European trip with bikes, what spares etc?

[vidtek]

Finally took the plunge, sold the house, gave the boy some cash to build a granny flat for us on his place so we will soon be footloose and fancy-free. While the extension is being built, we are going to take a couple of months out to see all the places in Europe we have been aching to see. Hopefully when we get back, the new place will be all ready to move into...yeah.

What stuff should we take to ensure our e-bikes stay working while away, and what european regulations do we need to know about. Bear in mind our last road trip to Europe was just after we were married in 1970, just to Alicante before the days of Benidorm chavsville. A lot will have changed. We want to do France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy for starters. Planning on Hotels and B&B's.

I have a 2014 Nissan Juke with towbar mounted 3-bike rack. Only two bikes.

 

[LeighPing]

How will you charge the bikes? If outside of the car, then obviously you'll need a euro plug fitting.

EddiePJ is the man to speak to. He's currently on a biking adventure in Switzerland. You could ask him in his thread on the e-MTB section of this forum.

Click here for one of his interesting threads.

 

[Angelnorth]

Nothing to do with the bikes but do make sure you're up to speed with all the motoring requirements in the countries you plan to visit if you're taking your own car (e.g. warning triangle, extra pair of prescription glasses if you wear them to drive) and get some beam benders for your headlights. Forgive me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but I've had some surprising conversations recently with people I would expect to have considered such things proving themselves to be clueless! If you're a member of The AA or RAC I think they'll have a "motoring in Europe" kind of publication you can get.

Apart from basic bike maintenance kit, I'd take contact details for the shop where you bought the bikes and the manufacturer if available so you can get technical advice if you need it. I think most control displays will show a diagnostic message if there's a problem and it would be frustrating not to have backup if you don't know how to act on one of those messages.

Sounds like a great adventure (and brilliant idea to be out of the way during building!)

 

[anotherkiwi]

No need for helmets in those countries. The Germans do wear one anyway.
If you go to Spain a helmet is required outside city limits.

Reflective jacket after sundown.
Lights, front and rear.
Wheel reflectors, rear and front reflectors.
A bell.

Those are for France, probably good ideas for the other countries as well.

 

[vidtek]

How will you charge the bikes? If outside of the car, then obviously you'll need a euro plug fitting.

EddiePJ is the man to speak to. He's currently on a biking adventure in Switzerland. You could ask him in his thread on the e-MTB section of this forum.

Click here for one of his interesting threads.

Biking in Switzerland?? errr Alps?? Must be a better man than I gungadin.

 

[vidtek]

How will you charge the bikes? If outside of the car, then obviously you'll need a euro plug fitting.

EddiePJ is the man to speak to. He's currently on a biking adventure in Switzerland. You could ask him in his thread on the e-MTB section of this forum.

Click here for one of his interesting threads.

He is a real adventurer, I'm 4-5 star hotel man all the way, when in the outback B&B's just a casual bike ride to the nearest tavern or restaurant is more our style. Sorry to disappoint.

 

[vidtek]

No need for helmets in those countries. The Germans do wear one anyway.
If you go to Spain a helmet is required outside city limits.

Reflective jacket after sundown.
Lights, front and rear.
Wheel reflectors, rear and front reflectors.
A bell.

Those are for France, probably good ideas for the other countries as well.

Thanks Kiwi man.

 

[vidtek]

Nothing to do with the bikes but do make sure you're up to speed with all the motoring requirements in the countries you plan to visit if you're taking your own car (e.g. warning triangle, extra pair of prescription glasses if you wear them to drive) and get some beam benders for your headlights. Forgive me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but I've had some surprising conversations recently with people I would expect to have considered such things proving themselves to be clueless! If you're a member of The AA or RAC I think they'll have a "motoring in Europe" kind of publication you can get.

Apart from basic bike maintenance kit, I'd take contact details for the shop where you bought the bikes and the manufacturer if available so you can get technical advice if you need it. I think most control displays will show a diagnostic message if there's a problem and it would be frustrating not to have backup if you don't know how to act on one of those messages.

Sounds like a great adventure (and brilliant idea to be out of the way during building!)

Angel, there's a plethora of rules and regs. for the car I know, it was way easier in 1970!
Good idea about contact list, I'll make sure it's all on a thumbdrive stashed away with the spare tyre in the car just in case, put it on my tablet and smartphone too as well as a cloud service. I've already done this for all important documents, wills, instruction books etc.

 

[EddiePJ]

Switzerland also has some amazing relatively flat cycle routes as well. Interlaken for example is lovely and flat, and there are amazing views and flat rides to be had around lake Thun and Brienze.

For Switzerland and cycling a good source of routes can be found on HKF - Maps. They offer paper copies, plus a free app map to download.

In respect of Germany, adfc (Allgemeiner Deutsher Fahrrad-Club offers a brilliant magazine style guide of thousands of KM of cycle routes, varying from just a few KM up to nearly a thousand KM. Try a search for Deutschland per Rad entdecken

I went OTT on what I took along, but that was mainly because I was riding off road.

I'll suggest a few things later, but do take both chargers, and the spare keys for any locks.

A towbar mounted rack such as the one that you have alluded to, does have the advantage over other rack designs, in that you can easily lock the bikes with additional locks, to both the rack and to the towbar itself. I always secure the rack to the towbar, just in case the worse happens on a motorway and it falls off. I've been witness to a boot mounted rack falling off someone's vehicle into the path of following traffic on a motorway, and I'd sooner drag the whole lot behind my car, than risk the life of anyone following.

Although I could remember the measurements, I also stick a post-it on the car dash board giving the overall length, height and width of the vehicle with the rack and bikes mounted. It might save some embarrassment, if you know these figures.

If you are going to Switzerland, buying a Swiss Vignette (Tax disc) before you go, can save you queuing at borders, but they do sting you an extra £10.00 for postage!

They are also super hot on speeding, so be very wary about that one. Don't ask how I know, but I'm counting down the days!


I have to disappear again now, but I'll try and add more a little later.

 

[Angelnorth]

I'll make sure it's all on a thumbdrive stashed away with the spare tyre in the car just in case, put it on my tablet and smartphone too as well as a cloud service. I've already done this for all important documents, wills, instruction books etc.

Good man! A friend of ours encouraged us to put stuff on a cloud service and give pointers to a couple of key people after he had a heart attack on a plane between Thailand and Australia. He survived to tell the tale, obviously, but things could have been very different and some things could have been easier if the right people had had access to the right documentation.

 

[vidtek]

Switzerland also has some amazing relatively flat cycle routes as well. Interlaken for example is lovely and flat, and there are amazing views and flat rides to be had around lake Thun and Brienze.

For Switzerland and cycling a good source of routes can be found on HKF - Maps. They offer paper copies, plus a free app map to download.

In respect of Germany, adfc (Allgemeiner Deutsher Fahrrad-Club offers a brilliant magazine style guide of thousands of KM of cycle routes, varying from just a few KM up to nearly a thousand KM. Try a search for Deutschland per Rad entdecken

I went OTT on what I took along, but that was mainly because I was riding off road.

I'll suggest a few things later, but do take both chargers, and the spare keys for any locks.

A towbar mounted rack such as the one that you have alluded to, does have the advantage over other rack designs, in that you can easily lock the bikes with additional locks, to both the rack and to the towbar itself. I always secure the rack to the towbar, just in case the worse happens on a motorway and it falls off. I've been witness to a boot mounted rack falling off someone's vehicle into the path of following traffic on a motorway, and I'd sooner drag the whole lot behind my car, than risk the life of anyone following.

Although I could remember the measurements, I also stick a post-it on the car dash board giving the overall length, height and width of the vehicle with the rack and bikes mounted. It might save some embarrassment, if you know these figures.

If you are going to Switzerland, buying a Swiss Vignette (Tax disc) before you go, can save you queuing at borders, but they do sting you an extra £10.00 for postage!

They are also super hot on speeding, so be very wary about that one. Don't ask how I know, but I'm counting down the days!


I have to disappear again now, but I'll try and add more a little later.

Eddie-
Thank you for this enlightening post, some really good tips for me. You seem to be a very serious helmet and lycra type cyclist, we are just poodlers, we like the pace of cycling as against driving everywhere, you see so much more. The post-it tip is especially good, thanks. Can't see much out of the rear-view reversing camera with the bikes on board!

 

[Nealh]

sounds like Eddie dongled his car and forgot.

 

[chris_n]

Large parts of the Alps have flat valley floors where you can ride for miles with no hills. It is possible to follow the Inn river rising in Switzerland all the way through Austria and on into Germany where it joins the Danube without any hills at all. The track is frequented by all kinds of cyclists from roadies in training to old women riding their site up and beg shoppers.