RESEARCH AND REVIEWS

13/01/2012

What would we do without the internet???

And What would I do without Dave???

If not for both of the above I am not sure we would be where we are now in our preparations.

From day 1 – well maybe the day after Dave suggested cycling we googled cycle touring on the internet and haven’t stopped reading!

Dave has read forum after forum and review after review on every component of our bicycles and other gear, and as a result we believe we hope we have compiled the best equipment we can within our budget. We cannot say enough good things about all the people who willingly share all this information and are so happy to give advice and encouragement to those starting out.

Our guests from the ‘warm showers’ network have also been very informative and given us information and suggestions that will be invaluable on our travels.  ( More about Warm Showers on the Warm Showers page)

Another great source of inspiration more so than information has been the books we have read by several touring cyclists.  We tried to find cycle touring books in all the major bookshops in Australia but to no avail, but we were able to source several books on the internet and have spent many enjoyable hours immersed in the travels of others.

Another great source of information has been the many websites of touring cyclists, three of the main ones we have come across are ‘travellingtwo.com,’  ‘crazyguyonabike.com’ and 'touringpro.com'.  Friedel and Andrew from travelling two have a brilliant website with so much information and advice and they were one of the first people to offer us advice and friendship when we ventured onto a forum for advice.  Crazy Guy on  a Bike is a platform for cyclists to create a travel diary (much like this) and I have spent many hours being inspired by the stories I have read on this site, and Touring Pro has been just as helpful and entertaining with Darren Alf.

 You may gather from these ramblings that I have done all the inspiring research and Dave has done all the practical research, but I like to think there is merit in both.  Haha!!

To sum it up….If you are thinking of doing something similar, hit the internet and read!  There is just so much information out there and so many people to share information that you can’t have a better place for your research.  Cyclists are very gregarious people and love to share their passion with others.  Take advantage of this and maybe one day you can pass on your experiences with others – like we intend to do. 

There was once a film called ‘Pay it Forward’ We like to use this philosophy in our lives and accept help or advice when it is offered and give out the same whenever we can.