Choosing a bicycle
Contours Holidays do not provide bicycles for any of our cycling tours, so you’ll need to bring along your own. Your bike should be in good condition, and you should be familiar with how to service it along the way. Otherwise, we have a few pointers for bringing along the right type of bicycle for your holiday.
Road cycling tours
The majority of our road cycling routes can be undertaken on whatever bike you’d like, whether it’s the folding bicycle you originally bought to take on the train or the carbon race bike you’ve custom-built around a beautiful frame.
For our harder itineraries with long-mileage days, we recommend a full-size bicycle that’s comfortable enough for multiple consecutive hours of riding.
We advise against sticky off-road tyres on all of our road-focused cycling holidays.
Mountain bike holidays
A dedicated mountain bike is a necessity for our off-road cycling holidays. All our tours are cross-country styled, without major drops to contend with, so it’s up to you whether you want to invest in full suspension or a hardtail setup — you’re unlikely to test the limits of your suspension, unless of course you detour to Dyfi Bike Park near the end of the Trans Cambrian Way!
Carrying luggage
If you’ve opted to carry your own luggage, make sure your bicycle can support a set of panniers or a frame bag. These bike-mounted bags are still a great choice if Contours are carrying the bulk of your luggage. Even a light day pack will put unnecessary weight on your shoulders and might throw you off balance as you ride.
