Just finished 1,250km from Italy to Netherlands. Gear review, lessons learned..
Hey guys, since reading about other people's experiences on here helped me a ton when preparing for my trip, I wanted to share my own journey and breakdown what worked and what didn't.
I just wrapped up a 1,250km trip. Left on June 21st and arrived at my destination on June 29th. It was an amazing experience, but man, I made so many mistakes. Here is my review.
First time using a big saddle bag instead of a rear rack and panniers. The bike felt so much more responsive in corners. With panniers, I always felt like after a certain lean angle, the bike just became unmanageable and wanted to tip over. On the front fork, I was running the Old Man Mountain bags. They are convenient but a bit too small. this specific model has exposed bolt heads inside which made packing rigid stuff a nightmare.
For the other bags, the Restrap top tube bag was flawless, super well-made! The Topeak lower frame bag, though... absolute pain. The velcro straps kept slipping the whole trip and completely ruined my favorite bib shorts. Definitely changing that. On the bright side, putting a bottle cage under the bottom bracket for chain oil and tools was a great move, saved tons of room. I also electrical-taped two butyl inner tubes to the outside of the frame and put the pump next to the bottles out of the way and zero issues. Also, the food pouch on the stem Is great. I wish I had one more kept completely empty just to throw in a cold Coke bought on the go.
What I overpacked: way too much food. I brought a mountain of instant risotto pouches and ended up finishing the trip with enough food for 4 more dinners. Next time, 3 meals max and I'll buy groceries on the way. Also leaving behind next time: headlamp (the light mounted on my bike was enough), headphones (never used), fork and knife (a spoon is enough), and the Swiss plug adapter. And i use solid soap: I bought one from Decathlon and it was a disaster. It never dried, stayed wet, turned into a creamy mush, and got everywhere. Next time, just a hard piece of Marseille soap.
What actually saved me: wet wipes were a total lifesaver for wiping the dried sweat and salt off my face. Also, arm sleeves were essential to avoid sunburns. I really wanted more snacks to eat while riding, but I tried nuts and dried fruit and after a while, in that suffocating heat, they just made me super nauseous. I also really wished I had electrolyte tablets to put in my water bottles, but I completely forgot them at home.
Two major issues I didn't expect: Coming from Italy, I'm used to finding drinking fountains in every small town square or playground park. From Switzerland up, they are basically ghosts, and the ones I found were marked non-potable. My 1.5L water capacity was definitely not enough. Also, my lock was so annoying to use that I'd spend 10 minutes just locking and unlocking it at every supermarket. In Boxtel (NL), outside an Aldi, I walked out just in time to see a guy with his hands literally on my bags trying to open my top tube bag. If I had a quicker lock, I wouldn't have wasted time and probably avoided the mini-heart attack.
Also, Switzerland is beautiful, probably the prettiest part of the trip, but the locals I met were something else. First campsite only took cash (€40 for a tiny tent spot). The reception had the AC blasting at 18°C. I had just arrived after 7 hours of pedaling in 40°C heat, and within two minutes my vision went pitch black. I almost fainted on their floor and had to run outside to sit down. Then in Lucerne, I'm minding my own business brushing my teeth in the bathroom. The guy at the next sink reaches over and aggressively shuts off my tap without saying a word. I look at him like "What?!", and in a heavy German accent, he lectures me: "Here in Switzerland we don't waste water, in your country you can do whatever you want." ... paying €40 for a tent spot just to get a passive-aggressive life lesson...
Anyway, I need some advice from you guys for the next trip:
1 neck sun protection: My neck got completely fried, literally opened a small wound. My Buff is too hot. Any good products?
2 Snacks: Since nuts and dried fruit made me nauseous in the 40°C heat, what do you eat when it's that hot to keep your energy up?
3 The Soggy Tent: It rained one morning and a couple of nights. Packing a soaking wet tent and wet clothes felt terrible. How do you guys manage drying gear on consecutive rainy days?
Thanks!