Old summer road 28-07-2012
 

Quick update for anyone travelling alone the old summer road (RoB).
2 of us have just done it in a couple of days, condition was very good, low rivers and the ground firm.
Only a couple of log crossing were a bit of a pain as it was raining and they were very slippery.
We road it fro Magadan via the Tinkinskaya Trakt which was very good to ride apart from the last bit which connects to Suseman.
A lot of dust and road works.
Tomtor is a lovely place, very peaceful, found Tatayana (colebatch waypoints) and stayed at her guest house for a night.
Evene saw a bear on the road after Tomtor just before the Kyubeme bridge.

It's good. Now I'm planning my next year trip. RoB 2013.

Regards,
Bob

Excellent. August 2013 for us to in a 4x4 :)

G

Hi guys, I am planning to ride the ROB in 2013 as well.

I have lot of questions and problems to solve on how to get my bike there from switzerland. I will have maximum 4 weeks.

Ship it by plane is way to expensive

I am thinking about these solutions:

1) taking the trans-siberian with the bike, I met last year 2 belgium guys that did it from Moscow to Irkutsk

2) Putting the bike on a truck and collecting it in Vladivostok, and then by ferry or plane bringing the bike to Magadan. After the trip, selling it in russia.

3) Buying a bike in Vladivostok (I have a russian friend there that could help me) and selling it after my trip.

How are you planning to do your trip? How can we share information?

zimiontheloose.ch | Rock'n'roll Motorcycle Adventure!

For our trip we rode the bikes to St Petes via a couple of ferries. One from Kiel to Ust Luga just south of St Petes which cost about 300 euros for 2 of us including meals (3 days). It was a cargo ship that could take a max of 10 paying customers.
Then we had them shipped to Vlad on the railway for 28800 rubles, they were collect at Vlad by another company and shipped by boat to Magadan for 39000 rubles. This was supposed to be cheaper but the first couriers packed the bikes in bigger crates so we had to pay more.
All in though i think it was much cheaper this way, took 7 weeks from St Petes to Magadan.

Hi Harryg, do you have any updates? I suppose you are in russia right now. Do you have a blog were we can follow you?

I found a cheaper option to bring my bike next year. From germany to Ulan bataar by truck. It costs around 1100 euro 1 way. It take 5 weeks. Seems easier for me. I will then ride from UB to Vladivostok or do it the other way, ride to Yakutsk and then Magadan, and then take the ferry to Vladivostok and most probably sell my KTM there or go back in Mongolia and sell it there.

zimiontheloose.ch | Rock'n'roll Motorcycle Adventure!

More detail from my Norwegian friends, who went Yakutsk to Magadan last week. Took them 2.5 days on the OSR, as water levels were very high. I even waited with them a couple of days in Yakutsk to wait till 2 weeks of rain finished. The Kyubeme River was over two metres deep. After waiting a couple of days without rain, it was rideable. But most of the water crossings were still quite deep in general. As always its the luck of the draw as to what the previous weeks weather has been.

Trans Sibir 2012

Colbatch, thanks for the information. So this does mean it is better to ride it beginning of august, or it's just a matter of chance with the height of the water?

How deep are the river crossing in general? Like more than 50-60cm? I better need to be prepared...

And as you did it already a couple of time (I finally had time yesterday to watch your movie, very nice by the way), what is better, ride it from Magadan to Yakutsk or the opposite way?

I will start from Ulan Bataar, so I could either ride to Vladivostok and take the ferry to Magadan, or ride to Yakutsk, Magadan, and then take the ferry to Vladivostok.

Thanks for your help

Zimi, its really a matter of luck as to the weather in the week prior to you getting there. If its been dry n sunny for a week, the road will be doable. If its been raining for a week it will be really tough.

Probably late July has a lower probability of rain than August. The later you leave it the more chance of rain, then snow as you move beyond about the first week of September. The earlier you go the more snow melt there is from the previous winter.

If I had to nominate an ideal time, i would propose July 20 to first week of August ...

The big river crossing at Kyubeme can be anything from 40-50 cm at the main crossing point right behind the fuel station, to well over 2 metres so that no trucks will pass as well, depending on the recent weather.

Hello

I just arrived yesterday evening in Magadan. When I had to decide in Kyubeme, my decision criteria was the weahter. As all locals I kept asking said to me it will rain the whole week (always quoting internet), I skipped the OSR, although the Kyubeme was really low, I could have pushed my bike through it with the bags on it. Unfortunately the locals were right and I had a lot of rain this last 2 weeks. Today as I don't need it any more, the weather is as good as it can be, just sunny blue sky.
The rivers were later bringing high water, people told me Tenkinskaya was closed, as a bridge (or the road) near Ust-Omchug was flushed away, but that was only for some days. I took the Tenkinskaya road. It is officially still closed, as the works on the bridge over the first river (coming from Meaundscha (keep this village in mind, you don't need Susuman, there are a lot of shops in Meaundscha), between the two passes) are still not finished. But you get over it, and in a month it should be officially open.
Concerning rain, locals told me I am already travelling in autumn (august seems to be autumn), and rain is normal and snow should come.
This summer seems to have been very dry, at a meteo station they told me they hat twice or three times rain. But I think that can vary from year to year (this year end of july I had sun all the way on the BAM, last year it was 2 weeks of eternal heavy rain).

Regards

Christian

wow, this is difficult conditions...

thanks Colebatch, I will take your advice and ride end of july next year.