Customer Reviews

Himalaya by Bike: A Route and Planning Guide for Cyclists and Motor Cyclists (Trailblazer)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've used this book twice now: down the KKH from Kashgar diverting to Chitral, and in 2009 from Leh via Spiti to Shimla. Sure, hardcore tourers like Werner below may be unsatisfied with mainstream routes, but original titles like this can enable a beginner like me (with no interest in domestic or European cycle touring) to try something they'd not think possible.
I'd wanted to visit the Karakoram and Ladakh for years; HbB offered an easy way of doing it, detailing the practicalities of riding across the motorable roads of High Asia in one convenient package: the why, how, where and when. And incredibly (as we observed again and again), it was just about all researched by the indefatigable Laura who thinks nothing of scooting 600 metres up a side valley to check out a nice village after diligently recording details and impressions over hundreds of kilometres. Furthermore, unlike regular formulaic guidebooks, she's given the space to express herself with an enthusiastic and chatty style, fills out the route descriptions with interesting anecdotes and has a lyrical way of describing her surroundings.
The hotel and resto details have inevitably got dated in places; on both trips we carried a newer, stripped-down LP or Rough Guide. But HbB fills out the crucial details for the places in between which don't change much and can be useful for other independent travellers, notably the Bulleteers who commonly visit Ladakh and HP (a subject which is outlined in an appendix).
If I have one reservation, it might be that she makes some long climbs sound a bit easy - in India I had to finish the very highest passes in a lorry, or we jeeped long rough sections to save time as it was late and snow was already falling. I also found some of the incremental distances on switchback stages (such as Tanglang La northside) seemed up to 20% short, possibly due to a memory-saving setting on the GPS tracklog odometre (a mistake I've made myself doing similar stuff). The roadside mileposts seemed pretty accurate. The maps are great but where present, would be even better if they fully depicted additional road details leading off the main route to both the suggested diversions mentioned in the text as well as unlogged but rideable excursions of which there seem to be plenty on the KKH and in Ladakh/Spiti. And although the gradient profiles are a vital feature in a cycling guide like this, it sure would be nice to have an impression of the surrounding relief featured on the maps too.
Marrying the idea of independent cycling touring with the world's highest roads may sound like nuts to all but a committed hardcore, but I suggest that if you accept you can't ride every mile in the Himalaya due to intestinal dysfunction, lack of air or just plain laziness, lifts are always at hand on these routes making the whole idea less daunting for recreational cyclists like me, but also among the most satisfying and inexpensive ways of exploring this amazing region at your own pace.

This review is only concerns the Sikkim part.
We cycled Sikim for 4 weeks and found the book not helpful because it covers only the main roads that are well documented on the road maps and in the Lonely Planet anyway. A map of the small roads would make a lot of difference because you could make up your own trip and usually it is more fun to ride on these roads.

The trip info for Gurudongmar is wrong. It is illegal and impossible for foreigners to do this trip on a bike. A permit will not be issued to foreigners, let alone for foreigners on a bike. There might be some way to hide the bike in a jeep to get around the checkposts and to hope that you will not be sent back. That's how the author did it and it was offered to us as a possibility by a tour operator.
But the book gives the false impression, that you could actually ride to Gurudongmar. Let's hope that the situation will change in the future.

The Spiti, Kinaur, Ladakh part look s pretty good compared to what I remember from an earlier trip

Sorry Laura, just my two cents

A super book. Being an Indian I can vouch that the info is accurate and also of great use to non bikers. Lucid and practical. Read it for enjoyment even if you are a couch potato.

This is THE book for anyone looking to do something off the beaten track! I have cycled the Manali-Leh Highway and having read this guide I can't believe how comprehensive and passionately researched it is. I can't wait to pack up my bike and panniers and set off for another adventure, only this time armed with this guide - everything from food stops to water sources to camping sites is covered. Simply AWESOME. Everyone who has ever wanted to do a biking trip should consider this their bible - GO FOR IT!