Conor and Hank have gone on an epic bikepacking adventure in Greece, riding from the city of Thessaloniki to the summit of the mythical Mount Olympus. We’ve teamed up with Storck Bikes and Jack Wolfskin for this challenge, so let’s take you through everything they took on this Greek odyssey.
In association with:
Storck 👉 https://gcn.eu/StorckBikes
Jack Wolfskin 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNJackWolfskin
Bikepacking To The Gods: An Epic Cycling Odyssey 👉https://youtu.be/zGv68RvajSY
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:54 Bike
3:37 Bikepacking Bags
5:40 Sleeping Bag
6:34 Tent
7:30 Stove & Coffee
8:33 Smaller Items
Useful Links:
Adventure Documentaries, Exclusive Shows & Live Racing on GCN+: https://gcn.eu/plus
Download the GCN App for free: https://gcn.eu/app
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Have you ever been bikepacking? If so, what bike did you ride and what kit did you take? Let us know in the comments below! 💬
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Watch more on GCN Tech…
📹 What Do You Need To Cycle 575km Non-Stop? 👉 https://youtu.be/_u8mzLQVvw0
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🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
City of Thessaloniki – Trabant 33
The Dance of Zeus – George Prokopiou
Akropolis – George Prokopiou
Miss Me With That – DJ DENZ The Rooster
#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadbike #roadcycling #bike #bikes #greece #bikepacking #adventure #bikelife #cyclinglife
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/
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43 Comments
Have you ever been bikepacking? If so, what bike did you ride and what kit did you take?
I wonder who the kit sponsor was. They never mentioned it? 🤔
Surprised you took a gas stove and didn't look at a jet boil
You guys need to learn a bit about bike packing equipments 👍🤣 Most bikepackers do not bring a big chunky powerbank. They bring a small one and they have a dynamo hub on the front wheel, like a SON hub, and a USB charger, like the Igaro, which can use the power from the hub to charge things from. The small powerbank is only for “just in case” situations, where you are bogged down because of bad weather. Lights are usually of the dynamo kind and an extra small one, which can be charged by USB, which also can be used as a tent light. They rarely bring tents, but rather ultralight tarps made from Cuben Fibres (also called Dyneema Composite Fibers) and an ultralight bivy bag. They only weigh around 100-200 g and can be placed in the corner of a pocket taking up almost no space. Even a Cuben Fiber tent weighs around 350-500 g only and fill up a lot less space than your chunky “boy”. Cooking pots chosen, are made from titanium and weighs significant less than that aluminium pot you chose. Many does not bring a cooker, since making a small fire is almost always possible. You just have to pick a small amount of wood to cook some water. So you only need a lighter or fire starter.
Interesting. I bet that was some heavy work Conor. What was the full weight of the bike with all the gear and yourself on board?
Tell Hank to stop that hissing air sucking noise. Annoying like FCK!
Looks staged!
Hank to Conor around the campfire, "You know, Conor, I think we could be the Dan and Si of the GCN Adventure Show." 😀
As long as you have Hank on the team, you will always be safe.
Welcome to Greece!!!
Now a 31-34 combo might get a recently-retired young pro to the top of Mt Olympus but it wouldn't even get this old geezer up to the local Indian takeaway.
11:59 where did you found wals and doorways in the mountain ⁉🤦♂😂
Those Bikes. Dreamy !
What would I want to bring to the top of Mt Olympus??? Can I bring Conor and Hank?
The sleeping bag actually has a comfort rating of +1 degree, the -5 is a Limit temp not a -5 comfort, so best not to use this bag when it’s below freezing. It would have been nice to see clarification of temps in the video as these are important.
And it weights a ton at 1890g, that’s heavy for bikepacking. I would like to see it compressed 😳, no wonder you need panniers.
So great for car camping in mild weather, I think for bikepacking it might be a no? 🤔🤔
the way Hank's second bottle holder disappeared/reappeared through out the video makes me think the continuity editor needs speaking to! 😂
If you want to save even more space just put a spoonful of coffee in your mouth and wash it down like a paracetamol like the marines do
have you thought about returning with the cargo bikes to deliver some more beer to zeus and family?
Clear explanations, thanks. This adventure certainly puts paid to the notion that "gravel bikes are of no use in Greece", as claimed in some Greek-language articles I've read. I do wonder, however, if either rider would have preferred an MTB once on the rougher sections. The stony roads and trails here are very unforgiving.
9:20 I can't believe that Hank didn't mention that this kind of spork includes a stealthy beer bottle opener! Dan Lloyd would've noticed for sure! 😅#UltimateHack
I would like to know what you folks think about HAMBINI Bottom Brackets!
The use of heavy zeibekiko music for a bike packing trip was such a surprise that I choked on my pita gyro. Bless you guys.
Cracking video guys….. well done to ye!!!
Love Hank's bike papoose. Looks like a rather large gas canister, 400 grams or so? I usually take a 100 grams for a night/two. I also got an adapter in my local shop, that allows me to fill up those little, disposable cannisters from the big 1-5kg ones. This is expressly forbidden by the producers, but I have saved myself a lot of money and the enviornment a lot of refuse that way. It's also the perfect definition of the untranslatable Polish word "kombinować".
In 1988 I rode my bicycle up Mt Olympus 😊 Back then you could only ride up to the entry of the Old ruins that’s were the tourist would stop. The remaining rd was a goat rd. My bicycle was a Marcier Gentleman’s bicycle with only 5 gears 😀 fenders and spring seat. Took me 3 days to get up to the top and that’s cause I loved the Greek food 😂 Love 🇬🇷 Ζητώ η Ελλάς❤️ Good luck with your adventure.
Great film! Anyone else notice the size of the gas can they had – that would lasted thee meal a day for a week!! Good effort lads!
Exposure light? Nice choice.
hi from greece
A tan walled tyre (and gold chain?) would complete that gorgeous paint job!
Great video guys. In a bike shop that used to be here, they had a bike packing bike on display. It had what looked like welded racks to haul packs, as part of the frame. This must have been 10 to 12 feet long or longer. I was thinking this thing must weigh a ton, so I lifted the back end and this thing was light as a feather. It looked welded, but felt like cabon fiber. Must have cost a fortune, and this was over 10 years ago. Plus the wheels were smaller, like custom 20 inchers, not to mention the gearing they had on this thing to move it, more than 12 speeds on the back wheel, and it was not electric. I've never seen one since. Just thought I'd share. Forgot that it also had a canope to use while riding. It probably had a spot for a little dog on it too.
I just wish that bicycle manufacturers made bicycles that can handle more than the average of 250 pounds.
I am 6'-1" and weigh 250-pounds and would love to get back into bikepacking as I did in my youth, but finding a bicycle that can EASILY handle 300 pounds is extremely difficult!
Pannier and your going Bikepacking ????
Fantastic, what a ride, climb, carry……Thx for taking us along. Did you see the Fox bandit on the way down? That last bit… craggy, on the edge of an abyss…to the top WOW!
In 40 years I’ve never once sporked a pizza.
do you know that free camping in greece is illegal you can get fine or arrested and pas a night in jall or weekend if you get in on friday ,
@GCN Tech having never bike packed before what do people pack for hygiene and first aid? Just curious if I ever decided to do some bikepacking in future. Thanks
Great video. Fun to follow your efforts
9:20 do you really have to eat pizza with a spork? 🙂
As a Greek, I am delighted to see that GCN climbed and featured legendary Mt. Olympus. I’m almost embarrassed to ask: what were the gradients like?
Obvious paymasters for this jolly. Not at all objective, total waste of time
γεια σας guys, great video and please more from ελλάς (hellas)🙂
that trip looked like it was in tents!
A great video of a fantastic trip, but it doesn't do GCN's brand any favours when so much great content is sprinkled with utter nonsense commissioned by a brand that cares only about themselves. That synthetic Jack Wolfskin sleeping bag is as poor an option as you could find for a cold and dry expedition. It weighs 1.8kg, which is over double the weight of a half-decent down sleeping bag – and without it Connor could probably lose those big, heavy and outdated panniers. What will the next video feature? GCN pushing Del Trotter's new TT suits, which are actually mechanics' overalls worn two sizes too small…?