Bicycle Touring Central Chile
Replies: 1 - Last Post: Oct 27, 2012 11:37 AM Last Post By: rusolis
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Bicycle Touring Central Chile
Hi,my name is Mik, from Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and I've started planning a bicycle touring trip in central Chile between Santiago to Osorno. No particular itinerary but I will be in between the two. That being said, I've been wondering what type of bicycle I would need to do so. I've looked around a lot and and could not find that conclusive of information on the road conditions for bicycles. I hear it varies from the worst some people have ever seen to quite possibly some of the best they've ever seen.
I already own a road touring bicycle (converted cyclocross) with 700x32mm tires, I weigh about 185lbs and want to carry between 20-45lbs of gear/food. I intend to ride wherever the wind carries me.
Basically my questions are:
-What are the road conditions like? (I plan on staying on back roads. No highways or roads with a lot of traffic)
-What is the recommended tire width for the region? (Riding on mentioned back roads)
-Am I better off with a mountain bike that has front suspension or would that be total overkill?
All I want is to be comfortable and not be limited by my equipment or end up having to turn around.
Thank you in advance for all your answers and am very sorry if I missed something very obvious.
1
Some "back roads" can be pretty bad in this area, I recommend getting the fattest tyres that fit your bike, best are the Schwalbe marathon series. That said, I've seen cyclists with pretty thin tyres and they were ok. I dont think you need a front suspension, although a mountain bike will suit these roads better.You might want to visit crazyguyonabike.com and reading journals of people who toured in these areas. Asking locals about road conditions is always good, but take it with a grain of salt, a good road for a car might be the worst for a bike.
Last, i recommend taking a bus to the lake district, otherwise you only have a highway for about 500km south of Santiago, unless you cross into Argentina.
Ps. Lake district is great for cycling!
