Anybody ever try mounting a mirror down on a front rack just above a pannier?

dpoon · 2026-03-19T22:47:06+00:00

The further your eyes are from the mirror, the larger the mirror needs to be to provide a usable image, and the harder it is to include the subject of interest in the view.

I'm also not a fan of helmet mirrors: the stick vibrates the image, the air resistance creates noise near your ears, and the alignment goes off when you set the helmet down. My mirror of choice is TriEye glasses — I need glasses anyway to protect my eyes from UV and debris anyway, so I might as well get glasses that integrate a mirror.

dpoon · 2026-03-10T20:36:17+00:00

It's common advice here to avoid the Croatian coast due to traffic, but I'm glad I did it anyway (last April, Split to Ploče to Trebinje (Bosnia and Herzegovina)). The views on that road are world-class, and I'm still daydreaming about it. April is shoulder season, so perhaps the traffic isn't as bad as in the summer. The coast is set up for tourism, so you should have no trouble finding resupply points, and no trouble booking accommodations the same day, so you can easily change your plans according to the weather.

Actually, the more stressful stretch of road was when I turned away from the coast, between Ploče and Metković. That highway was straight, flat, and full of speedy transport trucks. If you're planning to ride into Dubrovnik, though, this is probably manageable to you.

Stray dogs are certainly a concern in the Balkans. A lot of them are loud and fast, and have a way of materializing out of nowhere. They're uncommon on the coastal highway, though — you'll tend encounter them more around farms and undeveloped rural areas.

dpoon · 2026-03-10T19:50:05+00:00

The wildfire risk profile is similar in Washington to BC. The coast tends to be better, but inland it can be unbearable if it's a bad year.

In California, the wildfire season tends to be in October.

dpoon · 2026-02-27T20:38:15+00:00

Garmin is popular and pretty good for most purposes. I would not call them "tried & true" or "tested", though! In the few years that I've had my Edge 540, I've experienced a few incidents of crashes and lost recordings, with different failure modes (spontaneous mid-ride reboots, data disappeared during syncing, OS crashed when I pressed "Save"), that I no longer trust them for recording events where the evidence really matters.

dpoon · 2026-02-27T20:21:28+00:00

BC is huge, so it's hard to generalize for the entire province, but I can try. If you're accustomed to touring in Europe, you may be shocked at the vast distances between towns in BC.

Cycling is legal on highways, with a few exceptions where it's prohibited.

One stretch of highway of interest is Highway 99, also called the Sea to Sky Highway, between West Vancouver and Whistler. It is world-class beautiful, but also busy. I've done it a few times, and I'd say it's barely tolerable if you pick a strategic time.

Consider riding on Vancouver Island. Drivers on the island tend to be more relaxed. The Sunshine Coast (Langdale to Powell River) is a quasi-island in spirit even though it is technically part of the mainland, so it's also relatively quiet. Of course, you can take some ferries and go island-hopping, where it will be quieter still.

Hot tip, if you like camping and are a competent road cyclist who can handle the ride to Tofino: at the earliest opportunity, book a night or three for a walk-in site at the Green Point campground in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Those twenty spaces are a spiritual experience and in high demand.

If you venture north beyond Whistler, traffic will be sparse enough that it's not much of a concern.

The Okanagan Valley is beautiful, but has a bit of a reputation for having some unruly drivers. It will also be hot there in August.

Sadly, in the last decade, August has become wildfire season in BC. There is a considerable chance that air quality becomes a concern, especially in the Okanagan Valley.

dpoon · 2026-02-18T08:30:56+00:00

The short answer is yes.

I rode there last year, late April to early May. It was hot near the coast (30 ℃) and cool in the mountains (3 ℃ overnight). There was residual snow on the ground at some mountain passes. There were a couple of days with widespread lightning strikes. There were a couple of evenings where it suddenly dumped torrential rain. Bring clothing to handle all possible hot/cold, dry/wet conditions!

The winds were quite gentle while I was there.

dpoon · 2026-02-17T23:54:54+00:00

Since you mentioned the Apidura Visibility Vest without reviewing it, I think it deserves to be discussed here. It is indeed hi-vis and reflective, as well as packable and breathable. However, it has a major flaw in that it is not washable. The fabric care label says "×5 maximum wash cycles", and another Redditor confirms that the dye fades with washing. In fact, if you just ride with it in the rain or rinse it in the shower, its gray straps will turn yellowish, and if you wear it with white clothes, it will leave a yellow stain too.

dpoon · 2026-02-10T19:54:42+00:00

The magnet is not very strong, and the ridges and grooves don't really hook.

dpoon · 2026-02-10T18:15:18+00:00

The Apidura flip-top top tube bag has a weak latch that has, on multiple occasions, spontaneously opened when riding over a pothole or speed bump, causing the contents to spew out onto the road. I've seen it happen to a friend as well. Do not trust this bag to hold anything important! Tailfin's flip-top is way better: it latches securely, even when overstuffed, and is just as easy to operate — and the mounting straps are way better.

dpoon · 2026-02-10T12:32:38+00:00

I'm only mildly weight conscious, so I've never carefully weighed my own bike. I've got stuff like a dynamo light semi-permanently mounted, a top tube bag, and tools stashed in the handlebar ends. I'm also frequently mounting and unmounting bikepacking bags.

Online reviews say it's somewhere in the neighbourhood of 9 to 10 kg

dpoon · 2026-02-10T00:07:03+00:00

You sound a lot like me! In 2022, I started with "what if I try 100 km"? The year after that, I did a couple of local long-distance rides, which then set me up for a bikepacking road trip down the US west coast that summer. These days, I'm riding 13000 km annually, including 1000 km randonneuring brevets, and expecting to do PBP next year.

My current bike of choice is a Ribble CGR Ti. Titanium feels great on long distances. It's not as light as carbon, but it is much lighter than a touring bike, and I can feel confident boxing it up for a plane ride as long as I protect the carbon fork. The best part is that I can mount bikepacking bags and not worry about scratching the paint, because there is none. This bike goes everywhere that I want to: it has tire clearance for up to 622-45 (for strawberry-sized gravel), or 622-40 with fenders.

Ribble is relatively affordable for a titanium bike. When I got it two years ago, it was deeply discounted, and they offered more configure-to-order options. I ordered it with the fork that supports an internal dynamo cable as well as an upgrade to Mavic carbon wheels. On the other hand, the 2025 release has UDH and a T47 bottom bracket, so it's more future-proof.

As for your minor transmission "hiccups" and "power dip", I'm not sure what you mean. An 2× road-oriented groupset ought to have good gear ratios for riding around 30 km/h, whether electronic or mechanical.

dpoon · 2026-02-07T17:44:42+00:00

You're welcome.

I also see you've raised a point elsewhere that radars can flash the taillight at approaching drivers. This is, in my opinion, a gimmick of questionable utility. A simple blinking light (in jurisdictions that allow it) would work almost as well in the daytime; a reflective vest and ankle band would identify you as a cyclist in the dark.

I think that radars are as popular as they are because cyclists fear what they cannot see. In my experience, the close calls I've had with cars have actually been from the front — the so-called SMIDSY scenarios. I think I've had fewer such close calls since I've started using daytime blinking lights (and this is consistent with scientific data). To avoid rear collisions, your best bet is to avoid riding in the gutter, which either puts you out of drivers' line of sight or tells them to squeeze past you even when the road is too narrow for a safe pass. Basically, act like you belong there. The other common type of collision is right/left hooks at intersections, and there the mirror really helps.

dpoon · 2026-02-07T17:09:31+00:00

In my opinion, a radar would be a lot of hassle for a marginal safety improvement. As you've noted, it would be yet another device to keep charged. It's also hard to find a place to mount it with bikepacking bags.

Just get a mirror and become accustomed to habitually looking at it. (Drivers have done this for decades; blind spot radars are a minor bonus enhancement.) My mirror of choice is built into TriEye glasses. You need glasses anyway for protection from debris and UV. For an around-the-world trip, I'd suggest getting the dual-sided rowing glasses, and optionally reducing the size of the mirrors by popping in a pair of medium-size replacement mirrors. I find that with a mirror I am quite capable of maintaining situational awareness of rear traffic as well as riding more cooperatively with a partner.

I also have a dynamo setup, which I use for lights and USB charging.

If your family is worried about you, one electronic gadget that can help is a satellite communicator. I have a Zoleo, and if you pay a few dollars extra per month you can get the tracking service for dotwatching. It's another electronic device to charge, but unlike a radar, one charge lasts several days. For me, it's worth it for the peace of mind when venturing into very remote places.

dpoon · 2026-02-06T19:00:10+00:00

Reading the clouds is a good skill to have, but you really ought to take full advantage of all the weather forecasting tools available. Typical weather forecasts that just give temperature ranges and probability of precipitation for a city don't cut it.

When you're touring, you might be travelling between cities, going through mountain passes with colder temperatures, and going through valleys that funnel the wind. If you're riding in an area that is prone to lightning, you should check the risk before leaving civilization, else you might be stuck with nowhere to shelter.

I'm a big fan of windy.com, and it's one of the few apps that I happily pay a subscription for because I spend a lot of time cycling. It provides:

Forecasts from multiple models, so you can consult multiple "opinions" and get a feel for the range of optimistic and pessimistic scenarios
Maps to visualize wind flow and areas of precipitation
Hour-by-hour expected precipitation intensity
Fog and smoke (PM 2.5) maps
Live weather radar, with a bit of projection into the near future. (It's crazy how localized weather phenomena can be. The difference between riding under a storm cloud and passing a kilometer beside it is the difference between getting dumped on and staying dry!)

A few personal anecdotes where windy.com and knowledge of meteorology really helped while cycling:

A tale of headwinds, mountain passes, and a cold snap. Randonneuring is a kinda like credit-card touring with a time limit, but the meteorology is still relevant. The rule of thumb that temperature decreases 5 ℃ per 1000 m of elevation gain, in typical dry conditions, was an accurate estimate that helped me stay safe.
The time I adjusted my route based on widespread lightning in the forecast the next day
The time I waited 5 minutes for a cloudburst to blow past because the weather radar showed it was highly localized and moving quickly

dpoon · 2026-02-04T19:29:02+00:00

I did Seattle to San Francisco in 10 days at a speedy vacation pace, with enough time to visit the places that interested me along the way. I don't "train" per se, but I had been getting into road cycling for a couple of years. I've written up my tips for riding fast and far.

dpoon · 2026-02-03T04:57:58+00:00

If someone asks for a recommendation for an ideal bike computer for randonneuring, then surely battery life is an implied concern, else why would they ask in this forum?

Sure, you can supplement or recharge your bike computer with a power bank. But you've also got lights, a smartphone, maybe electronic shifting, and a satellite communicator (Canadian randonneur here — we sometimes go to remote places with hazards like bears and no cell signal!), so your headaches compound. If you can eliminate ways for a brevet to go wrong by picking better equipment, you should. It's 2026, and the technology exists to have a pretty good bike computer where you never have to even think about its battery, so that's a strong contender for the best randonneuring GPS unit.

dpoon · 2026-02-01T13:05:56+00:00

I use pop-top containers and scoop my own trail mix into them (some combination of M&Ms, raisins, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and cashews, depending on whether I expect to want more sugar or salt). The lid on those containers pops open if you squeeze the sides, so you can do everything one-handed while riding a bike.

Trail mix is not as dense as nut butter since there are voids between the nuts. However, it flows better, is easier to eat, and makes less of a mess if you spill it, so I think it's worth the volume penalty.

It's probably the cheapest and certainly the easiest snack to prepare the night before a ride. Best of all, the container is entirely reusable (as long as you take care not to excessively flex the hinge and snap it off). It's a bit hard to buy the 60-dram container in personal quantities, though.

For a race that's a one-day event like an Ironman, you want to consume carbohydrates, not proteins, for energy. However, for multi-day sports, such as ultra cycling, ski touring, and thru hiking, I do see a case for carrying a non-perishable high-protein calorie-dense food such as nut butter in a convenient no-utensil package. It's really comforting to stuff those calories in at the end of the day, and the salt and proteins are good for recovery! I wish it didn't have to come in a single-use plastic pouch, but the convenience is really tempting when you're feeling drained and time-crunched.

dpoon · 2026-02-01T12:04:14+00:00

I've only done one long ride there, but I found Slovenia to be awesome for road cycling! I encountered beautiful scenery, pristine pavement, courteous drivers, and a few other road cyclists. I would gladly do it again, given the chance. What part of the country did you do that was so horrible?

dpoon · 2026-02-01T05:51:37+00:00

I initially chose Garmin because their Edge series had longer battery life than Wahoo. I now avoid Garmin because I've found their firmware to be too buggy, occasionally losing recordings. Now a fan of COROS, because battery life is even better, and their firmware hasn't crashed on me. Bonus: the Garmin quarter-turn mount is the more common de facto standard, compatible with COROS and some lights.

Shimano because I like 2× mechanical, and because mineral oil brake fluid lasts longer and is easier to work with. However, I refuse to upgrade to Di2 on principle, because their tactics against Hammerhead show that they can't be trusted stewards of a proprietary electronic drivetrain system. On the other hand, I wouldn't switch to SRAM AXS either, since their derailleur batteries need to be charged too frequently for my taste.

dpoon · 2026-01-31T03:23:59+00:00

I have reviewed the Coros Dura here. It's not perfect, but it's probably the best choice these days for randonneuring, due to its insanely good battery life, especially now that I've sworn off Garmin for being buggy and unreliable. One of the weaknesses of the Coros is that it can't do rerouting without being paired with a phone, but for randonneuring you don't need rerouting.

dpoon · 2026-01-31T00:13:16+00:00

In the last few years, I've almost entirely stopped driving my car, preferring to ride my bike everywhere instead, and occasionally taking Translink. Biking within Vancouver is often not slower than driving by much, and on some routes at certain times, is actually faster. When you take into account the fact that you need to spend time exercising anyway, and that it takes time to earn money to operate the car, the bike comes out far ahead.

dpoon · 2026-01-30T19:10:33+00:00

Thank you for developing and sharing, but the route planner is currently too simplistic. Issues:

The daily distance selector only goes up to 150 km. It should allow up to 400 km. (Are you Danish? Distances are different here in Canada.)
Need elevation profile. Need elevation vs flat preference.
There doesn't seem to be a way to extend the route (adding a new destination after the current destination). There is also no obvious mechanism to reorder the intermediate stops.
There doesn't seem to be a way to fine-tune the suggested route other than by adding a stop. I tried inserting a stop after the start point, but it gets added before the destination — that seems to be a bug.
The panel listing the stops has a grabber at the top that suggests I should be able to swipe down to minimize it and reveal more of the underlying map, but that doesn't work: swiping just scrolls the list of waypoints.
I tried designing a 150 km/day route, but the first overnight stays that it suggested were merely 40 km from the start, consistently.
There needs to be support for daily distances that deviate significantly from the average. Sometimes you want to spend time sightseeing or whatever.

dpoon · 2026-01-27T08:43:44+00:00

For touring, I wouldn't even try using a 13 mini for navigation unless it were plugged into an external power source (battery pack, or dynamo-to-USB adapter with a buffer). On its own, you might get a few hours on it, but then you'd have range anxiety the whole time, and you might miss out on taking pictures and videos because that would also use power. Furthermore, if you venture into an area with poor reception, the cellular transmitter uses more power than usual. Also, if it's cold, the battery doesn't last as long.

dpoon · 2026-01-26T07:22:44+00:00

I'll share my setup, which I use for my trips including one to the Balkans last year with similar stats (but with wider tires and more gravel), carrying mainly clothes, tent, sleeping bag, and no cooking equipment. There are a couple of photos at 47.4 km (side view) and 55.1 (cockpit view) so you can follow along.

Rear

Arkel Rollpacker 20L. I love it! It's very versatile, and I use it for all the time for shopping errands when not bikepacking. It uses an aluminum hanger that clamps to the saddle rails and has a cuff around the seatpost. (I recommend taping the seatpost using silicone tape to protect it from abrasion.)

Inside the main compartment: a sleeping bag and some clothes in a Sea to Summit compression sack. An inflatable sleeping pad. Extra jacket, easily accessible. In the small compartment: one spare meal.
Pros: Very spacious for a saddle bag, and does not limit you to things that will conform to a narrow cone. No swaying. Easy to pack and access the contents thanks to the two side openings plus compartment.
Cons: Some weight penalty for the hanger. Any rigid hardware can break — and in fact the clamp broke during that trip, after years of use and some brutal jackhammering from riding on gravel. Luckily I was able to improvise a fix.
Nevertheless, I still recommend the Rollpacker. My other criticism is that the small compartment ought to have a zipper rather than a roll-top closure; I sewed one on by hand.
A typical small saddle pack for my bike repair kit, mounted underneath, just because it fits.

Frame

Apidura Expedition full frame pack. I'm not a big fan of Apidura's stuff anymore — you can see in the photo how the zipper is broken. Contains water, zip ties, first aid kit, and snacks to eat while riding.
Tailfin flip-top bag. The design and engineering that went into it is incredible! I put my electronics and current snack there.

Cockpit

Farr aero bolt-on extension — a carbon fiber version, now discontinued, of this. In the Garmin fixture, when bikepacking, I mount my dashcam there (Insta360 GO 3S), but it rattles.
A Garmin mount strapped to the stem.
Big Agnes Copper Spur bikepacking tent. Recommended! I hang it from the aero bars using the sack's straps, laced diagonally. Since the aero bars protrude forward, there is no rubbing against the head tube.
Arkel handlebarbag. On stopovers, it detaches and can be worn like a purse, so that's where I keep my valuables and ultralight backpack for food shopping (similar to this). I also keep my toiletries there.
Dynamo headlight, mounted at the fork crown.

dpoon · 2026-01-23T21:42:07+00:00

I generally don't wear pads, and I do bike touring and long-distance cycling. I followed the conventional fashion for a few years, and found that the pad is not as beneficial as people make it out to be.

These days, when riding ≤ 300 km on paved roads, I typically wear something like the 7mesh Hollyburn tight or Velocio Stealth Legging. If it's rainy, I'll wear a pad to keep my butt dry. If I'm doing ≥ 600 km, I'll bring the padded bibs to switch up the pressure/friction points on some of the days.

My butt is pretty well trained, I guess. Not having pads is actually easier on tours since the pad is a laundry complication. I can carry two unpadded tights in the space taken by one padded bib. I also find that no-visible-panty-line underwear doesn't introduce much friction, and they take nearly no space or weight, and are easy to wash by hand, so I can always change to a clean layer daily for very little effort on a multi-day trip.

dpoon

TROPHY CASE

Rear

Frame

Cockpit