What types of bike to consider when cycling along the Via Allier?
All cyclists who love this ever-so-sporty pastime know how necessary it is to be well prepared to appreciate to the full the many joys offered by a cycling adventure. Opting for suitable equipment will make your journey much more comfortable and help you avoid many issues, leaving you free to savour the sheer pleasure of pedalling along, admiring the landscapes that change so much as you eat up the miles. Of course, the single most important element that will have an impact on the success of your cycling adventure is your bike. So, which bike to opt for on the stages that make up the Via Allier cycle route?
A road bike
Credit where credit’s due, so let’s start with the road bike, particularly suitable for cyclists focused on endurance cycling. Indeed, this type of bike was conceived for eating up the kilometres while providing the rider with maximum comfort. Its curved frame allows you to ride along in a lower posture, optimizing your aerodynamic profile. Sturdy but light (a carbon bike may weigh as little as seven kilos), it has large wheels but relatively thin tyres (between 20mm and 28mm, as a rule). Because of this, it is much more suitable for riding on paved or tarmacked roads, rather than on non-asphalt surfaces.
Along the Via Allier, the use of a road bike is well worthwhile on the sections between Saint-Yorre (03) and Pont-du-Château (63) as well as after Issoire (63) up to Brioude (43). (The numbers in brackets refer to the official identification numbers of different départements, or French counties.)"
An electric or e-bike (Vélo à Assistance Electrique or VAE in French)
An electric or e-bike is a bicycle equipped with a small motor, plus a battery and a display panel, all aimed at helping cyclists to pedal up and get over steep stretches with ease. The motor is normally located either in the bottom bracket or in a wheel’s hub and is set in motion when you press on the pedals and stops when you break. Of course, to get around on such a bike, you do need to pedal – it’s not like a moped. However, the physical effort required is much reduced by the electric motor. An e-bike is therefore ideal for tackling slopes along the route and to take away much of the strain during a long cycling journey.
Along the Via Allier, the use of an e-bike is worth considering along all the stages, but it would be of particular use on the section through the Allier Gorges (in the Haute-Loire, French county no.43), which has by far the steepest slopes.
A hybrid bike (Vélo Tout Chemin or VTC in French) or a gravel bike
A hybrid bike, as its name implies, combines features associated with a classic town bike and a mountain bike. In short, it’s suitable for the majority of terrains, on condition that they’re not too steep or undulating. A hybrid bike is made for riding both in town and on roads. With its rigid frame, suspended saddle post, telescopic fork and studless tyres, it can also sometimes be equipped with a carrier, panniers and mudguards. Cycling along on a greenway or a tarmacked road, it proves more comfortable than a mountain bike, as its wheels are larger, making the cycling easier, as the effort required is less significant. In short, it’s much more versatile than a mountain bike.
The hybrid bike’s alter-ego, the gravel bike, appeared more recently on the cycling scene. Gravel bikes are a combination of a mountain bike and a hybrid bike, with wider tyres (35mm to 42mm) and a very comfortable position. As gravel bikes are often preferred for cycling outings lasting several days, manufacturers have come up with increasingly flexible designs, matching individual cyclists’ needs, with the possibility, for example, of added baggage carriers, mudguards or small bike-packing panniers that can be attached to the saddle or to the frame. These bikes are very trendy at the moment.
Along the Via Allier, using a hybrid or gravel bike is particularly well suited to the Bourbonnais area (or the Allier, French county no.03).
A mountain bike (Vélo Tout Terrain or VTT in French)
As its name makes crystal clear, the mountain bike was designed to cope with steep terrain. It’s ideal for riding through forests or for outings along muddy or soggy tracks. Thanks to its reinforced frame, it can withstand most shocks and the deep-tread tyres allow it to cope with difficult, slippery surfaces. Mountain bikes stand out for their sturdy but light frames, their suspension (enabling them to absorb bashes and vibrations) and their wide knobbly tyres. Although fun, sporty bikes, they aren’t that flexible.
If using a mountain bike along the Via Allier, consider changing your tyres to deal with smoother road surfaces.
