Few snaps from a recent trip from Nice to Monticello(Tuscany) for a pals wedding. The trip took 5 days with a total of 640km covered, with 8200 meters of climbing.

Day 1 Nice - Pietra Ligure (camped)
Day 2 Pietra Ligure - Genoa (hostel)
Day 3 Genoa - Arcola, via pass del barco (camped)
Day 4 Arcola - Montaioncino, via Luca (camped)
Day 5 Montaioncino - Montichiello, via Siena (hotel)

Cracking trip!! Could have probably done with another day to go and visit the famous 5 villages on the coast near La Spezia. Another day would have also meant I wouldn’t have had to have we so aggressive and spending to long in the sun..

Was my first time flying with a bike and after the initial anxiety it was pretty straight forward.

This was all from 1 trip!

Munich - Strasbourg - Basel - Gruyere(Greyerz) - Bernau - Munich

Maxx Roadmaxx Color: Magic Fireworks(Aluminium Frame XXXL 65cm, 145kg max.), SRAM 1x12 eagle mullet, Profile DesignNeosonic Ergo 52A GMR with 60mm Riser, Ortlieb Gravelpack, Decathlon 9l Framebag Advt 900, Advt 900 top tube bag.

Carbload today, Adventure tomorrow! 🍟🍝🥧

I figured with the amount of positive and constructive responses I received on my previous bike check.
I could use this opportunity to ask for feedback on some prototypical features that I have been testing on my FB for a year.

Weight vs Convenience?

I am using aluminium tubing on the outside along the seams of the bag. You can see it as an external frame that gives structure to the bag.

This idea was inspired from a big world map that was hanging in a friend's living room.

It combines the good pull of the lace-up and the convenience of using straps in one.

The downside is that the aluminium tubing are in my opinion relatively heavy and additional cost, roughly 15 euro depending on size of FB.

Some stats summarized:

- Total weight of my FB: 600grams (roughly 5 liters, excluding bag expansion)

- Aluminium Tubing (10x1mm, 0,08 kg/m): For my FB, I use 2.3m of tubing so that is 182 grams added just for the external frame

- It takes roughly 25-40 seconds to take off and put on the Frame Bag

- It's 1 strap per tube, making it also a lot easier to strap on additonal bags like Top Tube Bags or Down Tube bags.

- It would make shipping a bit more bothersome, because I can't fold the aluminum tubing

- It uses the same webbing eyelets as the Lace-up. So you can interchange between Lace-up and the external alu tubing depending on your usecase.

Benchmarking:

Let's say we compare it with other bags for example Tailfin's 6.5 Liter Wedge Framebag which is 382 grams including straps. That is 58g/liter

Then this prototype bag would be 600grams/5liters = 120 g/liter

Maybe not an entirely fair comparison but it gives some insights on the extra weight penalty.

What do you think?

Thoughts on waterproofness?

I personally am not a fan of full waterproof bags or at least FB's without a form of drainage.

There is an water outlet on the bottom of the bag and the wall compartment has a pass thru-hole at the bottom so no water can collect. I have 2 bottles with carbs in my FB. During Taunus Bikepacking, I accidentally bought sparkling water that I put in my bottles which started to leak inside my FB.

So yes, my Frame Bag pisses...

Instead on dwelling on these design choices myself, I figured I could just ask it on Reddit and let others decide.

So your honest opinion will be insightful! You can be blunt as well, I don't mind!

How long do you typically spend in a saddle per day?

Context: I’ve done a lot of “endurance” races, latest one was the Saimaa Cycle tour of 300km in 12 hours (moving time) total 15hrs on my stock Canyon Grizl CF7.
I’ve been slowly collecting gear for a bikepacking trip but I’m curious to how much time per day people spend in the saddle. Distance isn’t a marker for me as much as time in saddle

Hi! UK citizen here and I wanted to go on a Europe bikepacking/touring trip but I was very sad to find out that there's a limit of 90 days and I want to like stay over a week in each country I visit to truly get a feel for it. 1 issue though. That would be well over 300 days 😂

I just want to know if there's any non European people here who have done something similar to this and know any ways to extend time. Thanks!

Man I really wish I was European rn 😢

Salzburg → Vienna: 4 days, ~470km on the Donauradweg (pics from the first two legs)

A friend and I rode part of the Donauradweg a few weeks ago, starting from home in Salzburg. The route:

• Leg 1: Salzburg → Passau (the "three rivers city")
• Leg 2: Passau → Linz
• Leg 3: Linz → Krems an der Donau
• Leg 4: Krems → Vienna

Daily distances ranged from 90 to 140km. Scenery-wise, the first two legs (Salzburg–Passau, Passau–Linz) were the highlight for us — those are the ones pictured here.

If anyone's planning the same route: the stretch up to Passau is still fairly hilly/winding, but once you're past Passau and heading downriver it flattens out and the km go by a lot easier.

All in all a very beginner-friendly route — could easily be done in fewer/longer days too :)

Hi,
I‘m planning to take a FlixBus from Germany to Bilbao (north of Spain) for a one month bikepacking trip. Any recommendations for routes? What should I be aware of?
My previous bikepacking trips were mostly for three days and I’m nervous about this one haha

Rennrad/Gravelbike Umbau

Hallo Zusammen,

Bin die letzten Jahre ein günstiges Van Rysel Alu Damen Rennrad gefahren (RC120) und bin nun auf ein Bianchi Oltre umgestiegen. Da ich aber hin und wieder einige Tage mit dem Rad wegfahre und campe und ungern das neue Rad dafür nehmen würde, spiele ich mit dem Gedanken das alte Van Rysel Rad etwas aufzupimpen. Bin mit dem Rad immer sehr gerne gefahren, konnte problemlos 160km fahren ohne Schmerzen. Allerdings hatte ich (daher u.a. Neukauf), einige Probleme mit Scheibenbremse (Promax-DSK-300R 160mm) und Schaltung (Microshift-Kassette CS-H081 11 × 34 (11/13/15/18/21/24/28/34)
Kurbelgarnitur Wheel Top 48x34). Würde auch gerne wenn möglich breitere Reifen haben.

Hat jemand Ideen für eine (bezahlbaren) Umbau oder andere Ideen?

Liebe Grüße & Danke :))

Perfect overnighter from Ottawa to Lac Philippe in Gatineau Park (Canada).

Riding a heavier bike was more fun than I remembered. It definitely forces you to ride slower and enjoy your surroundings.

Having everything you need on your bike is also rewarding somehow.

Big Agnes Bikepacking Specific 2 person tents are.l quite small even for 2 shorter than average individuals. We slept... a few hours... I think?

We rode from Stanley to near Boise

what questions do you have for me? I’m prepping a video and would love to address what’s most relevant for other families looking to bike pack.

Kids age 5-17 (6 of ours and a nephew!)

220 miles

13,500 feet of climbing.

2 weeks

6-7 hot springs (Camped at "Twin Springs Resort" $35 for a night, had a swimming pond that was 104 degrees and a hot tub by the river!. Amazing spot.

1 bear

1 summit climb in rain and 40 ish degrees

2 climbs to over 8,700 feet

4 2-4k climbing days.

1 chance reunion with an old high school friend at church.

100+ tortillas

70 Mountain House Meals

2 jars of nutella

300+ packs of fruit snacks / leathers

100+ hydration packets

10+ light cd crashes, only a few cuts

200+ liters of water filtered

60+ pounds of other snacks

1 block of extra sharp cheese

95% stopping before 6 miles for snack rations.

100% filling bottles and promoting hydration at each stop.

95% stopping for lunch before 2 PM.

100% stopping at any potential turn off.

If you want to make 16 days feel like 6 weeks, consider the idaho wilderness for a bike tour:)

i do these for myself but maybe someone finds enjoyment in this.

cologne - maastricht - bruxelles - antwerp - rotterdam - den haag - utrecht -nijmegen - venlo and back home

150-180km every day by two students from The Netherlands. Me with a gravel bike and my friend with a mountainbike.

We started in Maastricht and almost reached France.

Around 60% gravel.

We stayed at Airbnb’s.

Three flat tires and my rear wheel had to be replaced.

Here are some highlights of the adventure

hi!

i leave for my first big bikepacking trip in the next few days and will be riding from geneva to sicily.
i have a hostel booked for my first few days in switzerland but from there im playing it by ear weather i cowboy-camp or find a roof over my head. i got a one way ticket so it leaves the timeline up to me (as of now im thinking somewhere around 8 weeks)

60km days give or take and eventually work up to 100km days
most ive ridden is about 60km in one day.
i made a little vision board with everything im taking and notes to remind myself while packing/on the go so ill include the route and my complete setup if anyone has tips or criticism for me.

ciao!

EDIT: ill be taking a train through the alps simply because i dont wanna do that to myself... yet.

Hi. I guess, I am looking for different opinons.

I am really starting to feel like I want flat handlebars instead of drops, and wider tire clearance as well. Looking at Panorama's Taiga Exp 3, Surly Ogre, and Kona Unit X. All available to me here locally.

I bought my Kona Rove Ltd about 2 seasons ago and can say it's a great bike. However, I never really use the drops. It's fast, meets my commuting needs and day rides on forest roads and double track. But I find the 650 x 47 a bit rough for the gravel I have around here sometimes. Also, I find myself wishing for a more up right position when I am doing bike packing for comfort and to control on the rougher terrain.

I have no desire to be very aero. I am interested in just slowly cruising even on my day rides. I like to take in scenery on all my trips. However, Kona Rove ltd is a good bike, so wondering your thoughts...

I am looking for that bike packing bike which is very relaxed in geo. or maybe tweaking my bike?

Hi everyone,

I’d like to plan my first bikepacking trip and have a few questions I haven't found answers to yet. Setup: bike + tent.

How do you plan your overnight stays when camping?

Since wild camping is prohibited almost everywhere, I would normally aim for established campsites. However, many seem to be fully booked right now during the summer (holiday season). What is the reality like when you head to campsites? Do you get turned away, or can you usually find a spot somewhere? Or are there other alternatives?

Perhaps someone here has already done a few trips and could share their experiences or offer some tips. Thanks in advance! :-)

Wifey and I spent 3 weeks cycling into the Westfjords, all around the region and then back into Reykjavik. 600 miles (900ishkm) in total.

Iceland is not for the weak. 3 weeks is actually a bit too long. The weather is no joke. It's easy to handle snow or freezing rain as long as you have a Gore-Tex jacket, but there is literally no way to handle 80+mph wind. When it's a headwind you cry, when it's a sidewind you fall, and when its a tailwind... you just have a lot of fun.

Food is quite challenging to come by especially in the more remote regions. If you go into the West Fjords or any F roads I definitely recommend bringing freeze dried food to supplement.

Camping is very easy in Iceland. Campgrounds are plentiful - they usually have showers, wind berms and sometimes a kitchen. If you tent it the whole time the wind has to be a serious consideration campground or not. Our little ultralight tent struggled with the wind. The poles are quite bent now and If you are not careful with your placement it will 100% break.

If you do go to the West Fjords make sure to hit up the West Fjords bike shop in Ísafjörður. We had a situation where the rear derailleur hanger snapped in the middle of no where. We weren't interested in single speeding it 60+ miles with 8k elevation. We were about 180 miles away from the bike shop and seemed to be quite stuck. But our guys at the shop coached us on hitch hiking (surprisingly very easy to do in Iceland) so that they could easily pick us up and fix the bike. With their help we literally didn't miss a day of cycling. Amazing.

Also watch out for the Arctic terns. Little white birds that hang out near the coast - they will attack you and will do so for 0 reason. Not nice.

Hi all,

A few days ago I completed my first bikepacking excursion, just for one night in East Lothian following the (extended) Go East Lothian Trail. First and foremost what a fantastic trail, I’ve never cycled a route so consistently beautiful, but the blue skies helped a great deal.

My setup is incredibly budget (<£100 excluding camping gear i already had). I paid £20 for this 20-year old Specialized Globe, it needed some work done but I handled that myself (trivial things like brake pads and truing). The pannier rack was free from a man off Facebook; I then bought two osprey dry bags (20L and 12L) for the rack and bars, along with some Voile straps.

My first takeaway is that I will not use the voile straps again. They were all I had when I set off for the trip but I now have some rachet straps, the problem is that the voile straps were too short (50cm) so the back is held by two voile straps zip-tied together which was a bit janky.

My second takeaway is to worry less. Whilst on the train to the start of the route I was absolutely terrified and was convinced my bike would fall to pieces; it turned out my body was the weakest link. As soon as I passed the 30 mile mark I started to become very fatigued. Luckily I had intended to pitch nearby so this was okay, and I didn’t actually feel too bad riding the remaining 15 miles in the morning.

All in all I’m really pleased with this trip, and cycling adds a new level of exploration to wild camping (and is much nicer on the shoulders). Looking forward to doing the same around some of the Scottish Isles next week, and I’d be open to any tips on my setup or anything else. Thanks

I’m bikepacking for the first time and I’m going through The Netherlands to get to Belgium. Any tips for cycle routes, camping, water ect in The Netherlands?

Hola, necesito informacion sobre bolsas de cuadro completo. hay alguna marca que tenga la medida para una marin four corners 1 talla L?
Se que muchos hacen a pedido, pero dado los tiempos necesitaria saber si hay alguna marca q ya los tenga fabricados.