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Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook: Worldwide Cycling Route & Planning Guide
Worldwide Cycling Route & Planning Guide
Every cyclist dreams of making the Big Trip, the Grand Cycle Tour abroad. The Adventure Cycling Handbook is the comprehensive manual that will make that dream a reality whether it’s riding the Karakoram Highway, cycling in Tibet or pedalling from Patagonia to Alaska. So whether you're planning your own Big Trip or just enjoy reading about other people's adventures, the Handbook is guaranteed to illuminate, entertain and above all, inspire.
Practical information – Which bike to take, Top ten internationally-available bikes, Setting up your bike for the Big Ride, Load carrying, Bike Equipment Checklist (Tools, Spares & Repairs), Clothing, Camping Gear , Health and Survival
Trans-continental route outlines – across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America.
Tales from the Saddle – first-hand accounts of spoke-bending biking adventures worldwide; battling against the elements on epic journeys. 10 new tales for this new edition.
Every cyclist dreams of making the Big Trip, the Grand Cycle Tour abroad. The Adventure Cycling Handbook is the comprehensive manual that will make that dream a reality whether it’s riding the Karakoram Highway, cycling in Tibet or pedalling from Patagonia to Alaska. So whether you're planning your own Big Trip or just enjoy reading about other people's adventures, the Handbook is guaranteed to illuminate, entertain and above all, inspire.
Practical information – Which bike to take, Top ten internationally-available bikes, Setting up your bike for the Big Ride, Load carrying, Bike Equipment Checklist (Tools, Spares & Repairs), Clothing, Camping Gear , Health and Survival
Trans-continental route outlines – across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America.
Tales from the Saddle – first-hand accounts of spoke-bending biking adventures worldwide; battling against the elements on epic journeys. 10 new tales for this new edition.
- GenresCyclingNonfictionTravel
312 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 17, 2012
I won a signed copy of this book when taking part in the 2nd Welsh Ride Thing a couple of years ago, donated to the organisers by the author Stephen Lord who had visited them in Wales only a few days earlier.
For someone whose adventure is limited to long weekends crossing the Marches of England and Wales, on a mountain bike, who has a young family and a busy job it's appeal might seem limited, and while I certainly haven't read it from cover to cover, it's full of information that is relevant to simpler trips as well as those with continental crossing aspirations.
The first of three sections gives you guidance into bike and equipment choices and setup, of course any author of guide books has to try to accomodate for as many levels of experience, enthusiasm and budget, and like many guide books there is plenty of information that may even grate against the readers personal preference or perceived wisdom, there is the notable ommission of any advice about truly lightweight "bikepacking" (see my own blog for some of my experiences with this), however Stephen does do a good job of covering off a comprehensive range of guidance topics with sufficient detail should the reader need it.
The bulk of the book is given over to route outlines, which cover the whole planet and while I can't vouch for the accuracy of the details the contributions for those who have been there and done it are fascinating and inspiring, clearly a book of this size can only really give you a taste of what to expect and encourage you to research further as your trip plans develop. The author has done a commendable job of collecting all on this information from a huge number of contributors.
Finally we have further annecdotes and stories from people, who unlike me, have planned and gone on a significant adventure, my favourite being by Tim Brewer who set off to ride to Australia from the UK, overweight and underprepared, after responding to a friend who asks "are you at least going to do some training?" with "what would training involve? cycling everyday?", arriving at his destination, over six months later he had lost 50kg of weight, which must have been a suprise for his girlfriend when they were reunited in Hong Kong.
All in all this is a pretty unique book, that attempts and I think succeeds in showing to the reader that with a bit of determination, enthusiasm and sense of adventure it is possible to ride a bike thousand of miles, visit amazing places, met diverse people and be welcomed into their communities. It wont be the only book you need to plan your trip, but it might be the only one you need to motivate you to go and take a trip.
For someone whose adventure is limited to long weekends crossing the Marches of England and Wales, on a mountain bike, who has a young family and a busy job it's appeal might seem limited, and while I certainly haven't read it from cover to cover, it's full of information that is relevant to simpler trips as well as those with continental crossing aspirations.
The first of three sections gives you guidance into bike and equipment choices and setup, of course any author of guide books has to try to accomodate for as many levels of experience, enthusiasm and budget, and like many guide books there is plenty of information that may even grate against the readers personal preference or perceived wisdom, there is the notable ommission of any advice about truly lightweight "bikepacking" (see my own blog for some of my experiences with this), however Stephen does do a good job of covering off a comprehensive range of guidance topics with sufficient detail should the reader need it.
The bulk of the book is given over to route outlines, which cover the whole planet and while I can't vouch for the accuracy of the details the contributions for those who have been there and done it are fascinating and inspiring, clearly a book of this size can only really give you a taste of what to expect and encourage you to research further as your trip plans develop. The author has done a commendable job of collecting all on this information from a huge number of contributors.
Finally we have further annecdotes and stories from people, who unlike me, have planned and gone on a significant adventure, my favourite being by Tim Brewer who set off to ride to Australia from the UK, overweight and underprepared, after responding to a friend who asks "are you at least going to do some training?" with "what would training involve? cycling everyday?", arriving at his destination, over six months later he had lost 50kg of weight, which must have been a suprise for his girlfriend when they were reunited in Hong Kong.
All in all this is a pretty unique book, that attempts and I think succeeds in showing to the reader that with a bit of determination, enthusiasm and sense of adventure it is possible to ride a bike thousand of miles, visit amazing places, met diverse people and be welcomed into their communities. It wont be the only book you need to plan your trip, but it might be the only one you need to motivate you to go and take a trip.
November 10, 2012
Stephen Lord's ADVENTURE CYCLE-TOURING HANDBOOK was originally published in 2006, but a second edition appeared in 2010 with substantial updates. It is a wide-ranging guide on how to travel the world by cycling. On one hand, it guides you through choosing a bicycle, comparing the many options in gear: steel versus aluminium frames, rim brakes versus disc brakes, the best tires and derailleurs, etc. He clarifies the mystery of how to eat and sleep on the road even when far from civilization. But the handbook goes further to present classic cycling routes, from Argentina to the Karakoram Highway. Of course, Stephen Lord hasn't seen it all himself, so he invited various prominent cycling bloggers to contribute chapters on individual geographic locales.
There is much useful guidance here and I'm happy I read this book as I prepare for cycle touring myself. However, I must note that no information in the book is exclusive, and you'll find all this and more in internet resources. There are myriad resources on the web for cycling around the world, from reviewing gear to discussing beautiful routes, how to put up a tent discretely and eat a good cyclists' diet from a camping stove.
I would thus recommend this book mainly to those who don't care to spend much time on the web, aren't good at gleaning tips from blog posts, are more comfortable with the paper format, etc. I should note, however, that anyone who is willing to forego internet research should also have a pretty large budget for this hobby, because they will miss moneysaving tips that can drastically reduce the cost of touring.
There is much useful guidance here and I'm happy I read this book as I prepare for cycle touring myself. However, I must note that no information in the book is exclusive, and you'll find all this and more in internet resources. There are myriad resources on the web for cycling around the world, from reviewing gear to discussing beautiful routes, how to put up a tent discretely and eat a good cyclists' diet from a camping stove.
I would thus recommend this book mainly to those who don't care to spend much time on the web, aren't good at gleaning tips from blog posts, are more comfortable with the paper format, etc. I should note, however, that anyone who is willing to forego internet research should also have a pretty large budget for this hobby, because they will miss moneysaving tips that can drastically reduce the cost of touring.
February 4, 2015
The book is the first of its kind, dealing with the practicalities of ‘adventure’ cycling — away from the cycle paths and long distance route networks of the developed world. It is a primer for a journey of any length in any imaginable region of the planet, from a few days to several years.
The best thing is that it doesn’t dictate to you what you should do. It’s a handbook, not a guidebook. It leaves the route and the way you approach it entirely up to you, and gives you just enough information to make it happen.
The best thing is that it doesn’t dictate to you what you should do. It’s a handbook, not a guidebook. It leaves the route and the way you approach it entirely up to you, and gives you just enough information to make it happen.
February 4, 2015
The book is the first of its kind, dealing with the practicalities of ‘adventure’ cycling — away from the cycle paths and long distance route networks of the developed world. It is a primer for a journey of any length in any imaginable region of the planet, from a few days to several years.
The best thing is that it doesn’t dictate to you what you should do. It’s a handbook, not a guidebook. It leaves the route and the way you approach it entirely up to you, and gives you just enough information to make it happen.
The best thing is that it doesn’t dictate to you what you should do. It’s a handbook, not a guidebook. It leaves the route and the way you approach it entirely up to you, and gives you just enough information to make it happen.
December 16, 2012
Great Book, tells you everything you need to know about long distance cycling, at least I think so.. My longest trip being less than 200 miles. The advice on Bikes, equipment, eating and minimising weight is invaluable and from my experience should not be ignored! some great travel stories in here too. Definitely worth reading, great resource to help you plan your trip!
August 10, 2016
A great book with everything that you need to know about cycle-touring, and travel basic in general. Every time that I thought that something else could be included, I'd turn the page and there it was.
November 5, 2007
I enjoyed this book. Currently I am looking into touring across the country and so have started doing some research and this was a great book giving me some awesome information and motivation.
July 28, 2008
The dream is still alive.
April 16, 2012
Great book for info and ideas!
January 15, 2015
Lots of useful information about gear, planning and routing. I especially enjoyed the brief rider profiles and the rider stories at the end of the book.
February 12, 2015
It did indeed make a dream become a reality. Excellent little book that helped me and my girlfriend realise that a proper little adventure was within our reach.
www.wecycletour.blogspot.com
www.wecycletour.blogspot.com
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews