Advice

I cycle a lot and had only just got my bike serviced at Balfe's Bikes in Notting Hill.

I had purchased my bike from Evans Cycles in Kings Cross due in large part to the awesome advice and service from the manager there, Barry. As luck would have it, Barry had moved over to Balfe's when Evans went into administration and I remembered that he went on quite a few cycle tours himself, so thought I would shoot over and pick his brains on all aspects of cycle touring. After about an hour, I came away with a list of items I would need to buy; with each item, the idea of my trip became more real.

The whole subject of kit is a bit of a nightmare, tbh. A lot of blogs start off saying that you need to find the kit that suits you as everyone is different. Which doesn't really help a complete newbie now does it? I mean, I have to start somewhere right. One thing for sure is that I will need panniers, handlebar bags and maybe some frame bags whilst I'm at it. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that the brand Ortleib are the way to go. Almost everything I read comes back to them, so I go ahead and order a complete set of everything. Good God, they are expensive. Gulp.

Still not exactly sure of the route though. I have been checking out some YouTube videos and liked the idea of following both the Rhine and the Danube to the Black Sea, chucking a right and heading down it's coast to Istanbul. However Covid is a big factor, so gonna have to be flexible.