Seeing the sights when on tour

[salar55]

Why do we go touring, its for scenery like this. Bariloche the revolving restaurant, probably one of the better eating places for the views. 

[grams]

Must be a great view of someone stealing your panniers from up there.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I was thinking it must be great for pretending you're in a Bond movie!

[Lightning Phil]

Wait till he hits the Golden Gate Bridge ...

[salar55]

I was thinking it must be great for pretending you're in a Bond movie!

Does that only happen if touring in the UK, only one fuel bottle stolen over the years.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I was thinking it must be great for pretending you're in a Bond movie!

Does that only happen if touring in the UK, only one fuel bottle stolen over the years.

I think you've quoted the wrong post there!

Relevant to the one you probably meant to answer:

Must be a great view of someone stealing your panniers from up there.

it's never happened to me but I heard of a bloke who had his entire luggage (but not the bike) stolen overnight at a campsite somewhere in Austria.

[salar55]

Yes wrong quote. Locking up a bike sends out two messages, one this is valuable and the other is this person thinks everyone is a thief. Never take panniers, bike etc thats brand new. Thats another indication of this person is rich.

[grams]

My comment was somewhat facetious as I've always viewed visiting indoor places while touring as a bit of a non-starter without the aid of a hotel or equivalent, unless you're travelling light enough to take it in.

Do people really leave loaded touring bikes unattended?

[Kim]

Only usually when popping into a shop or having a civilised piss.  You don't get much choice when travelling solo.

I've occasionally been offered the use of a staff-only area to leave my bike at touristy things.

[mattc]

My comment was somewhat facetious as I've always viewed visiting indoor places while touring as a bit of a non-starter without the aid of a hotel or equivalent, unless you're travelling light enough to take it in.

Do people really leave loaded touring bikes unattended?

Ditto. Unless the place is deserted (if it's off-season, and pi55ing down, it could be the perfect shelter!).

This is why I'm sceptical that touring should involve a lot of stopping and looking at things. I'd rather be riding, and stopping for brief gawps at well-earned views. Of course a lot of people accuse me of dashing about (even when I'm genuinely poootling, not bashing out 300km/day!)

[salar55]

The sights can be natural ones as well. The bikes were left at the bottom, the cable car ticket office people kept an eye on them.

[Pickled Onion]

It does seem to be a UK thing. When abroad everyone seems to leave all their stuffs on their bikes when they go for a wander round the sights. In the Uk I've had saddles nicked, even a cheap plastic one while in Sainsbury's for 10 minutes, tyres slashed, and even a frame bent.

I stayed in Switzerland on what was basically a council estate (Switzerland is ridiculously expensive) with drunken chavs wandering through all night. The host told me not to bring the bike inside (which I ignored once he'd left) and pointed at a bike parking area with one of those curly wheel bender stand things. There were a number of mid-priced bikes in it with cheap locks through the quick-release front wheel. They were all still there in the morning.

On another occasion I stayed in Greece. The hotel owner said "Just leave it there, against the wall, it will still be there tomorrow". I am 100% sure that was true, nothing else was locked up and was all untouched the next day, though I insisted he open the garage for me.

[salar55]

Some treking in the park near El Chalten,bikes and gear in a nice camping in village centre. Los Glaciares National Park.

[Lightning Phil]

Fitzroy in background. Nice rock climbing there as well.

[salar55]

Yes  Popular with the climbers. If you want good deals on 2nd hand climbing gear a lot of the climbers sell off gear, saves taking stuff back.

[Lightning Phil]

Yes  Popular with the climbers. If you want good deals on 2nd hand climbing gear a lot of the climbers sell off gear, saves taking stuff back.

I don’t need any more climbing gear. More than enough acquired over the years and filling up a spare bedroom 

[salar55]

 In Argentina entering the National Parks are free, and just as good as the Chilean ones. Think its just the Perito Moreno Glacier south of El Calafate that needs a ticket , but that includes a bus to the glacier.

[Lightning Phil]

In Argentina entering the National Parks are free, and just as good as the Chilean ones. Think its just the Perito Moreno Glacier south of El Calafate that needs a ticket , but that includes a bus to the glacier.

Yes, I have spent a few months in Argentina and other countries of South America during my travels round the world.😀 Torres del Paine on Chilean side of Patagonia you paid a nominal entry fee.  Not much to a westerner.

[salar55]

Yes Its about 70 us dollars for 2 to enter. Prices are the same for day trippers or staying for days in the park.  If you are up very early and enter before the park staff are up its free . A couple of American cyclists said they made it tho coming from the south.

[Lightning Phil]

Yes Its about 70 us dollars for 2 to enter. Prices are the same for day trippers or staying for days in the park.  If you are up very early and enter before the park staff are up its free . A couple of American cyclists said they made it tho coming from the south.

That’s a lot more than it was 20 years ago. Just checked, it was $5

[salar55]

Yes  Its gone up we had 2 summers up in the golden triangle, SW Bolivia, northern Chile and Argentina in 97/98. Never paid for the parks in the Altiplano or Salars. The Carretera Austral is being turned into tarmac and Chilean patagonia is being prompted big time. You must have had a real frontier experience in the south 20 years ago. Not long until half of Santiago goes south on holiday , the days of a jeep, couple of spare tyres and jerry cans of fuel are gone.

[salar55]

 Where are all the touring cyclists ?  Fiesta San Pedro de Atacama, dumped the bikes and watched for a few hours. Touring is good when you have no schedule    .

[nobby]

It does seem to be a UK thing. When abroad everyone seems to leave all their stuffs on their bikes when they go for a wander round the sights. In the Uk I've had saddles nicked, even a cheap plastic one while in Sainsbury's for 10 minutes, tyres slashed, and even a frame bent.

I stayed in Switzerland on what was basically a council estate (Switzerland is ridiculously expensive) with drunken chavs wandering through all night. The host told me not to bring the bike inside (which I ignored once he'd left) and pointed at a bike parking area with one of those curly wheel bender stand things. There were a number of mid-priced bikes in it with cheap locks through the quick-release front wheel. They were all still there in the morning.

On another occasion I stayed in Greece. The hotel owner said "Just leave it there, against the wall, it will still be there tomorrow". I am 100% sure that was true, nothing else was locked up and was all untouched the next day, though I insisted he open the garage for me.

Didn't Chris Bell have his panniers stolen in Italy?
The one held all his cancer drugs and after an appeal was returned the following day, but not the other pannier. He was doing a charity ride for children's cancer treatment

[salar55]

Here is another roadblock town , its fiesta/carnival time. The crowds are in town for the Christians and Moors.

[Lightning Phil]

Yes  Its gone up we had 2 summers up in the golden triangle, SW Bolivia, northern Chile and Argentina in 97/98. Never paid for the parks in the Altiplano or Salars. The Carretera Austral is being turned into tarmac and Chilean patagonia is being prompted big time. You must have had a real frontier experience in the south 20 years ago. Not long until half of Santiago goes south on holiday , the days of a jeep, couple of spare tyres and jerry cans of fuel are gone.

I hear that the road to Everest base camp in Tibet is now also tarmac.  There goes some of the best gravel roads and river wading from when I rode there on a mtb bike.