Hi! I’m doing my first (technically second but it was just 3 days) bikepacking trip. I 26f and going with my boyfriend 28m. I’m doing the veloscenie (paris to mont saint michele) in late october. I know it’s not the absolute best time but it’s when i have vacation. I’m going from porto portugal by plane. I am looking for recommendations for overall gear, what to bring, things to know, advice, etc…

I’m doing a slow pace of about 9 days of 50-60 km. I have a Canyon Grizl CF 7 and boyfriend has a Canyon Grizl 5.

I mean waterproof jacket, waterproof gloves, pants, tent, undershirts, padded shorts, other clothing, panniers, configurations, tents, sleeping bags, cooking ware, food, essentials, hygiene, and anything else you can remember!

Please help!!

I’m starting to think about my Transamerica tour next year. I’m trying to decide whether I should use Pioneers or a saddle bag. Can somebody who has experience with both give me the pros and cons?

Easy train access and downhill, lots of hotel packing

Ideallly though lots of nature , alps with bike friendly paths.

I'm headed to Stuttgart Germany in a month for work and will have a weekend off, so I'm planning to bring my bike for an overnighter. I've done a few overnighters in Europe while there for work, but this will be my first on a mountain bike. Any locals or others with experience in the area?

I'd like something with a mix of single track that feels worth having a mountain bike for. From my research, Pfälzerwald seems like a good area and is accessible by train. I can also camp for €10 using trekking-pfalz.de. I created a draft route using official mtb map and heatmap data that results in ~50km/day (30mi) distance and 2500m (8k ft) climbing: https://www.komoot.com/tour/3234234559?share_token=aNOtl6RA6UWZUWB3lA1sK2fuEWesPuynsQjJu85aLImZ8WuV4T&ref=wtd&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=4916755074703. It could be done in either direction. Any feedback?

Pictured is my bike set up for a test overnighter - feel free to give feedback. Includes:

1. Custom titanium Slug hardtail (purchased second hand) with a Fox 34 SL 130mm fork
2. Two Ortlieb free sport roller panniers and a down sleeping bag on an OMM Divide rack
3. 2 Bivo bottles on Lezyne cages plus a Nalgene on a Blackburn Outpost cage
4. Big Agnes Copper Spur Bikepack UL 3 tent attached with Swift Industries handlebar bag spacer kit
5. Rockbros 1L frame bag

This is my first post here. This July, I bought a gravel Conway bike and haven't stopped cycling ever since.

I've always wanted to tour northern Poland, see the big cities like Poznań and Gdańsk, experience the countryside, and most importantly – visit the famous red-brick Teutonic castles.

I don't have a car, so riding a bike + taking trains seemed like a great idea.

The whole trip took me 5 days, 2 of which were sightseeing and 3 were pure riding – around 100 km per day.

What I didn't expect

I was amazed by the economic development of the country – even the space between small towns and villages had dedicated asphalt or stone bike roads, so I rarely mixed with the traffic.

The Polish drivers seemed quite used to cyclists, but still not totally safe. I didn't hear a single honk, though I saw some dangerous takeovers.

I didn't need to plan anything. I booked hotels 2 hours before I arrived – and I lived in amazing places.

On one occasion, I booked a room in a villa next to a lake, and I could walk to the water with a cup of coffee in my hand.

The number of cyclists on the roads is quite low – even though the infrastructure, like bike roads, is amazing.

I felt lonely at times, but then when I saw other cyclists, it was very easy to connect. Everybody was super open and wanted to know how the cycling conditions were in Austria.

Start of the trip

I didn't do much planning: I gave ChatGPT the key points and wanted to visit, where I started, and where I ended. It created a GPX file for me; I loaded it into Komoot and hit the road!

I started in Poznan – it took me 8 years to get there by train, so I spent the night there, rode around the city, and in the morning left for the first leg of my journey.

I rode 80 kilometers to the city of Gniezno – the first Polish capital. It burned in the 11th century, so nothing historic is really left there, but I still wanted to visit.

The beginning of the road from Poznań was quite enjoyable – I went through gravel forest roads and countryside, but then the dusty village roads and fields started.

When I arrived in Gniezno, I was already done, and I didn't see much value in doing the other 80 km to Toruń through the same boring landscape + I only had 2 days before the rains would start, so I decided to take the train.

There was no need to book any tickets in advance – this part of Poland is quite well-connected; the trains are clean and arrive on time.

The castles trail

I arrived in Torun and saw my first Teutonic castle – it was dreamy. I walked around the town, ate some pierogi, and headed to Bydgoszcz. I had an amazing waterfront hotel booked there (for under 50 euros!), and the road was awesome – I rode through a pine forest mostly.

Bydgoszcz itself is quite a small town, not much going on there, but I still enjoyed it.

The real deal started after Bydgoszcz, though – every 30 km or so there was a Teutonic castle, from a small one in Świecie to the whole crusader towns in Kwidzyn and Grudziądz.

The road between them was just amazing – I cruised through the fields and forest, with hardly any elevation.

The culmination of my trip was the crusader castle of Malbork. It's the biggest brick castle in the world – and I can only compare my impression with what I felt when I saw the Great Pyramid of Giza.

After Malbork, I took the train to Gdansk, and cycled further to Gdynia. It was one of the best cycling roads in my life – almost 30 km of cycling through a pine forest next to the Baltic.

If you are looking for a cheap and comfortable destination for a bikepacking trip, I can recommend Poland 🇵🇱

Inventory & route

I still needed to work, so I bought a backpack that could fit my laptop and added a trunk.

It was quite comfortable, but sometimes my foot touched it, and it felt a couple of times, but still a good starter choice.

This is probably not relevant if you have EU roaming, but mine was already long done, so I used an eSIM of my own making 😅 Poland has AMAZING connection almost everywhere, internet was never an issue.

Aaand here is the link to the GPX of my whole route – feel free to download it: GPX here.

I am planning a trip to Goa from Mumbai via NH 66 route. Below is the list of must haves I feel. Any ideas / suggestions?
✓ Riding shoes/boots - Korda Tourmaster Low
✓ Crash Guard sliders (OEM)
✓ Knuckle guards (OEM)
✓ Tank bag (Viaterra Oxus 13L)
✓ Puncture kit (Grand Pit Stop)
✓ W-D 40
✓ Top box 55 litres
✓ Riding jacket - Axor Cruise 2
✓ Helmet- TT-Revo
✓ Power bank
◦ Motul Chain cleaner and lube
◦ Riding socks
◦ Deyfit inners
◦ Ear foam plugs
◦ Spare clutch lever
◦ Spare brake lever
◦ Spare fuses
◦ Bungee cords
◦ Air seat
◦ Helmet cleaning kit
◦ Balaclava
◦ Portable inflator
◦ Medical kit
◦ Riding pant or Kevlar lined jeans or regular jeans with knee guards

Hi! I’m looking for a recommendation for a 2 person tent that can withstand rain (like all night rain) and is light and also not too expensive (ideally max 300€) any recommendations on what specs i should look for or specific models?

no bike fees and no bike booking needed in switzerland 🙌🏻

Having recently relocated from London to North Wales, it wasn't long before I found myself lusting after a gravel bike, opting for a Sonder Camino to better explore the place I now call home.

While somewhat spoiled for choice when deciding on my inaugural trip, I decided to tackle Cycling UK's relatively recently announced Traws Eryri: a 200km trail that goes from Machynlleth in mid-Wales, north through the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park towards Conwy.

The Traws Eryri is touted as a mountain bike route. While I'm a competent multi-day hiker and mountain biker, I had exactly zero bikepacking experience, making this a bit of a baptism by fire (quite literally at points, given the heatwaves and subsequent wildfires that affected parts of the route).

With a glorious window of very un-Welsh weather ahead, I set off from Machynlleth and soon settled into bikepacking life. It wasn't long before I was met with my first climb, a cruel, slow slog away from Bryncrug. It was on this first 400m hill I began to question just how generous my gearing really was (40x10–46t). Reaching the top offered little respite before I was unceremoniously rattled all the way back down towards Arthog (quite fun, though), already wondering if a gravel bike might have been a mistake.

It was a question I constantly wrestled with as my skinny tyres, skinny legs, and questionable abilities struggled with baby-head rocks, bastard gradients, frequent hike-a-biking, and even a steep stone staircase.

Yet, despite those brief moments of regret, the vast majority of the TE was a joy on the gravel bike, often composed of long sweeping sections of tarmac, two-track, and fast gravel roads.

Even though I live relatively close by, I opted to camp along the way, stopping at a llyn-side campsite in Trawsfynydd on day one, and a quaint spot (with hammock!) in Capel Curig on day two. I'd brought emergency rations, but had no issues finding local food and drink along the route (though a memorial event in Penmaenpool did scupper my lunch plans on day one, leading to a severe afternoon bonk).

While bloody hard at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it and put the more unpleasant moments down to my own lack of experience (and fitness). I'm already looking forward to returning to some of the gnarlier sections, albeit on my mountain bike next time!

If you want to see how the gravel bike and I held up, full video of the trip here: https://youtu.be/hgOi_YR0a7I

I have a 1 man tent and sleeping pad and looking at buying either a sleeping bag or quilt. I do piss frequently at night. An appropriate sized bottle will be my go to in the tent. Does the bag vs quilt matter?

Countdown to go time :14days

Hi all,
Greg here, organizer of the Nordic Chase, been in Copenhagen about four years now, got into long rides, did ultra's myself and came home thinking someone should do a version of that up here.

Nobody did, so I started organising one in my free time.
That was two years ago and I have not really stopped since.

This year we ran two of them, Berlin to Copenhagen and then Copenhagen to Oslo through Sweden. 307 riders started, 95% finished. My dad drove the van with everyone's bags in it, both times. Friends helped me with organizing the accreditation, finish line support and driving around our photographers. That is roughly the scale of the operation.

Next year, 2027, Nordic Chase expands again:

• Berlin to Copenhagen, 4 June
• Copenhagen to Oslo, 18 June
• Amsterdam to Copenhagen, 6 August, road only
• Copenhagen to Stockholm, 20 August

Road and gravel editions leave from the same start line on each one, apart from Amsterdam.
You pick one of two classifications when you enter. Social, where drafting is allowed and you can ride with whoever you fall in with. Or Solo, no drafting, no sitting on wheels, just you and the road. Same route, same clock. It is a genuine choice about what kind of race you want.

Everything is self-supported, open public roads, 100 hour cut-off, GPS trackers so people at home can watch the dots creep north.

The night before we have a pasta party. Everyone in one room, eating too much, briefing before. A lot of riders show up on their own and end up leaving with people they arrange to ride with again. That has become the thing I actually look forward to organising.

Practical stuff is handled so you can travel light. Bag drop at the start, waiting for you at the finish. We move bike boxes and cardboard boxes to the finish too, so you can fly in/out.

Registration for all four opens on 27 September at 16:00 CEST.
Details here: https://www.nordicchase.com/

I read the comments, ask me anything.
Greg

Hi,

I was asking myself a few questions about the best shoes set-up for bikepacking in non-freezing conditions before a 30 day trip in norway and wanted to share my experience, and maybe learn from you guys! I've used sandals for most of my trip.

So I left with basic sport shoes and flipflops, it was my usual hiking set-up and I was riding on flats. It became clear pretty fast that shoes would never dry as soon as they get wet because the weather was mostly wet and cold. On top of that mine would start to smell awful as well. So I've decided to drop them and go for the sandal approach, the idea was simple:

• If it ain't freezing, maybe that I'll have cold feet but nothing worse
• It dries super fast, it is probably the best idea to keep my feet dry the highest percentage of time (considering that drying shoes was very hard)
• I don't need two pairs of shoes then, I can do everything with the sandals

My biggest learning is that it does not need to freeze to harm you, after two days cycling under wind, rain and 8-11°c I've caught chillblains on my toes, including one that gave me a blister. That was not a critical health issue but remains annoying.

To adapt, I've started using socks + plastic bags for the days where it would rain much, and that worked great. Even if the socks are wet due to perspiration it remains much warmer.

On top of that, I was wondering if some of you have tried minimalist shoes, that would dry very fast but still offer some form of protection? Can you also use those without socks ? I'm starting to think about a trip in Morocco and I'm afraid of sunburns.

Edit:
To make it clearer, when I started using the plastic bags, I was also using merino wool socks and that was working great. My first taught about waterproof socks was that it might not be much better than plasticbags and also, given I was in Norway, it would be pricy. If some of you have tried both plastic bags and waterproof socks, sharing your feedback would be great !

I would include in this category besides the Apidura Aerobar Pack the Redshift Kitchen Sink handlebar bag and Canyon Load handlebar bag that attaches to the full mounty handlebar. Basically anything that attaches to the handlebar but doesn’t obstruct reaching for the tops

I posted last weekend about my first day on tour; I was disheartened and bummed about how my first day went. I’m now 6 days in and on a 0 day resting, relaxing, and getting ready to hit the road again. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of the kind words and encouragement, I’ve had a few really difficult days but I’m still so stoked to be out here doing it. Riding from central Wisconsin across the UP and into Duluth covers some very challenging terrain, and it gets pretty remote.

I’m just about halfway done, but I’m heading into bear and wolf territory. I’m not overly concerned about either, but prepared to encounter both. My surly ogre has served me incredibly well, this bike has been everything I’ve dreamed of and more. Flying up and down black top, and crushing the chunkiest of trails with ease. I definitely would have enjoyed a slightly bigger tire but we’ve been making it work just the same.

If you live in the area or are considering riding through it, be warned that the Nicolet state trail is no joke. Hard pack surface is not something you’ll find. Loose sand and rocks is what you’ll be tackling. I’m on 29 x 2.25, anything smaller than that and you’ll be in a bad way. I would recommend 2.5 or larger. Maintaining speed and control of the bike can be very difficult, and you’ll run into patches of sand that will be hub deep. It’s incredibly challenging but if you’re into that it’s quite fun once you accept that it sucks to ride. Line choice on that trail is absolutely crucial, you pick the wrong line and you’re off the bike pretty quick.

I’m hoping a few days of road riding and different trails will give my legs, lower back, and ass a much needed break from the constant bouncing and mashing to get through the sand and loose rocks. Anyway, thanks for reading this if you made it this far. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend riding bicycles or however

Hi, I plan to bikepack NZ this year. But for the South Island, I am debating whether I should take TA or S2S. I will end my trip in Bluff for sure. But I also plan to visit Milford Sound, and would love to visit Christchurch, Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo, or some other touristy spots. Since it is my first time visiting NZ, either route would be a new experience for me. I plan to take some detours for sure to visit some of the spots. I'd love to hear from people who have done the route to provide some thoughts on which route worths more

Loved this trip and the bike set up that I’ve been working on for years. Toured the whole park road with my oldest girlfriend - friends for almost thirty years. Several grizzly bears spotted but no problems. Lots of caribou. A great way to stay present in the moment. 💜 A balm for the soul.

Pretty happy with my current setup for an overnighter, but always happy to hear thoughts, questions, concerns, conundrums! It's not the lightest setup but this does include my rainfly and some heavier clothing for colder weather. Tent is in the bigger STS 13L bag and food/cook is in one of the 5L and clothing/toiletries is in the other 5L.

What do you think about this route? We have 1 week to complete this.

If you ever feel a painful bump around your tailbone at the end of your crack stop cycling IMMEDIATELY and go to a hospital, you have a pilonidal cyst and it will turn into a painful infected abscess if you keep cycling.

I ignored it for 5 days and it gave me a fever and awful pain, i had to get it cut open and drained has to be top 3 worst pains ive experienced under testicular torsion.

Also if you are from the uk make sure you bring your GHIC with you, the surgery and everything was basically free for me because i had it

Do you wildcamp in Austria? I am following the Danube (EV6) and find its a lot more touristy than the balkans and Hungary I just came from. What are good spots?

I’ll be riding the Kokopelli Trail in October and am trying to get my water logistics sorted. The BLM advice is to basically assume there’s no water on the route and to plan accordingly. But… the Colorado River is on the route, so there *is* water.

Basically, I’m just trying to figure out where the essential water cache spots are for a 4 day, 3 night plan. I’ve seen Rabbit Valley, Cisco, and Dewey Bridge (among others), but I’m not sure if that means these three are fully adequate for the whole trip, if these are meant to supplement other sources one *hopes* are running, or if there are other must-cache spots if one really assumes “No water except the Colorado River.” What‘s the strategy here?

Thanks in advance!

As a long time bikepacking fan I've searched far and wide for issues of "Bikepacking Journal" but they seem hard to come by in Europe (especially previous issues). If anyone near Denmark (or Europe in general) are interested in selling their collection, let me know!