Please
click on the links below to jump to the relevant questions
on this same page.
Email or call
us if you have a question
not answered here.
About
Topbicycle
How
long has your company been in business?
How is your company structured? Do you have staff
at home AND overseas?
What distinguishes your adventure travel company from others?
What is your most popular vacation? And why?
Do you have a brochure I can look at?
Can I get some references about you from someone
who has traveled with you?
Can I get Med-Evac
insurance through you?
What happens to my money if Topbicycle goes bankrupt
or into insolvency?
Can I book flights and other travel
through you?
Do I need a passport or visa for
a bicycle tour?
What is with this “Central” Europe? I thought it was Eastern Europe.
Central
European bicycle tours in general
What is the standard of your accommodations?
Can you book extra nights before and after the tour?
I do not have enough time for the full tour. Can you shorten
the itinerary for me?
What comes with the bikes?
Can I bring my own pedals / saddle / helmet?
Can I bring my own bike?
Can I join more than one route together into a longer tour?
How far will I cycle each day?
Will I be fit enough for the tour?
What are the routes like – paved or off-road?
How hilly is the terrain?
Are the roads and routes you use safe?
What about safety in towns?
I am a woman traveling on my own. Will I be safe?
I am a vegetarian – is this possible in Central Europe?
I have a particular allergy. Can you help me if I do a tour
with you?
Is April / May / June / July / August / September / October
a good time to go?
What will the weather be like in the area for my tour?
Do people speak English? / Will I be understood?
What are the differences between a guided and a self-guided
bicycle tour?
Do you have group discounts?
Do you have any benefits for repeat customers?
Self-guided
bicycle tours
What does a self-guided bicycle tour include?
What is the extent of your “support service”?
If I am finding my way along the route by myself, what do I get
to help me?
What do I do if I get totally lost?
Can you help if my bike breaks on the tour?
What happens if I cannot complete the cycling each day?
Why is there a 15% tour supplement for a single person on a
self-guided tour?
Guided
bicycle tours
What
does a guided bicycle tour include?
How large are your group sizes?
What happens if not enough people sign up to the
tour?
Are your guides local?
I see breakfast and dinner are included – what do
we do about lunch?
I am a slow cyclist. Will I hold up the group?
Will I have to cycle at the pace of the group?
How do you choose your guided tour dates?
Can I do a guided tour outside of the dates on your
website?
(Between April and October of a particular year):
I would like to do a guided tour next year – any dates
available?
Payment
and Reservation
How
do I sign up to a tour?
How can I send you my completed reservation form?
Do you require a tour deposit?
When do you require the final payment of the tour?
Is it OK if my other friends sign up to the tour later?
What currency can I use when paying via 3-D Secure payment gateway?
I am having trouble paying by card on the 3-D Secure payment gateway. Any
help?
What are the steps of payment for bike rental?
Bike
rental
What is included with the bikes?
Can I bring my own panniers?
What about maps of the route I intend to do?
Where is the bike drop off point?
What is latest time I can reserve bicycles from you?
About Topbicycle
How
long has your company been in business?
In 1996, Tomas Leskovjan started Greenways
Travel Club, which
was the first company to
organize tours along the Czech Greenways
from Vienna to Prague. It specializes in active
vacations
- cycling, hiking, horse riding, canoeing and multi-sport
holidays.
The most popular choice was cycling, so Tomas decided to
focus more on bicycle tours.
The result is Topbicycle, which
is the brand name of Greenways Travel Club. Topbicycle
specializes
in cycling tours in Central Europe. Read more on our About
Us page.
Back
to top
How
is your company structured? Do you have staff at home AND
overseas?
Our office is based in the delightful town of Mikulov in
the winegrowing countryside of the
Czech Republic. From here,
we answer your emails and phone calls, and arrange and
coordinate
tours. We have many guides working for us and they live throughout
Central
Europe. We also have global
partners who sell our tours
in the United States, Canada,
Australia
and New Zealand. You can book a tour directly
with us or
through our partners.
Back
to top
What
distinguishes your adventure travel company from others?
Experience
and detailed knowledge -
We arrange tours in the place we know best –
where we
live. We have been developing our tours, based on a detailed
local knowledge of
our region, since 1996. We were the
first company to arrange tours along the Prague-
Vienna
Greenways under Greenways
Travel Club.
Quality
self-guided tours -
From the personal welcome briefing to the farewell,
we
provide a high standard of services on our self-guided
bicycle tours. We provide excellent
navigation and
tour information and rent you a mobile to call us
in case of anything during
your tour. You main luggage
is transferred every day and accommodations are booked.
You
decide when to start every morning and cycling
pace in this flexible type of
tour.
Local
guides -
Our professional, bilingual guides are nationals of
the main tour country.
Who better to explain the
incredible changes that Central and Eastern European
countries
have faced over the years than a person
who has lived through them? They will cycle with
you and can explain the points of interest you will
see. Quality
bikes in a size for you -
Our TREK 7300FX
hybrid bikes are perfect for the terrain
of our tours.
Our TREK bikes come in all sizes and we have men's
and women's frames.
You
will get a bike that fits
your body.
Quality
accommodation -
These are 3-4 star hotels and pensions, most often
run by the
owner. They are centrally located and
all rooms have a private bathroom. Get to your
hotel/pension
easily after sightseeing around town or after your
day’s biking, have a
relaxing, hot shower and then
get a comfortable, good night’s sleep.
Professional,
personalized service -
Many people picture us in “the post-Communist
European
badlands of the East” where service is poor and sour
at best. This is not true
and
we break this stereotype
by providing a high standard of service and attention.
Read
references from people who have toured
with us and used our services.
Back
to top What
are your most popular cycling vacations? And why?
Our two best-selling bicycle tours are Greenways
from Vienna to Prague (Version A) and
Amber Trail I from Budapest
to Krakow. The Greenways,
especially version A, have a high
density of points of
interest as well as varied landscapes along the route.
The Greenways
have also been highly publicized by Friends
of Czech Greenways and the Greenways
Program of Nadace
Partnerstvi. The Amber Trail from Budapest to Krakow
goes through
breath-taking, mountain and forest landscapes
of Slovakia.
Back
to top
Do
you have a brochure I can look at?
Yes. We have a full-color brochure detailing more about
our tours. It is available to
download in a PDF format.
If you give us your address, we will post you a hard
copy.
Back
to top Can
I get some references from someone who has traveled
with you?
Yes, you can. Let us know which route you are interested
in - info@topbicycle.com.
If we
cannot find someone willing to provide references for a
particular route, we can put you in
contact with someone else who has done a tour with us.
They can give you an idea about
the organization of our
tours. It is worth checking out the external websites
and reports of
people who have been on our tours listed
on our References page.
Back
to top Can
I get Med-Evac insurance through you?
Unfortunately not, you are responsible for your own
travel and health insurance.
Read
our Terms & Conditions that
detail our and your responsibilities.
Back
to top What
happens to my money if Topbicycle goes bankrupt
or into insolvency?
We have tour operator’s insurance required by all tour operators
in the European Union.
You will get back any funds you paid
to us in the unlikely event of us going bankrupt or into
insolvency.
Back
to top Can
I book flights and other travel through you?
No – but Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest are cities that
are covered by many
cheap airlines. Check out Skyscanner.net to
search for flights. We can recommend the
best
way to get to the
start point of the tour in case you cannot fly to the closest
start
city.
Contact us and let us know your
travel plans. Have a browse on the online train and bus
timetables for countries in Central Europe.
Back
to top Do I need a passport or visa for a bicycle tour in the
Czech
Republic, Slovakia,
Hungary and Poland?
Most of the countries in which we arrange tours joined the European Union in
May 2004.
As they are new EU members, we recommend double-checking with the
embassy of the
country you intend to visit in your home country. You will need
a full, valid passport.
Back
to top What
is with this “Central” Europe? I thought it was
Eastern
Europe.
It is all a matter of perception. People living in the countries
of Austria, the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Poland and Hungary
consider this area to be Central Europe. National Tourist
Offices are promoting this label too. We consider Bulgaria
and Romania to be “Eastern”
Europe.
Back
to top
Central
European bicycle tours in general
What
is the standard of your accommodations?
We book a minimum of quality, comfortable 3-star hotels
and pensions. All the rooms have
private bathrooms. The
accommodation is centrally located, in the Old Town center
if not
on the square itself. The hotels and pensions are
often in historical buildings and because
of this, many
do not have a lift. In the smaller towns and villages we
use the best available
accommodation in town.
Back
to top
Can
you book extra nights before and after the tour?
Yes we can. Get in touch with us and we will detail the
hotels we use in a particular city.
We can give the
exact price after we book because of high and low
season prices and
possible differing
prices for numbers of nights with the hotel. However,
we can give you an
approximate price for the extra nights.
Back
to top
I
do not have enough time for the full tour. Can
you shorten the itinerary for me?
Email us - info@topbicycle.com - detailing how much time you have, how many
km you
could cycle in a day and your preferences of places to visit. We only
customize
self-guided
tours on the routes our tours cover. In most cases, we will be
able to design a shorter
itinerary for you. Sometimes, due to logistical reasons
this
will not be possible.
Many
people want to shorten a tour by riding the equivalent
or two or more days in one.
While this is possible
we do not recommend it.
If you are thinking to shorten a tour and
have some ambitious
daily cycling km then consider the following. First,
you will be
following a route you have never
done
before. This will require you to stop more often and
check the map and route descriptions. Second, riding
in Central European terrain will be
different than at
home.
Third, the weather
may
not
be
ideal all
the time. All these factors
can significantly reduce
your average cycling speed and increase the time it takes
to cycle
the daily
distance.
Back
to top What
comes with the bikes?
All bikes are equipped with - mudguards, rear luggage rack, bar ends, bell,
rear light, clips
and water bottle holder. We also provide free of charge:
helmet, pannier bags, handlebar
bag, cyclocomputer, repair tools, puncture
repair kit, inner tube, pump, water bottle and
lock.
Back
to top Can
I bring my own pedals / saddle / helmet?
We provide all of the above but feel free to bring your own. On our reservation
form there
is a space to let us know you are bringing these. We will bring
the tools to attach pedals
and saddle to the bike.
Back
to top Can
I bring my own bike?
Yes, feel free to bring your own bike. However, we do
not give any tour discount if you do.
Back
to top Can
I join more than one route together into a longer
tour?
Yes, you can. Have a look at our tours in Central Europe.
We can combine many routes.
Most popular combinations are:
Danube Trail I and Danube
Trail II: Passau – Vienna – Budapest
Danube Trail I and Greenways:
Passau – Vienna - Prague
Danube Trail II and Amber
Trail I: Vienna – Budapest –
Krakow
Greenways and Elbe
River Trail: Vienna – Prague - Dresden
Back
to top
How
far will I cycle each day?
The daily cycling distance varies from 30 - 70 km (19 – 45
miles) per day. Bicycle tours
with flatter terrain have
longer daily cycling distances (the Danube Trail
I from Passau to
Vienna and the Danube Trail
II from Vienna to Budapest).
On challenging tours with serious
hills, we shorten the
daily cycling miles (Amber Trail I from Budapest to Krakow).
Back
to top Will
I be fit enough for the tour?
We rate our tours as Easy Moderate and Challenging.
Easy – the bike tour follows a course of a river, usually
downstream; the terrain profile is
almost level. Beginner
bikers can easily travel the route.
Moderate – the bike tour is evenly distributed over hilly
terrain and less demanding flat
parts; 1 or 2 more challenging
days of ascents and descents (crossing a mountain range).
The route is suitable for recreational cyclists who ride
regularly at home.
Challenging - only 1 or 2 easy days; the rest of the route
is challenging in terms of
terrain: several highland or mountain
ranges to be crossed during the tour, with long, steep
climbs.
The route is suitable for well-trained recreational cyclists
or accomplished sports
enthusiasts, who will enjoy the very
difficulty of the terrain.
We
recommend looking at the daily cycling miles on the detailed
tour itineraries and
checking out the route profile for
each tour on this website. It is important to get saddle
time
in before you go on distances and hilly terrain comparable
to the tour you have
chosen. Being fit and being a fit
cyclist are different things.
Back
to top What
are the routes like – paved or off-road?
Most routes are on paved third-class roads - backroads.
Some sections are on dedicated,
paved cycling paths, which
are a joy to cycle on. Other sections are on forest tracks
or
off-road, light-gravel paths, both of which may also
be cycling trails. All of the routes can
be handled by
our TREK 7300FX, hybrid bikes.
Back
to top How
hilly is the terrain?
All of our tour web pages have a route contour profile,
including a map of the route.
We
make a distinction between
mountainous hills (hills that you will encounter living
near a
mountain range) and rolling hills (a nice-sounding
word for all others, but hills that you
would normally
expect anywhere). Our Moderate tours have rolling hills,
but only our
Challenging tours have mountainous hills.
Back
to top Are
the roads and routes you use safe?
You will ride mainly on paved, third-class roads. These
are backroads and have the
minimum amount of traffic. Although
this traffic consists of traffic between villages, you
still
have to be vigilant (as you would be on any road).
Sometimes a route goes on a busier
road. This is often
unavoidable as it is the only road into an overnight town
or you will go
on the busier road for a few hundred meters
before turning off on to a backroad again.
A
warning note
about the route will always be in your route descriptions.
Some tour
sections are on forest tracks or off-road, light-gravel
paths. The challenge here is to look
out for the occasional
stone, fallen branch or pothole.
Back
to top What about safety in towns?
Central Europe is as safe for tourists as Western Europe.
So take the same precautions.
Do not flash around your valuables and be careful of pickpockets
in busy, tourist places.
Back
to top
I
am a woman traveling on my own. Will I be safe?
Yes, you will be safe. In fact, on a tour in the countryside
you will be safer than usual.
This is because you will
be in rural areas where the crime rate is low if non-existent.
In cities you have to use your common sense and take precautions
as any other tourist
would. Our stand-by support service
for self-guided tours includes a mobile phone.
You can
call us (24 hours) in case of any problems.
Back
to top I am a vegetarian – is this possible
in Central
Europe?
Central European
cuisine is admittedly
meat-heavy. Most
restaurants will
have vegetarian
choices
on the menu, but
it is a good idea
to say that you are
vegetarian at the
restaurant. Some
dishes may contain
meat and this might
not be apparent from
the menu.
If you
are not a strict
vegetarian then we
recommend that you
try some of the meat
dishes as these are
dishes representative
of the cuisine. You
will get some information
in
your tour information
materials about meals
and options for vegetarians.
Back
to top I have a particular allergy. Can you
help me if I do
a tour with you?
Let us know what your allergy is and we will try our best
to accommodate you on our
tours. We have had people with
wheat and gluten allergies on our tours. They brought
special
food with them and we provided a coolbox for storage each
day. We also wrote
notes people can show to waiters in
restaurants to explain their allergies when they are
ordering.
Back
to top Is
April / May / June / July / August
/ September
/
October
a good
time to
go?
Our tour season
is from April
to October. We
detail information
on when to go
on each
individual
tour page. Personally,
we think May
(flowers) and
September (ideal
sunny
weather)
are the best
times to tour
in this region.
However, the
other months
are also
good.
The weather in
continental Europe
consists of hot
summers and cold,
snowy winters.
Back
to top What
will the weather be
like
in the area
for my tour?
The weather
in continental
Europe
consists of hot
summers and cold,
snowy winters.
We recommend
checking weather.com.
You can search
for a particular
Central
European
city
under their
vacation
planner page and
get information
on yearly weather
averages.
Basic
advice - bring
waterproofs
just in case.
Back
to top Do
people speak English? / Will
I be understood?
Your bilingual
guide will
help you
on a guided
tour. On
a self-guided
bicycle
tour we
include
basic,
useful
phrases
in your
tour information
materials.
However,
we recommend
bringing
a
phrasebook
as people
always
love it
when you
communicate
in their
language
(or at
least
try).
The numbers
of people
learning
English
in Central
Europe
are increasing.
Generally,
younger
people
will speak
better
English.
Many Central
Europeans
also learn
German,
so this
is a
good
language
to try
to communicate
in. If
all else
fails,
miming,
pointing
and smiling
are
always
fun. People
are generally
helpful
wherever
you go
in the
world and
they will
help if
you ask
them.
Back
to top What
are the differences between
a guided
and
a self-guided
bicycle tour?
For a side-by-side comparison, the table shows which services
are common to both guided
and a self-guided bicycle tours
and which services are unique. We arrange self-guided and
guided
bicycle tours as packages and we do not break up the services.
| Service
|
Self-guided |
Guided |
| Accommodation
in selected hotels and pensions |
Yes |
Yes |
| Quality
bike rental |
Yes |
Yes |
| Luggage
transfer |
Yes |
Yes |
| Buffet
breakfast |
Yes |
Yes |
| Welcome
briefing upon arrival |
Yes |
Yes |
| Transportation
by car according to program |
Yes |
Yes |
| English
route descriptions |
Yes |
Yes |
| Detailed
cycling maps with route highlighted |
Yes |
Yes |
| Town
maps |
Yes |
Yes |
| Global
Positioning System (GPS) console |
Yes |
Yes |
| Stand-by
support: cell phone rental and contact person |
Yes |
No |
| Support
van |
No |
Yes |
| Dinner |
No |
Yes |
| Private
guided tours at chateaux, castles, museums and other
select attractions |
No |
Yes |
| Special
events, including wine tasting and picnics |
No |
Yes |
| Professional bilingual guide |
No |
Yes |
Back
to top
Do
you have group discounts?
We offer a 10% discount for groups of 10+
people provided you book directly
with us.
Back
to top
Do you have any benefits for repeat customers?
We offer a 10% discount on the
tour cost for people who have toured with us
in the past
(provided you booked directly with
us). Please get in
touch with us. It will be good to hear from you
again
and a
pleasure
to
arrange
another tour for you.
Back
to top
Self-guided
bicycle tours
What
does a self-guided bicycle tour include?
• Accommodation in selected hotels and pensions
• Buffet breakfast
• Luggage transfer
• English route descriptions
• Detailed cycling maps
• Town maps
• Global Positioning System (GPS) console with programmed route
• Transportation by car according to program
• Welcome briefing upon arrival
• Quality TREK bike rental
• Stand-by support (cell phone and contact person)
Back
to top What
is the extent of your “support service”?
We rent you a cell phone and provide the mobile numbers
of at least two people you can
call in case of any problems.
This is a 24-hour service. Feel free to call us at any
time
during your tour (emergencies, unexpected situations,
if lost or problems with the language
barrier). People on our
tours have told us that this services allows them to have
an
adventure, but always have the peace of mind tht they
can call at any time.
Back
to top
If
I am finding my way along the route by myself, what do
I get to help me?
We provide three methods of navigation on our self-guided
bicycle tours.
• Route descriptions / cue sheets – with helpful info on
each overnight town
• Maps with your route highlighted
• Town
maps with your overnight
accommodation marked
• A Global Positioning System (GPS) console with programmed
route
Back
to top
What
do I do if I get totally lost?
If you get completely lost, then your REMAINS will be found
by the next passing cyclist -
Oh the HORROR!!!
Seriously, with the navigation and information, we provide
for the self-guided bicycle tour,
getting lost is a rarity.
You can also give us a call from your mobile phone supplied
as part
of the stand-by support.
Back
to top
Can
you help if my bike breaks on the tour?
We provide a spare inner tube and a puncture repair kit with
the bike to cover a flat tire.
We also give some repair
tools for light repairs and adjustments. For anything more serious
you will have a list of bike shops in your tour information
materials and/or we can replace
your bike. Our bike mechanic checks all bikes before they
are ridden so the chances of your
bike breaking are very
low.
Back
to top What happens if I cannot complete the cycling each day?
We recommend choosing self-guided
tour suitable to your ability, and
preparing
for the terrain and weather to be expected.
We can advise you on all of this. If the weather is
really
terrible then it is possible to take you with the luggage
transfer
service in the
morning. See this as a back up service and aim to complete
the cycling each day.
Back
to top
Why
is there a 15% tour supplement for a single person on
a self-guided tour?
We calcuate the car and luggage transfers on our tours based
on a minimum of two people. If you go solo on a self-guided
tour then you will pay the 15% tour supplement to cover the
cost of the extra person not going. This is in addition to
the single room supplement.
Back
to top
Guided
bicycle tours
What does a guided bicycle tour include?
• Professional bilingual guide
• Accommodation in selected hotels and pensions
• Support van
• Buffet breakfast
• Dinner
• Luggage transfer
• English route descriptions
• Detailed cycling maps
• Town maps
• Global Positioning System (GPS) console (one for the group)
• Quality TREK bike rental
• Guided tours at chateaux, castles, museums and other select
attractions
• Special events,
including wine tasting and picnic
Back
to top
How
large are your group sizes?
The maximum group size is 25 people. However, our guided
groups tend to stay quite small
reaching only up to
10 people or so. The more popular tours attract perhaps
15-20 people
(one or two groups a year). We assign
two guides to large groups.
The minimum number for a guided tour to be guaranteed
is 4 people.
Back
to top What
happens if not enough people sign up to the tour?
If you sign up to a guided tour date and the minimum number
of 4 people do not sign up
then there are some options.
We realize that you may have already booked non-refundable
flights and extra nights. In all cases, we try to come
up with a solution.
First, we can arrange a self-guided tour for you in the
same dates and refund the
difference. Second, you can pay
extra and have the guided tour anyway. You will pay the
share for the missing people. Third, we can advise on guided
tours that are going ahead
around the time you are traveling.
You can join another guided tour. Finally, if none of the
previous solutions work then we will refund you any money
you have paid.
Back
to top Are
your guides local?
Our professional, bilingual guides are
nationals of the main tour country. Who better to
explain the incredible
changes that Central and Eastern European countries have
faced
over the years than a person who has lived through
them? They will cycle with you and
can explain the points
of interest you will see. Ask them lots of questions!
Back
to top I
see breakfast and dinner are included – what do we do
about lunch?
Depending on the day, lunch might be in the form of picnic
(food bought at a local shop)
or at a good restaurant or pub. The guide will help in
any case.
Back
to top I am a slow cyclist. Will I hold up the group?
Not at all. Since all participants on a guided tour are provided
with English route
descriptions and maps, there is flexibility
our guided tours. The guide rides with the main
group (usually
the slowest riders). You need not feel this pressure on our
guided tours.
Back
to top Will
I have to cycle at the pace of the group?
No. You can race ahead at your own faster speed or stop
for a bit longer at a particular
point of interest. Everyone
gets English route descriptions and maps with the route
highlighted.
You can still find your way along the route without having
to rely on the guide.
You can arrange with
the guide to meet up with the group again at a particular
place.
Back
to top How do you choose your guided tour dates?
The dates we choose for our guided tours usually correspond
to the cultural calendars of
particular towns along the
route. This means that the guided tour will usually be
at the
same time as an interesting festival or event
along
the way.
Back
to top Can I do a guided tour outside of the dates on your website?
If you are in a group of 4 or more people then we can arrange
a private guided tour for you
starting on any date. Get
in contact with us and let us know which dates and route
interests you - info@topbicycle.com.
The cost will be the same per person as the
scheduled guided tour cost.
Back
to top (Between April and October of a particular year): I would
like to do a guided tour
next year – any
dates available?
We update our guided tour dates from
October to December for the following
year. Get in
touch with us to register
your interest in a guided tour- info@topbicycle.com.
When we set
our dates we can send you
an email.
Alternatively, bookmark our website and
check back.
Back
to top Payment
and Reservation
How do I sign up to a tour?
You can book directly with us or through one our global
partners.
Back
to top How
can I send you my completed reservation form?
If you reserve your tour online then you will fill out an online
reservation form and click a
button to send it to us. We also
have a PDF reservation form you can download, print out,
fill
in and either post, fax or scan and email to us.
Back
to top Do you require a tour deposit?
Yes, this is 100 EUR per person. You can pay this by
check, bank transfer
or online by
credit card on our 3-D Secure payment gateway.
Back
to top When
do you require the final payment of the tour?
We require the whole tour balance to be paid 45 days before
the start of the tour.
You can read up more in our Terms
& Conditions.
Back
to top Is it OK if my other friends sign up to the tour later?
Yes, however we will usually hold from reserving the accommodation
until everyone has
signed up. It is easier for us to reserve
the accommodation “in one go”. Other people have
until
45 days before the tour starts to sign up. This is the
time when the final balance must
be paid.
Back
to top
What currency can I use when paying via 3-D Secure payment gateway?
You can make your payments in Euros (EUR), US Dollars (USD), British Pounds (GBP) or Czech Koruna (CZK). If your currency is different from one of the above you need to make a conversion to EUR. You will find the current exchange rate on the xe.com currency converter website. Use this website to make the currency conversion because it is continuously updated with the latest rates. The final exchange rate will be made by your bank.
Back
to top
I
am having trouble paying by card on the 3-D Secure payment
gateway.
Any
help?
Apologies that things are not working. Below the steps
of the payment process are
explained in detail. Feel free
to give us a call or
tell us when we can call you. We can also
do this transaction
with you over the phone. Doing
the transaction over the phone will not
work if you are
a member of the Verified
by Visa or MasterCard
SecureCode program as
additional security information from you will
be queried that we should not know.
Basic steps for a successful payment by credit card on our
3-D Secure online payment
gateway.
1) Enter the amount with no punctuation marks into the "amount"
box.
Round it up or down to the nearest whole number (just whole numbers, no punctuation marks, no decimals, e.g. 1190).
2)
You will then be redirected from our website to a secure
site
of GPE to enter your
card information. After clicking "Pay" please
wait. Do not press the refresh or back buttons.
3)
You may be directed to the Verified by Visa or MasterCard
Secure
Code site to enter the
card password if you are a
member of these programs. After you do that, you will be
redirected back to our website. Please click “yes” if a message
pops up asking if you would
like to continue to a non-secure
site (you are coming from the secure credit card site to
our non-secure site). You will get a "payment successful" message.
4)
After you do the transaction, you will get an automatic
email from root@topbicycle.com
confirming that the payment
was successful (as well as the obvious message on our
website).
Please check your Spam folder for this message if you do
not see it because
some email filters count automatically
generated emails as Spam.
Back
to top What
are the steps of payment for bike rental?
Your bike rental is only confirmed when you fill in a reservation
form sent out by us. If you
are renting the bicycles in
a place other than Mikulov then we require a 25% deposit
on the
rental cost. This is payable by check or bank transfer.
The rest of the balance can be paid
by cash on arrival.
Back
to top Bike
rental
What is included with the bikes?
All bikes are equipped with: mudguards, rear luggage
rack, bar ends, bell, rear light, clips
and water bottle
holder. We also provide free of charge: helmet, pannier
bags, handlebar
bag, cyclocomputer, repair tools, puncture
repair kit, inner tube, pump, water bottle and
lock.
Read more about basic
and supplementary equipment.
Back
to top
Can I bring my own panniers?
Yes – all our bikes are fitted with rear racks for
panniers.
Back
to top What
about maps of the route I intend to do?
You are responsible for getting your own maps. We supply
maps on self-guided and guided
tour packages only.
Back
to top Where
is the bike drop off point?
In some towns and cities, we have the address of a hotel
or pension where you can drop
off the bike. Otherwise,
it is your responsibility to leave the bike in a safe place
(ideally in
your hotel or pension, in a lockable or watched
room) and to let us know the address.
If
you are not staying
the night, but dropping the bike off and then leaving,
we can
arrange
to meet you and collect the bike from you
directly.
Back
to top What is latest time I can reserve bicycles from you?
Book as early in advance as you can to be sure. In the
summer, our bikes are often
completely booked out for our bicycle tours and group biking
trips.
Back
to top
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