Fully revised and updated 3rd edition of the indispensable guide for anyone planning (or dreaming) about taking their bicycle on a long-distance adventure. This comprehensive guide will make that dream a reality whether its cycling from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, across Asia, around Australia or the length of Africa.
Contents includes:
Part 1: Planning and preparation: What kind of ride?
Seasons
Budget and time
Companions
Researching information
Documentation: Visas, Insurance, Money
Health
Part 2: Bikes, Clothing & Camping Gear: Narrowing down your bike choices
Frame material and component options
Top touring bikes
Comfort zone
Tools and spares
Carrying luggage - How much stuff?
Bikepacking setup
Clothing & Footwear
Camping: Tents, Sleeping bags, mats, stoves, treating water, kitchen essentials, & electronic devices
Part 3: On the road: Transporting your bike
Navigating
Staying in touch
Health & Hygiene
Staying Safe
Dirt-road riding
Part 4: Route Outlines: Europe to Asia & Australasia
Practical information and touring tips for:
Europe: Southern route through Turkey, Iran and Pakistan
Indian subcontinent
Caucasus
Central Asia: Northern route through Russia & Mongolia
East Asia
South East Asia
Australasia.
Part 5: Route Outlines: Africa
Practical information and touring tips for:
the Nile Route East and Southern Africa
the Sahara West and Central Africa.
Part 6: Route Outlines: The Americas
Practical information and touring tips for:
Pan-American Highway: Alaska to the Lower 48
Pacific Coast Route
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Mexico and Central America
Negotiating the Darien Gap
Riding the Andes: from Colombia to Patagonia
Part 7: Tales from the Saddle
Seven first-hand accounts of spoke-bending biking adventures worldwide.
Bicycle Maintenance Appendix: The Handbook contains 32 pages of colour including 28 photos and 2-page world map showing Highlights of the Adventure Cycle-Touring World; over 250 black and white photos and 7 regional route outline maps.
