Alain/Lucie - fellow Helix owner here. Thanks for the videos and beta testing the equipment. Looks like such fun. Look forward to doing some cyclotouring on the Helix once the accessories are released.
Interesting ! We were initially motivated to start our journey at the source (Donaueschingen) but decided to postpone this section as we wanted to prioritize Budapest and did not have enough time. Eventually, we would start EV6 from the Atlantic and join the Danube. Enjoy your future rides.
We will also try this in October with our bike Friday pakits. Even more ultralight, one single backpack each for clothes, and the bike even fits as a carryon backpack ;)
Hello Alain, congratulations on the cycling tour and thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. I am planning to do the cycling tour along the Danube River in May 2025. In order to be flexible, my plan is to find accommodations (not camping) at the time of arrival in the towns or villages, the same way I did in my cycling tour in Spain and Portugal in April/May this year. Do you think would be doable to plan the trip this way at this time of the year (May), without booking ahead, and be able to store the bikes in the hotels? Can we travel with our bikes in the trains without bike luggage? Any tips about this trip are very welcome!!!
Hello Rogerio ! So nice to read about your planned trip on the Danube, this is a so wonderful trip. Although we have not traveled in May in that area, it is off season and I am pretty sure that you will find accommodations easily. There are so many of them that they could not be all full. Typically, when we look for a room or apartment before or at arrival in a city, we use an application like booking.com for searching. We prefer places with a reception open all day so that we can go directly and book onsite or reserve through booking.com and expect an answer within the hour. We have observed that apartments like airbnb are not always responsive within an hour and in those cases, it is preferable to plan 24 hours in advance. With our foldable bikes, we do not ask for a bicycle storage but I would advise to ask when you plan to book. For the trains, many of them have a carriage wagon for bikes but we did not need those with our small bikes. You will need to check with the train reservation site, I think they normally offer the option to specify that you have a bike. Enjoy !!!!
Greetings from Northern California USA, This was a really nice video to watch. I've biked the Donau 2 times since 2021 and will be biking it again in 2025. Two new villages I want to stop and visit is Ybbs and Durnstein after watching this video. Thanks for putting this together . Cheers
Amazing comments, thanks ! :). Our bikes are Helix ultralight that you can find at helix.ca They sell only online and ship everywhere in the world. We have more videos about our equipment in the 'Equipment' menu on freewheels.ca Enjoy!
I really enjoyed your video. We rode the Danube river several years ago and it was a joy. Quick question, we are thinking of purchasing the Helix bicycle as well, but we aren't aware of an available rack solution. It looks like you've solved this problem. Can you give any hints on where you got it from?
@@ericconverse1001 We have been testing a prototype of the Helix rack and the commercial version of the rack should be available in november-december time frame as mentioned on this page: helix.ca/store/?categoryID=3. Although you could find other racks that could fit, I suggest to wait for the Helix as this one considers the folding issue, the integration with mudguards and can fit in the travelling suitcase without any dismounting. By the way, we are currently finishing a tour of South Korea and these bikes are still wonderful.
This is still a prototype with a completely different design from the 1st prototype. The end product is coming really soon and will also quite different from what you saw in this movie. I was told that it would be this month. Hopefully, your patience will be rewarded with a great product...
Sure ! Be aware that in this section, we did not follow Eurovelo 6 entirely because we wanted to visit some Hungarian cities. Here is the link to the GPX: drive.google.com/file/d/1XR-TyijEfsyuMiP42xgRrVaS0DAypplv/view?usp=sharing
While it sounds beautiful, this trip is for ultra serious athletes. The fact that they just "threw on" a half marathon for the heck of it is way beyond my capability. Are there any cycle tours along that Austrian Danube for amateur cyclists?
I guarantee that there are many ways to do the Danube from a « transported luggage » manner to a self-camping scenario. The relief is flat, it is mostly on cycling path and one can select short or long distances as there are accommodations regularly. Most tour organisation quote it 1-2 on 5. So don’t be afraid of any difficulties.
Thank you for all the really great information in this video. I'm fascinated the possibilities of this kind of folding bike ultralight bike packing.
Excellent video. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience!
Beautiful! Love the sites, the references and the way you travel! Great video!
Hello friends. You are amazing...I admire you!!! Have nice trips!!!😃🚲🥇
Kalimera ! You are so kind ! We really wish to meet again, that was a lot of fun!
Outstanding :) Beautiful adventure and the quality of your video is Awesome too
Thank you for sharing :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Alain/Lucie - fellow Helix owner here. Thanks for the videos and beta testing the equipment. Looks like such fun. Look forward to doing some cyclotouring on the Helix once the accessories are released.
Captivating review for sure. Brings back a lot of memories, I did a part in 2022 from Vienna to the source of the Danube.
Interesting ! We were initially motivated to start our journey at the source (Donaueschingen) but decided to postpone this section as we wanted to prioritize Budapest and did not have enough time. Eventually, we would start EV6 from the Atlantic and join the Danube. Enjoy your future rides.
Hi from Ottawa! Thanks for the video - I'm going to try this route on my Brompton this October. Cheers!
@@robgilbert3395 Enjoy, this is so beautiful in October. Just include long sleeves for early mornings.
We will also try this in October with our bike Friday pakits. Even more ultralight, one single backpack each for clothes, and the bike even fits as a carryon backpack ;)
@@Lyferemixed Wow, a bike as a carryon, this is ultra-super-light ;)
The Pakit is light, but a little bit over the 8kg limit
It helps to have frequent flyer status and they look the other way for a kg or two;)
Hello Alain, congratulations on the cycling tour and thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. I am planning to do the cycling tour along the Danube River in May 2025.
In order to be flexible, my plan is to find accommodations (not camping) at the time of arrival in the towns or villages, the same way I did in my cycling tour in Spain and Portugal in April/May this year. Do you think would be doable to plan the trip this way at this time of the year (May), without booking ahead, and be able to store the bikes in the hotels?
Can we travel with our bikes in the trains without bike luggage?
Any tips about this trip are very welcome!!!
Hello Rogerio ! So nice to read about your planned trip on the Danube, this is a so wonderful trip. Although we have not traveled in May in that area, it is off season and I am pretty sure that you will find accommodations easily. There are so many of them that they could not be all full. Typically, when we look for a room or apartment before or at arrival in a city, we use an application like booking.com for searching. We prefer places with a reception open all day so that we can go directly and book onsite or reserve through booking.com and expect an answer within the hour. We have observed that apartments like airbnb are not always responsive within an hour and in those cases, it is preferable to plan 24 hours in advance. With our foldable bikes, we do not ask for a bicycle storage but I would advise to ask when you plan to book. For the trains, many of them have a carriage wagon for bikes but we did not need those with our small bikes. You will need to check with the train reservation site, I think they normally offer the option to specify that you have a bike. Enjoy !!!!
This video is actually super helpfull and informative! Thanks for sharing! I can see the amount of preparation and Editing this took.
Thank you so much for your comment. Stay tuned, 2 more videos are coming about South Italy.
Very informative!
Greetings from Northern California USA, This was a really nice video to watch. I've biked the Donau 2 times since 2021 and will be biking it again in 2025. Two new villages I want to stop and visit is Ybbs and Durnstein after watching this video. Thanks for putting this together . Cheers
Great, thanks for your nice comments and we might also go back one day since we liked it so much.
Amazing couple, amazing journey, and amazing video! May I know the brand of your folding bikes please?
Amazing comments, thanks ! :). Our bikes are Helix ultralight that you can find at helix.ca They sell only online and ship everywhere in the world. We have more videos about our equipment in the 'Equipment' menu on freewheels.ca Enjoy!
I really enjoyed your video. We rode the Danube river several years ago and it was a joy. Quick question, we are thinking of purchasing the Helix bicycle as well, but we aren't aware of an available rack solution. It looks like you've solved this problem. Can you give any hints on where you got it from?
@@ericconverse1001 We have been testing a prototype of the Helix rack and the commercial version of the rack should be available in november-december time frame as mentioned on this page: helix.ca/store/?categoryID=3. Although you could find other racks that could fit, I suggest to wait for the Helix as this one considers the folding issue, the integration with mudguards and can fit in the travelling suitcase without any dismounting. By the way, we are currently finishing a tour of South Korea and these bikes are still wonderful.
that tail rack no longer looks like a prototype... I'm guessing you testing the end product? I have been waiting forever to get mine.
This is still a prototype with a completely different design from the 1st prototype. The end product is coming really soon and will also quite different from what you saw in this movie. I was told that it would be this month. Hopefully, your patience will be rewarded with a great product...
@@Freewheels_ca nice to know, thanks :)
Can you share your itinerary from Vienna to Budapest?
Sure ! Be aware that in this section, we did not follow Eurovelo 6 entirely because we wanted to visit some Hungarian cities. Here is the link to the GPX: drive.google.com/file/d/1XR-TyijEfsyuMiP42xgRrVaS0DAypplv/view?usp=sharing
Is the Helix rear bike rack available yet?
Unfortunately, not yet. I was told that the sample for production is being tested, so it should be very soon.
👍
While it sounds beautiful, this trip is for ultra serious athletes. The fact that they just "threw on" a half marathon for the heck of it is way beyond my capability. Are there any cycle tours along that Austrian Danube for amateur cyclists?
I guarantee that there are many ways to do the Danube from a « transported luggage » manner to a self-camping scenario. The relief is flat, it is mostly on cycling path and one can select short or long distances as there are accommodations regularly. Most tour organisation quote it 1-2 on 5. So don’t be afraid of any difficulties.
I assure you, the Danube is not for crazy athletes only. It is a very doable route for all abilities.