Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

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rifraf
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby rifraf » Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:10 pm

Aushiker wrote:Hi

You might want to check out Book Depository as their prices are often very good. They also offer free postage to Australia.

Andrew
I ordered two books from these guys on the 19th of Sept and they arrived safely today on the 5th of October.
I make that two weeks and two days from start to finish which isn't bad especially for free delivery.
I'm happy and will definitely be using them again.
Thanks again for the tip.
Cheers
Aidan :)
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby Aushiker » Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:47 pm

Just a heads-up but if anyone is chasing a copy of Cycling Outback Australia! - Cairns-Darwin-Perth one has popped up on eBay.

Andrew

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WarrenH
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby WarrenH » Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:36 am

If you like off-road touring in New south Wales, I think a bit of useful reading is;

The Bicycle and the Bush, by Jim Fitzpatrick, Hesperian Press, to remind us that what we are doing nowadays, was done far more intrepidly back in the 1890s.

Wild Places by Peter Prineus and Henry Gold, Kalianna Press. Thoughtfully compiled. The original 1984 edition has large maps, the later edition is a good read with updated wilderness regions but the maps are smaller. Ebay for the original edition.

New South Wales Rainforests: The Nomination for the World Heritage List, NSW NP&WS, to help understand what is special about NSW and not often considered. From Parks and Wildlife web bookshop.

The Bicentennial National Trail Guide Books covering the trail from Killarney on the Qld Border to Tom Groggin on the Victorian Border. BNT Association web shop.

A new booklet that I have recently obtained is, Bird Trails of the Riverina and the South West Slopes of New south Wales. Available by request from the Visitor Information Centres in the region. Well worth a look. Not just about birds. Full of GPS coordinates.

The Long Paddock: A Directory of the Travelling Stock Routes and Reserves of New South Wales. Available from NSW Primary Industries bookshop. Over 3000 of the best free camping sites in rural NSW and along the Great Divide are listed.

... and before you buy the topos of NSW, do research with SIX Map, lots of good tools. SIX Map is still in the Beta stage, but hopefully it will be fully up to speed by the end of November ... http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The best prep is knowing where to go, firstly.

Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

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rifraf
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby rifraf » Sun Sep 30, 2018 11:50 pm

il padrone wrote:Andrew Bains' book "Headwinds" is a very humorous read about two newbies setting off to tour around Australia.... the wrong way!

Kate Leeming did a lot of remote touring in her book "Out There and Back"

For a web-guide to touring remote areas of Australia have a look at Bicycle Fish
I'd forgotten about this old thread but some recent reading triggered my synapses to recalling it.

I picked up a copy of Kates "Out There and Back" a while ago and was curious about her trek across Russia that she touches upon in the introduction of her book.
I spotted her touring companion Gregory Yeoman had written a book on the trip
"Riding into the Sunrise: Recollections of a bicycle journey across Russia" which I found a reasonable yarn.

Thought I'd bounce this thread to see what had come up to others attention from 2012 when this thread was started.
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rifraf
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby rifraf » Sun Sep 30, 2018 11:59 pm

il padrone wrote:

The average travelling cyclist won't get much joy out of cycling the Hay Plains after all :wink:

Image
A particular low point of my trip from Mudgee NSW to WA was the Hay Pains where long stretches were only managed in the lowest of gears due to severe headwinds which seemed endless and ongoing for many days.
Quite a few days I gave up seeking any headway and spent in my tent awaiting a lull.
Not sweet reminiscence, although you need some less favourable days to give some appreciation of the good ones.
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redned
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby redned » Wed Oct 24, 2018 2:56 pm

rifraf wrote:I picked up a copy of Kates "Out There and Back" a while ago and was curious about her trek across Russia that she touches upon in the introduction of her book.
I spotted her touring companion Gregory Yeoman had written a book on the trip
"Riding into the Sunrise: Recollections of a bicycle journey across Russia" which I found a reasonable yarn.

Thought I'd bounce this thread to see what had come up to others attention from 2012 when this thread was started.
I also read Kate's book and was curious about the Russia trip, having been to remote parts of Russia quite a few times (not cycling).

On Russia, I don't think you can go past "Off the Rails" by Tim Cope and Chris Hatherly, where they cycled recumbents from the border with Finland to Beijing. Unsponsored, unsupported. There is a pretty amateur documentary that they made that I have caught bits of on SBS a couple of times, but I have never seen the complete program.

Tim Cope was also part of an amazing trip down the Yenisei river from Mongolia to the Arctic circle through Lake Baikal ("Five Months in a Leaky Boat") and also a solo horse journey from Mongolia to Hungary. He is quite the adventurer.

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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby brumby33 » Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:20 pm

G'day rifraf,

the other night I thought I'd have a look see into the Amazon AU site just to see what's available after all the retail hoohaaa on telly about how they're going to take over etc.....anyway, I thought i'd check out the book section and typed in bicycle Touring....I was amazed about the amount of books I've never heard of and seen before and some were just recently published.
One i'm thinking of buying is a story about how a group of senior blokes who lived in South Africa thought they'd do a ride following the danube river to Hungary...none of them have ridden since their youth.... I could read a small kindle sample to get the gist of it...looks like a very comical trip with those old codgers.

Theres lots of other bicycle touring related books on the Amazon AU site as well......worth checking out!!

Cheers

brumby33
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tmac100
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby tmac100 » Thu Oct 25, 2018 3:35 am

rifraf wrote:
Aushiker wrote:
rifraf wrote:Hi everyone,
just wanted suggestions for recommended reading for Australian cycle touring.
I've got so far "Cycling Outback Australia" which is a guide for a Cairns - Darwin - Perth route written by
Craig Bagnall and Nikki Brown.
No suggestions but interested in your thoughts on this book as long-term considering a Perth - Darwin ride and debating with myself as to go via the interior or the more coastal route.

Andrew
Hi Andrew
For someone like myself who has little long tour experience in Aus it appears very comprehensive indeed.
...
I read it in the previous decade, and had some correspondence with author Nikki, about error-issues (around 2006). I was a real greenhorn about bicycle touring in OZ then, and now with more tours behind me, I think the book is still a great intro. But I suggest that you read travel journeys on https://www.crazyguyonabike.com for more recent info...

Happy travels in Australia. FWIW, I return (from Qatar) in June for more (unsupported) travel on my trusty touring bike that is residing/resting in Gippsland.

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rifraf
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby rifraf » Fri Oct 26, 2018 3:43 pm

brumby33 wrote:G'day rifraf,

the other night I thought I'd have a look see into the Amazon AU site just to see what's available after all the retail hoohaaa on telly about how they're going to take over etc.....anyway, I thought i'd check out the book section and typed in bicycle Touring....I was amazed about the amount of books I've never heard of and seen before and some were just recently published.
One i'm thinking of buying is a story about how a group of senior blokes who lived in South Africa thought they'd do a ride following the danube river to Hungary...none of them have ridden since their youth.... I could read a small kindle sample to get the gist of it...looks like a very comical trip with those old codgers.

Theres lots of other bicycle touring related books on the Amazon AU site as well......worth checking out!!

Cheers

brumby33
G'day Brumby33,
any book you find that you consider purchasing, is well worth looking on the booko.com.au as well as eBay to see if it is available cheaper.

I've found a few books lately I spotted had both availability and cheaper prices on booko and also an awareness that bookdepository often has 10% off codes as well as free shipping.

But I agree and thank you for the reminder that Amazon is a site often overlooked.
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rifraf
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby rifraf » Fri Oct 26, 2018 3:52 pm

redned wrote:
rifraf wrote:I picked up a copy of Kates "Out There and Back" a while ago and was curious about her trek across Russia that she touches upon in the introduction of her book.
I spotted her touring companion Gregory Yeoman had written a book on the trip
"Riding into the Sunrise: Recollections of a bicycle journey across Russia" which I found a reasonable yarn.

Thought I'd bounce this thread to see what had come up to others attention from 2012 when this thread was started.
I also read Kate's book and was curious about the Russia trip, having been to remote parts of Russia quite a few times (not cycling).

On Russia, I don't think you can go past "Off the Rails" by Tim Cope and Chris Hatherly, where they cycled recumbents from the border with Finland to Beijing. Unsponsored, unsupported. There is a pretty amateur documentary that they made that I have caught bits of on SBS a couple of times, but I have never seen the complete program.

Tim Cope was also part of an amazing trip down the Yenisei river from Mongolia to the Arctic circle through Lake Baikal ("Five Months in a Leaky Boat") and also a solo horse journey from Mongolia to Hungary. He is quite the adventurer.
G'day Redned,
lucky you!!! (having been to Russia).
Its definitely on my bucket list to pay a visit there one day.
I'm of an age where it was once inconceivable as a travel destination for the average Joe.
The intro to Kates book certainly wet my appetite to learn more, hence my grabbing Gregory Yeomans book on the journey.
Thank you for the suggestions and i will look into Tim Cope and Chris Hatherlys travels.
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rifraf
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby rifraf » Fri Oct 26, 2018 4:10 pm

tmac100 wrote: I read it in the previous decade, and had some correspondence with author Nikki, about error-issues (around 2006). I was a real greenhorn about bicycle touring in OZ then, and now with more tours behind me, I think the book is still a great intro. But I suggest that you read travel journeys on https://www.crazyguyonabike.com for more recent info...

Happy travels in Australia. FWIW, I return (from Qatar) in June for more (unsupported) travel on my trusty touring bike that is residing/resting in Gippsland.
G'day Tmac100,

This was an old thread I threw up back in 2012.
I still read and thought it might be worth a bump for others considering taking to the pedals to explore Australia (and even elsewhere).
It was reading one of the mentioned books that reminded me of the old thread and I decided that giving it a bump couldn't hurt and might inspire people to either read, always a good thing in my opinion, and maybe ride.

The CGOAB site has been around for some time now and I think I came across it first around the same time as this thread from a post from RonK, but its a good idea of yours to mention it for the benefit of newcomers to the ranks perusing the threads.

Since that time (2012) I think the site has shifted providers, if that's the right word, and the search engine has never been the same since.
(Thats no a complaint about all of Christophers hard work, merely an acknowledgement of our present reality)

I look forward to reading of your next touring in June.

Happy Spinning
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby brumby33 » Fri Oct 26, 2018 4:24 pm

Another 2 Books for cycling Preparation that I had purchased over the past 12 Months and I find are brilliant in their content and from both very experienced Bicycle Tourers.

1/ Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook by Neil & Harriet Pike 3rd edition 2015
Worldwide Cycling and planning guide.
I find this book great with up to date info in regards to equipment and so forth....it's a regular read that i find myself drifting on with the fairies dreaming about riding my bike in some overseas Oasis :lol:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Adventur ... 1905864683

2/ Bicycle Touring Blueprint - Bicycle Touring Pro Darrin Alff
Darren is a young guy from Southern California who has forged out a lifestyle of Touring around the world, making videos and teaching other people how to do their dream bicycle Tour. He has well over 200 videos on Youtube, written books on Cycling in Winter, Touring Bicycles, Stretching etc as well as his 400 page text book. He covers Fully Guided Tours, Self Guided Tours, Credit card Tours and fully loaded touring as well. He has Toured over 70 Countries and many of those he's done 2-4 times Criss Crossing to different areas.
https://bicycletouringpro.com/dont-buy- ... blueprint/

Bit of a tongue in cheek write up from Darren but yeah he'd got a lot of content in those 400 pages.

Anyway....so far that's what i have.

Cheers

brumby33
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John Lewis
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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby John Lewis » Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:03 pm

You can buy Tim Cope's Off the Rails book or DVD from his site.

http://www.timcopejourneys.com/

I bought both and found them interesting and enjoyable.

Andrew and Joanne Hooker also have a couple of interesting reads.
Seem to be here on this link these days

http://2wander-yonder.com/2wy-journals.html

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Re: Recommended Reading (Touring Preperation)

Postby tmac100 » Sat Oct 27, 2018 8:02 am

In 2006, in a campsite in Booroloola, I met a Taswegian by the name of Andrew who was bicycling around Australia pulling a BOB trailer. He eventually completed the trip. Andrew made some interesting "detours" via Kalgoorlie, Laverton, Warburton, Giles, and Uluru....

I have tried to get a copy of the book that he apparently wrote, but not yet..

Suggestions as to getting a copy of Andrew's book?

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