lechatmort

Hi all!

I'm planning on doing Brussels to Serbia (near the Hungarian border) in july, to visit my family there.

Does anyone have any tips/nice routes? My route will probably go something like:

• Brussels
• Maastricht
• Köln
• Frankfurt
• Plzen
• Praha
• Brno
• Wien
• Budapest
• Subotica

I want to do this very cheaply, say 5 euros a day for food and preferably no other expenses. That means couchsurfing.com/warmshowers.org, and possibly camping out in the woods. Even though I'm a little bit of a shy person I'm looking forward to couch surfing, hopefully it'll be a nice experience. Any tips for this too? (I'll sing a song for anyone willing to host me )

I'll be doing this on a sturmey archer hub bike I built, with a 46x22 chainring/cog. I've also got a 22t chainring on the bike, so I might just add a rear derailer to use as a chain tensioner... (The other option would be to take the chain apart every time I wanted to go very low; no thanks )

These are the combinations:
gearchart..png

Any idea how well using the 46 chainring would work? I think I'll do okay in the Rhine valley, but I'm not so sure about the bavarian hills

I don't have an equipment list yet, but I'm going to take my DD Hammock and tarp for camping, and be very basic on everything else as I need to go quite fast as I have about 35 days for the whole endeavor (getting there + staying + return).

I'll go to the woods tomorrow to try out the hammock/tarp setup and take some pictures of the bike and everything. In the course of this month I'll also do some visiting friends within a 60-100km radius, staying over, as an excuse to get some training.

Thanks!

zeppinger

Heinze Stucke has ridden his bike around the world the equivalent of ten times on his old 1963 three speed bicycle. I am sure whatever gear ratios you choose will be adequate.

avatarworf

You could follow the Limes Radweg, which starts in Holland and goes all the way to Budapest. Search online and you'll find some outlines of it (it's not a path but is a marked route through Germany at least).

It's possible to do Europe on the cheap, though I would say 10 euros a day is more reasonable. Even just the basic groceries for a day can easily add up to more than 5 euros and you may not be able to wild camp every single night.

lechatmort

The limes radweg only seems to do a little piece of the route? Thanks anyway, I'll consider following that part.

My actual budget is probably €10/day, but I'm going to attempt keeping it around €5. At home I can literally live a week on 10 euros (noodles and veggies), so I don't see how 5 for a day is unreasonable...

I'm definately not going to pay for any kind of campground - simply because I can't afford that

Here are some pics of the bike and hammock if anyone cares

whatsmyname

Lots of info on Koln to Budapest here: https://www.fam-oud.nl/~oof/Limes/Limes_part1.html

I'm very jealous of your trip (although maybe not of your budget!).

robi

a co worker is going Bp to Oestend in late July,

Danube, Rhine valleys most of the way, I thin,..... he is doing it a second time, this time on a fixed geared bike.

I have done Bp =Bratislava-Brno pretty flat though BRno onwards for you would be hilly, just a bit for about 40 km if memory serves...

should be a fun trip.

Go for it.

Kep us posted...

Rob

lechatmort

Hi again,

I wrote up my gear list. I haven't weighed everything yet, but I'm going to just to get an idea of possible weight savings.
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p..._id=153871&v=n

Does anyone know if I should bring long trousers/underpants? And what about merinowool vs fleece sweater? I'm also hesitant about taking a fleece blanket with me, thinking that my clothes will keep me warm enough. (15C is about the lowest temperature I'll encounter afaik)

Dahon.Steve

I think the gearing on the bike is perfect for a 3 speed. You don't want second gear to drop below 50 inches or you'll end up peddaling and going nowhere. Since you have it at 51 inches, that's the best you can do. The low is still not low enough but don't make any more changes. You'll just have to walk up some of the hills but that's OK.

Dahon.Steve

By the way, what kind of shifter are you using for the 3 speed? Also, have you thought about using a front derailluer?

NormanF

Three speed bikes were used for cycle camping and touring well into the 1970s. The roadsters in particular lend themselves well to long distance touring expeditions.

lechatmort

I'm using this one mounted on the stem: https://www.sturmey-archer.com/produc...rs/cid/3/id/13
And I have thought about using a front derailleur, but that'd also mean adding a chain tensioner of some sorts. I'll think about actually adding one after the tour if I feel it's really needed. I'm leaving today so I don't have any time left for it anyway