Surviving Norway?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
willem jongman
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by willem jongman »

You are, of course, pretty early in the season, so I am not surprised a lot of snow remains. As for the food, cafe's are virtually non existent, of course, and you certainly cannot rely on finding them. Most small towns and larger villages will have a supermarket, however, and compared to years ago these are rather better stocked. There always was a good selection of frozen vegetables and fishy stuff. My lunches were mostly self made sandwiches with some crab, prawn or some other fishy spread. It was tasty and healthy - I love fish. The hardest bit was getting wine (only in special stores). I managed that only a few times, but I usually I did manage to get hold of a can of beer (not after I think 6 pm, even though the rest of the supermarket was still open). And yes things were expensive, but the upside was that there were few opportunities to spend your money. Parts for touring bikes were also hard to get. Some in our group needed new rims (don't ask me how that could have happened) or brake pads for Magura rim brakes, and both were hard or even impossible to get. The few shops we saw only had parts for fancy carbon road bikes and full out mtb's.
Enjoy your trip.
Willem
Vorpal
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by Vorpal »

Neither cafes nor bike shops are so hard to come by. They just don't look like they do in other places.

Cafes are often in houses, former shops, with petrol stations, or inside shopping centres, rather than purpose built buildings. In the mountains, they are often 'hytte' (cabins). They also may not have obvious signs out. Bike parts are most readily available from sporting goods shops. There are several large chains in Norway, XXL, G Sport, Sport 1 are the most common. Biltema also do basic replacement parts, like brake pads and inner tubes (but probably not rims). Independent bike shops here are sometimes combined with another shop or service, such as gardening, lawn mower repair, boats and trailers, etc. These shops are often more oriented towards town bikes.

Brake pads for Magura rims could be hard to come by in remote areas. The onyl person I know who uses them, orders them on-line (I think they are cheaper) That said, I would think they'd be available form Sport 1 or XXL.

If you want to buy alcohol, you have to go to Vinmonopolet, and the opening hours are limited (so buy it when you see it, rather than waiting till you want it).

IMO, the best thing to do is ask someone local. If you ask for a 'bike shop' they will probably send you to a place like Willem describes. On the other hand, if you ask where you can get brake pads for your bike, you might have better luck.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
thighmaster
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by thighmaster »

Hi there! :)

Firstly, sorry for hijacking this thread...!
I´m also setting off to Norway in the beginning of June. Beginner tourer as I am, a few questions related to cycling in Norway came to my mind. As there are folks who´ve been there, I´m sure you could help :)

Yesterday ( I live in Finland) I was cycling in a Norwegian-inspired +5c headwind & rain pouring my face kind of weather, and that got me thinking. Of my mitts! And shoecovers. I haven´t bought the waterproof cycling gloves so far because I don´t believe they are warm and waterproof, and they cost a lot. Instead I saw some handly looking, not too thick neoprene kind of gloves at a nearby market, meant for fishing :) Figured; don´t slip, stand better water, right? My hands were SO cold yesterday, cannot believe I cycled in the winter in -15c with no prob. Hence the realisation: keeping dry and warm is the goal number one!

I have Shimano shoecovers, but they are really no good if used with regular sneakers, somehow the water just finds it´s way in. Again was thinking of getting a pair of Neoprene shoecovers ( those are actually for cyclists!) from Biltema.

I´m planning to ride from Stavanger up to the North, and I`m expecting the weather to be -at least at some pint - around +7-10c and rain & wind will propably be my companions too :) Ill be mostly (wild)camping, unless soaked and need to stay indoors to dry my stuff.

One more thing! I´ve been agonizing over the need of a an IPad. How often does one find free wi-fi at campgrounds? FarOeuf, from where did you send your msgs? :)I have a smartphone but that needs to be charged every day, so I´m not sure whether taking that with me would be useful at all.. Then again, with IPad it would be handy to write too, I like keeping diary while travelling :) Did any of you get prepaid cards while on Norway? Any tips and suggestions on this would be highly appreciated!

Cheers,
Elisa
FarOeuf
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by FarOeuf »

Hi,

A few things, from a purely personal viewpoint.

If you draw a line from Bergen to Oslo, I (again, personally) wouldn't cycle below that line again. Too many busy roads and lorries for me, and weird cycle paths/routes. The exception being route 13 from Tau (ferry from Stavanger), which is a nice route, despite a few tunnels. Though I don't know what it'll be like when the mobile-homes start moving en-masse. From Stavanager I took the ferry to Tau, as it gets a bit complicated cycling up the coast to Bergen.

I use some hiking over-mitts, which are waterproof and windproof. You will do some long descents, and even if it's warm you might end up in the shadow-side of the mountain (particularly going north). Depending on how cold you get, you might need something like that if it's cold/wet. All the bicycle-specific gloves I've used over the years have been pretty much useless in this regard. I use soft waterproof hiking boots, and with waterproof trousers when it rains I've never had wet feet.

Wifi is available in most campsites, and most hostels. Also free in some towns, and libraries too. Archies Campsites is a good resource to download all European campsites onto your GPS. You can normally charge devices in the toilets or kitchen (just pitch your tent within sight of the buildings). Campsites were between 100 and 150, so a few days wild camping then a campsite makes the price reasonable. If you're wild camping have a quick check on what 'Ticks' are, and how to avoid them; mild winter has seen ticks in the countryside.

Check online for 'norway cycling tunnels' to get a list of the tunnels you can/cannot go through. very useful. for tunnels you'll need a front light and a rear, some tunnels are long and unlit. I was given a hi-viz vest by a petrol station shop guy, who claimed he wanted 'to save my life'. They (Norwegians) appear to get a bit excited if you don't wear helmet/hi-viz, though the driving courtesy is much better than you get in the UK. To be honest though, hi-viz does make sense for the tunnels.

EDIT: I also found that I visited petrol stations most days, to get a coffee and some bread rolls. Petrol stations are open every day (other shops closed Sundays), always have clean toilets, are warm, etc. Petrol stations also do a coffee loyalty scheme, where you buy a branded mug and you get free refills in that chain of petrol station. Definitely worth it if you drink coffee.

enjoy the tinned fish :-)
Vorpal
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by Vorpal »

thighmaster wrote:Hi there! :)

Firstly, sorry for hijacking this thread...!
I´m also setting off to Norway in the beginning of June. Beginner tourer as I am, a few questions related to cycling in Norway came to my mind. As there are folks who´ve been there, I´m sure you could help :)

Yesterday ( I live in Finland) I was cycling in a Norwegian-inspired +5c headwind & rain pouring my face kind of weather, and that got me thinking. Of my mitts! And shoecovers. I haven´t bought the waterproof cycling gloves so far because I don´t believe they are warm and waterproof, and they cost a lot. Instead I saw some handly looking, not too thick neoprene kind of gloves at a nearby market, meant for fishing :) Figured; don´t slip, stand better water, right? My hands were SO cold yesterday, cannot believe I cycled in the winter in -15c with no prob. Hence the realisation: keeping dry and warm is the goal number one!

I have Shimano shoecovers, but they are really no good if used with regular sneakers, somehow the water just finds it´s way in. Again was thinking of getting a pair of Neoprene shoecovers ( those are actually for cyclists!) from Biltema.

I´m planning to ride from Stavanger up to the North, and I`m expecting the weather to be -at least at some pint - around +7-10c and rain & wind will propably be my companions too :) Ill be mostly (wild)camping, unless soaked and need to stay indoors to dry my stuff.

One more thing! I´ve been agonizing over the need of a an IPad. How often does one find free wi-fi at campgrounds? FarOeuf, from where did you send your msgs? :)I have a smartphone but that needs to be charged every day, so I´m not sure whether taking that with me would be useful at all.. Then again, with IPad it would be handy to write too, I like keeping diary while travelling :) Did any of you get prepaid cards while on Norway? Any tips and suggestions on this would be highly appreciated!

Cheers,
Elisa


I don't know about the fishing gloves. Rubbery things tend to retain moisture from inside, so getting sweaty is as wet as getting rain in.

In the cold, wet weather of current conditions in Norway, I wear wool gloves (or wool liners) with cycling gloves over them. This is good, as long as I am keeping warm, moving. If I have to stop for something, or I have a long descent, I use ski mittens; the type with an outer that has a leather palm, and a thick liner. The cheaper ones are fleece, and should be good for most conditions. The best ones are wool, which will insulate, even if it gets wet. I think that wool-lined ski gloves would be nearly as good, and certainly adequate for the worst of June weather. IMO, if you already have something for skiing or winter sports, that's probably enough.

For foot wear, I too wear hiking boots. I wear them, even for winter commuting, down to about -2 or -3. If it gets much colder, I need winter boots, but that's probably over the top for summer cycling, even in Norway. :)

Neoprene shoe covers are likely to be enough for the conditions you will encounter in June, but I don't know for certain, as I don't use them.

Norwegians like their technology and many places, even some supermarkets, have free WiFi. Also, I don't know how it is in the north, but in the south, petrol stations sometimes have a cafe or sandwich shop where you can sit for a while, and charge phones and tablets and things.

Have fun!
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Vorpal
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by Vorpal »

FarOeuf wrote:Hi,

A few things, from a purely personal viewpoint.

If you draw a line from Bergen to Oslo, I (again, personally) wouldn't cycle below that line again. Too many busy roads and lorries for me, and weird cycle paths/routes. The exception being route 13 from Tau (ferry from Stavanger), which is a nice route, despite a few tunnels. Though I don't know what it'll be like when the mobile-homes start moving en-masse. From Stavanager I took the ferry to Tau, as it gets a bit complicated cycling up the coast to Bergen.


I think that's unfair. I don't know how the southwest is, but going north from Kristiansand to Oslo, there are many nice routes for bicycles on quiet roads and cycle paths along the Oslofjord. The main roads are very busy, especially during the summer, But it's not too hard to avoid them.

If were to plan a ride from Kristiansand to Nordkapp, taking in as much of Norway as possible, I'd ride from Kristiansand to Oslo on the Oslofjord side, then go west on Rallervegen, ferry to Bergen, then north along the west coast.

The route north from Oslo to Trondheim could also be interesting, but I think Bergen is a good place to visit, so a train trip to visit Bergen for a couple of days would be in order, in that case.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
FarOeuf
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by FarOeuf »

Vorpal wrote:I think that's unfair. I don't know how the southwest is, but going north from Kristiansand to Oslo, there are many nice routes for bicycles on quiet roads and cycle paths along the Oslofjord. The main roads are very busy, especially during the summer, But it's not too hard to avoid them.


it's simply my opinion, so doesn't need to be fair :-)

as an example, from Mandal (nr Kristiansand) the cycle route takes you 40km round the coast line, yet you reappear on the E39 to see a signpost "Mandal 11km >"; but bicycles are banned on that 11km. Now, if you want to pootle around the coastline, fine. But if you want to see some of Norway, and the changes in the landscape, then it's going to take you a long time if you follow the signed cycle paths in the south. I found the cycle signs hard to follow, as there seems to be an assumption you sort of know where you're going already (not many junctions are signed). And they do have a habit of just stopping. Further north you are fairly free to use whatever roads you like.

Bergen is a great town, but it's not very good from a cycling perspective because there are a lot of banned tunnels.

If you are not on a Norwegian pay-check, then lots of time spent on nadgery bits means you're stay in Norway will be quite expensive. Personally (being from Scotland) I can cycle around lochs and coastline at home, it's the long distance moutain ranges that I was interested in.

The central (very) lumpy bit of Norway is definitely my preferred area; 11,000m of climbing in one week was great.

cheers,
PJ520
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Location: Seattle WA USA

Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by PJ520 »

FarOeuf wrote:Now, if you want to pootle around the coastline, fine. But if you want to see some of Norway, and the changes in the landscape, then it's going to take you a long time if you follow the signed cycle paths in the south. I found the cycle signs hard to follow, as there seems to be an assumption you sort of know where you're going already (not many junctions are signed). And they do have a habit of just stopping. Further north you are fairly free to use whatever roads you like.

Bergen is a great town, but it's not very good from a cycling perspective because there are a lot of banned tunnels.
cheers,
I agree. A couple of years ago I tried to follow the North Sea Cycle Route south from Stavanger in late May. It was horrible,the signage was lousy, much of it single track mountain bike stuff really, cold, rain and howling headwinds. After about 50 miles of that rubbish and a freezing night in a tent I abandoned it and caught a train to Kristiansand and the the ferry to Denmark ("We drink coffee at home" when I asked where I could get a cup of coffee.) The train was a typical arm and a leg deal, it cost me a child's ticket for the bike.

I attempted to start in Bergen, which has a good YMCA hostel BTW. I couldn't find a hint of the NSCR which is supposed to terminate in Bergen. Nobody seemed to have heard of it. The traffic (and rain of course ) was horrible so I caught the ferry to Stavanger.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
FarOeuf
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by FarOeuf »

some additional info for others. Sykkelbutikken AS, Kong Oscars gate 81, Bergen, is a large bike shop about 5 minutes from the centre of town. Went along to get a cardboard bike box, and they had loads of them (they must have had a good few hundred bikes on the shop floor). They even gave me packing material to protect the bike. Very helpful.

cheers,
PJ520
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by PJ520 »

Farouef, I went to a bike shop in Bergen, it may have been the one you mentioned I even bought a couple of lights from them and they didn't seem to have heard of the NSCR and certainly didn't know a safe way to get to it.

Edit. I'll add that I've rode in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Newcastle, Philadephia, Washington DC, Cleveland OH and of course my home town Seattle so I'm somewhat used to city riding on a loaded touring bike but Bergen scared the **** out of me.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Vorpal
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by Vorpal »

I haven't tried to follow the North Sea Cycle Route. It certainly doesn't make sense to make a cyclist go 40 km, when the main road is only 11. I haven't experienced that sort of thing here. I generally find minor roads to be good for cycling on. And many of the cycle routes I've used are minor roads that used to be main roads.

There is plenty of good cycling in the south of Norway.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
thighmaster
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by thighmaster »

Wow.... judging from what I´ve just read... junctions lacking road signs etc.. how convenient that I happen to suck at reading maps :lol:

But seriously, very useful information, thank you for sharing! :) In fact, just yesterday, was reading a blog where this guy was complaining the same thing of the missing road signs especially at junctions. At the same time when reading these national cycle-spesific sites, they always go on about the North Sea Cycle Route, and it seems it´s more a hidden trail than a well known and marked cycle route...!? This brings to my mind the maps. I have Distoguide´s simple "Norway"map ( South 1: 800 000 North 1:900 000) as it shows the very same smaller roads mentioned here and elsewhere too, and as in Norway most riding seems to be on those older or smaller roads instead of actual cycle paths ( outside towns ) Anyway, don´t fancy the idea of carrying a pile of detailed area maps, partly because I´m not in a hurry nor in need to plan TOO much - that list of tunnels I knew of already, but much appreciated anyway! :D

It´s funny you should mention hiking boots! I turned into a winter cyclist last winter, and instead of buying those 200e cycling shoes ( that don´t even seem warm enough for our occasional -15c judging from user reviews) I wore my hiking shoes and all was fine. When I started planning shoes to wear while in Norway I first thought of them but then thought they were too heavy. Yesterday´s freezing toes got me thinking again, especially with your confident-boosting experiences of wearing them :)
Of the mittens, I actually have good insulated fleece ones for fall use, and actual hiking mittens with leather palm for winter. Was just thinking something I read: dish-washing kind ( but thinner) gloves ON them for rain :)

Good to know the wi-fi is available at most campgrounds, as one can charge the phone at the same time -if not at a gas station while taking a break :)

If the road signs leave a lot to be desired, at least there are the canned mackerels to comfort oneself with while lost on the road - hip hooray, I love them! As well as frozen seafood! :wink:

Cheers,
PJ520
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by PJ520 »

Vorpal wrote:I haven't tried to follow the North Sea Cycle Route. It certainly doesn't make sense to make a cyclist go 40 km, when the main road is only 11. I haven't experienced that sort of thing here. I generally find minor roads to be good for cycling on. And many of the cycle routes I've used are minor roads that used to be main roads.
I was hoping that the NSCR in Norway would be the same sort of quiet back roads as it is in the UK, Germany and Holland (in Denmark a lot of it is unpaved gravel, not the best riding but at least no traffic as I remember it.)
There is plenty of good cycling in the south of Norway.
If there is any kind of guide to this I would consider southern Norway again. Despite my moaning I do like the place. Only this time I'll be sure to head S to N. Even Holland was uphill the year I did it.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Vorpal
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by Vorpal »

Unfortunately, the resources for where the good cycling is, are a bit scattered.

http://www.cyclingnorway.no/en/ is one of the best resources and is available in English.

http://www.vegvesen.no/Fag/Fokusomrader ... ykkelruter

shows the national cycle routes and some other cycle route maps, but it's hard to tell the quality of a route from that. It is in Norwegian, but Google translate is adequate for that sort of thing. I admit that quality of the signed routes can vary considerably. Unless I've set out to try one on a leisure jaunt, I seldom specifically follow them. However, I have generally found that the on-road sections are good cycle routes.

http://www.oslofjorden.com/kyststi/kyststi.html has the routes around Oslofjord. Most of the bits that I've tried have been good quality, but the only place I've covered any distance on them is Asker into Oslo. There are other sites that have regional or local information like this. If I were planning a route, I would probably go looking for them. Many communities and areas have their own cycle route maps, available from tourist information. It doesn't, of course, help with route planning in advance.

In most places the roads that are numbered, but not E roads, are good cycle routes.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
FarOeuf
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Re: Surviving Norway?

Post by FarOeuf »

thighmaster wrote:Wow.... judging from what I´ve just read... junctions lacking road signs etc.. how convenient that I happen to suck at reading maps :lol:


the problem is understandable, and to an extent is similar in the north of Scotland. when you have huge lumps of rock/mountain/water, there's only so many times you're going to want to build a road. Compare this to, say, the south of England where minor roads seem to grow on trees. I have a combined map of Norway/Sweden, and that was fine, as there aren't that many roads in the top 2/3 of the country. The only time I got lost (and that was twice a day!) was trying to follow the cycle paths, following roads is fine. road navigation is pretty straightforward, especially in the northern 2/3 as there are fewer bicycle-banned roads.

The traffic road signs are good. It's the bicycle-path signs that are a bit odd. Often you cycle along, some armco barriers appear and you then realise a segregated foot/cycle path is running alongside the main road, but you can't get over the barrier. And the NSCR sometimes ends up in pretty steep offroad tracks, which are more mountain bike than touring bike; quite different to the NSCR in the other countries.

Having said that (and more before), these are minor irritations that are far outwieghed by everything else. apart from the tinned fish diet, that is, I am so, so looking forward to some proper food again :-)
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