I get asked a lot how to start bike (bicycle) touring and in general how to even begin the arduous process of travelling with a bike/bicycle.

Few years ago, if you asked me about travelling around the world on a bicycle, I would laugh at you.

I was at the end of the travel spectrum having exhausted all options, and had no inkling at that time about the wonders of taking a bicycle halfway around the world.

I’ll be honest, I did not even know how to ride a bike — it was a very sad and unfortunate discovery the day I realised I was missing out on years of pedalling fun!

Growing up is part of life but missing out on a vehicle that is more than just any ride in the park, but an experience on its own that can give you an enormous sense of freedom is not to be taken lightly or to be missed for anything else in the world.

I tinkered with trying to learn how to ride a motorbike before deciding that a bicycle may be a better option because it saves me money and I am able to use my strength to visit different parts of the world which is an achievement on its own.

The simplicity of all of it, that’s what makes bicycle touring a sport that is addictive, fun and a big boost on your life experience!

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Why You Should Travel By Bike?

Other than friends and family asking me the long-dreaded question of why I travel by bike, I’ll explain like how I did to the rest.

For me taking trips is about finding that sweet spot of challenging myself, seeing beautiful landscapes and eating awesome meals and meeting new people.

Sure, you can do all of that via walking or backpacking but the bicycle is often a great conversation starter — the stickers, mud, bags are all little things that may make other people want to come forward and interact with you.

Other than the pure exhilaration of seeing new landscapes, the natural environment has changed drastically due to the ravages of global warming.

I have seen what climate change looks like upfront and it makes you think about your choices, the more you explore on a two-wheeler!

The places that we want to see or have been written about are often packed to the brim with tourists.

Post-pandemic, you’ll see people being a lot more conscious with their travel choices, slower journeys will take centre stage with the train, cycling, walking being the favoured choice of transportation over tourist packages!

Bicycle touring offers a chance to enjoy the undiscovered discoveries by coincidence, and natural inclination to pause and see beauty in the ordinary.

It is a different kind of feeling to be able to pedal with some miles to nowhere, seeing flowers bloom at the right time and soaking in beauty in remote corners of the world!

Cycle Touring vs Bikepacking

My bicycle touring travelling setup when in Taiwan

The word “touring” is more ancient than bikepacking.

When I first heard about “cycle touring”, it sounded like I am signing up for tour classes to go on a bicycle tour but in actuality “cycle touring” has been around for 140 years with the pioneers in the UK establishing the Bicycle Touring club.

The word touring was frequently used during those times and hence rose in popularity!

Bicycle touring or aka “cycle touring” involves travelling the world with all your luggage, in particular a set of panniers.

Most bicycles of this setup have rack and fender mounts — you can convert any hybrid bike into a bike touring bike just like what I did. It is also more ideal for longer touring destinations if you’re bringing your camera gear, laptop and tent setup.

On the other hand, bikepacking only gained popularity in 2013 onwards according to Google Search Trends with a 100% spike since 2018 and more recently during the pandemic.

More people are choosing to go on a bikepacking trip simply because it adopts a “lean setup” and can be adapted into any road or gravel bikes, with a minimum of 28mm tyre clearance.

It makes it the speediest option if you’re opting for a lightweight bicycle tour!

Finding the right bike

If you’re not a weight weenie and don’t really want to invest in a slick setup, any bicycle will do!

I know people who bought a bike from Decathlon, Walmart in the US or just any used bicycle when they started their first cycle tour before upgrading to better options.

When I was in Kyrgyzstan, a guy from the UK used a beaten up bicycle from Decathlon to bicycle through the Pamir Highway which he mentioned was not the most ideal, but that didn’t stop him from touring around the world!

Which bicycle should you get?

Bike comfort plays an important role and it is worthy of an investment.

With bikes hard to come by and manufacturers scrambling to pick up, bike shopping is now mostly done online because it is almost impossible to secure one if you walk—in.

Here are some bikes that I would recommend if you’re getting into bicycle touring:

Also Read: Best Hybrid Bikes Under $500 For The Do-It-All Cyclist

How to select a bike destination for your cycling trip

Some of the best destinations to travel by bicycle include Asia & Europe

Where to go largely depends on your location and where you’re currently based. It is not always possible to go to far-flung locations, and the best place to start is sometimes your backyard.

You could always take a train or a local bus to start at a less-busy street or district if you’re not confident leaving directly from where you’re.

Starting with Asia, the best cycling destinations are in Asia. It is often cheap to adopt “credit card touring” which means you can stay in affordable B&Bs and not worry too much about setting up tent at every location.

Finding food is pretty easy too making it easy to have a bikepacking setup without carrying food and so on.

Some of the best places I did short tours are cycling in Malaysia (where I am based currently). My first bicycle tour was in Laos and I had such a great time touring from North to South in 5 days.

Another great place to bicycle tour is in Taiwan, the home of Giant bicycles and a vast network of cycling lanes. We cycled here for two weeks tracing the coastal lines!

Other great places to cycle are in Japan and Korea as well which is on my list and there are great cycle tours to ride with your family if you’re worried about bicycle safety for kids!

Europe is quite possibly the best starting ground for new routes, you could cycle Switzerland to Greece or do Eurovelo Route 3 - the pilgrim route that goes from Norway to Spain.

I cycled along the Danube from Vienna to Budapest in the summer and while it was a sweatfest, it was pretty nice to explore new in-between country roads and I found great company with fellow cyclists who had interesting backgrounds.

If you want to travel along the Mediterranean and see Croatia and feel the romance of Venice’s canals, the Eurovelo route 8 offers some of the best undiscovered gems.

And if that’s not enough or too holiday-like and you would really want to test your endurance and see a whole different region that is unexplored, you could try cycling in the stans starting with Kygryzstan and exploring the silk route.

Or you could even cycle the route in India’s himalayas. I did this solo cycling from Manali to Leh and it was so easy to rent a bike and do this for 2 weeks.

You don’t need to be tough as nails to do this but do prepare for instances where things won’t go according to plan!

How to travel by bike

Travelling by your bike is not as complicated as some people make it out to be. The annoying part is probably trying to sort bike logistics when making your way to the airport or railway station.

Another consideration is also weight limits — you’d need to check this beforehand and understand which is the best way.

By flight

If you’re taking your bicycle by plane, you’d need a bike box or a bike bag to pack your bike beforehand.

The easiest way to sort this is to take it to the bicycle shop for them to wrap it up for you. It should cost approximately 10-12 USD.

You’ll also need to be driven to the airport and get a bigger car where the back seats can be folded for your bike bag or box to fit.

But thankfully, that’s all made easier with dedicated companies like BikeFlights where they literally take care of the nitty-gritty and have been hugely supportive with their advocacy work and grassroots community programs!

By bus/train

There’s no real packing method to sort here other than enquiries from your local station if you can carry your bicycle on board.

Most stations do have a separate bike compartment and some have certain hours where bicycles are allowed. Buying a separate ticket for your bicycle is also common.

If you’re using the bus, this is largely dependent on your negotiating skills. You’d need to negotiate with the bus driver and ensure there's enough space for them to put your bike.

In Laos, my bicycle was on the roof and they tied it properly but in Kygyrzstan I got them to stuff my bike in marshrutka (van) which made it really cramped and not the best way to place your bicycle but I made sure the front wheel was taken out and rest was inserted properly.

How to budget for a bicycle tour

Facing the views at Lenin Peak Base Camp

It is quite cheap to cycle on a bicycle tour — at most I spend less than US$29 per day and this was while staying in a hotel. If you’re camping, it’s way cheaper than this.

The most you’ll end up splurging on is on food and occasionally your accommodation.

I know some extreme bicycle tourers who keep it to US$10 a day — I think this is possible if you’re cycling in Asia or camping but the budget varies depending on your comfort and bicycle travelling setup.

What gear to bring when bicycle touring

Here’s my bicycle touring checklist on what to bring if you’re travelling by bike

There’s more to this than the above but these are some of the core essentials you’d need to start bike touring.

Overcoming fears and last thoughts

The joys of feeling present when bicycle touring around the world.

I started with being fearful of riding alongside cars. The fear of being clipped by a car paralyzed me from even pursuing long-distance cycling.

But I felt the joys of feeling present in my body again as I rode more often, orienting myself amid the disorientation of pandemic life.

Pedalling these days feels like a celebration of blood, energy and sweat!

If you’re thinking of picking up cycling as an adult there’s no shame in taking classes; the key thing is to listen to your heart, and the rhythm of the tires over the pavement and forget everything you learned about what you shouldn’t do.

If you’re thinking of starting to cycle tour, where would you like to go? Share with me in the comments below!

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