wiiiim

i wouldn't see myself riding the ripio with that diamondback, i wonder how it handles with a lot of weight, plus i'd get back pains riding every day bent over like that
the trek frame could perhaps work, but the shifters look worthless from afar, the other components probably too?
the cannondale looks great, depending on the quality of the build

pasopia

I'd look into the cannondale, if it fits you. The listing said it has all XT parts, which is a big plus, instead of the entry level components on the other bikes.

timcha2100

I'm meeting the guy to check out the cannondale tomorrow, I'll take some more pictures and try to bring it to a bike shop and have them check it out as well. What did you guys think of the derailleur and gears? They looked a little old and beaten to me. Plus I feel like this guy is way over charging is 750 USD to expensive?

wiiiim

depends
try to get an idea on how many km's the bike has ridden before, look for things like worn out teeth on the sprocket, rusty cables, bends in the derailer, does the derailer pull hard enough, is there enough tension on the chain, can you use all 21 gears, are the rims true, is the front suspension hard (you will most probably add front panniers so the suspension should be adjustable to be as hard as possible)

if the XT group is in perfect condition, the wheels are true/strong and the suspension fork is good (there's a huge quality range here), the deal is not so bad imo, you will never get this on a new bike for this price on a cannondale, at least not where I live

try to discuss the price either way, and don't forget you might be just as good with a cheaper mountainbike from a less known brand and an SLX group set, keep your options open

KonAaron Snake 

I think you might misunderstand a comment...no one is suggesting building a mtb, they're suggesting taking a MTB frame and making it into a touring bike (drop bars, non-knobbies). They're suggesting the frame and rims will be tougher and might be better suited for some of the roads you'll be encountering (also, you can usually get rigid steel MTB frames CHEAP).

timcha2100

The problem with only buying a frame down here is the parts, yeah sure there are a lot of bike shops but few are serious and most will try to rip me off for whatever they can get. My spanish is good but i'm still a yankee in their eyes and its open season. Also Argentina isn't importing a lot of things right now, especially cycling equipment, gears, panniers, forks, drop bars, shifters, ect it would be more trouble then its worth and I might end up having to delay my trip, not to mention the expense of buying on these things separate would undoubtedly kill me. I've been asking around at the different bike shops for triathlon bars that can be fitted to a standard handle bars and they say yes, so I'll probably just buy triathlon bars and the little short bars you can attach to the ends of the handle bars and call it good.
Thank you though

About the slx group set, which bikes could you recommend with that equipment? Its tough here, its one or the other, a good nice quality bike or a piece of mierda sitting in the street. If you could give me a name or two I'll see if I can track it down.
Thanks

timcha2100

So yesterday I got all excitied to see the cannondale and I went and saw the wrong bike. I spent 3 hours on the bus yesterday for no reason . I ended up seeing the Diamondback, it had shimano alivio components in the back, and dedre in the front. Why would the components differ from front to back? All in all the bike was very smooth but I need better components no? I hated the handlebars, but it had a frame without suspension which I liked, and came with holes drilled into the frame for panniers. I will obviously need to change the pedals as well but could it work?

wiiiim

I'd stay away from any kind of race frame
in bike shops components are often combined with different qualities so you should always check on that, mixing up groups is essentially not a problem, but it doesn't always make sense, for example if you have a crappy rear derailer in combination with high end shifters then the shifters are basically a waste (but the shop might try to sell it as high end)
anyway, if you buy new you should aim for better equipment than Alivio, SLX is considered good price/value
a Deore group will still work, from my experience if you take good care of the chain and sprocket (get the sand out) it will last you about 5 or 6 months of traveling (~7000km) after which you will need to replace just about everything except maybe the shifters

but again, think creatively and keep your options open, first of all find a frame that suits you for a price that works, make sure you can actually leave, worry about the rest later!
for example, there's nothing stopping you from leaving with a 2nd hand bike that came with 'less than good' gears and upgrading them to something better somewhere along the way (Santiago or Mendoza might offer more options)

nancy sv

We cycled the Peruvian coast north to south against the headwinds and I have to say that, although it was tough due to the winds, it was one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL parts of our entire journey from Alaska to Ushuaia!! Yes, it was desert, but it was stunningly beautiful desert. The road was great and there wasn't all that much traffic at all.

All the other cyclists told us to go the mountain route. For some reason, many cyclists seem to think the coast is ugly and horrible. We didn't find that to be true at all.

pasopia

Different strokes I guess! Maybe the section north of Trujillo is nicer than what I saw from Nazca to Trujillo. I did really enjoy the descent from the mountains down to Nazca, that was incredible. I love desert riding, but not when 18 wheelers are whizzing by my head all day.

timcha2100

For me Machu Picchu is still very important, and I agree, 18 wheelers cruising past you at 90 Km/h gets tiring fast. Plus I like mountains, and I'll get to the see the coast in Ecuador and Columbia so I think the mountains it is. Thanks for the advise.

Im buying the cannondale tomorrow, now I'll really be able to begin my training. My friend in the bike store looked over everything and said exactly what wiiiim said, after 6 months you're going to need a new bearing, and rear axel but as long as you take of the components you could get luckly. Well I can live with regular maintenance, it'll give something to do when I'm tired of riding.

nancy sv

Our favorite part was Trujillo to just north of Lima - it was stunning! The far north was OK, but not nearly as spectacular as the part between Trujillo and Lima.

timcha2100

So sorry I haven't been here In a while, life got busy. So anyways I have brief overview of the route I'd like to take and some other questions:

I'm going to leave in the beginning to middle of March. I am planning on leaving from the middle of the country, Bariloche. From there I will head northeast to neuquen. From Neuquen I will follow the Andes north until Mendoza which is a large city and amazing wine producer. From there I have 2 options. One, I can go way northeast and Head to Iquazu to see the waterfall or I can keep traveling north. If I go to Iguazu I will add at least another month and a half to my trip and will need to cross Paraguay to corrientes. From Corrientes I would head to Tucuman. then Salta, Jujuy and the Bolivian border. Once In Bolivia I would most likely ride to Sucre, Oruro, and then the Capital La Paz. From LA Paz I would follow lake titicaca and continue northwest until Cuzco Peru. In Cuzco I will go to Machu Picchu, and I would like to try and work there for a few months. Really get to see and learn more about the region. After my stop at Machu Picchi I would head west to ayachuco, then northwest to Huancayo, and finally Lima, the capital. From the capital I will probably follow route 18, 18A, and 5N north through the Andes because I hear its safer. Eventually 5N starts to head west again towards the coast as I get closer to Ecuador. So i will end up passing through Bagua Grande and Jaen. From Jaen I can head west to Piura or go directly north into Ecuador, I believe I will go west, there's more towns that way. If I were to head directly north I would be risking a 110km trip through the mountains and its tough to say what my supply situation would be like. If Im well supplied then I might justs head north, but I'd like to see the coast a bit in Ecuador. Once in Ecuador I will follow the coast until Guayaquil, from there head northeast to San Francisco de Quito. Here I'm going to make another stop and take my initiation into the Forest Shamans. After my questing I will head north, into Columbia, to Pasto. From Pasto to Popayan, to Cali, to Medelin, personally I dont want to go to Bogota, the Colombian capital. I've had enough of giant overcrowded cities. From Medelin im going to head north until I hit the coast and just go city to city until I find passage to Mexico or something that allows me to skip a decent amount of Central America.

What do you guys think?

Next question. What do I do about hygiene? I was thinking to myself what would be the best all purpose soap to carry, you know for hair and body. Some how I don't think old spice head body is going to cut it. And I know toilet paper is out of the question, right? Should I bring wet wipes? hahah

Tansy

Here is my essay on soap, because I don't know anything about the places you're going, other then it sounds incredible.

Dr. Bronners. Get a 12oz bottle. It's kinda big and heavy but it replaces a lot of other stuff and it'll last you months if you dilute it. Use it for bodywash, shampoo+conditioner, dish soap, and cleaning your gear. In a pinch it makes some nasty tasting, but effective toothpaste/mouthwash. I carry a mini bottle of dish detergent as well, because weight isn't a huge issue and it stretches the life of the more expensive Dr. Bronners. Two friends I traveled with for a while used it for absolutely everything, including cleaning their bike chains. They say it worked fine.

From the tone of your question it sounds like you're expecting to need some super heavy duty soap. I found that really wasn't the case. Just wash, at very least, your face and hair daily. Dr. Bronners rinses out with very little water, so it makes water-bottle showers even more practical.

Toilet paper is easy. Again, I don't know much about where you'll be traveling, but I'm sure there will be public restrooms once in a while. Either roll some up and put it in your pocket, or make off with a spare roll.


Hope you have a great time

pasopia

Your route sounds pretty good to me! It's fairly similar to what I did. Also, you'll meet other cyclists along the way and be able to get advice from them.

As far as soap, I used dish soap for everything, body, dishes, etc. Works for me. Dr Bronner's is great stuff, but you can't buy it anywhere in South America.

You most definitely want a roll of toilet paper at all times! Bathrooms vary in quality drastically throughout South America, and they usually do not have toilet paper. You'll also be digging holes a lot, especially in Bolivia.

timcha2100

Pasopia,
Did you ride solo throughout your trip? What did you think were the most difficult locations?

fietsbob

One level better than TP, Spongeum, [Roman's TP, was a sponge]
if you wash that part of you often,
there will be less bacteria on the skin to potentially make saddle sores.
surgeon's antibacterial scrub is the stuff then..
I brought a vial with me on my Tours.

wiiiim

sounds good! I think starting mid-march is a good idea, try to be on the alti plano (North of Salta) by june/july so you'll have the best sunny months to cross to Peru
a few tips on the route:
- from Bariloche be sure to take the 7 lake route, it's beatiful! if you have some time its worth crossing into Chile and visit Villarica too (Puesco Bajo - Villarica - Villa Pehuenia)
- I wouldn't go to Neuquen, stay west in Las Lajas and avoid traffic, which is true for the most part of the trip, west and the routa 40 is generally more fun than east with more traffic and boring landscape (pampa)
- heading into Mendoza sucks, the road between Mendoza and San Juan too (traffic), its doable but not fun
- from Salta there are a lot of options, the hardest (but most rewarding?) is probably the climb to San Pedro de Atacama, after which you can take the Lagunas Routa to Uyuni (pushing the bike for 10 days on ultra hardcore sandy desert road, be very prepared!), the easiest is probably Salta to Villazon (nice stretch through the woods here), still the ripio from Villazon to Uyuni is long and hard, either way crossing the salar of Uyuni is pretty much mandatory imo! ;-)
- more bad ripio to Oruro (South Bolivia is the hardest part i think)
- i heard from many people that Cochabamba is a nice place
- when in La Paz try to do the fameous death road, its not on your way to Peru but quite fun, there are busses back to La Paz
- there is a bike hostel in San Martin de Los Andes, one in La Paz (christians), one in Quito and probably more, these are well worth looking into, a great place to meet other people and to have a home away from home, theres a list of addresses somewhere on the net

have fun!

wiiiim

also this is a good place to stay in Cusco, cheap and lots of room for the bike (many cyclists and motors stay here)
https://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotel_Revi...ita-Cusco.html

pasopia

I traveled alone, except for a two week section in Northern Argentina when I cycled with a friend I met. I really enjoyed doing the trip alone, I think I met more people that way.

The hardest part? Probably Bolivia overall. You will be cycling at high altitudes consistently for the first time, and it's hard to breath for a while. The roads are dirt, and they are roller coasters. It's completely exhausting, but also incredible. Also the it is the poorest country in South America, so outside of cities there are not alot of accommodations. It's all wild camping, or staying in really shabby inns in villages. Also people are less friendly than in the other countries I visited. It's a fairly noticeable difference, and one that many other cyclists I spoke with noticed too. I'm not sure why.

From Ushuaia to El Chalten, through Tierra Del Fuego and southern Patagonia was also really tough, due to the wind. It's the most insane wind I have ever experienced, most times it was impossible to ride more than 6-7 kph. It was hard to eat anything, because it was just shoot out of my hands. It was pretty miserable. But you are not doing that part, so don't worry about it!

ruthr

I haven't bicycled in South America, but I have traveled a lot in Argentina and other places. I have often been disappointed by must-see sights, but my time at Iguazu was one of the best travel experiences I have ever had.

I arrived in the town of Iguazu late afternoon, and discovered that there was a full-moon excursion from town. For only a few dollars (this was in 2004, before a lot of inflation; it may be more expensive now) we took a bus to the park, then a small train within the park to the edge of the Parana. Then we walked a long way on walkways suspended above the river. My first glimpse of the falls themselves was of all the water in the world pouring down into a bottomless hole (Garganta del Diablo) making moonbows in the clouds of mist coming up from the center of the earth. There were only a few busloads of people, in contrast to the daytime crowds, and -- words fail me -- it was mind-blowing. I had only planned to spend a day at Iguazu, but I spent three, and could have spent more.

I don't know how tight your budget is, or how much of a purist you are about doing everything on your bike, but I say do what you can to see Iguazu before you leave Argentina.