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    Iceland

    Iceland: Cycle Touring the Ring Road, pt.1



    Planning a cycle tour or a trip to Iceland? Any questions, ask away!
    In 2016 I set out to cycle the 832 miles of Iceland’s ring-road with my camera. My goals were to complete a tough challenge, document the trip and capture the best photos I could.

    Had I underestimated how hard it would be? Spoiler: Yes!

    It was an unforgettable experience, at turns harsh and exhilarating. My aim is to show an honest account of the trip and the challenges faced, including where I came up short.

    PS – Video quality is poor in places… I’ve learned a ton in the 18 months since this trip, I used the Ricoh GR and X-T1 for some shots and the IQ is pretty awful on both… great stills cameras, but not good video tools! All the same I wanted to share the story, just go easy okay? 😉

    Thanks for watching!
    Instagram: @jamesstevensonphoto

    Cycling:
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    Surly Disc Trucker
    Arkel & Ortlieb panniers (rear and front)
    Arkel bar bag (for sale, now unused)

    Brooks saddle Photography:
    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
    Fujifilm X-T1 (Great camera! Since upgraded to the X-T2)
    Fuji 18-55 XF Zoom
    Fuji 55-200 XF Zoom Fuji 10-24 XF Zoom
    GoPro Hero 4
    Ricoh GR IV

    Complete Itinerary inc. Campsite Locations:
    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IG0X4N_3LDkbKWIcW0pNUQzrczLhxakX/view?usp=sharing

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    View 36 Comments

    36 Comments

    1. Andrew Wilson on

      Love the video and thank you for making this beautiful resource for cyclists. I'm planning a ride to Iceland for my family and I this September – do you know of a good Bike shop in Reykjavík in case our bikes get damaged in transit as well? We are also shipping our bikes. Also – from your experience – how directional are the winds? I've read a few different opinions here. Ex- are they almost always headwinds when cycling from Reykjavík to the north? Would love your help on this! Thank you 🙂

    2. Marco Gallucci on

      Firstly, congratulations on the achievement! Secondly, this (both parts) is a brilliant little film. Weirdly, I had a conversation about this route with a colleague at work today so it's now on my list. Is there a 'best' time of year to go, and are the roads/drivers cycle friendly?

    3. mark docter on

      You have inspierd me and my firend, we are going this july and we where planing on staying in hotels and renting a car… we are not doing that now…

    4. Susan Cronk on

      Gorgeous photography. The journey was yours, start to finish, on matter what adjustments you had to make along the way. Congratulations on the trip. Looking forward to seeing Part 2.

    5. Thordur Olafur Thordarson on

      Thank you very much for this great video James. Although I have traversed Europe on a bike from the Bay of Biscay to the Black Sea and done many longer bike tours in mainland Europe, I have never toured Iceland, even though it is my native country. On my tours I have met many people who have cycled here but, to my detriment, have had to admit that I have never done it myself. Until now, that is. I am starting my tour along the ring road on Friday next week and if I wasn´t teeming to go already, your video truly lit the flame! Thanks again.

    6. Brandon on

      Hats off to you my friend. In the end it's about the experience. Biking should be about enjoying the journey not trying to get the as fast as possible or breaking a record. I absolutely loved your video. Hopefully someday I'll be able to do 10% of what your trip was. I'm an avid bike rider but never have I done a tour. Great job documenting the trip. Cheers!

    9. Jesse Martin on

      My wife and I budgeted 3 months to cycle around Iceland, after 7 weeks, we had only made it half way. Too much to see and the wind! We eventually bailed and cycled through the UK for the remainder of our time. It was an unusually pleasant summer in England. I plan to eventually return and finish the journey, though I may be solo…

    11. Louis Bergmann on

      Thank you very much, James, for the great pictures and the very useful information. I thought about doing my first trip to Island by bike, but gave it right up, seeing your report. I'm planning to go in summer 2021, if the world has opened up by then. My budget is very low. Do you think a combination of bike and public transport would be possible? greets louis

    13. yinan shi on

      Thank you. Such a beautiful trip and such a well made video. I signed in to Youtube just to leave this comment and give you a thumbs up. I am a film production student, and I know and appreciate the amount of effort that went behind this video. I am planning a trip to Iceland right now, your video and spreadsheet were really helpful. THANK YOU

    17. George Cumming on

      Inspiring video. Questions (1) Would you have gone clockwise if you'd to do it again? or did the north winds cut right over the island? (2) The video shows most roads with small inclines but maps show large inclines/downhills ? (3) Are you restricted by a lack of places to stop? (4) Did you wild camp most of time? (5) Did you have many flats or maintenance issues apart from Reykjavik at the start?

    18. Cycling Beyond on

      Hi! Thanks for the amazing video! Just one question: Which front rack panniers where you using? What was their capacity? Thank you in advance

    19. Campbell on

      I know this is years later but I am thinking about doing this same biking trip if you could answer some of my questions that would be great.

      How much money was the cost of the bike rental and food to get you through the trip?

      How did you carry clothing with you? I see you have gear strapped to your bike. Im guessing I would need to go a lot of re-wearing of dirty clothing (which I expected)

      How much did you spend on housing and what not. Are there airbnbs near the ring road I could use that may be cheaper?

      Sorry if you answered any of these questions already I may have missed them. Thank you so much!

    21. Jeffrey Slavich on

      I've watched a number of videos of cycling in Iceland and you photos and cinematography are absolutely top notch! Well done. A cycling adventure in Iceland is on my bucket list. Not sure I'd be up for the entire ring road, but some version for sure. Looking forward to part 2.

    23. JSRhedgehog 99 on

      I must know, whe you did your bike tour, did you do an "Assisted Tour" (where they have an emergency vehicle follow you, or did you truly do it all by yourself?) And do you recommend that a beginner on a smaller tour should do an Assisted tour?

    24. Russ Sims on

      Enjoyed the video. Spent my last two years of high school at the NATO base where you arrived. Been back three times since….wife lived across the street so we have have same love for Iceland. Seen bicyclists riding the Ring Road and know of what you write. Seen the riders being blown all over, at the camp site tent campers trying to dry out all their belongings. The Ring Road is narrow, no bike lanes or a shoulder…hardly safe on a bike. The winds of which you speak can be constant. But this is such an incredible beautiful country with great views around each corner.

    27. giuseppe pes on

      Hi,

      Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I have planed the same exact trip for this summer, starting on August 13 until the 29. I have some questions:
      – Was it easy to find food and water along the road?
      – What was the traffic like?
      – Does the road have a shoulder?
      – the main problem was the wind?
      – did you experience any extreme weather?
      – What clothing did you wear?

    29. Impulse response on

      Hi. Very inspiring and gorgeous photos.
      I am planning to do the journey in a year or two. Curious, what was your level of fitness on the bike? Were you traing for endurance biking previously?
      Thanks!

    30. Jonathan Chester on

      Congrats for jumping in at the deep end – it's a trip that would seriously challenge experienced cyclists, believe me! Great choice to pull the plug and enjoy the trip and the country as well as grinding out the (many) miles 🙂

    34. Vivian Poon on

      Hi James, nice journey! May I ask what was the longest distance that you cannot re-supply? for example, the furtherest distance between 2 supermarkets/convenience store etc? thank you.

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