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Hey! There was a thread on NSG a couple of years ago about bicycle touring and quite a few people were into it. I mentioned on there that I was planning a big ride from Japan to the UK. Well, I'm finally doing it.
So far we (my wife and I) have ridden from Hokkaido in the north of Japan down to Kyushu in the south, then over to South Korea, and now we just arrived into China. If anyone is interested in it, our blog is http://www.pedallingwest.wordpress.com and our Instagram is @pedallingwest
China is a trip, and totally different to the calm of Japan and South Korea. The riding is a lot of fun and it feels like now the adventure is really starting! Hope some of you might be interested in following. I can update this thread with photos etc if people want see what we're up to.
I met a dude while traveling in Chile who was bike packing around the world. He had been biking for 5 years starting in Europe and figured he still had 3+ years to go. He had the wildest stories from riding the gnarliest roads through Mongolia.
Props to you for doing this! I'm wicked jealous. Maybe in a few years when I can save more money I'd love to do a similar trip.
I've done a bit of backpack traveling before so am familiar with how to live lightly/cheaply abroad. My question is how can you break into the bike touring world without spending a shit ton on the bike/parts/etc? I'd love your feedback and any advice!
Blindsurferdon't know if you know this but there is an ocean between japan and england bro. not gona cross it on a bike, sorry to burst your bubble
Thanks for the geography lesson amigo. There's quite a few stretches of water we need to cross. We already had to get from Japan to South Korea, and then from South Korea to where we are now, China. They have these neat floating machines which transport people and goods over water, sometimes known as 'boats' or 'ferries'. This is how we came in to China a few days ago
From here though, we've got a whole lot of land between us and the English Channel. We'll be there in about 18 months time. We'll take a boat across that too.
tittyboiI've done a bit of backpack traveling before so am familiar with how to live lightly/cheaply abroad. My question is how can you break into the bike touring world without spending a shit ton on the bike/parts/etc? I'd love your feedback and any advice!
Hey man. You can get into it pretty easily and without dropping a load of cash initially. Keep an eye out for second hand bikes or just fix a rack to a bike you have already. Start small and go out for the weekend or a week long trip. If you start out in warmer weather, obviously you won't need to carry as much gear.
You don't need too much gear to start with. Some cheap panniers and a rack. A lightweight tent is useful as you don't need to splash on accomodation then. A camping stove.
Join the hospitality network 'Warm Showers' which sounds weird, but it's like Couch Surfing for touring cyclists. You'll meet lots of good people with experience and advice for you. And when you tour yourself, you can arrange to stay with hosts.
Get saving cash (riding a bike instead of driving/public transport is a good start!) and then you can invest in better parts/equipment over time. Then take some time off to go on a longer tour. It's a cheap way to travel and so much more interactive than taking buses/trains through a country.
Go for it! If I can offer any more advice, just message me!
JAHpowThat sounds incredible! What's your general itinerary for the trip?
Thanks!
So far we've got into China. From here, we're heading south as its starting to get pretty chilly (below freezing in the mountains in South Korea!)
Next major waypoint is Hong Kong, then down into South East Asia to cycle around Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam until the spring time.
Then when the weather warms up, we'll be going back into China and across the north western desert towards Urumqi. We'll then cross into Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Following the Silk Road through the 'Stans and through Iran if we can get a visa (we're Brits so at the moment its a no go, but with a new British Embassy in Tehran, things are looking more promising.)
Then it'll be into Turkey and then Greece. This'll be winter next year by then, so we'll stick in Southern Europe until the weather warms up. (Or spend some time skiing in the Alps if we have any cash left over!) Then travel up through Europe to get into France, then a ferry across the English Channel to the UK. All in all, about 18 months.
MagSevenThen when the weather warms up, we'll be going back into China and across the north western desert towards Urumqi. We'll then cross into Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Following the Silk Road through the 'Stans and through Iran if we can get a visa (we're Brits so at the moment its a no go, but with a new British Embassy in Tehran, things are looking more promising.)
Then it'll be into Turkey and then Greece.
I'd imagine there's gonna be all sorts of crazy shit going down in Iran and the stans, that area in general, plus Greece. That should be interesting. Maybe you can topple a few governments while you're there.
So far we've got into China. From here, we're heading south as its starting to get pretty chilly (below freezing in the mountains in South Korea!)
Next major waypoint is Hong Kong, then down into South East Asia to cycle around Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam until the spring time.
Then when the weather warms up, we'll be going back into China and across the north western desert towards Urumqi. We'll then cross into Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Following the Silk Road through the 'Stans and through Iran if we can get a visa (we're Brits so at the moment its a no go, but with a new British Embassy in Tehran, things are looking more promising.)
Then it'll be into Turkey and then Greece. This'll be winter next year by then, so we'll stick in Southern Europe until the weather warms up. (Or spend some time skiing in the Alps if we have any cash left over!) Then travel up through Europe to get into France, then a ferry across the English Channel to the UK. All in all, about 18 months.
That's the trip of a lifetime. I plan on biking the ring road in iceland after I graduate college and thought that would be a challenge. However, compared to your trip, iceland sounds rather easy now.
We made it through China, and across the border into Hong Kong. It was a bit of a special moment for me arriving here, as I grew up in HK.
1,973km for our first China leg, in 3 and a half weeks. It was quite a ride, lots of adventure, and totally different to Japan and Korea. A few photos
Planning to spend 10 days or so here, relaxing and staying with some friends. Then it'll be back into China to head further west to Vietnam, then down into South East Asia for the winter.
MagSevenThanks for the geography lesson amigo. There's quite a few stretches of water we need to cross. We already had to get from Japan to South Korea, and then from South Korea to where we are now, China. They have these neat floating machines which transport people and goods over water, sometimes known as 'boats' or 'ferries'. This is how we came in to China a few days ago
From here though, we've got a whole lot of land between us and the English Channel. We'll be there in about 18 months time. We'll take a boat across that too.
We're back. We were just about at the Vietnam border before Christmas when we got some bad news from home so returned to the UK and spent about 6 weeks there with family. We're now ready to continue, and flew back over here to Cambodia a couple of weeks ago and have rejoined our route where we would've been at this stage.
We spent a while at Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, and are now just short of the border with Thailand. It's bloody hot, but lots of fun, and it feels good being back on the bikes after what has been quite an uncertain time over the new year. Latest blog post is here http://www.pedallingwest.wordpress.com Here's a few photos from Cambodia.
Uhhhh this guy seems to have a pretty skewed picture even after living and working there. No shit it's cold, you're in Japan, unless you're all the way south in Oki you aren't going to experience some magical Summer in January. I didn't hear him mention anything about racism but my time in Hakuba this year was nothing but positive, local Japanese never treated me poorly and actually encouraged my to try to speak what little Japanese I knew with them. However, in Tokyo airport I definitely was discriminated against but that is a whole difference environment and would be dumb to try to base an entire populations opinion off of one experience.
Another update from the road, if anyone's interested in our progress! We're now in Vientiane, Laos. We had a whole month cycling through Thailand, taking it pretty slowly and enjoying the beaches and hills. We cut west from the Cambodia border along the coast to Bangkok. Then cycled north up to the Mekong River, which we followed for a few days to reach the border crossing into Laos. Awesome country friendly people, great food and cheap beer! Probably our favourite country so far, after Japan. I've been to Thailand a few times before, but on a bike you can see so much more and get away from the normal tourist spots. A few photos:
Hey! Another little update. We're still on the road, in China right now. We finished our time in SE Asia holiday with three weeks riding north through Laos. Beautiful scenery and mountains, but unfortunately we hit it during the smoky season, when the farmers are burning off their fields, so the sky was very hazy.
Now it feels like the adventure is really starting as we're back in China. We've been here almost two weeks, cycling north through the mountains of Yunnan, and into Sichuan by next week. Big mountains here, and lots of climbing. We're regularly up above 2,000 metres and then down into the deep valleys at around 500 metres. Exhausting, but lots of fun. The mountains we're heading in to further north from here are over 5,000 metres, even one peak (Konggar-shan) that's 7,556m which we'll pass very close to. Really exciting! A few photos Southern Yunnan
Wow this is inspiring, I'd love to do something like this in the future! I friend of mine cycled around the globe, took him 2.5 years - I'll be following the blog for sure!
flexpatternWow this is inspiring, I'd love to do something like this in the future! I friend of mine cycled around the globe, took him 2.5 years - I'll be following the blog for sure!
skiermanBike across America where a boat doesn't do half the work for you. Ugh this is like so totally sad.
Thank you. Great to have the skierman seal of approval.
Already covered more distance than the Trans-Am and we're not even halfway through China yet. It'll be a long while till we see the ocean or take a boat again.
User1Do you log your rides on strava? It would be cool to see your routes and progress
No, we don't use Strava. I'd love to see more stats for our rides in terms of elevation etc etc, but battery life is the problem. I have an old iPhone, so the battery drains quickly if I leave it tracking all day.
I do post a map on each blog update for our route and location. In terms of stats, usually it's 70-100km each day depending on terrain. Recently in the mountains is usually less. Average speed is pretty slow! Our bikes are heavy and we take lots of stops to look around, take photos and eat!
MagSevenNo, we don't use Strava. I'd love to see more stats for our rides in terms of elevation etc etc, but battery life is the problem. I have an old iPhone, so the battery drains quickly if I leave it tracking all day.
I do post a map on each blog update for our route and location. In terms of stats, usually it's 70-100km each day depending on terrain. Recently in the mountains is usually less. Average speed is pretty slow! Our bikes are heavy and we take lots of stops to look around, take photos and eat!
Yeah that makes sense about the phone battery, you could probably pick up a garmin 500 for about $200 if you really wanted to track it. I have one and it has lasted 16 hours on a single ride so I would definitely recommend it for long distance rides.
We're riding Surly Long Haul Truckers. Nothing too fancy, but simple and easy to fix/find parts, and comfortable riding for long distances.
Yeah, I definitely could be using a Garmin or GPS of some sort, but again, they need charging, and if we're camping for many days straight, we just don't have facility to charge too many gadgets. Navigation is mostly down to a good old map and compass, then turning on the phone and using Pocket Earth offline maps for finding our way into and out of big cities.
We're riding Surly Long Haul Truckers. Nothing too fancy, but simple and easy to fix/find parts, and comfortable riding for long distances.
Yeah, I definitely could be using a Garmin or GPS of some sort, but again, they need charging, and if we're camping for many days straight, we just don't have facility to charge too many gadgets. Navigation is mostly down to a good old map and compass, then turning on the phone and using Pocket Earth offline maps for finding our way into and out of big cities.
Hi again! We're in Urumqi now, in the far west of China. We've been passing through some pretty amazing areas, and lots of mountains. I figured NS likes mountains, so I'm posting some more pictures for those who are interested!
Huatou Jian. 4,791m
Dadu River Valley. Technically closed to foreigners....
We got caught, and were escorted out of the area by the police
Above the clouds on Emeishan
The western end of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan
Unknown mountain south of Jiayuguan, 5,000m +
And here's some pandas. Cos everyone loves pandas, right?!
MagSevenWe're riding Surly Long Haul Truckers. Nothing too fancy, but simple and easy to fix/find parts, and comfortable riding for long distances.
Yeah, I definitely could be using a Garmin or GPS of some sort, but again, they need charging, and if we're camping for many days straight, we just don't have facility to charge too many gadgets. Navigation is mostly down to a good old map and compass, then turning on the phone and using Pocket Earth offline maps for finding our way into and out of big cities.
Did you go 26 inch or 700c wheels? Always a tough call depending on where you're going. Truckers are the go to though! Nice photos, love touring.
will_powderDid you go 26 inch or 700c wheels? Always a tough call depending on where you're going. Truckers are the go to though! Nice photos, love touring.
Thanks! We went with 26ers, for the availability of spare tubes/tyres and durability on rougher terrain. So far haven't had any problems (knock on wood!) and the LHTs have been awesome.
MagSevenThanks! We went with 26ers, for the availability of spare tubes/tyres and durability on rougher terrain. So far haven't had any problems (knock on wood!) and the LHTs have been awesome.
FUCK, I fucking jinxed it. My rear rim cracked out in the middle of nowhere yesterday, 150km from the next big town. Had a very slow and nervous couple of days riding to get here. Luckily found a bike shop who had a 26inch/36 spoke rim and could replace it. Seems like quite a cheap Chinese rim, but it'll get me through the next few weeks till we get to a bigger city.
Very cool but I have a question. Sorry if this is too intrusive. How does one take this much time off from working? And did you have to have a ton of money saved?
proZachnot to be offensive, but how can you afford to do this? as awesome as it is (very lol), I always wonder how people plan and manage
BombogenesisVery cool but I have a question. Sorry if this is too intrusive. How does one take this much time off from working? And did you have to have a ton of money saved?
Thanks for the comments guys, really appreciate it.
No problem at all to ask about financial stuff - it's an obvious question! The main thing to realise is that travelling by bike is very inexpensive. Other than the initial set up costs, which are admittedly high, the day to day expenditure is minimal. We camp overnight, or stay in cheap guest houses usually less that 10 dollars. Then food, especially in Asia is very cheap. We carry a camping stove so can cook basic meals and make coffee etc.
Financially, yes we had to save. We were working in Japan for 5 years prior to setting off. We were English teachers and had our apartment rent subsidised, so basically everything we saved on that, went into the savings account for this big trip. For the last 2 years of working we were saving quite hard too. Luckily with our life in Japan, the cost of living (in Hokkaido, where we were) was low. We are comfortable enough from that to take a couple of years out and live off the money we saved.
There are other expenditures, like visas for some countries, or unexpected maintenance or repairs, but by sticking to a daily budget, which varies in each country, we can keep the spending under control.
We're both 34 by the way. Definitely a little older than your average NSer. Joined back in 2003, when I was still probably older than average!
Thanks again for following. We are crossing into Kazakhstan tomorrow. Here are a few photos from the last couple of days:
MagSevenThanks for the comments guys, really appreciate it.
No problem at all to ask about financial stuff - it's an obvious question! The main thing to realise is that travelling by bike is very inexpensive. Other than the initial set up costs, which are admittedly high, the day to day expenditure is minimal. We camp overnight, or stay in cheap guest houses usually less that 10 dollars. Then food, especially in Asia is very cheap. We carry a camping stove so can cook basic meals and make coffee etc.
Financially, yes we had to save. We were working in Japan for 5 years prior to setting off. We were English teachers and had our apartment rent subsidised, so basically everything we saved on that, went into the savings account for this big trip. For the last 2 years of working we were saving quite hard too. Luckily with our life in Japan, the cost of living (in Hokkaido, where we were) was low. We are comfortable enough from that to take a couple of years out and live off the money we saved.
There are other expenditures, like visas for some countries, or unexpected maintenance or repairs, but by sticking to a daily budget, which varies in each country, we can keep the spending under control.
We're both 34 by the way. Definitely a little older than your average NSer. Joined back in 2003, when I was still probably older than average!
Thanks again for following. We are crossing into Kazakhstan tomorrow. Here are a few photos from the last couple of days:
Now what do you expect to do when you finish? Do you plan to pick up teaching again immediately? Do you think it will be hard to break back into education?
I just got offered a middle school science job today :)
In China did you take care of the current area of residency deal there? I'm probably gonna go to hanzhou and Shanghai for a week or two and not really sure what the requirements are for the country, being apparent kind of somewhat strict.
BombogenesisNow what do you expect to do when you finish? Do you plan to pick up teaching again immediately? Do you think it will be hard to break back into education?
I just got offered a middle school science job today :)
Congrats!
I'm not sure what I'd do when we're done. The thought of working is kind of scary after almost a year off! Ideally I'd like to change direction and set up a travel company for people travelling to Hokkaido in Japan. We lived there five years and have a good knowledge of the place. It seems like I help out quite a lot of skiers from NS with info for their trips, and also cyclists via other sites. So I'd like to turn that into a business - winter skiing and then hiking and cycling tours in the summer. Easy to talk about, probably a lot harder to do for real, but I'd like to end up working for myself!
roddy116In China did you take care of the current area of residency deal there? I'm probably gonna go to hanzhou and Shanghai for a week or two and not really sure what the requirements are for the country, being apparent kind of somewhat strict.
You have, or will have a tourist visa I assume? If you're staying in hotels, you won't have a problem. The hotel will register you with the local Public Security Bureau automatically when you check in. So as long as you stay in a hotel within the first few days of arriving, you'll be registered and fine.
If you're staying with friends in private accommodation it is a little more complicated, you need to visit the PSB office yourself to register.
Some very cheap guesthouses etc, or hotels in the Tibet area or in the far West aren't licensed to accept foreign guests, but around Shanghai and the East, almost everywhere should be fine.