No. Ecotopia Biketour is a DIY tour – this also involves repairing one’s own bikes. There is always somebody that knows a bit more about bike repairs and that will be glad to teach and help. You may be cycling in small groups, so you should bring your own basic tools and ask somebody beforehand to show you how to solve common problems that you will have – then you can pass on that information, too.
One of the good things about a bike is how easy it is to fix it. Flat tires and broken spokes are the most common problem. Within the biketour community, we are carrying some parts, which can be communally used. Try to bring things in any case, which your bike requires: correctly sized inner tubes, spokes and brake shoes, pump and basic tools for your bike. Other things highly recommended: chain oil, bike lock (don’t forget the key!), rain protection for you, the bike and your equipment on it, lights (front and rear), water bottle holder.
We have noticed some people travelling with just one gear, but if you want to have a less painful trip (and avoid pushing your bike up hills), you should be sure to have at least some light gears. Maybe you want to take a look at the topography of the region where you are planning to join the biketour and think about whether you want to take a bicycle with racing, touring or mountainbike gears. Remember that there are always hilly parts as well!
The one that you already have. Any kind of bike will do (many years of the biketour tell us so!), but clearly some bikes will make it a lot easier. In the ideal case we would recommend using bikes invented for travelling: trekking and touring bikes. If you have a mountain bike, don’t forget to put road tires on. If you have a road (racing) bike, don’t forget to put more rough tires on. This will make your life much easier, we don’t always know beforehand how the road surface is going to be. New super-cheap bicycles from a supermarket…
