How To Plan A Cycle Tour or Bikepacking Trip: The Ever-Growing Resource Library

Need advice on planning a cycle tour or bikepacking trip? Okay:

  1. Pick a date. Start saving money.
  2. Get a bike, tent, sleeping bag, etc.
  3. Choose a direction and start pedalling.

That’s all there is to it. Duration, location and budget are minor details.

I really mean this. Have another look at the header photo above. My friend Maria was backpacking in Budapest when she decided to continue on two wheels. Within 24 hours, she’d bought a €10 bike from a scrapyard, strapped her backpack to it, and spent the next two months cycling across Europe to Istanbul. Her life-changing bicycle adventure required less than a day of planning and no special equipment whatsoever.

Need more reassurance? Think your trip’s going to be different?

What follows is an ever-growing library of cycle touring and bikepacking resources, which I’ve been expanding and updating on a constant basis for as long as I’ve had anything to share on the subject. Here you’ll find everything from beginners’ guides to gear reviews and round-ups, planning strategies, a lot of content on touring bike design and choice, forays into more general travel philosophy territory, and a lot more.

Articles are organised across broad themes of pre-trip planning, life on the road, and – everyone’s favourite topic – bikes and gear. Just click the arrowed headings to expand.

(Bonus: drag this link to your bookmarks bar so you can come back to it any time you need a steer.)

The Basics

Cycle Touring & Bikepacking 101: Introducing Your New Lifestyle
Planning Fundamentals: How To Plan Any Bike Trip
Pre-Trip Preparation: Subject-Specific Decision-Making Guides

On The Road

Life On Two Wheels: Surviving Your First Big Bike Trip
Gaining Momentum: Lifestyle Design For Long-Haul Riders
Going To Extremes: Surviving Inhospitable Cycle Touring Conditions

Bikes & Gear

(A quick word: you don’t need any of this stuff. What you really need is the modern world’s most scarce resource: time. After that, you just need a bicycle and a good helping of curiosity.)

Touring Bikes: What They Are And How To Choose One
Frequently-Asked Questions About Touring Bikes, Answered (Series)
Gear For Cycle Touring & Bikepacking: Detailed Buyers’ Guides
Road-Tested Gear: Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Equipment Reviews
The Shoestring Bike Trip: Budget Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Gear

Everything Else

No Stupid Questions: A Chronological List Of Attempted Answers To Reader-Submitted Conundrums
Cover image of How To Hit The Road: The Beginners Guide To Cycle Touring & Bikepacking by Tom Allen

Bogged down in research for your next big bicycle adventure?

I wrote a whole book to help with that. How To Hit The Road is designed to be read at your leisure, making planning a bike tour simple and achievable, no matter the length, duration or budget. Available globally as an ebook or paperback.

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