* it's 25000m d+, I made a mistake in the title

Here's few pictures to give you a glimpse of my incredible journey crossing the Massif Central in a 10 days solo trip, carrying my own stuff, an article came out if you want to have more details on this adventure : https://stajvelo.com/blogs/stories/gtmc-gravel-grande-traversee-du-massif-central

If you've some questions, don't hesitate to ask!

When you're leaning forwards on the handlebars, does it still reach down and cover your lower back and bum? I ride in a semi vertical position with Jones bars. My Rab Arc jacket has well and truly had it.

What other ultralight rain jackets are out there with a long back? Ive been looking at Montane Minimus, Macpac Challenger, Ground Effects Storm Trooper. With the last seeming the only good option.

High breathability desired, and low weight/small packed size.

I wanted to do the Apennine Mountain Traverse, so I packed my bike and went pedaling. The route starts in Bologna (Italy), so from my town (little village close to Salzburg, Austria) I just went.

After 3 hours/40-50km I had to call my girlfriend and ask her to come to me because my rear brake wasn't working right. She took me all the tools I needed for the side road repair, I fixed the brake, kissed her goodbye again and continued.

I took the train from Innsbruck to Bolzano, to cheat a bit and dodge the rain. Then I continued to pedal.

I got rained on while sleeping, because I was lazy to set up the fly over my hammock. I realized it was raining when water went through the side of the sleeping bag onto my back. I woke u, "fuckfuckfuck", I checked the weather radar and ultimately I decided to not jump out the hammock to set up the fly because the rain was about to stop in 10'. I thought it was better to have hammock and sleeping bag a bit wet instead of having hammock, sleeping bag, myself and the fly wet.

I took a train from Mantova to Modena because that flat part of Italy was boring.

I visited friends and got drunk.

I started the route I wanted, I followed the GPS track one pedal strike after the other.

The GPS track... the pedals, my bike, took me to beautiful landscapes, magical forests, villages, mountain passes, sweets long singletracks, towns, fast tarmac sections, sttep uphills, steep downhills, creeks, water fountains, rocks, churches... history, culture... noisy and busy forest at night, birds, squirrels, boars, small and "big" animals around my hammock... and... is that howling in the distance coming from a wolf? I want to believe so.

I reached the town of Forlì, but I was felling I wasn't done with the Apennines. So I took the train back to Bologna and started the Via degli Dei. This route was shorter, more popular with hikers, and less "backcountry", but more demanding: fewer kms with way more elevation. So many Hike a Bike sections, but the views and the singletracks...oh yes, that's good stuff.

I reached Firenze. So.Many.People. So.Many.

I took the train to Pistoia. One more stretch in the Apennines. I pedaled toward a friend that lives in Castel di Casio area. More Apennines, more autumns colors, more singletracks, more hike a bike. Just more, but the "more" that's soothing, that help cement memories and process all what I saw and experienced.

Also the "more" that finally killed my rear brake definitely leaving me to chose the easy road back, because I did everything I wanted and more. I felt finally I could cruise on tarmac till the next train station and head home.

I pedaled, I pushed my bike.

I sweated, I got rained on, I got dehydrated.

I got hungry, I ate everything I had with me, till the last crumble.

I jumped in rivers and creeks. I washed myself and my tshirt in water fountain taps. I was stinky and freshly cleaned and stinky again.

I ate delicious cheeses, focaccia, tigelle, crescentine, erbazzoni... and I ate boring plain porridge and stale bread.

I explored. I looked around. I read info panels.

I was in awe.

I hang my hammock in beautiful places and less so.

I gaze the night sky.

I listen to all the sounds nature can make.

I saw birds, deers and boars.

I heard owls, squirrels, hogs, horses, cows...

Wolfs where howling at the moon, right? Just on the other side of the valley. They must be wolfs.

I met few people and had nice interactions.

I've pet cats.

I struggled sometimes with managing time on and off the pedals, distances, batteries, water and food, but I think I learned a lot.

I pedaled 120km in one day and also 30km another day. And also none at all.

I pushed that heavy bike so much, sometimes one step at the time, but I knew I could do it, just slower, another push, 15cm more, every step will sum as progress. Will get me there.

I took terrible pictures. I'm bad at telling my story.

It was a small big adventure. I lived that. I was there.

There's beauty, and all kind of things out there. I want to reach them with my bike.

I posted some pictures yesterday of a drawing of my bikepacking rig. While it was mostly very well received (and I appreciate that) it was also met with a fair bit of criticism. Several people felt the need to point out some imperfections in the drawing (some of which were legitimate (like having only one crank, haha). A couple other issues were with the cassette not having enough cogs and the support mechanism for the seat post bag not being mechanically functional. I fixed those issues relatively simply. But, even with the finest-tipped pen, there’s no way to get 10 cogs into a tiny space smaller than a dime. I did add a couple more cogs to give a better suggestion of a full cassette. Could it still be improved upon? Absolutely. The spokes, for instance, aren’t set quite right. And the drop bar is a little off. Am i going to leave well-enough alone? Yes. Maybe I can do better on the next one.

Also, to hopefully squash any more attempts to claim that this image may be AI produced, I included some pics of the drawing in various stages of development.

Art is subjective, but it’s also highly suggestive. It’s more often than not about presenting a suggestion of a thing rather than an attempt to render a perfect carbon-copy image of something. Very few people on the planet (and I’m certainly NOT one of them) can render a photorealistic image of something with 2 dimensional mediums such as pen, pencil, or paint. Most people realize this.

I’m no professional artist. I’m a simple hobbyist with no formal training who’s only recently getting back into drawing after not drawing anything for almost 15 years. I do this for myself because it’s fun and it’s beneficial to my overall wellbeing. No other reason.

Thanks for all the love and support I did receive from my original post yesterday. I poured my heart and soul into this drawing of my bike and your mostly kind comments meant a lot to me… 😊

I hike a lot in places with no coverage, and my inReach could only send texts. So I built HikerAI (https://hikerai.stream/). You text a question from the inReach, and an AI answer comes back by satellite. It's short enough to fit the message limits.

The photo is from a recent trip. I had no signal and needed to know if there was still a bus that day. The answer came back with the stop, a 400m/5 min walk, "likely last today," and "be there 17:55." I made it.

People use it for weather, huts and trail info, gear fixes, and stuff like transit.

It's completely free, with no card. I'd really love feedback, especially from inReach users: what would you ask it, and what's confusing on the site?

(Disclosure: I'm the founder.)

Interested in hearing peoples’ thoughts on this. I have a gravel bikepacking bike that I run 27.5/650b go with bigger tires. My frame maxes out at 700x50 just barely, but clears 27.5 2.3 no problem.

Have noticed that availability of 650b gravel tires and 27.5 x 2.1 -2.3 seem more limited nowadays. Especially now that a lot of bikes seem to clear 29x2.4 and 32 is the new thing. Brands like Teravail seems to have stopped producing 650b and 27.5 2.1-2.3 Panaracer gravelkings are also still somewhat of an option, but stock seems limited.

Thoughts?

I've been a subscriber to Bikepacking.com since Journal No. 3 and have always been happy with their service until my most recent issue arrived badly damaged.

I've tried contacting them a few times through their website and Instagram but haven't received a response.

Has anyone else had any experience with their customer service, or had similar issues?

I'm going to do my first bikepacking trip soon, and I was wondering how people strap sleeping bags onto handlebars without pressing too much on the brake hoses and cables? Is what I'm doing ok?

Holy cow what an amazing event. This was my first bikepacking trip and I can already tell that we were spoiled with this one.

First off, the people that put this on are amazing. They are incredibly kind, helpful, and a blast to meet and be around. HUGE shout out to the mobile bike repair crew for the quick fixes and Screech Owl Brewing for the hospitality and camping spot.

Overall this was a great experience, and needless to say I am hooked.

The 110 route (shorter of the three options) covered every type of terrain. The sights were beautiful, even the steep climbs felt rewarding once you got to blast down the other side.

I would absolutely encourage people to check out this event and support these awesome people.

I had a blast and can’t wait for next year.

Mountaineer Monster Bikepacking Instagram

Would love some recommendations for similar events if anyone knows of some!

So, I'm a 23 years old girl from Sweden, and I've somehow decided to go on a spontaneous cycling adventure through southern Spain, despite having pretty much zero experience with bikes.

I'm flying to Alicante in the beginning of November, I've bought myself a bike and a helmet, and that's about as far as my planning has gotten lol. I have no return ticket, but gotta be back in Sweden the 20th of December.

My dad and uncle will be joining me for start of the trip, also on bikes and carrying the tents. The purpose of this trip is that my dad and uncle are looking for a place to retire in the future. They're kind of like hippies, and it will be very off-grid. So they want to cycle from Alicante up to the mountains, and see the Murcia region.

I'm not sure for how long I will survive with those guys, and I kind of want to make my own adventure. I may leave them whenever I want to, however, I won't sleep outdoor alone. So I gotta make it to villages/cities where I can sleep indoors. I've also been thinking about going to some WOOF farm or a Workaway farm, I do love farms and been working on ranches before. However I feel like farm people don't know any English haha and I don't know any Spanish! This is where I really need some advice, I've got no plan or experience at all...

Do you think it will be dangerous for me as a young girl to cycle alone between Spanish towns?

Are the roads very trafficked and may I get hit by a car?

May it be smarter to buy train tickets instead and bring the bike on the train?

Does anyone here happen to own a farm that I can stay at in the area?

Anybody else cycling through Spain the same time or done a similar trip?

Are there any places along the Spanish coast / Murcia region you'd particularly recommend?

Anything I should know about cycling or camping in Spain?

Is it possible to go snorkling/swimming in November or will it be too cold?

If I stay at cities, would you say there are other travelers there? I'd like to stay at social hostels and meet other travelers but I don't know if there are any lol. I feel like I'll be so lonely, not knowing any Spanish as well.

I do realize that these are very many and different questions, so I'm not sure what communities to reach out to. Any tips, recommendations or stories from your own adventures would be very appreciated! I'm also new on Reddit and not used to making posts.

Hi all. I have been on tour for four months and I am doing my last leg in Tunisia in a week and a half.

I dont usually follow routes I just go wherever I feel like. However are there any suggestions for routes in Tunisia?

I will spend about 3 weeks there before flying home so I want to see all the good stuff.

The terrain doesnt really bother me and I love both remote and city touring.

Hallo
Ich bin auf der Suche nach einem neuen Zeot fürs bikepacking. Aktuell habe ich eins von Salewa welches jedoch viel zu schwer ist

Mein großes Problem ist dass ich 2 Meter groß bin und die meisten Zelte dafür einfach nicht lang genug sind
Mein Plan ist es ein 2 Mann Zelt zu kaufen und mich dann eventuell schräg reinzulegen - vielleicht hat aber jemand ein ähnliches Problem und ein passendes Zelt gefunden

Gewicht unter 2 KG sollte ausreichend sein da ich selbst eh schon relativ schwer bin und es deswegen nicht unbedingt Ultraleicht sein muss

Aktuell ist das Naturehike mongar pro 2 oder giling 2 mein Favorite
Andere Zelte wie von MSR sind mir zu teuer - mein Budget liegt bei maximal 300,-

Vielleicht ist ja jemand in einer ähnlichen Situation und kann mir helfen :)

Hi,
I am planning a few months surf trip along the moroccan coast. My bike will be the decathlon gravel sword, and I was wondering about what is the best option for transporting the surfboards. It is my first bike surftrip. I’d the trailer is more convenient since you can also put the wetsuit and maybe multiple boards, but also heavier and offroad it could be annoying. The side rack is to me the best to minimize effort but I wonder if it won’t catch to much wind.
If someone has already done a trip like that, I’d love to hear your advices !

As the title suggests, my hiking buddy and i we're planning to do the GDMBR next year. Last week, he backed out. I'm still going. I'm leaving around June 21 to July 1. Is there anyone else leaving about the same time? I'd like to think that there is some sort of bubble, no matter how small, for some sort of support and occasional conversation.

Hello all,

i need advice from people who drove/are driving kona sutra. Mine is from 2020 and its size bigger than what it should be. Im 175cm male with usually “book proportions”, but reach feels wrong no matter how i setup saddle (i also slip alot from original brooks, so i will be replacing it also).

question is, what stem can i replace original with, obviously i have to go with shorter, since i cant swap bike for size 52. Mine is 54.

what saddle would you recommend for touring etc 60angle

Thought you all might dig this… ✍️

An ink pen drawing i did this morning of my most prized possession — a 2016 Surly Disk Trucker that I’ve put over 10,000 miles on. The most comfortable, dependable, and capable bike I’ve ever owned. This bike has taken me on many great adventures over the years and drawing it was almost as much fun as riding… almost 😎

I do plan on adding a landscape in the background. Will repost when it’s finished…

My girlfriend and I want to bikepack through Japan but it has to be in July or August (maybe end of June). Is it doable with the heat and humidity or is it better to save such an adventure for another time?

Description

During our summer vacation, we decided to cross Switzerland by gravel bike from Basel to Geneva along the Alpine 3 MTB route.

As in the rest of Europe at the time, the weather was excellent for cycling. Even though the highest point is around 1,800 m above sea level, we never got cold.

The route is clearly marked with red signs, which makes it quite easy to follow without a GPS device.

After leaving the crowded Basel area, the scenery changes to woods and soft hills. Later on the trip, the hills become mountains—mostly on pristine gravel or asphalt roads. There is some single-track, but nothing too long. There are some remote stretches where progress can feel very slow, but beautiful views always compensate for the long climbs.

Eating the local cuisine is also highly recommended, especially at the “Alms” away from the main roads.

We took our time—9 days, to be exact. Half of the time we booked hotels after a hard day’s riding. The other half we slept outside without any issues. For those on a budget, there are plenty of campgrounds and also areas where camping is allowed.

All in all, it was a trip to remember.

Bikes * Scott Scale Gravel (2.35 tires, 34–52T) * Liv Devote Advanced 2 (38 mm tires; 30–36T -> sketchy)

Highlights * Basel / Geneva / La Chaux-de-Fonds * Creux du Van * Croûtes au fromage / Comté * Mont Blanc view

Things to know * Most of the region is French-speaking, so it is advisable to know a few words * Switzerland is expensive * Mostly rideable with a gravel bike * Very hilly—you’re either going up or down * Drinking water is available everywhere * Supply points are frequent * Be aware of cows

Links

The predominantly forested Jura heights stretch from Basel to Lac Léman. In between lies a bewitchingly varied landscape with remote valleys, lush meadows, rushing rivers, small lakes and countless biking routes.

From Basel, the third largest Swiss city, the Jura Bike route rapidly makes its way into the remoteness of the Jura heights. With the end of the urban sprawl, the first section begins, leading mainly through forested areas to the picturesque little town of Laufen.

You later cross the language border and reach Délemont, the capital of the Jura. Here begins the scenic section over the Col des Rangiers to the Doubs, its waters accompanying the route to historic St. Ursanne. Neighbouring Freiberge is known for horse breeding and numerous horses edge the trail until the route again leads along the Doubs to remote Lac de Moron und Lac des Brenets.

The ride from Val de Travers to the «Balcon Vaudois» is a real treat. Here the tour runs along the southernmost slopes of the Jura, with wonderful views of Lac de Neuchâtel with the Alps in the background. The last part of the ride leads into the Vallée de Joux, which with its lake rates as Switzerland’s coldest region. The Jura Bike route ends with an ascent to Col du Marchairux and descent to Nyon on Lac Léman.

https://schweizmobil.ch/en/mountainbiking-in-switzerland/route-3

Track

Mostly Alpine 3 (Jura) with some extension through France and back again into Switzerland.

We did: * https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/3259038923?share_token=answBQnX1chwsRYjm16EOwL4D7SuXS9U7ICMt5r1LGd4DvjOe5&ref=wtd&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=1008396778386

Planned * https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/3204468001?share_token=arlhnCtmI5mUUpuqDTaSlRjiIeBL329zoH2JBPcUtozhPCdj6U&ref=wtd&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=1008396778386

Hi everyone! I lost an Ortlieb rear pannier today while cycling between Nakdanbo (낙단보) and Chilgokbo (칠곡보) on the South Korea Cross Country Route.
The bag contains:
A blue dry bag with clothes inside
An orange-red waterproof jacket
A pair of Lululemon pants
Some bicycle repair tools
I suspect it fell off on the right-hand side of the road.
If anyone finds it, spots it along the route, or knows if it has been handed in somewhere, please contact me as soon as possible. I’d be incredibly grateful!
Also, if you know of any Facebook groups or other communities for people cycling the Korean Cross Country Route (국토종주), please send me a DM so I can post there too.
Thank you so much for your help! 🙏

Hello,

I've been planning a trip to Japan for almost 10 years now and I'm finally going next June. I have been collecting spots and places throughout those years and have now (almost) finished making a route out of it. I used Google Mymaps to collect the spots and places and then used Komoot (which already somehow ruined the locations – Idk why, so you can't see all the spots as numbers) to plan the route. I already knew that it was probably going to be way too many spots to visit, even in the planned 6 months.

Now the problem I'm facing is I don't know what to actually go and do. My main goal is actually to spend as much time as possible at those places rather than just cycling as much as possible. What do you think is a realistic goal for riding each day but still have enough time to look at the spots.

My whole route is about 13,500 km long. Elevation is about 200,000 m. My route is far from well-planned and probably has way too many unnecessary routes. However, this is how I managed to actually collect all the spots. I have divided the trip into the main parts of Japan.

I think a realistic goal would be around 6,000 km in those 6 months and going from north to south. Because I'm starting at the end of June, I'd like to start as high as possible and end as far down as possible in December. So I thought maybe doing a part in the north and then mid-journey taking a train down and staying in the south for the rest of it.

I have about 12,000 CHF saved, which is about 2,200,000 Yen for the whole trip.

Any tips and help would be greatly appreciated!

Cardboard boxes

Has anybody been to china bikepacking?
We are trying to find cardboard boxes for our flight from Shangri-La!
But it doesn’t seem super easy…does anybody know any references or bike shops that we can contact to make some cardboxes for our bikes?

Thanks a lot in advance!
And always keep rolling around ;)

Greetings a fellow bikepacker

This worked better than expected. Quick access to rain gear and a place to hold glasses.