I think on the whole, most touring cyclists don't bring their bike into their tent when they tour. You'd really have to be paranoid to do that or not want to carry 1 or 2 locks with you. It'll mean a bigger tent which means more weight which is not what you want on your bike. Just carry a coil and U-lock, use them, and you'll be fine. I've biked 21 countries in Europe and only had 2 things stolen off it twice - my bike pump up in Finland and my wallet and camera out of my handlebar bag in Prague. The latter was my own fault as I'd become lax with bike security after 6 months of not having problems in Europe.

I attempted to visit Ukraine 2 years ago (about 4 months before the war started). It wasn't by bike tho. Know that the country is poor and has almost no tourism infrastructure. I think by bike, it will be much easier to visit than by foot. If you can learn any Russian/Ukrainian phrases, I would do that, esp. if you'll be there for some time. The people weren't exactly friendly.

why should it not be save? don't worry, its save... or what does "save" mean for you?

Hilleberg ATKO tent, best tent out there. not cheap, but the best.

if you can go front panniers, much better. your bike will behave like a normal road bike, no extrem tensions on the back spokes, and riding uphill is much more fun with front load.

visit Romania is a must if you go there, very beautiful country!

here some Romania pictures, 2014 and 2015

https://www.flickr.com/photos/427437...57645613676670

https://www.flickr.com/photos/427437...57656536096016

OMG!!!! Awesome pictures! The tent looks great! Stefan seriously the pictures are amazing! :)

Thanks! Actually I'm Greek, you guys put my mind at ease. What you're saying makes perfect sense. It's stupid to get a tent like that...

you dinna mention age, budget, etc.....

could you get a youth hostel card.
stay exclusively in hostels along the route.
skip the tent (and cooker) entirely?

I have no idea what tent availability is in Greece, but you might look for something like this: https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/De.../wyomingtrail2

Pricey, yes, but just given as an example of a style to look for with a tent I pulled out of the back of my head. The idea being that you can fit the bike under the extended rainfly itself, not in the sleeping portion of the tent, which as mentioned would require a massive tent. Should keep the bike out of sight, which is about 98% of it not being stolen.