Why do bicycle tourist always eat fake food when on a tour? Meaning, not real food that they eat normally. Food bars, gels, powders etc are not real food. Oats, rice...yes! Fruits, vegetables that can be lightly steamed in a little bit of water. Black beans or whatever type you like, mixed with the rice and some steamed veggies are MUCH MORE healthier and advantageous to refuel the body. Breakfast: oats and a banana/fruits raisins. Lunch: apple or orange, a simple sandwich - canned tuna or chicken. Dinner: anything with high protein and carbs - spaghetti or rice/chili or beans mixed with veggies. These items can be bought in small quantities and still have enough left over for more meals: the rice, canned tuna/chicken, broccoli already chopped up in a prepackaged bag, baby carrots too the same way, rice: I buy a 1lb bag which will last for a few servings. Just my opinion.
Great video to know what to take on a tour. Very good pointers for me who is about to try London to Istanbul. Would've been great to see it packed. Peterborough. Lol.
I think it would be helpful to a lot of people if you made a video showing how all of that fits into your panniers. Packing all of that onto a bike is pretty gnarly!
dylanjastle I've got two more similar videos in the pipeline - one will be on how to pack a bike up so it can be taken on a plane, and the second on how to pack the gear into panniers - probably within the next 6 weeks i guess ;)
Man thats a lot of gear to carry on a bike! On my tours we shove verything into a rack bag, spare bike clothes, inner tubes, money and some clothes to go round town in! We save by staying in hostels for like under 10 quid a night. So much fun! Got a ciuple of vids if you want to see
Well if we all toured the same it would be a dull world!! This was prep for a rtw ride. I save money by being self sufficient and wild camping. This brings daily costs down to 10 dollars a day or less. I prefer to carry more weight and tour for longer ;) for me, its not a race
It is an excellent video. However, it is also a lot of stuff - isn't it? I have never toured in the UK, but I am getting the impression, that the shops there are only open once a year 🤪. Also, the roads must be just terrible - two tubes on an one week trip? I am on tour 4-6x a year and I am using my bicycle every day - within 10years I had not one flat tire (Marathon Supreme). And tubes can be repaired, can't they? And if not, there are these vending machines where you get new tubes 24h/7days. Clothes can be washed and dryed at every camping ground. However, I agree it is matter of personal "taste". Of course things are different when you do wild camping and you're travelling in South America etc. Last not least: I do like your videos and in every one of your videos I learn something - so keep going and "Hals und Beinbruch" for your next tour.
I really like the way you get to the point and break up the segments with title pages. Thanks for the medical stuff. I haven't heard anyone else talking about those specific things - very useful and practical. best wishes!
Good stuff! I am looking to my first camping bike tour around the SW Everglades of Florida! After doing a 32 mile gravel ride with a friend of mine, I have been thinking of going out camping. Thanks for the tips in the video.
You MP3 player is great for audio-books. Lots of good entertainment and not as big as a kindle. Ebay has an 80000Mah power bank with solar re-charging. I put velcro on the back of it and the opposite velcro on the back of my rack. Keeps everything charged for only $15. PEACE
Hello Is this bike custom made ...? I mean you can order from some manufacturer site or something ? Can't find high quallity bikes here in Brazil ...:(( like koga or giant :((
Hi Gromit! The Rohloff is still holding up well. I've had the bike I think 5 or 6 years now? I'll be honest - the bike has not done as many miles as I would have liked (I've been testing other bikes for a company on tours since this video was made). So, I can't give you an answer based on like 2 years solid bike touring around the world. I've not done indepth research into pinion systems, but am led to believe the frame has to be pinion specific. If you go with one, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Good stuff. I've got the cycle touring bug. I manage the Camino de Santiago two years ago and am now planning on cycle camping here in Texas. I'm curious how the electronics faired. Was the power bank or solar panel useful or waste of space?
I'm wondering... is it necessary to use front panniers? Last year I went on a small tour myself and I only used my back panniers (5 days). It was my first tour and I loved it, but I'm sure I can learn a lot more for future tours :)
Hi Justine, No, it is not necessary at all. My first tour, I also went without front panniers. I kind of miss those days, now I end up taking more stuff in the form of computer/cameras etc! What I would say though, is that if your rear panniers are super heavy, the front ones will help you spread the weight out more. This will save you a few potentially broken spokes on the rear wheel.
Thank you for your answer!! If it's possible and my back panniers aren't too heavy.. I'm going to stay with the back ones only. Last time it was very handy, with only the rear panniers ;). If I'm bringing more stuff with me, I definitely will use the front panniers too :). Thanks!! :)
Hi Dave, Just looking over your vids. A cycle tour is something ive wanted to do for a long time and now think I may have to try and get a trip in next year. I cycle everyday to work and have done a few day trips on the bike over the last few years, Is there any specific training you think I should do tp prepare myself? Cheers in advance, Sam
Hi Sam, Always good to hear from people planning a tour! :) Training wise, i would say build up gradually to it. Normally, its not the distance that takes its toll on people but the weight of the bike and gear. You could prepare a little for this by increasing the load carried for your daily commute. Throw in a few Saturday and Sunday rides with full or 3/4 gear beforehand and you'll be good. I tend to keep to 80km days on average, which on a loaded bike is anywhere between 5 and 8 hours actual cycling depending on terrain. I also tend to stop every 20km or so for a feed. Hope thats been of some help. Happy Tailwinds!!
Hi, I haven't used mudguards since cycling in Alaska. What happened on a super muddy road, was that the mud got stuck between the tires and the mudguards and the wheel wouldn't go around any more! Since then, i've relied on my rear bags to keep the 'skunk' look of mud splashing up my back from happening.
Yes it's a heavy setup, and this particular gear setup (or variation) is what I use on my longer rides (Alaska to Argentina, England to South Africa, Greece to England).There's always a balance between the weight something is and the comfort it provides.
Weight weenies have a a hard time with loaded bikes as they are ingrained into the thought of going up hills as they do around home ,unloaded. If you do tour and scrimp on something because of weight you you may regret it . I would rather have too much than not enough.
Hi Dave, I do cycle tours too. I enjoyed your video, but I missed three things from your kit: - Sport cream (to prepare your muscles for the heavy job and avoid the injuries) - Cycling shoe cover and fenders from your bike they help to keep dry your foot, when the weather is wet. Interesting that you take 4 spare tube. And the type of saddle... I do not want to try it. :) Ummm... and the fishes... Unfortnatetly they can not give energy for the sports.
Hi Atomcarz, The points you raise lead me to believe you come from a road cycling background. My background i purely bicycle touring, of which I have completed nearly 30,000 miles in various parts of the world, so the gear I take with me I do so because I know it works. To counter your points.. Sport cream - Take it if you want, but when it runs out you aren't going to miss it. Cycling shoe covers - Neoprene covers keep your feet warm but you shoes become wet. Especially so wearing SPD cleats. I prefer using sealskinz socks. The saddle is a Brooks B17 - This is the best saddle for bicycle touring available, and has proven itself for thousands of bicycle tourists. The tinned fish provides protein, which you will need as much as you need carbs. cheers
There is a solar charger/80,000mah battery pack on Ebay for around $14. I use an outlet to charge it up before I leave home. I mounted it on the bike in the sun, it will keep 2 items fully charged all day if they are plugged in with USB cables. If your phone runs out of charge it only takes about an hour to charge it up in the sun/battery pack. It is about 4" x 5" x .75". It has never ran out of charge. Best buy I ever made.
Very helpful film. I've just bought a Koga signature ( not trying to be Mark Beaumont but it was a bargain price ) and am planning my first week long tour at the moment. I always struggle to travel light but will just be harsh this time. Essentials only
A koga would have been my 'other choice' ... would love to hear how you get on with it. As for travelling light... i will be the first to admit this gear list is not the lightest! It was more of a test run for the gear im taking on the next RTW trip. Including the panniers themselves it weighed in at 20kgs. Taking less tech, wearing the same clothes for a week, and buying food day by day could have reduced this to between 10 and 15kgs. Good luck on your tour!
Thanks Dave, I will be doing a couple of long weekends first, progress to a week and then plan to do a charity ride round all the various RAF bases I served on; in aid of Erskine Veterans hospital. Did 115k yesterday in well under five hours but that was on a skinny carbon bike. I will be targeting 75-100miles a day eventually. Cheers
To be honest, I have so many mixed feelings about it, I have held off reviewing it until now! I recently used it on my Greece to England cycle ride, again with mixed results. If you are looking for an 'all in one' solution to navigation, this might not be it. If you are looking for a way to record your journey, and have another tool ti use along with maps, then it should do fine. I hope to put a more considered review up over the next couple of weeks!
Hi! It does vary from tour to tour, but a lot of it is still the same as is shown here - I must have picked stuff that lasts pretty well! My current touring tech gear would include items from this list as and when needed: Samsung S7 Phone Go Pro Hero 3+ (yes, I need a new one) Chromebook (I need to work on the road) - RU-vid video here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-owRiIZEomtU.html GPS (Although I am moving away now from using a GPS - Google maps has made them irrelevant for the most part) MP3 Player (The same one!!) Kindle (Same One!!) Powerbank (Same one) +Whatever leads I need. This was pretty much the tech gear I took on my Greece to England bike ride and it worked pretty well. I haven't gone the drone route yet (I would love too). Hope this is of some help!
I used to be of the same opinion until I used a good quality one. Whilst I agree that it is not going to be Sky Racing Team accurate, it's good enough for bicycle touring. It's surprising how very different the 'it feels ok' way of checking tyre pressure is compared to the pump with gauge! I also credit keeping an eye on pressure with only having one puncture on my most recent 4500km bicycle tour from Greece to England.
Even if the gauge on a pump isn't highly accurate, just by comparing a pump gauge with a good quality gauge and note the variance, you then have a reasonably accurate gauge. IMHO
I currently have a Topeak pump with pressure gauge, but it's not very accurate (same as the ones I've previously owned/binned), and I can usually tell by "feel" of ride whether a tyre's at the right/optimum inflation, rather than relying on a gadget. However it's obviously your choice whether to carry a pump with pressure gauge on it; I've just found them to be a waste of money, that's all.
