# London to Beijing by Bicycle = feasible? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 29, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485 "2011-08-29T11:35:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/21 "2011-08-30T11:10:06Z")
A quick search found Beijing to Paris: > **[Beijing to Paris - Part 1: Beijing to Istanbul, by Heather Burge](http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1r4vFZo&doc_id=2348&v=2dj)** > > The . . . 'You want to do WHAT??' Tour There is UK to Sydney: > **[TheBlazingSaddles.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=theblazingsaddles.com)** > > Stress free and easy shopping experience. Simple and speedy service. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/22 "2011-08-30T18:19:32Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Wouldn’t your tires wear out several times during the course of the trip? Or do they make sturdier tires now than when I had a bicycle? there’s some tyres which last for 25,000 miles, obviously I would take two pairs, they have a German name, I can’t remember it, I think it’s Schwalbe. What sort of high energy food could I take? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/23 "2011-08-30T18:37:02Z")
> [@Jockstrap](#): > > I was in Beijing about 7 years ago and met two guys who’d ridden their bikes from Scotland to Beijing. From memory they mainly went through Russia. So it can be done. How does one bike from Scotland to anywhere beyond the UK? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/24 "2011-08-30T19:38:35Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Wouldn’t your tires wear out several times during the course of the trip? Or do they make sturdier tires now than when I had a bicycle? Tires/tubes would probably wear out and need to be replaced a few times, especially if riding on rough roads with a heavily loaded bike. Yes, there are tough tubes/tires in the market, but the reality is you would expect to destroy several on a trip of that length. You’d probably end up repairing/rebuilding the wheels as well so it would pay to bring lots of spare parts. At minimum you’d need to replace spokes from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/25 "2011-08-30T19:56:09Z")
Sounds like something awesome to plan for. Have you done many long bike rides before? I’d recommend doing a few before this extra-long one. > [@Enderw24](#): > > How does one bike from Scotland to anywhere beyond the UK? You get the ferry across the channel. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/26 "2011-08-30T20:37:59Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > How does one bike from Scotland to anywhere beyond the UK? You take a ferry. I know that one runs to Dunkirk regularly, and it will take a bike either cheaply or free. I assume there are other ferries to Calais and a few other ports too. They’re designed to take motorbikes, but the crew will happily let you take a regular bicycle. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/27 "2011-08-30T21:38:10Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You’d probably end up repairing/rebuilding the wheels as well so it would pay to bring lots of spare parts. At minimum you’d need to replace spokes from time to time. Rubbish. I would expect to repack normal wheel bearings just once in that distance, and not touch sealed bearings, and nothing more unless crash damaged. Spokes break regularly in undertensioned (usually machine built) wheels due to fatigue. High spoke count(36R, 32F, minimum) wheels, properly tensioned and trued by hand and stress relieved are quite reliable, and it is not uncommon to wear out the rim (from braking) at 20,000+ miles without a single broken spoke. I went through a number of machine-built wheels before learning this, and I weigh a bit more now. Building a dished derailleur rear wheel half radial is helpful as well. Google Sheldon Brown on wheel building for full details of how, Jobst Brandt “The Bicycle Wheel” for details of why. (though Brandt doesn’t appreciate half-radial spoking enough, IMO) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/28 "2011-08-30T22:21:21Z")
I’m going by what Göran Kropp experienced when he rode to Everest. The roads beat the crap out of his bike, and he had all sorts of repairs needed along the way. Granted, he was hauling 100+ lbs of gear so that may have had something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/29 "2011-08-31T01:09:07Z")
> [@Panurge](#): > > This apparently still happens - not only in Pakistan. I’ve heard stories about this from Iran and the entire Stan region. It’s mostly kids (from what I’ve been told). > > The overwhelming majority will happily welcome visitors, though, so I don’t think this should be considered a real hazard. Traffic is much more likely to kill you than an angry village mob. This guy claimed that it felt like the whole village, adults and all. But yes, I’m not trying to discourage the OP, just saying he may want to plan his route carefully. I doubt he’d be passing through sensitive places like Pakistan or Afghanistan at this time anyway. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/30 "2011-08-31T01:21:12Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Rubbish. I would expect to repack normal wheel bearings just once in that distance, and not touch sealed bearings, and nothing more unless crash damaged. Spokes break regularly in undertensioned (usually machine built) wheels due to fatigue. High spoke count(36R, 32F, minimum) wheels, properly tensioned and trued by hand and stress relieved are quite reliable, and it is not uncommon to wear out the rim (from braking) at 20,000+ miles without a single broken spoke. I went through a number of machine-built wheels before learning this, and I weigh a bit more now. Building a dished derailleur rear wheel half radial is helpful as well. Google Sheldon Brown on wheel building for full details of how, Jobst Brandt “The Bicycle Wheel” for details of why. (though Brandt doesn’t appreciate half-radial spoking enough, IMO) You’d have to account for breakdowns as a possibility, though, and this isn’t a really long distance on suburban highways. Someone else mentioned something to do with having stuff sent ahead; if you knew you were going to encounter a significant climate change, which seems likely, then you wouldn’t have to carry it with you or buy it as you go along: you could order it to be sent to a hotel or hostel (or whatever) you stay at along the way. If you think you’re likely to run out of some necessity part of the way, that’d be good forward planning. Really good medical and otherwise insurance would be essential, obviously, but I’d recommend asking other long-distance cyclists as to which insurance to get. Like with my musician friends who travel: general travel insurance doesn’t cover the cost of their instruments, but specialist insurance for their instrument does, and covers other connected items. My ex’s musician’s insurance, for example, functioned as our house insurance for a little while because it also covered our computers, since they were used for making music on, and nothing else we had was worth insuring. IOW, look deeply into insurance because there are pretty good odds that you’ll need it, and it might be more complicated than you expect. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/31 "2011-08-31T02:18:35Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This guy claimed that it felt like the whole village, adults and all. But yes, I’m not trying to discourage the OP, just saying he may want to plan his route carefully. I doubt he’d be passing through sensitive places like Pakistan or Afghanistan at this time anyway. For what it’s worth, I’ve heard this complaint too. IIRC most of the people I talked to bused through the particularly dangerous portions of Pakistan (no reason to into Afghanistan). ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/32 "2011-08-31T02:52:34Z")
Honestly, I don’t think you’re even going to be able to get out of the U.K. Unless you have some insane aquatic hoverbike, it’s going to be pretty hard to cross the English Channel on your bicycle. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/33 "2011-08-31T09:23:54Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Honestly, I don’t think you’re even going to be able to get out of the U.K. Unless you have some insane aquatic hoverbike, it’s going to be pretty hard to cross the English Channel on your bicycle. Did you miss the posters earlier mentioning you can take bikes on the cross-channel ferries? I’m pretty sure you can take them on at least one of the Channel Tunnel trains (Le Shuttle?) too. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/34 "2011-08-31T11:40:08Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Did you miss the posters earlier mentioning you can take bikes on the cross-channel ferries? I’m pretty sure you can take them on at least one of the Channel Tunnel trains (Le Shuttle?) too. But that’s not cycling! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/35 "2011-08-31T13:13:50Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > But that’s not cycling! Unless they do have hoverbikes, long-distance cyclists and runners must take ferries across quite a few stretches of water. I guess they could cycle the entire time they’re on the boat if they wanted to satisfy purists. ---
**Author:** ![paulmarkj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@paulmarkj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulmarkj)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/36 "2011-08-31T14:28:05Z")
I know someone who did London to Bejing and back by car. He needed money for bribes along the way! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/37 "2011-08-31T16:49:25Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Did you miss the posters earlier mentioning you can take bikes on the cross-channel ferries? I’m pretty sure you can take them on at least one of the Channel Tunnel trains (Le Shuttle?) too. Sounds like cheating to me. Might as well just put your bike on a plane and take a plane from London to Beijing. 😛 (by the way, you missed the sarcasm. My post was a joke) ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/38 "2011-08-31T19:23:33Z")
My girlfriend’s friend’s boyfriend (tenuous connection, I know) is actually currently doing this. He cycled from the Scottish Borders and will reach Western China in a few months. He’s currently stuck on the border of Turkey and one of the 'Stans due to some visa mix up (he’s been there for a few weeks as they made him apply for the visa at their embassy in London via his girlfriend). ---
**Author:** ![steveVG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steveVG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steveVG)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/39 "2017-03-10T12:13:37Z")
Just wondered if you actually managed this feat? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485/40 "2017-03-10T13:41:18Z")
I don’t think its a problem. I have a friend who rode a bicycle from Barrow, Alaska, to Ushhaia, in Tierra del Fuego. It was pretty straightforward, except the Darien Gap. Also, in Kyrgyzstan, I met a 75-year old Italian who had just ridden in on a bicycle that he bought in Urumqi, China, 1,000 km away, and that would be one of the most difficult sections between London and Beijing. I think trips like this are being made all the time – maybe not so many doing the whole route, but there is no part of it that would be particularly daunting nowadays. It’s not like Ohio – you can just sleep every night on the side of the road. You’d have to time it so as not to need to be unprotected in severe winter weather conditions. In that part of the world, the local people don’t just leave travelers out to freeze or starve to death. Hospitality is a cultural imperative. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-to-beijing-by-bicycle-feasible/594485.md?page=3)