The Book

Desert heat on the edge of the Sahara (image © Cass Gilbert)

Take the cycle trip of a lifetime

Touring by bicycle is fast becoming a popular option for the adventurous traveller who wants to escape the backpacker circuit and its long cramped bus rides. Expand your horizons with the Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook and turn your bicycle into a travelling machine capable of taking you on the trip of a lifetime – across a country, across a continent or even right around the world.

Practical information – How to plan and prepare for a long-distance trip – What to look for in a new bike and reviews of some of the world’s best touring- and trekking-bikes – Adapting a standard bike for the Big Ride – Choosing components, equipment for the road and review of camping gear – Health precautions, inoculations, visas, money and safety

Trans-continental route outlines Across Europe, Asia, Australasia, North and South America and Africa; recommended routes within countries and overland. Everything from popular routes eg India’s Leh-Manali Highway to lesser-known cycle-touring areas such as Madagascar.

Tales from the Saddle Ten first-hand accounts of spoke-bending biking adventures worldwide. Battling against the elements on epic journeys in Siberia, the Sahara, Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, Costa Rica, South America and many more. Plus the historic account of a cycle ride across Europe on a wooden-wheeled bicycle in 1929.

Use the navigation panel to the left of your screen to read some excerpts from the Adventure Cycle-touring Handbook.