Envisageant un périple en Asie mais ne souhaitant utiliser nos vélos que dans la première partie de notre voyage, à savoir jusqu'en Chine (poursuivant vers Inde, Népal... par les transports en communs), je cherche des infos sur les possibilités de rapatriement de nos montures (4 vélos dont un tandem vraisemblablement) vers la France : fret aérien, maritime ? J'aimerais surtout avoir une idée des tarifs auxquels il faut s'attendre, les délais n'ayant aucune importance . Merci
Ne compte pas envoyer tes vélos par le fret aérien ou alors ça va te coûter la peau des fesses et celle de chamois.
Le coût du "colis" est proportionnel au poids MAIS les transporteurs tiennent compte également du volume. Or, nos vélos, mine de rien, occupent un certain espace. Du coup, le prix gonfle énormément. Bref, il vaut mieux envoyer ses sacoches que ses vélos.
Reste aussi le problème de l'enregistrement en Chine. Et de la réception du "colis" en France. Quand nous avons réceptionné nos bagages en Argentine, ce fut long et un peu compliqué... Après cette expérience, nous avons définitivement renoncé au fret aérien.
J'ose penser que cela doit être moins onéreux avec le bateau...
Réponse partielle et pas totalement dans le sujet relatant mon expérience :
1) Renvoi de vélo par frêt aérien depuis le Népal :
Nous avons opté pour le service "airport to airport" qui implique d'aller réceptionner la caisse à l'aéroport de destination. C'est moins cher que le frêt "door to door" mais avec la contrainte d'avoir qq'un sur place. A savoir :
- il faut passer par un intermédiaire (il y en a plein à Kathmandu, il doit y en avoir dans les grandes villes chinoises, le pb étant de trouver sans parler la langue... Dans les grandes villes chinoises un peu touristiques, les guesthouses doivent pouvoir vous aider)
- les tarifs indiqués dépendent à la fois du poids et du volume (c'est le plus avantageux pour la société d'expédition qui est pris en compte), et de la destination (c'est moins cher pour les grands aéroports, plus cher pour les destinations plus "exotiques" comme Brest ou Genève 😛 ). Les vélos doivent être mis dans des caisses en bois et pas dans des cartons (une vingtaine d'€ de confection + c'est plus lourd).
- les tarifs n'incluent pas les frais de retrait (me souviens plus du nom précis, c'est ce que fait payer l'organisme qui se charge de débarquer la caisse de l'avion et de faire les formalités administratives à l'arrivée)
- le colis est conservé 24 ou 48h gratuitement, au-delà, ça coûte très cher par journée supplémentaire, donc mieux vaut avoir qq'un sur place disponible pour aller récupérer le colis à l'aéroport.
De mémoire, ça a dû coûter autour de 400 ou 500€ tout compris (sauf l'A/R sur Satolas) pour 1 vélo + 1 tricycle couché + un peu de barda (caisse de 70 kg au total), je peux te retrouver les tarifs plus précis si ça t'intéresse vraiment.
2) Expédition de colis depuis la Chine :
A la poste à Kashgar, il fallait apporter les affaires telles quelles pour inspection. Après accord, la poste fournit un carton à la bonne taille, il faut le remplir sur place, faire les papiers de douane et payer. Tout n'est pas accepté (je voulais renvoyer un netbook HS pour le SAV, ils n'ont jamais voulu, pas de matériel électronique). Pour des vélos, il faudrait les démonter avant pour qu'ils rentrent dans les cartons proposés. Mais évidemment, ya intérêt à vérifier avant s'ils acceptent bien les pièces métalliques. J'ai déjà lu sur thorntree que des gens avait renvoyé comme ça des vélos (démontés) vers le Royaume-Uni. Vaut sans doute mieux le faire depuis les grandes villes.
Vous pensez rejoindre comment le Népal ? Par le Tibet ? Dans ce cas, ça vaut vraiment le coup de garder vos vélos (non-démontés) au moins jusqu'à Kathmandu, c'est facile de les expédier depuis là-bas. Pas de pb dans le train vers Lhasa. Ensuite si vous prenez une jeep Lhasa-KTM, vous pouvez les attacher sur le toit, et descendre avec depuis la Lalung La (5000m, dernier col du parcours si je ne dis pas de bêtises) jusqu'à KTM (la plus longue descente du monde !).
Une autre solution si vos vélos ne sont pas des trucs haut de gamme que vous souhaitez ramener en France : les revendre sur place (il y a des sites d'annonces en anglais dans certaines grandes villes, comme à chengdu par ex).
L'an dernier, lors de mon voyage à vélo, j'avais du bazar à envoyer en passant à Kunming .En cherchant autre chose, j'ai craqué pour un Dahon 26' pliant...un vélo ne suffit pas...
L'envoi simple (à la poste) par voie terrestre ne fut pas évident, mais uniquement possible à cause de ses faibles dimensions:
- Poids max 30kg
- Longueur+2x la Largeur+2x l'épaisseur doit être inférieur ou égal à 300(le tout en cm)
Les cartons disponibles à la poste ne conviennent pas: il faut en dégotter ailleurs...
16 kg ont couté 34€ et ça a mis 2,5 mois
Bref, votre cas s'en éloigne assez (tandem et vélos classiques). Si c'est possible, je vous conseille l'achat sur place des vélos classiques: on trouve de la bonne qualité dans les grandes villes. N'attendez donc rien de "low-cost"et tenez compte des risques de déterioration et de déformation.
Pensez au risque de dédouanement d'office: évitez les objets neufs sans facture européenne...l’État a besoin d'argent...
Autre piste en changeant votre itinéraire: rentrez par le Transsibérien en accompagnant vos bagages.
Crains qu'un jour un train ne t'émeuve plus...
Guillaume Apollinaire
Hi there,
I’ve been road cycling for several years, and I’m about to switch to gravel in the next few days—I’m waiting for my bike, which should arrive this week.
I’m planning a bikepacking trip in a few weeks along the Véloroute V81, also known as the Vélosud, from Biarritz to Le Barcarès.
Has anyone here already done this route? Any info is welcome, whether it’s about the route itself, gear, or accommodation. I’ll prioritize staying with locals as much as possible. On that note, I just signed up for the brand-new site *Guidon et Couette* ((www.guidon-et-couette.fr)), which offers free accommodation between cyclists across the country, but there’s almost no one listed along my route!
Thanks in advance.
Laurent.
I'm developing a free and open-source web app for planning walking and cycling trips (and even car trips). You can create a route by clicking directly on the map to add waypoints, and it can consist of multiple stages. The app provides tools to edit the stages and the overall route, and to display useful information (distances, altitudes, and elevation changes). A relief profile can be shown as a graph for a specific stage or the entire route.
Once the route is ready, it can be exported as a GPX file, which can then be used with a GPS or a mobile navigation app.
The app is built in JavaScript and runs entirely in the web browser. It uses the Leaflet library and several OpenStreetMap-based services. Initially developed for my personal needs (I enjoy hiking and cycle touring), I’d be happy to share it with anyone who might find it useful. It’s free to use, doesn’t require an account, and the source code is available.
Après l’avoir tester 3 ans sur plusieurs moyens de transport, je partage cette vidéo d’un emballage vélo. Il est en carton de recyclage et filmé, modulable en épaisseur et ajout de papier bulle selon la protection souhaitée.
La pose d’entretoises à la fourche et haubans rend l’emballage compact. Avec la quinzaine d’ €uros d’un filmage en aérogare, cet emballage voyage très bien.
https://youtu.be/_GDJi-GqmkM
- Faible encombrement (1,10mx 0.70mx 0.25m pour un grand cadre) , il tient verticalement dans les compartiment à bagage des trains et la taille totale x+y+z ne dépasse pas 2,40m.
- 2 solutions de portage pour les déplacements en transports en commun et manutention aisée par les agents aéroportuaire (il n’y a plus d’ouvertures dans le carton qui se déchirent).
- Emballage discret quand il s’agit du bon vouloir des chauffeurs de bus et contrôleurs de train car il a l’aspect d’un colis ordinaire.
-Plus d’obligation de retour au point de départ pour retrouver le carton du voyage aller qu’il a bien fallut stocker quelque part ou d’une housse encombrante à ranger dans ses sacoches
- le contrôle de la pression des pneus à travers le film plastique sans trop abimer l’emballage reste possible
Inconvénients : Environ 3 h pour ce travail long et méticuleux, démontage des roues, pédalier, guidon et dérailleur sans déréglage puis fixation de tous les composants au cadre.
Si vous avez l’occasion de le tester, retournez-moi vos commentaires pour de futures améliorations.
I’ve got my flight ticket sorted—departing in mid-November and returning in mid-March. I’ll arrive in Santiago and leave from Buenos Aires.
I’ve already been to southern Argentina, specifically Torres del Paine National Park, and I’d love to go back to do the full W trek (I only did the shorter version last time).
I also want to do some hiking and maybe even tackle a summit. I climb and occasionally do some mountaineering, so I’ll definitely be going with a guide.
I plan to start around Temuco in Chile, with the idea of heading toward the lakes, then taking the Carretera Austral.
I’m not sure if I’ll go all the way to Ushuaia—it’s supposed to not be *that* worth it, except for the bragging rights of saying you’ve been to the end of the world.
I saw there are lakes in Argentina too.
I don’t have a precise itinerary, but what I’d love is, once I reach the southernmost point of my trip, to take a mini-cruise to see some wildlife. Any tips for that?
What kind of sleeping bag did you take? Is a 0°C (32°F) one enough?
And one last question: white gas stove or can I get by with my gas stove?
Hi there, I’m planning a cross-Canada bike trip, and I’ve got a question that might seem silly, but could someone tell me how to pack a bike (in a box, with a fragile sticker... I don’t know) for a flight? Thanks in advance!
This summer, we’re planning to cycle along the EV 19 that follows the Meuse River from Langres all the way to Rotterdam.
My question is about getting back to Nantes.
Do any of you know what the best return option might be? I’d love to hear about your experiences.
I saw that FlixBus doesn’t take bikes.
By train, I think it’s possible but would involve multiple local trains.
We were also wondering if there’s a boat from Rotterdam to Saint-Nazaire that could take passengers with bikes.
Any tips or experiences you can share would be really helpful—thanks in advance!
Have a great evening
I’ve gotten used to crossing Europe by bus to return by bike.
It was really convenient to take the bike without having to disassemble it.
But FlixBus no longer accepts bikes...
What alternatives do you know about?
Thanks.
Hi there,
I’m planning to ride the Dutch section of the EuroVelo 19, from Maastricht to Rotterdam.
Since it’s too complicated to bring my bike on the train, I’m looking to rent one locally.
I’d love any tips or bike rental shop recommendations—I’m struggling to find options even in Rotterdam.
The plan is to rent in Rotterdam, take the train to Maastricht with the bike, then cycle back to Rotterdam.
Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!
Nath
I’m planning to cycle from Morlaix to Brest (via Roscoff and the V45 coastal route). We’ll start riding on August 16th for 13 days (with stops for island visits, surfing, etc.). Is there a lot of traffic at this time of year? I’ve got two kids, 11 and 13, and we don’t like riding in the middle of cars (we’ve already done the Vélomaritime—Caen to Cherbourg—the Loire route from Orléans to Saumur, the Vélodyssée from Nantes to Royans, and the canals like the Nivernais and Bourgogne, where there were plenty of bike-only lanes, which isn’t the case on this route).
Thanks for your help if you’ve already done this route in late August!
Virginie
I’m planning to build a new touring bike.
I want to prioritize lightness.
That said, I’m tempted by a suspension fork that could offer some comfort on rougher roads.
The recent appearance of gravel suspension forks on the market might meet my needs—at least on paper.
I’m particularly considering the RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR fork.
Unlike MTB forks, its travel is short: either 30 mm or 40 mm.
It weighs 1400 g, which is 400/500 g more than a steel fork.
Any thoughts or real-world feedback on this?
I’m also wondering about the durability of magnesium (lower leg) for long-distance bike touring.
And what’s the impact of skipping the manufacturer-recommended maintenance every 50 and 200 hours? That’s bound to happen on a long trip unless you carry extra gear.
More generally, how reliable are these kinds of forks?
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share with you the incredible feat my friend José, who’s 72 years old, is currently undertaking. He left Auterive near Toulouse on Monday, May 18, 2026, on his non-electric bike, heading for the North Cape in Norway!
You can follow his route on the link below—he’s currently in Sweden:
https://thierry-thomas.travelmap.net/jose-de-toulouse-a-nord-cap-2026
You can zoom in on the map and click on each stopover town to see the photos
I’m making an exception and creating a separate post this time, since it’s all about France. In May, we spent a week in Provence, specifically in the Luberon, exploring the cycling routes *Autour du Luberon à Vélo*, the *Véloroute du Calavon* (part of EuroVelo 8), and the shorter *Les Ocres à Vélo* route. Together, they gave us an amazing journey through rolling hills, vineyards, lavender fields still green in spring, and some of the most stunning landscapes in southern France.
It was, of course, the perched villages that impressed us the most. We visited Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lacoste, Lourmarin, Ménerbes, Oppède-le-Vieux, Cucuron, and Lauris. Many of them are among the most beautiful villages in Provence, and it’s hard not to agree with that reputation.
One interesting point is the route of EuroVelo 8 in this part of the region. The official path mainly follows the old railway line of the *Véloroute du Calavon*, which is very comfortable and safe. But in our opinion, cyclists traveling EuroVelo 8 around the Mediterranean would discover even more treasures if the route passed through villages like Bonnieux, Lacoste, or Oppède-le-Vieux.
We were also pleasantly surprised by how safe cycling felt. Most of the route takes small local roads, but traffic is light, drivers are respectful, and road design really takes cyclists into account. It’s one of those places where you can ride peacefully even without separated bike lanes.
Our full story:
Around Luberon by bicycle - the most beautiful villages of Provence
You can also find all our cycling travel stories on the forum:
Cycling Thread - Europe’s most beautiful bike routes
Hi there, we’re a group of 4 cyclists looking to get from Treviso in Italy to Munich with our 4 non-folding bikes. It seems complicated! Are there any solutions? Thanks so much.
hello fellow cycling enthusiasts
here’s a travel journal of the cycling tour through the Rhône-Alpes Auvergne region by Claudio
zouli
it was the plan
http://cbandiera.free.fr/parcours/auvergne-Ralpes/
the trip was completed
story being posted online soon
1100 km in 11 days
beautiful and varied regions
Hi there, we’re planning a Munich to Venice bike trip at the end of June 2026. Getting back from Venice to Toulouse by train with 4 bikes isn’t straightforward. What return options have others who’ve done this trip chosen? Any tips or great deals would be much appreciated. Thanks a bunch! !
Hi everyone,
Happy owner of a Pegasus Estremo bike with a Rohloff hub, which is giving me trouble with the SF11-NCX-FT-E-LITE 700C TS 300/0 fork (serial number TD01329060). It’s starting to show its age, and I’d like to repair it to extend the life of my beloved bike.
The suspension is gone, and there’s an oil leak from the seals.
Does anyone know how to repair it? Where can I find parts that are about fifteen years old? Or where to find an identical replacement fork? Just to clarify, the Magura HS11 brakes are mounted using Firm Tech, meaning they’re on pivots behind the fork, facing the frame.
Hi, I'd like to know if anyone has done this route recently or has reliable info.
Does the track exist, and most importantly, is there sand (for biking)?
Any info is welcome.
Cheers,
diego ambilobe: mangaoka, manondro, ramena
vohemar sambava: masondrono, tanambao
Hi there,
New to bike touring,
I’d love to start with a section of the Via Rhona to explore and share (route to be decided).
Looking forward to exchanging tips!
I’m landing in Madagascar with a buddy before the end of April 2026. We’re planning to bike around for about twenty days or so. We don’t have a specific goal other than exploring the country and meeting the locals.
Ideally, we’d prefer a loop route starting from Antananarivo with a good chunk of it along the coast. On the bike side, we’re used to riding 6 to 8 hours a day, depending on the needs, encounters, and mood 😉 Any feedback or tips from trips around this length?
A big thank you to Lazarou for all the info you share in this forum!
I'm passionate about Morocco, which I cycled through back in 2009.
Last year, my wife and I explored the High Atlas by tandem. Completely smitten, we're heading back in April (Anti Atlas) and May (High and Middle Atlas), still on our tandem.
Do you have any info on the track between Amezri and Ali Ait Nito? Are the river crossings in the Tessaout still there? It's not easy to navigate with a loaded tandem... especially if the river level is high due to this year's heavy snowmelt!
Thanks in advance for any tips you might have, and best wishes for health in this new year!
Claudio specializes in the route of the Savoie lakes
Here are his travels
Between Bornes, Chartreuse, the Savoie foothills, and Dauphiné
Five lakes: Léman, Annecy, Paladru, Aiguebelette, Bourget, not to mention a few ponds along the way
Plenty of accommodation options: camping, hotels, and more...
A lovely route not far from his place
Rural and quite peaceful
A road cycling route created by Serge B...
First of all... happy New Year! Wishing you great roads in 2017!
I’ve been traveling for a few years now with a high-quality mountain bike, but it’s equipped with hydraulic disc brakes. I live (pedal) with the constant worry of a breakdown (leak, air bubble, heat causing the fluid to...). My bike mechanic tells me it’s impossible to switch them out for V-brakes.
What do you all think? Am I taking a big risk continuing (alone) with these brakes? Thanks in advance for your great tips!
First post here to share a quick recap of our west-to-east bike trip along Algeria’s coast in January 2025.
It was just the two of us—my partner and I—with French passports and not a word of Arabic. No friends or welcoming hosts in the country.
Under those conditions, we’d strongly advise against going.
Our original plan was to follow the coast from Algiers to Tunis. We ended up cycling from Algiers to Béjaia, then took the train from Béjaia to Annaba (with a stop in Constantine), and finally biked to the border.
We were tailed by police the whole way—whether on our bikes, on the train, or even on foot while exploring towns. On top of that, we couldn’t wild camp and were limited to the few state-approved hotels that accept foreigners. Under those circumstances, connecting with locals was especially tough.
With such an omnipresent and intrusive police presence, we’d definitely recommend against this destination for bike touring. A really sad situation that completely cuts you off from the local population...
We’d been warned, we went to check it out, and we weren’t disappointed!
Hi there,
I’m planning the route to cycle from Lille to Nordkapp with my partner.
Duration: 3 months, from May 1st to July 31st, 2026.
In the attached details below, I need to add some "non-riding" days (rest days, basically).
So I’m looking to "shorten" the trip by taking ferries or trains for some stretches. Which areas could I skip?
Thanks in advance for your great tips.
Have a good evening.
https://www.komoot.com/fr-fr/collection/4023980/-lille-cap-nord-1er-mai-au-31-juillet-2026?ref=collection
I’m planning to bike back from Poland this summer. Does anyone know a way to ship it there without having to take it apart? Otherwise, it’s a real hassle to fine-tune all the settings before departure!
Thanks in advance.
Hi, has anyone recently bought Primus or Butagaz gas, possibly puncture-style, in Dubrovnik or the surrounding area? Same question for Albania... thanks. aichatou
