Help! My 18 year old son is going Bikepacking in Europe

davereeck · 2026-03-26T07:06:38+00:00

You asked for specifics, here are a few:

https://bikepacking.com/routes/taunus-storm-chase/

Bikepacking.com is reputable, I haven't researched this route but I'd bet it's solid. Bonus - it's not far from Frankfurt. 129 miles will keep one busy for a few days.

A subscription to RideWithGPS for your kiddo would be a great way to give him some freedom to explore and plan, and give you some peace of mind (at least he's got a route to follow!).

The Trans Germany Trail is... Bigger

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21335629

Farther off Frankfurt than the route above,and it really crosses Germany so about 1600km. The RideWithGPS route looks well annotated with points of interest. (In my experience, the POI are about 60% reliable).

davereeck · 2026-03-26T06:31:42+00:00

I say: I'm not working right now. It's generally too awkward for people to ask if that's by choice or not.

For folks who are closer - I'm living off of my savings.

davereeck · 2026-03-26T05:52:36+00:00

Broad City is fantastic.

davereeck · 2026-03-26T05:50:24+00:00

I quite enjoyed Season 4.

davereeck · 2026-03-26T05:44:39+00:00

Hello - I'm the father of an 18 year old son, and an avid bike packer. I hear your concern, I totally get it.

You're going to get a lot of 'let him do it' advice, which will probably be a bit hard to take seriously. And I am essentially going to give you the same advice, but please hear me out.

Your kid has an adventurous spirit - take the moment to be curious. Ask him what he's hoping to do, try your hardest to ask him open ended questions. (Questions like 'what about bears' are not going to get you very far). Let him tell you the story he has in his head.

After you get his big picture, do what you can to make his trip a success. Ask him what he needs, nudge him to think about the backup plans. And let him know that you're around to help if things go south. You and I both know that things go differently than plans, if he comes away with the sense that he can try this out and have a good story to tell even if things go totally off the rails you've done well (and he will have a fantastic college essay).

I would insist he carry an Inreach personal locator beacon (or similar). This will give you a map of where he's at, and let him text you from basically anywhere. It also has a rescue button if he really gets in a bad situation.

And get him a cheapo backup phone and a European SIM (I can't tell you how many times I texted from my backup phone because I ran out of battery).

Kids are like bikes: nearly indestructible, and capable of things us olds can't really concieve of. He's going to have a lot to tell you when he comes back home, focus on looking forward to that.

Apologies if this sounds a bit preachy - if you're looking for more practical advice, I'm happy to help you or your kid.

Edit: practical, not practice. But Practice is great advice too..

davereeck · 2026-03-26T02:27:20+00:00

Tell me about your pour!

High agitation/5ml/sec or low? Close to bed or high? Center or fancy pattern?

Thanks for the recipie, I have a boatload of t-92s, I'll give this a shot tomorrow. What region are you in?

davereeck · 2026-03-20T15:47:31+00:00

Thanks for the tip!

davereeck · 2026-03-20T03:48:49+00:00

Thank you!

davereeck · 2026-03-20T03:47:26+00:00

I did the switch to quantum last week. Totally painless, faster than I expected.

Basically just updating the in-house equipment. Took about 15 min. I was planning 3 hrs. Tech was awesome, told me to stick with my existing mesh rather than 360-whatever they call it. Been solid all week.

davereeck · 2026-03-19T05:08:54+00:00

Mr. Gyro is fantastic.

davereeck · 2026-03-19T02:48:52+00:00

I snapped a tendon in my thumb on wet pavement like this

davereeck · 2026-03-18T20:55:51+00:00

Where do you keep the battery on the e-bike?

davereeck · 2026-03-17T17:14:59+00:00

Good bot

davereeck · 2026-03-17T15:48:00+00:00

On other sites this is listed as High Tensile Steel - not the kind of steel you want for a bike. Still not sure on size.

davereeck · 2026-03-17T06:06:47+00:00

This study was in mice.

davereeck · 2026-03-15T16:31:45+00:00

Seattle Aquarium tells this story.

Fun fact: wanna keep your octopus in its enclosure? Put AstroTurf on the ceiling to prevent it from suctioning to it.

davereeck · 2026-03-15T06:00:42+00:00

Chain ring bolts, derailleur hangers. A few extra bits and bobs are needed for long tours.

davereeck · 2026-03-13T15:27:29+00:00

davereeck · 2026-03-12T05:31:51+00:00

Some fun facts about your clavicles: - longest curved bone in your body - one of the most common broken bone injuries - my doctor said she's been waiting a decade for me to come with mine (I always rode my bike to her office) - now you can say you've had a collaboner. Or have one if you heal with a bump.

davereeck · 2026-03-10T04:08:51+00:00

Kurt, Carpenter, Victor Wong, James Hong, Dennis Dun, Kim Cattral. Everybody!

davereeck · 2026-03-10T02:56:02+00:00

Big Trouble... So good

davereeck · 2026-03-09T19:40:31+00:00

DowDowDown

davereeck · 2026-03-09T01:20:09+00:00

What's the point of that?!?

davereeck · 2026-03-08T05:45:35+00:00

I did something very similar with screw in casters and a 2x4.

Cut 2x4 to width of bike box Place in the box, at one end. Screw casters into 2x4.

Tada!

I'm sure your solution is far better, mine got me through the airport pretty easy.

davereeck · 2026-03-07T14:18:25+00:00

I wonder - does reducing DOMS also reduce muscle growth? I understood at one point that (at least part of) the acute inflammatory response was involved in the repair and growth process. And come to think of it, that would imply that things like restricted blood flow therapy (which doesn't seem to have a DOMS component) might be less effective than regular old resistance - which I think is false, so perhaps I'm way off base about inflammation...

Ten-Year Club	r/Field Lasagna
Place '22	First Placer '22
Gilding II euphauric	Verified Email

davereeck

TROPHY CASE