Julia, Thanks for your suggestions, this is just the sort of practical help I need. Tramlines I hate and rail tracks when wet - bad experience in Dunkerque when visiting time trials for Tour de France. I know this sounds daft but midges/mosquitoes were annoying and unpleasant when I crossed the Ijsselmer dam 2 yrs ago, am I going to ride into clouds of them?
Is there anything that you can suggest to alleviate the problem?
What temperature/weather can I expect in June?
Are the Fins good at speaking english? Regards Chris
"JBB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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"Tumbleweed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
>Hi, >I'm thinking of cycling in Finland this June. >On what I've been told are winter ski tracks used as summer cycle >routes. More or less flat. Tempera to Helsinki. I've decided on taking >a Dawes Sardar for it which I have not yet bought. I will need to cover >120 miles in 2 days. My questions are: >1/ Is the bike a good choice for this? >2/ will this bike be fast enough to cover the distance without a >struggle? Only carrying 3 days change of clothes. >3/ Do any Sardar owners have any upgrades to suggest for the bike? >Most grateful fore early replies >Chris
Only time I picked up a Dawes Sardar I thought it was very heavy. If its just for a 2 day event could you rent something locally?
-- Tumbleweed
email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com
I've only ridden a bike in Helsinki itself - just look out for the tramlines! Drivers are generally more tolerant than here and rush-hour lasts about 20 minutes. The ski-tracks I have seen are generally a loose surface and would in my opinion need a widish tyre (so the Sardar is OK here) as we had trouble with a pushchair at times. If it was me I'd use the tracks to get out of Helsinki then the roads. You do not need to use highway 3 as there is a parallel route to the east.There is no comparison with English A roads; I have driven from Helsinki to Turku in August and feel you would have no problem on the tarmac. Personally if I were doing 60 miles a day I would want to use the road rather than soft stuff. Also refreshment is pretty scarce so stock up when you find it and of course midges can/will be a problem. Other than that your choice of bike is OK, a bit more "expedition" than I would use for this trip but it all depends on your overall cycling plans. Any more queries I'll try and help.
Julia
and for the weather. I was in Lapland in June and we had wall to wall sunshine, even at night ;-), however in midwinter it was quite different.
Fins are generally excellent at English. I have been to Finland several times, Helsinki and Lapland and found very few people who do not speak English. As always its appreciated if you make an effort with the basic hello and thank you etc in their language.
I find Finnish b**tard hard. They seem to change the *nouns* based on context, and have about 12 tenses in regular use.
Let me dredge my memory, er, "Kiitos" = "Thank you", er, "kippis" = "cheers"...
I was taught a Finnish drinking song once. It goes like this:
and for the weather. I was in Lapland in June and we had wall to wall sunshine, even at night ;-), however in midwinter it was quite different.
A friend said it would be a good idea to take a blanket to use as a curtain as the Fins don't use thick curtains - is this a joke? More weight to add to my bike? Chris
"MSeries" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Chris Nowak said:
Hi, I'm thinking of cycling in Finland this June. On what I've been told are winter ski tracks used as summer cycle routes. More or less flat. Tempera to Helsinki. I've decided on taking a Dawes Sardar for it which I have not yet bought. I will need to cover 120 miles in 2 days. My questions are: 1/ Is the bike a good choice for this? 2/ will this bike be fast enough to cover the distance without a struggle? Only carrying 3 days change of clothes. 3/ Do any Sardar owners have any upgrades to suggest for the bike? Most grateful fore early replies Chris
The bike itself will not be fast enough for 60 miles in a day without a struggle. You need to make sure that you are fit enough to achieve your target. 60 miles in day should not be too much of a challenge for a reasonably fit rider. For my first tour I planned about 40 miles per day and had them done by lunchtime leaving plenty of time for long lunches and lounging around.
I think you're being a bit of a pessimist here 60 miles a day is doable if you start reasonably early and keep pedalling steadily - Finland is fairly flat; I think Chris will be fairly bored by the scenery after 3 days and probably fairly tired but a lot depends on his level of fitness and enthusiasm. Additionally he's not carrying much and he won't run out of daylight although as I've suggested earlier 60 miles a day on softish tracks is not something I'd relish.
and for the weather. I was in Lapland in June and we had wall to wall sunshine, even at night ;-), however in midwinter it was quite different.
A friend said it would be a good idea to take a blanket to use as a curtain as the Fins don't use thick curtains - is this a joke? More weight to add to my bike? Chris
I remember staying in a YH close to the Artic Circle a few days after the Summer solstice. It was college/uni that was used as a YH in the summer. I remember turning in at around 11:30pm with the sun streaming through the thin curtains, I didn't realise this was a national trend. Small eye shields like one gets for aircraft sleeping would be lighter (pun intended) than a blanket.
Hi, I'm thinking of cycling in Finland this June. On what I've been told are winter ski tracks used as summer cycle routes. More or less flat. Tempera to Helsinki. I've decided on taking a Dawes Sardar for it which I have not yet bought. I will need to cover 120 miles in 2 days. My questions are: 1/ Is the bike a good choice for this?
The bike itself will not be fast enough for 60 miles in a day without a struggle.
My daughter has a Sardar and regularly covers 60 miles in a day _easily_. At 14 she rode it for the LEJOG complete with camping equipment. http://www.jpbdesign.net/EndtoEnd.html
The only upgrades that have been made are spds and a computer.
It is an excellent bike and would have thought it ideal for the riding suggested.
"Chris Nowak" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, I'm thinking of cycling in Finland this June. On what I've been told are winter ski tracks used as summer cycle routes. More or less flat. Tempera to Helsinki. I've decided on taking a Dawes Sardar for it which I have not yet bought. I will need to cover 120 miles in 2 days. My questions are: 1/ Is the bike a good choice for this? 2/ will this bike be fast enough to cover the distance without a struggle? Only carrying 3 days change of clothes. 3/ Do any Sardar owners have any upgrades to suggest for the bike? Most grateful fore early replies Chris
4/One more question - does anyone know the prevailing winds in Tempera - Helsinki region?
I was taught a Finnish drinking song once. It goes like this:
"Now!"
That's the long version then ;-)
Two Finns go out for a drink. Three days later they are still sat at the bar drinking in silence when one says to the other "Do you think we should get something to eat?" "Did we come here to drink or to talk?" growled the other. (Told to me by a good Finnish friend)
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Chris Nowak said:
4/One more question - does anyone know the prevailing winds in Tempera - Helsinki region?
Headwinds.
Its a basic law of cycling :-(
John B
Laugh - good one. You just remind me of a ride from Dunkirk to Poperinge - headwind all the way. In the depths of the countryside our spirits were a bit low, feeling the strain and unsure if we were on the right road. When a farmer cycled from a field on one of those sit-up-and-beg dutch bikes just in front of us. We flash passed him on our racing bikes and spanking new MTB's only for him to overtake us a couple of minutes later and disappear into the distance in wellies and all! Even the youngest and fittest couldn't catch him. I was amazed - our spirit sank even further. I still laugh about it all these years on. Chris
My daughter has a Sardar and regularly covers 60 miles in a day _easily_. At 14 she rode it for the LEJOG complete with camping equipment. http://www.jpbdesign.net/EndtoEnd.html
The only upgrades that have been made are spds and a computer.
It is an excellent bike and would have thought it ideal for the riding suggested.
John B
Glad you said that - I've just ordered one from the bike shed. Thanks Chris
The bike itself will not be fast enough for 60 miles in a day without a struggle.
B'ah, it's the rider!
60 miles on tarmac will probably take between 5-6 hours for someone not used to riding long distances. 10-12 mph is a proper trundly speed and can be kept up all day, on any bike, with the rider in any state[1].
[1] Er, hopefully. I'm carrying out a small experiment to test this. Will report back in a new thread tomorrow evening.
"Mark Thompson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
The bike itself will not be fast enough for 60 miles in a day without a struggle.
B'ah, it's the rider!
60 miles on tarmac will probably take between 5-6 hours for someone not used to riding long distances. 10-12 mph is a proper trundly speed and can be kept up all day, on any bike, with the rider in any state[1].
[1] Er, hopefully. I'm carrying out a small experiment to test this. Will report back in a new thread tomorrow evening.
60 miles on tarmac will probably take between 5-6 hours for someone not used to riding long distances. 10-12 mph is a proper trundly speed and can be kept up all day, on any bike, with the rider in any state[1].
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
MSeries said:
Chris Nowak said:
Hi, I'm thinking of cycling in Finland this June. On what I've been told are winter ski tracks used as summer cycle routes. More or less flat. Tempera to Helsinki. I've decided on taking a Dawes Sardar for it which I have not yet bought. I will need to cover 120 miles in 2 days. My questions are: 1/ Is the bike a good choice for this?
The bike itself will not be fast enough for 60 miles in a day without a struggle.
My daughter has a Sardar and regularly covers 60 miles in a day _easily_. At 14 she rode it for the LEJOG complete with camping equipment. http://www.jpbdesign.net/EndtoEnd.html
The only upgrades that have been made are spds and a computer.
It is an excellent bike and would have thought it ideal for the riding suggested.
John B
I enjoyed your website on the trip. Very impressive feat Chris
