cycling across India . . .
cycling across India . . .
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khushy

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

248 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
starting to think about cycling across India - c3 weeks full on cycling - taking my own bicycle - sometime in 2012! During the 3 week trip I am also hoping to meet up and join in with some Indian Roller Speed-Skaters too :-) for a bit more fun!

Have many friends in India incl our adopted family who will be the "support vehicle" (tut tut Taxi Rickshaw LOL) for the whole 3 week ride.

khushy

sinizter

3,348 posts

215 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
Interesting ... Good luck

What is the intended route ?

khushy

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

248 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
starting @ Delhi or Shimla + 1000 miles - going south through Jaipur etc etc

sinizter

3,348 posts

215 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
Make sure you keep us up to date with pics, etc.

ndg

582 posts

266 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
Working in India at the moment - make sure you take care in the towns!

What bike are you planning on riding? A pukka road bike would probably be too fragile for the roads round here (Pune)

N.

jas xjr

11,309 posts

268 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
khushy said:
starting @ Delhi or Shimla + 1000 miles - going south through Jaipur etc etc
I know a very nice family in shimla should you need any help or support .
Shimla would be a good place to start as you would just free wheel down for a few miles. The weather would be more comfortable too

sjg

7,675 posts

294 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
quotequote all
I read this guy's book recently: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Youve-Gone-This-Time-ebook... (it's hopefully still a freebie on Kindle, which you can read on PC if you don't have a reader) - he rode from London to India and a good chunk of the book covers the last bit in India. Worth a read.

Nearly 50 a miles a day might be pushing it though, especially if you want to stay away from the chaos of the busy highways. Heading south and west to the Gujarat coast would be a really nice trip though.

Rocksteadyeddie

7,971 posts

256 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
What a brilliant idea. I'd love to do that. Make sure your bike is steel framed and everything as basic as possible to maximise the chance of getting repairs / spares. The last thing you want is electric gears and nano-gram wheels when you have a mechanical in rural India. You can always find a man with a welding torch and a hammer though.

khushy

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

248 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
sjg said:
I read this guy's book recently: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Youve-Gone-This-Time-ebook... (it's hopefully still a freebie on Kindle, which you can read on PC if you don't have a reader) - he rode from London to India and a good chunk of the book covers the last bit in India. Worth a read.

Nearly 50 a miles a day might be pushing it though, especially if you want to stay away from the chaos of the busy highways. Heading south and west to the Gujarat coast would be a really nice trip though.
cheers for the book-heads-up I am reading it NOW!

I believe that 50 a day is achievable - but the point is not the distance - its the journey for me.

Having travelled and worked in India a lot - I have a pretty good idea of what to expect and how hard it will be so am under no illusions!

khushy

khushy

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

248 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
ndg said:
Working in India at the moment - make sure you take care in the towns!

What bike are you planning on riding? A pukka road bike would probably be too fragile for the roads round here (Pune)

N.
I would love to take my beloved Peugeot racing bike - but I will probably source a steely before I go - still a racing theme as thats the whole point - India on a race-bike :-)

khushy

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

248 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
jas xjr said:
I know a very nice family in shimla should you need any help or support .
Shimla would be a good place to start as you would just free wheel down for a few miles. The weather would be more comfortable too
Family in Shimla would be FABTASTIC - we have some family slightly further south - all the way to Delhi and then onto Jaipur - so someone we know wont be too far away :-)

jas xjr

11,309 posts

268 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
Even if you just join them for a meal they would love it.
Just post on this thread when you are going and I will get in touch with them and let you have their number.

Dudd

963 posts

221 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
khushy said:
starting to think about cycling across India - c3 weeks full on cycling - taking my own bicycle - sometime in 2012! During the 3 week trip I am also hoping to meet up and join in with some Indian Roller Speed-Skaters too :-) for a bit more fun!

Have many friends in India incl our adopted family who will be the "support vehicle" (tut tut Taxi Rickshaw LOL) for the whole 3 week ride.

khushy
Sounds like a lot of fun. I'd love to do something like this. I love stupid things like this, I did the Mongol Rally 09, John O'Groats - Lands End cycle '10 and in Feb I'm off to Siberia to ride a motorbike and sidecar across the frozen river Ob.

What sort of budget are you thinking? Are you camping or hotels? Lone rider or as a group?

swiftpete

1,894 posts

222 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
I think it'd be an awesome holiday. I haven't cycled around, but I spent a couple of weeks in india motorbiking around and it was brilliant.

khushy

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

248 months

Wednesday 24th August 2011
quotequote all
Dudd said:
Sounds like a lot of fun. I'd love to do something like this. I love stupid things like this, I did the Mongol Rally 09, John O'Groats - Lands End cycle '10 and in Feb I'm off to Siberia to ride a motorbike and sidecar across the frozen river Ob.

What sort of budget are you thinking? Are you camping or hotels? Lone rider or as a group?
Lone Rider (although there is no such thing as ALONE in India!

My lovely (and very forgiving) wife will be on hand to meet me en-route and ride along for a while + I have lots of people willing to help - might try and generate a Forest Gump style ride-a-long if I can.

No Budget - wont cost anything really - just travel & food - accomodation will be given freely :-)

But will be aiming to do it for a cause (of some kind)