I did the trans México Norte bikepacking route and loved that it was about 50/50 pavement and dirt roads with camping opportunities in the less urban areas.

What are some parts of Europe that would offer this type of tour? Right now the plan is Ireland(maybe) -> France -> Italy and then keep heading south east if we have time

What is a good up right bikebacking frameset for someone with long legs and arms

Any recommendations?

Hi guys i currently have a Riverside touring 920 that has mechanical brake (Trp spyre). I'm thinking about changing it for something less expensive because i will mainly tour in Europe in the next years and i also want to use my bike in the city without being anxious about the bike being stolen. I am considering the riverside touring 520 which is really similar except for: the saddle (if you guys can reccomend me a good alternative to B17 that cost less a 100 euros i would be happy :)) and the brakes which are hydraulic. My dad has multiple e-bike so i tried to change the chain, the brake pads but the pistons of this bike don't work anymore because i could have damaged them with my wrench or because i didn't bleed them and now i will probably send my bike to Decathlon attending 10/15 days. I don't want to have this types of problem during a tour but i've also heard that if you learn how to bleed the brakes you will have to do this operation only once per year. My questions are: what do you guys think about changing my Riverside 920 to the 520? Are hydraulic brakes hard to maintain-repair?

I plan to do a 3 months sabbatical next year and wanted to conquer Europe from south (barcelona) to north (as far as i can get, somewhere Scandinavia). I've tried constructing a tour in komoot. However when the tour is that big, komoot has huge issues managing that workload and the browser is not responding anymore. Anyone got tips for me? Maybe use another map to create that route? I usually like komoot a lot, but it's not working with this amount of data i suppose.

Hi all, I am planning on cycling the Taiwan Route 1 in May. I am however restricted to only 8 days/7 nights or at most 8.5 days/8 nights. Which portion would you recommend skipping and taking the train instead for? Would it be worth skipping multiple sections to make a detour to Sun Moon Lake? For context, I have family in Taiwan and have visited several times, mostly around the Taoyuan and Taipei areas. I have never been to Sun Moon Lake and I have spent very little time in the South and East Coast. Also, where can I find more information about the current road conditions in Hualien and other areas affected by the earthquake? Thanks!

Hello,

Our Trek Domane bicycle has a problem at start of Carretera Austral.

The gear cable is broken. So the front gear is stuck in 1st gear. The problem is all the cables are inside it.

We just need a quick fix to keep it in a low gear.

Is there anywhere in Puerto Montt that can look at trek bicycles.

We just need a good bike shop in Puerto Montt

It's a bit of a disaster really. First day of cycling. All the money

I’m going on a van supported (carry camping gear) cross country trip but no support during the daily rides. I’m looking for some kind of small compression bag to put my Endurance rain gear (jacket & pants) in that will fit in my handlebar bag instead of just stuffing them in the handlebar bag. Any suggestions?

Am I being too naive? I’m planning a ride from London to Istanbul this summer and, apart from a rough idea of the route, I haven’t actually done much planning. I have cycled across the US both north to south, and west to east. Is my “I’m just gonna wing it” attitude ok? To be clear, I am not speaking about equipment or anything like that. I have that dialed. It’s more about the day to day and see where each day takes me kind of thing. Thoughts?

Hello!! I am a UK citizen, wondering if anyone has any ideas if this is even remotely possible:

Im cycling Central Asia, I don't have a visa for China, or Russia. I want to get to Mongolia but I'm also not too sure I can get a visa anywhere in Central Asia, Almaty is realistically the only city I'm near.

I know China has a transit visa... is this easy to obtain?

https://preview.redd.it/yldsajlh71ge1.png?width=929&format=png&auto=webp&s=f99cb6d0707a3ae873366fe6df3b0c71512f8ad2

This is just an idea at the moment, probably a stupid idea... but any ideas would be cool!

(Before people say to just apply, I am already on the road, currently in Turkey).

Hello, I'm looking for cycle route ideas in Europe, around 500 kilometers, potentially in Austria, Italy, or Switzerland. Last year, I rode the Alpe Adria route and had a great experience there. I'm looking for something similar with great views, and would rather spend nights at camping than hotels. It would be great if it was a loop or had a good train connection to get back to the starting point. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Hello! I am currently a freshman in college in Washington state. I wanna get into bike touring, and I'm planning (tentatively) on biking the Washington Parks loop in 2026 (on the Adventure Cycling Association page) as my first tour, kind of as a prep for doing the Northern Tier or Pacific Coast in 2027, but I have no idea where to start/what to look for. Is there any advice on things like where to start my research, gear, mapping, planning, or generally anything?

Hey friends, I'm hoping to do a portion of the Pacific Coast route in early March, from right around LA to the Mexico border. Wondering if anyone has any insight on the impact that the wildfires have had on this route, and whether folks would recommend delaying my trip. Thanks!

Hey guys. Im heading off on a 1 year long trip soon, where I dont plan to be staying inside hotels/hostels or warmshower hosts all too much. I'll also be in Central Asia for a lot of it, where I imaging a laundrette isn't around every corner... I had a couple of questions on how to then wash clothes:

1. If you do find a washing machine, what detergent do you use? Im familiar with massive boxes of powder or those pods... carrying around loads of those doesn't seem very wise or cost effective. (I know that some places might give you some detergent, but can never be too sure.

2. If youre in need of a wash and no washing machine is on the horizon... is there something you could use to wash the clothes without the use of a washing machine? Im imagining some kind of soap in a bowl or sink.

Thanks!

I'm looking for a Seine River bike and barge tour that includes Normandy/WW2 sites and Giverny on the way to or from Paris. Some of the luxury brands have them, but I would prefer to spend less than $5500 on the tour part (not including airfare). I'm an average cyclist and would pefer to do 40 miles or less per day. If anyone has experience or suggestions for a tour company that has a similar trip, I would greatly appreciate it. If this is the wrong sub-reddit, feel free to steer me in the right direction. Thanks!

Anyone done this route or similar? Whats it like cycling in Greece?

Thanks !

Hi All,

Need some help on Sizing.

I want to get a VSF TX -800 but I am not sure about my size. below is the link for the bike gerometry (i plan to get TX - 800 disc). CAn anyone help me if I shold get the szie 52cm or size 57? I am 181 cm tall and 85 cm inseam with my shoes on.

https://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/pdfs/rahmengeometrien/vsf_fahrradmanufaktur_geo_allg.pdf

(i assume the first/second/third row is 47cm/52/57cm respectively?)

A little background is I live in Asia and shops here dont sell toruing bike in any brands so which ever touring bike i get, i need to get online and cannot test ride it.

I narrow down my shortlist to VSF TX -800 (or TX 400) and Genesis Tour de Fer 30. There is a size chart by height so I have a reasonable idea. maybe my second question is if i follow the size chart, will I get a bike that by and large fits me? (I understand there maybe small adjustments needed because nothing is perfect out of the factory)

Thank you all in advance.

Hi there! Looking for a nice route on paved/gravelroad for a surly disctrucker that goes from Vancouver to Jasper! (In June-July). Would be awesome to avoid traffic. Any suggestions? Cheers!

I'm currently looking to buy a bike that can be used for gravel riding locally and also work reliably as a long distance tourer (think across the US, across Europe, through Southeast Asia, etc), when I have the free time to make those trips happens, of course.

I have narrowed it down to either the Kona Sutra, Canyon Grizl AL, or Trek Checkpoint ALR 5.

I already have a bike which I consider to be my "nice" road bike from Canyon, so I'm thinking this will be a fun bike to ride gravel trails with here in the Southwestern US without concern of getting it a little banged up, and one that I could happily pack up in a box and head off for 3-6 months or more for touring.

Of these three, would you recommend one over the others?

Im planning a bike tour in Korea. I'll certainly do portions of the 4 rivers path, but im also looking for something a bit more ambitious. When I biked Taiwan I had the most fun taking alternate routes up into the mountains in low traffic areas.

I'll be traveling light on a modern steel road bike with a couple of small frame bags. I plan to hotel hop. I can comfortably cover 100 - 200 km in a day and I love climbing. Especially if it means mountain passes with epic views and fewer cars.

If anyone knows any off the beaten path adventurous routes I should try to hit I'd love to get a list going. Everything I find on the internet leads me back to the river side pathways.

Im doing this in April / May of this year.

Thanks in advance

We have Fuji Touring bikes: steel frame, rim brakes, tubes tires, handlebar-end gear shifters. We've used them on all our trips, and we bought them with the idea that they were sturdy and easily repaired. However, we've never heard of anyone using the Fuji Touring for a really long haul. One bike shop guru mentioned to us that while "touring" is in the name, Fuji Touring was made with an older school philosophy of bike travel which didn't really have intense, super extended treks in mind, and that the steel frame is somewhat thinner and therefore more likely to break (particularly in the back) than the modern touring frame. But the frame isn't our main concern: we are more concerned with the brakes and the ability to ride a larger tire. So, any thoughts on this bike's durability / ability to handle a trip that will ideally include the Pamir and Southeast Asia? Should we get some more known long haul bike like the Surly LHT or Kona Sutra? Any insight would be much appreciated!!

Hi! As above, I am looking for front rack which will be attached to the highest fork's eyelet. I have 3 eyelets and would like to leave two eyelets free for fork bags, or bottle cages. Somehow, I am finding racks which are mounted to the middle eyelet at least. I will be grateful for your help!

I'm wondering how big the risk is of my bags actually being stolen if I leave my bike unattended while sightseeing in a remote-ish place or in a cafe, that kind of stuff. (I would never leave my bike alone outside in a city !).

I'd carry my valuables like electronics, passport, wallet on me of course. But even when I use a really good bike lock, my panniers are still pretty easy to remove, or otherwise it's super easy to open them and just grab whatever is inside.

I've always felt pretty neurotic about this but starting to wonder what kind of thief would even want to steal my muddy pannier bags with like, dirty laundry and heavily used camping gear inside. Maybe this is not actually something I need to worry about very much?

Has anyone here ever had their pannier bags stolen (without their bicycle?).

Hello... I have some colder touring coming up, nothing crazy but I'll be going through Turkey in mid March to May. I expect it to get pretty chill on some days, maybe down to just below 0. Being cold and wet is not fun and I saw these trousers and shoe covers from Decathon for £25.
https://www.decathlon.fr/p/surpantalon-pluie-velo-ville-avec-couvre-chaussures-integres-100-noir/_/R-p-169380?mc=8402040&utm_source=google&utm_medium=sea&utm_campaign=fr_t-perf_ct-shopp_n-shopping-mq-marque-decathlon-mp_ts-bra_f-cv_o-roas_&utm_term=_n-shopping-mq-marque-decathlon-mp_ts-bra_pt-pb_yy-marque-decathlon-top-produit-rain&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAneK8BhAVEiwAoy2HYbDpHoJ43qSALG_a5ED4OiDs38NBcMqFBWDdVErfyrRs9ooIx0VkThoCc38QAvD_BwE

I have sandals, shoes and non waterproof trousers and thermals. I was thinking these could be good to just quickly chuck on top, though I doubt ill get too much use out of them, as it isn't too cold I'm totally fine with just getting wet. I feel like these would be as good for the wind as they would be for the rain... I find the wind is what really gets my feet cold.

Any thoughts on these or different routes/suggestions would be awesome... thanks!!

Hey everyone!

I've been on the road for nearly 2 years now with just a double edged razor and a scissors for shaving and trimming my body hair.

The blades are easy to find in most countries and I think it may be the smallest and lightest solution to this problem.

I generally only shave when I stay in someone's house, or accommodation which is not frequent for me. So I end up looking unshaven for the majority of the time. This is not a problem if it's a short-term tour but it's starting to irritate me. I also think physical appearance goes a long way to making good first impressions, and I don't look great when I'm unshaven. It even affects my confidence and sociability sometimes.

I'm searching for a lightweight, compact, USB-C hair trimmer/electric razor. Something super small and simple. One end is a close enough shave, the other a standard hair trimmer. I don't need attachments or anything fancy, just rechargeable with my battery pack.

Does this exist?

What are your solutions for hair management on a long-term tour?

Safe cycling everybody!