Hi ^ I'm getting ready for my first trip, really scared and really excited! I haven't been able to look at videos and learn so it's pretty much improvised 😅
Last week I did a 2 days test ride, 165km, which helped me figure out some stuff, some changes I have to do and plan shorter days, 50km/day is more reasonable with all this weight. I'm aware I'm carrying way too much stuff for touring but I'm not doing just touring, I'm going to travel for many years and most of the time I'll actually not be on the road but at someone else place with wwoof or workaway so I want some comfort and not have to hand wash all my clothes every 2 days lol.
I'm starting from northeast Italy, I'll have to go through the Alps, during the winter, great choice for a beginner lol I don't have precise plans right now, the general idea is to stay around Villach for the winter, then in spring and summer reach northern Germany, I think I'll spend the winters in northern Germany without moving much and then as the temperatures raise I could visit Scandinavia, I miss Sweden a lot. Sorry for not saying much more about the way I'll be travelling and why, this post is getting very long, maybe I'll write more in the comments.

About my gear:
– Got a riverside touring 520, which I'm loving, and a horrible trailer I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
– On the handlebar I have a 2p tent.
– On the fork 2x7L bags currently holding just my 2x1L thermos.
– In the middle bag I have most of my tools.
– On top of the rear rack I keep hygiene and aid stuff.
– In the rear right bag I keep all the wet things, so the poncho, impermeable pants, bivvy tent, some tarps. The alcohol kitchen is also in there.
– In the rear left bag I keep food and all the clothes I frequently put on and off.
– In the big box on the trailer I have a lot of clothes in a vacuum bag, German textbooks, electronics and a bunch of other things.
– In the 70L backpack I have the sleeping bag, mat and pillow.

Future upgrades:
– I've just ordered an extension bar for the handlebar and a thing to hold my tent more safely.
– I want to get a new phone holder because in that position it isn't nice to look at GPS, I want a similar one with space for my powerbank but that goes on the handlebar, so far the ones I've seen look too slim to fit a battery.
– I think I'll get rid off of one of my 2 thermos, it's really easy to find a fountain or just stop at a bar to refill, I could substitute it by adding a second water bottle under the bike where my U-lock is now.
– This trailer is absolute trash, arrived with wrong instructions, bolts and nuts were just thrown in the (broken) box randomly, the welding is bad making it really hard to assemble, the original tyres weared off and exposed the tubes after just 120km which caused me quite some troubles. I've bought a spare spring, as soon as the original one fails I'll buy a different trailer, I've got suggested a burley flatbed which looks very nice but it's almost 300€ so that's why I'm waiting for this one to break before spending more money.
– Initially I've got a 50w solar panel which I brought with me during the test ride, I built a nice support and I like it but it doesn't feel that much important so I decided to save some weight. I have 2 power banks to keep my phone alive for 4 days, the solar panel under constant bright sun can charge a powerbank in 6 hours but during the test ride it of course took much longer since I was often in the shade, it's also useless when it rains. So I think once every 4 days I can simply spend a morning at a bar and ask to recharge everything, or if I sleep at a campsite I can just pay for electricity.

Any suggestions are really appreciated as I have a lot to learn, thank you ^

by Nekkoren

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2 Comments

  1. I wonder if you pack little extra, but hay you want to be at safe side before you gain experience right?

    Have a wonderful riding experience.

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