Cycling in south-america

Well, that's pretty open question. In my opinion, South America is a great place for cycle touring, both for beginners and hard-core types. There is some great scenery (lakes, mountains, the sea, jungles, deserts - a bit of everything), the roads are pretty good, there's not too much traffic, the food is good, wild camping is easy, there's generally plenty of budget accommodation and it's safe. What more do you want?

Hi creamcrackered, thanks for your response, well I rather meant to ask for things from the point of view of someone who rides his bicycle, I have stayed in peru and chile for more than a year, how do you manage to get through, is it dangerous in some places even out of town, can you pitch your tent by the roadside or do you have to fear for your live? Is it easy to find your way when you are riding off the beaten track? Does one use a map or better gps?
Greetings
Rainer

I have ridden in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia and never felt unsafe. I guess there may be parts of Columbia and Peru that are unsafe. You may get a better handle on those by posting on the South America branch. I think biking is one of the safest ways to travel because everyone thinks you are too poor to be worth mugging.
Yes you can just pitch your tent by the side of the road, but as in any country it's best if you pitch it out of sight.
I don't travel with a GPS, but have never found a problem finding my way with local maps. Some people have found a GPS handy in some of the wilder parts of Bolivia.

click this link for loads of journals and travelogues of cycling south america