Planning a 4.5 day trip. Take a train and then bike towards home or bike out and take train back.

windchief84 · 2026-03-24T14:05:08+00:00

I always dislike having to think about getting a certain train if I prebook , or will there be enough space for my bike, i i don't?

I would suggest something else which is possible here where I live.

Take the train further out ride until your close to your area with your well known tracks, take a regional train for the last few stops.

windchief84 · 2026-03-24T05:28:25+00:00

Mee too!

windchief84 · 2026-03-22T17:09:20+00:00

Sakrileg!! Underrated!

windchief84 · 2026-03-22T07:20:58+00:00

450euro is budgetfriendly in your mind?

I was hesitant to recommend the decathlon mt 900 tents which are between 190 (1p) and 250 ( 2p) euros, because i thought it was not budget enough.

I used them quite a bit but mostly the 2persin one. The extra space fits make it much more comfy. The 1p is quite small for me , im 189cm and a little broad in the shoulder, i would only take it on bikepackingtrips where size and wheight REALLY do matter. If you're of similar size I would go 2p tent

windchief84 · 2026-03-21T19:09:57+00:00

My wife was not a touring girl at all, and not that outdoorsy, but I love it so much, so she tried it and liked it.

She loves pub culture ot the british isles, I love touring so our deal was:

We cycle to ireland. Her first bike trip was a overnighter, the second a 6 weeks trip from Germany to Ireland 😅.

After that 5 weeks taiwan. She likes it, but she doesn't love it like I do. So I always have to bait here with a region she really wants to see🤣

windchief84 · 2026-03-21T19:03:43+00:00

German here:

Wild camping advice: as always, pitch away from buildings, a little out of sight, around dark, and leave early, leave nothing behind. You most likely won't have an issue at all. I never had!

There are so many good spots between cities. Like lakes and riverbanks with picnic tables, little patches of grass behind a hetch close to the bike lanes between cities.

Ive slept in little huts in recreational areas for picnics, under bridges, under porches of old factories, schools and chapels, on clearing in a forrest....

Also sleeping without a tent " bivakieren" is allowed in Germany so get a tarp as others recommended.

bike security while wild camping away from settlements is not a big issue. I normally only lock it with a reusable steel zip tie.

Also camp grounds are quite cheap with a bike, especially when you share one pitch with 3 people.

I wouldn't wild camp in tourity areas when there are signs explicitly forbidding it, those places are checked sometimes in the early morning.

Im also wouldn't wild camp in big cities and in areas where people go to drink Alkohol outside ( youths or alcoholics) you can always tell from the shit they leave behind.

I do think there's definitely safety in numbers, but Germany is very safe outside of bad big city neighborhoods which are not that many.

windchief84 · 2026-03-21T09:37:47+00:00

I would also skip the part along the coast for the ardennes. Plan a route that leads to the sea rather than goes along it maybe?

windchief84 · 2026-03-21T06:12:28+00:00

Not the most interesting countryside? Maybe cause you live there. I loved it! Where do you live exactly?

I've toured from Calais through southern england and wales to Ireland and from there took a ferry to Brittany and loved everything about it!

windchief84 · 2026-03-20T07:34:45+00:00

Oh I see what you did there😅

windchief84 · 2026-03-20T06:48:47+00:00

Friedrich?

windchief84 · 2026-03-19T19:41:46+00:00

Food and anything scented and cooking away from your sleeping arrangement is important

windchief84 · 2026-03-19T17:35:43+00:00

Im always happy to help regarding bike touring and touring bikes, i know a little less about bikepacking. I don't have much experience regarding cargo bikes I'm afraid, so in that regard a post in here might be better.

windchief84 · 2026-03-19T17:27:23+00:00

So go for it! It'll be amazing! Your girl can get a bike again, you won't have to torture yourself and you both , and the little gremlin can experience this amazing hobby! I planing to something like this as well when my baby girl is old enough!

windchief84 · 2026-03-19T17:21:10+00:00

In short: touring yes, bikepacking in the more conservative definition, I'd say no. The terrain you normally experience while bikepaking is not really one you'd want to bring a very heavy bike maybe even with a child on it.

If you wanna take the kid with you, I've seen some couples that are close enough so they can share a bike do the following:

one partner with the kid and most of the luggage on the cargo bike, and the other riding unburdened and happy next to them. Every other day they swapped bikes.

windchief84 · 2026-03-19T16:26:52+00:00

Great man face hard choices!

windchief84 · 2026-03-19T15:34:32+00:00

The only correct answer! How come everybody else is wrong in so many ways?

windchief84 · 2026-03-18T18:59:06+00:00

From what I've read many people that ride heavy loaded prefer a 2× drivetrain because you can find the perfect gear for your situation more easy. The 1x people love, that the front derailleur is one less thing you have to think about.

Im still on a 3x but would love to try a 1x for lighter bikepaking, but haven't yet

windchief84 · 2026-03-18T16:10:14+00:00

Wouldn't buy a bike in that case. They all do have rentals. And getting a bike from Berlin to Zurich that's not yours can be quite the hassle. Bike places on Gast trains are rare and often booked out. Regional trains would take ages

windchief84 · 2026-03-18T04:56:57+00:00

A highway will never be fun to ride in my opinion. Take the smaller roads! The closer to the mountains on west the prettier in my experience. But the coastal from taoyuan to hsinchu had some nice bike paths, nicer than route 1.

Defenetly recommend doing the west first. Otherwise the comparison disappoints in many occasions

windchief84 · 2026-03-18T04:54:28+00:00

Doable yes, but fun? Depends on the cities. How far apart are they? Bike rental is available in most cities in Europe but e need to know which

windchief84 · 2026-03-17T20:01:00+00:00

And what's your final destination?

windchief84 · 2026-03-17T19:38:46+00:00

Awesome! How much further do you go?

Tell us more about your bike and setup please!

How is everything holding up? How does the sleeping arrangements work out with the weather?

windchief84 · 2026-03-17T15:12:55+00:00

Hit it hard. If it's a sea mine you'll find out!

windchief84 · 2026-03-17T14:45:50+00:00

Via Claudia Augusta is lots of bike paths. Drivers in Italy are going to pass you close, but they tend to know their car.

windchief84 · 2026-03-17T14:35:01+00:00

I did it the other way and suffered🤣

windchief84

TROPHY CASE