netherlands-belgium-luxemburg-france 2 weeks!

ThatGuyOnABike

hi me and 3 other are planning a trip to natherlands (harwich to hook of holland) then to belgium, luxemburg then france, calais and home. this is our first touring trip of this kind. i'm changing my bike for a second hand tourer. any suggestions as to good cheap tourers. but this is not main query. i mainly wanna know if you have any tips/advice/places of interest to share with me.
also any seasoned tourers, could u tell me what difference those handle bars that bend down make? also how much space do u think i actually need (do i need front panniers?). i already know ruck sacks are ill-advised. also where on the bike does my tent, sleeping bag and mat go? my freind thinks we should bungy cord it to the back but i was thinking there are special straps/bags you can buy but i haven't seen any.

a really great help, would be to tell me what tools i should take. my friend is planning to lug quite a tool set, i think a good puncture kit, spare inner tube and some WD-40 is enough.

thanks for any help u can give

xilios

For a bike check out some hybrids they make prety good touring bikes, my wife and I have been using hybrids for all our tours without any problems check out our site for details.
Following rivers is a good way to tour good scenery but without the hills.
Places that my wife and I really like to cycle is the Ardenne or Eifel (just south of Aachen Germany, it has many forested hills with lakes and rivers, great scenery lots of campgrounds, good food and great beer
For hadlebars, I would recomend flatbars with bar ends, some people have drop bars but I can't see myself riding in a lower possition on a routing bike with panniers. Besides I like to have my hands near the brakes in the possition I ride 90% of the time, I mainly use the bar ends on hills or to just change hand possitions once in a while.
We like to use four small panniers as it evens out the load, I carry the tent on top of the rear rack while my wife carries the mats. Also the bags do not have to be full only the weight distributed equaly. If you have a tent a sleeping bags and mats they can go into the rear bags.
We use straps but (depending on the weight), bungie cords would do, they do not have to be one with the bike.
For tools take an adjustable wrench a small pair of plyers, tyre repair kit, a couple inner tubes, some oil, set of elen keys, screw drivers (both types), a couple plastic ties different sizes, some duct tape (wraped around a pensil or something) I think that should do it.
If you have any more questions let me know.
cheers

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ThatGuyOnABike

thank you very much, the tools are a real help. and u have helped me decide not to get drop bars. this is good cos at home i don't have to change the bars for somthing more comfortable, i just take some panniers off and its ready for the daily commute. i'll be looking over your message a few times when writing list of supplies. thanks

Fietslogies

Camping in Belgium (Flanders) :
http://www.camping.be/index.php?lang=EN

Camping in Belgium (Wallonia) :
http://www.campingbelgique.be/

Youth hostels in Belgium :
http://www.vjh.be/

Cheep accomodation for member cyclists : 3200 spots in the Netherlands, 200 spots in Belgium (mainly Flanders), 2 spots in Luxembourg and 35 spots in France :
http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl

Cheers,

Fietslogies
Ghent - Belgium