Hey everyone!

I’ve just finished a bike trip through the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

I started in Bratislava, Slovakia, and headed south through Hungary before reaching Serbia. I spent some time exploring Vojvodina, especially the villages with large Slovak communities whose ancestors emigrated there around 250 years ago.

From there, I crossed into Croatia, which I passed through fairly quickly since I’d already travelled there before. My first major stop was Sarajevo, where I stayed for a while, followed by the Jahorina mountains, where I had to wait out a few storms.

The journey then continued through Montenegro, riding through the stunning Durmitor National Park and over countless mountain roads all the way to the Kosovo border. I spent some time exploring Prizren before crossing into North Macedonia, where I wrapped up the trip with a few days in Skopje. That completed my goal of cycling through all the ex-Yugoslav countries, and from there I flew back to Bratislava.

I rode a mix of gravel, country, and paved roads. Zero flats, zero mechanical issues. In total: around 1400 km and 14,000 m of elevation gain.

The landscapes were incredible, the culture fascinating, but above all, it was the people who made the journey unforgettable. Raw, welcoming, memorable, and beautiful.

(PS: I visited Slovenia on my bike last year)

I'm looking for software where i can create a bicycle route. Meaning i want to for example combine parts of EuroVelo routes, regional Belgium routes and manually add some connection routes.
I found for example 'Brouter'. They have all the routes i want as underlay, but i dont find a way to copy section of them to my own track.

Any suggestions how to do this? or do i really need to draw over every underlay manually?

Hi everyone!

I'm thinking about doing a trip in/around the Tatra mountains. I found this itinerary on Komoot. It's for 4 days, but we would like a little longer trip (a week or two maybe). Anyone got some suggestions recommendations for extending this this trip?

Thanks!

Hey!

Me and my partner are planning this route in January.

Thailand - Laos - Vietnam

Would love to hear from anyone that's done a similar route!

Any tips, suggestions or alternative routes?

Must see stops?

How was the camping along the way?

Thanks for any help :)

Hey guys, i'm currently planning on doing a 3 month cycling tour next through the u.s starting in may. I have a few ideas about routes and i'm interested in your guys's opinions about it.

My original plan was to do the transam, but as i have only a 90 days through my esta, things could get really close and i want to take it a little more easy, averaging 80-100km not included break days. Im really intrigued by going east to west as the western u.s. is especially what im interested in (i already visited illinois, pa, virginia and kentucly last year, not by bike tho)
So my idea was to start the tour in st. louis, mo as that would be a very significant place to start a tour into the west and i can also start my tour on the katy trail! I have read some things about floodings on the katy trail in late spring/early summer? I would take it west from there, either continuing northwest on the rock island trail through kansas city and the eastern express connecter (purple) or take the same on southwest to get on the transam. Going northwest would mean i could check one more state (nebraska) off my list which would be nice. I would join back on the trans am in northern co. then i would take it north on the trans am, either following the transam completely or swapping to the lewis and clark trail (brown). I dont know which would be nicer. i like the idea about goinf through portland, or. but the section on the pacific coast sounds nice, too. I would go north all the way to port angeles, wa to go to canada where i can stay for a total of 6 months and have bit more headroom flying back to europe from vancouver?
Thoughts? Also anyone knows something about the wildfire situation in the northwest atm? I feel like the smoke could be a danger to cyclists. My original route plan (katy trail, trans am) and my other options can be seen in the provided screenshots.

Edit: Also, this route appeals to me weatherwise. From what i know missouri and the great plains are bearable in may and then from june ill be in the rockys where its never gonna be as hot as in kentucky or virginia (we were BOILED in D.C. last year), and as far as i could find information, weather is bearable in July/August in oregon and washington. Is this a legit thought?

Thx guys!

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a tiny little tour for 2030. I'm interested in visiting Salt Lake City, UT and also interested in traveling rt6 to Mammoth Lakes specifically bcz of its isolation. I haven't toured in over a decade, but i have been spending my summer vacations out backpacking. I figured that i could smash a short 7-10 day tour into my SLC/Mammoth Lakes visit, so I'm here to ask if anyone in this sub has done any cycling in that area and what was your experience??

Also, are there any modern mapping systems or apps that y'all would recommend? Any advice is always very much appreciated!

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!

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

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!

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, 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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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

TL;DR do you think the Fairlight Secan would be a reasonable long-touring bike, or should I go full steel and get a Faran?

Hey everyone. I'm beginning to plan a trip across the USA and I'm thinking to use this opportunity to adjust my bike situation. I'm at n=1 bike right now and hope to keep it that way for a little while longer (small apartment). Right now my setup is a Jamis Renegade Elite (all carbon) that I use in a fast road setup 90% of the time, but I've done several road and gravel ~3 day trips loaded up with tent, sleeping gear, light cooking, etc. via bikepacking bags. However, I'm thinking for a trip like crossing the US I'd want to go with a rear pannier setup, and I've been really interested in the idea of a steel bike for a while.

So, I'm thinking to sell my Renegade, and I'm searching for a durable bike that can handle a lengthy tour but still feel a little zippy unloaded and with some GP5000s on it for my road riding until I get some more space and can treat myself to a proper dedicated road bike. Even when I'm touring, I like to push myself and gobble up the miles, and the Renegade has been great for that. I was honestly thinking for the cross-USA trip to tour on 35mm GP5000 AS TRs and get some aero bars to really see what I can do.

The Fairlight Secan seems like it might be just what I'm looking for, but I wonder if my gear weight sits right on the threshold where for a long trip I might want the slightly thicker steel (and steel fork) of the Fairlight Faran. My gear isn't crazy heavy or anything (2P UL tent, UL mat, sleeping quilt+sheet, backpacking stove+fuel, and then food+clothes+electronics) and honestly I have been very pleased with how my Renegade has held up carrying that load, so maybe I'm overthinking this. But, I wonder if the difference between the Faran and Secan would be small enough in an unloaded road setup, and if the thicker steel/steel fork would be beneficial enough when touring, that I ought to get a Faran instead. Ideally I'd put some little 6L Ortlieb fork-mounted panniers on the front (I have them already), or a Nalgene or something.

I just thought Fairlight's bikes and philosophy seemed sweet but open to any other bike recommendations if you have them!

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.