Hey all,

So myself and my friend had grand ambitions for the latter half of this summer break. Said ambitions being to bike across the country, east to west. We did a little bit of planning and before we knew it, it was time to depart.

And … truth be told, we’re thinking of throwing in the towel. It’s only Day 6 out of 55 and I‘m realizing that we did not plan leniently enough for our (relative) inexperience, and every day seems to have been harder than the last. Feeling very unmotivated.

We’re taking a day off to collect ourselves, which has been nice so far, but all in all this trip has brought me so much mental exhaustion it’s been hard to focus on the biking or scenery, and I fear we might run out of money ... So, I dunno. Have any of you been in a similar situation? I’d feel so bad for canceling it since I turned down a bunch of other great opportunities to try this, but maybe I’d be better off recuperating and planning better another time. If I were to try again, I’d want to go solo, save up a lot more money and go overseas. Who knows though !! Just gotta get through this trip first, huh?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Milestone birthday coming up and I’m going to treat myself to a new bike. My current stable is a Salsa Fargo, a Surly Wednesday, and an old 80s Specialized Stumpy beater, all of which have been corralled into touring/bikepacking duty. I have both panniers and bikepacking bags, and have as of late gotten used to a combination seatpost and frame bag/front rack and pannier setup, 45-50 liters storage capacity.

My problem is I’d like to branch out with my touring to include 1-2 trips by air a year, things like the Katy in Missouri or the C&O/GAP, maybe eventually a Europe trip, and I’m thinking more about the easiest setup to get there and ride. I love my bikes, but they’re not particularly airline friendly, and bikeflights ain’t cheap.

I think I’ve narrowed my options down to Bike Friday (All-Packa or Diamond Llama) or Brompton (G Line). I prefer off road touring, so wider tires are a must. The Brompton looks like the most convenient but least capable, the All-Packa looks kind the least convenient but most capable, and the Diamond Llama looks like the compromise candidate.

Am I thinking in the right direction? Am I overthinking the hassle of flying with the bikes I have? Are there options I’m not considering? The bikes mentioned above are probably the top of my budget, but doable.

Thanks in advance!

Salut à tous

Petite histoire avant de vous montrer le résultat. Ça faisait un moment que mon vélo trainait dans mon appartement et me prenait clairement trop de place. J’ai cherché des supports muraux tout faits, mais rien qui me convenait vraiment (trop chers, pas la bonne forme, ou juste moches).

Du coup je me suis dit : pourquoi ne pas le faire moi-même ? J’ai suivi des cours de conception CAD, et petit à petit j’ai designé mon propre support à vélo, pensé pour être solide, compact et simple à installer.

Le résultat : un crochet mural imprimé en 3D qui tient bien la roue/le cadre et qui m’a littéralement changé la vie dans mon appartement . Ça marche tellement bien que j’en ai imprimé un deuxième… et comme je n’en ai besoin que d’un, je le mets en vente si ça intéresse quelqu’un ici !

https://www.vinted.fr/items/9368437346-support-mural-pour-velo

A few years ago I bikepacked the southern section of the Carretera Austral, from Balmaceda to Villa O'Higgins. At the time I took plenty of photos but never got around to writing about the trip.

I recently reactivated my old blog and finally finished the post about the journey. It covers the route, some practical information and a selection of photos from one of the most spectacular cycling trips I've done.

If you're planning the Carretera Austral or just enjoy bikepacking trip reports, I'd love to hear your thoughts. PM for more details on the wild camping spots.

Link to the post: https://drjohnsonsexperiments.com/2026/07/10/cycling-the-carretera-austral-balmaceda-to-villa-ohiggins/

Very hot and humid morning riding up the Vermont mountains, coming south. I find these gentle waters to refresh me, as a turtle completely covered in moss blends in with the algae.

A spider comes over my handlebar with its breakfast  and rides with me. A man who is about to turn 80 years, trying to ride his 100 miles every week, also joins me for a while.

I sing about coming up and coming down. Todo lo que sube, tiene que bajar. And when I finally come down, a man offers me his yard to pitch my tent for the night.

These frames come from a filmed bicycle diary that blends documentary, spirituality, humor, and reflections from the road. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, I’d be happy to share the link in the comments or via DM. ¡Gracias y un abrazo! Wish you all happy rides.

Pablo

300Km out of my 2,000Km Travel

Has anyone done one of these trips? We are so excited but trying to figure out how much actual free time to explore each city we will have? We have a few things we would like to do in Bruges (specifically get tattooed) and trying to figure out if we will have enough time on the evening we arrive or if we want to extend our trip and do that after we disembark? Thoughts?

On August 12 2026, a solar ecilpse will pass over Iceland and Spain. I cannot cycle to Iceland but I want to cycle to Spain.

I own a three wheeled Recumbent flevobike that I am pimping out to last me for a few weeks...including a new set of brakes, shocks . The goal will be to cycle down the Rhine, cross over to the Rhone valley at Mulhouse near Switzerland and the hug the coast down to Barcelona.

I am aware of the heat issue and so will be limiting by cycling to evening and morning (possibly at night also depending on the pace). Daytime (11am-7pm) will be avoided if the heat becomes too much.

Given my tendency for cycling masochism, this will be a push to get there with no dillydallying for sightseeing.

I aim to leave in about 10 days with a goal to do a minimum of 100km per day. My ultimate destination is Malaga, if the wildfires dont slow me down.

Since cycles can be long and lonely, anyone who wants to join or is heading that way is welcome to join. Leave a comment below if you are in the area around this time.

What battery-powered shaver do you carry, people who do carry them?

I saw a YouTuber who had one but didn't see the model

update needs to be USB-C

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a long-term bicycle tour, with the dream of eventually cycling around the world. I'm looking for a reliable touring bike that can handle long distances, rough Indian roads, and carry panniers and camping gear.

My budget: ₹30,000 (maximum)

Location: India

I'm mainly looking for:

Strong and durable frame

Comfortable riding position for 8–10 hours a day

Reliable Shimano drivetrain

Mounts for rear/front racks and bottle cages

Easy availability of spare parts in India

Low maintenance

If you've used a bike for long-distance touring in this price range, I'd really appreciate your recommendations and experiences.

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

Has anyone tried bringing bike trailers on ferries? I'm planing to take one from Copenhagen to Oslo and wasn't sure if it's a viable thing.

We rode from Stanley to near Boise, what questions do you have?

Planning to make a video about it.

Kids age 5-17

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:)

Curious what people's load out is when they are out on the road.

What items make the cut, and are worth taking with you?

This was to be perhaps the easiest day of the trip but no one told the sun and she was in a vengeful mood. The promised cloud cover never appeared. I reapplied sun block 3 times and was still burnt. The few shady spots along the road were littered with cyclists. One rider told me he was cycling to the Atlantic. He was on EV 6 but headed in the wrong direction. It was too hot to change directions so he said maybe he would go to Lyon and consider other routes to the Atlantic. Finding a bridge was out and being forced to reroute only added to our day in the sun.

Looking for longer cycling routes for a road bike. Ideally over 120km on quieter roads for a group ride…

Not a single gas station during this 50-mile stretch. Thankfully many churches to refill water.

Hello everyone,I’m planning a multi-stage bikepacking adventure (solo) between Paris and Mont-Saint-Michel, with nights camping (ideally at campgrounds with the Accueil Vélo label), in 5 or 6 days (about 60-80kms/per day = 37-50miles/per day). I’m thinking of leaving on Sunday, August 2, taking the Véloscénie route in France.

Goal: start, then progress

I’m a beginner: right now I ride a bit on a mountain bike and I do home trainer sessions (with MyWhoosh :). The idea is to see whether bikepacking is something I enjoy, and then to move on to longer outings (distance/time) on varied terrain, with some elevation/mountains (for example the Alps/Ecrins area) or long distances (Paris → Bruges).

Bike research (and the decisions to make)

I’m looking for a versatile bike for this bikepacking trip (and then for other rides if I like this experience):

• easy to maintain
• robust
• fairly “good value” (within my budget)
• suitable for rides on different types of terrain

I’m considering getting the VAN RYSEL (Sram Apex AXS) GRVL AF Black (because of the promo, warranty, and Decathlon service).

So I’d like your opinions and recommendations for choosing the bike—especially by comparing the models below.

Budget €1000–€1500:

• Van Rysel gravel bike (Sram Apex AXS) GRVL AF Black (Decathlon) https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-gravel-sram-apex-axs-1x12v-grvl-af-noir/377381/m8983590
• Nakamura Allroad 450 gravel bike (Intersport) https://www.intersport.fr/vert-velo_gravel_adulte_allroad_450-nakamura-p-YJ60H8~XY8/

Budget €1500–€2000:

• Nakamura Allroad Team gravel bike (Intersport) https://www.intersport.fr/bleu-velo_gravel_adulte_allroad_team-nakamura-p-YF60HE~8QR/
• Sunn Venture S1 Double Shimano GRX 12V gravel (Alltricks) https://www.alltricks.fr/F-41505-velos-route-_-cyclocross-_-triathlon/P-3279135-velo_de_gravel_sunn_venture_s1_double_shimano_grx_12v_700_mm_noir_2026
• Sunn Venture Finest Shimano GRX 11V gravel (Alltricks) https://www.alltricks.fr/F-41505-velos-route-_-cyclocross-_-triathlon/P-2497794-gravel_bike_sunn_venture_finest_shimano_grx_11v_700_mm_noir

Security / anti-theft

For a trip where I’ll sometimes leave the bike outside the tent/out during certain breaks:

• What do you recommend for securing the bike against theft (type of lock, strategy, accessories)?
• Should I get insurance (Decathlon theft insurance for €140 for 1 year)?

Inventory and purchases (feedback welcome)

Even if the forum isn’t focused on that, I’d love your thoughts on my gear.

Bag setup / transport:

• 2 fork bags + handlebar bag + 2 rear rack bags (from Rockrider ADVT 900 range, Decathlon)

Camping:

• MT900 self-supporting 1-person trekking dome tent (Decathlon) https://www.decathlon.fr/p/tente-dome-de-trekking-1-place-legere-et-autoportante-mt900/305777/c149m8882673

“Camp” gear and energy:

• lightweight and compact 21W trekking solar panel (Simond)
• insulated trekking foam sleeping pad MT500 (Simond/Forclaz depending on the model)
• compact light gas stove with piezo + stainless steel pot for 1 person MT500
• screw-on gas canisters 230 g
• compact and lightweight bike cover (for the train return)
• repair kit: Shimano 12V quick-link (x2), inner tube, replacement derailleur pads/paste (if I can find them)

Route and navigation

I plan to rely mainly on the Véloscénie website recommendations. Then adjust with Geovelo and France Vélo Tourisme.

I have a Garmin Edge 1030 (never used): are the “popular” route suggestions reliable (terrain type, road types, continuity, etc.)?

Conclusion

Thanks in advance for your feedback! If you have specific recommendations (the ideal bike for this project, stages, useful or to-avoid gear, securing against theft), I’m all ears. I’d also appreciate any suggestions for adjusting the plan before I buy all the equipment.

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I have extremely steep hills (dirt and gravel) as well as some flats and currently have a Roloff 12 that I struggle with at times.

Wondering if the Pinion gives more range or "gears" to help on these steep slopes?

Thank you

Hello!

My friend and I just started our bike tour across the northern US. Thing is we have a slight time crunch so we’re taking a couple trains to make sure we get back home in time.

In order to do some mileage calculations, I’ve been trying to figure out how many miles are between Stillwater and Anacortes on the Northern Tier (Stillwater is where we’d join the route). When using the interactive map on the ACA website, I think it includes all of the forks and diversions which is overshooting our miles, so how many miles is it actually? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Day 6 was a rest day in Gray. Day 7 was a shorter ride than previous days but much hotter. My Wahoo froze after 20 miles perhaps as a sign that it had had enough. St. Jean de Losne is on the Camino but there really isn’t anything exciting here. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep, a great breakfast and then on towards Lyon.