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Since my last Bikepacking trip with Ryan van Duzer we had been experiencing such bad weather here in Sweden that I decided to go some place warm and sunny for my autumn Bikepacking trip. So I headed down to Paris to start my journey with the end goal being the wine region of Bordeaux. Join me for this amazing Bikepacking adventure over the next 10 weeks or so.
Bike:
Kona Sutra
Bike Bags:
Ortlieb Handlebar Pack 15L
Ortlieb Frame Pack 6L
Ortlieb Seat Pack 16,5L
Clothes:
Adidas Adilette Flip Flops – https://amzn.to/40eKFyQ
Craft Core Enduro Jacket
2 Forclaz Merino Wool T-Shirt
Nike Mens Dri-FIT Short Sleeve Polo Shirt – https://amzn.to/3j2aq1w
Padded MTB Shorts
Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants – https://amzn.to/3jalGfE
2 Pair of Socks https://amzn.to/40dU4H6
Merino Underwear – https://amzn.to/3XRU9hZ
Merino Wool Buff – https://amzn.to/409sYkd
Giro Fixture Mips Helmet – https://amzn.to/3XKHsoZ
Science In Sport Water Bottle – https://amzn.to/3WLLsV9
Northwave Cycling Shoes
Sunglasses
Cooking Gear:
Sea To Summit X Mug – https://amzn.to/3Hg7GJ1
Light My Fire Spork – https://amzn.to/3Dncn2J
Wine Bottle Opener 😉
Tools:
Lezyne HV Bicycle Hand Pump – https://amzn.to/3lHxnJc
Park Tool VP-1Vulcanizing Patch Kit – https://amzn.to/409NhOC
Crankbrothers M19 Multi-Tool – https://amzn.to/3j0A86D
Squirt Long Lasting Dry Lube – https://amzn.to/3iWqYIf
CTC Plastic Bag + packaging
Inner Tube – https://amzn.to/3Dq1oFP
Bike Lock – https://amzn.to/3HHcWqs
Toiletries:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shaving Gel
Mach 3 Razor – https://amzn.to/3j2bYsm
Contact Lens Case
Travel Schampoo bottle
Camping Equipment:
Naturehike Cloud Up 2 Tent – https://amzn.to/3aA1MTp
Sea To Summit Collapsible Backpack – https://amzn.to/3RvanLP
Aegismax UL Down Sleeping Bag – https://amzn.to/3BVCStv
Aegismax Nano 2 Ultralight Sleeping Bag – https://amzn.to/3RcZcqR
Sea To Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner – https://amzn.to/409RLVs
Nemo Tensor Insulated Sleeping Pad – https://amzn.to/3Y98qGC
Nabaji Microfibre Towel L – https://amzn.to/3Y3KDbh
Electronics
Samsung S20 – https://amzn.to/3Y544jR
Dji Mavic Pro Drone – https://amzn.to/3FKsVBk
GoPro Hero7 Black – https://amzn.to/3JoetTC
Canon G7X Mark II – https://amzn.to/3XO7lnY
Zoom H1N Recorder – https://amzn.to/409ewZA
Rode Smartlav+ Lavalier – https://amzn.to/3RcZcqR
2 Anker PowerCore 20000 mAh – https://amzn.to/3JpPxvg
Bag Of Cables and Extra Batteries
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29 Comments
So I guess I was a bit grumpy there at the end. The combination of little food, bad sleep and a late start probably factored in. But I only have myself to blame. How about you, have you had similar experiences starting a Bikepacking trip and specifically riding through a major city. Would love to hear about it!
Tjena Micke
Jag har kollat en del på dina videos.
Blir mycket inspirerad 😊
Gillar din cykel och utrustnings videor också 👍🏻
Min fru och jag är riktigt sugna på att biketoura nästa vår och sommar.
Vi kollar på cykel och utrustning nu. Hittade en cykel som heter Thorn. Nått du känner?
Begagnad lär det bli iaf.
Vi bor i Skåne. Liten by som heter Stehag. Har även bott i Sveg och kan allt om myggor nu 😉
Ser fram emot resten av Frankrike turen.
Happy trials/Björn
Your videos are always so relaxing and I enjoy the fact that you’re bringing us along for the ride
Got introduced to you in Ryan's recent trip in Sweden when you joined him for a bit. Looking forward to watching more of your stuff, Mike! Cheers!
Coming out of Paris along the Seine is better on the right bank rather than the left bank, which is really a mess.
Nice video as always 👍 Just one question, you went bike touring in France before so you knew beforehand that supermarkets closes at 8pm generally and the opening hours of restaurants right ?
Great tour Mike as usual! Very interesting for me as planning biking to Paris starting from Switzerland. Just a quick one: what is the wheels set up you have (rims and hubs)? I see it should be a 36 holes., correct? And the groupset?
Mike, love your videos and looking forward to this new series!
Was just touring in France in the Spring, Started in Rotterdam, coastal route to Paris, out to Mt. San Michel, then Bordeaux and to Toulouse. I used the TER and Intercity trains for some sections.
Couldn't you just have taken an RER train right from CDG airport to a stop near Orly airport? That would save some time navigating through Paris. Anyway, I am sure the trip gets better!
Great Tour!!!
What did. you do with your bike Box in Paris! Were there large thrash cans of have you cutted the Box?
A rough start but… YOUR IN PARIS!!! So cool. Your brave and adventurous spirit is commendable. Keep going. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Hej Mike, looking back not a bad first day really. At least you didn’t get your panniers stolen by a bear!
Eurovelo 3 looks like a wonderful route through a wonderful country. I’m expecting lots of red wine and hanging around outside massage parlours. Can’t wait for the next video, probably going to get hot for you. Much love to the family, Ed
I bought the exact same t-shirt
Thank you for your lovely video. Just arrived in Paris after a week pf cycling in France and I likes it alot. Unfortunately I don’t agree when it cones to fountains or watertaps-it was a real problem for me finding any drinkable water depait cycling next to rivers and canals a little of the time. I hope you have a better experience!
I find it though a bit cynic when you talk about the bottle being bad for the environment after completing a flight. You could waste many thousand bottles of water before coming close to the ecological impact of a single short-haul flight! That’s why I stopped flying at all a few years ago and am using only trains and my bike of course. If you are concerned about the environment too you should maybe consider this too. I wish you all the best and many nice trips to come!
I was there this time last year! Except I flew from Canada, so I knew I wanted a hotel to get over my jetlag. I also had a bike bag which was a bit of a nightmare (a packed train to the city and stairs everywhere in the metro). Finding food was a constant battle throughout my trip so I overstocked when I could. Hope you have better weather than I did!
It’s Ablon sur Seine, not Argon sur Seine at 11:40. 😉 And a funny fact – the town on the other Seine bank (the one with that park Port aux Cerises) is Vigneux sur Seine, it’s the town where I live. That way you went on the river bank South-East from Paris to Port aux Cerises is in fact a part of the way I take from my office when I ride home by bike. If I only knew you would be here I could offer you a place for a night stop at our place!
Frankly, I like bike touring channels where they talk about the frustrations. It was clear there were a few challenges getting to the correct trail, food and accommodations. Check out Yukon Rasputin's Trip across the USA. Its not all roses. Frances's infrastructure for bikes seems great in comparison to Urban areas here in the USA. My wife is Finnish, so I know the Nordic infrastructure is the top for urban areas.
Fin video! Har du cyklat Kattegattleden, Sydkustleden eller Sydostleden? Mycket trevliga!
Hey Mike, thanks for sharing the ups and downs of bicycle touring. Keep it real my friend. By the way, is there a particular reason why you used a bike box and not a clear plastic bag as in previous tours?
Awwww we all have days like that, you handled it very well …hope you had a good sleep and the next day was much better.
Det er ikke ahltid ting går som planlagt
Interested to know whether you considered leaving your bike at home and hiring one at the Loire? Would cut out most of the logistical issues. And would make low impact travel a lot easier (trains not planes).
What did you do with the bike box? Did you recycle it?
Thanks to Ryan I am now a sub for your channel 🙂
Bienvenue en France et bon voyage !
This promises to be a good series as cycling in the Loire you see a lot of beautiful towns and chateaux. 10 weeks cycling in France is a dream holiday.
Tip, always have some small tins of sardines or mackerel in your bags for emergencies.
I fly to Malaga in Spain from the UK in 2 weeks time to catch the last of summer hopefully. Will ride around Andalusia, through the Sierra Nevada NP and visit the Alhambra in Granada.
I shall be taking my Brompton which goes as checked in luggage. No need to find bike boxes nor dismantle my bike and reassemble it the other end. Ok it folds but this takes seconds. The moment you push your loaded bike out of arrivals and begin riding out the airport is fantastic every time. There is always some officious jobsworth who tries to stop you saying it is is prohibited, that you have to take an expensive taxi. Ignore them.
Looking forward to your next instalment.
We watched this episode with much interest as we just finished cycling through Paris a couple of days ago (in the opposite direction) and can relate to your grumpyness – although you didnt seem grumpy😂 Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Im off to Berlin tomorrow by train from Basel then a day or two gawping at the sights then 12 days cycling back to Switzerland. I dislike big cities generally but do enjoy people and beautiful buildings. Bike boxes are the pits.
Bonjour Mike, je ne vois pas pourquoi vous avez choisi de traverser Paris pour aller enfin vers la banlieue sud est ? vous avez allonger trop votre chemin et vous avez perdu trop de temps, apartir de l'aéroport il fallait passer par la banlieue est nord via Noisy-le-Grand puis direction banlieue est Sud…..
As a french guy myself, i would never have considered riding a bike from Roissy airport in direction of Paris.
Well done !