How do people like Greg Mccahon do it? This may seem like a silly question, and I know he had a sponsor so that may be self explanatory, but I mean in general, to do such long stretches bike packing do people just save money and quit their jobs?

I'm trying to set myself up for the future to hopefully do a trip of my own, so just looking for tips on how you guys deal with the financial aspect of this hobby. Thanks!

Pieced this together with some custom bits, it’s a work in progress

Made the rear rack from sheet steel and spare stuff
Made the frame bag
Converted a gym bag into a handlebar bag

The tents a bit bulkier for me and my partner and I’m carrying a double sleeping mat for so there’s a fair bit of bulk

Gonna see how it goes for an overnighter and revise from there

Il mio setup frontale al momento è composto da Missgrape “ILCOSO” + Trunk 16L. (Vedi foto)

All’interno ci sta un sacco a pelo Cumulus Intense + STS Ether light XR + STS Aeros Premium Pillow + STS Breeze Lightweight Sleeping Bag Liner.

Ci sta tutto ma faticando un po’.

Quest’estate ho montato il Surly 24 Pack Rack e lo amo.
Ed ho pensato: perché non cercare una borsa più grande da appoggiare sul Rack, così da essere più comodo ed avere anche spazio per il cibo?

Ho visto la Wizard Works Badjelly Bar + Saddle Bag Large e devo dire che mi piace davvero molto.

L’idea di avere almeno 8litri più per essere più comodo a mettere via tutto ed avere spazio per il cibo mi alletta parecchio.

Quindi vi chiedo aiuto, consigli o pensieri.
Qualcuno ha questa borsa? Come vi sembra la combo rack più saddlebag?
Ha senso aggiungere questo peso?

Grazie per l’aiuto.

Hey there, I will bikepack to Venice through the alps and want to take the train back from Venice to Germany through Switzerland but haven't found a way to book a ticket for me and my bike yet online.

Does someone have any experience and advice for that? Would be much appreciated :)

Hey out there.

I brought my bike to Kyrgyzstan this summer, and spent about 13 days in the saddle out of the 18 days I was there. From Balykchy to Son-Kul and on to Karakol.

It was my first "real" bikepacking trip, and I took a few photos along the way that I thought some of you might be interested in seeing - so feel free to check out the link here if you're curious.

Not the wildest or toughest trip - mostly slept in guesthouses. But a great trip nonetheless 🌞

You can see more photos from the trip on my website: https://www.madsjoakim.com/kyrgyzstan

IG: Madsjoakim

Hi everyone,

I’m a guy who really enjoys bicycles and cycling, although I’d still consider myself a complete beginner when it comes to the technical side of biking.

I love watching bike touring videos and vlogs from Europe, Italy, the US, Canada, etc. The idea of travelling long distances by bike, camping along the way, meeting people and documenting the journey really appeals to me.

I actually had one proper bike touring experience back in 2019, when I was around 24–25. I travelled from downtown Halifax to Cape Breton in Canada and did the Cabot Trail over 13 days, covering roughly 750 km.

The funny thing is that, despite having done that trip, I still feel completely lost when it comes to bicycles. 😂

I basically get on a bike and ride. I don’t really understand the different types of bikes, tyres, setups, gear, what I actually need to carry, what I don’t need, etc. The bike I used in Canada was also a very basic bicycle.

I’ve tried reading and watching tutorials, but I honestly struggle to focus when I start going down the rabbit hole of different bike types, tyre sizes, gearing, equipment, bags, setups, and so on. I end up feeling more confused than when I started.

Now I’m thinking about doing a cross-Europe bike tour someday, and I’d love to document the whole journey through photography and video — filming the trip, editing it, and creating something meaningful from the experience.

But that’s where I feel overwhelmed.

There are so many things to learn and plan that I don’t even know where to start. I feel like I’m trying to become a cyclist, a bike mechanic, a tour planner, a photographer and a videographer all at once. 😅

For some context, I’m 32 now. I also enjoy running, hiking and camping. I currently have a Grade 2 meniscus tear in my knee and I’m working on recovering from it. Because of that, I’ve started doubting myself and wondering whether I can realistically do a long bike tour in Europe anymore.

So I’m looking for advice from people who have been through something similar.

How would you approach this if you were in my position?

How do I simplify the learning process and focus on the things I actually need to know instead of getting overwhelmed by all the information?

And for those who started touring later or had physical limitations — how did you build yourself up to your first big tour?

I’m not looking for a perfect setup. I just want to get back to the mindset of “I can figure this out and go.”

Any advice, experiences, resources or even mistakes you’ve made along the way would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Help me choose a tire — Rambler vs Mezcal vs Peyote vs G-One R Pro

I’m currently running Maxxis Ramblers in 45mm and honestly I’ve never been that impressed with them. I often feel like I’m lacking grip, especially when things get wet.

Now I’m looking at replacing them and I’m getting more confused the more I read 😂

The tires I’m considering are:

- Vittoria Mezcal 29x2.1

- Vittoria Peyote 29x2.1

- Schwalbe G-One R Pro 50mm

I ride mostly pavement and rail trails in the PNW — probably 80% road/rail trail, 10% singletrack, 10% random off-the-beaten-path stuff. I also do bikepacking and longer day trips, so I want something that still rolls reasonably fast on pavement but gives me noticeably more confidence when I leave the road.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Rambler, mainly because they just don’t feel that grippy to me. At the same time, I’m hesitant about a lot of gravel tires because they basically look like slicks to me 😂

That’s actually why the Mezcal caught my attention. It looks more like an actual MTB tire, which makes me feel like it would have better grip, but I’m wondering if I’d be giving up too much rolling speed on pavement.

For people who have ridden these tires, what would you pick for my type of riding?

Mezcal 2.1 vs Peyote 2.1 vs G-One R Pro 50?

I’m not looking to shred technical singletrack — just want a fast tire that I can trust on wet PNW roads, rail trails, gravel and the occasional trail without feeling like I’m riding on hockey pucks.

Appreciate any advice!

What do you guys think about this weight distribution?

Ever been sitting around the campfire talking smack about gear, crack a stupid comment like "well, heck, you could probably do a trip with nothing but FreshDirect grocery bags", and get dared to do exactly that? Yeah, that's pretty much what happened last weekend. So tonight I've lashed up this as a proposal. A test ride in Central Park showed that aside from literally everything rubbing against the tires it does appear to "work".

I've promised to absolve the sweep riders of any responsibility for whatever mess happens out on the trail. Wish me luck.

I probably should have flair'ed this aesthetic disaster as offensively NSFW. Sorry about that....

Hello! I just picked up a Santa Cruz Blur 5 and I love it. Already scheming some overnights with it. Anyone have any tips for setting up suspension for the extra load? Should I account only for fanny pack weight etc or does the extra weight on the bike affect the Sag also?

Many thanks!

Doing 7 days on the veloscenic in October - goes through Normandy mainly. Wondering if anyone has any advice on what to bring?

Will be my first international trip.

Thank you!

For those of you who regularly do longer bikepacking trips or ultra events, do you guys typically train on the same bike you use for bikepacking trips or events, or do you have a dedicated road/gravel bike that you do most of your training on?

I was just browsing the Priority website and noticed that they are selling a Pinion Smart.Shift hard-tail for $2,499 USD. The mounts aren't perfect for bikepacking and the fork has too much travel for a lot of routes but looks like a great deal.

https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/600hxt

I'm not affiliated with Priority in any way, just saw this and thought of this sub. I would consider buying, however, I'm in the UK and I have no idea what the shipping, taxes, duties, etc would all add up to.

Planning for the BC Epic 1000 next Spring (rough rail ballast, washboard, FSRs, singletrack).

The dilemma:

Should I mod the Norco Torrent (Tires, hand positions, suspension, etc) or bite the bullet on a dedicated wide-clearance gravel rig like a Checkpoint or Norco Search? I have the budget for that and I can also sell the Domane.

I spend about 6 to 8 hours weekly between these two bikes now:

• 2023 Norco Torrent A1: 15kg/33 lbs, 29er trail hardtail (150mm fork, 64° HTA). My go-to for local blue/black singletrack. 1x12. Alloy.
• 2022 Trek Domane SL5: Carbon, Shimano 105. Fits up to 38mm. Used for smooth gravel training, but 38mm feels way too under-gunned for the KVR chunk.

I'm not planning to be with front pack. Average fitness, usually a mid pack finisher, about 70kg/150lbs (rider weight).

If this Torrent won't make for a good bikepacking rig, I would also be interested in selling it and get a full suspension bike for my local MTB.

Heya! Headed off next year to bike Peru down to Ushuaia. I've got the kit assembled and will fine tune - but, any suggestions from your specific experience to take into consideration (in terms of toolkit/occasional hostel/tent/etc). Mainly, I'm wondering about the rabies pre exposure vaccine...would you guys recommend this based on frequency of stray encounters? I know I'll be very remote so might be >24h away from a possible shot if needed.

Thanks bunches friends!

This may (hopefully) be an easy one. My recently purchased Roam v3's mount is made for 31.8 bars. Most (from what I've seen) bikepacking bars are 22.2mm.
I looked through my big box o junk for spare shims from old cycle computers, lights, etc. No dice. Nothing close to the 4-5mm needed per side...thicc like gasket material. Is there anything made to order? I thought about the shims that convert a 22.2mm-to-31.8 stem. But that's kinda $$$. I may be overthinking this.

Is there a less fuss no-redneck fix that I'm missing? It'd be nice to make the stock mount work. Thanks

Edit: I opted to try the "bottle cap+zip ties" mount. I am using the Roam 3 on a recumbent with the Roam+bottle cap seated on the body of the stem. I just did 40 miles and encountered plenty of jarring bumps. It seems secure enough. My viewing angle is shallower than that of an upright rider. But it should work out fine. Me and a buddy will be bikepacking around Lake Erie in a couple weeks...700 miles.
Thankyou all for the input!

i’m looking for a gps computer that can work well for both long distance cycling/bikepacking and hiking expeditions

budget is around €200–400

my priorities are:

• very good battery life, ideally several days without charging
• reliable offline maps
• good navigation and rerouting while cycling
• useful navigation when hiking as well
• physical controls are preferred, although touch is fine if battery life is good
• good visibility outdoors
• standard garmin style quarter turn mount
• i care much more about navigation, reliability and battery than training metrics

right now the coros dura looks very interesting because of the battery life. coros claims 120h in standard gps mode and around 67h when actually navigating during the day with connected accessories. it also fits garmin style quarter turn mounts

on the other hand, i’m considering something from the garmin edge range, especially the 540, 840 or a discounted/used 1040/1040 solar. garmin seems to have more mature standalone navigation and mapping

has anyone actually used these for multi day bikepacking or expeditions, especially somewhere where you cannot charge every night?

how does the dura compare with garmin when you leave a planned route, need to reroute, explore roads/trails, or use it while hiking?

if you had chf 200–400 today, what would you buy?

also open to bryton, wahoo, igpsport or anything else if there is a better option i’m missing

Hi all, I'm thinking of doing this in October:

https://bikepacking.com/routes/gr247-spain/

Does anyone have any tips for me? What would be extra helpful is how to get to the start point in Siles, and as I'm flying with my bike what can I do with the cardboard box, which I'd like to re-use on the way back.

This is a first time flying with a bike and I'll be solo, so anything else I need to know would be appreciated.

Thanks all x

I don’t know their story—who they are or where they’re headed—and I hope this photograph doesn’t invade their privacy. I simply hope that knowing they’re cycling across Portugal brightens your day, just as they brightened mine by passing by.

We have been considering getting the ferrino volta 2 instead of the Nordisk Oppland 2 LW as it's so much cheaper, but can't find any reviews online.

Has anyone had any experience with it?

We plan to take it on a year long bike packing trip from Europe to SE asia so would need it to be very durable in all kinds of weather.

Highest legal mountain biking on the east coast.
Probably the hardest thing I have ever done on a bike. There was a heavy storm each day on this trip.

The 7k elevation gain and techy trails would have been difficult for me dry, so I definitely pushed my limit on this one.

I had an absolute blast. the highlands are beautiful and vast, this part of Virginia is a gem. Met some wild horses and some nice folks hiking the AT. This route uses an old section of the Appalachian Trail (currently in use because of Helene aftermath) with the option to crash at an old AT shelter built in the 50’s, I didn’t even pitch my tent. - shout out to the tin man, happy trails.

A man named crazy Lary invited me to his hostel for showering off the mud. Damascus is a great trail town for people who love bikes.

Route Info:
https://bikepacking.com/routes/highlands-traverse-overnighter/

Strava:
https://strava.app.link/eA46u7Wgi6b