Bicycle Touring Gear List For Cycling From Greece To England
This was my bicycle touring gear list for cycling from Greece to England in 2016. It was a three month cycling tour on mainly sealed roads through Europe. Read on to find out more.
On this page
- Bicycle Touring Gear List
- Choosing gear for bike touring
- Bicycle Touring Gear For Cycling From Greece To England
- The Bicycle for Cycling Across Europe
- Bicycle Panniers for Touring
- Bicycle Touring Tool Kit
- Camping Gear for bikepacking Europe
- Bike Tour Cooking Kit
- Food For Bicycle Touring
- Tech Gear for cycling in Europe
- Clothes For Bicycle Touring
- Washing and Medical Kit
- Further reading
Bicycle Touring Gear List
Before I start with this bicycle touring gear list, here's a shout-out to all you ultra-light bicycle touring enthusiasts. Yes, I know you probably cycled from the Arctic to Antarctica carrying only a toothbrush, one spoke, and a spare pair of underpants. You are awesome!
So kindly refrain from saying that this gear list is 'too heavy'. You didn't have to cart it around anyway!! With that said, if anyone has positive contributions to make, (especially in regards to anything you think I may have forgotten), please leave them below. Cheers!
Choosing gear for bike touring
A brief bit of background before I detail the bicycle touring gear list. I have completed a few long distance cycle rides in the past, (England to South Africa, Alaska to Argentina). Much of what I had chosen to take with me was based on these past experiences, and knowledge of what I might need.
There was also another important factor that I had to take into consideration, which was that I needed to work online during this cycle trip across Europe. Hence the abundance of tech gear.
Still, with all that in mind, the bags weighed in at around 22kgs, which isn't 'too bad'. Actually, if you want to know exactly how much they weighed, watch the video below. In the video, I also go more in-depth about the bicycle touring gear, and why I have chosen it.
Bicycle Touring Gear For Cycling From Greece To England
I've broken down the bike touring kit I used for this trip into different sections below. I think this includes 99% of the gear I took with me on the bike tour across Europe.Bike Touring Gear - Personal Items
- Maps
- Wet wipes
- Sunglasses
- Lipbalm
- Reading Glasses
- Money belt
- Passport
- Wallet
The Bicycle for Cycling Across Europe
I used a Stanforth Kibo+ bicycle for the cycling trip from Greece to England. The bike was kindly loaned to me by Simon Stanforth so that I can test it out on the road.I have written a brief review about the bike which you can find here – Kibo+.You can also check out the short video I made about the bike below.
If you have time, check out my YouTube channel for the post trip review. Very few people make a video of their expedition bicycles after a trip, which again, you might appreciate.
Bicycle Panniers for Touring
Ortlieb Back Roller Classic - These are almost standard issue for bicycle touring. Well designed, well made and long lasting, I wouldn't tour with anything else. I have 2 rear panniers and 2 front panniers.Ortleib Rack Pack – The Ortleib Rack Pack is designed to sit on top of the 2 rear panniers, and straps securely on to them. This extra storage space will get used for my tent and cooking gear.
Ortleib 5 Handlebar bag – Not the best handlebar bag in the world. I think I got it free from somewhere. Is it even waterproof? I will soon find out, no doubt!
Bicycle Touring Tool Kit
Bike Pump - No bicycle touring gear list would be complete without mentioning the bike pump! As I have grown older and wiser, I have realised the importance of having the correct tyre pressure, and so I have opted for the Topeak Mini Dual DXG pump with pressure gauge. Read about the review here - Topeak Mini Dual DXG Review.
Bike lock - I have an OnGuard bike lock for times when I need to lock the bike to something, and go for a wander.
Spare Inner Tube – just the one tube needed for this trip at the moment. No doubt I will buy more along the way.
Alien 2 Multi-Tool – A good general purpose multi-tool. During this trip, I doubt I will need anything more complex than this, as I will be rarely more than a days ride away from a bicycle shop. (Although watch this space!!).
Puncture Repair Kit - Obviously
3 tyre levers – They are going to get some use I think!
1 pair of veltuff gloves – To keep my hands clean when tinkering with the chain. Sandwiches taste a lot better without chain oil all over them!
9 spare spokes – Just in case!
Rear cassette removal tool – If I do break a spoke, you can bet it will be on the back wheel!
Check out the video below for the full bicycle touring tool kit I am taking with me to cycle from Greece to England.
Camping Gear for bikepacking Europe
I camped about 50% of the time during this cycling trip from Greece to England. This is the camping gear I used on the way.
Vango Banshee 200 (Pine)
Snugpak Chrysalis 1 Sleeping Bag
Sleeping mat (foam style)
Karimmor Camping Pillow
Swiss Army Knife
Bike Tour Cooking Kit
Camping also necessitates a cooking kit. I was all set to bring my MSR Whisperlite Universal on this trip, but I noticed at the last minute that it was faulty.
In the end I took a Camping Gaz type stove. During the last month of the trip, I didn't use it at all. this is not the first time I have not used a camping stove on a long distance cycling trip. Perhaps I will write a fuller article about if a camping stove is neccessary for bicycle touring.
- Camping Gaz style cooker
- 1 fuel cannister
- Stainless Steel Cookpot
- Stainless Steel Cup
- Knife, fork and spoon set
- Lighter/matches
- Water Bottles x 3
Food For Bicycle Touring
I normally carry about 2 day's food in my panniers when bicycle touring. This gives me the flexibility to wild camp when I choose, and means I always have extra to eat if I want it! Bicycle touring makes you hungry!
The list of what I am actually leaving the apartment with is below. Why these foods? You can read up here about the best foods for bicycle touring.
- Oats
- Pasta
- Brew kit comprising of tea, sugar and coffee.
- Cupasoups x 3
- Tinned fish x 2
- Peanut butter
- 3 x cereal bars
- Mixed chickpeas and raisins
- Bananas
- Couple of sandwiches
Tech Gear for cycling in Europe
I have various leads, chargers, and odds and ends I am going to take with me. You can check the bicycle touring gear list for cycling from Greece to England video for more details. The main items are listed below.
- Laptop
- Go Pro
- Canon Powershot Camera
- 2 x Power Banks (reserve batteries for tech gear). Check the Tecknet Iep1500 Power Bank.
- Samsung S4 Phone (still going strong!)
- Garmin Touring GPS
Clothes For Bicycle Touring
- Humvee Cycling Shorts
- 2 Padded Liners
- 3 Cycling Tops
- 2 Caps
- 1 base layer t-shirt
- 1 Shirt
- 1 pair of trousers
- 1 pair of swimming shorts
- 1 pair of underwear (only 1... what!!!)
- 3 pairs of socks
- 1 Fleece
- 1 Pair of bicycle touring shoes
- 1 pair of trainers
- Wet-weather gear -
- Sealskinz hat - Look here for the Sealskinz hat review
- Sealskinz socks
- Gore Jacket
- Waterproof and windproof gloves
- Waterproof trousers
Washing and Medical Kit
- 1 Lifeventure Quick drying towel
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Razor
- Bar of Soap
- Small shower gel from a hotel
- Assorted medical kit including anti-inflammatory, plasters, wipes, and insect repellent
During the trip, I found all the items on this bicycle touring gear list to be useful. On some trips, I end up ditching some items as they are too heavy. On this occasion though, I had it just right. What gear do you take when bicycle touring? I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below!
Further reading
- Bike Touring Essentials - My top 10 cycle touring essentials that I would never leave home without!
- Bicycle touring tips
- Bike touring gear reviews
- How to charge your phone when camping
- Travel Packing Checklist
Dave is a UK travel writer living in Athens since 2015. With 20 years of firsthand travel experience and over 80,000 km of bicycle touring across six continents, he's been blogging at Dave's Travel Pages since 2005. Every guide is based on places he's actually been.
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Good luck on your trip. Hope you enjoy good weather and a constant tail wind. When you weighed you kit in the video, did you weigh the camera each time you got on the scales?
Very good point! Yes I did weigh the camera on each trip to the scales, but never weighed it by itself. An extra 300g !!
One pair of underwear... eeeeek!
I may even wash them from time to time :p
Hi Dave, Aome friends had issues with their msr stove too. They.wrote.to msr who sent them new stuff. Might be worth a try. Have fun on your trip! Cheers
Philip
Thanks for that Philip - I may give it a try! I think I am to blame in this case though. The fuel pipe has been bent out of shape due too it being moved around so much. Not really keen on buying another one, so I will stick with Camping Gaz for the time being!
Hi I have done a bit of touring myself and you have a great list. Word of advise though. I found the chain spliter on the Alien 2 to be not very good on the road. Can you get a dynohub on the bike, with all that tech, they will lose power very quickly unless managed very closely. Also a great thing to have instead of shower gel, soaps and the likes is to get a multi purpose washing detergent that will wash you and your clothes. Don't bother with a razor, but get some sunscreen. Swap the trainer for crocs. They look horrible, but great when really hot and can be used on and off the bike. I would use my cycling shorts as swimming trucks. The best thing I always take on tour, which are massively under rated are my waterproof socks. If you are going in summer, I wouldn't take any waterproof stuff other than sock and jacket, depending on how you normally cycle. I don't mind getting wet at all, but really dislike getting cold and wet. This is just my humble opinion for experience. If you have never done a long tour before, the first couple of weeks are hell, and really tough. After that, your body and mind has adjusted and it great fun that you will never want it to end. Good luck and enjoy the life changing experience.
Hi Darron,
Thanks for the tips! I've done a few tours before, and am REALLY looking forward to that painful first two week period haha. I tested out the chain splitter (admittedly a year or two ago now), in a comparison test with my regular splitter, and found them to be pretty much equal, although more care was needed when using the Alien in order to get everything lined up correctly.
I tend to use just soap for washing, shaving, and washing clothes (a bar of soap). Simple, but it does the trick. Unfortunately, I have no chocie but to shave, otherwise it looks as though I have my head on upside down :D
I've not gone the crocs route before, but will have to give them a try at some point - maybe next tour!
And yep, waterproof socks are by far the best! My sealskinz keep my feet nice an toasty even in the coldest, wettest weather!!
Hi Tim,
An interesting journey you have had! I hope you have fully recovered from the smash injuries now, and who knows, yes we may pass each other on the road somewhere turn those pedals fast, and you might catch me :D
As for the tyres - i have always toured with Schwalbes. For the start of this trip though, i am going to set out on Halo's and see how they perform. I'm probably asking for trouble, but you have to try something different every now and again!
Hey Dave, Sounds like a great list! We left Greece a few weeks ago, currently in Kosovo. It's been really cold and wet every few days...every other day it's lovely! Locals are saying it's quite unusual. Either way I hope real summer comes soon. Might see you on the road. Enjoy ;-)
Hi! I hope you enjoy Kosovo! I was there a couple of months ago, in two feet of snow... although not on the bike thankfully! Perhaps I will catch up with you en-route somewhere... Slovenia sounds good!!
Happy tailwinds
:)
Hi Dave,
My back up cell for phone, garmin, e.t.c. is solar powered, you might consider, mine is fromm Lava X storm, two years old now, often used and still very good.
Happy trails. Ron
Hi Ron, I think that solar charging or dynamo hubs are my next step. I hope to test some out either this year or next.
Disagreement or debate on equipment isn't negative. It's, for many, informative.
I am all up for debate as well on kit :) It's the 'that's too heavy' brigade who have never toured more than a week which irritate me :D
I am just dipping my toes in the water (Probably literally - I'm off to Scotland next week!) of cycle touring. I do have experience of backpacking (A long time ago) kayak touring (A couple of years ago) and motorcycle touring (Still do) so I made up my gear list from what I had and what I thought I could carry! It comes out not too dissimilar to your list so I'm quite pleased with myself. The main difference I have a rather heavy duty bike (Surly Ogre) and a heavier tent. I will also be using my old (37years!) Trangia with a gas conversion as I like the self contained cooking and the extra safety if I have to cook in the tent! Good articles though Dave - keep em coming.
Hi Been thinking of cycling to Greece from UK for a while . I just found your page by accident but will be reading with interest .
Steve