Crossing the EU-Ukraine Border in the Carpathian Mountains Area by Bicycle

This text was originally published in 2010. In May 2013, in response to multiple inquiries about crossing the border between the European Union and Ukraine in the Carpathian Mountains region by bicycle and/or on foot, it was expanded (and moved from its original location to this blog). Now it includes information on border checkpoints between Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine in the vicinity of the Carpathian Mountains.
Last updated: February 3, 2019 (checked for and corrected "dead links"; please bear in mind that National Border Guard Service of Ukraine appears to have a strange habit of renaming URLs on their website quite frequently, so if you stumble on a dead link to their website, try navigating it from the homepage). 

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The map below shows border crossing points along the EU-Ukraine border that are reasonably close (for someone riding a bicycle) to the Carpathian Mountains.

Jay Petervary's Tour Divide 2012 Bikepacking Setup

In this video, Jay Petervary, aka JayP, shows, in great detail, his Tour Divide 2012 bikepacking setup. Given his experience in long-distance off-road bike racing, it should be useful for anyone trying to figure out how to set up his/her bike for an MTB tour (or race), as well as what and how to pack into all those sacks and bags.

Dniesterradweg / Dniester Bicycle Route

The other day, I was reading about the Danube Cycle Trail (to German speakers better known as Donauradweg), and I got this crazy urge to develop a similar bicycle route along the Dniester River (also spelled Dniestr, Dnister, Dnestr, Dnjestr, or Nistru) from the Carpathian Mountains through western and south-western Ukraine and Moldova all the way to the Black Sea (about 1,400 km / 870 miles).

Hurricane Irene messed up all the plans

My today's flight to Warsaw has been canceled. Now, the earliest I can get there is September 7.

Provided that

• my employer will let me change my vacation dates "on the fly", and
• the air carrier will agree to change my return flight at no or reasonable cost,

I may be able to start the ride on September 11. It means less daylight and lower temperatures (not something I am very excited about).

This is the second time I am forced to reschedule the ride (the first was from early August to early September because of a work-related schedule conflict). I am very disappointed, to say the least.

Motivation... kind of...

In this scene (in Russian - see the English translation below) Baroness Jacobine von Münchhausen with her lawyer and lover, Heinrich Ramkopf, are trying to make the case that her husband, Baron von Münchhausen, is insane:

Got the bike

At last, a steel 29er hardtail mountain bike is sitting in my basement. It is a Jamis, not a megabrand, but still a fairly known one whose line of steel hardtails seems to have small, but somewhat cult-like, following. You can check the factory specs here: 2011 Jamis Dragon 29 Sport.

Right away, I had the stock Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disk brakes replaced with Avid BB7 mechanical disk brakes and the stock SRAM PG-950 11-34t cassette - with a Shimano SLX CS-HG-61 12-36t cassette (the largest 9-speed cassette there is).

Choosing the right bike

Considering a full-suspension mountain bike

Choosing the right bicycle for a long-distance ride that includes a variety of terrains and riding surfaces is hard. Being on a tight budget makes it even harder. And, since I generally tend to "agonize" about such major decisions, the fact that three months before the start I am still not sure what I am riding should not come as a surprise.