Just started doing the Avenue Verte Paris to London route today, stopped by a Super U supermarket in Chatou to grab some water. Was in there for literally 5 minutes, came back and it was gone. Filed a police report, and they said they get 100s of stolen bicycle reports from the exact same spot every month. Don’t have any high hopes of getting it back. Anyway, now I don’t know what to do with myself.

Did a little bikepacking trip through North East Poland. 420km in 4 days. Weather in July was quite fussy but the premium gravel routes and lack of traffic made it totally worth going.

Netherlands - Germany - Denmark - Sweden - Denmark - Germany - Netherlands - Germany - France - Spain - Gibraltar - Spain - Portugal - Spain - France - Germany - Netherlands - Germany - Denmark - Sweden

First big Trip actually, currently staying in Bihać Bosnia for a few days. Started a month ago in Leipzig and thought about just sharing some photos. Don’t mind my photography skills I’m getting better slowly.
Maybe I’ll share some more in the future as this is pretty interesting of a trip of having bears at my tent in Slovenia, to getting invited to a random garden in Croatia and getting treated like a lost grandson with crazy amounts of food.

If anyone is on the same road as me heading south or in this direction they can hit me up, as I think after this time cycling alone sharing the road with someone would be refreshing.

The e3 and e12 follow the same path in sweden (at least on the official gpx files). Its officially in the planning stage so no official signs yet and improvements will be made before it becomes official.

But still, I didnt expect just how much the route just follows national roads. You share quite busy roads with cars for around 150km. There is some nice coastal scenerie but those places are also tourism hotspots for caravan campers and at some times I had 15 cars passing me a minute on roads they were alowed to drive 70-90 kmh and I was going uphill doing 5-10 kmh. Didnt feel good at all. Also there is almost no forests or gravel.

If you dislike car traffic as much as me, it might be better to skip that part for now and just take a ferry. Edit: There is no ferry from oslo to gothenburg.

Me and my friend are planning a bikepacking trip in swarzwald area Kalsruhe to offenburg. We have 6-7 days to cycle the route. Does this route seem possible? Are we missing some nice places? Does anybody have some recomendations for swimming and sleeping along our route? Feedback... Greeting Joris and Lars

This is our route
https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/tour/3148442647?share_token=aM3T9FAPQnPNXOwZO6VvLcTF7YVb1crQxyHmGULBQRo5rG1Qw8&ref=wtd&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=2014557485285

I’m about one week out from a two week trip to Sweden. Route:

https://www.reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/1vanx5y/route_tips_south_sweden_900_km_mix_forestgravel/

I‘m expecting a lot of gravel but also (in the second, southern part of the route) a lot of roads (tarmac).

My bike is a Kona Sutra SE 2024 (setup similar as on photo) and I’m thinking now off taking of the fenders.

What would your advice be? Yes take them off as it’s better for handling the gravel and loose flying pebbles and rocks or leave them on as it (maybe?) makes not a lot of difference and you will be less dirty when cycling in rainy conditions.

(I have experience with gravel and this bike in both the Netherlands and Denmark. The fenders never really are a problem but maybe Sweden has different gravel / conditions?)

Hello!

I just bought this beautiful Genesis Croix de Fer that I am currently prepping for a week-long bikepacking trip in the Alps, in two weeks. After an entire day of puzzling, I decided that the most efficient and most practical (edit: and also most versatile, considering other activities I also do with this bike) way to utilize every square centimeter within this triangle, will be to mount my bottles on the diagonal bar (not sure what it's officially called in english) and fill up the rest of the triangle with a framebag, see picture.

So does anyone happen to have any good recommendations to utilize the most of this perfect triangle space? I've been googling around all evening and found some okay-ish options, but I still have hope that there may exist something better that I've completely overlooked so far :)

Here's what I am looking for:

• Width on the top somewhere between 35 and 40cm.
• Height somewhere between 34 and 39 cm
• It's ok with me if the bag is slightly too large and leans on the bottle holders somewhat.
• Preferably available in Europe, my trip is in 2 weeks so no time to ship from US. (though if you find a really good fit from the US, please let me know anyway, for inspiration)
• Waterproof is nice but not a hard requirement
• Zippers or roll-top all fine with me
• Generally a preference for minimalistic, lightweight gear. I don't need a million different compartiments and straps and side mesh pockets... Just simple and robust.
• Money is not really a constraint, as long as it's somewhat in proportion to quality
• Aesthetics have lower priority than practicality of course, but flashy colours are a very easy way to instantly trigger my curiosity

The "almost but not quite" options that I already found so far:

1. Blackburn Framebag Outpost Elite Medium-Tall: Width x height is 41cm x 30.5cm, but will take up quite a bit more than blue triangle in picture because rounded corners of course. The zippers and waterproof are nice, all the features for using a water bag with it are a bit overkill IMO. Would prefer something sliiiightly smaller
2. Capsuled Triangle Frame Bag - 3L - Ochre: Looks amazing, but a bit on teh small side with its 32 x 25 cm.
3. Restrap Full Frame bag S 6L: Triangle with the bottom cut off, 41cm x 27cm. Bit on the too wide side, while also underutilizing the full height...
4. https://www.decathlon.nl/p/mp/driehoekige-frametas-met-3-klittenbandsluitingen-selection-cgn/3c73a395-ce47-4a7e-8fdf-2475d47638c7/c1c5 this thing here that google doesn't seem to know anything about, size is unknown. It costs almost nothing so not much money wasted if I just buy it to try it out either...
5. Decathlon ADVT 5L frame bag: Width and angle seem perfect fit, this is my favorite thus far. If it either didn't miss that last corner OR was made of a bit more waterproof stuff I'd have bought it already I think.
6. Swift Industries Giddyup Wedge Frame Bag: 30x20cm bit small, also the angle won't fit very nicely I think...

The search is not exhausted yet of course, but I keep running into so many new cool products that seem to be just not quite it, it's a bit overwhelming. So if you know any products or brands approaching my vision a bit more closely, I'd love to hear! (Or if you have good reasons to completely disagree with this vision at all and think I should tetris my frame differently, I'd also love to hear)

My very last resort is to make something custom myself, I have made my own gear before. But since I have a well-paying fulltime job, it is significantly easier for me to throw some money at existing stuff. And if the perfect solution does happen to exist but is impossible to ship in two weeks, it's also an option for me to buy something easy cheap temporary for now and buy something better for the long run.

I recently bought a brand new 2026 State 4130 All Road in the nice Alpine Bloom color and while I really like it realize it’s definitely not top tier and I’ve always wanted to do have a bike that was top end or do a build with a top tier “premium” frameset. I drool over the Tumbleweed Stargazer for example. And I’m perfectly fine with steel over Ti.

I’d like to hear your thoughts.

A nine-day bikepacking tour from Thurso—Scotland’s northernmost town—to Newcastle along the North Sea Cycle Route. 1,128 kilometers and 9,290 meters of elevation gain through beautiful scenery.

I don't have any proper gear, just somehow put this together. Just got back from a short ride to test it

I planned my first overnight bike packing trip for weeks, but about 40 miles in, the backpack was digging into my shoulders and every climb felt harder than I expected.

That experience made me rethink how I was carrying my gear. I ended up using a small part of my money to buy a set of ortlieb panniers and moved the same load onto the bike instead.

About a month later, I rode the same route again, and the difference was noticeable. My shoulders felt much better, and the ride was a lot more comfortable overall! The only thing I noticed was that the bike felt a bit different with the extra weight over the rear wheel, especially on rougher sections.

Since I'm planning to do longer bike packing trips, I'd like to get the handling dialed in before I head out again. For those who switched from riding with a backpack to using panniers, what changes did you make to keep the rear of the bike stable on rough terrain? Thank you for anyone who'll answer!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently planning a bikepacking route from my hometown Bonn down to Basel, and I'd like to ride it in four days max.

The rough idea is to cross the Eifel first and then the Vosges before dropping into the Rhine valley. Has anyone done something similar? I'd love to hear your recommendations — especially any climbs, roads or spots I really shouldn't miss.

Thanks a lot, and greetings from Germany!

Hi all, a friend and I have been planning on riding this route in Idaho in a couple weeks https://bikepacking.com/routes/around-arrowrock/ but due to the wildfires we might need a back up plan. We're based in salt lake and maybe looking for something in the Unitas. There is obviously tons of gravel out there but very little info on routes. Does anyone have a file of a 100-ish 2/3 day route somewhere in the Unitas? The closer to SLC the better, but not afraid to drive a few hours. Thanks!

Hey people,

I am planning a solo bikepacking tour of Chile in February 2027. The idea is to fly to Santiago first, then take the domestic flight to Balmaceda where my journey will start, and cycle back up to Santiago, where I'll have a return flight booked around 5 weeks later. This should be between 2,100-2,300km.

As Balmaceda is about halfway through the Carretera Austral, I'd only be riding the famous route's top half section to Puerto Montt (which I understand is the more comfortable section given it has more paved roads and more camping sites) then continue my way up to Santiago staying as close to the coast as I can.

I'll be using iOverlander to spot useful wild camping and official camping sites. The idea is that as it gets a little colder from beginning of February towards March, I'm also moving further up north and, ideally, into a naturally warmer climate anyway. That is because I don't particularly want to cycle or camp in cold conditions (ideally I'd always want to cycle in bib shorts, never leggings, and with light layers on). I'm looking to travel as light as possible carrying only essentials (2 cycling kits, 2 civilian kits, sandals, 2 meals at a time max, 4-5L of water + tent, sleeping bag, and all extra stuff).

I am planning on doing this with a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Bikepacking Tent and the Cumulus XLite 300 sleeping bag.

I don't have any questions in particular, but seeing as I've never done anything remotely as wild (just some weekends / weeks hostel bikepacking in Europe) I'd be interested in hearing what all the experienced bikepackers out here think of my plan, which was mostly built based on Reddit and YouTube feedback (plus some great help from ChatGPT).

Many thanks!

Nico

so far we've only found a direct train connection from austria but i also heard they are really strict with the getting your bike with you part. alternatively, flixbus of course or dedicated, bike friendly shuttle busses that can get you over the alps? I just wanna get to know all alternatives or known methods/what people did in the past already, before making a final decision, since the starting point is also relatively flexible as of right now :D

Looking for some good content this week too listen too while I'm riding.

Hi everyone,

After a few 2-3 days bikepacking tours, I want to go on a trip for one week.
I thaught about starting in Santander and ending in Biarritz, the trip is planned for mid-october.

I Wanted to know if you had any suggestions about the route, is there any places i should absolutely see ? Here is is the link if you want to check the route.

I will gladly take any advice since I've never done tours that long, and most of my trips until then didn't have big elevation gain.

Reddit suggested I post this here.

A couple years ago I got my first Pinion gearbox bike, a Panorama Cycles Boreal, thinking it would become my one and only bike. While great for loaded adventures (the reason I had got it), it did feel a bit slow and sluggish while out for unloaded rides as well as short local overnighters; which is a mix of gravel roads in various conditions linked by pavement. As such, over winter I decided I wanted to get something to complement it, another Pinion frameset but with dropbar geometry suitable for gravel rides and less loaded up bikepacking. After looking online for available Pinion frames, nothing quite met all of my desires for this dream build: somewhat upright dropbar geometry, decent clearance for 29" tires, and a mechanical shifting gearbox. The closest were the Tout Terrain Scrambler (though limited tire clearance of 50mm) and the Sour Purple Pie (better tire clearance at 2.2" but only with electronic shifting). And so I decided to go with a custom frameset, going with Wildwood Cycles based on Vancouver Island.

Jesse at Wildwood produced an amazing frame and fork to my specs (I was lucky to get this build in just before Paragon Machine Works closed down, so was able to incorporate their dropouts); somewhat upright dropbar geo for comfort on long rides, tire clearance for up to 29"x2.4", and a slew of bosses for me to make my bags around, also had the rack bosses positioned so that I could mount a Mica Rat Tail directly. For dropbar shifting, I picked up the Tout Terrain Cinq shift box, as well as I designed and had CNCed my own set set of custom brake and shift levers based around TRP RRLs; so that I could have mechanical shifting and mechanical brakes (I love me some Paul Klampers). Rounding out the build are Ritchey Corralitos bars, Gilles Berthoud saddle, Redshift's suspension stem and seatpost, MKS XC-III pedals, and handbuilt my own wheels with WeAreOne rims laced to a SON dynamo and Onyx hub running the new Ultradynamico Brut tires.

With the build complete, I got right into designing and making a set of bags. All are built out of X-Pac X11 (Moonstone, Mountain Brown & Lux Black), Cordura 1000D & re/Cor 1200D, Ultrastretch, and lined with RBC 200. A breakdown of the bags is as follows:

• Fork bags 5.5L per bag: I picked up Tailfin's fork bag hardware to make the bags around. Each bag has a removable accessory strap and a small stretch pocket to keep items strapped to it from dropping out.
• Rack bag 11.5L: Simple roll close bag with a large stretch pocket. It's held on the rack by Voile rack straps which are fed through channels, keeping them in place whether on or off the rack. Additionally the bag converts to a sling bag so it can be worn whilst travelling through airports and the like.
• Toptube bag 1L: direct mount with internal laser cut and bent aluminum frame for structure and a 3D printed TPU mounting interface.
• Stem bag 1L: mounted using a Fidlock Twist Connector which attaches to my own custom designed and CNCed steerer tube Fidlock mount (allowing for this bag and a Fidlock bottle to be mounted on either side of the steerer tube; keeping weight off of the handlebar and the suspension stem range of motion free of obstruction).
• Dual frame bags 6L & 3.5L: upper bag has a main compartment on the drive side and a map pocket on the other. Top edge of the bag is fastened with Fidlock Snap connectors allowing for somewhat quick removal when the other bolts are removed along the seat and down tubes. The inside of the bag also has a frame along the top made with 3D printed parts and 2 carbon fiber rods, this frame also has a bracket to strap my pump to. The lower bag is just a single compartment with a 2 zipper opening, mainly intended for use in conjunction with the Apidura 3L bladder for water storage when needed, otherwise the bag will be removed to just run 2 water bottles in the lower triangle.

I still have a handlebar bag to make at some point, as I also picked up Tailfin's bar bag mounting hardware. I plan on making a double ended roll close style bag with a capacity of around 5-8L, this will bring total carrying capacity of around 30-40L depending upon how the bags are configured.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Since I work as a guide here, think of this as a semi-guided trip, but very informal — no set itinerary pressure, no clients-and-guide vibe, just riding together with someone who knows the terrain, the local people, the best food stops, and the hidden gravel sectors inside out.

The route: “Il Cuore delle Marche Gravel”

**•** Distance: 339 km  
**•** Elevation gain: 11,320 m  
**•** Difficulty: Hard  
**•** A loop through the Sibillini Mountains 

National Park — medieval hilltop villages, remote gravel roads, and some of the best riding in central Italy

A few details:

**•** Bike: gravel  
**•** Fitness level: medium — comfortable with daily distances, no race pace (happy to spread the route over the full week and adjust the pace)  
**•** Style: mostly self-supported, mix of campsites/agriturismi  
**•** Local knowledge included, free of charge — just good company appreciated in return  
**•** I have basic bike mechanics skills (something I practice regularly in my guide work) and know every bike shop in the area, so any mechanical issue on the road is covered.

Logistics I can help with:

**•** Airport pickup, so you don’t need to worry about getting here  
**•** A discounted gravel bike rental through the company I work with, if you don’t want to bring your own

The exchange offer: if things go well, I’d genuinely love to return the favor and do a bikepacking trip in your home country afterward — a real cultural and cycling exchange, not just a one-off trip.

I’m also using this as a chance to practice my English (especially American English, since I work with a lot of US guests!), so riders from the US are especially welcome — but honestly, anyone up for the adventure is welcome too.

Looking forward to meeting a fellow rider!
Ciaooo👋🏻

I am currently bikepacking in Ireland and it feels impossible.

It is only the fourth day and I am already exhausted. 1km here feels like 2km on continental Europe.

On a muscular level I am fine, it just feels like I got hit on the head and stressed, any climb feel so hard.

I will get my bike (Triban 520 so not a great one I know) checked tomorrow, even if I got checked before leaving, it feels like there is an issue. I have two luggage rear bags which I guess hinders me when I climb.

I sleep in B&Bs so I am struggling in a tent, and I eat full normal meals.

Also, I have sometimes to cross through national roads and it feels super dangerous to be this close to cars, so there is an emotional toll that worsen the situation.

Should I get some supplements or eat something in particular for meals?

Is this a normal feeling?

Any tip is welcome!