[This remarkable book is available gratis in the Kindle Free Library. These 2 American college students took revolvers to protect themselves against bandits. They were declared at every border crossing, and officials thought it was perfectly right and natural that they should be armed for their protection in the lawless countryside.]
Across Asia on a Bicycle: The Journey of Two American Students from Constantinople to Peking
In 1890, two American college graduates set out to travel around the world on a then-new invention, the modern bicycle. In 1893 they returned, have covered over 15,000 miles, at that time the “longest continuous land journey ever made around the world.” This is their account their trip across Turkey, Persia, Turkestan and northern China. It described their adventures traveling along through regions few outsiders ever visited. Out of print over a century, this book is now back in print with additional notes and maps.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Across_Asia_on_a_Bicycle.html?id=CGmICUWE7bgC