I still remember my first big tour very well. I took the ferry to England and set off on my bike. We had everything with us - including camping equipment. But as we travelled towards Ireland, there were a surprising number of hills. Every hill was extremely taxing on our strength. Suddenly, a lone cyclist appeared in front of us. A Dutchman sat exhausted at the side of the road with his fully loaded bike. We struck up a conversation. The young man had started out with a load of 100 kilos(!). He had already shed 30 kilos of his equipment in England. But the bike was still too heavy. He had not reckoned with the mountains and was downright desperate.
Even today, over 35 years later, I meet many of the Dutchman's fellow sufferers on every tour. They start their summer tour with four overstuffed panniers and another pannier on the pannier rack, which detracts enormously from the experience. For me, a bike tour also thrives on the ease of travelling. I have everything with me and can stop wherever I want. For this reason, I have been optimising my equipment for years. Every gram that I can sensibly save is saved.
Examining your conscience is therefore a top priority when putting together your equipment. Even professional globetrotter Tilmann Waldthaler confessed to me in an interview: "After every tour, I discover a T-shirt that I've packed too much of." Hence Waldthaler's most important tip: "Pack as little as possible!"
Kitchen scales guide
Modern textiles and functional fibres make it easy for cyclists to get rid of those unloved heavyweights. For me, sensible weight-saving starts with the shoes. A great deal can be achieved here. A pair of lightweight touring shoes, such as the Click'r from Shimano, weighs less than 500 grams with the click system and is even suitable for hiking. As I don't want to do without additional restaurant shoes, I pack some lightweight Timberland shoes. This quickly saves a kilo in total.
The kitchen scales are an important guide when putting together the rest of the equipment. From hats to swimming shorts, everything is put on the scales. It's hard to believe the differences between individual items. All in all, you save a lot of weight without having to worry about the weather falling. On the contrary: I love my warm down jacket (Peak Performance, 200g). In combination with a long-sleeved merino vest (Icebreaker, 160g), a lightweight fleece (Arcteryx, 380g) and a rain jacket as an outer layer, I can even cope with temperatures just above freezing.
I'm also enthusiastic about the latest cycling gear. In the picture I'm wearing the latest summer kit from Vaude. Pants with a light insert, jersey and a Löffler mesh vest. The total weight of all the items: just under 500 grams.
Wheel check important
Some may smile at my small tool bag. I have ridden well with it for many 1000 kilometres. A spare inner tube, a small Leatherman, a well-functioning mini pump, a mobile phone tool and a few small items are always enough to get me to the nearest garage. Many people lug unnecessary kilos around with them for weeks for fear of possible breakdowns. A critical bike check before the big tour is far more important than having weighty emergency aids in your tool bag.
Even when I go on tour for five weeks, my two rear panniers are not full to bursting. I always aim for the 10-kilo mark. To save space and keep things tidy at the same time, I use different coloured, waterproof panniers. Filled with the textiles, they can be compressed airtight.
I have banished books and heavy travel guides from my bag. My iPad is my connection to the world when I'm out and about and also carries entire libraries. Paired with my GPS device (Garmin GPSmap 62) and smartphone, I can't get lost on any tour. I make sure my power packs are small and the cables as short as possible.
A lightweight rucksack from Deuter also serves me well. On the tour, it rolls up very small in the pannier. It carries all my valuable utensils when I'm on a cultural stroll in the afternoon. When putting together leisure gear, it's worth visiting the outdoor shop. All my equipment not only has to be light, but also quick-drying. The jersey, shirt and cycling shorts have to dry overnight. A little trick helps me with this. I roll the washed items in a dry towel and wring them out.
A lot of ballast can also be saved in the toiletry bag. Shampoo and shaving foam are available in small travel sizes, others can be filled into smaller plastic bottles.
And the bike? Many parameters count here, of course. For my last tour, I deliberately decided against a super bike with Rohloff or Pinion gears. Shimano XT, a nice aluminium frame, rigid fork, robust 26-inch wheels, Tubus carrier and comfortable Ergon grips - that's my lightweight touring bike.
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 3/2016. You can read the entire issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play) or order the issue in the DK shop.
You can download the individual articles as PDF files here.
