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Wanted Touring Mapple Books, Ortlieb Panniers, & a rack

onelap

Warming-Up
Dec 7, 2014
3
2
Hi there,

I'm currently planning to ride one lap around Japan.
From the forums I've read that the Touring Mapple maps are by far the best available.
Just wanted to ask if anyone has any of the 7 map books they are willing to sell / lend.
I know it's a long stretch but I'm also looking to purchase ortlieb roller classic panniers & a rack.
Thanks for reading.

Regards,
Keith
One Lap Japan.gif
 
Nice! Yeah I've got some mapples that I could part with but they are a little out of date. Personally I would think a gps unit or just a smart phone with on bike charger would work a whole lot better.
 
Looks like a great trip--good lock and keep us posted!

(Owen remove this after you've moved this to the right place,)
 
You'll need to detour inland around Fukushima. It's still off limits.

No books to lend out. However with some software and mobile networked device, it would be straight forward to navigate. It's getting more difficult to get lost but easier to explore!
 
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up with Fukushima.
I plan to bring along my smartphone, but I don't have a dyno hub to keep it charged.
Any recommended smartphone apps for maps / navigation?
 
Google Maps.

Strava maybe, if you want to see the best / most ridden places in a particular area.
 
Recommended apps -
  • Jitenshya Navi from Navitime. It's not in english but the UI is good enough to fumble through. Subscription based. Rerouting if you miss a turn and preferences like avoid / prefer hills, prefer small streets, prefer large streets, most direct route, and blend.
  • Google maps on pedestrian mode. Google Japan still doesn't have the integrated bicycle navigation. It might lead you through stairs.
Strava works but the route has to be planned in advance on the PC, no rerouting, and no turn prompts.

Similar with ridewithgps.com .


@joewein has a dynamo setup that charges his device. Failing that, cache batteries work well for me. With the screen on, I can get about 6 hours out of a single pack. An additional two hours from the phone itself. If you are going be stopping at inns occasionally, the cache battery would work well. Print out on paper (and in waterproof setup) as back up.
 
https://tokyocycle.com/bbs/threads/two-canadians-to-tour-chubu-and-tohoku-in-2010.1563/

Look at post #4 by SteveT, and take note of what he says about his 12-day tour (and the links) from up top down the spine. Very challenging, but you might consider it. (as well as what's in the rest of the thread)

Also, at your end of May/June point, look up the oirase valley. It would be a shame to be close and miss that. Personally, I hope to spend a week or so there someday.

I'm in Kanazawa, close to the noto peninsula, and while it's brutally hot in august, I could eventually offer some suggestions for looping around there. (if you make it this far) I have a touring mapple for this area, and if you get here, I'll donate/pass it along to you.

The NE coast of Hokkaido is, well, what should I say..., empty? ...sparsely populated? Once you leave Abashiri, there isn't much of anything till you get to Wakkanai. Be ready for that. For me, it might be worth waiting in Abashiri for a day or two for the right winds/weather to get pushed up the coast.

Southern Hokkaido is also quite empty. (down to & past Erimo, and then up to Kusihro) You might consider a more direct, straight route across. If you are self-sufficient and into that, fine. But it would be hard to do credit-card camping along this stretch, besides the NE coast.

This is a sister board to TCC, and a logistics thing to keep in mind for such an extended trip:
http://www.jref.com/forum/threads/is-it-possible-to-send-a-package-to-a-post-office.55866/
 
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