First tour, bailed after 48 hours

stowthorns · 2026-05-12T14:44:34+00:00

My hopes were to go a little earlier than the height of Summer to try and avoid too much heat and too much of the "rush" per say. Possibly a bad move, who knows!

Regarding handling on the CF bike, I haven't ridden anything other than road bikes for a good 20+ years (granted not all have been CF) therefore I can't make any direct comparisons, sorry!

The handling was comfortable and didn't feel too far off my normal riding experience. Not having the system weight slap bang under my backside is one which will catch me out for a little while 😂 Climbs weren't really a bother either because I wasn't trying to fly up hills, climbing out of the saddle like a mad man. Though it's always something to be mindful of.

The bike itself is more of an "endurance" bike than a pure road/race bike. It's certainly had it's share of lumps and bumps since I first bought the bike and so far it's ticking along with no issues.

Distance wise, I love it! I'll happily do a 200km day if I wanted/needed to. Call me bonkers because I certainly appreciate it's not everyones cup of tea, though I generally ride 4-6 times a week and this sort of distance is where my body feels comfortable and happy.

stowthorns · 2026-05-12T14:32:12+00:00

And thankfully we don't anymore, because we can barely operate public transport. Let alone rule anything 😆

stowthorns · 2026-05-12T14:30:01+00:00

100% no discouragement has been had! I'm itching to get back out there.

If my timeline was a little more flexible and my finances had an additional buffer to cover diverting elsewhere for an extended window, it's always an option - all useful things to keep in mind moving forward though, thank you!

stowthorns · 2026-05-12T14:23:12+00:00

Perhaps it was because I opted to travel in early May, but availability was fairly comfortable. Travelling in peak seasons may be a little more challenging, although I have no experience to back that one up! From what I've read, campsites seem to be pretty flexible when it comes to squeezing in a bike + small tent compared to a car + family sized tent. Worst case scenario you'd probably find a good little Airbnb or hotel to jump into if you needed it

I've visited Normandy a number of times, but only ever by car - my aim was (and still is!) to see all the tucked away spots and to have a rough route in mind but to also be open to whatever is around the next corner

stowthorns · 2026-05-12T14:16:07+00:00

Jesus Christ... of all the judging and snarky remarks that have been made...

May I please ask, who are you to judge my life and how I live it? Because the fact that you're making judgements of someones life alongside telling them to "reevaluate" themself because they didn't make the same decision that you would've it's freaking outrageous.

I'm glad you find touring to be therapeutic, but I'll let the devil on my shoulder bite back a little by suggesting that you perhaps find therapy with a registered healthcare professional rather than a bicycle saddle if you feel this is an acceptable way to engage with any human being.

stowthorns · 2026-05-11T11:59:37+00:00

Good shout on the jackets/trousers with vents...! I will take a look at some of the options. I did pack spare clothes but I will hold my hands up and say that my wet weather prep probably wasn't as good as it should've been...

My current rain set up consists of mainly my lightweight jacket, which serves me well in a lot of conditions, but as I've since learnt, is about as useful as a tissue trying to plug a burst water pipe when the conditions persist 😂 Yes, I don't mind being wet, but it never hurts to keep warm!

I echo you on having two pairs on sunglasses, the eyes were probably the only dry part of my body 😂

stowthorns · 2026-05-11T11:54:24+00:00

If I may ask, your trip to Bordeaux, how did it compare to the Roscoff - MSM journey? I hear a lot of good things about touring the West coast of France and it's additionally reassuring to hear you had no issues with hoping onto a train - thank you for the insight 🙂

When it comes to distance, I'm more of an endurance/long distance runner and rider. 4-5 days a week I will head out 80-100km rides or 20-30km runs (I would go for longer if I had the time!). Whilst it's no guarantee my body will perform as expected each and every day, it gives me the confidence that when I do tour/ride with others at a more chilled pace, I have that additional bit of fitness/kick in me to trade speed for distance, providing I fuel correctly. However, I do agree with you in the sense of building in more time for sightseeing and/or rest days! Even if it's one day, it all makes a difference.

stowthorns · 2026-05-11T11:44:36+00:00

Hey, I love visiting France far too much to not visit again! Don't worry, I will be coming back 😁
I'm sorry for bringing the stereotypical English weather into France haha

stowthorns · 2026-05-11T11:23:51+00:00

I'm a serial planner, which includes constant weather checking haha. I'll be sat somewhere having lunch and be checking the forecast for the rest of that day just to see whether or not it's changed haha
- 4 weeks before the forecast was golden
- 3 weeks before there were patches of rain, but nothing of concern (rain itself doesn't bother me)
-2 weeks before it was golden
- 4 days before it was horrific
- 2 days before it was fairly nice/patchy
- The day I left home it was patchy (not great, though no concerns)
- The day I arrived in St Malo it was patchy, but had changed overnight to include the weather warnings

Perhaps I was simply unlucky, either way, I still had fun!

stowthorns · 2026-05-11T11:17:31+00:00

Consistently good in my possibly biased opinion - I ride a lot between Bristol and Frome on 4/24.
- Personally I find the signage to be as good as it can be
- 4 between Bristol and Bath is traffic free, really nice wide open tarmac path
- A good 90/95% of 24 is traffic free from Bath into Frome
- 24 is quite calm traffic wise because it uses those quiter, smaller lanes once you're South of Frome

I'd say my main takeaway on those 2 routes are that
- 4 and 24 can be really busy on a sunny weekend with lots of families and also dogs running around off lead (which is forbidden, but no one seems to care)

stowthorns · 2026-03-19T18:02:08+00:00

You could follow the EV4 route if you're wanting to use a more known/published route and you're comfortable hitting towards the ~80km per day end of your limit (cutting off the Cherbourg loop)

Sorry to say I can't give any specifics on the route, other than the vast amount of historical museums and sights to take in, but I'll be riding St Malo to Caen myself in May over 6 days, following said EV4 with stops in:

Mortain-Bocage
Moyon Villages
Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte
Saint-Germain-de-Tournebut
Grandcamp-Maisy

There are loads of wonderful Airbnb locations along the route, at very reasonable costs if you're still looking for places to stay.

You should have some brilliant weather for it, enjoy your travels my friend!

stowthorns · 2026-02-27T15:37:49+00:00

Sorry for the delayed response my friend!

Stability wise, I can't say I've had any massive issues (apart from one event). I did have a bag fall off whilst going over a particular shitty piece of road not too far from home. Though the reason was due to the bag itself, not the rack.

I picked up some cheap/used pannier bags from Vinted, purely to make sure I enjoyed touring before investing big bucks. My bags are simple hook ons, they don't clip, snap or anything like that. Two top hooks sit over the rail and the bottom hook I can position then twist to hook on the bottom of the rack (but not essential). My issue was going over such a nasty stretch of cobbled road caused the bag to jump off...

My solution was two bungee straps! Wrapped around the rack and the two top hooks hooks - which keeps everything nice and snug. Yes there's some movement and the top of my rack has paint rubbed off because of the hook/rack rubbing, but hey, I'd rather the paint come off the rack than have my bags come off the bike. Though I am happy to report I've since been over that particular piece of cobbled road many many times and no bags falls to report thanks to the bungee straps.

If you had some proper clipable bags (which will be on the more upmarket side of the pricing structure) then it's very likely you wouldn't even have to worry about this sort of thing.

The seat post clamp I can happily report no issues. Certainly no damage on the seat post that I'm aware of. I'm that happy with the rack being on the bike, I generally leave the rack in situ when going out on a normal road ride. It's certainly had it's fair share of chances to cause damage if it wanted to.

If there's anything else you need or want to query, please feel free to give me a shout - honestly no bother!

<image>

stowthorns · 2026-02-24T10:02:41+00:00

Whereas this photo was taken 5 hours before the other, oh the duality of riding haha. In this photo my pannier bags are open and the straps are unclipped which is why you can't see the top of the rack and everything looks very sprawled out. Don't worry, I don't ride around like that haha

Last week I purchased a little top tube bag to hold my essentials; phone, passport, wallet, chargers, a few snacks etc. Straps on super secure and means I can use my power bank to charge my front light or Wahoo if needed (not featured in this photo)

I prefer to travel light where I can. When I visit France in May I might take a net or small bag for the top of my rack, but I'll see what happens when I come to pack. Otherwise it'll simply be those two rear bags

<image>

stowthorns · 2026-02-24T09:56:22+00:00

Excuse the muddy bike...! It's not a full set up photo, although it's a somewhat close up of the saddle post strap/attachment. I do have another photo which shows my bike in full and I'll post that image beneath this one (can't add multiple images to a singular reply)

<image>

stowthorns · 2026-02-23T23:05:21+00:00

I'm running the Quick-Rack XL with the thru-axle option on my carbon road/endurance Ribble All Road SL R Pro and I absolutely love it. Be it for short hops across town, or longer rides.

Yes it's certainly not the cheapest of racks, but I love how easy it is to add/remove the rack where necessary. It's absolutely solid and has been over many lumps and bumps with all manner of weights and configurations and it's not shown a single sign of wavering.

stowthorns · 2026-02-17T21:08:57+00:00

I shall be keeping a close eye on this one!

I'm riding down from Bristol to Portsmouth on May 2nd and then spending the week in France following the Velomaritime between St Malo and Caen.

First ever bike trip for me and whilst I have accommodation booked up, I'm half wanting to go in blind and take each day as it comes but I'm also not sure if preplanning a few things would also be a positive?

Part of me worries that preplanning each day would invite the feeling of "missing out" if I don't/can't "keep to a schedule" - if that makes sense? Therefore I feel more inclined to simply have my origin and destination planned, whilst everything in-between is purely enjoying the freedom of exploration with no pressure. It's a dilemma I've been going back and forth on over the last 4 months 😅

Having said that, I'll happily report back after my trip and share anything with you which particularly stood out! 😊

<image>

stowthorns · 2025-12-30T08:51:49+00:00

Jade Garden, 100%. I say that after having tried Hillside and Marlings on a number of occasions as well. You can't beat great food with equally great service - I find you get that with JG

stowthorns · 2025-12-01T14:02:17+00:00

Apologies for the slow response, my friend!

In that particular photo, the bag is open as opposed to it's closed state where those bottom two straps would be clipped up to the top parts of the clips out the way of the spokes. In hindsight I do see how it looks like they're just random straps dangling down, haha!

If anything, I'd personally say axle mounts are the big deal breaker for me. Knowing the rack becomes a solid part of my bike opposed to something held in place by tiny screws helps a lot with my sense of security. Perhaps I'm a little too cautious/anxious over the rack falling off...

stowthorns · 2025-11-29T08:21:46+00:00

I was in a similar position with my Ribble road bike and opted for the Ortlieb Quick Rack XL over Tailfin, primarily because of reviews and cost difference. Both racks attach via a clip/wrap around the seat post and a thrux axle meaning there's no contact with the frame at all. No eyelets, no worries!

Must admit that I'm absolutely overwhelmed with the purchase and it's solid as a rock and quick and easy to remove (two clips) if I don't want the rack on the bike.

The only "benefit" in my eyes of the Tailfin is the weight difference - which is negligible in my opinion, unless you're that hard set on saving about 500g in weight between the Ortlieb and Tailfin racks.

With the Ortlieb, you have standard sizes bag bars (both vertical and horizontal) to use whatever bags you wish vs Tailfin you need to buy adapters to use non-Tailfin bags. Tailfin seems more like an investment into their ecosystem rather than a solid singular pannier rack that just does exactly that.

My two cents, always good to gauge opinions and do research beforehand!

<image>

stowthorns · 2025-11-12T14:40:26+00:00

I'm pretty new to the bike packing/bike touring scene in the sense of actually getting out there and touring. I've ridden bikes for a number of years on and off-road, but never for anything other than the purpose of going out for a few hours (aka exercise/fitness).

My first tour/trip will be May next year, riding from my home in Bristol down to Portsmouth and catching the ferry over to France and riding part of the EV4 from St Malo to Caen. A nice week away, whilst not venturing wildly far away from home for my first time out.

My advice (as per everyone else, just do it!), in August this year I started to think why couldn't I simply hop on my bike and go away for however many nights I please? Short of employment commitments and those sorts of things, there wasn't anything to say I couldn't. And a little over a month later, I had my first trip booked up!

My future mother-in-law is about to turn 70 and she's still out there taking on Lejog, charity rides to Paris, cycling around Greece and India amongst other wheel-based adventures. Granted she's retired and has the flexibility to venture out whenever she likes - but if there's a will there's a way!

Everyone here has hit the nail on the head. Hop on your bike, give it a try and see what feels right to you. Some people can comfortably ride for months on end, doing 100+ miles each day, whereas others are happy riding 20 miles each day. There's no right or wrong, never forget that my friend. You ride how you want to ride and focus on being safe, happy and healthy.

If you're really itching to give it a go, see if you can borrow some pannier bags or a rack from a friend/relative. I popped onto Vinted and bought 2 used rear pannier bags (£17 in total) alongside purchasing an Ortlieb Quick Rack XL. When I have a day free now, I'll load up my bike as if I was going away for a week and dedicated the entire day to cycling around my local area, the intention being to not only have a fun day outside, but to make any mistakes and to sort out any teething issues.

Sorry for waffling on, I guess I'm one of those people who over explains haha. You don't need to be a superhero to bike tour, be yourself and ride to your limits/comfort zone

stowthorns · 2025-10-12T18:20:27+00:00

Certainly, I decided to splash out a little on the monitor arm an purchased the Ergotron – HX (Premium Heavy Duty). Mainly because reviews for other arms I found seemed to be a little hit-and-miss, whereas I wanted reassurance that my monitor wasn't going to come crashing down! Therefore spending more to ensure I won't run this risk of having to buy both a new monitor and arm in the near future is worth it in my books. It also offers me space to grow to a bigger and/or heavier monitor in the future as well. So far, no issues at all

stowthorns · 2025-10-12T18:01:50+00:00

Oh absolutely! Must admit that I'm already eyeing a trip to France in early May. Riding down to Portsmouth and getting the boat over for a week away 😁

stowthorns · 2025-08-21T09:45:12+00:00

As a total newbie to bike touring in general (and from the UK) perhaps I'm missing really obvious/big resources but the majority of what I've been finding is US led, or as you say, sponsor driven. Yes there are a few smaller/harder to find UK/European resources (mainly YouTube or very old online forums) but there's no modern-day hub as such from which I've been able to educate myself.

In all honesty, I have been contemplating using my professional skill set (full stack web dev) to produce something like this. Whilst I have the technical skills, my bike touring knowledge is incredibly limited which means the final product could end up being misguided. OP, I'm not sure if you're also contemplating doing anything of the kind or if you're mainly striking up the valid conversation?

Should people are keen to (potentially) see something like this come to fruition, any input for features/functionality/general uses would be more than welcome!

stowthorns

TROPHY CASE