HOW TO PLAN PLAN A BIKEPACKING TRIP

In Finna Cycles we love bikepacking adventures. This is why we have designed a whole range of gravel bikes that are capable of carrying huge amount of weight. We made it without forgetting about comfortability and stability.

Every year we make a bikepacking trip and we know that amount planning it needs. For this reason we want to help you with the following tips about how to prepare your next gravel adventure:

WHERE SHOULD I GO?

This is the first and most important step of the planning process. It can make the trip just a gravel ride or an adventure. We want a gravel adventure.

We start looking at google maps and also google images to see how the place looks like. We try to avoid crowded places like capital cities. We make a list with our top 5 places to go and then we look for local information so we can decide where would be the best place to go.

WHEN SHOULD I GO?

As you know each place has its own rainy season and we should try to avoid them as it can be dangerous. This is why we search information about this and decide when would be the best time to go there. 

In our trip to the south of Vietnam, the best time to visit was on february because it wasn’t the rainy season and the temperature was nice. If we had gone to the north it would have been completely different.

PLAN THE ROUTE

Once we know where are we going and when, we can start planning the route. To make this we use 3 main tools. 

First google maps to search for the main cities or towns that we could visit not just for fun but also in case of a problem.

Then we start drawing the route specifically for gravel bikes using Komoot or Ride With GPS. 

It’s important to have the route but let it be flexible. We only book accommodation if it’s really necessary because we don’t want to be tied to this. Some days you can have planned to do 70 km but finally do 50 KM. It doesn’t have to be a problem. This is what makes it a real adventure.

So remind, you have to plan the route but have enough room for improvisation.

HOW CAN I GET THERE?

This is the last step. Once you have the route planned and you know where are you going to start and finish you can start looking for flights or book train tickets to get there. You have to think that your bike has to get there safely. We suggest buying a bicycle bag like the BIKIND.

To make this planning we like using ROME2RIO as it will tell you every transportation method to get to the destination. You can also use google maps or any flight booking site.

This is what we do to prepare our bikepacking adventure. The next step would be prepare the bike with the bags needed. We will explain this in another post. Now you can start planning yours. Where would you like to go?