The full gear list

What kind of bike do you need for a bicycle tour? A sturdy one! We've put our bikes through hell. Threw them on top of busses from which they of course fell off. Stuffed them in boxes for air travel, loaded them on trains and pretty much tried to ride them to the ground. Somehow they survived all this terror. They are a bit squeaky and need some true love and care, but this set-up actually proved to work for us.

Read more about our bikes here.

A well-thought tool kit can be a true life saver. Figuring out what the necessary tools are can be a difficult task. So here’s a detailed overview of the tools that will help solve most of your issues on the fly during your around the world cycling trip or bikepacking adventure in the backcountry. 

Read the whole post about our tools here.

Being completely off the grid can feel so amazing. Good shelter is key to make sure you get a good nights rest so you can hop on that bike fresh the next day. Our camping set-up isn't very minimal but it sure as hell is comfortable. If you will be camping for months like we did it might be a good idea to invest in some quality materials. Like famous Tour de France winner Joop Zoetemelk said: 'the tour is won in bed'. That goes for a bicycle tour as well!

See the full post about our camping gear here.

In South-East Asia we didn't touch our stove once. We only boiled water with the electric heating element to brew some coffee. The food was so cheap, we couldn't be bothered to cook. In Central Asia however, I don't think we would have survived without our well-equipped kitchen. The kitchen gear isn't heavy, it's just really bulky and takes up a lot of storage space.

We tell more about our cooking gear in this blog post.

There's only two thing you need to know about a good wardrobe for bicycle touring: good quality padded shorts and merino wool. The padded shorts will save your butt when you spend hours and hours in the saddle. For all other clothes, socks, jerseys, sweaters, see if you can buy it in merino wool. Brands like Icebreaker have amazing stuff and we were surprised by the durability.

Check out our full wardrobe with chapter and verse here.

To make our awesome stories, like this one about our first week on the Pamir Highway, we carry a lot of electronics. This is probably what makes our bikes feel like a thousand pounds. We love creating it so we're happy to carry the extra weight, but for most a tablet and maybe even the camera on your phone will probably do.

Read more about the tools we use to create our stories.

If you can't shower for days baby wipes are the answer! We're not sure if you really become much cleaner but hey, it gets the muck off if there isn't a shower around. Good hygiene is especially important to prevent saddle sores. We use coconut oil as chamois creme, but also for our face and dry skin. It's anti-bacterial and helps moisturize the skin.

There's alway a bunch of extra stuff that you somehow need to stuff in your already full bags. Make sure that when you pack you always try to keep some room for these extra's and for snacks and food.