Hey! I’ve never bikepacked before but i’m an experienced hiker. I’ve recently been super inspired to bikepack Georgia through this trail I’ve read on Bikepacking.com https://bikepacking.com/routes/caucasus-crossing/ with a friend of mine. It looks daunting but incredibly beutiful
My question to you guys is how bad of an idea it would be to try out bikepacking for the very first time in Georgia, for two guys who have no experience in bikepacking? I’m generally quite open to really pushing myself out of the comfort zone but part of me also know that most people who do trips like these are super experienced. I know that I would lack experience on how to maintain or repair my bike which obviously would be a problem in more remote areas. But given that we would be two people I recon it wouldn’t necessarily be unsafe and I could probably plan the route so that we would start of the first weeks in the easier more populated sections (west to east). Would something like this require a bunch of experience or would it be technically possible?
I would either buy a fairly cheap mountain bike here in Sweden and then transport it (budget on around 300 dollars) or I could also rent much better bike in Georgia. I wonder if it even would be possible with a rented or a cheap bike but maybe you guys can give me some insight. I really don’t wanna spend 700 dollars on a really good bike 🙂
Thanks a lot in advance for any comments or inspiration!
by Independent-Shoe-606
2 Comments
I’ve done part of this route from Zugdidi to Kutaisi 2 years ago. I believe that Georgia is one of the best countries to try out backpacking. It’s cheap, beautiful, people are very friendly and you can put down your tent in many places without anyone’s attention. There are small towns or rest stops all along the way and there’s tarmac to follow at all times.
However Caucasus is no joke. These are serious mountains, unlike anything we have here in Europe. Expect heavy rain storms possibly daily, possibly snow, cold, wild life, dogs, cows and long ascends.
If I were you I’d purchase a used bike in Sweden and try it out a couple of times and then fly it to Georgia. You have to make sure your bike fits you and all your gear and that it’s in good mechanical condition – this is crucial for bikepacking trips.
Good luck.
I would recommend doing a few trips beforehand. You can plan as much as you like, some preferences you only learn through experience. My first mistake was making my first trip way too long. Make the first trips short and experiment with your setup. If you’re not a trained cyclist, you could very well be facing a muscle/tendon injury with the amount of climbing in this route.
I wouldn’t cheap out on the bike either with a route like this. Not especially because you won’t be safe or make it but just so you can enjoy it. I’m also waiting on a new bike to do this route just so I know i can enjoy it to the fullest. You can run racks with cheap drybags but if you’re renting this may not be an option.
You’ll find all your answers on how to repair on YouTube. But if something is really broken, that’s the end of the trip.