From Saturday 18th of July untill the 21st I went for my first ever bikepacking trip. It took me through our little country of Belgium and man what a beautiful country it is. I took a tent with me as I wanted the full experience and booked some Bivouac area's.

First day was 134km's long and I ended up somewhere near Tongeren. Second day I totalled 128km's, taking me to the city of Ohey (not far from Namur). Day three it was 118km's ending in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, which is next to Brussels and known for cycling tourism. It's also Remco Evenepoel land and I know why he's such a good climber now. Booked a hotel this time and my wife came to meet me. Day four would bring me back home. Just a short 71km's and I cheated with giving my wife most of my gear in the car.

Saw some of the famous Belgian landmarks on the road. Was amazed about the beautiful landscapes. Which was a bit of the idea as the last day of the trip we celebrate our national holiday.

Also learned what saddle sore's are and that I need a different saddle, that people in the south part greet you a lot more than those in the north part and that I don't like being all alone at a bivouac area.

I can see myself doing this more often now. Still have to agree with the people at home how much though.

Just completed 70% of The Ardennes Arbalète tour in Belgium and realised my wheel was rubbing against the frame, upon inspection, a clean break on the Chainstay.

Gutted.

Any advice on what to do? Is the frame cooked? Am I able to get this welded on the road by a car repair shop, welder or similar, or is that a silly idea? I was hoping to continue riding after completing this loop but... yeah.

Its a Brother Kepler (4130 Chromoly Steel)

TBH - It looks like i will have to push my bike back home from the sticks of Belgium back to London via a multitude of trains and a ferry with my tail between my legs, although i am romanticising getting it fixed and continuing my journey.

If I am able to get it fixed, will that write off getting a proper repair from a bike frame builder?

Any advice much appreciated.

Route was amazing by the way - top marks, although in hindsight - maybe best not to send it so hard on a gravel bike 😄

When the plan to ride from home to the Baltic Sea fell through and I had some time off, I did a small bikepacking trip. Two days of riding, two days of visiting my sister about halfway through, and another two days of riding home. I'm attaching a few photos from the solo trip. I wish I could ride ikepack with people / group .

What a fun wild adventure it is living off your bike. We set off on a 4 day ride in Victoria, Australia. Starting in Bairnsdale then up and over mt Hotham. A blog post said, "intermediate, not too hard" and we thought, sweet, we're pretty fit, this will be cruisy... Nope haha. So worth it and so fun. But damn, going up roads too steep that the tires are spinning out is just so damn hard. And those hills, my goodness. Left, right, left, right, left, right. We definitely had some good walking pushes in there too.

Shout out to the Chicken burgers and ice coffees in Dargo that gave us the afternoon energy to climb up into the Highlands and the 9 am beer.

Also, my poor poor tubeless tires. Putting in a new slug at 5pm and it's getting dark and you have another 2kms of rocky road to go and ... Ptsssss out it pops. Partner's commuter bike had no issues lol. Definitely should have just popped a tube in but we were so determined for it to Work

All in all still such a fun time. Just maybe weren't quite ready for the dawn to well-into-the-dark rides everyday

The pub meal at the Hotham felt pretty damn well earned though

For anyone interested, the route is called "High Life"

Learning gearfor my Surly BC..

Anyone have use experience with either this brand or these bags specifically? Might keep the front fack, unsure but I like the idea of small fork bags. I've seen so many out there but these are certainly lower cost than most. Probably from China? I'd love to and prefer support of cottage companies, just learning.

I've seen some if the bags on bikepacking.com

Cheers!

So, next year I’m planning my first ever bike packing trip to the start of the Mt.Ventoux to raise money for charity. I have done several triathlons and like to push myself, mentally I’m sure I will make it too.
I’m trying to plan it out meticulously and would love to get some tips from you all.

The plan is to do it in max 11 days, with the last less km’s. Since it’s my first time, I will stick for now at the convenience of a room/couch for the nights.
My planned average speed will be ~22km/H, which is normally no problem to maintain for lengthy times.
Food is mostly fluid, but also bars and full meals when I feel I need it.
The bike will have 32mm tubeless tires, disc brakes and of course clip-ons.

I have no clue yet about saddle bags etc for my stuff, or anything else I should think about.

Please let me know your tips below! Bon Voyage!

Just finished up my first multiple-night bikepacking trip, over six days from Munich down into the Alps and back up. This turned into a really special week spent with my brother and I'll never forget it. I have very few negative things to say about the route so for anyone else who might be considering doing something similar, here's a a few general observations and some short notes on each day for anyone who wants more detail:

General Observations:

1. All of the big climbs and decents were incredible but they all felt like they might be less enjoyable in the opposite direction. Maybe that's a phsycological thing or maybe it's legit?
2. The near-constant bike path availability great and made the trip very stress-free. Side note, Lichtenstein drivers do not like bikes and are the most impatient of any country we passed through.
3. The Alps are spectacular and every day had a different view and visual landscape to offer. I have never enjoyed cyclig more than I did over these six days.
4. Most campsites were more than happy to accommodate us at short notice, but we found an email ahead the day before arrival worked better than turning up unnannounced. My BA Tiger Wall bikepacking was an MVP and fit on my bike so well.
5. We experienced every kind of weather from a 3 hour thunderstorm to hammering 35ºC heat. Pack accordingly.
6. Two pairs of socks. I only brought one, my brother brought four. Neither of us were happy with our choices.

Daily Notes:

D1 Munich > Achensee: A great first day to settle in. Most gravel of the whole trip but very manageable. Rolling farmland gradually turning into alpine foothills.

D2 Achensee > Brixen: Bit of a drag along the River Inn but once you turn south out of Innsbruck towards Brenner Pass it really starts getting pretty. Brenner Pass is gorgeous but I sense it would not be as nice going south to north. Unsure how I feel about Brixen but we failed to find a campsite with space and had to book a hostel. I'd look for another town but do the same route because...

D3 Brixen > Glurns: ...the road south to Bolzano is gorgeous. Western edge of the Dolomites and the scenery was gorgeous. Oddly reminded me of some parts of Vietnam. Merano to Glurns was a proper graft in the afternoon heat and we had to stop to find shade and cold drinks to avoid heatstroke. A great precursor to the day to come, prioritised easy pedaling and fresh legs for the next day.

D4 Glurns > Stelvio > Le Prese: It's the Stelvio. Nothing else need's be said. As beautiful, epic, and special as it sounds. The descent was magic, although I had to swap out brakepads halfway down (should have done the maintenance I said I would every night previously). Bike path deteriorates in quality the closer you get to Tirano from Bormio but being from Ireland, any bikepath is better than home. Never miss a chance to order pizzocheri in Tirano. The climb to Le Prese is a grim end to the day but much better to get done now than the following day. The Bernina Express is also an option if the legs are dust and you don't want to cycle it.

D5 Le Prese > Tiefencastle: Straight up Passo Bernina. Another gorgeous alpine pass, feels like there's another glacier around every corner. Gorgeous. Plenty of pros on the road training too, which feels exciting. Didn't call into St Moritz, I'm probably missing nothing but I wish I did just to see what all the rich person fuss is about. Albula Pass was tough on tired legs but the climb was followed by another incredible descent. Great cheap swiss campsite in Tiefencastle, but get your food shop in ahead of time.

D6 Tiefencastle > Lindau: One last climb up Lenzerheide before a glorious descent down to the Rhine. The radweg departs the Rhine up to Malans to break the flatland monotony and it's worth it for the cute towns you pass. A pass through Lichenstein is fun just to tick off a visit to the micro-state. Skip any stop in Bregenz entirely and get yourself to Lindau before stopping. Lindau old town is very pretty and worth a stop in for dinner and breakfast. There should be a direct train to get you back to Munich but during our visit it was interrupted and we made it back handily through a transfer in Ulm.

(not really a review yet, more of a comparison "preview", but it's still the most relevant flair I guess)

Saw the Zephyr recently, it seems to be a newly available model. Besides the obvious Durston X-Dome "inspiration" (to put a 1:1 copy of the form factor and dimensions mildly), these are the differences on paper when looking at the Zephyr (relying on the seller's information & pictures, I haven't used either yet):

• Materials:
  • Sil/Sil outer vs Sil/Poly outer. As far as I know Sil/Sil is sturdier (higher tear resistance) but absorbs more water & stretches more when doing so
  • Full mesh inner (not even with a low non-mesh inner wall), no other options
  • Sturdier floor (on paper): 25D with 5000mm HH vs 15D or 20D with 3500mm HH
• Usability:
  • Flap + dual zip instead of a waterproof zipper for the outer door
  • Traditional door fasteners (Durston ones are magnetic if I remember correctly)
  • Gear "triangle" for the vestibule as optional accessory
  • Y stakes instead of DAC J stakes
  • The non-symmetric design is mirrored
• Pack-ability:
  • Shorter default pole length, but longer than the short pole version of the X-Dome
  • Slightly higher weight. Though weight / amount of stakes and which exact version of the X-Dome you take as a reference will make a difference there
• Buying (as someone EU-based):
  • It has a higher RRP (600€) but atm it's available for less than the X-Dome at 450€. But it depends on the X-Dome configuration what the exact price difference will be, and on your country on how much taxes and shipping might add to that.
  • ...I reckon if you're in the EU it might be easier / faster to get a more local brand and not have to worry about surprise VAT/taxes. Though Durston now states that's included in the X-Dome's price.
  • It's not sold out at the moment
• Quality: An open question for the Zephyr (couldn't find a single review) while the X-Dome is well-regarded and has proven itself.

What do you think?

How is the mosquito situation this year? Any information would be great

Visiting France for a week this weekend and staying in Beauvais. Hoping to rent a bike and do a day trip down to Paris. Does anyone have a recommendation for a route, or have done this before? Route options in Google maps attached

Hey all,
First post here. I’m going to be finishing up the GB Divide in about a week at John O’Groats. I’ve got a ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff on August 11th, but unsure what to do for the 2 weeks in between.

I’m considering Ireland, as I’ve never been, but it seems cycling is confined to roads and I’m not big on vehicles passing by.

I’m also considering the Shetland islands, as I have camping gear.

Anyway, I’m trying to avoid the high costs of accommodation in the UK, so camping is preferable. There’s no right or wrong answer, so I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I'm planning an open ended trip starting in San Diego, headed south towards Tierra del Fuego. I have no idea how many miles or how much time it'll take me to get there, but it'll probably be over a year and over 10k miles. I'm building a Hayduke LVS for the journey, and I'm not sure whether to go SRAM or Shimano. I'll need a new cassette and chain every few thousand miles, as well as the occasional chainring and derailleur.

My understanding is that Shimano generally has better worldwide part availability, but I've got no idea about Latin America. My concern with the 12 speed XT derailleur is that it needs clutch service every 500 miles with some sort of special grease, which sounds like a pain in the ass on the road. I'd rather go GX Eagle, but if I can't get cassettes and chains in big cities in Latin America that's going to be a pain in the ass.

What's the ideal drivetrain for long distance riding in Latin America?

People with vaginas: if you’re only bringing one or two pairs of bike shorts are you just putting them back on without underwear each day? I’m not even necessarily opposed to this but I need to be validated that other people are doing it too so I don’t feel insanely gross. Asking because I have a 3 week trip coming up with very limited laundry access

Edit: thank you so much everyone for the advice!! I will bring a second pair and hand wash in a puddle or some shit xoxoxoxo

​

Here is my brief overview of the Kenya Bike Odyssey route from bikepacking.com! https://bikepacking.com/routes/kenya-bike-odyssey/

First of all, this is an absolutely incredible route. Diverse landscapes, challenging terrain and a fantastic way to see Kenya.

The official guide says a ride mountainbike over 18 days but I did it on a gravel bike in 12. The route is definitely more suited to mtb and some sections are very rough for hours and hours, especially in the first few days.

Food is easy to find, and easy to resupply daily although options may be very limited in tiny villages but there are western style supermarkets a few times along the way. Also many shops wont open until 9 or 10am. Lunch most days was chapati with either peanut butter or avocado and tomato. Cash is accepted everywhere buy finding an ATM can be difficult, almost nowhere will have card services outside of big supermarkets and resort hotels. Kenya uses Mpesa for payments which is easy to set up and use once you have a kenyan sim card. Food is cheap, camping is cheap, hotels in popular tourist spots are expensive.

You'll see wildlife pretty much everyday. From the bike I saw elephants, giraffe, zebra, gazelle, impala, warthog, hyena, tortoise, baboons, lots of monkeys,a huge range of birds and a bunch more ive probably forgotten about. These arent animals in game parks or seen on wildlife tours, these are wild animals roaming along the roadside. With that said, be careful, especially around sunrise and sunset when everything is on the move and the predators are active.

The GPX itself is a little outdated, some old tracks are now fields, some have just disappeared completely, but a little common sense and you'll find an easy solution to get through. People are nice, always happy to help and the vast majority of the country speaks English. If you haven't cycled in Africa before be prepared to attract attention everywhere you go. Bike culture doesnt really exist in kenya yet so you'll need to be self sufficient in terms of spare parts and working on your bike yourself. Definitely recommend tubeless tires, everything in Kenya is spikey.

I spend several months a year working and cycling in East Africa, but this was my first time doing this particular route. I rode it solo and met a few new friends along the way, Im already considering coming back next year with a few friends to do it again.

There is also a WhatsApp group full of good info and support if youre considering doing the trip! https://chat.whatsapp.com/GxZNaFtnatSHGO9CyPkZ1a?mode=gi_t

Hey guys, first post here! For context I’m in the UK. Below are some pics of my 1994 Kona Lava Dome. I want to get it set up for bikepacking (not huge distances, within my own county so 50 miles there and 50 miles back), but first I need some recommendations of how I should rig it up. so far I’ve got a rear pannier installed and could use links to CHEAP! pannier bags and frame bags, as well as things like straps and dry bags for the bars and seat post. I’m trying to spend the least amount of money for the most effective set up here

250km Duisburg to Bergen aan Zee.

Im excited.

3 days, 300 km, and plenty of elevation! Here is a recap of my bikepacking tour around Manisa, Türkiye.

My best friend, my cousin and I are planning in the near future, maybe next month, to visit Montecarlo on our bikes. It would be our first time of travelling like this. The trip will last about 5 days, a distance of around 440km. There's only one problem: we don't have a lot of money, so sleeping in an hotel is out of the question, but being caught sleeping in a tent would get us a fine, both in Italy and Munich. Any suggestions? The problem are not the rural areas, but the urban ones...

Hello everyone,

I'm planning a bikepacking trip from Trelleborg to Oslo (about 690 km with 4,900 m of elevation gain) and hope to start in a few days.

I've done several cycling tours across Europe before, but this will be my first bikepacking trip in Sweden and Norway. I'm really excited and my goal is to camp in my tent throughout the whole journey if possible.

I'd really appreciate any advice or recommendations:

• good wild camping spots or general wild camping tips
• the route itself
• scenic viewpoints or landmarks that are worth a short detour
• anything else you think I shouldn't miss

I'm also curious whether anyone has encountered wildlife (such as moose, wild boar, or snakes) along this route and if there are any precautions I should take.

Safe rides, everyone!

Hallo!

wir wollen ab dem 27.07. für zwei Wochen bikepacken in Südschweden.

Da wir mit Auto kommen müssen wir es irgendwo stehen lassen.

Am besten irgendwo in der Nähe von Malmö oder Trelleborg.

hat jemand Ideen?

Hello there! I’m planning a trip with my gf and her father, and the route idea is from Vienna to Budapest going through the Danubio River.

We want to rent bikes, one of them electric for her father, I saw different options for renting, some with the possibility of renting in Vienna and returning them in Budapeste.

Any recommendations for renting bikes? Is a chill route for someone with 65yo non cyclist?

Thank you!

Had an excellent trip through the northwest. Spent the last few years building this bike up to be what it is. Means so much to me now.

Anybody has tips on a bikepack trip from Grenoble/Milan? Travelling by train from the Netherlands, but really not sure where to start from? Cant find any tips on routes or so. Sooo, tips are welcome, cycling with my MTB btw!