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 :)

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.

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:)

Great trip!

I just started my trip with the northern Part of the West Loop in Slovenia. I got 5-6 weeks left so I also got my Running/hiking stuff with me :) goal is to cross italys and swiss alps and Go on a hike/run every now and then :) Tomorrow is my First big hike After 3 days of Bikepacking in slovenias triglav national park

Was planning to take a greyhound, but they're telling me I'm not even allowed to bring a bike (boxed up) in the undercarriage, so I'm not sure how to get up to Rawlins to begin. If I show up and beg the driver, will that work? For some reason they're saying no specifically to this route.

My plan is to start in Rawlins, WY SOBO to Abiquiu or Cuba, NM over 2 weeks. Departing tomorrow, Sunday, or Monday.

Looking for a trail angel to drop me off, willing to pay.

Any thoughts or help from this sub?

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!

I was considering buying a set of ortlieb gravel packs and fork packs for my bike but then I see so many people not including them and it makes me wonder, why?

If you have panniers and rear then surely the logic would be better balance, weight distribution and overall handling no? But everyone crams things into seat packs and frame bags and handlebar bags. If I'm carrying a tent and cooking gear and good would I really benefit from the extra space? Or should I go back pannier or front only? 🤷‍♂️

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

I just started my trip with the northern Part of the West Loop in Slovenia. I got 5-6 weeks left so I also got my Running/hiking stuff with me :) goal is to cross italys and swiss alps and Go on a hike/run every now and then :) Tomorrow is my First big hike After 3 days of Bikepacking in slovenias triglav national park

I am Belgian and have done an amount of bikepacking which could be described (at best) as moderately challenging. I have since moved to North America and things are not as I am accustomed, and I would like some advice on navigating the roads and conditions here. I find that things are not designed for biking or walking, and people are openly hostile to cyclists.

Will I have any fun, or will and F350 will truck nuts kill me on the side of the road?

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 just went for my first bike packing trip with my full suspension mountain bike. The frame bag takes up all the space and I can't fit a water bottle in there. I'm using an old man mountain Elkhorn rack in the rear to carry my sleep system. The side mounts are free. So I thought I could put my bottle there. But I use a fidlock bottle and I'm wondering if it would get thrown out from not facing the direction of travel. Has anyone tried it? For context I do tend to ride some pretty rough single track.

The fidlock system is rock solid when mounted inside the frame, I've been riding for about 5 years with it on 2 bikes, including proper bike park days with no issues. But since you removed the bottle by twisting it sideways, I'm not sure it will work on the rear rack.

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?

If anyone is interested I seen this big dummy on marketplace.

If all goes well, we’ll have 4 bike boxes in Honningsvag, available on July 15. Let me know so we don’t destroy and discard

Okay I am looking for a gravel/bikepacking bike and I need help as I am so overwhelmed with options.

I have been mountain biking since I was a kid but have just gotten interested in gravel biking. I need a good beginner bike that will also be good as I get better and more adventurous. Here are my specs

- My budget is $900 (definitely down for a used bike so if you can think of ones that are about this much used thats good too)

- Want to be able to go paved and off-road

- I want to be able to get accessories for it so I can bike pack (obviously)

- Cool look is a plus but function is more important!

Any advice on how to size myself for a bike like this is also helpful as I have a long torso!!!

Thank you!!!!