The tour is over. Did it go as planned? Did we meet our "goals"? Overall, I'd like to answer both questions with a resounding "yes". I would've liked for us to try the Busan-Pohang route, although after talking to Matt and 유진, we made a good choice not to. They said that the Busan-Ulsan section is all busy highways with no shoulder. After that, it's fine.

Gear issues were interesting this time. I'm done with the MSR stove. It's great for the backcountry, but it's too fussy for bike touring. The saddle meltdown was easily mitigated. Something like the bollard collision and resulting pannier damage was bound to happen sooner or later, and a cable tie proved to be an admirable stand-in for the broken hook. The air mattress incident was completely avoidable. But get this: we had no flat tires whatsoever! That's pretty amazing. Considering how much sidewalk riding we did, and how many little curbs and speed bumps exist on the official paths, our bikes and racks held up really well, too.

I'm disappointed with how little we camped. I think we should have been bolder, perhaps much bolder, with wild camping, especially on the east coast. Our weak excuses were the "no camping" signs, and the fact that the ubiquitous shower facilities are only open during the summer. Maybe it's time to admit that we're only willing to rough it if we have no alternative. Motels in Korea are cheap enough that they're very tempting. The same goes for restaurants. The favorable exchange rate may not apply to everyone, and many tourists would find a budget of $50-75/day to be extravagant. It helps when you can split costs!

Next time, we're leaving the tent and stove at home. There was only one day when we felt like they saved us from having to ride further, or further out of our way, than we were willing to attempt to find food or shelter. The weight and hassle penalty of the gear simply isn't worth the minimal security and cost savings. If you really prefer camping over motels, or if you want to practice for more remote tours, sure, go ahead. One minor advantage of camping is that it's a convenient place to perform maintenance on your bikes. But you could just as easily do that work over a lunch break.

I was pleasantly surprised by how popular Bromptons are in Korea. I eyed them jealously during our tour. I think they would make flying a lot easier. They would also technically make it possible to ride on any train, but it's still going to be a hassle. It's not like your baggage magically disappears once you've folded the bikes. I'd have to spend some quality time on a folder to determine if the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

We were spoiled by the insider perks Sunyoung brought to the table. While I have adequate survival skills in Korean, I'm a reserved person by nature, so I don't use them unless forced to. A bolder person should get by just fine by playing charades and relying on the kindness and understanding of strangers. Many people know a little bit of English, and quite a few know quite a bit. Those numbers go way down in the countryside, and bike tourists spend a lot of time in the countryside.

If you're on a budget (or even if you're not), it's helpful to know which restaurants are a good bargain. You're primarily looking for 분식 (street food) and 중식 (Chinese fast food). A place that calls itself a 식당 is often a good bet, too. I don't know much about the places that specialize in meat dishes, but just peeking at the menus, they seem quite expensive. Figuring all this stuff out is part of the adventure, eh? I suppose one could rely on convenience store fare, but I'm not sure that's really much cheaper. You're also stuck with a lot of packaging waste. I think it's unavoidable when traveling, but we should all do what we can to minimize it.

What's the cyclist's relationship with other path and road users in Korea? It's a lot like the U.S., actually, with a few key differences. There are a lot more cyclists, and they come in all shapes and sizes, so you always feel like you belong. Many sidewalks are quite wide, often with a marked bike lane. In reality no one pays attention to it. Pedestrians wander all over the place, as do cyclists. There are still a fair amount of motorbikes that use sidewalks too, but far fewer than in the past.

You have to be assertive when crossing streets. Drivers won't stop for you until you put yourself out there. I always try to make eye contact. I'm especially careful with drivers wanting to make right-hand turns. The speed limits are pretty low in most places, and there are a lot of speed cameras, so it usually feels safe to ride in traffic. We were hesitant at first, but when we started seeing a lot of old folks on rickety bikes out in the street, we knew that it was acceptable. The sidewalks have too many driveway crossings, sometimes have rough surfaces, and often have obstacles like construction materials and parked cars. Sticking to them can really slow you down. Speaking of which, traffic lights take forever to change. When in cities, we must spend half our riding time sitting impatiently at intersections. If there's no traffic, we'll cross on a red light, but we're unsure how much it's tolerated in general. As a visitor, I think it's best to err on the side of caution.

The paths are in good shape overall. While riding next to rivers, we ran across plenty of signs warning about flooding during heavy rains, so be aware of that possibility. There are a lot of boardwalks. They are maintained well. Still, keep your wits about you. A missing or damaged board could ruin your day.

As long as I can remember, Korea has been a country under construction. Sometimes there's advance warning of work zones, sometimes there's an alternative path, but more likely, you're left to scramble on your own through a gauntlet of rocks and dirt, dodging backhoes and dump trucks all the while. It feels dangerous, but reflexes take over, you and the workers do a little dance, and you gain a little more confidence for the next encounter.

Is the long-distance cycle path network the real deal, or is it just a marketing ploy? I think they did a good job connecting the dots. The Ara waterway paths were an easy-to-implement project that added a symbolic "sea-to-sea" element to the tour. The Seoul riverside paths are simply amazing. They've spruced them up quite a bit since we last rode them. The old rail trails and their tunnels are lots of fun. Most bridge crossings are easy and safe. The mountain pass was smooth, safe, and outfitted with rest stops at proper intervals. The levy paths are relaxing. It does get confusing when you roll through a town, a linear park begins, and the path splits in two or even three. Will they meet again? Do I take the one up to street level, or do I stay below and ride under the next bridge? Sometimes there are signs, and sometimes those signs are wrong! GPS navigation solves most of these problems. I feel like a little more effort put into wayfinding would go a long way.

Some long-distance routes connect, but others do not. The next step is to find ways to fill the gaps and make it possible to ride a loop around the country. The mountainous terrain is certainly a challenge, but I think it's possible. The question is whether the cost to do so would be reasonable. A north-south route along the west coast, including some islands, could be easier to accomplish and has the potential to be very popular. I hear that they're working in a DMZ bike path. I'm not sure if it's going to be a paved path or a mountain bike route.

The routes are designed with light, narrow bikes in mind. The existing routes need more bypasses for segments that have stairs and other such obstacles. Some of the steep ramps should be replaced with longer approaches. The on-road segments with diamond-cut grooves should include a smooth shoulder or bike lane. They caused my heavy bike to feel unstable, even with fairly wide tires.

Services along the paths are a strong point, mostly due to the existing culture of small motels, restaurants, and convenience stores. Some of these businesses cater directly to cyclists, but not enough to count on them being present every step of the way. Increased usage will attract more people wanting to attract cyclists' attention and cash. Camping culture needs to develop further so that there are more cheap options for bikers. Local governments can start this trend by offering small pitches and shared sites with bike-specific amenities at their campgrounds.

As far as getting around, intercity buses are a godsend. I'd still like to see bike racks on local buses (not that they're super useful for fully-loaded bikes), and more train support for bikes. Train and subway cars and should have dedicated spaces for bikes. Bikes should be allowed at all times on all forms of transport, although I understand why it's not practical to do so. At train stations and bus terminals, we were pleased to find elevators wherever we needed them, and all had ample space for our bikes.

I adore the bicycle passport idea. It is definitely responsible for increasing interest in bike touring, especially among Korean cyclists. One thing I worry about is that it potentially "locks in" what I have previously described as an incomplete, partially disconnected network of paths. Imagine someone who proudly displays their passport filled with stamps when they discover that there's a new trail. Do they buy a new passport and start over? Can they get new loose pages to insert into their current book? Do they have to return their grand slam medal? I know this all sounds silly, but when you go such lengths to make everything appear official, you will have people who complain with every little change that's made.

Speaking of changes, I've seen Korea like one sees a far-away relative: a peek once every few years, bringing differences into relief. The old ways are slowly fading into the background. I have to admit that a good portion of the "old ways" made me physically, and sometimes emotionally, uncomfortable. When sitting on the floor, I have to shift my legs around. I can only squat for a few minutes before I'm begging for a chair. I never liked having to carry around my own toilet paper, and I didn't like seeing rolls of toilet paper on every restaurant tabletop (they now have individual napkin dispensers). These things feel insignificant, but they do add up over the course of a week or month. The bigger issues were the prejudice against foreigners, which is understandable but still hurtful, and the highly patriarchal nature of Confucianism. When I lament the continuing westernization of the country, I have to remind myself that there are huge benefits to it, primarily in the freedom that women have gained in determining their own paths to happiness.

One thing that hasn't changed much is the emphasis on, and respect for, shared infrastructure. It's easy to commit funds to a park when you know that thousands of people are going to enjoy it every day without trashing it. It makes things like placing a bunch of stamp booths in the middle of nowhere possible. On the other hand, there are now CCTV cameras everywhere, and while this isn't unique to Korea by any means, there is a growing feeling that adherence to social norms is starting to be enforced more by authority rather than peer pressure.

Biking as a sport has certainly taken off in Korea over the past few years. There is still a hard line drawn between mountain and road biking, although from what I've seen, many mountain bike riders stick exclusively to paved paths. In a few years I expect to see lots of people riding gravel bikes. I think they would be perfect for the varied terrain available to Korean cyclists.

Well, we certainly stayed on the beaten path for most of this tour, but it was interesting, and I dare say, exotic, enough to recommend to other cyclists. When we return to finish the job of stamp collecting, we should have time left over to blaze our own trail somewhere, most likely in 전라도 (Jeolla province). Something to look forward to!