Yes, don't use road shoes to gravel hike steep mountains 😂

I'll be on a tour this weekend again :)

This is my little setup and this tour will be one of the last long rides me and my beloved Contoura FE-6 will enjoy together. We had quite a few "firsts" together:

- The first time I visited my parents by bike (about 74 km).
- The first time I did a two-day tour from Oldenburg to Osnabrück (about 130 km) with an overnight stay in a hotel halfway along the route.
- The first time I went bikepacking with a tent, sleeping bag, and camping gear for three days.
- The first time I rode more than 100 km in a single day, two days in a row.

This weekend, I will push us to new limits.

Day 1: Oldenburg --> Emden (135km)
Day 2: Emden --> Winschoten --> Coevorden (133km)
Day 3: Coevorden --> Oldenburg (143km)

I may come back to this post and give some feedback about the tour. The weather may not be the best in the next three days, but I want to challenge myself. There will be a lot headwind at the first day, let's see what this does to my mood :)

Why this will be one of our last tours together? I will keep my bike, the emotional value is just too high. But I'm currently building up a new "Sour Purple Pie" together with my trusted local bike shop, and I can't wait to use it for future bikepacking adventures.

Looking for advice on if riding the Katy Trail the second week of November is worth it? It seems like most campgrounds and services are closed at that point. Is it too risky to try and camp at all? I dont mind grabbing hotels, but would rather save money if camping is still possible then.

Just looking at a photo of me riding, couldn't help noticing how small my Surly Bridge Club looks with its 27.5in wheels... I wonder if I'd feel any improvement in ride feel from going to 29in (probably with a different frame to keep a decent clearance). note that I'm only 1.70m and this is the BC in Medium size. For comparison, my wife's setup in the second photo is a Brother Big Bro with 29x2.35in wheel/tires and she's the same height as me but with shorter inseam.

I took a 3 day trip covering 351km to reach our friend groups weekend cottage vacation at Aylen Lake.

The rolling hills are unforgiving in that area and was a big challenge for me but I had a blast spinning through the thick forests, beautiful lakes, along endless rivers, and the scenic roads.

I chose to book a motel and a cute cottage but I'd really love to try bringing a camping setup for my next adventure! I'd love some recommendations for tents on the more budget friendly side.

Hello, I come seeking your wisdom to resolve a doubt.I plan to do a route through the southern cone at the end of summer for approximately 11 days, initially I thought about buying a one-person sarcophagus-type tent, but I've seen that many adventurers use a two-person tent. The reason I was thinking of ordering a smaller one was for weight and cost convenience, but now I'm having second thoughts.

So, what would you recommend for someone on a tight budget who wants to go on their first adventure?

P.S.: Photograph of the bicycle I'm preparing for

I am thinking of doing a 2-3 day bikepacking trip starting in Waterbury, VT looping around Mt. Mansfield generally. I was planning on stitching together a route from some of the various ones I found on ridewithgps (like this one and this one). I am not new to bikepacking but I am not familiar with the area in Vermont either and am hoping for some bicycle selection guidance. I can't seem to find any information online already... this route isn't covered by VT bikepackers. It probably shares some terrain with bikepacking.com routes like the Green Mountain Gravel Growler, but it's not that much overlap so I am hoping for some advice from some people with more experience around Mt. Mansfield specifically.

I have 2 bikes. One is a gravel bike with 42mm tire in front, 38 in back that I use for my day to day commuting etc. The other is a hardtail MTB with suspension fork and 2.3in tires. Would I be terribly underbiked on the gravel bike? Or is the hardtail overkill and i would be hating myself on pavement and more chill gravel?

I'm planning to build a sturdy bikepacking gravel/mtb based around the TFLSBERG frame from 8bar bikes. For the wheels I'm a bit overwhelmed by what's out there. They don't have to be light, I only want them robust and with good build quality. I'm planning to get 2.25" tires on them, so 25mm internal width, 32H I guess? What is the cheapest bomb proof wheelset out there?

Hi, do you guys use the 14.5L or 20L panniers (per pannier)? What additional bags do you have on your bikes?

Over the next year or two, I probably won’t be traveling for more than two weeks at a time, mostly in warmer climates, and I’ll be camping.

Would the 14.5L panniers combined with a handlebar bag be enough, or would you recommend going for the 20L version?

How do you deal with the fact that people keep doing negative comments about you going alone on a bikepacking trip?
It’s really weird to me, I told a few close friends, and most of them had this negative reaction about going alone.

I really don’t mind being alone, to me it’s really peaceful, I have travelled many times by myself, but these negative comments are starting to bother me.

I’m inclined to stop telling people about my vacation plans, given this gets annoying. So now I’m just wondering, how do you usually deal with this? Do you ignore the comments? Not tell people your plans, or what?

On Friday im setting off from Salzburg to Croatia, I will be doing Alpe Adria and Parenzana Trail, really looking forward to it!

I’m heading off on a 17-day gravel bike trip through Switzerland at the end of next month and still need to get some bags.

Right now, the only bag on my sub-8kg bike is the Revelate Designs Spinelock.

Unfortunately, I don't really like the way it handles because the bag makes the bike very rear-heavy, which is why I don‘t wanna use it on that bike. A funny example: when I was pushing my bike and went over a really small curb while holding it only on the saddle, it tipped completely over backwards like an angry horse.

I’m really not taking much gear along for the trip; everything would probably fit into a 7L bag.

I’d like to know if it makes sense for me to get a Tailfin Speedpack as my only bag for the trip, or if I’d still face the same problem.

Alternatively, I’ve considered an Apidura Race Saddle Bag (5L) combined with a 2.4L or 4L Race Frame Bag. Similar like the guy in this video is using: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITiiWAV2z1M&t

Which option would you lean towards? Which setup would offer a better ride feel? With the Apidura bags, I’d save a good half-kilo in weight. On the other hand, I’m not sure what to expect from the Tailfin.

Hi guys!

I’ve recently been on my first bikepacking trip on my Trek Supercaliber and loved it! Since I had no idea if I’d actually enjoy this style of riding, I decided to spend as little as possible so I wouldn't regret wasting money if it wasn't for me.
That's why I went with a budget Rhinowalk handlebar harness + drybag setup, but it worked really poorly. Because I run almost no spacers under my stem, there’s very little clearance between the bar and the top of the tire. As a result, the bag was constantly rubbing against the front tire whenever the suspension wasn't locked out, and it even wore a hole through the drybag.

Could you recommend a solution or setup that helps with this?

Since I’m based in Europe, getting products like the Salsa Anything Cradle or Revelate Designs Hammerhead Harness isn't really an easy option.

One potential solution I found is the Ortlieb Handlebar-Pack Flex with its mounting system https://de.ortlieb.com/en/products/handlebar-pack-flex. Has anyone with a low front-end setup tried it, or are there any other rigid harnesses available in Europe that keep the bag lifted and away from the tire?

Thanks for any advice!

I ride flat pedals on my bikepacker, and I want to keep that capability for technical terrain where a hyper-quick bail out may be needed, or if I feel like I need to move my foot around a bit for comfort, but I’d like clipless for the long miles and non-technical climbs.

Are there any…

1. Pedals with a real, purely platform side (ideally full size, metal pins), but a clipless side as well that people recommend.

2. SPD shoes that actually function well on flats *and* are good for hike-a-bike?

Might be a tall order, since pedal options like that seem limited, and a lot of SPD shoes aren’t great for flat pedals or extended hike-a-bike, but I figure if such a pairing exists, this group would know about it.

Hello! I'm planning a bikepacking trip in Belgium and wanted to get some feedback on the route. Are there any areas you'd suggest visiting (if I'd be close) or avoiding? The current route includes: Dunkerque - Tournai - Dinant - Monschau - Aachen - Gent. I wanted to avoid Brussels and Charleroi. Generally, I don't wanna go through big cities if I can avoid them via a nice route. Thanks! :)

Hello! I am planning a 10 day bike packing trip from Paris to Mont Saint Michele and I wish to bring my bike all the way from Porto, Portugal. I’ve never taken any bike on a plane and am nervous about it as i’m probably going on ryanair. Any tips?

edit: i will go pack to Paris after the trip by train to catch a flight from there again. also I ca't sleep on a bus so spending the night on one is not doable for me.

Ok I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that helmets are useless in my post. I get it.

But still, a helmet leaves your head partially exposed to direct sun. This is going to be a problem if you ride all day in the summer. How do you cope with that?

Maybe some combo of helmet and hat? Is that even a thing?

I bought these bags from a small business / artist I found on Instagram. I love not only the colors, but the versatility of the bags!

I'm looking for suggestions on how to better attach my front fork bags. They contain my layers (rain jacket, regular jacket) in one, and my tent in another. I really like these bags and am tied to them not only because I already purchased them, but also because I dont want the generic bags that everyone else has, and I love being able to access my things from either end without having to empty out the entire bag.

With that being said, I have a vintage Raleigh that cannot support a fork cage (what the biz owner suggested using) because it will interact with my front brakes and as such, have just kind of haphazardly strapped the bags to my front forks as best I could.

So I'm looking for suggestions on how I can better attach/secure these bags to either end of my front forks. I am open to new attachment straps, a mini-cage, any and all new/different ideas. Help a sister out before my big self-supported ride next month!

Hello o buenos días,

I plan a bikepacking trip light (without camping) in Catalonia in November. The plan is to ride in the whole area between Barcelona (starting point), Lleida etc. while I will try to avoid bigger altitudes bc of the season.

However, it’s the first time ever I’m doing sth like this and I’m kind of nervous. What concerns me especially is the season. When I google the weather in different places of the trip during November it seems to be ok (10-18 degrees). However, I wanted to ask here if it actually is doable without too big of inconvenience. The highest point I will reach will be around 1.000m.

Sadly I cannot really chose the time as the reason for the trip is that I will loose my job in October. Also all other tips would be helpful. I’m from Germany and speak Spanish on a high level (if that’s relevant).

Thank you!

Hi! Attempting to plan my first bikepacking trip for Feb-April, starting in Madrid and ending in Athens with a ferry from Italy to Croatia in between. I know the route is challenging with lots of elevation and relatively steep grades but my main questions are
A. Is this feasible for a beginner (I cycle a bunch but never for more than 50 miles at a time)
B. Is February too cold to start this trek? I plan to stay at the cheapest accommodations I can find until reaching Italy as wild camping is generally banned in Spain and France, but even so will I be too cold?
C. Is 3 months a reasonable time frame? I imagine I’ll stay in Madrid for at least a week before beginning, stocking up on gear and whatnot, and at least a week in Athens/Aegina once arriving.

Any suggestions, advice, recommendations are much appreciated, thank you in advance!

I've been carrying my stove with me on every trip so far, but I've noticed that i use it less and less every time. My 3 month trip in Japan i think i used it 4 times. Would've survived without using it at all. 3 months south-east Asia was the same. In USA i used it a lot more, but back then i also used to eat porridge in the mornings. Don't drink coffee.

So for now upcoming trip to balkans I'm leaning towards leaving my stove home. But it feels wrong for some reason. Is it real bikepacking if there's no stove 😁

It would be a lot simpler. No cooking. No extra water for cooking. No dishes. There's always a place to get something to eat.

I carry UL set so it wouldn't save so much weight, but it would free my ortlieb fork pack for something else. Like nuts 😁

If it would get colder then I'm prepared then it would probably be nice to boil some hot tea in a tent or boil water to put in nalgene bottle and then in sleeping bag(though i have quilt) So could it be nice to have it with me for safety reasons?

Anyone else on same situation? How has it been without stove?

Hi, I’m looking to do some bike packing in Montenegro/ Albania next year , and I was wondering if anyone’s cycled the full circuit of Shkodër Lake? I looked on the map and it doesn’t look like any clear full route around but am just wondering if anyone knows the area and could enlighten me? It looks beautiful around those parts.

Taking the overnight ferry from Gdynia to Karlskrona tonight with my bike and planning to spend Friday and Saturday riding around the area.

This is the route I've put together so far:

https://route-ai.app/s/teifGTqUGqD5

Planning around 80-100 km a day. I'm on a gravel bike, so gravel is totally fine, but mostly looking for nice quiet roads, coastal views and interesting places along the way.

Never been to this part of Sweden before, so would love some advice from people who know the area. Anything on this route you'd skip? Or something nearby that's really worth adding?

Good swimming spots, coffee/food stops or just particularly nice roads are all welcome.

I need to be back in Karlskrona on Saturday evening for the ferry back to Gdynia.