Gotte

This will be my first real tour. I know, not much of a tour, but it's all I can get at the minute.
From those experienced in such things, how much clothing will I need, or if we'll need bedding, for that matter.
My friend and I are going to the Black Forest, and will be staying in gasthausen (B&B's), so no camping/cooking equipment needed, but I'm unsure of how much (or little) clothing I can get away with.

I'm also guessing just tools for repair, spare tubes, but nothing drastic, as we'll be able to buy anything for a major repair.


Any help is most appreciated.

jakuma

You should not need bedding for B&Bs but some hostels require you to either have bedding or rent them, you are not suppose to use sleeping bags. Also some hostels in Germany have an age limit. As far as clothing personally I wouldn't take that much, but hey I have questionable hygiene.

Gotte

Many thanks. Do you know why you are not supposed to use sleeping bags? That seems a bit bizarre.

jakuma

I think that it si because the bags to cover the entire surface-- but don't quote me.

Gotte

Thanks for that. Much appreciated.

sexy prison

Some places don't allow sleeping bags because it is possible to spread bed bugs by transferring your bedding to different places.

Bacciagalupe

This is what I use for credit card touring. All this plus rear panniers came to about 25 lbs. Wash your clothes in your hotel.

Bicycle Clothes
3 pr bibs
2 short-sleeve bike shirts
2 long-sleeve base layers
1 short-sleeve base layer
1 light nylon jacket / rain jacket
1 skullcap
1 pr leg warmers
1 helmet
1 pr gloves

Street Clothes
1 pr light black slacks
1 pr jeans
3 pr socks
3 pr underwear
2 long-sleeve shirts
light pajamas

Tools
1 spare tube
road pump w/gauge
multi-tool
patch kit
maps
bike rack
1st aid kit
compass

Miscellaneous
1-2 books
1 blank book
1 tourbook
camera
traveler's checks
passport
copy of passport and health insurance
toiletries
micro towel

NoReg

Good list



How much clothing you carry depends on the type of clothing. If you wear all fancy quick dry sports clothing you can carry less than if you wear cotton that may take a while to dry out, if at all. I've gone off synthetics due to burn issues which I really don't think apply to cycling all that much, but I just plain own less synthetic. Therefore, I carry three light wool socks; 1 underwear that I only wear with dress clothes; 2 cycling tousers in cotton with crotch insert; 3 T-shirts, one poly sweater, that doubles as a pillow; Hat; one change of clothes consisting of light river trouser and neat sweat top, I only carry this if I am going to need a civilized change of clothes for some reason like sponging off familly or friends along the way. I wear cycling sandals and carry those sponge clogs for bathing etc... Then I have cycling specific rainwear.

For tools it's important to have serious stuff. There are only so many things you can fix on a bike in the field without carrying excessive kit for a short trip. The limits are weight (no point in carrying a 4" pedal wrench if can't break away the pedals installed with the 18" shop version); What you know how to fix; and there are also complex messy repairs, most of these should not be required though if you set out with your bike well cared for.

So once you know the kinds of things you are willing/able to work on, you need to have every wrench required to do that work. Specifically work out what is required for all the repairs you might do, don't depend on abstract repair kits or tool lists.

That may mean 2 identical wrenches to do a particular brake, or a sellection of tools not found in some arbitrary multi tool. The kind of parts your bike is oufitted with can make a difference, for instance some cable straddles need only one allen key, others need a key and 2 wrenches. For me the tools easily fit in one open hand. The tools I carry really work, for flats I have instant and glue on patches, a speed stick to take the tire off, and a topeak road morph pump. You can fix a flat in 2 minutes with this gear if it isn't too weird, and re-pump the tire to max pressure with minimun effort.

raybo

After my first tour, I decided to try and see how much weight I could lose without leaving anything essential at home. I was amazed at how much weight I could get out of my toiletry bag. First, I took much less of the stuff I was taking (just enough tooth paste, after shave lotion) and put everything I could into little plastic holders I got at REI. I bet I took more than 1 pound out doing just that!

I also took a hard look at the clothes I was taking and bought lighter versions of them. I now take nylon pants instead of cotten ones. If it is a short tour where I will be mostly riding and camping, I don't take shoes other than my biking shoes, which are easy to walk in.

I was amazed at how much weight I could save by focussing only on how much things weighed.

Ray