LINKS

Directories of biking travelogues
www.trentobike.org	Trento Bike is a searchable index of 1125 (and counting) cycling tour reports covering just about every country of the globe.

www.crazyguyonabike.com	Crazyguyonabike is more or less the centre of the universe for the cycle touring community on the web. It has 1593 on-line journals and articles, as well as product reviews and a forum.

www.raph.nl.com	Travel to the Horizon has links to 365 reports.

Some favourite travelogues
www.mark-ju.net	Mark and Ju MacLean's 24,000km trip from the UK to Australia. Full of useful gear lists, technical notes, feedback on how kit performed, country reports and some very idiosyncratic bits of homemade electronic gear.

www3.utsidan.se/corax-e	Janne Corax has done some epic trips in through Tibet, Central Asia, the Middle East and South America. Lots of practical advice.

www.dani-on-tour.ch	Great photos and text from Dani's journey from Switzerland to Tibet (done on a 700c Aluminium tourer).

www.betzgi.ch	The reason Switzerland is empty is they have all gone biking, Beat Heim is another very inspiring Swiss cyclist. Lots of useful info from his tours in Tibet, Ladakh, South America...

Long Link	Grace Johnson and Paul Jeurissen's site contains some really beautiful images of cycle touring. Warning - viewing this site may cause very itchy feet.

www.silkwheels.com	Simon Stewart's excellent site is the first place to check out if you are planning a trip to South East Asia.

www.timbarnes.ndo.co.uk	Travelogues and photos from some bloke and his wife who have done a couple of tours.

Cycling forums
www.cyclechat,co,uk/forums	The Cycle Chat forum is a lively and very helpful resource. The "Tour and Expedition" branch is good for feedback on UK bikes and products, and european tours, but not quite so good for further afield. The "Know How" branch is very good for technical assistance.

www.thorntree.lonelyplanet.com	The "On Yer Bike" branch of Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum is very good for information on far away places. If you want to know the road conditions in Patagonia or where to find a bike shop in Lhasa, this is the place to post your question. Don't ask "Which are the best panniers?"

www.bikeforums.net	Advertising laden, but active and helpful american orientated forum.

www.rad-forum.de	This German forum as an international bicycle travel section in english. Useful for tapping into continental expertise.

Technical
www.sheldonbrown.com	Alas, he is no longer with us, but If you have a technical query, Sheldon Brown's site still is the best place to start and a fitting memorial to a great bicycle man.

www.ctc.org.co.uk	Chris Juden of the CTC vs Sheldon Brown - it would be too close to call!

www.parktool.com	A pretty comprehensive and professional guide to bike servicing tasks. Tends to assume you have a workshop full of specialist tools (not surprising given they are a tool supplier), but a useful reference resource.

Internet retailers
www.chainreactioncycles.com	Based in Northern Ireland, Chain Reaction Cycles has established a good reputation based on wide stock, competitive prices, quick delivery and outstanding customer Service.

www.sjscyles.co.uk	St Johns Street Cycles, sister company to Thorn Cyles, is one of the few bike shops that really understands the needs of adventure cyclists. Good stock and good service. They are also used to sending stuff to cyclists marooned in faraway places.

www.wiggle.co.uk	Another good internet retailer

www.cyclebasket.com	Cycle basket are a small outfit in Crickhowell, but they were the only place that could supply me a spare pump washer for a long trip.

General
www.cyclinglinks.co.uk	Exactly what it says on the tin. Hundreds of links to bike shops, manufacturers, organisations, travelogues....

www.cycletourer.co.uk	A good quality helpful site, lots of tips and useful links.

www.fullyloadedtouring.com	Lots of pictures of fully loaded bikes - good for seeing the range of bikes people are touring on and the gear they are using.
www.warmshowers.org	Warmshowesr is a great idea - a network of people who are willing offer a bed or a place to pitch a tent, and a hot shower to touring cyclists. It gets very good feedback from both hosts and guests.

Book List
Travels With Rosinante Bernard Magnouloux, Grafton	Impressive and inspiring round the world journey on very basic bike. An enjoyable read.

Full Tilt Dervla Murphy, Flamingo	A classic account of a solo journey from Dunkirk to Delhi. Dervla's first, and in my opinion, best book.

The Trial to Titicaca Rupert Attlee, Summersdale	Enjoyable account of three lads pedalling from Tierra del Fuego to Lake Titicaca to raise money for charity.

The Wind in My Wheels Josie Dew, Warner Books	If you are going to read one of Josie Dew's seven books I'd make it this one.

Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook Stephen Lord, Trailblazer Guides	A comprehensive guide to adventure cycling. Lots of practical information and stories from long-distance cyclists.

Copyright © Tim Barnes 2007

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