Hi, my name is Mikael Hedberg. But you can just call me Mike, it's easier to pronounce. I love bicycle touring. I try to document all my bike tours and upload them to RU-vid. Most of my tours are from Swedish Lapland where I live, but I also try to go on International tours every year.
You have made a nice, comprehensive comparison here. I have both a backpacking setup and a full touring setup as well. It's a toss-up on which setup I prefer. The gravel bike with bikepacking gear is much faster and far more maneuverable but I sometimes really appreciate the built-in excuse to go more slowly on the touring bike.
I wonder how expensive is to get/build one of those isolated red houses and whats the living out there like, since something like this basically doesnt exist where I live, let alone in the harsh weather 36:23 idk I ran into a place like this while in Sweden and the repelent actually stop them from biting me...tho if i wasn't exhausted I'd sooner run away :D ...and its not sustainable for a long outing
I've never understood the wanting to know all the details about hills before I get to them. You're riding it twice in your head when you do that, maybe more depending on how much you think about it before you get there. In your head you're thinking about all that work you have to do which you're going to have to think about again when you actually do it, I much prefer to just deal with what comes when it comes. It's okay to know the upcoming section is hilly but I have no interest in what the elevation change over distance is. It doesn't help me at all.
I'm a little surprised that so many restaurants have closed on Sunday in France. I'm used to most shops being closed on Sunday since it is the same here in Germany but at least restaurants aren't closed here on that day.
Great video Mike! I always like the background and descriptions you give as you pass through different areas. Expands my knowledge and understanding. Thanks!
I rode with 2,75" tires. That might have been a little bit overkill for this part of the EDT, but I've heard that they might come in handy on the Spanish-Portugese section. I would probably go for a tire around 45-50 mm for this part of the EDT.
@@BikeTouringMike Thanks...I"ve got 27.5 on the bike now, but not much in the way of knobs (Panaracer gravel small knob). Is there significant mud so I would want a more aggressive tire?
Your comment about lack of tread being dangerous in the wet is incorrect. A slick tyre has more grip in the wet not less. You are thinking of car tyres which can aqua-plane. A bike tyre can't suffer from that until hitting +70mph speeds. On gravel yes less tread = less grip, but not on tarmac.
Nice one Mike, I've been watching all these just I am kinda on catch up. This episode is an epic, thoroughly enjoyed. Will hopefully get chance to watch the latest one tomorrow 👍🏼👍🏼🚴🏼♂
Well, Paris is not simply a city, it's a big metro area. So cycling through those often isn't fun even though the bike paths and the scenery around them in the video didn't look too shabby.
On the always another adventure RU-vid channel the chap tested a small device which checks the water quality. Looked really good, he was testing as a lot of people wild camping/bike packing in Scotland were getting ill this year drinking water straight from streams etc
Hi Mike, I so enjoy your bike touring videos. I've been following you for some time now. You are so natural with the camera and really draw in your followers to make it feel like we are riding right along with you. Blessings and see you next time.
Hello Mike, I want to ask you why you have the fork reversed on your Kona. It obviously doesn't spoil the handling. I really enjoy your channel. Best wishes Philip
This was asked in one of the earlier videos of this trip. He mentioned it was a genuine mistake, being distracted when putting the bike back together after the flight. Quite funny how you can ride so many kilometers without noticing the fork is the wrong way around haha