We’re sharing our top 45 best bike touring tips and tricks to make your tour as unforgettable as possible.
Planning a bike tour? Whether you’re preparing for your first bike tour or fiftieth, there is an abundance of things to remember. From packing the correct gear to researching routes and taking rest days, it’s important to prepare for what lies ahead.
Let’s dive in and share our favorite bike touring tips and tricks that you should use on your next tour.
Pack fewer clothes than you think you need
The first of our bike touring tips and tricks is to pack fewer clothes than you think you need.
One of the biggest mistakes new cyclists make on a bike tour is packing too much. On my first bike tour, I packed far more clothes, electronics, and toiletries than I needed, and I was stuck lugging the gear from place to place!
As far as clothing, I recommend packing:
- 2 pairs of cycling shorts
- 2 cycling shirts (athletic material)
- 2 casual shirts (for evenings, sightseeing, and rest days)
- 1 pair of pajamas
- 1 pair of non-cycling pants or shorts
- 1 windbreaker
- Undergarments
Other packing essentials will vary from destination to destination. If you’re cycling in cold climates, you’ll need gloves and a warmer jacket. Touring near the beach? A bathing suit will be worth it, even if it takes up extra space in your panniers.
Use waterproof or water-resistant pannier bags
Keeping clothes, gear, and electronics dry while touring is crucial, so be sure to invest in high quality, waterproof bags for your bike tour. From panniers to handlebar bags and saddlebags, make sure they are waterproof or water-resistant!
You’re likely to encounter rainy days on your bike tour, and no one wants to get caught with all of their belongings soaked from the rain.
Bringing the right gear to fix your bike is one of the most important bike touring tips and tricks
One of the worst mistakes on my first bike tour was not bringing a chain tool. It left me stranded on the side of the road when my chain link snapped!
Like any mistake, I learned my lesson, and I can’t overestimate the importance of bringing the right gear to fix your bike. From a multitool to chain tool and patch kit, it’s always better to be prepared.
Related: Bicycle tour mistakes—The rookie mistakes I made on my first cycling trip
Bike tours can wreak havoc on even the most trusty bikes, so make sure to have the right gear to fix common problems like flat tires, faulty brakes, and a loose seatpost.
Pack more spare tubes than you think you need
In addition to bringing the right maintenance gear, we recommend bringing more spare tire tubes than you think you need.
Fixing flat tires is a necessary evil on a bike tour, and you’ll likely fix many more flat tires than you’d prefer while cruising. While patching your tube works perfectly fine in most cases, you won’t want to cycle using a tube with dozens of patches!
Be sure to bring a few spare tubes in your bike bag, preferably more than you think you need. Having the flexibility of using a shiny new tube instead of one with 30 patches will be well welcomed when dealing with frequent flat tires!
In addition, double check to make sure you purchased the correct tubes! On our most recent tour in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, Ryan realized he brought the wrong tube with him on accident. Once again, we were stranded on the side of the road without a spare part!
Luckily, a little duct tape provided a temporary solution to our popped tube until we got to the nearest bike tour.
Stay hydrated
It seems like obvious advice, but staying hydrated is perhaps the most crucial part of a successful bike tour. And although staying hydrated may seem like easy advice, it can be more difficult than you initially think.
Many bike tours traverse through remote areas of the world where water refilling opportunities are limited. Whether cycling in Australia, Uzbekistan, or Mexico, you may occasionally encounter hundreds of miles without water.
Even if you’re cycling in a more populated area of the world, it’s easy to forget to drink enough water. When focusing on your route, finding a place to sleep, and pedaling up and down hills, drinking enough water can become an afterthought.
Staying hydrated will make your tour much more enjoyable, so be sure to prepare appropriately!
Always wear your helmet
Wearing a helmet is something that should not be skipped on a bike tour, even if you’re riding on bike paths or a quiet road. There’s nothing “cool” about not wearing a helmet, and there’s certainly nothing cool about serious head injuries.
Protecting your head in case of any unexpected scenarios is crucial while riding. Even if you think you’re invincible, a simple fall could ruin your entire tour and possibly even land you in the hospital.
Plan your route in advance
While we don’t recommend planning every day to the tee, doing a little pre-planning for your bike tour route is helpful. Knowing the safest and quietest roads to ride can help make your tour more successful.
Fortunately, the internet is full of detailed and first-hand information from other touring cyclists. I recommend joining the bicycle touring subreddit on Reddit; it has been a valuable research tool when planning bike tours. You can ask other cyclists questions about your route as well as share photos from your bike tour adventures.
YouTube is another fantastic resource to plan a bike tour route. The odds are high that someone has done the exact route you’re planning. Watching a video of your route and tour destination can help you get a better idea of road conditions and what to expect.
Understand that you can skip busy sections
On our first bike tour, we found ourselves cycling on a busy road with no shoulder in Portugal’s Algarve region. The traffic, along with the summer heat, made our ride miserable, so we opted to take a train to our destination instead.
In the end, skipping two hours of unfavorable cycling conditions in favor of a 40 minute train was one of the best decisions we made on our tour.
You’re not “cheating” if you skip a section of your route in favor of a car, train, or bus ride. Ultimately, your bike tour is your own journey, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to cycle every single mile in order to feel successful!
Research wild camping laws before your tour
Many bicycle tourists camp along their route, but be sure to research camping laws in your destination before riding. Some countries may have strict rules on wild camping, whereas others may allow camping in any public land.
Even if a country doesn’t technically allow wild camping, you may be surprised at just how generous locals can be during your tour. It’s common, especially once further from the tourist trails, to be given permission to camp in a yard or someone’s home for the night along your route.
Consider “credit card” touring for a short trip
Planning a short tour of just a few weeks? Leave the camping gear at home and stay at guesthouses and hotels instead.
Although camping is extremely popular on a bike tour, there’s no question it adds extra weight to your bike. Bringing a tent, sleeping pad, camping stove, and other camping gear is helpful on longer tours, but it isn’t without disadvantages.
On a short bike tour, it’s often easier to find affordable accommodation each evening instead of camping, especially if you’re cycling through more populated areas. Spending $40 on a hostel room each night would only be $560 for a two week vacation, and you’ll get the comforts of a bed, shower, and place to relax each evening.
Use Warmshowers for lodging and friendships while on tour
Warmshowers is a platform for touring cyclists, and it’s where cyclists can connect with hosts for lodging and connections while riding.
For a one-time $30 fee, cyclists can join Warmshowers and connect with hosts along their route. The platform has over 100,000 hosts in over 150 countries.
As a Warmshowers guest, you can stay in a host’s home at no cost, although it is, of course, expected to be a respectful guest. In addition to the benefits of lodging and a shower, many cyclists appreciate the connection to local culture they can obtain when meeting hosts around the world.
Leave room for last-minute route changes
On a bike tour, nothing goes exactly to plan, so don’t plan your route concretely.
You might find a better, quieter route than your original plan once you begin cycling, or perhaps you decide to skip a section altogether. Likewise, you may meet other bicycle tourists and decide to change your plans to ride with them!
While having a general idea of your route is important—especially if you’re on a short tour—remember to plan “wiggle room” to change your destination and route along the way.
Learn basic bike maintenance skills
Before taking off on a bike tour, be sure to have basic knowledge of bike mechanics. It’s almost a given that something on your bike will need maintenance during a tour. Knowing how to fix common bike issues can save you headaches, stress, and money while touring.
You can learn basic bike mechanics through YouTube videos, blog posts, or by training under a more seasoned cyclist. One of our favorite ways to learn bike maintenance is by frequenting a local community bike shop where you can encounter mechanics to answer any questions you may have.
Luckily, knowing how to fix common bike issues isn’t rocket science, so make sure to take time to learn before your tour.
Be respectful of other cultures, laws, and customs
This should go without saying, but be sure to respect local cultures and customs along your route. Read up on local laws and customs in your bike tour destination and follow local regulations at all times.
Knowing how to be respectful can help you to not only connect with locals, but avoid getting yourself in sticky situations during your tour.
Learn basic phrases in the local language
You might find yourself cycling through a vast range of destinations, each of which may speak a different language. Depending on where you’re cycling, you may get by with English, but it’s not guaranteed.
If cycling through Latin America, for example, knowing basic Spanish will be extremely useful. Likewise, studying basic Mandarin will help you greatly before cycling in China.
While there’s no need to become fluent in a language, knowing basic greetings is useful. Consider learning the following phrases:
- Hello/goodbye
- How are you?
- Please/thank you
- I am from ______
- I am riding my bike from _____ to ______
- How much does it cost?
- Is there a hotel nearby?
- Can I camp here?
- My bike is broken. Is there a bike shop anywhere?
- Numbers from 1-20
Free apps like Duolingo or watching YouTube videos are perfect for learning basic phrases. If you’re hoping to grow your conversational skills more, I recommend using iTalki for a 1 on 1 tutor.
Eat a balanced diet while bike touring
One of the best parts of bike touring is tasting cuisine, but remember to keep your diet balanced while on tour.
We’ve been guilty of eating dozens of sugary crepes while touring French Polynesia or a few too many bottles of wine while touring in Spain. However, it’s crucial to make sure you’re eating enough protein, fruits, and vegetables during a tour to ensure you fuel your body properly.
Remember to enjoy the journey
Don’t become so focused on tracking your route, heart rate, and speed that you forget to enjoy the journey. While it’s okay to be proud of reaching a certain speed or distance on a bike tour, it shouldn’t control your trip.
Some of the best moments of touring are when you take a step back to enjoy the journey. Whether stopping for lunch in a quaint Swiss village or enjoying a beer at a rooftop bar in Bangkok, remember to enjoy the culture, cuisine, and lifestyle of your bike touring destination just as much as your ride.
Stay visible
It’s extremely important to stay visible on a bike tour. Although this might seem like common sense, many touring cyclists might become too comfortable on the road and forget about basic safety precautions.
Cycling primarily in the daytime, wearing bright colors, and putting lights on your bike are all great ways to stay visible to others on the road while on a bike tour.
Invest in a high-quality, bright light
Speaking of staying visible, make sure the lights you use on your bike are bright. Dim, low-quality lights will impede your vision when cycling at night, and this can make cycling more difficult and dangerous.
My favorite bike light to use on a tour is this Victagen light from Amazon. It is 8000 lumens and has proved beyond useful when cycling in the early mornings and evenings. I feel safe using this light—not only to see the road, but to feel confident that passing cars can see me too.
Remember to charge your light
Having a bright light on your bike is necessary on a bike tour, but the light is useless if you forget to charge it! Of all the bike touring tips and tricks on this list, make sure you never cycle without a light!
Many new bike lights are chargeable by USB cable, which is much easier than carrying around spare batteries. Remember to charge your light’s battery every few days to ensure it does not run out of charge while cycling at night.
Pack layers
Packing layers is important while on a bike tour. In most destinations, temperatures can vary widely from morning to afternoon to night. A jacket may be necessary in the morning, but by afternoon you’ll be sweating in a t-shirt!
We recommend packing a few layers on a bike tour, which can vary depending on your destination. If cycling in the summer, you may still want to bring a light jacket or fleece along with a windbreaker. Winter cycling, of course, requires more layers. Depending on your destination, you may require a heavy jacket, wool socks, and warm, water-resistant gloves.
Before setting off on a bike tour, it’s important to research weather patterns in your destination to ensure you pack properly.
Use sunscreen
Bike touring involves spending a lot of time in the sun, whether you’re cycling in Costa Rica or Cambodia. Wearing sunscreen is extremely important to avoid painful sunburns and putting yourself at risk of skin cancer.
Apply sunscreen generously every day on a bike tour. Ideally, you could wear a lightweight long sleeve shirt to avoid extra sun on your skin whenever possible.
Budgeting $10 for a bottle of sunscreen may seem annoying in the moment, but it helps avoid more painful (and expensive) problems further down the line.
Take breaks throughout the day
One of our favorite bike touring tips and tricks is that you shouldn’t forget to take breaks throughout the day. Touring is more than just rushing from one campsite to another.
If you see an ancient archeological site or stunning church, don’t worry about “wasting time”. Go enjoy it! You may be surprised by just how many monuments, interesting buildings, and unique places you will notice when traveling by bike.
Even if you don’t see anything of interest, you should give your body a rest throughout the day, especially on long travel days. Take a thirty minute break in the shade of a tree or air-conditioned oasis of a coffee shop.
The more rest you give your body on a bike tour, the more efficient of a rider you will be.
Map out rest stops and overnight stays in advance
It’s totally okay to cycle without a set plan, but a little bit of pre-planning can be helpful at the start of every day. In the morning, we recommend looking at a map and brainstorming your “goal” for the day.
Maybe you see a bigger city 80 miles away, or perhaps a rural area perfect for camping just a short 40 mile ride from your starting location. It can help to have an idea of where you might want to end your ride for the day, even if you don’t follow through on your plan later on.
Check for visa information before you tour
Before arriving in a new country for a bike tour, check (and double check) any visa requirements. If you’re from a country with a strong passport, it’s easy to forget that you can’t visit all countries without a visa.
Being denied at the border would be a huge let down, so make sure to check all entry requirements far in advance. Some countries may offer a visa on arrival, others may have an online application, and some may require an in-person visit at a consulate or embassy.
Carry identification and emergency contact information
You should always carry identification and emergency contact information on a bike tour. It’s impossible to plan when you’ll need it, but you may have to show identification when checking into hostels and hotels, when boarding long distance transportation, and when traveling from one country to another.
Plus, in some destinations, you may get stopped at checkpoints and asked for your identification. Having a passport or driver’s license handy at all times can make your life less stressful in these uncomfortable situations.
In addition, you should place emergency contact information somewhere in your belongings, whether in your wallet or inside your passport. In case of any emergencies, it’s helpful for others to be able to contact a loved one.
Of all the bike touring tips and tricks on this list, this is perhaps the most important.
Carry enough cash for emergencies (and bring a credit card)
Depending on where you’re traveling to, carrying cash may be important or unnecessary. Some countries will widely accept card payments whereas others prefer cash.
Regardless, carrying enough cash to last you several days is recommended, especially if cycling in rural areas. You can never predict if ATMs and banks will be commonly found on your route, so be prepared with enough cash.
Additionally, make sure your debit or credit card does not charge international fees for transactions. Paying a fee each time you withdraw money from an ATM or make a payment adds up quickly. Wasting even a small amount of money on a bike tour is never ideal!
Try local cuisine along your route: the tastiest of our bike touring tips and tricks
Eating is one of the best parts of traveling, and, of course, one of the best parts of bike touring! Fortunately, when on a bike tour, you’re burning a lot of calories, meaning there’s plenty of room in your stomach for delicious local food!
From soup dumplings in China to pizza in Italy and empanadas in Argentina, there’s so much food to discover when bike touring, so be sure to try it all!
Keep your panniers and bike bags organized
I recommend keeping your essentials (identification, wallet, camera, etc.) in an easy-to-reach bag while cycling. Having important items in a bag you can grab quickly can make your life easier when leaving your bike to enter a store, eat at a restaurant, etc.
Keeping your bags organized will likely require some trial and error. When I began touring, my bags were a complete mess! I didn’t yet know the best place to store clothes versus shoes, toiletries, and cameras.
After some time, however, packing and repacking your panniers will become second nature! Just remember to pack each pannier evenly for the best weight distribution.
Use a handlebar bag
On my recent bike tour, I used a handlebar bag for the first time and now I’ll never tour without it.
Having a handlebar bag, whether big or small, is extremely convenient. It serves as a way to carry and have access to essential items without having to open your panniers. Inside my handlebar bag, I place my mirrorless camera, cell phone, snacks, and wallet.
As another plus, a handlebar bag is perfect for day rides, as you aren’t forced to lug around heavy panniers but still have access to everything you need for a short ride.
Invest in a quality touring bike
While you can certainly tour on a $100 bike from WalMart, you’re much better off investing in a quality touring bike. Touring bikes endure a lot of wear and tear on a bike tour as you cycle thousands of miles through varied terrain. You want a bike that is reliable, comfortable, and built for traveling long distances.
A quality touring bike has a stiff frame, low gear ratio, ample space for wide tires, and a comfortable, upright geometry. You also want to make sure the bike has mounting space for racks on the front or back of the bike (or both).
Some of the best touring bikes include the Masi Giramondo, KOGA World Traveller, Surly Disc Trucker, and Kona Sutra.
Look for used touring bikes instead of buying new
A good touring bike can cost between $1000 and $2500 new, so we recommend looking for used touring bikes whenever possible. So many cyclists buy a bike only to use it a handful of times, meaning there’s a huge market of high-quality, lightly used touring bikes.
In fact, we have bought every single touring bike we’ve ever owned second hand. This has saved us thousands of dollars!
You can find used touring bikes on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Pinkbike, along with other buy and sell sites.
Make sure you know the exact size bike frame you’ll need to ensure it will fit you properly. If possible, we recommend meeting the seller in person to test out the bike before making a purchase.
Have a food bag
Keeping your food in one place is helpful when bike touring. It keeps your belongings organized and allows for easy access to food when hungry. While stuffing a granola bar in a random bag may be convenient at the moment, you’ll likely forget where you put it later, leading to a full unpacking of your bags when you need a snack!
It’s also helpful when camping in areas with bears. Having a bag of food in one place makes it easier to store your food away from your campsite, which is definitely a necessity in bear country.
Don’t use plastic bottle cages (use steel or aluminum)
Plastic bottle cages are more prone to breaking than metal ones. On a bike tour, you want to ensure your gear is reliable, so invest in either stainless steel or aluminum bottle cages.
You should expect to pay around $10 to $15 for a solid quality bottle cage. Before buying online, though, check your local bike shop. Many bike shops and community bike centers will sell used bottle cages for a fraction of the price.
Look for used gear before buying everything new
Just like buying used bottle cages, browse a local bike shop for used bikes, gear, and parts. This is one of our favorite bike touring tips and tricks that we use every time we plan a tour.
One of our favorite places in our city is a community bike shop. Unlike a retail store, this shop acts as a non-profit with a goal of offering affordable bike service and parts. We’ve saved hundreds of dollars by purchasing gear here, including $1 bottle cages, $5 bike racks, and $15 panniers!
Before buying anything new for your bike, check if there’s a community bike shop in your town. They may offer goods and services at a much lower cost than you can find in a big box store or online!
Buy nice or buy twice: one of the bike touring tips and tricks that will save you money!
Buy nice or buy twice is a useful tip for any type of purchase, whether a bicycle, t-shirt, or refrigerator. If you’re buying new gear for a bike tour, don’t skimp out and buy whatever item is cheapest.
Instead, look at the quality of each item you purchase before deciding. If you’re choosing between a $15 rack and $40 rack, compare the weight, material, and overall sturdiness of the item before buying one over another.
Although we always recommend looking for great deals, especially on used gear, you want to make sure what you’re buying is of adequate quality for a bike tour.
Do a trial run before starting a long tour
Before taking off on your first bike tour–whether for two weeks or two months—do an overnight trial run.
Although day rides will help you train, an overnight tour will help you prepare for the ins and outs of touring. From cycling with heavy panniers to finding campsites and cooking on the road, there are a lot of other skills to learn beyond just cycling.
Planning a one or two night trial tour can help work out the kinks before your actual tour begins. You may find yourself switching gear, bringing additional or fewer items, or changing your bike seat. Doing a trial run can be invaluable to avoid any mistakes or hassles once your real tour begins.
Take a rest day
Be sure to give your body rest throughout a bike tour. Taking a rest day is important, whether your rest day is a ten mile ride or five day vacation near the beach!
While you can cycle 100 miles every day, it will almost certainly make you (and your muscles) exhausted. Taking a more relaxed day every so often can help you recover both physically and mentally during your tour.
Switch your hand position while riding
Remember to switch your hand position frequently when riding. This is one of the bike touring tips and tricks that will save you discomfort every day of the tour. You’ll spend countless hours putting pressure on your handlebars, which can quickly lead to sore, red hands.
Switching positions can move the pressure from one part of your hand to another, meaning you aren’t constantly holding onto the handlebars at the same place.
Some cyclists like to switch hand positions every few minutes whereas others can stay in one position longer. Over time, you’ll find the positions that feel most comfortable to you, but it’s recommended to switch your hand position several times during a ride.
Chamois cream is your friend
Chamois cream is an anti-bacterial cream that acts as a barrier between your skin and seat pad. It helps to prevent chafing during a ride, meaning you can ride longer and more comfortably.
No one wants painful saddle sores on a bike tour. If you’re prone to saddle sores and chafing while riding, we recommend packing a tube of chamois cream in your bag while touring.
Invest in a comfortable saddle
In addition to buying chamois cream for a bike tour, be sure to use a comfortable saddle. If there is a bike seat you prefer using for rides at home, consider bringing the same seat on tour.
Painful saddles are some of the most common complaints for new cycle tourists. Make sure to do several practice runs on any saddle before heading off on a tour to avoid any uncomfortable situations along the way.
Buy a cycle computer (or use GPS apps)
Cycle computers provide navigation software and can track stats like speed, distance, and time along the route. Some cyclists love using cycle computers on a bike tour to help with route navigation, and most cost between $50 and $120.
If you’d prefer to just use your phone, though, there are several GPS and navigation apps we recommend:
- Google Maps (download offline maps for your destination)
- Bikemap
- Komoot
- Ride with GPS
Don’t overlook lesser known destinations
When planning a bike tour, it’s common to look at the most popular routes, but one of the best bike touring tips and tricks is to look at lesser known destinations.
Whether the Danube River in Europe or East Coast Greenway in the US, popular routes are popular for a reason: there’s typically a lot of information about the routes online, they traverse through relatively safe destinations, and the infrastructure is usually great.
Related: Portugal Bike Tour: 11 best tips for cycling in Portugal
However, you shouldn’t feel that you can only choose bike tour destinations based on popular routes. When we cycled through Spain last year, we didn’t have any sort of route in mind, instead choosing roads based on what we felt like doing on any particular day. This led to a spontaneous bike tour through lesser-visited towns and regions in Spain.
As another example, we recently took a bike tour to French Polynesia, a destination known more for its snorkeling and overwater bungalows than cycling. While we never even considered French Polynesia as a touring destination, we spent a week cycling around the islands and had an undoubtedly amazing biking vacation.
Don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path; it could lead to your best bike tour yet!
Consider an S&S coupler bike
If you plan on taking several flights while en route to or during a bike tour, you may want to consider purchasing an S&S coupler bike.
S&S coupler bikes use a coupler system that enables your frame to break into two parts, which allows for easier packing into a standard-sized suitcase (no oversized baggage fees!).
You can choose to buy an S&S coupler bike from a used buy and sell website or add couplers to a current steel or titanium frame. Although taking apart and putting together an S&S coupler bike takes a little longer than packing up a normal bike, the flexibility it brings is well worth the extra effort.
Related: S&S Coupler bike & Break-Away bikes: are these the best touring bikes?
Use clipless pedals
The best way to cycle efficiently on a bike tour is by using clipless pedals. With clipless pedals, your cleat can attach itself onto your pedal, making the connection between your legs and pedals much more efficient.
Luckily, using clipless pedals just requires a small learning curve, and your cycling will improve dramatically. We should note, though, that many new to clipless pedals fall once or twice while getting the hang of clipping in and out of the pedal, so be prepared for a few (harmless) falls!
What are your favorite bike touring tips and tricks?
Now that we’ve shared our list of our top 45 bike touring tips and tricks, what are your favorites? Did we forget any tips that you think all touring cyclists should know?
Share your favorite tips with us!
