I have such gratitude for this community and all who plan these routes for the rest of us to enjoy. This route had such a nice mix of single track, a lot of rail trail, and urban paths that made for an incredible 3 days of riding. I managed to experience the best of fall weather that this region has to offer from a cold but sunny start to drizzle and low clouds on the second day, and then a little bit of rain today but nothing uncomfortable. I ran into a few folks riding portions of the route for day rides, but I had much of the northern portion of this route all to myself. Fall really can be a great time to get out there.

Last photo is from this evening’s return along the Olympic Discovery Trail…because that was a beautiful ride too!

This summer I did the biked from Pittsburg to DC. This was my first multi day bike trip. I was 16 when I completed it and it took me 3 days. I also did it by myself which was super fun.

I am looking for something cheap and packable I can use as a winter riding layer. What do people’s winter kits look like? I’m looking for something versatile I could wear in the 40-50F range.

50 days in, and finished.

And just like that, my first major solo tour comes to an end. Since my last post, I’ve covered another 900 km, following the coast from Tangier to Essaouira before heading inland to Marrakesh.

Along the way, I’ve learned so much, gained new perspectives on different ways of life, and listened to the stories of all kinds of people. I was invited to meals, welcomed into strangers’ homes, and offered help and kindness wherever I went.

There were moments when I was close to giving up — after more than ten days of knee pain and a forced break in Spain due to heatstroke, I kept asking myself why I was doing this in the first place. But just as often, I’d lie in my tent at the end of a day, feeling content and experiencing a sense of freedom I’d never known before. I had a blast riding gravel tracks in Spain and found myself gazing out at the seemingly endless Atlantic.

I’m happy to have a few days to rest now, away from the bike and the unpredictable rhythm of life on the road. At the same time, my mind is already wandering towards future tours and routes. I have a feeling it won’t be long before the call of the outdoors draws me back in. Somehow, this way of travelling has truly captured me.

Until the next adventure.

Hello, je suis une fille qui a l’habitude de faire du bikepacking et j’aimerais partir pédaler au Japon (seule) pendant environ 1 mois (Enfin rien n’est décidé je suis encore ouverte) en janvier ou février ou mars.

Je ne sais pas encore quel trajet choisir. J’ai vu qu’il y avait la traversée du Japon mais peut être que d’autres itinéraires moins spectaculaires sont finalement plus intéressants ?

Si jamais vous avez déjà fait un trip la bas, je suis preneuse de vos retours d’expérience et conseils.

Merci ☺️

Last February I did a solo trip in Gran Canaria, to avoid suffering from winter depression.

I started in Maspalomas through the peak of Gran Canaria (Pico de las Nieves at 1949m/6394ft) to Agaete.

Then to La Aldea (there was a tunnel that detected cyclists: CICLISTA, barring 1 of the 2 lanes, so cyclists have a safe lane, which blew my mind away), and back up the mountain in center of the island but not the peak again of course, and back to Maspalomas. Took my tent with me but only used it was once haha.

Hi All,

​A few weeks ago I completed a bucket-list challenge: riding solo and unsupported from London to Paris on my Brompton to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

​It was an incredible 4-day adventure, but doing long-distance touring on 16-inch wheels definitely brought some unique challenges.

​Quick Trip Stats:

​Total Distance: \~350 miles (took a few scenic detours!)

​Time: 4 Days

​Setup: Solo & Unsupported with front bag & gear

​Punctures: 2

​Ferries Missed: 1 (by about 5 minutes!)

​Highlights & Surprises:

​The Good: Riding along French canal paths and quiet countryside roads on day 2 and 3 was absolute bliss. The folding bike is surprisingly comfortable for long flat stretches once you hit a good rhythm.

​The Bad: The off-road / gravel cycle paths in Kent and northern France were ruthless on small tires. I got stuck in thick mud that completely jammed up my mudguards (had to use a stick to scrape it out on the trail).

​The Brutal: Strong headwinds on Day 2 really slowed my average speed down to about 7–8 mph, and pushing up steep Kent hills meant walking the bike a few times.

​Reaching the Eiffel Tower on Day 4 after fighting through Parisian traffic was an unbelievable feeling!

​I filmed the entire journey—from the Greenwich start line, tire changes, missing the ferry, to rolling up to the Eiffel Tower. If you'd like to check out the full vlog, you can watch it here:

https://youtu.be/710EzXYU43k

​Happy to answer any questions about route planning, packing gear, or touring on a Brompton if anyone is planning a similar trip!

Obviously the Kona Sutra LTD before year 2022 is one of the best adventure-bikes out there! However i can't seem to get it second-hand. Any suggestions of something look-alike?

Hey everyone!

I'm 38M and looking to ride the Badlands route in southern Spain in April 2027, probably over 6 days (April 16–21). The plan would be to start in Granada. I'd be open to staying in hotels/hostels along the way rather than camping.

Route info: https://badlands.cc/unplugged

There's an organised race on this route once a year, but big events aren't really my thing, and the race takes place during the hottest time of the year anyway. The problem is that most of my cycling buddies think I'm mad for wanting to tackle something like this and aren't keen on joining me. 😅

So I thought I'd throw the idea out there on Reddit and see if anyone's up for it!

I've done a fair bit of long-distance cycling, but this would be my first proper gravel adventure. The 6-day itinerary works out at around 120–150 km (75–93 miles) and 2,000–3,000 m (6,500–9,800 ft) of climbing per day. Definitely a challenge, but I reckon it's manageable for anyone with a decent level of cycling fitness and some experience.

If you're interested in joining me, drop me a DM and we can chat to see if we'd be a good match.

Cheers! 🤙🏻

Reddit suggested I cross post this but it is a credit card tour. Still, who am I to question Reddit. I have started planning a September 2027 tour starting in The Hague and ending in Berlin. Please consider my route and offer suggestions and feedback. You are welcome to join me. Planning 2027 Cycling Tour-The Hague to Berlin – getmytravelingshoes

Trip report time. I rode the North Branch Trail northbound to the Robert McClory Trail to get to Zion from Chicago. No punctures, no crashes, only minimal amounts of blood, but TONS of mosquito bites. Checking into the campsite was a pain but that's my fault for not making a reservation beforehand. I had to scope out compatible sites for my hammock and then ride back to the camp host, but my first 2 options were taken. RVs were unfortunately everywhere which sucked, but I did see several other bikepackers. Why do RV people always need to use bright rope lights everywhere?

The highlight - I stopped at a nearby grocery store when I got to town and loaded up on steak taco supplies to cook with my MSR pocket rocket. That was a smart move. My biggest dumb move - I applied bug spray before I left but didn't bring any extra to save weight. This is really silly when you are going hammock camping next to Lake Michigan. I got destroyed and flys kept biting my gross sweaty legs. I wanted to stay longer in the morning but got out of there ASAP because I was miserable everywhere but inside my bug net.

Overall, I really enjoyed the slow change of pace on a fully loaded Surly Preamble compared to my usual fast road rides on a Cervelo Caledonia. The 50 miles home today felt like the longest ride of my life and I am no slouch. I want to do another trip before the end of the year after I upgrade my rear bag setup. I swapped my rack and panniers for the Rhinowalk 13L bag and it performed okay.

Hey! I’m a noob to bike touring, and working my way up slowly. I’ve started undertaking 50-80 mile day trips recently, and will be doing a roughly 110 mile trip at the beginning of next bike season. My goal is to end the season with a trip up to the Finger Lakes from NYC. The route is roughly 415 miles or so. I plan to camp along the way, and carry the appropriate gear to do so.

In terms of baggage, how much room do I actually need for a trip like that? I currently have no plans for anything longer than that, though that may change if the ride goes especially well. I’ve been eyeing the Axiom Oceanwave 55 panniers, to pair with a Topeak Frontloader 8L for a total of 63 liters of storage. My tent will just get strapped to the top of my rear rack, I think.

One thing to note is that my fork doesn’t have any mounting points for bags or racks. I’ve found an Axiom Lowrider that should work, and Old Man Mountain racks will work. I’m just trying to get the best dollar-per-liter while giving me upward mobility for longer rides, and quality bags.

Hi there!

Im going to travel to Malaysia by bike from the Netherlands in the month May 2027. I will be traveling by bike but some parts (the route from Georgia to Kazakhstan) I will be going by plane because of the geopolitics.

I was wondering if you guys would have any suggestions on bikes? I’m looking for a bike that will be compatible for this trip. Im looking at a budget of 2500 for the bike (if that is possible).

PS: I will and want to have some experience before going to do this journey, so before going I will be making smaller trips in Europe.

How would something like this do on a 2 day trip?

550km and 10400m of elevation gain on a gravelbike but mostly on asphalt from 9 to 12 of October 2026. This was my fifth bikepacking adventure (all between 3 to 5 days long) as a 20 year old. Slept at cheap hostels and had perfect weather (sunny and quite chilly). Every day I started around 10:00 AM and ended the day around 6:30 PM. I took some photos with my 2009 pocket camera. None are edited afterwards, but there’s a filter used inside the camera settings.

Used a 15L saddle bag with clothing, 2L framebag with important stuff (keys, wallet etc.), 1.5L snack bag and a 2.5L handlebar bag full with bike tools which I didn’t use because I had zero problems this time.

Day 1 (153km): from my hometown Calella to Viladrau. Route was close to Girona so I saw some professionals and did some popular climbs. Got the first amazing views of the trip along the Sau reservoir and ended with a long climb through thick forest.

Day 2 (161km): started the day through Les Guilleries. I found a hidden point of view where some people were fishing (see first photo). Afterwards I descended to the beautiful city of Vic, whereafter I climbed to the Pre-Pyrenees. I slept at a hostel along the beautiful San Pons reservoir.

Day 3 (124km): the queen stage. It was amazing from beginning to end, and most photo’s are from that day. Long, quiet climbs and perfect descents with incredible views and hairpins. Probably my favorite day on the bike ever. Ended in Saldes, a charming mountain village next to Pedraforca, the most impressive mountain I’ve ever seen (see photo 13).

Day 4 (107km): mostly descents this day which I really enjoyed. In Vic I hopped on a bus back to Calella to avoid some rain and avoid the last 90km which would result in 200km on one day.

The last 3 photos are from my iPhone 13 which also turned out great.

I'm planning my first 2–3-day trip. The mileage looks doable based on my normal day rides, but I've never done it back-to-back with a loaded bike. I'm a little worried I'll overdo it on day one, especially with hills or a headwind, and have nothing left the next morning.

I'm not sure how much less to plan each day compared with a normal day ride. How do you guys figure that out? Or is it more about taking it easy throughout the day? I'm trying not to overpack, but I'd be curious if there's any gear you were glad you brought. Mostly just want to enjoy day two instead of dragging myself through it.

It helps that the fall colors were in full swing. The route was an excellent combination of perfectly groomed gravel roads, bumpy two track roads, flow trails, gnarly backcountry singletrack, mowed paths, and just about everything in-between.

If you're interested here's the RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/57457110

Hi everyone ! First off, thank you for being an awesome and reactive community :D you really helped me a lot during an SE Asia 6 month trip.

I am currently building my around the world bicycle, and am wondering about appropriate wheel choice. I am a 70kg rider with what will be a ~20kg bike and 20-40kg luggage. I will be riding on sometimes very rough terrain. My bike will have a Rohloff rear hub and a Son 28 front hub, and I plan on running 45-60mm tires. Which rim choices and spoke count would you recommend considering my needs ? I looked at Andra 40's but they're really heavy (900g+ in 28").
I am shopping from EU.

Thank you ahead :)

Hey what's up?

I recently finished my Brother Kepler build. Initially the plan was to go full Randonneur-mode, basically a modernized version of a bike I already toured the hell out of. But once it got finished a few things didn't work out as I expected. For one toe overlap is an issue with a fender/mud guard setup...

Anyhow, I decided to move away from the pure Randonneur-build towards a bikepacking one.

So what I am looking for is 622 tyres that go well with tarmac / light gravel and are long lasting (!) and are approx. 44mm wide.

Any recommendations?

I’m hoping to take my bicycle to South Korea for a vacation. Does anyone have advice on garaging (or storing) an assembled mountain bike in Seoul for a few weeks?

Great route, great weather. Third day was the best, there was a 6 mile gravel descent that was incredible.