previous >>1935272post pictures plans dreams setups questions trips
>>1979094i've had a plan for 10+ years to do a long tour, but i just don't know if it's really feasible. how do i get the money? i'd have to quit my job, too. but i want to follow my dreams. for all intents and purposes, my life hasn't changed that much since the original idea hatched in my brain. i don't have any greater commitments that are preventing me from doing it, like a wife, kids, etc. i don't want to keep waiting until i have some excuse to never do it. thanks for reading my blog.
>>1979135You should start doing some smaller 3-4 day long tours instead of hyping yourself up to the "Big one" forever. Also there are cheap ways of doing a bike tour; camping or bivy on tour, used bikes etc.
>>1979135>but i want to follow my dreamsdon't. you'll just end up disappointed
>>1979135so much this. need to get out there for weekend tours this year
>>1979142yeah, i think about this a lot. i do tend to want to do "all or nothing" in a lot of aspects of life, and it unfortunately often results in the "nothing".
Going for a one month tour in europe, initial plan is to go from Estonia to Switzerland and back through Germany, though I don't really care as long as I get to ride and see new places. Will probably include swiping a lot of credit card since on previous tours I've always slept awful outside. Any tips welcome regarding that. I've plans to practice more of it during the spring as I'd like to keep the costs down. This will be by my longest trip, I've only done one week long so far. >>1979192kind of in the same boat but I've noticed that the more I've done smaller tours there more I am ready to sacrifice in terms of vacation to bigger ones. The experience is vital too.
>>1979204>kind of in the same boat but I've noticed that the more I've done smaller tours there more I am ready to sacrifice in terms of vacation to bigger ones. The experience is vital too.Yeah for sure. Especially with your body and equipment. I wouldn't want to travel somewhere far away to do a months-long tour and 3 days in realize that my saddle makes my dick numb and my handlebars hurt my wrists.
Ideas how to carry a cool drink in the summer heat? I only need it to last 2-3 hours, from the last shop to the campsite so I can have a refreshing cold beverage in the evening.Currently considering:>a single-wall steel bottle filled with ice cubes, I don't know if it will hold the temp long enough>a vacuum flask, but those are heavy and low volume>a can of shandy with a bag of ice cubes, wrapped in a drybag in the pannierI hate lwarm plastic tasting water so much bros.
>>1979204>em.png
>>1979241thermos NEXT QUESTION
I'm heading out of town for a 3 day tour now
>>1979250What is that bottle cage on the seat tube?I use a similar kind of bottle, Camelbak Chute, but the tab at the top of most bottle cages doesn't work w/ it. Usually I'll get plastic ones & cut that tab off, but the plastic always breaks after a year or so & I'd like a metal one.
>>1979242good one
>>1979250cool.those wheels are built like a brick shithouse , nice
>>1979135>>1979094how feasible is bike touring/ bike packing even pedestrian backpacking really? I've always tallied up the costs and came to the conclussion that driving would be way cheaper since you get to move faster, you will eat less and lodge less so your costs will be lower, and you can sleep in it better than in a tent or sleeping bag.I've always liked the idea of doing some tour of europe on a bike, but I realise it's more romantic than practical (in terms of costs). maybe I'm wrong who knows, but unfortunately the car can carry more camping gear than a single bike can
>>1979142this is the best advice
>>1979364the idea is that you get to ride a bike all day. In my opinion completely different to car road trips. Plus it's pretty nice to just eat like a king all day.>>1979242lmao was actually just thinking about if I should get that bag or just go with a Wald or a carradice bag
An endless straight of the Danube river cycle path between Vienna and the Slovakian border. Taken by myself in 2023, when I completed the last stages of my big three-year project of riding the Danube cycle path from its source in Donaueschingen, Germany, to the Slovakian border.
>>1979439fuck, forgot to attach the picture
>>1979364Yeah, to me touring is all about the experience, not a form of transportation. I prefer to camp while touring, so that's free or very cheap.
>>1979364>I realise it's more romantic than practical (in terms of costs). maybe I'm wrong who knows, but unfortunately the car can carry more camping gear than a single bike canIn Germany at least camping is expensive as fuck, pretty much two thirds the price of a cheap room in some inn or some bed&breakfast. Plus like five Euro flatrate if you want electricity. Traveling by bike with minimal luggage and staying in a proper room at night are a very sound concept.
>>1979439>>1979440very cool
>>1979444I have tons and tons of pics, I usually take thousands of them on a multi day tour. This is Castle Werenwag in Baden-Württemberg, about 15km west of Sigmaringen, also shot while riding the Danube cycle path
>>1979444right in the center of the pic you can barely make out the silhouette of a building on a hill....
>>1979444it is the famous Benedictine abbey of Melk. Sean Connery's young acolyte sidekick Adson in "The Name of the Rose" was from here.
>>1979453Nice. Did you camp on this trip, or stay in lodging?
>>1979459I stayed in lodging exclusively. I did the trip on my electric unicycle, there is almost no room for stuff, much less than on a bicycle. Just a backpack with my EUC charger, a second T-shirt and a second pair of socks, a toothbrush and paste. I thought I was crazy for packing a USB powered fan too, but it frigging saved me when I slept at night. The temperatures were 35°C throughout the whole trip and the rooms were suffocating at night
>>1979464>there is almost no room for stuffAhh yeah that makes sense. I'm also really interested in all the camping laws in different countries. I could be wrong, but I thought I've heard that you're allowed to camp almost anywhere in Mongolia. It's got such a low population density so there's so little privately owned land outside of cities. And then open access land in the UK where you can go on private property, but you usually can't camp on it.
>>1979495In Germany at least camping outside of dedicated camping grounds is forbidden everywhere, unless you have the explicit permission of the property owner.
>>1979534Yeah, I grew up in the eastern US and that's pretty much what it's like. But the western part of the US has so much government-owned land and you can camp pretty much wherever you want on a lot of it. It's really cool, but obviously it's more sparsely populated.
>>1979431>Plus it's pretty nice to just eat like a king all day.this
route was like half gravel with ridiculous gravel climbs, 16% for 2km kind of thing. I'd forgotten the feeling. You're trapped in your lowest gear (26x36), exhausted, can't stand up to stretch or the back wheel will slip, can't weave around or the front wheel will slide out, so you're constantly on the verge of losing control, zoning out, snapping back. bike would handle better uphill with lowrider panniers but they're a huge aero penalty and i didn't need that much stuff for a few days in summer.
my campsite this was up the hill behind a locked gate on the side of a random service roadthere was an actual campground closeish by but it had lots of flies around the long drop and no good view and so i explored a bit and found this spot instead. cut some fern branches for a seathad some korean noodles, bread, and goats cheese drank some whiskey read my book outside with a head torch smoked a j nice night
>>1979571>palm trees>looks like the Smokey mountains South Carolina?
>>1979268I know what you mean yeah. That one does still have the tab but it works ok getting smashed around on gravel because it's really squished in there and the tab is minor. It's XLC. I think you could probably bend a lot of those tabs back with a vice. The pdw owl cage (i didn't buy this, got a box of random stock from a closed down lbs) doesn't have the tab but you don't want to run it on the seat tube because it can snag pants when it's empty. >>1979241mountain spring + sawyer filter
>>1979576Hunua Ranges in NZ
>>1979581had no idea y'all got palm trees down there. cheers.
>>1979582that's a fern we do have palm trees also (nikau palm)
shout out to these things
>>1979584there's a palm in this pic is what I meant >>1979569
>>1979586it's a fern not a palm
>>1979587never saw a fern with a tree trunk before
>>1979591yeah that's a fern for sure. Pretty common. People use those trunks as garden edging. there are a few different kinds of huge ferns here, they can be 20-30 metres tallmost of our native plants and animals are found nowhere else
nice, thank you for sharing kiwi dude. your bike is perfectly specd, definitely would tour on that but that granny 26 it's a nono for my legs on hills. I personally don't like the tunnel tent though, isn't it a bit hot and stuffy?how did you sleep? as i see from the weather you shouldn't drop below 15 at nights at this time of the year. what kind of flies do you have down there that warrant a pyro spiral thingy? here in europe the main nuisance in swampy places, and in the hottest months, are mosquitos, but i just spray myself with what I am sure are carcinogenic endocrine disruptors and foggehdaboutit, and use an inner tent with large mosquito net openings.
Cycled from Portugal to Sweden via Corsica and Sardinia over 5 months, 7200km, 124 days. I used to post here, thanks to those who gave their support :)
>>1979711nice... how hard for the heart are those ferries in the mediteranean? you have to leave the bike away from you? rude sailors will touch her all over? what about baggage and stuff. serious question
>>1979712Easy as fuck. Ferry from Nice to Corsica was a joy. Super nice ferry, cheap, cost like 50 euro with bike, around that amount. You can get a cabin or else you share a big empty conference room with other cheapskates. I had my camping stuff with me so it was actually great getting my inflatable mattress out and getting some sleep. Sardinia to Civitivecchia. Was ok. I got scammed cos I bought my ticket via a 3rd party website that didnt include my bike when they said they would. But again relatively cheap. Not as nice crossing, but it did the job. Sailors / engineers were nice. I was impressed with their knot tying skills. Just remember to take what you need with you, the car hold is locked during the voyage.
>>1979717ok. since i read things about workers (mis)handling bikes and not being able to access it during the voyage I have been scared of using a ferry, especially in high season with a lot of people. but nice to know you had a pleasant experience particularly on those long stretches.guess if i ever want to get to sardinia or corsica i would have to overcome this fear
>>1979718It's really not an issue. You handle and secure your bike yourself and to be extra safe, just use a cable to secure all your panniers. Take all valuables with you. It's almost guaranteed you won't be the only one with a bike.
>>1979585I thought about bringing those innawoods but I feel like they would take a while to get going and not be 100% effective. Also there's a small but non-zero chance to start a forest fire if you're careless.
>>1979711legendary
>>1979634thanks man I love that tent, good memories on bike tours. It's awesome in a storm. Macpac have repaired it for free a couple times. It is hot, but nights are rarely oppressively hot here. I've got a nemo one as well that's cooler but it's more for 2 people or car camping. The spirally thingy is for mozzies and sandflies. >>1979733>there's a small but non-zero chance to start a forest fire if you're careless.True. I wouldn't use em in arid place, if sparks on the ground could start a fire. >I feel like they would take a while to get going and not be 100% effectiveThey get going instantly and yes, they're not 100% effective but one of them makes a significant difference. Alongside DEET spray. Well worth the gramz
>>1979711amazing. >>1979717ferry + bike is the best. >>1979718Strap the front wheel to the downtube so it can't fall over
>>1979711That's awesome. The hardest thing for me to fathom to do such a long tour is money and my job. I'd have to save up for a while, but then I think I'd have to quit my job. I couldn't just leave for like 6 months and then expect them to take me back. Can I ask what your situation was?
>>1979903dude just go on some weekend trips
>>1979903Cheers, yeah it's a unique position you must be in to do this. I can explain mine: >tl:dr: I was in between jobs, I had money and I could do it. Full story: So I spent the better part of my 20s studying, working, moving countries. In my early 30s I started to feel burnt out, but it wasn't until my mid 30s that I was completely fucked with work. I was depressed and just dreamed to finally do something about it. I already did some tours, and had a bike, but I needed to upgrade. A friend built me some crazy strong wheels with a dynamo to let me charge my shit. I spent countless hours at work building and prepping my tour, I spent weeks on Komoot planning my route. I am a bit autistic so I listed every detail during the route. Distance, checkpoints, potential campsites/hotels, down to the probability of temperature/weather, and wind direction. When I quit, I told people what I was going to do, everyone lost their shit. "wHaTaBouT yOuR cArEer, etc etc", they would say. I shrugged. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be hard to find a job again.I started almost a year ago, and it was both terrifying and one of the best things I've ever done. I met so many cool people, some shit people, but above all, everyday was different. Towards the 100th day, I was starting to get sick of sleeping out of my tent and wearing sweaty clothes. So I was looking forward to getting home and sleeping my own bed. During my tour I did interviews and I had a job lined up after the tour. One of the hardest things was keeping things good with my gf. She came to visit me 3 times, and it was a huge moral boost and made city stops that much nicer. In the future I would do short weekend/weekday trips. Train + bike = good bike tour.
>>1979954Nice story, happy for you. good for you with a job and gf. I personally chose the other road, took the hobo pill, prefer my tent and mattress to my home, and perfected routines to wash myself and my clothes on the road. Also probably better your way to shake up your life than just getting hooked on pills like many do.
I'm working on reducing the weight of my fair weather camping gear. I have a light fly with bug net in the works and am looking at making a light weight sleeping bag; this should drop at least a dozen pounds and a lot of volume from my current setup. My current bike and gear combo is nearly 100 lbs, it would be nice to be able to bring lighter gear on a lighter bike.>>1979250>>1979568Love to see that Gunnar again. I hope to take mine on some 3 day camping trips this summer.>>1979954Amazing tour anon! This is what life is all about. Supporting yourself while figuring out how not to turn into a husk-person.
>>1979954Nice, that's awesome. It's interesting to hear how different people experience their lifestyles. I've reached out to a few people on instagram who seems to be traveling by bike all the time to ask how they do it. One of them is a photographer, so he makes money with that and by writing bike-related articles. Another guy said he taught English abroad for a bit, saved money, moved back home and bought a property. He now rents that out and makes enough money from that to just keep traveling on his bike.
i like the concept of bike touring. how much does it cost to get all the gear for it? im a poorfag (which is kinda why im into cycling in the first place; it's a inexpensive hobby if you buy a $100 used bike), so i dont know if i can afford it. all the saddle bags, etc. would prob cost more than my bike lel.
>>1980357Don't want to sound pretentious but it's not a thing you buy It's a thing you do. It may cost as little as strapping a backpack on your rear rack and go. A full set of bags on a random bike still may cost no more than 150. It gets tricky when you start searching for a safe and sound bike and durable setups, but it's still a really affordable hobby I can assure you.For a start, just know where you would like to go and what you would like to bring with you, and find the better way for you to do it, I've seen people with the most improvised rigs go very far.
>>1980357it's possible to use non cycling specific suitcases or rucksacks if you're good with belts and bungee cords
>>1980357I'm a huge over-planner and I always want to make sure everything is exactly how I want it before I pull the trigger. But I have a lot of admiration for people who just do it and make it work as best they can. You'll have a lot more fun if you load up your backpack, hop on your bike, and do a weekend trip than if you obsess over what gear to get and plan it all out until you realize you have to wait until next summer to afford it.
I'll be in Germany during the Spring/Early summer my plan is to ride a part of the RhineShould I do >Middle Rhine>Train to Hamburg>Cycle Hamburg to Berlinor>Cycle middle rhine onwards to NetherlandsI only have about a week and I ideally would want to take in some of the places I'll be visiting
>>1980357I would just recommend campsites which are like £20, a tent from decathlon for maybe £100, a pannier for £50 and you're pretty much set.Obviously you need some spare supplies and stuff but it doesn't have to be anything outrageous.Depending on how bad you are socially you can use warmshowers to find people who are willing to let you crash at their house for free
>>1980388Onestly neither but the idea of making the most scenic part of the rhein, then catching a train to hamburg for a quick heroin fix, a couple of days of total nothing flatland and cow pastures, then to berlin for a quick gay sex doesn't seem bad at all.
>>1980397o.O
>>1980357I have a feeling you could score a nearly complete set of camping gear for free or a symbolic beer if you joined your local bushcraft forum or facebook group and just asked. People tend to upgrade their kit over time and nobody wants to buy used low end shit so it's just left lying around. I know I have tons of stuff I don't use anymore but can't be assed to sell.
>>1980357consider that bicycle touring predates the very existence of decent gear
>>1979711Why didn't you go along the northern coast in spain? Too hilly?Did you wild camp at all? Planning a similar trip to your portugal-spain-france portion, but going south
>>1980543The official Eurovelo route through Spain takes you along the Camino de Santiago. The very North is possible, but extremely hilly. Yes, depending on country: Portugal, Spain, France, Denmark, Sweden, yes. The rest no, I used Warm Showers or cheap hotels/campsites. The Spain route I did is ok, Pamplona to Longrono is ok, but there are sections that are like pure desert, and you will have wind in your face from Burgos to Leon. Galicia was a bitch as well, after Santiago. Portugal is ok, but the roads are dogshit, and depending on time of year, could be packed full of retarded drivers.
from the thumb it looks like the paniers are all pepes
I built a bike, collected all the kite but I'm a bit apprehensive to go on my first trip. I'd love to go with someone who has some experience but don't know anybody.How to overcome beginners nerves?
>>1980582Totally normal. I have a full on panic attack before I start. Just get on your bike and go, make sure you're prepped. Don't push yourself too hard.
not normal at all guys. no judgement but this is just you.
>>1980582Which part are you scared of?
>>1980589uh huh?
>>1979711>>1979717>>1979954Amazing trip and awesome to hear you finished it safe and sound. I actually remember you from from the original thread and gave you some tips on Portugal. Cheers man.
>>1979534>In Germany at least camping outside of dedicated camping grounds is forbidden everywhere1. Nobody cares.2. It's also factually wrong. In the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein, camping inna woods is allowed for a single night provided you're not travelling in a motorized vehicle.
>>1979135What's the longest tour you've done?>>1979364Depends a LOT on your terrain and route, no? Idea: Drive to different places and have one day bike rides.
>>1980662Cheers brother. Also thanks for remembering, and perhaps giving support. >>1980722I was tempted to wild camp in Germany, but I was afraid of getting ass raped by some trigger happy rule-following fascist. German campsites are a thing to behold. I was at one where they charged you per 15 sec of shower usage. Then again, Germans excel at shower efficiency.
>>1979204>16 spoke wheelwhy
>>1980866It's just fashion. 13c aero wheels don't really make any sense with cx tires anyway. Pretty Instagram setup though, I'm trying to make something more performance oriented for next summer too.
>>1980724>What's the longest tour you've done?like a week. i haven't been able to take off work for more time than that.
>>1980866One of my mom's bike is like that and it's super fast
>>1980832>German campsites are a thing to behold. I was at one where they charged you per 15 sec of shower usage.?The campsite charges extra if you use the bathroom?
>>1980866those classic campy shamal etc wheels are glorious to ride on. they're heavy but spin up super fast and kind of hum at speed. feels really cool
>>1980972you've never used a coin shower before? normally it's per minute or per 2 minutes
why are bikes so expensive all of the sudden? I remember my dad buying me a decent mtb like 10 years ago for under 100$, now an equivalent one would cost 3-400, if not more.I was looking to buy a very simple one with close to no gears and mechanical shit that could brake down, and even the most bare-bone bike I found in my area is at least 200$ new
>>1980993the jamis question
>>1980993Covid was the original excuse, and have you ever heard of a company lowering its prices after they were raised due to an "emergency"?
>>1979250>Parked in disabled bay>Taking up room for 4 peopleAnd you cyclist fucks have the gall to criticize car drivers
>>1979204For sleeping outside, what is your current system? What are your complaints about it (temp, comfort, sleep position)? I am light in the touring history but heavy in the camping one.>>1979241Vacuum flask is the longest lasting option but is the most efficient. I would say go bigger since minimal additional material is needed to increase volume. As a comparison, a 20oz hyrdoflask is listed at .41kg but the 64oz is .9kg. Less than double the weight for triple the volume. The other option I can think of is a material called 'reflectix' or similar. It's basically just aluminized bubble wrap with a very high R value. I use it to insulate tons of stuff camping. It's cheap and you can make a cozy for any existing light bottle, however it will noticeably increase the bulk even though it's extremely light. It would be good if you had a big cage or rack you were strapping a container too, won't work with traditional bottle cages.Have my first big tours planned here. I am going to do an US east coast classic on the GAP/C&O this year. I am also going to plan a multi-modal train/bike/ferry trip north to family in New England over a couple of days. Really looking forward to it. Burn out by work and need several long disconnects this year.
>>1980993>a decent mtb like 10 years ago for under 100$no
>>1979954I'm from Corsica, too bad I disdn't hear about your trip in time, I could have shown you some truly impressive places
>>1981175Cool! I did the GT20, but starting at Bastia. Out of all of the countries, Corsica was the top of the list. It's a pain in the ass to get to and from the Island, but everything it offers is worth it.
>>1979142>want to do this>remember I'm in murrica>give up
What's a good bike lock to use when going into stores? I'm not talking about deterring dedicated bike thieves for prolonged periods of time, just something that can't be cut in one go with a pair of hand pliers.I'm using a folding lock like this, wondering if there's anything lighter that can be trusted.
>>1981300>wondering if there's anything lighter that can be trusted.Not really. The peace of mind is worth the weight though in my opinion.Pic related, the Kryptonite Evolution Mini 5 is probably the best safety-weight compromise, provided your tires are theft-protected with pitlocks or something. That way a mini u-lock is flexible enough. I'm using an Abus Granit X-Plus Mini right now. It's a bit heavier than the Kryptonite at 1200g but beefier and has the better keys and cylinder. The Kryptonite seems to have a lot of quality control issues with the keys.
I have a granit x plus too. 1,5 kg and peace of mind. at least I am going to find my frame.>>1981300your question is giving me a headache. A)you know an opportunist nigger with hand pliers is going to "steal" your bags anyway? this really is the last thing you should think about when touring. b) you can't have something lighter and still trustworthy. you either get something trustworthy and peace of mind or something light
>>1981352>A)you know an opportunist nigger with hand pliers is going to "steal" your bags anyway?Highly unlikely. The fuck is he gonna do with my clothes, tools and sleeping bag? Bike touring gear is tough to make money off. The panniers themselves are probably the most resellable items.I've never had anything stolen off of my bicycle in over ten years of bicycle touring except for a bag of chips in Tunisia. There has been at least one attempt to steal my bicycle though.
>>1981300I had a massive ABUS Granit on my tourer, it's like 1.5 kg, or more. With that I had a steel cable that I could immobilise my bike with. In reality I needed it like 20% of the time. I always locked up my bike at night, if my bike was rolled off then I was completely screwed. But there were times I had to lock my bike up in a town for short periods of time, the key is to attach it to something, otherwise someone could just pick it up. Also having a pannier stolen would suck dick. Check your surroundings and if it feels bad, leave.
>>1981358>hmmm... akchually it's highly unlikely...it was an hypothethical proposition. if you assume than in an imagined situation an opportunistic thief will try to snatch your bike, you have to assume he will try to snatch your stuff. that's just logic.
>>1981370>if you assume than in an imagined situation an opportunistic thief will try to snatch your bikeNah, because the stuff inside the panniers is largely worthless to a thief, opposed to the bike itself.
>>1981375these discussions on hypothetical thefts are always stupid and the stupidest take is the one you have, to assume you know perfectly all the variables. everyone copes as he wish with the unknown but your cope of a thief as a rational economic agent is the most plebeian.I repeat, in an hypothetical situation in which an hypothetical opportunistic thief will try to steal everything that isn't locked with kryptonite, he will start from your bag. that's just logic. Just because your experience (and mine too) says that no one touches your stuff it doesn't mean that it is "highly unlikely" in every corner of the world in every moment.
>>1981370>>1981381It's A hypothetical you ESL pseud.
>>1981384it'a transportation board you monolingual nerd, not your discord server. do you have anything interesting to say on bikes? get back on the faggy half of the board or wherever you come from
>>1981386Your input is worthless, feel free to fuck off wherever YOU came from.
>>1981391>Your input is worthless... because I said so!Why are you so butthurt, what's going on mate? What did I say that made you so mad my friend?
>>1981300install a guard dog on your bike
>>1981428Your input is worthless because the only thing backing it up is "because I said so", and you trying to speak from the position of authority as if your opinions are more worthwhile than the other guy's is hilarious. Enroll into some self awareness class, clown.
>>1981558>>1981428>>1981391>>1981386>>1981384>>1981381>>1981370>>1981375Will you fags chill out? This is a cycling thread. Good vibes only.
>>1981571He started it!
>>1979431where is pic rel from? looks super cozy
Newbie here. What's the difference between touring and bikepacking anyway?I'm planning to travel between islands in my country for around 1400km (including ferry travel). Is there a route planner app to set checkpoints/stops, etc?
>>1982445>Newbie here. What's the difference between touring and bikepacking anyway?Nothing. The cycling industry just likes to pretend it's invented stuff again so that consumers can feel like pioneers. There's kind of a distinction with the gear. A traditional touring setup uses racks, panniers and 30-40mm tires. Typically a bikepacking setup uses bags that strap directly on the bike, and 50-60mm tires. Bikepacking gear is lighter, more aerodynamic, more secure, and the bike should be more capable offroad. On the other hand you have way less gear capacity and packing it is more annoying. So bikepacking is more suited to doing serious efforts and going fast, and touring is more suited to long term travel. There are a number more things you might roughly throw into either category but in reality the crossover is enormous and most people's setups and days riding crossover between the two.
>>1982445>What's the difference between touring and bikepacking anyway?Nothing that a google won't fix, but I'm procrastinating and I can answer with own opinion: >TouringMain difference I see is that tourers have multiple panniers front and back, filled with everything they need for a multi-month journey. Touring bikes look pretty dorky, but they are the classic way of exploring a country mainly using roads. Touring bikes are traditionally steel-frame, with multiple gearing configurations. Huge variety of bikes to choose from these days, but classic luggage setup: 20L x2 panniers on back, 7.5L x2 front, handlebar bag, maybe large dry bag on rack. Doesn't have to be lightweight. >BikepackingRelatively newer style of bike exploration. More angle towards off-trail exploration using gravel-bikes or mountain bikes, even fat-bikes. Much more optimised baggage system, very little if any panniers, but instead frame/saddle/handlebar bags, reducing carrying capacity. Gear is optimised as well, e.g.: lightweight tent, and it's more about endurance than being a tourist. Totally fine, but can be limiting. Which islands can I ask?
>>1982448Thanks. I guess I'll be touring. Idk how many days it'll take and I have no idea if I can do it and not give up.>>1982449Philippines. Going from Southern Island of Mindanao to the islands of Visayas and then ending in the island of Luzon. I'm planning a route to visit friends and family. Tbh I'm scared as hell since the farthest I've gone is 50km. I've been trying to "train" climbing but I haven't tried doing it without carrying any gear except my wallet and a water bottle.
>>1982450That sounds awesome. I'd go for a light set up cos you'll be going in and out of ferrys, up hills so I'd imagine. I dont know what the wild camping situation is like, but if there is cheap accomodation, I'd almost ditch the tent.Use wet lube, that salty air won't do your chain any favours. >tfw eating roast pork daily and cycling
>>1982445bike packing is more analogous to backpacking. the gear is more modern and made to handle offroad.you could bikepack with traditional touring bags but they're not purpose built for it. you could buy bikepacking gear and never leave the road if you prefer those style of bags.both versions you usually camp out but if you're not broke you can skip carrying the camping gear and "credit card tour", stay in hotels every night. that would definitely be a tour, even if you used bikepacking bags for your clothes
How is tubeless for touring? The main points that worry me:If I have a big enough puncture that I need to use a repair kit, can the tire be re-inflated with a hand pump or do I need a compressor?If repair fails, how messy is getting a tube inside a tire with sealant?How hard is it to take off a sealed tire, mine already barely come off.
>>1982491Depends on the length. I'd avoid tubeless for any long tour, the hassle is simply not worth it. Also, you're not gonna carry a box of sealant with you ...
what poorfag rear rack is gud?
This is my ride, I've gone cross country on a trike before but with this trike I've put solid tires on it and I've ordered a set to put on my trailer as well, as fir the trailer it's a gorilla cart tub and frame welded to the chassis of my old trike, im also gonna epoxy up a topper for the trailer and stick a solar panel on it
>>1982677I forgot to mention my trike has a sa 5 speed gear hub and I have a sigma bc 14.0 computer I need to figure out how to install
>>1982491If just using bacon strips, not really a huge deal for a repair. You shouldn't need a compressor to re-inflate the tire. Sealant can be added by removing the valve core and using a syringe or a squeeze bottle with a small tip.Actual problems would be if you have a tire issue that requires removing the tire from the bead, and that usually requires a floor pump at least. And if the tour is very long or damage severe, you should probably bring at least a refill of your sealant as you shouldn't mix types. Granted if you stop a shop you can figure something out.If you are not currently using a tubeless set up, I probably wouldn't bother with doing so unless you expect some kind of area with a significant amount of flat potential that you want to avoid stopping for. Or possibly if you are heavily loaded and are trying to run lower pressure for comfort. Otherwise on pavement or light gravel a couple of tubes and a stack of patches will keep you rolling just fine. Tubeless can work but like all things make sure it actually matches your use case.
>>1982677Are you handicapped? If so, then really cool you're doing it. If not, then why?
>>1982685I ride with my dog and she rides in my trike basket, trike is also very comfortable, I climb mountains with trikes and trailers with 130 pounds of gear the trike is about 55 pounds and the trailer is around 35 so it's the opposite of being disabled as I am more able than most when it comes down to being able, I also weigh 220 pounds and am 6,, I'm moving over 400 pounds by my strength alone across a continent, my last trailer was a burly bee two seat and it had crap wind resistance compared to my new set up, still I was doing 40 miles every day with that trailer
>>1982677Lol that's awesome.. does the feet forward position cause any issues on long rides
>>1979364>I've always tallied up the costs and came to the conclussion that driving would be way cheaper since you get to move faster, you will eat less and lodge less so your costs will be lowerI came to the same conclusion as well. I don't understand bike touring. It's ironically the most expensive way to travel. Isn't the point of riding a bike to save money? People say camp out but that's miserable and illegal in my country anyway. What if I got eaten by a bear?
>>1982691you sound retarded
>>1982674>what poorfag rear rack is gud?what you want is lower arms that are not adjustable, like on the right it's also nice to have dual top rails like on the left, which means you can run panniers lower and not mire the racktop. Also on the left you see a disc rack, which has recessed lower bolts. This is bad unless you need it to get around your discs, because it makes the rack harder the tighten, and if you strip out the bolt heads, harder to remove. You also don't want a rack which is excessively wide for the stance of your bike. Really the poorfag rack is a used one, there are a lot floating round.
>>1982674I bought something named Delta from scamazon and it's held everything I've thrown at it for close to a decade. it doesn't have the lower side rail and I think the lower is adjustable so it's against the good recommendations anon gave you but meh, it werks.
>>1982690Not at all, it's very cozy, thanks for appreciating my unorthodox set up
>>1982491Semi-related: I had a flat fixed in Romania during a bike tour last year. The repair dude recommended he put some sealant inside the inner tube, said I'd never have to worry about flats again. I said okay mate that's bullshit but I believe it so he pumped the sealant into my tubes. After getting back home (Germany) without flats I decided to do some research on sealant + tubes.The general consensus seems to be:>won't do shit against large punctures>not as effective as compared to tubeless>shit's gonna be messy as fuck it you do get a puncture and the sealant fails to seal it>you have to renew the sealant after a couple of months because it will dryOverall negative. I recently put new tires on my bike and decided to replace the sealant-filled tubes as well. The sealant inside the tube was still liquid after six months. On the rear tube I did in fact spot a puncture that the sealant managed to seal completely. It was an impressive sight, and I made me feel kind of dumb for replacing the tubes.It's just an anecdote though. Does anyone else have experience with putting sealants inside tubes?
>>1982746For any long tours, slap on some Marathons Plus and be done with it. I did the 7200km >>1979711without a single fucking puncture. The one mistake I made was switching tires, and it created a lopsided part which was annoying. But Marathon Pluses are the way.
>>1982759No, you rode in weak environments
>>1982759I once managed over 13k on the normal marathons without a flat but got a flat in my marathon plus last trip (glass shard). Your anecdote is useless, and the plus rolls like ass.>>1982786Also this.
Last weekend(was visiting a friend on the coast, wanted to get some training miles in, knew it was gonna be the nicest weather for a while. stayed in motels on nights 1 and 3. 405 mi in 4 days, bretty pleased overall.).>>1982746I did it on my city bike. Seemed like it helped but who knows.
>>1979250Very nice, clean set-up anon. Godspeed, may the wind always be at your back...
>>1979571oh anon, this is what our dreams are made of.
I'm a total novice in bike touring or even cycling, but I do a lot of hiking and backpacking. I live in Germany and bought a 50 euro bike on facebook marketplace the other week, then did a little tinkering with it and last weekend went out on a trip. I only did about 50km total (I did this to celebrate getting over being sick for the last month but I'm still taking it easy), but did it by loading my bike on the train, riding that to the Rhine valley, then biking along the river until I found somewhere to camp. I didn't have a place picked out, but found a beautiful flat spot up on a rocky ridge overlooking the river and a nice town and busy train tracks (it's /n/, the traintism comes naturally). I cooked up some ramen and sausages on my stove and slept on a foam roll-up sleeping pad under an inflatable pad, a 20ºF sleeping bag in a waterproof ultralight bivi sack, and then my hammock rainfly over the top (picrel). It was rainy and cold but I'm nobody's bitch so it was fun. Slept pretty decently with earplugs to keep out the train noises. On the ride back, I had a freaky moment where I guess the lubrication of the rain I was riding through loosened up the allen screws holding my handlebars in place, so they got loose and started shifting around. That was spooky, but I rode 25km holding them in place very carefully. It was awesome anyway.Anyway, here's the discussion topic. I don't have attachments for my bike (europoor), so I just used my 55L backpacking bag. I figured it would be uncomfy but I'd just deal with it, since all bikepacking setups I've seen use saddlebags and whatnotinstead, but it was super comfy! It was a short ride (for someone not recovering from pneumonia), but still, I felt like I could've done far far more without getting uncomfy. I'll admit my backpacking bag is a nice one, it has great back support and I've done week-long backpacking trips on rough terrain with much heavier stuff in it with no discomfort. What do you guys do?
>>1983222People avoid backpacks because of the sweat. If youre fine with that theyre good to go
>>1983224Keeping all of your gear in the backpack might be a bit too much for longer trips tho
>>1983224no they avoid it because its infinitely more uncomfortable than carrying it on the bike. heavy loads on your back really starts to feel after prolonged riding without pause. t. former messenger
>>1983222Isn't it illegal in Germany to wild camp? I would have thought being so close to a town you'd get reported. Or is it one of those "technically illegal but nobody gives a shit" type of things?t. would like to wild camp in Germany at some point
>>1983222No, anything that's 50+km, a backpack will be hell. The sweat, the chaffing, the top-heaviness, it doesn't make any sense. Buy second hand, I fail to believe you can't get some cheap panniers/bags. Even Decathlon sells this stuff relatively cheap. Or ask friends. You don't need front panniers. >>1983230It is, and I dared not to try because Germans are some of the strictest people about adhering to "rules". If I camped illegally in Spain or Italy, no one would give a shit, maybe, at worst, tell me off. In Germany I wouldn't be surprised if some dickhead was on the phone to the police within minutes. Also depends which part, if it's very foresty, sure might be doable, but I'd be worried Police would show up and have a hard on for "setting an example". Germans were some of the least friendly and understanding when it came to familiarising oneself with "the rules".
>>1983230When you don't look like trouble nobody will care. I've done it probably over a hundred times by now. I never had an issue with being sent away. In Spain it was harder to do than in Germany.
>>1983345>>1983367>the duality of manThanks both for the input, looks like its a situational thing I guess
>>1983374eh just be sure to not get noticed and you'll be fine. usually people (including cops) are lenient when it comes to a larping bike hobo. put your shit up when the sun goes down and put it down when it goes up and youll be fine. i've camped on the outskirts of towns/cities loads and have never had trouble anywhere. just dont be retarded and don't expect your campsites to be much more than a place to sleep a lot of the times
>>1983230https://www.youtube.com/@VagrantHolidayIt's worth drawing a distinction between wild camping and stealth camping
>>1983434Yeah, one of those will not result in getting stabbed to death in some shithole, like this guy
>>1980357i feel like virtually only thing keeping me from it is not having a rack and i'm hesitant to buy a $50 rack
>>1983222It is worth the investment of a couple of dry bags and a cheap rack at least. If you can move your shelter and sleep gear at least to a 20L sack on a rear rack and maybe other layers/sleep clothes into a smaller bag on the handlebars. Just move as much of the weight and bulk as possible off the body. It'll lower the center of gravity and get weight off your saddle. That way you can just use a day pack for your camp gear. You aren't loading it down but any rack will really do, voile straps are cheap but you can get bungee cords or repurpose any cargo strap (old bike inner tube over nylon straps will help provide friction), and while I like the nicer sea to summit dry bags any bezos or alibaba special will do, decathalon bags aren't bad at all. Hell you could even just strap a small duffel to the rack instead if you have one. The rack is the only thing I would spend a little more on, future proof it for more bags or panniers.
>>1982746One time I installed a new tire and must have pricked the tube, so I injected like 6-9ml of sealant in it because i cba to take it back off and patch it. After 300 miles it's been fine, I don't notice any penalty other than sometimes a bit of sealant sprays out of the valve when I go to check the pressure. I mean the tube is basically garbage now, probably, but whatever...
I'm planning a 500 mile trip this summer, 9 days including a few days rest. Is there any reason I can't just bring my UL backpacking setup to keep weight and volume down? A lot of backpacking stuff is really bulky and heavy, and I don't feel like buying gear just for it
>>1983826Yeah, as long as it's in some panniers, then you're good to go. I use my UL hiking stuff (tent, quilt, mat, etc...). It's preferred even.
>>1979135I was the same way. Then 2 years ago I just said fuck it, bought a decent 40 year old steel bike off craigslist, put on some shitty amazon racks, packed way too much gear, quit my job, and rode across the USA. It was so worth it. I wasn't fit, I wasn't rich, and I wasn't prepared. I had so much fun and it changed my life.
>>1983826Don't mean to be a dick, but why would you think you couldn't? Like why would your backpacking gear somehow not be allowed for bike touring?That's one of the main reasons I bike tour, because I already backpack a lot
>>1982759>I did the 7200kmI've done +10k without flats on thestandard Schwalbe MarathonSchwalbe Marathon Plus Schwalbe Dureme (no longer produced)Schwalbe Marathon MondialConti Travel Contact (rebranded to just Conti Contact)Conti Top ContactFlats are really not an issue for where most touringfags go. The Marathon Plus is just a very slow tire and you're not really gaining anything by running them.
>>1979571COOL
>>1979204Protips for sleeping>Two pads, one inflatable and one foam. Put the foam on TOP of the inflatable>Get a big and warm bag. The Nemo Disco is a very comfortable bag, but overpriced. You can also be served well with quilts. >On sleeping temperatures, your bags temp rating is the "survival" temperature. A 15 degree bag will only keep you snuggly warm down to 30. At 15 you'll be shivering but not hypothermic.>Stuff a hoodie into you sleeping bag compression sack as a pillow. Or buy a camp pillow. Just do it.
>>1979204>I've always slept awful outside. Any tips welcome regarding thatTry a hammock. Not a decathlon or aliexpress cheap piece of shit, you need it to be of a decent size and material to actually be comfortable. Try to get something at least 330cm in length made out of non-stretchy material (they usually don't tell you that so some trial and error is required, you can feel if the hammock is squeezing your shoulders). DD Hammocks Chillout is a safe bet, even though it's shorter, it's really wide so you can lie more diagonally in it. There is a bit of a learning curve to sleeping in a hammock, but once you dial it in, you will never want to sleep on the ground again.Initially you don't need an underquilt, you can sleep perfectly fine on an underinflated air pad and cover yourself with an unzipped sleeping bag.Another thing is earplugs. You might not be consciously afraid but your brain is keeping busy trying to recognize and catalogue all the little unknown sounds it keeps hearing, preventing you from falling asleep.
>>1980975>you've never used a coin shower before?No, I camped a fair bit and after you paid the camping fee you had free access to the shower facilities. Only got charged extra for electricity.
>>1984157Wait, you've done 10k for each tire, or 10k in total? Maybe you should publish your findings instead of wasting time on a mongolian shadow puppet website.
>>1984381Each tire, yes.
>>1984389So you've cycled at least 60k+ km? Sounds like a great adventure not many will ever come close to achieving, and with that, unlikely that anyone would "review" the number of tires you've rode on. Furthermore, "Flats are really not an issue for where most touringfags go", debatable. I found thorns, steel cable strands (from tires), broken glass and other shit stuck in my tires on my 7k tour, no punctures to my surprise. I'd hazard a guess and say punctures are more likely where people are than in nature. >>1982786 claims that touring was done in "weak environments", whatever that means. It's obvious they haven't a clue what they're on about, and consider anything less than touring in the middle of Kazakhstan is not considered "rEaL tOuRinG". My logic is thus; I wanted to go on a long tour where I didn't want to get a puncture in the middle of nowhere. I needed reputable tires and did my research. The Marathon Plus came up repeatedly, although heavy, they did the job really well. I have no other info to go by besides online testimonials. Were they perfect? Not really, they've distorted when switching back and front. Do they roll slow? Probably, yes? But since when is a personal bike tour a race? I don't give a shit about speed, but I had plenty of it regardless. I'm ready to swap them out for some much lighter gravel tires, maybe experiment with tubeless on short local trips. Btw, interesting sleep setup - what internal gear hub do you have? Which Eastern Euro country is that?
>>1983222>but it was super comfy!I promise you it will not be. You will chafe, ache and sweat while being unbalanced if you pack enough gear. You can get basic panniers cheaply or even make them.There's a good reason why everyone uses panniers.But cheers on your trip and keep it going anon.
>>1984465>So you've cycled at least 60k+ km?In total? Easily. Not on a single trip of course.In total? Easily. Not on a single trip of course.>claims that touring was done in "weak environments", whatever that means. You got trolled bro. He wrote the perfect little comment to belittle your achievement and hurt your ego. Looking at your wall of text, it looks he upset you in just the right way.That being said:>"weak environments", whatever that means. For instance>sticking to designated bike routes like eurovelo>cycling in first-world countries with good roads and infrastructure>cycling during summer>not going off-road >Which Eastern Euro country is that?Ukraine.>Btw, interesting sleep setupIt's two sleeping pads and a sleeping bag. That's it. Nothing interesting. No tent. Lost/Forgot my fat winter evazote mat somewhere so I had to get two thin ones in the nearest outdoor Store in Lviv. Temps still dropping well below freezing here in March.>what internal gear hub do you have? Rohloff.
>>1984613Are you cycling in an active war zone? Whatever for?
>>1984623I'm collecting first-level administrative subdivisions, so I need to get to all Ukrainian oblasts. I'm trying to unlock all of Europe by bicycle for my map.See here for the map thread on /trv/:>>>/trv/2600235And here's my map:>>>/trv/2600491Ukraine not updated yet.
>>1984669Holy autism! I kneel Tire-Sama... This just raises more questions. How do you have time for this? How do you support yourself? Why?
Kolomak, Kharkiv Oblast. Not making it to Kharkiv city unfortunately.My bike trip to Russia five(!) years ago is causing a lot of issues. Russian visa in your passport? Massive red flag. Detained for several hours in a local police station yesterday. Military personnel and the police are super paranoid. It is a frontline region after all, tense atmosphere, countless army checkpoints on the roads, massive police presence. Nobody at the station could really believe I was just fucking around on a bicycle for fun. "I want to see Ukraine" wasn't good enough a reason for my "purpose of visit". They seriously considered the possibility I was a spy or saboteur of sorts. One of the policemen asked if I was seeing a psychiatrist after realizing I probably really am just a retard from Germany. Also said he'd send me to Kupyansk after a night in a "besplatny (free) hostel" (prison) lol. Another one asked somewhat seriously if I wanted to fight for Ukraine. He seemed somewhat impressed.They went through my phone, panniers, interrogated me, took a mugshot of me and the bike, consulted their superiors on the phone. They even took photos of the photos I took on my phone and sent them to the higher-ups to check if my photos constituted sensible material. The soldier who flagged me down initially said bus stops are "strategically relevant objects". I took photos of some of them. I'm pretty sure he wasn't joking. In fact, I was told taking photos of anything at all in Ukrainian regions bordering is strictly prohibited.Eventually they let me go, but they said if military personnel or the police in a different municipality of the Oblast check my passport I'd have to expect similar treatment again. So I noped the fuck out. I'm in Poltava now. The region doesn't border Russia so things should be somewhat more relaxed here.>>1984692I'm a German NEET on autismbux.
>>1985229Very unpleasant experience overall but still better than my first run-in with the military/police.A few days ago a patrol unit spotted me sleeping in a corn field at night (violating the curfew), using a drone, on the border between Sumy and Chernihiv Oblasts. I woke up to four dudes aiming rifles at me at half past 1am. Some absolutely surreal shit, probably for me as much as for them. They let me go after two hours of interrogation. I was allowed get into their vehicle once they realized I was no threat, but for 15 minutes or so they made me stand there in the dark with my hands exposed in -7 degrees. I didn't get back to sleep that night.So yeah, don't sleep in open fields in a war zone I suppose. The steppes don't really offer a lot of stealth options though. Quite tricky finding a good spot.
>>1985229>>1985231Top kek. I'm laughing right now. Just casually cycling through a war zone.They're going to remember you for the rest of their lives.
>>1985231madman, i love it
>>1985229>>1985231Autist-sama... I don't know what to say... Are you at the end of your tether? Nothing to live for? One thing is having guns pointed at you, another is catching a shell/mine/stray bullet. The Ukrainians think you're a brave retard, and maybe a welcome amusing/bizarre sight for them. No doubt they will tell their mates who will have a good laugh. The Russians... I don't even wanna think about it... What the fuck are you doing lmao... What makes me laugh so much is that instead of doing the rest of your map, you chose to do Ukraine during a fucking full scale war. There has to be a film in the making, or some kind of book you're writing. There has to be a catch. I concede that using Marathon Pluses are stupid, but this has to take the cake. Come to Västra Götland, I'll buy you a beer.
>>1985231shine on you crazy diamond
>>1985231lol, you absolute maniac.
>>1985231you seem mighty retarded
Jesus you went from tunisian graveyards to sleeping without a tent in Ukrainian winter during wartime. What's next sleeping on the beach at mont Saint michel.Wtf Is this sleeping setup. Those two giant form mats... I can't even... How can you sleep in subfreezing temperature on a diet of paprika chips. What if it rains. Your autism is wasted on bike touring they should harness your schizo energy for the greater good of the vaterland.And what irks me the most is that You're probably one of those guys that uses google maps to plot a route.
>>1985386yet still he rides on. seethe more
>>1985231jesus fucking christ lmao
>>1985231>>1985229I'll spend the rest of my days recounting your saga.I kneel.
>>1983916How much did you spend?
Next trip, Leaving next monday
>>1985816How long are you going for?I was looking at Frankfurt to Amsterdam, half of me wants to smash it out in 4 days or so but the other half knows it might be better space it out so I can actually enjoy the places I'm visiting.
>>1985947Paris -> Amsterdam is 500 km so approximately the same distance you'll be doing, and I have to do it in 5 days. I'll be alone and with a light equipment.
>>1985948Nice trip, just a piece of advice: - If you use Warm Showers in Netherlands, it's very easy and you'll be surprised how open people. - Check out the Windmill in Nijmegen- Shame you're not going to Aachen, it's quite nice in the city centre. - Koln is very crowded. - Under NO circumstances accept a WS invite by Paul Kotte in Koblenz. He will not offer you accommodation, but insist on washing your clothes "while you visit the city". He is extremely weird and likely some kind of fetishist. - Try the Spaghetti Eise in Mannheim- Camping is pricey, try wild camping without getting caught.Have a nice trip :)
>>1985964thx for the advices.Tbh, the path is just the basic routing told by brouter, this second part of my trip I'll have more time to chill and wander around, so maybe I'll try to pass by Aachen, it seems nice.> try wild camping without getting caughtI'll be on a hammock. Is it the same law as for the tents ?
>>1985231Please post an update
>>1985816fucking atrocious. what's the idea behind this? >Never mind the ardenne and wallonian bicycle paradise, the history of lorraine or the quiet of luxembourg and eifel region let's just make:a tour of deindustrialized chti country+quick trip trough the most congestioned area in europe+i guess holland it is what it is+just passing trough the lower rhein during lent+I guess the upper rhein it's ok. if you worry about the hordes of antwerp orthodox jews on vacation, they usually come in summer.>>1985975he got bombed by a shahed is given at 1.05
>>1985978are you having a stroke?
>>1985978>fucking atrocious. what's the idea behind thisI have 5 days to reach Amsterdam to meet up with people there. So I'm taking the fastest route. After that, I'm free from my schedule and have 10 days to explore. I was thinking of traveling along the Rhine to Strasbourg during this time.
>>1985982yeah that's fair then. bonne route
Not sure if I should go to /out/ for this, but do you have any recommendations for bikepacking shoes? I'm looking for mid-high shoes with flexible ankle and a waterproof membrane. Using flats so no need for cycling specific shoes. Usage conditions are from early spring through summer to frosty late autumn. Buying in EU area and price range around 80-180€.I was pretty much set to get Five Ten Trailcross Gore-Tex shoes, but I learned that the membrane does not go up to the high ankle part of the shoe. Today I was looking for alternatives and bumbed into Haglöfs Duality At1 GTX which look decent, but they are a bit on the pricier side and availability seems poor.In my experience the difference between a shoe full of water and dry feet is just a little bit of extra ankle height (happens for example when pushing the bike in a swamp, did that quite a bit last year). The higher ankle also helps with water not getting in the shoes from pant legs when it's raining. Downside is that most mid-height shoes are for hiking and therefore have stiff ankle area for support which is not ideal for cycling. I guess alternative would be to use waterproof socks when needed with a low-ankle shoes, but that seems a bit inconvenient and the shoes would remain wet and cold during wet weather (from rain and even brush/grass wet from dew). Though Gore-Tex shoes are also almost impossible to dry out in field conditions once they get wet, that's their downside along with the membrane eventually breaking.
>>1986003Maybe adidas terrex based on what you are loking for, or look among the "trail" or "trail running" shoes for both impermeability, stiff sole and flexibility.Anyway, I'm Not sure why you want to go for total impermeability. If it pours just stop, or use gaiters if you plan on riding in a place with constant, shoe drenching rain. Or pack those rain trousers with included gaiters for perfect protection. Or go with open shoes if you plan on riding in pouring rain in warm climates.I personally go with open shoes may trough October, and full grain leather shoes with thick socks for the coldest months. I like leather for durability and simplicity, and I don't care about fancy proprietary membranes, I can just grease my shoes for medium water resistance. If it pours I just stop. The only time I can remember I got drenched was for something stupid like miscalculating the water height fording a river. I have used really stiff mid ankle shoes, and I can recommend em, no problem at all for some offroad bikepacking, but if you plan on high rpms on road then definitely low ankle. . Another pro of stiff hiking shoes is the thick, stiff sole not at all dissimilar from a bike shoe if you think about it. Nowadays I use some low ankle columbia leather shoes because I like their kinda wide foot design.
>>1985975I'm fine. Thanks for the encouragement everyone.Rough weather overall so far; headwind all the way to Kharkiv oblast, and now it's rainy season. Some of the worst weather I've had on a bike trip. It is March after all.A couple of days ago some military dudes driving an inconspicuous-looking van flagged me down in the village of Mohyliv in Dnipropetrovsk oblast. They immediately demanded my documents, no explanation given, but they quickly lost interest when I unzipped my German passport. I'm pretty sure those guys were recruiters looking for young men evading the draft. No further hick-ups with the army or police since.I'm in Kryvyi Rih now, a heavily polluted industrial city in the heart of Ukraine. About 60km from the Dnipro, where Russian and Ukrainian troops can wave at each other on opposite shores of the river. Chilling here for two nights. Lots of rain tomorrow. The weather should massively improve on Thursday though. Looking forward to some early spring days, but the horrible roads will remain.Kryvyi Rih is the home town of Zelenskyi. As such, it's a popular target for Putin to vent his anger. Got hit by a rocket only six days ago.>>1985242You're way overestimating the risks of travel to Ukraine. It's not like I'm crusing along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line. But yeah>The Russians... I don't even wanna think about it...That was my first thought as well when they showed up at night. >if these guys are Russians larping as Ukrainian military they'll shoot me on the spotI dissociated hard in that situation.The soldier who called the police kept saying "mototsykl" (motorcycle) on the phone. They were quite baffled once they realized it was a bicycle.
>>1986017Some Kryvyi Rih commieblock kino.
>>1986015(1/2)I'll look up the Terrex, thanks.>I'm Not sure why you want to go for total impermeability. If it pours just stop, or use gaiters if you plan on riding in a place with constant, shoe drenching rain.It's not a must to have a membrane I suppose, but it does give peace of mind and I don't really like having my feet wet. Last year I actually had gaiters with my low ankle shoes, but I mostly used them when doing hike a bike in a swampy area in the middle of nowhere. The gaiters are military surplus and a bit too much for most situations. I have considered getting lighter and more compact ones though, I think I was eyeing Black Diamond Cirque gaiters before. Stopping is also a possibility I guess, but in my case that would usually mean sitting under a tree while getting swarmed by mosquitoes.>I personally go with open shoes may trough October, and full grain leather shoes with thick socks for the coldest months.I did ride with my knockoff Crocks that I use in camp on few warmer days when my shoes were wet, but my trips are usually north of the Arctic Circle so summer lasts from about mid June to mid August. Leather shoes would be all good I think, it's just that full leather shoes don't seem to be very common in the outdoors category, they often have a membrane anyway and they tend to be more expensive. Maybe I should be looking for them elsewhere. I'm just a bit suspicious about using casual/city shoes for outdoors activities.
>>1986015(2/2)>I have used really stiff mid ankle shoes, and I can recommend em, no problem at all for some offroad bikepacking, but if you plan on high rpms on road then definitely low ankleMy plan for this year is to travel by bike for several months so I think majority of the riding will be on gravel and sealed roads with occasional trails in parks and wilderness areas. I tend to have relatively high cadence too. In the winter I have been riding with high ankle boots laced up loosely. They keep my feet warm in the cold and snow, but I don't think such shoes are good for a lot of riding.I really don't like searching for gear, especially clothing, but I also don't want to make bad gear choices. There are too many options and things to consider. I wish I could find what I need in 5 minutes and spend the rest of the time doing the actual activities. Thanks for the reply though, maybe I'll be able to decide what kind of system and shoes will work for me.
>>1986017>That was my first thought as well when they showed up at night. And? Leaving us on these cliff hangers makes me think you're embellishing your story. I know you don't wanna dox yourself, but what other proof do you have? Also, most people who travel through a war torn country try to get something out of it, a book, film or some charity fundraiser. You're doing it to cross off provinces on your 4chan map lmao. Not sure that is worth dying over.
>>1986104>Also, most people who travel through a war torn country try to get something out of it, a book, film or some charity fundraiser.Those aren't reasons or rewards for doing something, just a pretext. But you can and should just do things.
>>1986104>And? Leaving us on these cliff hangers makes me think you're embellishing your story. I already told everything there is to the story in a previous post. Get in my sleeping bag at around 9pm in a cozy cornfield, car arrives at half past 1am, military dudes get out pointing rifles at me, one of them calls the police which arrive shortly after, passport check (Russian visa, not good), I can get in their car to warm up, interrogation (what are you doing here, why were you in Russia five years ago, are you retarded, what do you do for a living etc.), pannier search, thorough phone and photos check for any possible connection to Russia, photos taken of me and the bicycle. They let me off the hook at around half past 3am, telling me that I can't just sleep in an open field because of the curfew at night and that I'd be an easy target for shaheds.>Also, most people who travel through a war torn country try to get something out of it, a book, film or some charity fundraiser. There's nothing I'm doing here that is worth exploiting for social media fame. It would probably work, but it would also be endlessly cringe. Anyone could do it really. The reality is I'm mostly just cycling on mostly shitty roads in mostly gray environments. The war is very, very present everywhere but it's not like I'm constantly shahed-dodging or riding through minefields.Again, there are real risks involved in traveling here, particularly on a bicycle, but they are relatively insignificant in the grand schemes of things. You might as well die in a traffic accident or hit a pothole so deep it leads straight to hell on these roads. Getting hit by a stray missile or being found by Russian saboteurs in border regions at night are just additional small risks on top of the inherent risks associated with bike touring.I will admit I underestimated the Ukrainian military and police presence in the border areas though.
>>1986104>I know you don't wanna dox yourself, but what other proof do you have? For the trip itself the pics I took should suffice. I'm also recording the entire GPS track of course. If you're talking about the police/military encounters and wanna get autistic about them: for the corn field incident, I started track recording at half past 3 am again. Got nothing better than that, obviously didn't ask the military dudes for pictures.For my arrest in Kharkiv oblast, the GPS track shows that I was inside the local police station building in Krasnokutsk for hours. I also recorded car tier speeds on the way from Kolontaiv, the first village I reached in the oblast, to Krasnokutsk. They put my bike in the army dude's car and escorted me to the police station in Krasnokutsk.I'm gonna upload the entire track on a map once I get back home.>>1985242>Come to Västra Götland, I'll buy you a beer.Västra Götland is still on my to-do list. I might just take you up on that offer.At some point I also want to meet the Norwegian anon who keeps the /trv/ subdivision map updated.>You're doing it to cross off provinces on your 4chan map lmao. Yes.
>>1986122Can you just write a book anyway please? Some of us are stuck in city corporate jobs feeding a wife and kids and barely get a chance to cycle around the block every other day. I'd buy a copy just for the fucking escapism.Stay safe and keep posting please.
>>1986122>local police station building in Krasnokutsk to save others the trouble, I mapped this roughly on the ISW's 3D battlefield topography map, it's within an easy stroll of the russian border though the frontlines with the heavy fighting are some distance to the east. I can see why the locals would be paranoid about some random guy sleeping in a field
>>1986125 #Thank you for the kind words. But again, the actual experience of bike touring in war-torn Ukraine still consists of 80% cycling (on a lot of poor roads). I really don't know how I'd dish out enough content for an entire book. Most importantly, I'm also an incredibly lazy faggot. Blogposts in this thread and in the extraflags general on /int/ are probably all you're going to get. Blogposting always feels like I'm attentionwhoring so I usually don't do it. But apparently people are legitimately interested.>>1986132 #Hmm. It does look kinda crazy putting it on a map like that. Happy I got into the Oblast at all.Pic related, O-1710364 road between Kolontaiv in Kharkiv Oblast and the last intersection in Poltava Oblast. Incredibly remote but you have the "road" all for yourself.
>>1986167Ruined commieblocks in Borodyanka, a small town near Kyiv which got bombed to shreds during the early days of the war.
>>1986170To shreds you say?
nice updates kraut, you actually sound really smart, the deutsche rentenversicherung has been notified and will shortly look on your case, just show them the pictures of you sleeping in a ditch and you'll be fine. keep us posted, appreciated.>>1986170actual homes of actual people, sad
>>1986167>I really don't know how I'd dish out enough content for an entire book.Don't worry, a ghost writer will do it for you. Just keep the writing and details somewhere. I know you say you're lazy but there is a 10mil book deal waiting for you if you looked for it. Think of the other adventures you could have on the royalties.
>>1986116>There's nothing I'm doing here that is worth exploiting for social media fame. So? I'm the 7200km, across Europe dude. I kept a journal and I updated it daily. It was the highlight of the day as I recount insane convos, cool happenings and creepy occurrences. I'm building a blog/website detailing these memories, because they'll be lost to time otherwise, I know it's gay but you will sorely regret not recording anything.
>>1986203>you will sorely regret not recording anything.I ain't got no time for that. I'm cycling!Maybe it's different if it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience but I got into bike touring over ten years ago, and actively started collecting subdivisions a few years later. It's a hobby. Some of my trips might qualify as "adventures". My ride to Naryan-Mar in 2019 was pretty dope. But for trips outside your comfort zone, the hardest part is mustering up the courage and just doing it, at least for me. Once you're a few days in you realize hey this really isn't all that hardcore. You get used to shit quickly.So, touring is nothing all that special anymore for me, let alone worth writing a diary for. Still tons of fun though! I've got a lot of subdivisions left to collect. And I'm looking forward to every single one of them.
I keep clicking videos from this channel because the titles look relevant to my interests then fail to learn absolutely anything useful.
>>1986220ok
>>1986209i like that you're not overly romanticizing it, anon, but you're still excited and enjoying it.
>>1979204never did such a trip but i would get few meters of barbed wire and place the tent between three trees and surround it with the wire
>>1986381lol what
Hey guys. Ukraine trip anon here. Didn't mean to post an update this soon but playtime is over. Air alert in my area, shaheds moving towards my location. Used to that shit by now, nothing ever happens anyway. Until it does.I'm "sleeping" under a bus stop right now, in Mykolaiv Oblast. The Russians have been sending waves of shaheds to my area for the past half an hour or so. It's a very characteristic sound, like a lawn-mower or something. Anyway, the Ukrainians are currently trying to shoot them down, uncomfortably close to where I am. I recorded a small video of what's currently going on here but it's more of a sound recording. Middle of the night, dark as all fuck of course.https://files.catbox.moe/z9tqq1.mp4And yes, I'm somewhat scared. The bus stop should at least protect me from falling drone debris though.
>>1986400godspeed, anon
>>1986400you crazy as hell
>>1986400This is the greatest story that will never get toldo7
>A new group of UAV in the south of Dnipropetrovsk region heading for the Mykolaiv region.Not going to get a lot of sleep tonight.
>>1986400u7 legendary, safe travels
>>1986167I've watched enough gopro footage of ukraine to know bad things happen on roads that look like that>>1986400What are the mechanical squeaking noises at the end?
>>1986400are any relatives, friends or anyone aware of your trip ? where you're at ?
>>1986400Forget the shaed helmut, i'm more scared of that setup. sleeping on concrete, on that thin ass mat, sipping extra-eu coke, with just a whishywashy bag and NO PILLOW. is this some kind of buddhist exercise?
>>1986406>>1986400>>1986209Tell me this, don't you think it's a bit insulting and disrespectful to all the soldiers and civilians dying in the war, while you piss around on your autistic adventure, for whatever god knows reason?
>>1986385i am afraid to sleep outside in only one layer of plastic leafplace tent between 3 trees, make a small wall with the wire and some wood3kg of wire is not hard to carry
>>1986472How dare you? He's down there supporting ukraine's war effort with his frequent purchase of coke and paprika chips while you're here shitposting
>>1986485yeah, so easy to carry barbed wire while bike touring. do you ever go outside?
>>1986558I used to tour around a bit, but ended up moving to a city and living a majority-urbex life. Abandoned places, trespassing. That style.Part of that entails clearing out homeless camps. I'll not go into the sordid details.But they'll do is shoplift a smaller spool of 12awg thhn from Home Depot, and use that to string up their tarps, makeshift walls, etc.The first time I encountered it I had a knife, but no cutters. Wire like that is a fucking resilient way to build up a camp. Something like paracord is gone in a minute, even with just a lighter. But the copper wire is still there, even when everything else is burned away.
>>1986568ok
>>1986568I would like to personally thank you for this >>1986568 gem
nope sorry I meant to thank the guy that asked you questions, don't want anything to do with you barbed wire dude
>>1986199i think most people will actually find this very offensive and disrespectful. people are abandoning everything and fleeing for their lives and this anon decides to go to the very center just to make a map image more green
Hey guys. Ukraine trip anon here. Turns out my shahed experience a few days ago was part of the largest Russian aerial attack in months. 60 drones and 90 missiles launched, targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Last night there were lots of aerial strikes all across the country as well but I wasn't in the middle of the action this time.I'm in Shpola right now. The geographical center of Ukraine is located here, along with a very nice monument. Wings in a circle which represent every oblast of Ukraine plus the autonomous republic of Crimea and the city Sevastopol. There's a heartbeat sound emitting from the middle of the monument. It's very tastefully done, even a little emotional if you know and care the slightest bit about the country.And with that I've been to every Oblast I could reasonably get during the war. Only missing Crimea, Sevastopol and the Oblasts of Zaporizhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk. The war will end eventually, and I will return to catch them all.>>1986415>mechanical squeaking noises.Panicking birds.>>1986423My parents know I'm touring Ukraine. I told them I'll stick to the "safe areas".I don't have any real life friends.>>1986429It's actually two thin-ass mats. Concrete is best. It's been raining a lot. I'm not gonna be sleeping on wet grass or in the mud. The sleeping bag is king, a monster for winter temps. Has kept me warm down to -12°C degrees.
>>1986965Where you going next? > I'm not gonna be sleeping on wet grass or in the mud.Do you have a tent? What do you do if it rains and you can't find cover?
There's really no limit to how bad Ukrainian roads can get. Some of these are starting to become impassable. It is rasputitsa season after all.>>1986429>don't you think it's a bit insulting and disrespectful No. Not at all. >>1986767>i think most people will actually find this very offensive and disrespectful.So far it's only you who is offended.You'd be surprised but real life isn't reddit where everyone is offended by everything because... You can't just DO things for REASONS okay...? I think you should probably let the Ukrainians decide. Most people I interact with are interested in what I'm doing. Many are impressed, others don't ask/don't care. People have taken pictures of me and the bicycle. The variety of reactions really isn't that much different than in other countries where bike touring is highly unusual. I do get asked a lot of I'm not scared because of the war. The vast majority of Ukrainians continue to live in the country. If they can manage living here, I can manage to fuck around on a bike here for a month.And make no mistake. I do love my heckin subdivisions but I have a ton of respect for Ukraine and its people.>>1986496There's one or two layers of irony buried in this shitpost somewhere but he's right. Westerners are sitting on their fat asses in front of their TV inside their warm homes bitching that butter got 30 cents more expensive over the past two years while Ukrainians are fighting in trenches and Russia is bombing their country. I'm usually VERY stingy when it comes to bike touring (can't really afford to eat out in Switzerland on the buxx) but not here in Ukraine. The country is dirt-cheap, and the people deserve and need my money way more than I do.In fact I think more people should visit Ukraine. Get a tiny glimpse of what it's like for people living in a state war. Support the economy, show the people we still care, are not scared and haven't forgotten about the nation's struggle.
>>1986971 #>Where you going next? West. Home. Not sure about the route. I'm free to go wherever I want now that I've gotten all my subdivisions. I'd like to cross the Carpathians before leaving the country. I've crossed them a number of times, but not in the Ukrainian part of the mountain range.>Do you have a tent?Nah. Too lazy. If it rains, bus-stops are always emergency options if there's no accomodation or shelter of sorts in sight. In Western and Central Europe you can easily find a church or cemetery with buildings that have roofs where you can spend the night. Or shelters for hiking or in picnic areas or even playgrounds. Or observation/bird-watching towers. Lots of options.In Ukraine finding a good place for rainy nights is a lot more difficult. Church density is very rare deep inside the country and the cemeteries suck ass here. Very simple and unkempt, often overgrown with grass.Accomodation prices in Ukraine are between ten to twenty Euros though. Hostels can be even cheaper. I'd say just give them your money.
>>1986977So your sleep system are these two mats and a sleeping bag?I'm really interested as I'm planning to cross europe from germany to the westernmost point in portugal, currently prepping gear and everthing. I'm bringing a tent though, I don't feel like sleeping in city areas, always makes me anxious that some dumb teens will find me or something
>>1986980>So your sleep system are these two mats and a sleeping bag?Yep that's it. Usually only one mat though. I lost my winter map somewhere on my first day on Ukraine because I'm retarded. I had to make a detour to Lviv and bought two thin ones there.>city areasI don't sleep in urban areas either. A church and a cemetery that is on the edge of a village or even a kilometer or so outside of it - France has a bunch of those - are best. You can also try warmshowers if you're a social butterfly. It's not for me.
>>1986980Book a fucking hostel you poorfag
>>1986558you don't need 10 kg of wirejust 3 layers on top of each other, at 5 meters distance in a triangle, would be 45metersmost of them are double wires, but you can try to diy one from a quality slim wire.
>>1986980A tarp can be a solution.
>>1986993out of everyone i've ever known who bike tours and sleeps in a tent or backpacks with a tent, not a single one of them has felt like they needed more than the tent itself, let alone built a fucking wall with wire. touch grass.
>>1986993You could probably get by with dyneema rope, I doubt any animal would try to chew through it.
>>1987052you can't hear stories from dead people eaten by bears
Would it be relatively safe to ride highway 101/1 all the way from oregon to San Diego? I want to ride to Mexico this summer but I'm not sure about the road conditions in California or what the best route would be.
>>1987283man, that would be a gorgeous ride. i've never ridden of driven over there, but i know the highway varies a lot. some portions have a 35mph speed limit and have a larger shoulder to ride on and some portions are much sketchier. if you're comfortable riding like that on a mostly two lane highway, i'd say go for it. you wouldn't regret it, life's too short.
>>1987283https://cycling.waymarkedtrails.org/#route?id=53722
>>1987293Thanks, this looks much better than 100% 101. I've driven parts, mostly is just a giant freeway once you get into Cali. >>1987288Yeah, I've been wanting to do something like this for years. This summer I have no responsibilities and don't see myself being in the same position for a long time. Just gonna say fuck it and go as soon as my spring classes are done, even if I'm not 100% prepared. In the meantime I'm going to make sure my bike is 100% good and get gear together.
>>1987314Nice. Do it. Consider checking out the Adventure Cycling Association's route as well for ideas.
Once I get to San Diego I want to cross over into Baja Mexico, ride all the way down, and then ferry into the mainland. Then I'm gonna hang out for a bit and fly home. Everyone says that I'm gonna be killed by the cartel, but it seems like hysteria. Has anyone here done that? Any tips as far as route, safety, etc? Also, just in general, how do you prevent your bike from being stolen while camping? Is that even a concern?
>>1987839that would be sick. the baja divide is a well known route and fairly safe.https://bikepacking.com/routes/baja-divide/
What is the best software to plan a route with?both these seem ok:https://cycle.travel/https://brouter.de/brouter-webis there better software?
>>1979439Do the Balkan section next.
>>1986974>So far it's only you who is offended.i'm not i just think you're an idiot. it's kinda like but not as bad as when people went on luxury cruises during the refugee crisis on the mediterranean. even if you think they can fuck off you must understand why people would find it disrespectful?
>>1988044>when people went on luxury cruises during the refugee crisis on the mediterraneanSounds based. Next attraction could be harpooning Somalians.
i think i'm gonna ride the great divide. anyone here ever done it?
>>1987996Komoot. Really well done browser and phone app. Just buy the world map when on sale, it's worth it.
>>1988044>you must understand why people would find it disrespectful?Who are those people?
>>1988114lmao Not him but the fact the anon keeps getting detained for hours and is heavily under suspicion means that he's causing stress and wasting time for men in the Ukrainian police/army. Which is unhelpful. So you might say going to Ukraine to be unhelpful is disrespectful. On the other hand he's not pretending to be helpful.
>>1979094Why do people obsess over lightweight bikes for touring? Once you're loaded down a few pounds here and there don't matter. Look at people who went touring back in the 50s, 60s and 70s with heavy steel frames and 5 or 10 speeds.
>>1988127>a few pounds here and there don't matterShaving real weight is about adding up minimal gains across your entire setup. As soon as you get to a hill on a loaded bike you're strategizing about how to make it lighter because climbing is so difficult. There's also a hard line where you want to be able to lift your bike over a fence without removing the bags. >Look at people who went touring back in the 50s, 60s and 70s with heavy steel frames and 5 or 10 speeds.yeah or look at the people who drilled holes in their components, rode 23mm tubs in the mountains, didn't carry water bottles, and declined racks/panniers for lighter bags just as bikepackers do now. cutting your toothbrush in half isn't a new idea. Also lighter bicycles and lighter bicycle components are generally higher quality and have other superior qualities also. Obviously some stuff is worth the weight like wider gearing or high spoke count wheels.
>>1982677Got matching tires on the trailer and a spare tire mounted and trailer topper
>>1988317Got a solar generator with a 60w panel and 256 wh battery, just need to install lighting and sound system
>>1988319The trailer retains its dumping feature so I can angle my solar panel at the sun
>>1988322My panel is velcroed on so I can simply peal it off or stick it on when I want
>>1988127this bike went around the world
>>1988322With rider wight and loaded trailer and trike weight I'm moving around 370 or more pounds cross country and over mountains
>>1988327why
>>1988336
>>1988339Admit you're just a hobo riding away from the cold. What's your daily mileage on this thing, 10, 20?
>>1988117>causing stress and wasting time for men in the Ukrainian police/armySeems pretty based to me.
>>1988433I'm employed, I get 40 miles a day, been riding for a year and a half on tricycle, need to work till end of summer because I spent everything building the trike this winter then I'm gonna hit the road,
>>1988589where to?
>>1988591The heart of the rockies and over to the Rio headwaters then follow the rio/border to space x and dip my toes in the gulf
>>1988592nice
Finally did my first 100km. It was fun with a group. I decided to go back home solo. The climbs were brutal and I had to stop quite a few times to rest and drink water.Traveling early in the morning is scary without a decent headlight but calming at the same time with little to no vehicles. Sunrise was nice to see. Didn't carry anything besides water bottle and tools. Got a flat once because of a fucking stapler. I'm a bit more confident but even more scared of going further.t. >>1982445
So I want to build a cheap lightweight touring bike for riding in Europe and commuting in the city. Steel frames and heavy front forks I'm not considering. Aliexpress carbon frames can't accommodate cargo racks (or whatever they called) and the fenders, so they won't work. What's my solution? I'm ready to buy used frames or aliexpress parts, I don't care about a brandname. For the gearing im getting a shimano nexus gear hub or similar.
>>1988693If you want to build your bike you should know exactly what you want and how to do it and where to find it. I'm not trying to sound like a douche, but you sound like you don't even know where to start.Leave it.
>>1988693why no steel? loads of good steel frames with sliding or swinging dropouts so you can tension the chain with your IGH, mounting points for accessories and racks, comfy ride.
>>1988853Because the frame itself is at least 2kg heavier than carbon which I'm supposed to drag around the city commuting to my job when I'm not touring (probably 98% of the time). I'd like to get aluminum with all the features or cheap aliexpress carbon but I can't find one with cargo rack connection.
>>1988884If you're worried about weight then running a rack / pannier is a similiar 1-2 kg weight penalty over strap on bags and if it's a full setup then it's more. You're gonna add up small inefficiencies over your entire meme bike and end up with something which is slow however you go about it. Just cut to the chase and buy a used road bike and overhaul it if you actually want a fast cheap bike. Nothing is faster than just a road bike. You can't even not tour on it.
>>1988853like, anon, i have a really nice touring bike, and several touring-esque beaters, and road bikesand i usually just commute on a road bike because it's fast. If i could only have 1 bike it would just be a pure road bike.
Decided to test out my bike by going on a little 2 day tour. Day 1: 90 miles, 4500ft elevation. Day 2: 70 miles 4000ft elevation. Day 3: 10 miles and then I got a ride home. Bike held up well, but I was pretty unprepared and forgot a few things. Didn't have any grip tape (bike has some hard plastic "grips" from the 70s) or gloves and by the second day my hands were on fire and I had blisters. Then I hit a pot hole and a big patch of skin ripped off my palm. Covered it in gauze and electrical tape and kept going. I also didn't realize that I need a sleeping pad and ended up being too cold to get much sleep either night. I did the whole thing in doc martins and jeans which I think gave me some shin spints. Almost wanted to buy some stuff and go longer but I got shit to do on Monday. 10 speed with no granny gear was also pretty killer on the mountain passes but I only had to walk once on a 12% grade. On the first climb I kinda wanted to give up and turn home, but by 40 miles in I just stopped thinking about my legs. I've also got a few questions. What do you do about bike security? Will people out in little towns try to steal your gear/bike? What kind of shoes should I get if I'm gonna use flat pedals?
>>1988890good on you for getting out and doing it as you can tour in any way with anything >I did the whole thing in doc martins and jeans>Didn't have any grip tape>didn't realize that I need a sleeping pad>10 speed with no granny gearbut jesus fucking christ you're inflicting some suffering on yourself. It's already suffering but you're wew
>>1988891Thanks! I'm planning a big tour this summer, basically wanted to work out the kinks before I set out for real. I haven't ridden since last summer either, think that contributed to the suffering more than anything. This morning I could barely walk. The rest was just me being dumb and too cheap to buy gear. Another thing is that my brakes really suck even though I changed the pads and cables. Not sure if that's just a problem with bikes from this period or what.
>>1988884>>1988887it's just bizarre to me. it feels like the priorities are all mixed up>touring and commuting>but want it light>but want to put racks and fenders on>want to run an IGH
>>1988893identity politic loathing towards hipster unracers and roadies combined with an equal dose of hipster unracer and roadie memes, dogma, misanthropy, narcisism, poverty and practically no basis for believing or liking anything often leads to this kind of fantasy bicycle.
trying to figure out a route from sacramento, ca to fairbanks, ak, any suggestions for the canada/alaska portion?>>1988129that's one tall mf headtube
>>1988904on road or off road?
>>1988905>>1988904well, i should ask more specifically, do you have a preference as far as road surface and/or traffic?
>>1988904fistfull of seatpost babyfrench fit this is what i like to ride alsobrandt's frame actually built by tom ritchey (friend)
>>1988886> If you're worried about weight then running a rack / pannier is a similiar 1-2 kg weight penalty over strap on bags and if it's a full setup then it's more.Yeah which I will need anyways on a steel frame and voilà welcome your new 17 kg retard-commuter. I didn't even touch the rock heavy steel front forks and other hardware which usually go paired with touring frames because IT'S TOURING HAS TO BE SOLID WHEN YOU TOUR IN AFRICA. Nah fuck off with this bullshit, I want to build a 8-10kg bicycle and add carbon weightless fenders and a carbon/aluminum rack for extra 1kg. Just give me the frame that can do that.By the way it was not me answering here >>1988887 about speed etc.
>>1988941i don't know why you think your "8-10kg" theoretical bike build would suddenly weigh 17kg just by having a steel frame. but if you're really so set on not having a steel frame, there are loads of new and used aluminum bikes/frames out there with rack and fender mounts. i'm not sure what style of bike you want, tire size, etc., but there are options aplenty.
>>1988941This is what you want bro. Aluminium tourer from 00's. Strap on whatever the fuck you want. Lightweight 6061 frame. Make custom carbon 13c 26er (small=light) wheelset from light bicycle and AliExpress has ton of weight weenies rim brake setups. Kit with aliexpress carbon everywhere. This machine will take you through africa and more at 8kgs, you cannot lose.Rene Herse still has light 26er tires you have to put some money there, but I promise you no-one will mistake you for a hipster with this build.
>>1988945this post is somehow worse than his ones
>>1988945>>1988944Nah fuck off, I've found what I need from decathlon. Alu frame, everything there for my needs, I buy cheap used and change everything I feel should be changed but the proper foundation is right there. Thanks for you being useless wonkers, bye.
>>1988961I don't understand how you managed to be so obnoxious about getting one of the most basic, generic, and sensible complete bicycles. what did you even want to discuss?Bizarre. Take it to a less comfy thread next time cunt.
>>1988945lol
>>1988961>promax cable dicksmy condolences on your loss
>>1988907tentative preference for pavement>>1988927is he like 6'8"?
>>1988961I don’t think this frame has a replaceable rear mech hanger? Might not be the most solid foundation in the long term. Solid entry bike but if you’ve got any intention to upgrade why not take the hit and get the the RC-500 which has a replaceable mech hanger and 105?
>>1988941You have no idea how bikes work. You're another internet theoretician that doesn't ride.Buy anything, ride it for a year, then decide where it's lacking and what you could upgrade to that has it. Repeat for 4-5 iterations and you'll end up with a bike that actually suits your needs.
>>1985229>>1985231Okay this is ebin XD
>>1988890Sleeping pads I would look at either a foam rubber one if you need minimal padding (particularly if you are a back sleeper) or just hop straight to full inflatable, the self inflating ones just don't have the thickness for comfort despite their weight and pack size being larger than an inflatable. You can always stack a foam on top of an inflatable if it's really cold. Sea to Summit, Big Agnes, Thermarest, Nemo all good options and knock offs exist, especially of the foam ones.Shoes yeah I would give your foot and ankle more flexibility and go with a lower cut shoe. Anything with a stiffer sole and good ventilation work, even sandals. I personally ignore water proofing and just use waterproof socks or shoe covers if wet weather is coming.Security wise I prefer combo locks for longer distance rides, don't want to lose a key in the middle of a multi-day. Ideally I just ride with people and have someone watch the bikes or use a light cable lock. I personally do not assign as much risk to an average tour day because I am not locking the bike up, out of site, for long periods of time. In my city sure, u lock, chain lock, and remove everything that can be easily ripped off the bike. If I am sitting in a coffee shop looking at my bike through the window way less of a concern.
>>1985231Actual unbelievably based. i wish we had people like you on /out/
>>1979241>>1979245This worked great.The sacrifice of 300 ml volume and about 200-300 grams of extra weight is absolutely worth it for the QOL increase. Having a cold coke with your dinner with ice cubes still in it is amazing.
>>1989104oh hell yeah dude, nice bike
>>1989104yeah nice, i would have bought it too if it wasnt for that eccentric bb
>>1989106From what I read on forums, Singular somehow managed to make EBBs that don't creak. Mine has been silent so far but I only had it a few days.Also the bike rides beautifully, if you were ever in doubt if one frame can be more comfortable than another, it absolutely can.
>>1989106nta, but i think it's cool because it's a super clean way to go single speed if you want to, or even with a geared bike you can alter your BB drop if you want to.
>>1989109yeah i think they use the best EBB style. bonus that it's so simple too.
>>1979094how do i prepare for my first bike tour?i have le touring bike and i can ride 30 miles over hilly terrain while hauling 2 panniers and a trailer in a dayi have lights gpsneed to buy new camping gearive been preparing for a tour and i wanna be ready when summer comeswhat do i need and what do i have to learn?also im in england so im gonna need to stealth camp so if anyone can recommend a cheap light green or camo tent that would be helpfulim gonna have to deap with alot of rain and mud too
>>1989246Don't forget knife. There are bears out there in ze central Europe.
>>1989246What do you need the trailer for if you already have two panniers?First thing I'd do is an overnighter close to where you live, you'll know the area and where you can camp. All you need is a tent, a sleeping bag and a mat. Might not even need the tent if its not raining and no bugs
>>1989246Start small and build up. Especially since you are getting new camping gear.If you are doing practice or training rides, focus on multiple back to back days of riding rather than extra long rides. On a longer tour recovery each day is more important than any single day of distance.Learn a morning and evening routine for setting up and breaking camp. Especially if you are stealth camping you want to avoid lingering with a tent set up. Leaving the shelter up, cooking a hot breakfast, not changing from sleep to day clothes, all are comfy but not necessarily conductive if you are looking to cover distance. If you are not deliberately baking in time to chill in the morning, try to get moving quickly. My tips are:Keep day clothes available. If it's cold keep them in the sleeping bag to dry with body heat and so they are already warm as soon as you wake up.If using an air pad deflate it as soon as you are up. If a foam pad roll or fold it. Prevent yourself from lying back down in the bag.Eat a cold breakfast. As soon as you sit down to eat your are extending your camp time a lot. The most I will do in the morning is make a hot tea or coffee, and ideally will do that only after the bags are mostly packed. If you are dealing with rain a lot I very much prefer tarps or tent that pitches fly first. I also prefer storing shelter by itself on the bike or pack. This way you are not digging it out when you arrive in camp or struggling to pack other things in the morning. Have it so you can put everything else into it's bag with the shelter last, so as to minimize your time in weather if necessary.
>>1988961>enter thread>demand help>get pissy and ignore anons making it all pointlessRight.Well give us an update when you have your bike ready or pictures from a tour and if it was the correct choice.
>>1989287Knives are for spreading cream cheese, bring a pepper spray for defense.
>listening to some podcast and they mention touring across the us cost them like $10kw...what? what the fuck did they spend it on?i was planning on touring up the east coast of the us and back this summer but i am like fucking poor-poor, sub $10k/yr poor. i have a bike, racks, panniers, lights n stuff that i've just acquired from bike commuting and cycling for years. i also don't have a ton of money to spend on gear due to certain expenses either, i have about $2500 dollars until september after [mandatory] expenses.how do i into camping for cheap, just used stuff? staying at hotels/airbnb is probably not going to be an option due to cost. i have never been camping in my life. just getting food at the grocery store should suffice i would imagine, don't really need to eat at restaurants or anything and I should be at least within range to gas stations or truck stops most of the time.like what do i even need? small tent and bag, and what else? it's not like i need to cook, i can just eat cans of beans or whatever.
>>1989246On my first ever trip I rode 270km in 3 days after riding 60km max in one day
just learnt that pewdiepie is live touring japan twitch.tv/cdawgvai think he's going with a car with baggages following him, kinda classy.
>>1989665>i think he's going with a car with baggages following him, kinda classy.You HAVE to be paid to advertise fucking pewdiepie like this ITT.
>>1989677go watch this shit it's beautiful i don't give a fuck about pewdiepie. he doesn't even say or do much it's mainly his friends.you can see a lot of interesting things like him and his friends on atrocious roads getting nearly flattened by japanese trucks because of poor route planning. or his awful bike fit. it's fun.
>>1989665>a car with baggages following himkinda lame, more like
What month of summer can I ride highway 1 in baja california without dying in the heat? Is there a good way to ride down the west coast by the water without ever going inland? Weather sources that I've found are kinda conflicting. Some say that highs only reach into the 90s but forums talk about highs of 110-120.
>>1986977Randomly stumbled on this board and this thread, read your posts. Holy shit, man... I take it you're no longer in Ukraine? As a Ukrainian anon, I would've loved to meet you madlad in person.[spoiler]Got any photos from the Vinnytsia Oblast?[/spoiler]
>>1989881I crossed into Slovakia yesterday. In Vranov nad Toplou right now. I was fucking around in the Ukrainian Carpathians quite a bit. It really is the nicest region of Ukraine.
>>1990223Overall, very bad weather in Ukraine. LOTS of headwind, plenty of rain. Warm temperatures for March though. Temps never dropped below -8 °C at night. Only one day of snow. Could have been a lot worse in that regard. It was tough enough already.Spring has arrived now though. Shit's beautiful.
>>1990223>Vinnytsia We probably could have easily met. I went Pohrebishche > Vinnytsia > Zhmerynka > Bar (nice place). Last year I was also in Mohyliv Poldilskyi. Incidentally Vinnytsia Oblast was the last time village people would call the police on me for taking photos lol. A dozen or so police stations all across Ukraine have photos of me and the bike now.Pic related, road connecting Tetijiv on Kyiv Oblast with Pohrebishche in Vinnytsia Oblast. It's perfect tarmac in Kiev oblast and turns into a good old cunt fuck on the oblast border, until about Dzyunkiv.Tetijiv was also the the first place in a long time that had a "European" feel to it, rather than a post Societ vibe. Suddenly realized yo hol' up, it's kinda nice here.
I've been to all Ukrainian regions now except for Crimea/Sevastopol and the oblasts of Zaporizhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.>>1989881That means I WILL have to return at some point and collect the remaining regions. Maybe we can meet up then. I usually hang around in the extraflags general on /int/, the Real Traveller™ Map thread on /trv/ and occasionally /btg/ on this board.I hope you guys win, as unlikely as it seems right now.
Do you guys have savings? You just flip the finger to your Rentenversicherung/Sozialamt and go riding full time?
i found out this thing i was resting my bike against was a nuclear bunker from the 60si went back yesterday to look inside and amazingly it was drythese things are all over the uk and could make for cosy campsmight use one of these for my first bike camping trip till i have a tent>>1989287unfortunately im in the united cuckdomits ok tho i have a chainwhip i can thrash someone to death with>>1989315i mainly use the trailer for shopping but my plan from the start was hauling camping gearyea thats what im thinking but i still need to buy gear first>>1989357thanku>>1989554i have hotsauce will that do?>>1989579sounds like ur in a similar situation to me
>>1990237tents and bikes are cheapfood is always the biggest cost once youve got your gearim poor as shit but i think i can into touring
>>1990225>touring a warzonewhy
>>1989665>tfw i cant figure out how to use twitch to watch thisi swear that site gets more confusing in its layout every time i look at it
How do you guys do your laundry? Just rent a motel and do the laundry there or in a river? How often should you do it? Or do you just carry a lot of clothes up to the end of the tour?
>>1989246Remember visibility. There's no such thing as too much reflective tape on your bike, panniers and helmet. High-vis vest and double set of lights, one for visibility and the other for seeing the potholes. Regardless of weather or season too, always cycle ready to glow like a small sun.Also make sure you know how to use everything you have and that it actually works, you don't want to be like me and realise 100 miles later your fancy new pump doesn't in fact work.
>>1990490Marseille soap (make sure its legit and not some palm oil bullshit copy)and water + dry bag, sink at a gas station if you have lockable door so you don't bother people. Don't wash in rivers/lakes directly if using any kind of soap, washing sweat off is fine.Marseille is my favorite since it works for everything and is gentle.
>>1990490>How do you guys do your laundry? I don't. Been wearing the same single pair of underwear for weeks. No issue.
>>1990500>Remember visibility. There's no such thing as too much reflective tape on your bike, panniers and helmet. High-vis vest and double set of lights, one for visibility and the other for seeing the potholes. Regardless of weather or season too, always cycle ready to glow like a small sun.But I don't want to look like a clown.
>>1990490dr. bronners soap is biodegradable also , and you can get it everywhere in the US at least.Ivory is famously 99.44% pure
>>1990490for me, it's aleppo soap 24% and merino wool.>>1990490for me, it's aleppo soap 24% and merino wool.
>>1990490In Europe most cemeteries will have a tap but I have also used streams, lakes and wells. I just wash things with water only and hang them around the bike to dry. When it's hot I will wash my jersey and immediately put it on. If I'm staying at a lodging I will use the soap provided, I don't carry my own.
>>1990490there are biodegradable laundry soaps too. But what I do is put the dirty laundry in a plastic bag and when I take an hostel or when I pass by a city, I use the washing machine available or the laundromat.Then again, I wore the same clothes for 10 days with no issue
Touring from NYC to SF soon, via the GAP, Katy Trail, linking to the ACA's TransAmerica Trail to the Western Express route.I have front and rear racks, and big Ortlieb panniers. Can I get away with just a half frame bag, a handlebar bag, and single back on the rear rack? Also open to getting smaller panniers for the front, but curious about more "bikepacking" adjacent setups.
>>1990814Frame bags are great for denying you water bottle mounts, rubbing against your legs and making your bike into a sail while not increasing carrying capacity all that much. Most bikepacking solutions are a meme, except those handlebar drybag harnesses, those are good.
>>1990864Assume I should get a third and fourth pannier then? Dunno what else to throw on my rear rack if I need the room and would prefer to keep the big 20 L ones on the front, because I like the bike handles when the weight is down low.Could just bungee my sleep stuff to the rear rack I guess?
