nice site.

is it just US based or going to be by and for bikepackers world-wide???

cheers, gairy (british but living/riding in france).

nice ride fella.

and.....christ those tires are fat!

i imagine the stream crossings were easier than with most bikes as you'll have just floated across.

cheers, gairy.

for sure - it could be lighter but.....that would come at a lot more expense.

all of those items combined come to less than £140 (€160) which is quite cheap!

i've priced up some lighter items and the price goes WAAAAAAY up for only a little weight saving.

and.....i'm planning on taking a backpack and a framepack (http://wildcatgear.co.uk/products/frame-bags/) and so i'm hoping that i can get away with the extra weight (as it won't be on my back) and on my frame the whole bike will probably still be lighter than most light full-sus rigs.

i've been looking at routes etc... and was wondering if you happened to still have the .gpx file for your 2010 trip (so that i can look at the route in 3d etc...)

if you do (and wouldn't mind sharing it) then it would be massively helpful if you could email it to me.

if everything goes according to plan and my trip goes ahead then maybe we should meet up as i figure i owe you a beer/currywurst/kartoffelpuffer (those are the German foods i know and love) as i pass through Munich on my way to Füssen to start my trip???

cheers, gairy.

cool, they look interesting but.....i'm not sure i want to experiment with something potentially unreliable when i'm in the middle of the alps.

gairy.

ok, here's the provisional kit plan (it may well change as i read more reviews and get more advice):

tent (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Rigel-Two-Backpacking-Tent/dp/B000PDHQO0/ref=sr_1_13?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1325968235&sr=1-13)

sleeping bag (http://www.snugpak.com/index.php?MenuID=114-119&ItemID=152)

matt - a cheap foam roll-matt (light and inexpensive)

stove - (http://www.towsure.com/product/Solid_Fuel_Compact_Folding_Camping_Backpacking_Stove) - it's VERY light and works well for one person (i've used them before).

any thoughts....?

don't worry fella - i'm fully aware that you're just helping me out and are in no way responsible for what happens while i'm out there.

it's very helpful for me to be able to chat with someone who's done what i'm planning.

if it turns out that i can't ride lots of it then i'll let you know afterwards that you were right and i was wrong!

On video, trails mostly look much easier than they actually are. I 2010 I didn't even film the most difficult sections since filming wasn't my top priority yet.

ok, i totally understand what you mean.

but.....unless you are telling me that it 100% cannot be done on a hardtail bike then i am still happy to give it a go with my knowledge of my bike, it's capabilities and my skills.

andi,

ok, that's good to hear.

the reason for allowing 10 days is that i have an on/off knee issue which (if it gets bad) might mean i need to take a rest day or two or.....i might just have shorter days and spend my time sitting back and enjoying the scenery.

as you'll know from the other thread i'm now considering getting a cheap GPS device for the trip. i'm going to take another look at the GPS advice/information on your website but i may well get back to you with more questions once i'm done.

just let me know if you are getting tired of me asking for your assistance (i'll understand that you've got other things to do) but i want you to know that i do very much appreciate your help - you are making my planning a lot easier - thank you!

finally.....i don't ride full-sus but i have always been able to keep up with those riding full-sus on my hardtail. i used to ride full-sus and am easily as fast and capable on my new bike as i ever was with full-bounce - i'd be happy to take my chances as nothing i saw on video made me think that i'd prefer to be on a full-sus bike.

thanks again.

gairy.

andi,

thanks again for your advice - funnily enough that was the exact model i'd been looking at online (have found one new online for £90 - not sure what that is in $/€ which isn't bad).

i'll post in the other thread now re: transalp trip stuff.

cheers, gairy.

Howdy all,

I'm a Luddite and have always turned my nose up at technologies invasion of the gentlemanly pursuit of off-road bicycling but.....now as I am now planning a 10 days TransAlp bikepacking trip it is becoming increasingly obvious that my life would be made A LOT easier (and a fair bit safer!) if I were to take along some sort of GPS device.

So.....can anyone suggest the cheapest possible usable (old, ugly - I don't care) GPS set-up I could use for my trip.

I'll look for 2nd hand and really am wanting to find the cheapest fully functioning GPS system money can buy.

Has anyone got one their selling....?

Let me know.

Cheers, Gairy.

Andi,

Great website - you've packed in loads of essential information - thanks so much!

After reading about your 2010 trip I've got a question for you.....

Do you think it would be a good idea for me to ride something similar to your 2010 route?

I ask as when I read your criteria for selecting your 2010 route it read like a wish-list of everything I want out of my trip (riding only - no driving, scenic and high mountain terrain, as much challenging singletrack as possible, avoiding asphalt descents, flexible day plans etc...) and so maybe you could let me know if you think it would be suitable for me?

Here's a short résumé of my biking history/experience to give you more of an idea of my skill level:

- I've done lots of medium-distance self-guided riding in the Alps (French mainly and a little bit in Switzerland) but only day rides from/to resorts (Chamonix, Morzine, Meribel etc...).
- I'm very comfortable map reading and navigating but I will be using paper maps as I don't use GPS.
- I would have 10 days to do this route and so would need to cover less distance/height each day.
- I am in pretty good shape already and so fitness should be no problem.
- I actively seek out technically challenging terrain when choosing bike routes - I am sure I could ride all that this route could throw at me.

So.....is your 2010 route something that you think might be suitable for me???

Thanks so much for all of you help and useful information so far and I appreciate you taking the time to help me in my planning.

Cheers, Gairy.

sub-zero,

thanks for all the really useful info!

i'm just reading through a lot of the info on your site and then i think i may have a few more questions for you (if you don't mind).

cheers, gairy.

sub-xero,

i'm planning on doing a very similar trip this coming summer (http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,2749.0.html) and would love to pick your brains about your experience.

funnily enough i came across your youtube video a few days ago and thought you did a hell of job on a very tough route!

if you're interested in chatting about it all then let me know and i'll email you (or we can do it here so everyone can benefit from the intel exchange).

cheers, gairy.

Howdy!

Name: Gairy.

Age: 36.

Location: English but living in Ardeche mountains of France (great riding!).

Experience: Been riding bikes all my life, Mountain Biking for 15+ years, Touring for 6, Road Biking for 2 and Bikepacking (unofficially - just throwing some bits in a bag) on/off for years.

Looking to/for: Ideas on routes, kit, and loads more from folks who've been doing it longer and further than me. Chatting with people who're interested into similar biking ideas and maybe even hook-up with a few folks for a trip somewhere/sometime???

Cheers, Gairy.

[very]

Hello all,

This is my first post here and so let me know if I'm doing something wrong or not putting things where they're supposed to be etc...

Basically.....I'm planning on doing a 10 day Trans-Alp bikepacking trip this July.

Fully self-supported and picking up food in local shops to be cooked when the evening camp is set-up.

I'm planning on following (roughly) the basic Albrecht route (Garmisch, Germany to Lake Largo, Italy).

I've done loads of touring before, been mountain biking for over 15 years and have even (unknowingly - I thought I'd invented the idea) been bikepacking before (by throwing my DD-Hammock in my Camelbak and spending the night out) but this will be my first long-distance multi-day epic and so I was hoping to get some experience-based-knowledge from your good selves.

What I'm interested in knowing is.....

- Has anyone here done this route before? Or any Trans-Alp route for that matter?

- Is it any good? This Albrecht fella seems to know his stuff and has planned this route to be almost 100% rideable but.....I'm concerned this means that it won't be technical enough - is that true?

- Does anyone know the situation re: wild-camping in the Alps??? I'm not overly concerned if it's not allowed as I'm planning on doing it anyway but it's good to know!

- I've got new kit ideas (as I think a tent/bivi makes more sense than a hammock for when there aren't any trees around) but does anyone have any 'must have' kit suggestions for a trip like this?

Finally, I've been planning on doing this solo but if anyone was interested in joining in then I'd be happy to offer pick-up/drop-off from anywhere in the Lyon, Geneva, Grenoble, Valence region (I British but now live in the Ardeche Mountains, France - very nice riding!).

Sorry for the huge first post but I'm planning a lot and want to get this trip right.

Thanks in advance for any/all assistance and advice and I look forward to being a part of this forum and getting out there bikepacking.

Cheers, Gairy.