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Bike packing advice
Hi
Planning a fairly relaxed cycle tour starting in Italy and Slovenia with a train to Thessalonikki to a friends wedding then back through Italy. I was trying not to have to dissassemble bike but feel it can't be avoided.
Can get to start of cycle - Venice - on Eurostar and Italian trains without disassembling my bike and the end leg Brindisi to Rome will also allow for fully assembled bike on a train back to UK from Rome.
However, the train to Thesalonikki from ljubljana will require I dissasemble it and put it into a luggage bag.
Issue is finding a light weight bike bag which I can use as luggage bag and wont take too much space whist touring the rest of the time. Or hedge bets and try to find bike bag / cardboard box in Ljubjlana so can discard it in thessalonikki?
How would you approach this?
Cheers
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14 comments
You need to find out what their definition of a luggage bag is, if it's a standard luggage bag used by people to put clothes into then a bike won't fit in it, if it can be put into a bike box that would be idea because once your done using the box you can throw it away. Most bike shops will give you a box for free, if you want to buy something as a good will gesture that's fine, especially if they hold a box for you.
Anyway you need to contact the train people and find out exactly what they mean by luggage so you figure out your options.
A few years back I cycled from Udine into and around Italy. I really recommend the Soca Valley, it was stunningly beautiful. Tolmin was a fantastic town and a great play to stay is tourist farm Pri Kafolu.
Regarding a bike bag/box; I bought a cheap bag on gumtree for the flight out (gifted it to guard on the train to Udine) and I emailed a bike shop in Ljubljana asking for a cardboard bike box (having looked at the map, I'm sure it was Mlađenović Servis). They glady obliged and on the walk back to the hotel I passed the market near the dragon bridge and got a load of leftover fruit box packing to cram in the box with the bike.
Have a great trip.
Maybe try these guys; http://www.cu-ljubljana.com/index.php high end store just outside of Ljubljana. They should be able to save you a bike box for a small instore spend
I would be also be happy to hear any suggestions for good route maps for Italy and Europe. Has anyone done any of the self guided tours and managed to keep the maps and route descriptions?
most countries have some form of national mapping agency that issues good quality maps. The best scales for cycling are 1:100k or 1:200k.
Stanfords is the place to buy maps from pretty much any country.
http://www.stanfords.co.uk/browse-by-destination
I also recommend a Garmin GPS device (I use an eTrex Touch 35) with the City Navigator Europe map on a mini SD card.
something like this?
https://www.evanscycles.com/tifosi-lightweight-unpadded-bike-bag-0010365...
That's exactly what I had found. Just wasn't sure how much space it would take up folded down. Currently on Shetland so would have to order it to find out.
Also wasn't sure whether to to chance my arm and plan to buy one similar to this in Ljubljana to save carrying it up to that point.
Looks a bit heavy at 2.48 kg for carrying around on a bike.
I was looking at doing something similar, we are going on a Venice to Porec cycling holiday, can you take your bikes on the Eurostar fairly hassle-free?
From what I can see the eurostar crossing as long as you book your bike in you can take in assembled. And the Italian trains also allow this.
Great, cheers Hazelnuts I will look into this!
the Eurodespwtch service works quote well. The secret is to get the bike onto an earlier train than the one you are taking, somthat it will be ready and waiting for you when you get to Paris. Somif you're getting an earlyish train, take it to Eurodespatch the evening before, if you can.
As for the bag, I would find a way to make use of poste restante. Buy the bag over here and either send it yourself or have someone else send it so you can pick it up from the PO at Ljubljana or wherever. Arrange to have it arrive there well before you need it, but within the time poste restante items are held, generally 2-4 weeks. Alternatively arrange to have it sent to your hotel.
https://www.seat61.com/bike-by-train.htm#Italy
This website is great. Does actually look like I need to dismamtle my bike for Italy.