Hi! I’m Tom, originally from England, but the island was too small.
For 20 years I’ve been exploring the world by bike at every chance I get.
Why? Simply put: because it’s the closest thing you’ll find to pure freedom!
Here at TomsBikeTrip.com I share hard-earned lessons about cycle touring and bikepacking, tell original stories, and road-test new ideas.
A love of adventure has powered my 100% AI-free blog since 2006, when I first decided to travel the world by bicycle and write about it.
Welcome!
The blog: over half a million words of hard-earned, hand-written cycle touring & bikepacking advice.
-
Why Casting Cycle Touring As ‘Sport’ Is Completely Missing The Point
Today’s guest post is from Victoria Cadman, who has completed several solo, long-distance bike journeys across Europe as part of an extremely ill-defined idea to explore the history of the continent. I asked her to write about the perception of cycling as a sporting endeavour, why transferring the goal-oriented mentality to travel is missing the point, and why cycle touring need have nothing to do with sport whatsoever. Take it away, Victoria… A couple of years ago, I was cycling across France, en route to Italy. I was about to begin a second long tour in Europe, but was not in particularly… Continue reading →
-
15 Unorthodox Ways To Train For Cycle Touring & Bikepacking (Bicycle Optional)
So you’re dreaming of life on the open road on that epic long-distance cycle tour or bikepacking trip. Yet you’re doing nothing proactive about it, because (among other reasons) you think you’re not fit enough. The odd commute or day-ride isn’t enough; it’s waaaaay too big a leap from your current lifestyle to the kind of physical fitness required for that big bicycle-mounted adventure. Right? Well, no, actually. For most people in this scenario, the truth about training for long-distance cycle touring or bikepacking is actually this: Training yourself mentally will serve you far better than attempting to train yourself physically.… Continue reading →
-
Eurobike 2014: The Best Of The Rest, Plus More Fatbikes Than You Ever Thought Possible
Over the last week I’ve gone off on an unusually long tangent in the field of cycle touring equipment, mainly because I happened to be passing by the world’s biggest bicycle industry expo in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and thought it’d be rude not to drop in. We’ve so far seen awards won by world tourers from KTM, an internal gearing system that hopes to rival Rohloff, a new range of extremely swanky panniers and luggage from Brooks, and new folding tourers from Tern. Now, for those of you who’re bored of gear or were never interested in it anyway, you’ll breathe a… Continue reading →
-
Eurobike 2014: New Folding Tourers from Tern, Plus (Probably) The World’s Most Expensive Touring Bike
I wrote a while back about the Tern Link P24h, a 20-inch wheel folding bike with luggage-carrying capabilities that I had on long-term loan from the company. This year Tern are launching the successor to that now-discontinued bike in the form of the Verge S27h. At a glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the same bike. But as is usually the case with Tern, the thoughtful improvements are only apparent upon closer inspection. The geometry is similar, yes, but the wheelbase is now a few cm longer, which should improve the feel and stability of the bike over long… Continue reading →
-
Eurobike 2014: What Happened When Brooks And Ortlieb Got Together And Made Panniers
In what is sure to be a ludicrously hipster-pleasing move, Brooks of England and Ortlieb of Germany have got together once again and significantly expanded their range of insanely expensive expedition-grade panniers and bags for 2015. Sold under the Brooks brand but advertised as being made in Germany, the existing Land’s End (rear) and John O’Groats (front) waterproof panniers have actually been around a while already — currently on their way round the planet on the back of Tim Moss’s bike, in fact. They’re significantly cooler and arguably tougher versions of Ortlieb’s Roller Plus panniers, which (together with the Classic variant) have… 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.