Generic Touring Thread

Great another English person telling me what to do...and the Scottish option?

"Ho! Fuck ye gaun?!"

Tbh I use it for the map not for the route planning. Also for finding campsites and hotels at the end of the day (configure map->POI overlay. Also useful for other things like water sources, as skinny says).

Longshot but does anyone have / know anyone in Bilbao that can hook us up with transporting bikes/boxes to airport x4 for tomorrow? For £/€ obv. Trying to avoid x4 taxi's

@CarlosBI might?

No personal connection, but maybe you could try Basque MTB?

A new set of bikepacking routes in northern Finland is being published right now by the Finnish Center for Cycling Tourism here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJlbY9H9aIk

https://www.bikeland.fi/en/arcticbycycle

For some reason while sat in Kotor after a big tonne yesterday I am wondering about Corsica.

What do people know about Corsica? Getting there, tyre choice etc?

Spotted in Germany

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Mental!

You’re touring in Germany?

Filled with all the comforts and Bafang power you could ever need

No, just a weekend out with the *** to go climbing :)

My first-ever cycle tour starts on Thursday and I'm hugely looking forward to it. But there's something I'll have forgotten, isn't there? Something obvious.

Beyond all the usual passport, tickets, phone + charger/plug adapter gubbins, what's the thing you failed to take with you on your first tour that you instantly regretted the moment it became apparent? Or is everyone super organised?

I do forget to bring (olive) oil quite often

Yeah, salt as well.

I should add I'm not camping anywhere. Way too old for that now.

I dunno what your plans are re tools, but def the basics of levers/tubes/patches/pump/multi-tool. I have also been caught out when a chain jumped behind the cassette so ever since I take a little chain breaker and cassette tool. Quicklinks make a lot of sense when touring.

Some cable ties and gaffer tape for emergency repairs have come in handy a number of times (mostly repairing my luggage or shoes) so always bring them.

I left cable ties behind. After thinking an inordinate of time about how useful cable ties are.

Easily remedied but don't know how I forgot.

I picked up a foam roller on this tour. Bit mad you might think but it weighs nothjng, sits nice below my aero bars and gets used every day.

Yep, the tools basics are coming with me, but quicklinks I had thought about then forgotten, so I'll call in at the LBS tomorrow.

You're more likely to take far too much than too little. Make sure you've got puncture repair stuff and at least some tools. Cable ties. Big strip of gaffer tape, you can wrap it round an old credit card to save space. Some M5 screws so you can fix your rack.

You're not going into space so anything that you do forget and really need you can still get.

A small cargo net always comes in handy, for when you've stuffed your bags too full but still need somewhere to put your warm jumper when you take it off.

I don't step out the door without consulting my packing checklist. Too easy to forget things.

Compile one out of others that you find on the internet

Anyone on here (light) touring single speed?

Have done a weeks tour fixed across the highlands. Singlespeed would’ve made comfort substantially better on the long downhills by the end.

Nice, that's much more hardcore than what I had planned. Was thinking a 2:1 ratio (or maybe a touch under) SS. 2x25l panniers.

Has anyone cycled down the east coast of Loch Lomond along the west highland way, from the Inversnaid Hotel to Rowardennan? Really want to avoid the ferry crossing and the main road on west coast of loch