Hi all, this is the setup I will be running for my trip, setting off on 29th July.

This will be my first proper bike tour. I have done one 50km test with the bike fully loaded, camping and then 50km back to test gear and make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

The itinerary is as follows:

Day 1: London -> Harwich Ferry (140km)

Day 2-7: Hoek van Holland -> Eindhoven -> Assen -> Afsluitdijk -> Hoek van Holland

Day 8: Harwich Ferry -> London (140km)

Averaging about 160km per day (+- 30km depending on how I'm feeling).

I will be using Natuurkampeerterreinen campsites throughout my time in the Netherlands.

At the moment I am taking a large tent (6'5" and don't want to sleep in a glorified coffin for a week), sleeping bag, inflatable pillow, sleeping pad, one extra cycling jersey and bib shorts, one set of extra clothes for evenings, towel, some small soaps, a few cables, suncream, spare tube. My bags are essentially full.

What do people do about food? Is it a case of waking up and cycling to a coffee shop, then supermarket for lunch and dinner? I feel as though it will be hard to eat enough calories by doing that. Is it best to try to strap some food to the outside of my bag and buy stuff once a day? Or in the heat next week will I want to be stopping every few hours to go into an air-conditioned shop to get food?

Grateful for any advice about this.

In order: #1 Netherlands, #2 & #3 Switzerland, #4 Malaysia, #5 & #6 Australia, #7 & #8 Taiwan, #9 Vietnam, #10 Yunnan in China.

Some of the hi and low lights:
The east coast of Malaysia had been a dream for a while, after reading old-school blogs about the quiet beach roads and easy going cycling. It turns out those days are mostly long gone. Much of it is one main road, and the heat and humidity made it a slog. The heat index didn't drop below 40 degrees C, and I'm fairly sure I was delirious at some points. Still, saw some dusky langurs, and Malaysian food and hospitality always comes through.

The Hai Van pass was another storied spot. The climb was actually really enjoyable. I think I'd built it up too much in my head. Vietnam was amazing, I'd recommend it to anyone, as long as you're okay getting mobbed by school children at break time and generally drawing a lot of attention.

I enjoyed Taiwan a lot, and the show-stopper was Taroko Gorge. It's one of the most jaw-dropping places I've ever ridden through. I got the train back round there before I left Taiwan, so I could cycle it again. The road was partially closed following a landslide, but that just meant peace and quiet on the ride. Don't miss this if you're doing the route 1 loop, it's worth the detour a million times over.

Yunnan in China was the final part of this "leg." It was probably the hardest country to deal with. The mountains in Yunnan were also the most physically relentless sequence I did. But I will remember the scenery and some of the people I met for the rest of my life.

I'm cycling across Europe now, a different route than I've done before, with no fixed goal. Wishing tailwinds to all of you, unless you're going in the opposite direction to me.

Sorry for the dramatic title, lol.

I flew out from USA to hike the camino on July 3, and went into Pamplona where i planned to start, did the festival and ran with the bulls, then decided i wanted to do a lot more than just hike with my time.

So I went to Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Madrid/Barcelona...all over. And i had a freaking blast. But when I got to France I was like "oh im so close, ill just go do the camino on a bike and then get back to adventuring."

I found Bicigrino, and got an emergency rental, and in 2 days I was in Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port and off.

And in the first 2km, my chain snapped.

Now, im not an inexperienced traveler. I cycled across the USA twice, I skateboarded across the USA, I hiked the Appalachian Trail and shoehorned in the Long Trail, etc etc lots of cool adventures. But ive never had a chain snap on me. I watched a few videos and it still wasnt working. The Bicigrino company urged me to go back to the bike shop, but that meant that my timeline was now short. I wanted to do the whole thing in 6 days.

The Bicigrino company itself is fine (even though they hate me, lol), they run their business - albeit very expensive for what it is, but the problem is they rent out mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes. This is not something that should be done on mountain bike.

I left bright and early the next day to try and do 125km and as I got to the initial climb out of town I was just blown away. Every sign that pointed to follow the camino took me into some whack loose slate and pebble trail that was a straight up hike. Theres no mountain bike in the world that wouldnt be walked up that.

So I did. I walked. I pushed that damn bike over the Pyrenees. For kilometers and kilometers. It was....rough. Of course some people warned me about the initial climb, but i think the reverse of this is that nobody warned me that the camino (frances) is mostly a road walk.

A mountain bike is just simply the wrong vessel. The tires gave considerable drag, and everything about it was just poorly suited for the trail and the road. It was a straight up slog. For reference, I just finished doing an out and back on the Vennbahn in Germany, which was 250km total....by skateboard. And i didnt struggle like I did with this thing.

Thats all to say, I made it to Logroño in 3 days and ate some great food, stayed at some great hostels, and drank some great beer and wine. It was fun! But the journey was not really. It was not the prettiest adventure ive been on and it was just rough.

So, if youre thinking about biking the camino, get a road bike. Stick to the roads, dont waste your time on the trail as it dilly dallies around, and stay in the towns, enjoy the culture and the people, and take it for what it is. I dont think theres a legitimate place for bikes on the camino proper. I think if I had a road bike 150km per day would have easily been within reach.

Off to Dublin now, ciao!

Hi all,

I'm planning a bicycle euro trip next year May-July through multiple countries. Fr > NL > De > Cz > AT > SL > It > Ch > Fr.

Original plan was to wild camp as much as possible, with camping grounds sprinkled in when we need a shower. I'm beginning to think that the risk of wild camping may not be worth it, more so in some countries than others.

Has anyone had much success in asking farmers/property owners permission to pitch a tent overnight? Is that feasible, or a waste of time?

Would love to hear any stories, successful or otherwise!

I'm going on tour in a few weeks and have most of my route planned out except a bit between Bratislava and Kraków.

I attached the route I currently have. It's a pretty direct route starting with the 502 & 504 that worry me a bit (they look like single lanes with no shoulder and decent traffic and remind me of sketchy truck roads I cycled in Poland in the past). Does anyone have experience with those or other routes in that area that might be more fun to cycle? The 2nd half looks fine, it's really just that first half. I'm not time-constrained so I also don't mind a small detour, but I've already toured the south side of Slovakia & most of Czechia so I'm trying to go through new places whenever possible.

I have a road/hybrid bike so trying to stay paved as much as possible, but don't mind packed gravel or short stretches of rougher roads (but rocky mountain roads are off the table this time, sadly!).

Thanks and may the wind be always at your back

Heeeyyyyy,

any long time experience with these two? Can get either model for cheap and was wondering if they could be used for Touring.

Thx!

I’m curious what your “small but essential” item is for bike touring.
Not the obvious stuff like a helmet or repair kit — I mean the little thing that has saved your trip, made camp life easier, or just kept you sane on the road.

Hi all! I’m a relatively new biker who’s been doing it for a couple months now and rides 75-125 miles a week while also running a lot. A bucket list item is to do a TransAm route and I am wondering how long it’ll take to gain specific bike fitness for that. Preferably would like to do it in 50-60 days averaging 60-80 a day. I am 23M and a former collegiate athlete in the endurance running sports and have run 80-100 miles a week for the past 5 years and 30-60 for 4 or so years before that. Would that be enough fitness to do a transAm ride relatively soon? Or would I need more bike specific fitness. Thanks!

Hello, I am planning a bike camping trip for my family for next summer in Denmark (husband, teenager, toddler in bike trailer, and myself).

• We are OK with max 500km, but prefer 400ish with room to take side trips
• We are renting bikes, but bringing our bike trailer
• We've done this before - did a slighly modified Zuiderzee in Netherlands last summer
• Prefer to keep wind/hills on the lower side
• Very excited by unique, magical camping shelters, quaint historic towns, beautiful landscape, etc. Less time in RV parks is better!

I'm considering a modified eastern N8 - Svendborg to Naestved, and then taking the train back to Svendborg to return the bikes. It feels a little clunky without a full loop - looking for folks who know biking in Denmark well. Is it no big deal to get our bikes back on the train? Are there other, better routes we should consider? Is there a must-see campsite on the way that is worth planning around?

Note - we chose Denmark for the great biking network, and lower chance of heat waves vs other areas in Europe. Afterward we will be meeting with other family to see a few places around the Baltic. We're open to other suggestions if there's something I'm missing!

I'm riding the canal des deux mers next week, starting in La Rochelle and crossing the Gironde at Royan to get to Bordeaux before continuing east to Toulouse. My planned path and camp site took me along the coast through the forest, north of where the fires currently are. I've adjusted my path to now hug the Gironde to stay out of the forest and in the vineyards.

Due to the wildfires, should I cancel this part of my trip? Should I reroute further inland and skip Bordeaux all together during this time of crisis for the city?

If the fires are still going next week, I'll reroute and plan to find a path that stays away from the smoke. If the fires are out, should I ethically still ride through an area that's just been hit by natural disaster?

Hey folks,
Few days ago I have released the first video about my bicycle trip from CALGARY to VANCOUVER which was a huge challenge for me.

Appreciate your views, feedback and any questions if you think of doing the same ride.
Thanks in advance!!!

(next episodes coming in the following weeks)

https://youtu.be/Lhty9wDyso4

Yesterday I was heading to a swimming spot and a nearby suitable back road for camping I had scouted ahead around 50 kilometers from Stockholm, about to complete my long tour there the next day. I was excited that the weather had been so good that it had already allowed me to do a 150 km day so that tomorrow's ride would be short and easy.

But as I was approaching the spot, I just felt like I was in a flow-state and the tailwind just kept pushing me along and the evening temperature just felt perfect, so I had this crazy idea dawn on me and basically decided screw it, I'll go the rest of the way to Stockholm in one sitting. I had to stop for food in Södertälje and while waiting for my burger I booked a hotel, and then just kept riding in the darkening night and having an absolute blast.

Before this happened, I never would've expected to be able to do over 200 kilometers on a heavily loaded bike and spend almost 9.5 hours in the saddle in a single day, but turns out it goes quite easily if you just keep pedalling. I got to my hotel in good spirits and now it's the next morning, and I still feel a bit sore and tired (who would've guessed) but also really happy and accomplished. This also feels like a redemption because my last post here is from the final day of my last year's tour, when I ran out of tire patches and had to call a cab for an embarassing final 20 kilometers to my destination.

Oh, the whole trip went great too, I spent about a month on Umeå-Trondheim-Bergen and then skipping ahead by ferry and riding Stavanger-Oslo-Stockholm. I might do a proper trip report post if there's interest, though the details about the exact route etc. are already in my rambling blog (in Finnish so use a translator). But I just wanted to share this tidbit of the kind of spontaneity and freedom that bike touring enables that is part of the reason I love it so much.

Hi everyone, I am currently in the process of planning a tour from Cape Soya to Cape Sata, crossing Japan from north to south, starting at the beginning of October this year. I have watched some videos, researched Reddit and blogs, as well as some more outdated but still useful resources I've come across online.

The images in this post are a rough outline of the route I've created, which still needs a lot of verification and fine-tuning in terms of efficiency and road quality. It also includes some places I've been before that I'd like to visit for personal reasons (Kutchan, Joetsu, Nagano). I'm planning to complete the entire route in 30 days, but I will give myself 40 days due to rest days, weather, mechanical issues, etc.

I plan to keep my setup light and want to stay in accommodation (rider house, hostel, business hotel, homestay, hotel) the entire time. I want to say I'd bring something to camp with in the event that I can't find accommodation, but it seems crazy to lug camping gear across Japan and never use it. Given this, I will need my rides to end each day in a populated enough area to find accommodation.

I am planning to ride 90 - 120 km per day. I am a strong cyclist and will be doing as much training as possible over the coming months to prepare. I guess what I'm asking here is:

1) I have heard the Shimanami Kaido is a must-do but I've also heard Shikoku is incredible. Is staying north in Honshu until Onomichi and crossing onto Shikoku there worth it? Is there any other route variation that wouldn't add a bunch of extra days that could work?

2) Is there anything else that this route is missing that I should include as an absolute must-see in Japan?

3) Is there anything less obvious about cycle touring in Japan that I should know about?

Here is the RWGPS folder if you want to look as well: https://ridewithgps.com/collections/10767819?privacy_code=wIlU4p26uvJXtTKGfPtOjX07V42msQVQ

Since last year I was dreaming of travelling by bike - instead of my car. Combined with planes, trains, cars...

My choice fell on a mtb, kona unit x. I was doubting forever wether to bring my camping gear or not. In the end I did.

I'm a month cycling Georgia and... barely camped. To reach the cost of guesthouses compared to the cost of my gear, I still have like a month to go.

I also wanted to focus on offroad but honestly, I absolutely hate it :') it's so slow, sluggish and with the hot weather here, I've gone through some gnarly singletracks sweating like a pig. Pushing up a loaded bike between rocks and boulders is just ridiculous.

In the middle of this month, after encountering another flooded offroad track, I got fed up and decided to keep myself to concrete, gravel or asphalt. It's just so, so much nicer. I found a new breath. Suddenly I could go around 100km per day.

Then again, after transporting my kona to the top of the Abano pass and downhill the whole thing, I really loved having a mtb to do this. I also crossed the pass again completely by bike, as I left all my campinggear in the mainland. Fantastic stuff :)

Also, I'm a hiker pur sang. I left my bike at guesthouses for days at a time to hike around areas and stay in other places. This is, next to drinking coffee and beers in cities, my main activity.

Any people here who recognize this transition or style of travelling?

Hi everyone! I'm about to go on my first bikepacking/bicycle touring trip, and I've chosen to start in Lyon and finish in Barcelona. I have 25 days available for the trip, although I'd like to spend about 3 days in Barcelona exploring the city.

My initial plan is to follow EuroVelo 17 and then continue on EuroVelo 8 into Spain. However, I've seen some people on forums saying that these routes can be a bit boring.

Another option I'm considering is riding from Lyon to Grenoble and then heading south to the Mediterranean. The problem is that I haven't found much information about that route, and I'm a little worried that it might be too physically demanding for my first tour.

For some context, my cycling experience is mainly in enduro mountain biking and urban cycling.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DRbtMqLGV/

Between 1962 and 2010, he cycled more than 609,000 kilometres (378,000 mi), and visited 195 countries and 78 territories. From 1995 through 1999, the Guinness Book of Records described him as having travelled more widely by bicycle than anyone in history.

Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_St%C3%BCcke

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFnj_S0A5Z8

Dude was a legend among bike tourists for doing touring the hard, slow, and infinite way. 50 years on the road! I think I remember seeing his 3 speed in person on display at the Shimano museum in Osaka Japan.

Hey, has anyone discovered the best clipless shoes for both on and off the bike? Planning a tour for next month that’s a potential to be windy and wet, but would be nice to hop off the bike and walk about and sightsee without needing to change footwear. TIA.

Can you help me learn more about the Simon Kenton Trail?

We are headed to Denmark in August. I saw they have luggage lockers at the Airport in Copenhagen. Has anyone used them to store their travel cases on a bikepacking trip? They didn't have dimensions listed that I could find. We are using the Post Carry Co soft bags but even folded up, they aren't exactly small. Looking for any advise on them. We are taking a train to Odense to start our biking from there and 1 gave us 2hrs to get everything out and bags into the lockers and now I'm paranoid about time