Bicycles.
The cycles provided were fit for purpose and seemed well-maintained ? though one or more of the bells did not function properly.
The bicycle provided for Joanna Evans was unsuitable, as she was unable to place both feet on the ground when seated on the saddle. We contacted both Velotours and Rad & Reisen, and the former invited us to their premises, where they discovered that the labels on the cycles for Joanna and Peter Haxworth had been applied to the wrong machines. A simple but avoidable error, which cost us a wasted hour of our day. Having made this error, Velotours efficiently remedied the problem by swapping the two cycles and, in addition, they provided a lower saddle for Joanna.
The cycle provided for Richard Sills showed an error from the start. The handlebar display showed only the time and no other of the various pieces of information. This did not trouble us at the start, as we felt that we could do without the display functions. On reflection, it should have alerted us that there may be a problem with the electronics on the cycle. Richard rode the machine without difficulty, for most of the time, but found that he could not rely on the electrical assistance, as it could cut out without warning, especially when cycling uphill. On reflection, we should have reported the malfunction at an earlier stage, but were concerned that any repairs might take time out of our trip; and in any case Richard was uncertain as to what was causing the problem, and could manage the machine for most of the time. Eventually, Richard and Gilliane exchanged their display items, and found that the display from Richard´s cycle worked on Gilliane´s; while the one from Gilliane´s bike showed only the time while on Richard´s cycle, thus confirming a problem with the bike, not the display. When we finally decided that we should report the problem, in Friedrichshafen, Velotours promptly sent an employee over with a replacement machine, so Richard could use a fault-free cycle for the last two days.

Route guidance
The route books offered some help, but were not so closely geared to our route as in the last two years. The gpx files were very helpful in defining the overall route, although they didn´t include the diversions to our specific hotels. We used them successfully on navigation apps that we already had (Organic and Naviki) rather than Komoot. The information provided before departure gave us useful guidance on places to visit, and we much enjoyed our visit to the Rhine falls, the pile dwellings and to the Minster and the harbour in Konstanz. One omission from the guidance offered was the Markthalle in Altenrhein, designed by Hundertwasser and now transformed into a café. A quirky building, typical of Hundertwasser, and well worth a visit.

Logistics
Our luggage was collected and transported to our next hotel efficiently, with just one glitch. At the Hotel in Gailingen, the hotelier told us that the luggage had not arrived. Fortunately, she remembered that luggage had previously been left at the building next door, so she duly retrieved it for us.

Hotels
We found that all the hotels were up to the expected standard, and staff were helpful and welcoming. The Hampton-Hilton hotel in Konstanz was technically very good, but a bit lacking in character.

Overall
A splendid route, with suitable hotels and plenty to see en route. The highlights for us were the Rhine falls, the pile dwelling museum and the Markthalle at Altenrhein.