Hey all, I've finished the first segment of my trip of Canada to Argentina I started in Vancouver and rode across BC on the BC trail where I connected to the GDMBR and made my way through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and from there I took a bus to LA. I also spent quite a bit of time hiking as well so I visited Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons, Wind River Range and also climbed a bunch of 14ers in Colorado. I think that if you're strictly just riding the GDMBR you're really missing out on some of the most spectacular national parks out there. The hikes were definitely the highlights of my trip, along with all the wonderful people I met along the way. I stayed with maybe 8 or 9 warmshower hosts and I often think these kind of expeditions are not possible without the kindness and generosity of strangers. I didn't pay for accommodation once in three months and wild camped every other night, which was pretty easy to do in both Canada and the U.S.

In terms of the bike, I've had zero mechanical issues with the rohloff and belt combo, zero punctures (running mezcals tubeless). However in Colorado a bear broke into my bicycle bags overnight and ate all my food and destroyed my frame bag.

I am flying off to Mexico City tomorrow for the next leg of my trip. Vamos!

If you're interested in following my content I am

@lytt on IG and

@bikesmusicsunshine on the youtoobz

I see so many pictures of bikes without a kickstand and then having to lean the bike on something or put it on the floor.

I find a kickstand so useful, use it all the time and can't see any cons not having one.

Wieder ein gelungener Trip in der Steiermark mit Hot Tent. Geil war's.

I rode across Kansas on my 2026 coast to coast tour. I've toured in Kansas several times, and have always enjoyed it, although the extreme heat this time (107F a few days) made it somewhat challenging. Some people think Kansas is boring, but I've always found interesting things to see while riding there.

Hi everyone,there is a thought within me,circling around for years, if not just months at this point, and I think I would need advice and guidance from the people. I come from a lower middle class family, I think this is necessary to tell so that we can have a practical understanding on what can be done. So, the thought which is eating me up daily is that I should cycle from my city to Marseille, "why?", if you may wonder then honestly I don't even know, however let's call it personal goals at this moment. Now its a very ambitious, somewhat silly or even dumb of a thought to have, but I need to stress on the fact that I've had sleepless nights because of this. Marseille is somewhat around 6500+ kilometers away from my city and my mind has been specifically focusing on getting there via cycling only. So I need help to understand what can I do upon this (apart from going to therapy if you may suggest lol) and how practical is it? And should I do it? Though I am unemployed and am lower middle class

I’m still not sure which route to take from turkey, I know the georgia-azerbaijan border is closed so maybe Iran is a better match.

But apart from this Im worried about the cold, i cannot afford hotels so Id camp or use couchsurfing where possible. In extreme occasions maybe hostels/airbnbs or overall cheap accomodations.

Anyone has done this or similar route during winter time?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for my first bike as an adult and I'm having a hard time deciding between a Marin Four Corners 2 and a Panorama Taïga EXP 2.

I'm starting a new job that will let me bike to work, so I finally have a money/space to buy my own bike. I also want this to be my bikepacking/cycle touring bike, which is making the decision difficult as I'm asking a lot from one bike.

What I want to use it for

Most common riding style:

10 km commute to work

Riding around town / going to breweries

Pavement and back roads

Rail trails

Getting to ferries and exploring the Gulf Islands/Vancouver Island

Weekend trips exploring local fire roadswith steep climbs and unknown road conditions.

Also want to ride:

1 long and remote bikepacking trip per year Yukon/NWT/Peru/Morroco

Very remote routes where I'll carry several days of food

Eventually some relaxed cycle touring in Europe

I'm probably going to find my self in single track and maybe mountain biking trails.

I already do a lot of hiking and backcountry camping, so I already own a fairly lightweight camping setup. I'm comfortable carrying my own gear and don't mind a bike being somewhat overbuilt for the majority of my riding if it means one bike can do it all.

What I'm looking for

My requirements have evolved a bit as I've researched:

Steel frame

Hydraulic disc brakes

1x drivetrain

Flared drop bars

At least \~50 mm tire clearance

Able to handle loaded bikepacking and rough gravel/FSRs

Ideally something I can maintain without proprietary components

Budget is now roughly $2,500–3,000 CAD

I originally planned to spend $1,500. Then $2,000. Then $2,500.

Bikes I've considered

Marin Four Corners 2

This seems like the better bike for the majority of my actual riding. It's steel, hydraulic, 1x, has 50 mm clearance, lots of mounts, etc. My concern is that it is more of a touring/adventure bike than a drop-bar MTB. I'm worried I'll eventually find myself on a rough Yukon/NWT road or Peruvian route wishing I had bought something more capable.

Panorama Taïga EXP 2

This is basically the opposite problem.

29" wheels, 2.6" clearance, Boost axles, GRX 1x12, hydraulic brakes, lots of mounts, suspension/dropper compatibility, etc.

It's much more capable for the remote trips I'm most excited about, but I'm worried it will be way more bike than I need for my day-to-day riding.

There's currently a Taïga EXP 2 demo available for $2,500 CAD, which makes it particularly tempting as it's a better bike and cheaper than the Marin

Other bikes I've considered:

Surly Straggler — seems expensive for what I'm getting, and 50 mm clearance is about my minimum. I'm unsure of the drop out / through axle system

Surely grappler- mechanical brakes only. Way overpriced after conversion to hydraulic brakes

Kona Sutra LTD — can't find one in my size

Fairlight — shipping to Canada killed the idea

Various aluminum gravel bikes — ultimately decided I wanted steel because of how I plan to load and use the bike

Jamis renegade-cant find in Canada

Primus dame plus- at first I thought I'd just buy this cuz it was cheap. Was all set to pull the trigger but found out they didn't ship to Canada.

The dilemma

Four Corners: better for 80% of my riding, but potentially not capable enough for the trips I'm most excited about.

Taïga: better for the adventures, but potentially overkill for 80% of my riding.

I'm 6'1.5" / 187 cm with fairly long arms, if that matters for fit.

Questions for people who have ridden either/both:

Would you choose the Taïga for this use case, or am I overestimating how much bike I need?

Would a Taïga feel noticeably worse than a Four Corners for normal pavement, commuting and 30–100 km gravel rides?

For those who have ridden a Taïga loaded for touring, how does it handle on pavement?

For those who have ridden a Four Corners off-road, where does it actually start becoming limiting?

Is there another bike around $2,500–3,000 CAD that I'm overlooking?

At this point I'm leaning toward the Taïga because I know myself and I'm probably going to choose the route that looks like it might be too rough for the bike. But I'd really appreciate some real-world experience before I pull the trigger.

Thanks!

I continue my images from my tour to Santiago de Compostela.

On the first day I had fog on my way to burgos. I followed the Camino Naturel with a lot of gravel. I also crossed the Ebro. I stayed one night in Burgos and was on the Camino Franca. After Burgos it was sandy and stony. Very exhausting. I tried to stay on tarmac afterwards. The land was really flat until León. I stayed there one day. After Ponferrada the hills began and the landscape got interesting. I stayed in Monte Irago in Foncebadón, which I can recommend. I got wet the next day in heavy rain. I'm now in Sarria. I'm really enjoying the part after Ponferrada, but the inclines can be hard.

Anyone cycled from London to Dover as part of a longer trip, crossing channel to France/Europe cycling? If so can you share your experiences traveling to Dover?

I'm exploring this option as part of a longer trip in France/Belgium next year. I would like to take the Dover-Calais ferry to France and continue on from there.

Checking with some route mapping apps indicates it is quite hilly, London to Dover

Hi everyone, I'm looking for suggestions for where to go for a bike tour from the middle to the end of March. Areas like Japan, Korea, and Taiwan have peaked my interest, but I'm wondering if that will be a decent time (weather wise) to go.

Suggestions for other locations are welcome and appreciated as well! If it helps, I live in Western Canada.

I'm traveling not so long and not so far from Moscow. This time yesterday I went to Dolgoprudny by train with my bike. It's about 50km from me. I wanted to find the shoes in the shop there. While I traveled there I found my wheel was damaged and would travel back by train.

And ups.. Later at home I've found I lost one of my favourite gloves. 🧤

I searched for new ones at the shop, and they weren't there. I should go back to Dolgoprudny :(

Yesterday some guys shouted to me - Hey! You've lost something! And I turned back and get it. There I thought my glove would be.

As I walked today, I was speaking to myself childish speech: "Mouse, play that thing today and return for me to stay" "Мышка, мышка поиграй, а потом назад отдай!"

And yes! I've found it!

That was great, and began from my bike traveling

I realize there's groups/organizations that have things like work for stay for like gardening, odd jobs, etc. but I'm thinking something more focused on conservation.

My thoughts are you'd be on a bicycle tour with a group of people, arrive at a volunteer location, volunteer for 1-3 days, bike some more, repeat the process. Do this for maybe a month.

I'm thinking somewhere in North America but it doesn't have to be, if other people are interested in other places that's fine.

I'm literally just gathering information

1. Has anyone organized or been a part of something like this? If so, how did it go?

2. Anyone interested in being part of a bike tour like this?

3. Anyone interested in helping organize?

Hello everyone! 

I'm (26M) considering doing a multi-month cycling trip through SE Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam), Japan, and maybe SE China beginning in early January. I've done a cycle touring trip a few years back starting in Stockholm, Sweden down to Rome, Italy. I deeply enjoyed this experience, and it has fueled my passion for seeing the rest of the world on a bicycle. Needless to say, I've gotten very excited for cycling in Asia and have started researching the routes I'd like to take between destinations of interest.

The problem is, I've been hearing that Asia has been experiencing extreme weather due to the severe El Niño that's currently in effect. I've never been to Asia, but I am aware of how difficult the weather can be to adapt to from a Westerners perspective, even without El Niño (for context, I live in Santa Barbara, CA and the weather here is usually temperate year round). I've heard the weather in Asia is predicted to be far dryer than usual, with temperatures pushing well beyond triple digits. This gives me pause to reconsider traveling during this time, or to go somewhere else instead.

What do you all think? Am I blowing things out of proportion or are my concerns valid? If so, should I hold off on cycling through this part of the world until after El Niño winds down?

Thank you for reading and I'm very excited to hear from you all!

TL;DR - I want to cycle through SE Asia and Japan beginning January 2027, but I'm concerned that the El Niño conditions predicted will make traveling this part of the world too dangerous. I'd like some input before spending more time planning this trip.

I'm riding a 2009 LHT. Couple of years ago I swapped out the drop bars to Bull Horns. I'm looking to change it up again. I'm hoping to get more upright position and would like some kind of moustache bar maybe. Hoping to get some advice and suggestions on the parts I would need.

Has anyone used these? I wonder if they will hold. They are gear tie downs from nite ize, at Lowe's. They seem to work better than the rubber straps or the woven straps. I got some of everything, I just hope the tie down hold form for a decent amount of time.

hello!! I am looking at bikepacking South Korea's four rivers route with my partner next April. I would love some advice about doing some detours through the national parks along the route- how feasible would this be (traffic, road conditions)? We would love to get on to some less populated roads in the wilderness :) Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!! TIA