First Europe trip - advice on everything please!

[D_redd]

Hello, it's me!

A friend and I are in the 'first thoughts' stages of our first Europe trip as we both hit a significant birthday this year. We are aiming to get the trip organised for July. I'll be honest, we've been really crap at organizing anything between us in the past, not even managing a proper day ride out together, although we've done plenty of riding between us. Gaining knowledge was my main motivation for joining BCF with the hope to meet people for rides/days out too.

Having read a good few threads with peoples' experiences I stumbled upon this thread yesterday

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=278369

This looks like it was made to measure for the sort of experience we are aiming to have, less the agro with the satnav. I'm not sure about hitting that sort of mileage, but this trip seemed to have a bit of everything and the scenery and destinations look perfect.

We are both starting from scratch. I have a bike, a Suzuki GSXR750, but I can't see myself bearing that for the mileage. My friend sold his Gixer 1000 end of last year. At the moment he's looking at Blackbird/Busa type bikes whereas I have kind of latched on to the Triumph Sprint ST1050 as my choice - good reviews, enough grunt, fairly upright position but still looks sporty and the panniers look like they suit the bike.

So I'm looking for any advice/opinions about everything, including choice of bike. I'm pretty sure we can fit all we need in the panniers of the bike. We need to get kit though, including satnav (recommendations?), textiles (or leathers or kevlar jeans?). We both have helmets and gloves, although I know my gloves are not waterproof from experience (Alpine Stars GP Plus). I have two piece leathers, but am happy to go textile route for easy/comfort/waterproofing and my Alpine Stars boots are not waterproof either!

I realise everyone will have their own personal experiences of gear, but I'd rather not buy and have to replace because of bad choice the first time round.

Please join in with any tips!

Thank you for reading.
Matt

[rubyhorse2]

satnav - Zumo 340LM - less than £200 and perfect
i'm going textiles for our trip as leathers i think would be too hot
any bike can tour, down to the rider
watch lots of vids on youtube, wealth of knowledge from them

Planning wise, we've only booked the first bit and last bit of our trip, winging it for the middle bit so dont worry about planning so much

only ever done TT and the odd weekend so i'm sure others will be able to help a lot more

have fun

[Aff]

Take a look at some of the "BCF" euro trips from the last few years.

We pretty much all use sports bikes, has never been an issue.

A tailpack (Kriega US30 or similar) is fine for a 2 week tour, no need for bulky panniers.

A satnav makes life a million times easier.

I wear Kevlar jeans/leather jacket when its very hot and full leathers and an oversuit when its not.

Out recent Euro trips:

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=291335

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=294748

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=302322

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=305272

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=311640

And some UK ones:


https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=294413

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=301779
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[c_dug]

Glad you enjoyed the read

To answer your questions via PM:

If I was to do the same trip again there isn't much I'd change. I'm actually pretty glad that we really planned it out, for a first trip it's a nice peace of mind. On the other hand it does also mean you have a schedule to stick to, so when you've already done six hours and you're aching, you can't just pull up at the next camp site, you have to ride those last two hours. I'd still book in advance on the first trip, even with that in mind.

I would avoid Northern France in general, it was quite flat and boring, and badly surfaced in comparison to lots of the rest of Europe (Obviously a big generalisation, purely based on what I've seen of both). If we did the same general route again I reckon we'd do more motorway miles for the beginning and end bits. We probably could have stomached an extra 100 motorway miles at either end and had a better time overall.

Hotel wise, this was the first place we stayed:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g206522-d1016818-Reviews-Hotel_de_la_Sure-Esch_sur_Sure_Diekirch_District.html

I didn't think much of the food, but that's purely personal taste. Otherwise it was excellent, and the local roads were honestly amazing. I can't believe this is less than a days ride away from London! The bike garage was huge, but on quite a slope. Leave your bike in first gear while parked to avoid any embarrassing situations!


The hotel at the bottom of the B500 was this place:

https://www.sonnenhof-sonnhalde.de/de/

It was a more polished hotel than the first place, very tidy, the staff spoke perfect English. The pool was really nice after a long day riding. And the food and beer were sublime!

If you were happy to spend a day on motorways you could be to the second hotel in a single (long) day from London but you could do some really phenomenal rides based from there. It was less than a days ride to the Vosges in France, the Alps in Switzerland and the Black Forest in Germany. Generally it was a good place to be based!

You've already seen the place we stayed on the last night. I believe it's under new management now, but the town and general facilities were top notch anyway, and it's the sort of place that could only be run by friendly people (it clearly relied on word of mouth and repeat business).

I'm happy to help more if you have any more questions.
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Matt B]

Like Aff said, take a look at our recent Euro trips.

The only thing to add - get a Stop n Go puncture repair kit, the mushroom plug type. Could save you a lot of grief.
____________________
stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[Dave V4]

Pyrenees would be a good start to euro trips, fantastic roads, nice views and not to busy. easy to get to if you go via Santander or Bilbao and then a blast back through france to Calais. As for sat nav, if you arnt going to be using it much for else then ebay would be your best bet, TomTom rider for under £100, for kit go in your usual kit and get a waterproof over suit, gloves and boots, they take up little space and ou can just strap them on top of your luggage. The gsxr750 you have would ,ake a good bike for this type of tour as it would suit the roads and as said above, get some kreiga luggage, 30ltrs tail pack and a 10 or 20 ltr tank bag would be ample, dont bother with panniers. Its been mentioned on another thread, the n260/240 in spain and the d918 in France are very good roads with some nice technical areas along with lots of nice open sweepers. dont forget insurance and breakdown cover. above all just do it, don't worry to much and have fun.

[Ali in Austria]

If you make it to the Alps here are some points of interest:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zllkQBAwv3Mw.kK2oDNPXQ1BQ
____________________
A Petrol Head in The Alps
https://www.youtube.com/user/PensionHausMaria
https://facebook.com/pension.haus.maria

[D_redd]

Great info to get me started guys, thank you all very much. I'll start sifting through now as it's quiet at work

[Matt B]

Quiet for me too so I will add a bit more

Bike - nothing wrong with a GSXR for touring. I did Barcelona and back this year on my ZX6 and it was great. There were more 600 sports bikes than anything else this time and 4 of those were ZX6Rs. If you are seeking out some nice twisty roads you will be glad you took it.

Tools & Maintenance - you are going to need a decent basic tool kit and puncture repair (don't bother with tyre weld spray). Make sure you have all the tools in there you need for chain adjustment. A small 200ml can of lube will last for 2 weeks even if you lube the chain every other day.
Obviously make sure the bike is 100% right and serviced before you go. I would be wary of buying a bike just before doing a long Euro tour unless I had stuck a decent amount of miles on it and made sure there were no issues. Chains have been a problem for us in the past. If you are not sure just change it for a decent heavy duty DID X ring.

Luggage - As above, Kriega US30 is an outstanding bit of kit for touring, perfect size, stable on the bike and 100% waterproof. If you can't fit 2 weeks worth in a US30 you have too much. Take less stuff and wash it when you get to the hotel, it will be dry in the morning. I do have a US10 as a tank bag because I like to be able to put food, drinks, wallet, passport etc. in there for easy access. If you don't want a tank bag get a bum bag for wallet & passport stuff.

Clothing - Kevlar jeans, leather jacket, vented leather gloves and a rain suit would be my choice for July because it can get very warm, I would also stick a pair of gore-tex gloves in the tank bag just in case. Richa gore-tex gloves are cheap and 100% waterproof. I wore textiles for Barcelona because it was March/April, not particularly warm and likely to rain.

Just get on and do it, book the tunnel and reserve your hotels.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[TallPaul_S]

I'm pretty much all set with my kit for multiple Euro trips this year, I've done a couple of short trips in the UK to test everything, I'll be using the following:

Kriega US30 + 2x US20 - I'll be camping so my 3 man tent and sleeping bag go in the US30, along with an alpkit brukit (jetboil) stove. Then the 2x US20's will be used for all other stuff.
Tomtom rider 400 - makes life so much easier than using a phone for satnav. routes pre-planned in Tyre and uploaded to the tomtom.
20,000mAh powerpack - this can be charged while riding and I can then charge 2x items on it - phone + camera batteries. Much easier than forgetting to charge your phone while riding and arriving at the campsite with 10% battery left, you're not going to run your bike for an hour just to charge your phone!
Other bike bits - sidestand puck for those soft campsite grass areas. Also take plenty of earplugs, you'll loose/drop/step on a few when stopping - and they're useful for noisy campsites (you won't believe how annoying an owl 20ft from your tent can be at 1am!

Kit - kevlar jeans (hood) - for warm days and if I'm off the bike walking round places.
Leathers - Furygan Brutale evo II jacket and Bud evo trousers. Both these are 'water repellent' which actually means (tested a few times) after 45 minutes of heavy rain they keep me 98% dry, only letting in a bit of water, but also dry in 10 minutes. So my plan is, for the occasional shower, I won't need to bother putting on waterproofs.
Richa rain warrior over trousers/jacket - for the really wet days. I have these in a cheap karrimor roll top bag, means you can compress them down pretty small, they fit in my tank bag with loads of room for other stuff.
Camelbak rogue - 2l hyropack, which won't interfere with comfort and means you can stay hydrated - I tend to forget about stopping and taking on water which if it's 30+ degrees could get you into serious issue.
Gloves - Held racetex Goretex
Boots - A* SMX6 goretex.

Base layers - these can be a lifesaver - pick up some long sleeve merino wool top and bottoms, Aldi do some and also mountain warehouse do some, both cheap. On the bike they'll keep you warm on the chilly days (3-4 degrees in kevlar jeans with merino wool bottoms = lovely and warm) and on the really hot days they wick sweat away from you to keep you cool. They don't smell even after 3-4 days use either. And if it's really cold at night and you're camping, they'll keep you nice and warm in your sleeping bag.

ADAC breakdown cover will be purchased also.

I'm going to do a quickie 2 day trip one weekend in May (waiting on decent weather) as I've not ridden in Europe before. £30 eurotunnel fee if you only stay one night so nice and cheap. Then a 5 day trip to the Moselle valley/nurburgring/Spa end of June, then hopefully a 10-12 day trip in August/September down to the Alps via the black forest

Richa waterproofs in the rollbag
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5636/20790665299_d4ceff6eb3_c.jpg

Oh and just a word on miles per day - aim for 250-300 miles max if mostly riding twisties - you'll probably average around 30mph. I've done 800 miles in 2 days (kent to north wales and back) and towards the end it wasn't nice. 12 hours on the bike is OK for a day or 2 but any more than that and you'll get ill/tired/not want to ride. If you've got a nice comfy bike and a long tank range then you can make it from Calais to the Alps in a day, which is 500-600 miles, 8 hours without stops (so probably 10-12 with stops) but forget doing that sort of mileage if you're on A roads/mountain roads. Twisty roads are less tiring than motorway for me as you're moving around on the bike, whereas 4 hours on the motorway means numb bum and aching legs from being stuck in one position.

Also try and get all your luggage on the bike, no rucksack (apart from a small one like the camelback I'll be using). I have a Kreiga R30 which doesn't put any weight on your shoulders, but with that and the US30 it meant a very cramped riding position. better to have all your luggage on the bike.
____________________
00 Honda VFR800 | 09 Aprilia Tuono Factory
CBT 06/03/2014 | Mod 1 and Mod 2 passed 15/10/2014

[D_redd]

Thank you all very much for responses and advice. Thanks for the extra detail Matt and Tall Paul. I've been checking out a lot of the recommended kit to see what I like and what would suit me

At the moment I'm thinking:
Alpine Stars Andes jacket with a base layer.
Hood K7 jeans (with waterproofs in a Kriega US30 tail pack).
Need to order a couple of pairs of gloves to see which are the best fit.
Checking reviews on the satnavs as we speak.
Already received the puncture kit.

I have pretty bulky A* SMX boots. I'm looking at something I could wear to walk around comfortably like for example:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/106820

Any recommendations along these lines please?

I popped to A&E Saturday morning about my hand/wrist (right hand, I'm right handed!) and they x-rayed it and said there are no fractures/breaks so it's soft tissue damage. Seeing GP tomorrow to see what, if anything can be done, as currently I can't put much pressure on it without a lot of pain. Dr at A&E said 4-6 weeks to recover, but it's been sore for 2 weeks and it's still bad. Just a spanner in the works, but hopefully can be sorted well before July

Thanks again chaps

[rubyhorse2]

the andes jacket is good, mine has withstood some serious downpoors with no leaks and the internal jacket makes it v warm.

i have some TCX ankle boots and they feel just like trainers when walking around, very comfy. not convinced about the armour in them to be fair but i'll certainly be using mine for our euro trip.

def check the Zumo 340 satnav matey, does everything you will need.

[Ali in Austria]

I wear Alpinestar Ridge boots. About 7 years old and still waterproof. Very comfortable for walking around in but don't offer much ankle support.

Nothing worse than wet boots and gloves, especially at the start of the day. If you happen to be staying in a Skiing Area the accommodation will almost certainly have Boot Dryers. Ask them to turn them on. Great for drying boots and gloves.

A spare pair of gloves is recommended.

A decent 2 piece rain suit is recommended, even if you are wearing good textiles. Slightly oversize will be easier to get on and off. I find a 1 piece to awkward to get into in a hurry.

I prefer a good textile waterproof suit for touring. Depending where you go, it can get darned hot just as easily as it can be sub zero. I find a decent textile suit better for the varying conditions when you can easily swap out the liners. I cook in leather unless it is vented and then a vented suit is too chilly at times.

In The Alps it can be roasting. We hit just over 40C last summer and we are at 1100m. On average twice a year in the summer we have a period of very hot and humid weather when the wind blows across from Africa. It can be unbearable.

Rain can be monumental and what starts out as a hot day can change very quickly.

If you take any medication, make sure you have enough. Even paracetamol etc. Many European countries only sell even aspirin and paracetamol at a pharmacy and they are not always easy to find.
____________________
A Petrol Head in The Alps
https://www.youtube.com/user/PensionHausMaria
https://facebook.com/pension.haus.maria

[D_redd]

Thank you both. I guess there will be a trade off with protection/comfort with something you can walk comfortably in.

[doggone]

A common theme of the trip reports in here seems to be trying to go huge distances and not actually seeing much.
Don't underestimate the greater distances especially in France.
Plus you have luggage and it will be hot or raining.

Ideally keep the route very flexible and consider taking basic camping gear even if you don't normally camp.
France especially is extremely camping friendly and you won't have the slightest problem just turning up on the evening.
You don't need much more than tent and sleeping bag.

The paper maps like Michelin guides are worth getting in case your techy stuff breaks down.
They show the scenic routes in green which you should take at every opportunity - just take your time and enjoy it without the silly rush to cover hundreds of miles every day.

When I did most European travelling textile stuff was pretty novel (80s/90s) so just had plain leather jeans and a lightweight jacket.
It was rarely too warm when you were riding even at 35C+

I find textiles now if anything more likely to be too hot.
I think I'd still wear leathers TBH.

[chickenstrip]

I think flexibility is the key with bike gear on a long trip? I'm thinking of taking my textile jacket with mesh panels for my trip starting end of May. It has separate waterproof and thermal liners, and I might add a pull-on waterproof top to go under it.

Thanks to Ali for the advice about medication. Need to build up my stock of painkillers before heading off then.

I have also come to the conclusion that it's probably best to not plan a route too closely but wing it to a degree, then there's no pressure to cover certain distances on any given day. Hoping I'll get the chance for a rest day here and there too, just potter about locally to wherever I'm stopping for the night. Plus, so much choice of where to go, I'm finding it almost impossible to decide from home.

Also decided to take basic lightweight camping gear to add to the flexibility and give myself more options.

I will be relying on Michelin maps too, no sat nav for me! More because of cost and figuring the damn thing out when bought (never used one before).
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[D_redd]

Is that for the Belgium trip end of next month chicken strip?

I'll get the Michellin maps in then. Was hoping to have stops planned like John suggested as this is our first go at it. Not sure my mate would be up for camping, although it wouldn't bother me (although I do prefer a shower in the morning to wake me up).

The A* Andes has a removable thermal lining with air flow vents so hopefully won't be too much if it is warm when we go.

I was wondering how much our plans would mean we were taking in the miles as apposed to the journey. Perhaps a shorter journey would suit us better for a first go. I'll keep reading and researching!

Thanks again all, really appreciate your contributions.

Matt

[chickenstrip]

[weasley]

I've only done a couple of long weekends into Germany (plus some in the UK) but over the years I have changed from "take this, just in case" (and carrying loads of stuff that never got used) to "what's the least I can get away with" (and having room to spare). Especially clothing - you really don't need a choice of jeans and matching tops every day, nor trainers. They sell stuff abroad too - I used to take a full arsenal of spares but don't now. When I blew a headlight bulb in Germany wouldn't you know it but they sell H4 bulbs in service stations just like we do! That said, I do take a small bottle of Scottoil on longer trips, and a tyre repair kit.

I would say that it is worth setting all your stuff up and testing it by riding before you go. Luggage, sat-nav, clothing etc. Be comfortable with how it all fastens and is located, and make sure you can see the satnav screen on the road (location and glare). Get used to how it is wired - mine needs to be plugged in under the seat before I get on - it's a right ball-ache to do it after you have loaded luggage on the seat, especially when you are already running late to get to the ferry/tunnel. Now I have a familiar 'work flow' of what order to do stuff to prevent last minute RAGE!!!

I wear textiles but still got bloody hot in central Germany. Have some water available. Have a dark visor/sunglasses or whatever and know how to use them - and have a clear visor handy. My textiles are "waterproof" so I don't bother with a rainsuit, although I know I will get wet if it rains hard. Same with boots - mine are summer boots but they will dry overnight. I take spare glasses too, since I need to wear them. Don't forget that even with a dark visor, you will want sunglasses off of the bike.

Photocopy/print all your documents, put them in a zip-lock bag and store them somewhere other than the originals. I also have pdf or jgp copies on my phone AND on a Google Drive, so I can get to them from any computer connected to the internet if needed. This means passport, V5C, insurance, licence, EHIC, any booking references or documents etc. Which reminds me - small ziplock bags make excellent waterproof phone cases, and you can use the screen through the plastic. It means you can put your phone in your jacket pocket without fear of it getting wet.

Pack strategically. Stuff you might need during the day at the top.

By all means plan ahead but be prepared to improvise. There's no fun to be had chasing a hotel booking 3 hours from here in freezing rain on a featureless motorway when I could just stop at this one, be warm, dry and full of beer and meat and reduce my exposure to risk. Your plan should cause you less stress, not more - you are on holiday after all.

Make sure your bike can do the miles. Oil, tyres, brake pads etc. If you are going to do a service before you go, do it in good time so any little snags have time to be solved. I ordered a number plate with GB sign on it ages before I first went to Germany (didn't want a sticker but wanted to be legit) but Halfords messed up the order twice, meaning I picked it up and fitted it the day I was leaving.

Did I bother with headlight tape/beam adjustment? Nope. There's legit and there's anal.

Get stuck in. Take detours. Stop at that roadside café. Don't get back home then realise you missed all of Foreignland watching your satnav and worrying about your travel plan.
____________________
Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[james1988]

I'm only chipping in to echo what the others have said above me. In my experience you'll want something light weight to ride in. When you're on open stretches of motorway for hours on end there is no reprieve from the sun and it can get very very hot.

Stop and stop often, don't just wait to fill up with petrol for a break; keep yourself hydrated.

If you end up touring France, the French are superb; I always found them very helpful and talkative.

With regards to packing, do it once or twice before leaving. Try and keep everything in the order that you need that way you will always find it easy to find things and not have to rummage around and run the risk of losing things.

In relation to flexibility, I kept my trip open the whole way and found it really worked for us. When we had enough of riding we would look for a B&B or campsite near where we were at the time and just down tools. It also saves stressing over whether you will cover the distance you need to on a given day.

If you're touring France and want to cover huge distances relatively quickly (France is deceptively massive!), the Peage is really good value for money.

If you're interested, my trip report where I toured the Route Des Grande Alpes is here:
https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=307733

We'll be heading back to France at the tail end of August and doing the whole trip again but in the car.

Good luck on your trip and enjoy it! I found the planning stages the most fun. Oh, download Tyre and set a route up on there and transfer it to your satnav if it has the capability to receive them.

James
____________________
Honda XL1000VA '07

[TCFA]

Re kit, i've got the alpine stars andes jacket and trousers. I'd say the only downside, for the price, is that the air vent zips have got a bit stuck, the sip out inner layers are not very breathable, and the velcro on the neck doesn't stay fast (but that could be a sizing issue). Otherwise warm and relatively waterproof.

I wear sidi boots. i've had one (black rain?) pair for around 8+ years. only suffer in the worst rain. I've since got a similar but goretex pair but not really tested them in enough conditions.

Base layers - merino thermals from an outdoor shop. Couldn't do without them. merino socks too.

Neck tube - get a decent one from an outdoor one. I think mine is icebreaker?? Girlfriend's brother got it me for hiking and so far used it for skiing and riding. don't notice any wind with that on.

sat nav - i've got the latest tom-tom with twisty roads etc. pretty good.

heated grips!!!

airhawk cushion - just got this and my god it makes a difference (I ride a cbr and i get a bit achy at the best of times and this has done wonders for comfort)

i've got one of those very small tank bags that doesn't cover the filler cap - big enough for passport, wallet, keys, phone/camera and can take it with you off the bike with ease.

I go by myself and don't take much stuff so if not camping i found a lomo waterproof roll / duffle type bag with a couple of rok straps on the back seat is enough. they do a similar roll top back pack and all cheaper than bike brand equivalents

bring spare gloves - wet gloves are shit

chunnel to france - it's fast and you don't have to tie down. then just go for it. Someone said northern france is dull - that's right. after getting bombed flat they rebuilt all their industry there and it's flat and bleak. but the rest of the country is ace.

I'm going on saturday to Le Mans for the moto gp and then i've got a week with no plans, other than to get to the pyrenees to meet a pal and then get back, probably via the alps.
____________________
Then: Kawasaki ZZR250 > Suzuki Across 250 > Suzuki SV650 > Honda CB750
Now: Honda CBR600F and Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

[Lyam]

textiles! preferbly goretex or a similar product (goretex patent is up and theres similar systems in bike clothes without the crazy goretex price) waterproof gloves boots, do not bother with leathers you will regret it, if your rubbish with map reading satnav is a must, remember when packing leave lots of room for storing food as eating out can get exspensive especially in switzerland.

if you can afford it a airhawk seat makes a huge diffence to the point where i rode from paris to glasgow non stop on a cbr600f, if not a gel seat will make a difference, fuel up every chance you get and make sure one of use has adac european breakdown cover abot 80 euros, doesnt matter who breaks down they dont check if the bike belongs to the policy holder.

channel tunnel everytime, ferry takes too long and you end up buying shite on it

head to the alps that is all

[D_redd]

Thanks again chicken strip. Good work, sounds like you're in for a good trip I don't use a SatNav in the UK unless it's provided (when ferrying other people about) as I prefer to check a map and look for places along the way. I've already mentioned this to my mate and he's not keen on not having one!

[D_redd]

Thanks for the input weasley/james/TCFA/Lyam. Good points made and few things I need to check out.

weasley, yeah, I don't want to miss anything chasing the satnav route, but hoping that it won't cause problems like it has for others, like you say, it's supposed to be a holiday not a stress.

james, thanks for the link, enjoyed the read. Not planning on camping for some of the reasons you striggled!

TCFA, thanks for the tips/experience including the Andes jacket and airhawk seat pad. I've seen someone else suggest cycling shorts, with the padding in them, maybe a cheaper option, but not sure it'll be as effective!

Lyam, defo the tunnel, not wanting to spend to much time on travelling other than on the bike Don't think I'll have the choice not to have a satnav given my riding buddies opinion (and lack of faith in me! lol)

[Ali in Austria]

To help avoid Sat Nav woes, understand how to use your device.

Many Sat Nav's will try and take you to the next Way Point on the route regardless. This means if you have had to make a diversion for whatever reason, the Sat Nav may take you back on yourself before you can proceed.

Garmin's Base Camp allows you to transfer a route to a Device without including Way Points but still preserving the actual route. If you have to Divert then it will recalculate the shortest route to rejoin your route.

If you have Way Points make sure you understand how to delete them from a Route via the Sat Nav itself.

Take care when plotting a route and make sure if you drag a route around, the point is exactly where you want it to be on the correct road and the correct carriageway in the case of motorways etc. Careless plotting is the main cause of unnecessary U Turns or loops on a section of motorway.

Make sure your Preferences on the Routing Software and Avoidances on your Sat Nav are suitable for what you want to do. For example: It is no good having Toll Avoidance selected if you intend to use French Motorways. Select Seasonal Road Closures as an avoidance and you will miss out on many mountain passes.

There is no substitute for a good map to give you a clear overview of your route and even being aware of where the sun should be can save a lot of cursing in the event the Sat Nav has thrown a wobbler.

Take a glance at the next turn information well in advance so you are familiar with what to expect. This can also help avoid unnecessary excursions due to some mapping glitches.

Familiarise yourself with how to do a soft and hard reset on your Device in the event it does throw a wobbler. There are various dedicated Forums where you can look to see any common issues a particular Device is prone to and how to overcome them.
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A Petrol Head in The Alps
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