Ring Road by bicycle

2 of us want to bike the ring road

Why? It's pretty much the least interesting cycling in the country, aside from in the SE.

Is it possible in March or April?

Cyclists have taken their bicycles across the interior of the country in mid-winter, ridden on the sea-ice of Greenland, and summited 7000m peaks. You can ride around Iceland any month of the year if you really want to and are prepared for the conditions.

But I expect you are looking for a typically pleasant cycle touring experience, bearing in mind that cycling around Iceland even at the height of summer requires a degree of stick-to-it-ness and resilience beyond the requirements of more popular cycle touring locations and routes. At which point I usually point out that I once ate my lunch sitting by the coast in July with a thermometer reading 4C, and a fresh scattering of snow was visible on the hills once the clouds cleared. And of course have sat out whole days in the tent waiting for the weather to stop. A rule of thumb is that the weather in Iceland at a given time of year is like Scotland but 4 to 6 weeks further out of season - so mid April in Iceland would be like early February in Scotland. At the same time Icelandic weather is more variable than Scottish, with greater extremities of unpleasantness.

March and April are considered "still winter" in Iceland. I know it is the case in Norway that snow-depth in the mountains typically continues to increase until some time in April and I imagine it isn't so different in Iceland, where the average maximum temperature in Reykjavik - a mild corner of the country - is only 5C in April; (by way of comparison the av max temperature in London in January is 8C). In May the av max temperature in coastal areas has got into double figures, and this is accounted spring, but there is still a risk of a heavy snowfall , more particularly in the NE of the country. You will not be surprised to experience some weather that would be accounted winter by English or Scottish standards in May.

You may find my notes on cycling in Iceland useful though they are about 10 years old now.
http://www.masterlyinactivity.com/ivan/iceland.html
http://www.masterlyinactivity.com/ivan/iceland-zones.html

Hello,
Thank you very much for this information. A buddy and I are in the earliest stages of planning a cycling trip in Iceland. So when you ask why we want to do the Ring Road, the only answer I can give is that it's what we know about, but after reading your email we may very well do some other route. We do want something a bit challenging, though.

Thanks again,
Justin

We do want something a bit challenging, though.

The really challenging cycling (aside from the challenge of the weather which is worse outside summer, bad enough in summer) is mostly interior cycling for which you really do have to go there mid-summer. There's plenty of challenging interior routes described in my notes, including probably all the best known ones. Though in shoulder season you can have some moderately challenging cycling in the westfjords, and the east, though unpaved all-year roads are reducing in quantity.

If you on the bike - you don't have to worry about "crowds of tourists". So I would suggest July-August.

That's great, thank you very much!

Here's an example of the horrendous traffic at the end of August :)
www.gowildimages.com/Landscapes/Europe/IcelandS/i-5kRGXj4/A

I think I am beginning to understand. :)

Common! I saw 2 cyclists several times this summer. And once I saw three!!!! :)

In August I drove the Ring Road and saw only a couple of cyclists each day.