🤭. Your Mad 😮. But so brave & courageous . But after stumbling upon you - this video - I gotta see what on earth drives you to do this Adventure. Why ? Because this is an exciting journey. Full of danger and challenges. Just stay safe.🙏
@VietPhan2 ай бұрын
Thank you. Its challenging to find a place to sleep with so much gear and a bike.
@alexandergutfeldt11442 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing! Much respect too! I've done quite a few alpine mountain passes on bicycle - I live in Switzerland - but only on standard size wheels. Much respect for your will and attitude! With a little fine-tuning of your gear and more experience in wild camping ( use the bike to pitch a tarp tent ) things will get easier! Just never underestimate the weather, hypothermia is always a risk when cycling at altitude.
@VietPhan2 ай бұрын
Thanks for tips. How do you anchor you bike to not fall over? Also realized it would be better to bring a down jacket even in hot summer. Btw, which swiss mountain pass are best ride?
@alexandergutfeldt11442 ай бұрын
@@VietPhan Look for the You Tube video *'8 Steps to the Ultimate Brompton Tarp Set Up'* by the channel 'Velo Works' for some general ideas how to do it. The key elements are guylines, tent stakes (4-6 light, but not too light) and choosing a suitable camp site. Away from the road, flat, not exposed to find/weather. I do my tarp camping with trekking poles, but the Brompton with rear wheel folded under and Saddle & Handlebars extended up should work well. Before I forget: Practice! Try your first pitch with time to spare!
@alexandergutfeldt11442 ай бұрын
@@VietPhan Swiss mountain pass: With the Brompton ( brake issues going downhill, lack of low gears going up) I would recommend not doing the higher/longer mountain passes ( St. Gotthard, Albula,Julier, Furka, Grimsel, Simplon, Gd. St Bernhard, Susten ) but instead go for Jaun (from the west only), Brünig, Schallenberg, Hauenstein. Maloja (coming from Italy) would be a treat). If you absolutely must consider the old Gotthard Road. Google for 'The old Tremola road to Gotthard Pass' Please note that I only mention the passes I've experienced ( car/bicycle ) myself, there are many more! Be prepared for night time temperatures below 2-10c once you go above 1'000m. Not recommended to spend a night on a mountain pass unless you have a good cold weather setup!
@VietPhan2 ай бұрын
Tarp setup looks solid, thanks for the tip. Have to buy extra tarp need one as ground sheet anyway. Sometime finding flat patch big enough for guyy lines is challenge on its own in urban areas. But will practice till its perfect!
@VietPhan2 ай бұрын
Thanks for the insights. There are 4 eurovelo routes going through Swiss, not sure which one has mountain pass, but will check it during planning.
@TiberiusWallace2 ай бұрын
You're wise to keep an eye on the rim temps. Bromptons add another level because on a large wheel bike you can let the tires down a bit and reinflate later but the pressure you need to put into a Brompton tire to top back up is an effort itself with a hand pump. It's better to just nurse it along.
@VietPhan2 ай бұрын
Would be fun rolling downhill, but maybe without all the bags :D
@alexmorgan34352 ай бұрын
Wow such a great ride. Don't worry about the chalet owner back on the Marmot. He sounds like a complete a-hole. He should have been friendly to you and offered you breakfast as you obviously had not wanted to stay at his place where you did and you are obviously a touring cyclist from overseas. In fact he should have done everything to see that you were comfortable and had food, water. He will have seen hundreds, no thousands of cyclists pass by his chalet. Most people would have been welcoming. He sounded like a very nasty person especially interrogating you whether you used his rubbish bin. What a dickhead. Decathlon do a very nice metal phone holder. IIrc it costs about 16€. This I got in Malaga, Spain as well last year and it is still going strong on my Brompton. It will fit an iPhone Pro Max, the big screen, but I have iPhone 12 Pro which fits fine. I also have a Quadlock now which is also good but I prefer the Decathlon aluminium phone holder. You should also get a couple of spare tubes so if you get another puncture all you have to do at the side of the road is change the tube. You can repair the holed one later at your leisure. Decathlon do 16" tubes for the Brompton as well. Oh and with fitting a 39T front chain ring to make climbing mountains alot easier the highest gear will spin out at about 25mph / 40kmh which is more than fast enough on the flat. Down hill you don't need to pedal. You lose the chain guard though, but this is no big deal. You are right, the Brompton is easy to take into shops, supermarkets in Spain had no problem me taking it in, big ones let me take it without taking everything off and folding it. No one is going to nick it as it is so unusual. People are mostly just curious and want to know about it. Well this is what I find. Might be a good idea to carry spare brake blocks as well if you are not already. The road along the coast from Monaco into Italy is very beautiful. There is a dedicated cycle track that I think goes as far as Savona maybe further along the coast. No traffic except other bicycles. I found France really expensive when I was there about 3 weeks ago having been in Spain before. Spain is a lot cheaper. Where are you planning to go after reaching Ventimiglia? Back into Italy, if so take the coast road or if France the coast road is also good. If you are feeling strong and would like to see more spectacular sights then you could head up to Castellane NW of Grasse in the hills which is the start of the Gorge de Verdon which is very beautiful. There is a good campsite at Castellan as well. Will you climb the Mont Ventoux on your Brompton? You could camp down below and ride up without your luggage and then back down. This would be super cool. Just a thought. Aix-en-Provence is very nice to ride through and the Luberon. Fair winds and sunshine to you.
@VietPhan2 ай бұрын
Thanks for the heads up. Meeting non-friendly people is part of the adventure. Speaking of phone holder, quadlock sounds perfect. I got used to having direct access to phone screen during the ride. You're right about the 39T chainring, I'll check on this. That coastal bike path from Monaco sounds incredible! My plan is to strictly follow velo 8 route, so who knows. Might need to check how far would detour be. Thanks again for all the fantastic recommendations and encouragement! Really appreciate you sharing your experiences!!!