The weather on last Friday was not ideal, but just 5 minutes after the start, I was greeted by another bike packer to Strasbourg and cloudy feeling was immediately away! During the trip, I've turned around twice to make some pictures or videos and was asked both time whether I've lost my way. Such a heart-warming feeling!
On Saturday, no complains at all! Really enjoyed the ride and the lake view with mountains in the background. Some streets were busy but most of the car drivers had behaved respectfully. Just the camp site at the end was full, so I needed to drive home directly. Otherwise, I'd have one more night in Lindau to enjoy the sunset.
My setup: (It was my first trip as a trial, so I've intentionally packed my stuffs loosely to reduce the possible stress.)
- Pannier left: 2P tent, camping chair, chain lock, long sleeve jersey and rain jacket if off.
- Pannier right: sleeping bag, thermal mat, exchanging clothes for walking around and sleeping, self-cleaning stuffs, meds
- Above the rear rack: flip flops, solar camping light
- Saddle bag: multitool, e-pump, chain wax, TPU tube, tyre levers, tubeless plugs
- Top tube bag: snacks, batteries, camera if it rains
- Fork bag left: camping cooking stuffs, 2x dry foods, instance coffee
- Fork bag right: power bank, cables, chargers
- and 2.3L of water
What I've learned:
- Well, handling a 27kg bike is absolutely something different.
- Birds are so loud! I won't forget to bring ear plugs for a better sleep next time…
- Tent folding is more difficult than setting it up, the pack won't just be as small as it was still on the shelf.
Some pieces of advice for Topstoners:
- For the Quick-Rack, cylindrical head M5x30 will use the full length of the insert above the thru-axle.
- For the Fork-Pack, do not use the included screws! The upper and lower ones will only have about 3 or 4 useful pitches in the thread insert and they will definitely damage the thread, because both the pack bracket and the fork are not flat. Buy some countersunk M5x30 and apply some thread glue, it worked for my trip, and the thread glue a little bit too much🤣.
Hope you guys will enjoy the photos and any advice for the next trip is appreciated!
by Gonggggg