wiredonkey

Hi Fellow Cyclers My lovely blue Trek 7.2fx was stolen from my shed last week in Woodstock Cape Town. It is a unique bike because of it's light blue / turquoise frame with darker blue squiggle detail. I replaced the grips with turquoise rubber ones. It's a hybrid. Small frame with 700x32 wheels. I'm pretty sure this is the only one in SA so if you see one that fits this description, it's probably mine. My number is 0790752621, please give me a call if you see something, I really love this bike.

I'd suggest a GT avalanche 2.0 It's supposed to be a lekker entry level bike, but it's got some cool components and the hydraulic disc brakes gives you a bit more confidence on the drops. They go for about 5-7 grand. And gear schmear, I did a 3000km tour in the states with regular shorts and t-shirts, I only wore cycling pants underneath my shorts about every third day and I cycled in my birkinstock sandles most of the way. That was on tar tough, on mtb I just use takies with stiff soles and flat pedals. Get a good helmet and buy the rest of the stuff as you feel you need them. I'm not cycling competatively, so that might be the reason for my lack of gear, but neither will you in the first few months, so again, buy as you need it, you will also have a better idea of exactly what you want.

If you're thinking of buying a bike there, have a look at decathlon (www.decathlon.com) It's a French version of sportsmans warehouse, and they are all over Europe. They sell their own brands but the bikes are good value for money. We did a similar tour in Spain, carried all of our stuff in panniers and camped along the way. It's cheaper, you don't have to book and you decide how far you want to go everyday. There are mideaval towns troughout Spain and I'm sure Italy is the same - the towns are about 50kms from each other at the most. I'd decide on an area, fly into the hub of that area with all my stuff packed in "Nigerian Suitcases" (disposable zip up bags), buy the bike and panniers and do a loop back to that city. If you get an airline that takes bikes for free, you can even bring the bike back with you. Or advertise it on local craigslist/gumtree as soon as you get it and tell interested parties when it will be available. I would sugest a hybrid bike as you might do a bit of gravel road between towns. They have the same size wheel (700) but are wider and have a bit of grip. Good luck it will be awesome fun.

hey Hog any of those unused stems in the garage a 60mm? If so and you want to flog, PM me