Hi! I’m Tom, originally from England, but the island was too small.
For 18 years I’ve been pedalling the world... and peddling the word:
Travelling by bicycle is a revolutionary act, and the closest thing to freedom on the open road.
Here at TomsBikeTrip.com I tell original stories, trail-test new ideas, and share hard-earned lessons about cycle touring and bikepacking. A love of adventure has powered my AI-free blog since 2006. Welcome!
The blog: over half a million words of hard-earned cycle touring & bikepacking advice.
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No Stupid Questions: Can Cycle Touring Be Bad For Your Back?
A reader writes: My stupid question (asked with the understanding that you are not a medical professional but a great resource and researcher): Can biking on a touring bike be bad for your back? Can biking on inflated tires on bumpy roads – because you’re too lazy to reduce pressure or anxious about reinflating them […] Continue reading →
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Are Decathlon Touring Bikes Actually Any Good? Verdict After 10,000km (Video)
Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a French couple on a mission to cycle round the world – preferably without flying – who had spent eight months riding across Europe, Turkey and Georgia, and had recently arrived in Armenia after almost 10,000km of pedalling. Their company evoked feelings of nostalgia for the time […] Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: Is E‑bike Touring Possible? (If So, How?)
Several readers have written in with some version of the following question: I want to go cycle touring on an e‑bike, but there are obstacles. Firstly, nobody makes electric touring bikes. Secondly, other types of e‑bikes are too heavy to fly with, and airlines won’t carry e‑bike batteries. And finally, how can I possibly keep […] Continue reading →
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The Most Popular Cycle Touring Tent Ever Made Is Now 40% Cheaper
I rarely post about outdoor industry sales and promotions, and when I do it’s truly in my readers’ interests! On this occasion, Seattle-based Cascade Designs (parent of MSR, Therm-a-Rest, SealLine and more) have launched a major sale on many cycle touring gear classics across their brands, running from May 17–27 – although I expect the […] Continue reading →
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Cycle Touring WhatsApp Groups For Global Long-Distance Riders
It’s the time of year when long-haul cycle tourers who earlier set off from Europe are approaching parts of the world where information about logistics – visas, border crossings, money exchange and transfer, taking bicycles on public transport, etc – is scarce and rapidly changing. And where forums such as Lonely Planet’s now-defunct Thorn Tree […] Continue reading →
Books, eBooks & Guides
I’ve written a range of guidebooks and travelogues to read at your leisure, whether you’re preparing for a bike trip, living life on the road, or home and dreaming of the next big ride.
How To Hit The Road: A Beginner’s Guide To Cycle Touring & Bikepacking
First published in 2017 and updated in 2021, this book is my comprehensive newcomers’ introduction to the art of the bicycle-mounted adventure.
Every aspect of a cycle tour or bikepacking trip is covered in 34 chapters, split over three parts: pre-trip planning, initial execution, and adapting to the long haul.
As well as broad, practical advice, I’ve woven inspiring and reassuring anecdotes throughout the book – because getting away from the starting line isn’t about knowing everything, but having the confidence to begin.
Drawing on my personal experience of almost two decades of adventure cycling, more than 50 veteran riders from diverse backgrounds have also contributed to this guide, making it one of the most well-rounded introductions you’ll find to this radically liberating form of independent travel.
Whatever you’re planning and wherever you’re going, if it involves a bicycle and the spirit of adventure, How To Hit The Road has got you covered.
Janapar: Love, on a Bike
My first travelogue, originally published in 2013 and the subject of a successful crowdfunding campaign, telling the true story of my first 3½ years on the road.
This was far from your typical long-distance bike tour, however. From the cover blurb:
When twenty-three-year-old Tom Allen and his friends set off from their English village to cycle around the world, they were expecting physical hardship, extreme conditions and a serious case of culture shock. But the hours spent poring over maps could never have prepared them for the experience of life on the road: the petty squabbles, the extreme hospitality, the unexpected joys and dangers.
And then Tom meets Tenny, a feisty Iranian-Armenian girl with dreams of her own, and hits a crossroad. Should he give up his grand plan for the girl he loves, or cycle off and risk missing out on the greatest adventure of them all?
Temporarily out of print (except in the USA), Janapar is still available as a Kindle ebook from all Amazon portals worldwide.