Bicycle touring, also known as bikepacking, is a method of traveling from one destination to another on a bicycle. It combines the curiosity of traveling with a thrilling, active adventure that allows you to fully experience a region on two wheels.
While on a bicycle tour, your own physical effort brings you from place to place instead of a car, train, plane, or bus. It’s certainly challenging, but equally rewarding, and you can tour nearly everywhere in the world.
Whether you’re curious about this form of travel or are planning your first bike tour, here’s our guide to everything you need to know about bike touring.
Why go bicycle touring
Exploring the world by bicycle touring is a unique way of traveling that allows you to visit destinations by the power of your pedals. It gives you unparalleled freedom to explore the world on your own time—you aren’t tied down to a bus or train schedule to travel from one place to another.
While traveling by bike, you can experience the world more slowly than in a car or train, allowing you to enjoy the journey just as much as the destination. Whether it means stopping for a beer in a charming town in Germany or spending the night at a local’s home in Vietnam, the deep dive into a region you experience on a bike tour is hard to replicate in other forms of travel.
As a plus, bike touring is an excellent form of exercise. It’s an amazing way to challenge yourself—cycling hundreds of miles in varied terrain is not for the faint of heart! The success you feel upon finishing a bike tour is extremely rewarding. Putting in the (literal) blood, sweat, and tears is well worth it not only during the journey, but when you look back at the tour later on.
Where to go bicycle touring
You can go on bike tours in most countries on Earth. In fact, many of the most experienced tourers have cycled in over 100 countries! From Uzbekistan to Japan and New Zealand, there’s no such thing as a wrong place to tour, so long as the destination is not under unrest.
Several of the most popular bike touring destinations include Western Europe, Central Asia, Patagonia, and California, although you’ll find touring cyclists on nearly every corner of Earth… even in Antarctica!
When choosing where to plan a bike tour, you’ll want to consider the following:
Weather
Do you prefer cycling in warm, tropical climates or cool, arid destinations? Both, of course, offer advantages and disadvantages. Cycling in warm climates allows you to pack fewer clothing items and use a less heavy sleeping bag, but if temperatures get too hot, you can easily become miserable.
Cycling in colder climates, on the other hand, offers its own set of challenges. Numb fingers and toes, chilly nights of camping, and the possibility of snow curtailing your plans are all realistic occurrences.
Because of this, it’s helpful to research weather patterns before setting off on tour to any destination. Just as cycling through Minnesota may not be enjoyable in January, cycling through the south of Portugal in August could lead to unpleasantly warm temperatures!
Budget
It’s no question that some bike touring destinations are far more expensive than others. Cycling through Switzerland, for example, will bring much higher prices compared to Mexico or Vietnam. Dining out in Zurich can easily cost $30 per person whereas a bowl of pho in Ho Chi Minh City will set you back around $2!
One of the biggest factors for a bike tour budget is whether or not you plan on camping or “credit card touring”. Credit card touring is when you stay in guesthouses, hotels, and hostels during a tour instead of camping each night.
While this is obviously more expensive than camping, it’s occasionally the only option. Not all touring destinations permit camping outside of campgrounds, which may be far and few between. Before picking a touring destination, it’s always important to research local camping laws and access if you plan on cycling with a tent.
Personal interests and goals for bicycle touring
We never advise choosing a touring destination solely based on weather and budget. Instead, you should take your interests and cycling goals into consideration as well when planning a bike tour.
If you’ve dreamed about touring in Japan for years, don’t settle for another destination just because it’s a little bit more affordable. Or, if you’ve had plans set on a long, multi-month tour, don’t decide against it for fear of failure!
Our most recent tour brought us to French Polynesia, an island chain known more for luxury resorts than bike tours! Despite this, we were extremely interested in cycling the islands, and so we turned our personal interest into one of our favorite tours yet.
How much does it cost to go on a bike tour?
The cost of a bike tour can vary greatly, with some cyclists spending under $10 a day and others spending hundreds of dollars per day.
There are a few key factors that will affect how much it costs to go on a bike tour:
- Self-led tour or guided tour: are you planning a self-sustained tour, or would you prefer booking a guided tour with a group?
- Camping versus hotels: do you plan to camp most nights while touring, or will you stay in hotels?
- Destination: are you cycling through a country with a high cost of living, or one that is more budget-friendly?
Related: Guided bike tour versus self-led: which should you choose?
Ultimately, it’s tough to pinpoint the exact cost of a bike tour. If you camp, cook most meals, and are traveling through a relatively budget-friendly destination, you can easily spend just $10 per day while touring.
On the contrary, if you book hotels each night, eat out for most meals, and spend extra on purchases like drinks and tickets to famous attractions, you may spend over $70-100 per day.
Of course, the price of a bike tour also depends on the number of people cycling in your group. Sharing costs like hotels and groceries can be cheaper when split between one or two other cyclists, making the cost per person lower than if you were cycling solo.
Related: Where to sleep on a bike tour
By far the most expensive way to bike tour is with an organized group booked with a tour company. These tours can easily cost several thousand dollars for one week, making your price per day in the hundreds of dollars. Nonetheless, many cyclists enjoy booking guided cycling holidays for their convenience and stress-free logistics.
What is a touring bike for bicycle touring?
A touring bike is a bike designed for long-distance rides that has mounts designed for racks and panniers. Touring bikes are typically made from steel or aluminum, which allows the bikes to easily support the added weight of a cyclists’ touring gear, and they often have a more upright riding position. Although you can tour on carbon or titanium bikes, these builds tend to be more expensive.
There are many types of touring bikes available, from more traditional road bikes to bulkier gravel bikes. The type of touring bike you buy ultimately depends on your bike touring destination. A road bike may work well when touring on paved paths in Europe, for example, but not when navigating gravel roads in Peru.
In addition to frame build is gearing, and touring bikes usually have a wide range of gears to account for the diverse terrain a cyclist will experience when touring. In fact, most good touring bikes have around 24 gears, which is perfect for flat routes, hills, and steep mountain passes.
How much does a touring bike cost?
The price of a touring bike ranges significantly, but new touring bikes may start around $750-1000. Some of the best touring bikes, such as the Surly Disc Trucker and Fuji Touring Disc, cost around $2000 and $1500 respectively.
Don’t let the price of a touring bike stop you from planning a bike tour, though. At Discover Bike Touring, we are huge proponents of shopping for used bikes before purchasing new. As a matter of fact, all of our bikes at home were purchased second-hand for several hundred to a thousand dollars cheaper than their original listing price!
S&S Coupler bikes for bicycle touring
A more niche type of touring bike is an S&S coupler bike. S&S coupler bikes are bikes retrofitted with two couplers that allow the bike frame to be split in two pieces. This allows for easy packing into a smaller bike case that does not incur any oversized baggage fees when flying.
Related: S&S Coupler bike & Break-Away bikes: are these the best touring bikes?
You can retrofit any steel or titanium bike frame with S&S couplers, although the process may cost around $700-1000. However, you may also find used coupler bikes on buy and sell sites such as Craigslist or PinkBike—I purchased my used S&S coupler bike for $450!
Before buying an S&S coupler bike, you should consider the pros and cons of this type of bike over a traditional bike. Although the S&S couplers do not affect the performance or durability of the bike, there’s a learning curve in order to successfully take apart and put together the bike.
Regardless, we find traveling with S&S coupler bikes to be much less of a hassle compared to normal bikes, especially when flying frequently from place to place.
Is bicycle touring safe?
For the most part, bike touring is a safe way to travel and experience new destinations. Like any form of travel, however, there are a few precautions you should take before any tour:
First, you should plan your route carefully. Avoid cycling on busy roads without a shoulder and find bike paths whenever possible. Taking the most direct route often results in the most busy roads. Instead, look at a map for quieter, less busy back roads, even if it makes your route longer.
Another tip, perhaps the most important one, is to wear proper safety gear. Always wear a helmet and be sure to bring bike lights to make yourself visible to motorists on the road. Although you may not think you’ll be cycling in the dark, it’s always better to be prepared.
Related: Bicycle tour mistakes — The worst mistakes I made on my first bike tour
Additionally, you should carry proper mechanical gear and spare parts to ensure you won’t be stranded on the side of the road with a broken bike!
And, of course, it’s a good idea to avoid conflict-prone areas. Cycling through an area that is experiencing civil unrest can be dangerous, so it’s important to research the current political climate in your touring destination before riding.
What do I need to pack for bicycle touring?
While touring, you will carry all your belongings on your bike. Finding a balance between packing too little and too much is essential. From clothing to bike gear, here are the top things you need to pack for a bike tour:
Essential Safety Items
Staying safe should be a number one priority while touring. Having these items handy ensures you can keep your body safe while on the road:
- Helmet: this shouldn’t need an explanation—wear a helmet!
- Sunglasses or clear lenses: wearing glasses keeps your eyes protected while riding and avoids your eyes feeling dry
- Sunscreen: skin cancer is not cool, so lather sunscreen generously when riding in short sleeves
- Identification and emergency contact info: having this information handy is helpful in the case of any unexpected scenarios while touring
- Smartphone, GPS, or map of route: biking through unfamiliar areas is common when touring, so having access to a map of your route comes in handy
- Cash & credit cards: we always recommend touring with cash on hand in case ATM access is limited, but bring a debit or credit card as well
Repair items and bike gear
Biycle touring can put a lot of wear and tear on your bicycle, especially when traveling on bumpy roads and over long distances. Because of this, it’s crucial to tour with spare parts as well as basic tools to repair your bike when necessary. You should bring these items on a bike tour:
- Spare tubes: you can patch holes in old tubes, but occasionally you may need a brand new tube for your tire
- Spare spokes and spoke wrench: in the chance one of your wheel’s spokes breaks
- Spare disc brake pads: if your brake pads wear out, your breaks become nonfunctional!
- Patch kit: flat tires are almost guaranteed while touring!
- Hand pump: a small hand pump may take longer than a stand pump, but it’s much more convenient to pack
- Multi-tool: a one-stop solution to most bike repair
- Tire levers: for fixing flat tires—bring a few spare ones in case they snap in half!
- Spare chain and chain tool: you don’t want to be stuck with a broken chain!
- Chain lube: keep your chain smooth for proper shifting performance while riding
- Duct Tape: duct tape can fix (some) problems temporarily
- Spare cleats: Cleats can break with heavy use—bring a spare pair on long tours
- S&S coupler tool: for use when traveling with an S&S coupler bike
Bike accessories
There are many accessories you should attach to your bike before any bike tour, both for storage and safety purposes:
- Panniers, handlebar bag, frame bag, and/or trunk bag: these bags attach to your bike to hold your belongings throughout the tour. Ideally, they should be waterproof or water-resistant (or you can bring rain covers).
- Headlight and taillight: lights help you stay safe in low-light conditions
- Bike lock: for when you need to park your bike out of sight
- Bungee cords: we find bungee cords very helpful for attaching items to our bike when riding
- Mirror: you can attach a mirror to your handlebar or helmet to see behind you while riding
Clothing
Knowing how much clothing to pack for a bike tour is one of the most challenging parts of the planning process. Packing too little clothing means wearing dirty clothing day in and day out. Packing too much clothing, on the other hand, means you’re carrying more weight than necessary.
We recommend bringing the following clothing items on a bike tour:
- 3 shirts: cycling jerseys or athletic material preferred
- Protective weather gear: windbreaker, long-sleeve shirt, rain jacket, leg warmers
- Padded bike shorts: you can have the padded area built directly in the shorts or wear padded bike underwear under normal athletic shorts
- Cycling shoes: my favorite are the Giro Rumble VR shoes
- Gloves: either cold weather or warm weather cycling gloves
- Socks: I bring around 3 pairs
- Non-cycling outfit: to wear on days off when you don’t want to look like a cycle tourist!
- Sandals: bring one pair of non-cycling shoes like flip flops or chacos
- Bathing suit
