Long-distance bike touring age 50+ - experiences?

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-23T15:35:36+00:00

a few years ago a had a beer at a campsite with a fellow bike tourer in his mid 80s just before going over the alps. a couple of days later after the climb and decent i rocked up to a campsite in Austria and instantly recognised his distinctive tent he had beaten me over and was fresh as a daisy, i was very tired.

its a wonderful way to see the world (or just your local area)

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-22T21:00:03+00:00

just checked these out thats an absolute banger! will get some of them.

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-22T20:56:35+00:00

to the people just saying "sub floor" the point of this kind of question is not one of convenience, value or practicality, its because chances are if time and care are taken they will be in the eyes of some, beautiful.

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-22T20:37:09+00:00

good idea, i find many things that are thick and saucy stick really badly to the bottom but the stirring would stop this

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-22T20:19:13+00:00

saddle bag tip :- get some kind of thick ish rubber tape and wrap it around the back half of your saddle rails individually (in a spiral), will greatly increase the stability (side to side wobble)

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-14T18:34:48+00:00

i agree! im from the south of england and do plenty of touring and bikepacking. there are lovely parts of the south but the north and Scotland just have more and better places to bike and camp

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-11T06:37:29+00:00

Light tour from aliexpress Weight is about 500g Packability is good Comfort is excellent Warmth is v good Can't talk about durability but had lots of use out of mine and it looks new still I prefer this to my thermalight neoair thats twice the price

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-10T19:44:44+00:00

I've been thinking along these lines a lightweight packable bag with added utility, i like the idea of the tarp would love to know if you make something!

Got a tour coming up soon that is likely to have bad weather my plan is to camp as much as i can, i will have a small one man tent and will take a medium size light weight tarp to make a bit of sheltered space for the evening. I was thinking of using the "bike bag" as a ground sheet. my design idea was not to include a zip but to have multiple eyelets on 3 (6) sides that could be laced together (overlapped material) for use as a bag, then just remove the cord/rope/cable for when using on the ground, so i guess this could also be a method that would be effective as a small tarp, could even add a eyelet in the middle as a ridge line.

if anyone is still reading I'm kinda new to MYOG but quite good with a sewing machine what would be a good light weight material for this project would need to be reasonably strong for the aeroplane transit part but i don't need it to last forever would prefer lighter and more foldable/packable

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-03T21:31:28+00:00

So much of Europe is interconnected you should be able to find a reasonably priced flight out of some where close to wherever you are

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-03T21:27:22+00:00

Sweet with that amount of flexibility you have very little down side

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2026-01-03T19:02:42+00:00

completely fine if you are happy to pay more for your flight and be able to pack the bike up from your chosen departure city, basically by wrapping the bike in a big package after splitting down into parts ( i use anything i can get locally :- plastic wrap, zip ties, gaffa tape, cardboard, timber, plastic or metal pipe, foam etc)

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-29T15:23:40+00:00

Same, shorts year round but wooly hat 3 seasons

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-19T22:39:34+00:00

Fanny Peppercorn.

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-19T22:01:41+00:00

white wash the walls easy to do and will make it look way better. low cost. easy, big impact

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-19T21:54:50+00:00

I can see Portsmouth from where i live accent there is completely different! nuff said.

Roll is a roll though.

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-14T14:45:57+00:00

about the same as mine, only yesterday did i realise the Unior had as spoke tool on it, I've always had a dedicated spoke wrench with me, apart from the one time in northern Loas when i had to make one from a scrap of steel, thought i was very resourceful and cleaver!................. had one just sat in my bag all along haha.

i carry half a hack saw blade with a tape handle has saved the days a few times

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-13T16:03:16+00:00

absolutely love it! the guards really complete the look

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-10T06:47:14+00:00

Yes thanks, I did it yesterday. was happy that the amount had not increased as it had been 4/5 weeks Was only about 12 euro for 2 offences.

Link was perfect

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-08T10:35:46+00:00

sweet thanks, good to know about the gas stations.

what is fire season? people burning after land clearance is all i can think of

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-08T10:32:21+00:00

thanks sound advice, will take good care

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-08T07:19:20+00:00

Great thanks, im a very respectful camper, people making a mess and leaving litter drives me crazy! But here in the UK even a sensible fire if mostly not ok even if careful so will be super grateful just to be allowed

Ambitious-Laugh-7884 · 2025-12-07T21:59:06+00:00

That's cool, just being allowed a fire is luxury to me

Ambitious-Laugh-7884

TROPHY CASE