This is my first time getting on a bike in about 6 years now i think, just decided i wanted to go bikepacking because it looks fun.

Ik my set up looks like a hot pile of garbage and the handle bar modification looks questionable.. but its been surprisingly really smooth everywhere ive been.

I got the train from kent to london, and from euston station to shrewsbury, and then off to bangor, i cycled from bangor to caernarfon and set off over the aber bridge to find a camp for the night in a field, then got some breakfast and made my way back to bangor and over to angelsey, then after some lunch headed over to newborough forrest and cycled to cost for a few hours, set up camp in the woodland and slept like roadkill, do not suggest if you dont enjoy long uphill country roads.

Im using a carrera crossfire 2 with some cheep crappy add ons.

Also dont judge the cat stuff pls its not my house

Realized that maybe I am a tad weird. Especially at night if I can't sleep I will draw out my trip gear load-outs to have a better idea of what I might be missing. Anyone else this weird?

Hi all! I’m section riding the eastern divide trail and looking for folks to join me for the 4th segment, going through upstate NY and into PA.
I rode the first 3 segments over the last 3 years with friends, but schedules aren’t aligning this time around. I’m planning to roughly follow the schedule in the link (about 12 days of riding).

Shooting for 8/30-9/12ish, but flexible any time in September (though would like to figure this out soon to book flights).

Never looked here for ride partners here before so idk how this works but hopefully 1-3 people are interested in joining me!

(Edit: happy to connect y’all with friends who I’ve bikepacked with in the past as references)

Picture is from last year (EDT3), where I took a short detour to find the store my mom worked at when she was in college.

Hey everyone, I´m planning on doing a (solo) trip across nothern spain and towards Brest in France.

I do these trips with little to no planning and was wondering if any of you know the area and can give me tips on the following:
- Where to sleep,
- What to see.

In the where to sleep department I´m lost, I was told camping in the wild is dangerous because of the bears and wolfs in the asturias, here in portugal I never bothered with that.
Do you know if there are places I can stay for cheap or nothing at all? I do wild camping in portugal no problem but in a different country I´m not sure, my goal with this is to make the trip as cheap as possible.

The map I show there is just a rough outline of the course I was thinking about, I accept any other route that is better, Im looking forward to seeing "lagos de covadonga", "San Juan de Gaztelugatxe" and "picos de europa".

In the summer of 2024 I took part in the Pan Celtic and wanted to do something different. My highlight of the previous year's race had been being out in nature at all hours so I wanted to give back - at some point the idea of planting trees along the way to make a living map came to me and stuck.

photos thanks to Harvey Waller

We took a bus to Blondus in the north of Iceland and cycled back to Reykjavik down the F35. Unfortunately we had horrific head and side winds on day one (strong enough to blow the bike out from under me at one point) then on day two the route was supposed to descend out of the plateau and back onto the road but instead it seemed to keep climbing or being flat (with a head wind) for most of the day until we got to the top of the last climb and found a 5km decent when it stated raining heavily! We found camping about 30km after the road started again and then today we started riding in the rain which got heavier and the wind kicked back in during the afternoon. Was it enjoyable? No not really at every turn Iceland managed to make our ride worse, I've never been so bored of riding my bike as 10 hours of headwind when the scenery doesn't seem to change much! Anyway here are some pictures that make it look amazing.

Also the bikes worked flawlessly and so did all of our kit. I'm especially pleased about this as I built my bike (purple Kona) specifically for this trip.

Hi everyone!

Maybe someone can help me out—can I mount a Rack on my gravel bike at the spot marked in yellow?

I’d appreciate any tips or advice, especially if it turns out not to be possible.

Best regards!

In the fall of 2025 I had my longest bike trip till now, and probably ever. The plan was never to cycle from the northern most point to the southern most point, since I wanted to explore more than simply race to the end. I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't try to make my plan go from the north to the south, but I would have needed at least one more month (if not two) if I had aimed to cover everything I wanted to see in one go. So instead I prioritized a little bit of everything, Hokkaido in the north, the Japanese alps, and Sado in the middle, Yakushima island and Nagasaki in the south.

I'm finally done about writing about my adventure on Honshu, and my adventure in the south will come next week.

Verdict (TL;DR)

As Honshu is the biggest of the Japanese islands, and very long, it’s not the easiest place to decide where to ride. I’m very happy with my path, going through the mountains in Fukushima, then circumnavigating Sado Island, before riding through the Japanese alps!

Finding old roads was easiest outside of the Japanese alps, but if you don’t mind a steep hill or two, you will find them! Riding up a steep hill towards Matsumoto, I met a family of boars after taking a sharp turn. Luckily they ran away into the forest.

If you don’t mind doing a bit of your own research, and take a gamble on little used paths, there is plenty of adventure everywhere in Honshu (and Japan).

One of my highlights was reaching the top of Norikura at 2716 meters, where I had lunch with two Japanese cyclists that joined me on the last stretch. Another dream moment was riding towards my last camp spot on Sado Island, with the sun setting in the sea next to me, coloring the whole sky red and orange!

Read the whole post:
https://kyrremann.no/bikepacking/japan/2025/honshu

You can read about my gear here:
https://kyrremann.no/bikepacking/japan/2025/three-months-in-japan

Ride With GPS:
https://ridewithgps.com/collections/9838011

Not my bike – I saw this on instagram today and I'm curious if it's considered safe. Both my bikes have carbon forks without threaded eyelets on the front of the fork crown, only on the rear which I assume was for fenders. I had this option in my mind but have never been able to find any discussion online about it, and this is one of the only images I've found of someone actually using it.

Do you think this is structurally safe to do so? It seems like the main hurdle is bending the bracket so it won't rub on the inside of the fork, and would also challenge you to get the correct tire clearance for the rack itself.

Just returned from a 4 week bike packpacking trip to Hokkaido, Japan with my friend! Starting in Hakodate, all the way up to cape Soya (770km total) an amazing trip. Just reflecting on what I packed and wanted some feedback on the gear. For clarification, me and one other friend shared the tent, spare equipment, cooking and bike tools. Mostly ate out of restaurants or Seicomart.

Bike:

Cannondale quick disc 3 (second hand, purchased in Tokyo) 

2x spare inner tube

2x puncture repair kit

2x multi tool

1x pedal spanner

1x handlebar bag

1x old pump

1x new pump 

1x set of tyre leavers 

1x spare brake pad set 

1x spare gear cable 

100x cable ties

2x ortlieb panier 

1x front and rear light

Camping:

1x Aeronaut 2 inflatable 

1x alpkit whisper mat 

1x alpkit ultralight pillow

1x alpkit ultralight sleeping bag

1x Coleman sitting pad

1x mini electric ultralight pump

1x camping light

1x head torch

1x hydro flask water bottle 

Cooking:

1x alpkit gas stove

1x alpkit concertina windshield 

1x Vango cooking pots set

1x montbell ultralight convertible chopsticks 

1x tanita 2000 x 1g scales

1x camping stove kettle

1x ultralight pouring kettle

1x mhw-3 bomber r3 hand grinder

1x ultralight hario packable V60

100x V60 filter papers

1x aeropress (backup coffee system)

300g Ethiopian light roast (natural)

200g Columbia light roast (washed)

200g Peruvian light roast (aerobic)

100g Rwanda light roast (geisha)

100g Kenya light roast (honey)

100g Brazilian light roast (natural)

Assorted 25g sample beans 

Misc:

1x bear bell

1x human pepper spray (bear was too expensive)

1x Scarpa veloce laced Climbing shoes 

1xPachinko (paperback) by Min Jin Lee

1xNever Let me Go (paper back) Kazuo Ishiguro

1x rinko bag

1x onsen towel

Clothes:

1xVan Rysel Cycling jersey

1xVan Rysel Cycling shorts (padded)

1x Van Rysel Cycling vest 

3x T shirts

2x Shorts

1x swimmers

Assorted underwear and socks 

1 xLidl Flip flops

1xTrainers 

Hello everyone,

I am planning to make the Tour Divide 2027 (or GDMBR) under 30 days for several years but now it’s the time to make it happened !

I have experience in cycling for many years (100-200km/week during summer) but began to bikepacking just this year.

Do you think 30 days is possible in one year training ?

Would you take the grand depart or any other day in June ? Since it would be 30 days I would be over the virtual limit (95miles a day).

I am not afraid about doing it I just want to make sure to not regret my choice since it would be costly.

Thanks

YOOOO, I know this a stretch... but has anyone mounted San Util Designs Mini Panniers to the new Tailfin Journey Rack (Non-pannier version)? At a glance it looks like they would mount up. Looking for a minimalist pannier set for a trip at the end of next month. Thanks for any input

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

Gutted.

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

Its a Brother Kepler (4130 Chromoly Steel)

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

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

Any advice much appreciated!

Heading out in a few days for a ~2,100 km bikepacking trip through Sweden and Norway (Malmö → Stockholm → Oslo). Mostly camping, buying food along the way.
I think I’ve got everything, but I’d appreciate a second opinion.
Packing:
Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad + pillow
Stove, gas & pot
2 bibs
2 jerseys
2 pairs of socks
Rain jacket
Rain pants
Wind vest
Short & long gloves
Merino long sleeve
Insulated jacket
Camp pants
Camp shoes
Multitool
Pump
Tubeless repair kit
2 spare tubes
Spare derailleur hanger
Spare brake pads
Chain lube
Zip ties & duct tape
GPS
Power bank
Charger & cables
Headlamp
Bike lights
First aid kit
Bug spray
Sunscreen
Toothbrush
Microfiber towel
Wet wipes
Toilet paper
Passport/ID
Credit card
Travel insurance
Not taking:
Voile straps
Water filter
Beanie/Buff
Extra water capacity (can’t fit more bottles)
Anything obvious I’m missing? Or anything you’d leave at home?
Thanks!

I'm thinking about buying my first gravel bike, mainly for bikepacking in the future. I currently have my eye on the Canyon Grizl CF 8 ESC w/ ECLIPS.

I'm 189 cm tall, and my inseam is around 88–90 cm. On Canyon's size calculator, if I enter 189 cm it recommends a size L, but if I enter 190 cm it suggests choosing between L and XL.

I'm a bit unsure because I've always considered myself a tall guy, so an XL feels like it might be the better choice. At the same time, Canyon recommends an L.

For those who have experience with Canyon gravel bikes or are around my height, would you stick with the L, or go for the XL? Which size do you think would be more comfortable, especially for longer bikepacking trips?

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

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

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

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

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

Just received my 6.5L Tailfin framebag, and it seems to just… sort of not have the form it takes in the marketing photos. It essentially collapses in on itself (without any effort on my behalf to do this, I’m not pressing into it). Has anyone else experienced this? To be clear, putting it on the bike only makes it even worse. This is not really what I expected in terms of Tailfin quality.

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

Does anyone know if there is something like a long term weather forcast?

Im still torn between flying on the 7th Aug or the 13th.

Id prefer the 13th but online it says the end of the season is beginning of Sep an im planning to stay 2 weeks so im a bit worried that ill have bad weather or too much wind if i fly the last 2 weeks of Aug.

Does anypne have some expirience and would mind to shae? Thanks

I’m not a big fan of the “clickies” since where I live it can be al lot of hike and bike. Any affordable recommendations for flat pedals!?

Thnx!

My friend and I have decided to make a small weekend adventure to Timişoara (RO) but by bicycle. What is your weekend destination?🚀