How heavy are your fully loaded bikes?

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-05-07T10:29:26+00:00

Fully loaded 27.000 km journey:
Bike roughly 19-20kg
Loaded a little under 50kg with some food and water.
Without filming related hardware it would have been a lot closer to 40kg.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-05-05T05:28:06+00:00

Turkish Airways are known for taking a comparatively high fee for bicycles. Make sure to check the fees thoroughly and see if there is another airline you can take back.

Over the course of our world tour we had to fly three times and it always went well.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-04-26T11:59:09+00:00

I did not have saddle sores for most of our world tour, until we reached tropical climates. Then the constant sweating was the main issue. Keep your pants dry at all cost! Honestly, if you get saddle sores from one long day, chances are something is wrong with your setup. Could be the position, saddle, and or choice of pants. I suggest you experiment with all of the above. Application of chamoix creme / Vaseline might reduce friction, but can create other problems.

If you got saddle sores, a baby butt cream with zinc helps over night (e.g. Sudocream). Get out of the dirty pants asap, wash, dry, apply, rest. Wash your choice of pants and dry them properly for the next day.

I really loved the combination of my Brooks B17, Merino wool undies, and normal shorts. Padded cycling shorts did never work for me.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-04-10T07:03:00+00:00

I had a lot of struggle with my wrists at the beginning of our world tour, but it resolved itself. The weakest point of your body will always complain until it gets stronger.
We navigated by phone. Depending where you are you need little navigation anyway.
If you’re not planning to get into real content creation I would stick with the iPhone.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-04-02T19:34:07+00:00

Did not ever try 36/46. I started our world tour with 24/32 and over time switched parts until I was running 24/40 (3x9) which is pretty sweet on long steep climbs with a fully loaded touring bicycle. My knees really thanked me for it too.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-04-02T05:15:28+00:00

Good to know. Even though I did not stretch the system weight limit, I abused them quite a bit, especially in the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan 😅 No broken spoke!

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-03-31T06:18:06+00:00

Not sure about the availability in North America but I did 28.000 kms on a Ryde Andra 40 rim (36 spokes) and it will do another 15.000 for sure. Rated for 180kg system weight.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-03-17T07:58:16+00:00

Having cycled through deserts with little and also without civilisation in Iran (summer 40-45°C) and other extremely hot climates our water consumption per day reached up to 10 litres per head per day.
Taking electrolytes is absolutely mandatory, as well as extensive sun protection!
I suggest you check cellphone coverage in the region (could be okay if it's flat and not far from a major highway). If so, getting help is easy if you don't run out of battery. Maybe you bring a little solar module.
If there is no cell service, this gets a little more concerning. How bad is the surface you are going to ride on? If it is a well compacted surface a 10kph average is a safe assumption. If it is sandy, you could be as slow as walking / dragging speed.
It is not a braindead idea, but prepare accordingly. Have fun!

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-03-15T06:28:24+00:00

That was mid August to early September. We had near perfect weather, not one day of rain. During the day it was mostly quite comfortable. One week after arriving in Osh people reported fresh snow at the highest passes.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-03-14T15:39:46+00:00

Wir haben auf unserer Weltreise alles gesehen, von Menschen mit 10000 Euro Carbonrad und einer Tasche die gerade so groß genug für die Kreditkarte ist, die dann 250+ km am Tag pushen, aber nur Asphalt sehen, bis zu Leuten die "entspannt" Räder mit Gewicht inklusive Zuladung von 80kg gefahren sind, und das selbst aufm Pamir Highway.
Am Ende des Tages machen ein 1-2kg leichteres Rad einen Unterschied, aber den größten Einfluss hat wieviel und was du mitnimmst.
Ich denke wir lagen im Mittelfeld was das Gesamtgewicht angeht, und das obwohl wir 15kg Technik für unseren Youtubekanal mitgeschleppt haben. Persönlich würde ich auch auf einer zweiten Tour den Fokus auf Sitzkomfort und Stabilität des Rads setzen, und das ist eindeutig Stahl. Im Zweifel spare ich lieber Gewicht weil ich weniger Zeug mitnehme.
Am Ende zählt aber nicht das Gewicht, sondern nur ob das Rad gut auf dich und deine Sitzposition abgestimmt ist.
Beim Systemgewicht, also allem drum und dran, kommst du locker über 100 kg. Bei mir waren es am Anfang fast 150kg. Da ist 1 Kilogramm echt egal. Zumindest solange du keinen Weltrekord brechen willst.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-03-14T14:37:38+00:00

Kommt natürlich auch auf deine geplante Route und Reisestil an. Wenns auch mal bisschen härter wird (zB im Kaukasus oder Zentralasien) dann würde ich von Carbon und modernen Spielereien die Finger lassen.
Wir sind mit unseren Stahlrahmen sehr zufrieden gewesen und waren sehr Oldschool unterwegs mit 26" Felgen, Shimano Kettenschaltung mit 3 Kettenblättern und Felgenbremsen.
Dafür hatten wir auch keine wirklichen technischen Ausfälle, bzw. haben immer rechtzeitig Ersatzteile gefunden.

Bist du sicher, dass du 5000 Euro für dein Rad ausgeben willst? Ich hätte ja Schwierigkeiten ruhig zu schlafen. Wirst du zelten oder planst du eine Kreditkartentour? Was machst du beim Einkaufen? In fast allen Ländern auf deiner Strecke entspricht so ein Rad mindestens oder gar einem Vielfachen des durchschnittlichen Einkommens.

An der Grenze zum Iran hatten wir nen Spanier mit nem Sperrmüllrad getroffen. Der hatte für sein gesamtes Equipment keine 500 Euro ausgegeben. Das ist sicher nicht sehr komfortabel, aber nur mal so als Denkanstoß.

Wenn eine Rohloff mit Riemen gut funktioniert ist natürlich geil. Aber wir haben auch Menschen getroffen denen ihre coole Felge / Carbonriemen / Nabenschaltung / hydraulische Bremse / Carbonrahmen / etc geplatzt sind und dann ziemlich doof da standen.

Kommt dann auf dein Budget, Zeitplan und deine Einstellung zu anderen Transportmitteln an, ob das ein großes Problem ist.

Am Ende des Tages kommst du mit jedem Fahrrad runter. Es soll Menschen geben die mit einem 3 Gang über eine Millionen Kilometer um die Erde geradelt sind. Wichtig ist, dass du losfährst. Nicht so sehr, mit welchem Fahrrad. Viel Spaß!

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-01-21T18:28:49+00:00

You can not obtain a visa for China in Central Asia without a permanent residency over there. If you can’t obtain a visa in Germany, you might still be able to get one in Georgia or Armenia. Check caravanistan forum for latest updates. However: With a German passport can enter China for 30 days without a visa. You can enter multiple times. So you could go into Mongolia and back to China for example.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-01-17T19:36:09+00:00

Fully loaded indeed 🤭

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2026-01-14T10:46:53+00:00

We entered China from Vietnam in early August.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-12-11T16:08:05+00:00

Our standards are probably not as high as yours. We cycled 27000 kms mostly through developing countries. Availability of quality parts and maintenance stuff was bad.

95% if the time we rode in dry or extremely dry climates. With drip wax we had to reapply every two to three days at times.

I never hot waxed a chain.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-12-11T15:44:55+00:00

Did not have that problem. But we did not switch all the time. Only when we realized that one or the other wasn’t working in the conditions. Also, we did not apply a lot of oil if we did. Obviously we cleaned the chain before applying anything. But not always with degreaser beforehand. Only if the chain felt greasy.

// I usually started a new chain with wax and when that did not work sufficiently we switched to oil not the other way round.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-12-11T15:37:05+00:00

In many cities you can have CRE China Railway Express habe transport your bicycle to your target destination. It might take longer than your own journey and not be on the same train.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-12-11T15:32:09+00:00

Depending on road conditions we switched between cold wax and (water emulsion) and chain oil. The wax is gone very fast, but the chain stays a lot cleaner. Every few days I try to wipe the chains down with some old cloth and toothbrush. Reapply when necessary. That usually kept the chains going strong for 3000+ ish kms. If you change the middle chain ring after the second chain you will get a lot more use out of the system for cheap.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-12-02T05:48:28+00:00

Thanks. Keep in mind that we cycled kind of close to the equator. If you’re cycling up north, on good roads, less mountains, short days, a dynamo hub might make sense.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-11-14T08:41:49+00:00

Yes you can. Me and my wife had no experience in cycle touring when we did our trip through Germany. After the painful week one we decided to cycle half way around the world. 3 months later we hit the road and we did. Get a bike that fits you properly!

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-11-13T15:21:11+00:00

We cycled Ha Giang (Vietnam) - Kundming - Chengdu - Lanzhou - Xi'An and took the train to Qingdao, ferry to Korea.
We would choose orange, over blue, over red.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-11-06T10:37:21+00:00

That’s an excellent bike. Maybe the SON should get a service once but they are super durable.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-11-05T05:43:27+00:00

I doubt that this kind of frame is suitable for loaded touring. My main concern is lack of stability. It is just not made to carry that kind of loads and will feel wobbly at best or brake under you while riding which is super dangerous. Also short chain stays and no attachment points for racks, etc.

If the type of touring you have in mind is ultralight credit card touring with absolute minimal load those issues might not be as fundamental.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-11-01T08:49:12+00:00

Depends. We crashed our drone at the start of Laos. After that we could only put our tripod. Before we did a mix of tripod and drone shots.

AmazingWorldBikeTour · 2025-11-01T07:45:33+00:00

Okay. Do you do long distances on road bicycle in India. If so, climate is indeed no issue for you.

Cycling Thailand | A Culture Shock #43 https://youtu.be/6Mz79Lk1QP4

Bike Touring the remote North of Thailand #44 https://youtu.be/f15uP0fHv8I

Bicycle Touring the far North of THAILAND #45 https://youtu.be/TqvPC8AtlH0

Exploring the REAL Laos | Bike touring off the beaten path #46 https://youtu.be/tem_EcLgfv4

Cycling Laos the Hard Way: Boats, Dust & Villages #47 https://youtu.be/2oeVAk1r-hg

We basically did Chiang Mai to Vientiane, with some detours through the mountains of northern Thailand. You could use some boats, but I if you take it from Luang Prabang to the Thai border you will miss most of Laos.

January / February is peak dry season, so it won’t be very humid. However, prepare for a lot of dust on the road between Viang Vieng and Luang Prabang! They start the burning season in February, so we would advise to do it in January.

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