This post is the first of many what I’m calling Tripologues. There is a good chance, maybe even a certainty, that you will find most of what’s in these tripologues not just boring in the traditional sense but so tediously detailed and littered with seemingly unnecessary miscellany that your eyes will burn. This is intentional.
I’m writing these tripologues to entertain an audience. On this point, there is no doubt. However, my audience is not you — unless you are the future me. I’m writing tripologues to have something I can look back on that will spark my memory not just of the trip highlights, but of the specifics too. This project is a series of snapshots in time for better or for worse, not what I think the internet will find interesting or worthwhile. Despite this, I hope these tripologues become a resource to future bike tourers on the EuroVelo6 and that they give my friends and family some entertainment.
With that out of the way…
The weeks of planning have passed, the gear research is complete, the anticipation has peaked, and now it is go time.
I decided it’d be more fun to take a boat from Dublin to France than it would be to fly. So I bought a ticket with Dublin Ferries, packed up my bike, and left the apartment to begin this bike tour adventure.
All packed up and ready to roll
Abby’s office is just a 10-minute bike ride away from the Dublin Port so she rode with me to the ferry and saw me off. Despite a few near misses with overzealous semi-truck drivers, we made it to the harbor.
At the ticket counter, I was brusquely told to take myself and my bike up to the front of the line of cars. Abby and I had a somewhat teary-eyed goodbye and off I went.
Once I made it to the front of the hundreds of cars waiting to board, another gentleman told me that, in fact, the Green Machine and I would be the last on.
Bye bye Dublin fog!
A few minutes into waiting a man rode up to me on his fully loaded bike. I was excited to meet a fellow cyclist this early on in the trip and was eager to learn where he was headed. He told me his name was “Paul, Paul O’Keefe.” Paul is cycling along the Camino de Santiago with a massive art piece weighing no less than 20 pounds to “Promote love and peace.” ‘Cool enough,’ I thought. Paul spent years in the Australian wilderness and had the newspaper clippings to prove it. Not to mention, he’s a self-described Irish Mystic.
Both Paul and I reserved reclining chairs for the 23-hour journey. With a chair costing 20-some-odd Euros and a cabin costing over 100eur, it was a no-brainer. But Paul, being the all-experienced traveler he is, let me in on a secret. “Yep, thought so… Shane, you know these padded benches will make a fine place to sleep tonight, I think.” I agreed. So I took my things from my reclining chair and boguarded a nice padded booth for the rest of the night.
The view from my coveted bench
As far as the boat trip went, the water was vast and blue and that’s all I have to say about that. I was more excited to leave Ireland than I was to watch it as I went.
As a fitting parting gift from the city, Dublin ensured that my friend Paul loved to smoke hand-rolled cigarettes. Every 20 minutes or so Paul left for a smoke break and brought me back a sneeze attack. I didn’t mind though; Paul is engaging, excited about his project, and, judging by the pictures of his former girlfriends that he’s shown me, he has a real way with the ladies.
Mr. Paul himself
23 hours later and after being the last to board, I made sure I was the first off the Ferry.
Winding my way to the front of the line to disembark
Off I rode into the city of Cherbourg. A great little northern coastal town with excellent bike lanes and some neat statues. A stop for some green beans, carrots, and cherries was all I had time for. Then it was off to the train station for the next leg of the journey.
The bird has landed…or has the whale beached? Either way, I’m in France.One of Cherbourg’s pieces of public artA journey of 1,000 selfies begins one shot at a time
Want to know what to bring on a bike tour across Europe? You’re in the right place. My goal here is to document what I brought and to help others reduce time spent researching what bike touring gear to buy.
99%, if not all, of what I packed
I’ve provided affiliate links to products where possible. Amazon doesn’t carry the panniers I chose (the Sport Packer Plus Ortlieb front and rear bags) as of this post so I’ve linked to another great option. Check Craigslist and eBay for your panniers because they’re expensive if purchased new and there are great deals out there on used panniers!
All this gear can get expensive, but if you’re patient you’ll find sales on Amazon, REI, eBay, and on Craigslist. Less expensive alternatives exist too — I chose Isadore cycling clothes because they are sustainable, have amazing quality for the price, they use Merino Wool and the jersey was 40% off, but there are plenty of other options.
Bike Friday NWT Silk: Bike Friday is an American manufacturer of high quality touring and road bikes. All of their bikes pack into suitcases. They are perfect if you want to easily bring your bike on business trips or on vacation. There are lots of good used ones to be found.
Shimano EH500 Pedals: These pedals are functional because you can clip in for long rides or you can wear your regular shoes for quick trips to the store. Get this model instead of the slightly cheaper one if you care about weight and if you want pegs to keep your shoes from slipping. I like the dual pedals because I can clip in for between cities but wear my sneakers when exploring the city itself.
Bike Friday Front and Rear Racks: I can’t recommend bike racks for bikes with 26” in tires because I haven’t used them. REI and Amazon have good selections. Look for light but sturdy racks and make sure to bring extra rack screws because they have a tendency to rattle out on the road.
Schwalbe Marathon Tires: These tires are heavier than most but the peace of mind they bring is worth every ounce.
Cygolight Metro Pro: I’m not planning to ride at night but it is important to have a light in case of emergency. This one strikes a nice balance of brightness, chargeability, modes, and cost.
Cygolight Hotshot Pro Rear: This light is bright as hell. If you’re paranoid about getting rear-ended by a four-wheeled death machine then get this light.
The best water bottle cage in the world: I’m not kidding. These water bottle holders fit 27oz Kleen Kanteen bottles perfectly (and if they rattle just loop a rubber band around the cage). They’re perfect because they’re six bucks, durable as all hell, and lightwieght.
Brooks Cambium 17 All-Weather Saddle: I chose this seat because it comes weatherproofed, it’s vegan, and it is very comfortable with padded shorts on. It also has a nice bounce to it such that when you go over pumps it feels like the seatpost has suspension.
Mirrcycle Mirror: This mirror goes inside your handlebar. It’s convex so the field of vision is superb. If you’ll share the road with cars then this is a necessity. It helps to know when a four-wheeled death machine is barreling towards you from behind.
Mirrcycle Incredibell: The Incredibell gets the job done. It is better at warning pedestrians of your presence than it is at signaling to four-wheeled death machines, but for the price, it’s good enough.
Phone Mount: I’ve used this mount on my bikes for years because it can be mounted easily, it secures my phone, and it is inexpensive. It’s compatible with Ortlieb handlebar bags too.
Ergon Grips with Touring Bar Ends: Ergon grips cure elbow pain and numbness from vibrations. I like the feel of the biocork grips best. The bar ends allow for different hand positions throughout the day to prevent fatigue. The bar ends are interchangeable so you can get the GP5 ends for touring then switch to GP2s or 3s for riding back at home.
Helmet
Giro with MIPS: Very comfortable and great built-in sun protection. I have no idea if MIPS technology is evidence-based but I do know that it makes wearing a helmet more comfortable.
Ortlieb Micro Saddle Bag: I carry things like my multitool, tire patch kit, and spare tube in here.
Ortlieb Ultimate6 Plus L: This bag is so convenient that I almost go as far as saying it, or something like it is a must. Ortlieb’s magnet closure is perfectly engineered.
Spare tire tube: I’m bringing one spare tube just in case.
Chain grease: This chain grease has worked well for me and fits inside the Ortlieb Micro Saddle Bag.
Travel pump: I’m able to get my tires to what feels like at least 80psi with this inexpensive little hand pump. The upgrade option comes highly recommended but I think most riders would do fine without it.
Spare wheel spokes: Bring some just in case.
Extra rack screws: These have a habit of vibrating out and onto the road. I got some from a local bike shop.
Opinel Knife: Very lightweight and the price is right.
Hydration
Most riders use plastic bottles because they are lighter and cheaper. I prefer stainless steel because the bottles don’t impart a flavor and because I’m paranoid about plastic contaminating my water in the summer heat. I like Kleen Kanteen because they fit perfectly in my bottle cages and they offer a stainless steel lid.
Isadore Cycling Cap: To keep my balding dome sunspot free (this was free with my order).
Cotton pants from Costco
Basketball shorts
3 pairs of underwear
Lightweight New Balances: For off the bike.
Costco sandals: For showers etc.
Shimano ME-5 for riding: I can’t recommend biking shoes with boa tightening enough. No more loosening of the laces, no concern over mud in velcro, and a perfectly snug fit every time you put them on. I’ve seen these for on sale as cheap as $119. If you have flat feet and need to use your own arch supports like I do, then these are wonderful because the midsole insert is removable. These aren’t advertised as waterproof, but after riding through heavy rains I can attest that they, in fact, are.
Hi-viz vest: For when I have to ride alongside the four-wheeled death machines like I did on this hell-bridge
Point St. Nazaire and St. Nazaire are two very different places separated by what I call The Hell Bridge
Sun Protection
Adequate sun protection is arguably the most important part of my gear list. Any money and weight spent on sun protection are worth it. Spending every day for weeks or months at a time under the sun without protection, even if you’re not riding in the summer, will at the least prematurely age your skin and at worst kill you. So I wear sunscreen and/or sun protection rated clothes.
Badger sunscreen: No perfumes, no corrosive chemicals, no stinging skin or eyes. It does leave a white tint, which I don’t mind.
Electronics
Google Pixel3a: For maps and photos. This is the best phone for bike touring because it is relatively inexpensive, has an unbelievably good camera, records stabilized 4k video, and it is lightweight.
DJI Osmo Gimbal: For stable videos while riding. This is not necessary at all but I’d like to be able to record some stable riding footage. I opted for this combined with my phone instead of getting a GoPro because I can avoid carrying SD cards, extra batteries and all that fun stuff.
Bose Soundwear: I got these as a gift from my wife a while back and they are perfect for biking. They’re better than headphones because I can still hear what’s going on around me, the microphone is positioned so that wind doesn’t interfere with calls, and after about 10 seconds I forget that I’m even wearing them. They just disappear and enable seamless podcasts or music as though the universe is playing the soundtrack to my life!
Samsung Chromebook: Great screen quality, lightweight, decent price on a computer used mostly for blogging.
Kindle: I went with a refurbished Kindle that works perfectly.
Powerbank: I got one that I don’t recommend so you’re on your own for this one
USB-C to C, USB to C, and USB to micro-USB chords: For charging.
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad: A nice lightweight pad that makes sleeping on the ground 1,000 times more comfortable. It does sound like your sleeping on a blown up paper bag though, which I don’t mind.
Exped Air Pillow: The sleeping pad gives some head support, but if you want better neck support then get an inflatable pillow like this one.
I want to maintain strong muscles on this trip. Resistance bands are perfect for this because they pack down to practically nothing, are lightweight, and are so versatile that one can exercise every major muscle group by using them and doing burpees.
Earplugs: Just in case a hostel is noisy or I end up in a loud setting.
Anti-chafe cream: This stuff apparently prevents or soothes bib-burn but I haven’t had any chaffing with my Isadore bib.
A Fork: From the fork drawer…
Travel Towel: These dry quickly, are lightweight, and don’t get as gross as a regular cotton towel.
Night Guard: From my dentist.
Albuterol Inhaler: Yay for asthma.
Passport: From the U S of A
Cork Wallet with credit cards: This wallet is lightweight, minimalist, vegan and cheap just the way I like it.
That’s all folks
Whew. That was a lot of things. There is definitely some fat here. Do I really need a gimbal to stabilize my phone videos? No. But it’s my first bike tour and a big part of this process is learning what things add to the experience and what subtracts from it.
