azza_333

What are some good 2 month long tours, that are possible Dec-Jan, other than Australia & New Zealand.

My tour bike is a 700c 2015 Kona Sutra

fietsbob

Argentina , Chile, RSA.

hueyhoolihan

a tour starting in San Francisco in mid December to San Diego then on to south Florida took a couple of months and the weather was reasonable.

saddlesores

what do you want to see/do?

supercheep airfares on jetstar/tiger from oz....

fly to hanoi, ride saigon-phnompenh-bangkok-kualalumpur-singapore.

return flights from any of those big cities.

fietsbob

Yea there is the whole band of latitudes, between the tropic of "Cancer" and 'Capricorn' lines, on either side of the Equator..

staehpj1

That can be fun. The days are kind of short there in December though. I found the scenery a bit uninspiring on the ST especially in Texas, but the people and the food helped make up for the scenery. Also I guess some folks like the scenery there. The Mexican food, barbecue, Cajun food, and seafood on the trip were great. The people were often interesting misfits who had relocated there from more northern locales (I met surprisingly many transplanted Alaskans in Texas), genuine cowboys, and Hispanic immigrants. They all made for interesting conversation.

axolotl

Much of SE Asia is great for touring. Furthermore, from December thru February, northern Thailand, northern Laos, and northern Vietnam all have great touring weather. It's cooler (but still warm) than the rest of the year, and it's also the dry season. I haven't been to Vietnam, but I've toured in Thailand & Laos and both are excellent touring destinations. They're also ridiculously cheap. There's no need to carry a tent, sleeping bag, or a stove, because good inexpensive accommodations are readily available, and delicious and cheap prepared food is also readily available. There's lots to see and people are friendly.

djb

azza, did your Japan trip plan fall through? Or are I'm mixing you up with another fellow?

azza_333

It may or may not be scrapped, so im looking into a plan be at the moment

Machka 

I find that we've got to make plans to go somewhere within about 6 months of going ... preferably within about 3-4 months of going. You just never know what else is going to come up. Life is funny that way.

For example, we will hopefully have some time off in June/July this year. We won't make plans for that time until early May. But meanwhile we have made some basic plans for this coming Easter. I booked them about three weeks ago.


As for Jan-Dec, look at all the places close to or south of the Equator. Southern Europe ... South Africa ... Argentina/Chile ... many parts of Asia ...

azza_333

I had a couple alternate ideas,

Follow the Mekong river from China to Vietnam (but I have 700c wheels on my touring bike, so not sure how well I would go if I broke a wheel)

Pull the Japan ride forward, but only ride from Cape Sata - Tokyo (There may be a few days of snow, and I'm not that confident with my bike on icy roads, as I have never cycled in a cold climate before)

HollandCT

My personal favorite is Vietnam, it's one of the most surprisingly wonderful countries to bike in. I would say that Mekong Delta is probably your best bet if you're looking for a nice surrounding while travelling.

azza_333

I would love to cycle the whole length of the Mekong, but would I be risking it with 700c wheels?

djb

Azza, I would recommend against cold, simply from the extra clothes required, and specifically about what clothes to take. I start commuting as soon as the snow and ice is mostly gone and until it appears, but it has taken me a number of years to figure out what clothes work for a given temp. I would also add that riding in cold and rain where it's under 10c is particularly unpleasant and has its own issues of not getting chilled, especially the hands.

Of course you can figure it out, it's not impossible, just for an enjoyable trip I'm more inclined to avoid cold. I reckon it would be a lot easier for me to properly choose cold weather clothing for a trip just from the commuting experience and our climate, not as easy for you to do where you are.

Mind you, you are strong and in your 20s and not an old fart like me, so you'd muddle through pretty much anything and have an adventure....

axolotl

I biked in SE Asia on my Bike Friday folder with 20 inch diameter wheels--and met 4 other cyclists in Laos touring on Bike Friday folders, as well. The roads in Thailand are good. The roads I was on in Laos were mostly excellent, but a couple were not great. I wouldn't worry so much about wheels unless you're going off-road. If you do head to SE Asia, I would urge you to get away occasionally from the Mekong valley, because there are some great places away from the river. For example, Luang Prabang (Laos), and the fantastic but challenging road between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng.

azza_333

can anyone comment on the durability of the 2015 Kona Sutra wheels, as im sure traveling in these underdeveloped countries there would be a few dirt roads.
Rims: WTB SX19
Spokes: Sandvik Stainless 14g
Hubs: Shimano Deore

HollandCT

I agree with axolotl. However, although I'm sure you know this if you've traveled by bike before, I would take a few extra rubber inner tubes with you. Apart from a few bumpy ones, the roads are pretty decent in Vietnam.

saddlesores

nah. roads along the lancang (mekong) in china are mostly nicely paved, even
the rural roads south of jinghong. you'll have trouble finding paved roads along
the mekong in the north of laos...maybe take a freighter from (south of) jinghong
to chiang saen, then follow more or less on the thai side to chiang khong, then take
the slow boat to luang prabang. from there, it's mostly new pavement south to
the tha li crossing into thailand. roads north of the river in laos are mud, paved
in thailand to friendship bridge near vientiane. from there you can follow on
either side to southern laos. regardless, it'll be kinda boring, and you won't
see much river. road is a couple hundred meters to a kilometer or so away
from the water. once in cambodia, it's paved to phnom penh, but you'll have
a really crappy section of gravel/potholes between stung treng and kratie.
don't know about further south.....

djb

not having to take camping gear and whatnot means less weight on the bike too, so thats always a plus.