22.5 kilos

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I have some of those bikeline maps...they are good but they are heavy as well. Also the total cost of enough maps to cover the trip would be a lot, and after a second tour it would add up to pretty much the same as the GPS I reckon, besides th egps looks a lot cooler on the handlebars

The tV...well maybe you are right...I could lose it...but I got it especially for touring and it's no bigger than a mobile phone....again whils tin germany I may not ned it so much...but when I am solo in France and no speako th eling I think I would regret not having it...then again I suppose all the programmes would be in french anyway...hmm...maybe I will leave it at home...
I have decided to take my red lightweight MTB waterproof jacke tinstead of my altura nightvision which is warmer...but heavier...
I will have to ditch the bike poly bag and figure out how to get a new one for th eflight home as I am not carrying that thing all across Germany just to satisfy easyjet.
I coul d cut my sleep mat down, or leave it hear as I also have an alpmat with me...but I'm more comfy with it...and if I decide I dont want to carry it it's only a £12 mat so I could ditch it if necessary...but it's not that heavy either..jus tbulky.

...see thats the thing, nothing is heavy on it's own and the benfit of each item outweighs th eweight...erm...until you add it all up.

I may take just one inne rtube instead of two...but i have two in case both tyres burst on the plane...I could ditch one if necessary...but then th enext day I'd get two punctures for sure.

By taking the red jacket instead of the black one I wont need to carry a high vis vest...which saves me all of a gram or so!

I am still undecided about the helmet.. I know I probably wont wear it 90% of the time...but when I get home to th eUK I would want it for th erid eback from port or airport.

...I suppose i could get a haircut and save myself around 500g

 

[rich p]

I think I'd take 2 tubes mate

 

[Andy in Sig]

Definitely two inner tubes. Let the tyres down while the bike is in the plane and just pump them up again at the other end. The Bikeline books might weigh a bit but the weight gets less as you post them home which is psychologically nice.

 

[snorri]

Definitely ditch the tv.
One of the most interesting aspects of touring must be the opportunity it gives you to meet new people, and you will meet no one with your face glued to a tv screen..
As for GPS looking cool on the handlebars, yes, cool to potential thieves. One handy series of maps for cycling, readily available in German bookshops and stationers, is entitled 'Die General Karte' cost 4.95Euros. There are 20 in the series to cover the whole country, obviously you would not need them all, but they are ideal if you want to stray off the Bikeline routes.
Take a ferry home, that solves the bikebag issue, also check in is less time consuming with fewer formalities than flying.
Enjoy yourself.

 

[jay clock]

When Jay Clock did this he got 20+ pages of advice on what to include and leave behind

Indeed! Including things like don't bother with nail clippers, bite them, and "who needs deodorant, you're not going to pull on a cycling trip"....no, and even less likley if you smell. I wasn't sure which I liked less - the thought that there might be people who are happy being really grubby, or those who abandon washing for the trip.

I would have struggled without most of what I took. Top tips would be

-ditch the tv and chat to people, or read a local paper, however badly
-buy local maps - the Michelin yellow ones for France are not pricey and superb
- is there anywhere you can leave the bike bag, or post it to wherever you depart back from?
- consider the weight of your off bike shoes
- at this time of year 2 sets of bike clothes (one on one off) and one set of layerable non bike kit, should be ok. Thin waterproof will be ok
-Ignore everyone and find out for yourself what works!

In NZ I had day after day of monster hills, and managed ok -doing 80-100k a day

Gute Fahrt as they say

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

thanks...well i have been through it and been as ruthless as I dare...I reckon it's down to around 20 kilos now.

 

[RedBike]

I just gave up watching the weight and brought a bob trailer.

When it's raining it's nice to have more than one set of cycling clothes. Ever tried drying out your clothes / shoes in a tent?

My big tip will be to remember a tin opener and plenty of waterproof bags. Oh, and a phone charger!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I have a free loader solar pack for the phone, tv, and gps batteries. It works from the sun and any usb port.

i have three shirts 3 shorts 3 socks so one on bike one off bike one washing is the plan....from what I can tell most German campsites have laundry facilities as well.

 

[Stick on a Giant]

At first I thought 22.5kg, that's a lot, but I actually carried 18kg for a 12 day tour, and I was touring with Mrs G who took some of the shared items - for cooking etc, so I think you've done pretty well to get the weight down to 20kg - enjoy the trip.

 

[rich p]

I have a free loader solar pack for the phone, tv, and gps batteries. It works from the sun and any usb port.

i have three shirts 3 shorts 3 socks so one on bike one off bike one washing is the plan....from what I can tell most German campsites have laundry facilities as well.

They often have those old fashioned spin driers too which reduce drying time by hours

 

[dodgy]

No need to deflate your tyres for air travel, it's an urban myth.
Have a fantastic trip and be sure to share it with us when you return

Dave.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

No need to deflate your tyres for air travel

...now you tell me...I have just deflated them and wrapped the bike up...I would have rather had them inflated to 95psi with the track pump because the mini morph I carry is a question of guessing the psi by the time honoured 'squeeze' method...besides it would be one less thing to do in the arrivals hall at Bremen

..oh well..it'll do I guess.

 

[dodgy]

Sometimes Airline staff will tell you to deflate tyres and that's how the myth perpetuates. I flew with the RAF MTB squad to Sardinia years ago and we weren't asked to deflate, and believe me, the RAF are completely anal about flight safety, much more so than any other civilian airline I've ever flown with!
Personally I'd appease the staff and not get into an unwinnable argument about it

Dave.

 

[Andy in Sig]

When I flew with BA it was their rules. I just got one of those mini CO2 things for putting them up again at the other end, just to get me out of the airport.

 

[jay clock]

No need to deflate your tyres for air travel

one of the cheap airlines actually says no need to deflate (Ryanair I think), but then the airport have different rules and i have ALWAYS had them insist on deflation. I carry a valve adaptor and after pumping to the basic level, go to a car hire place and use their air line

I did try asking the jobsworth why it was ok to have aerosols and pushchairs with pneumatic tyres but he failed his 11+ in physics and didn't understand.