Half way through a trip S-N in Spain and now remembering my weakness for having things ‘just in case’ is a serious pain in the a**. Literally. Too much weight.
You've had your work cut out! It has been bloody hot!
Any suggestions or shall I just suffer again?
You haven't elaborated on what type of touring you'll be doing but there's no shortage of companies offering their services in a variety of different styles. Google is your friend.
My first ever bike tour was a (very) gentle pootle along the Danube on a supplied pretty basic hybrid type bike, my bags being carried from hotel to hotel.
But, to digress, a little.....
You don't say what this "just in case" stuff is. A critical eye on that would be step one, I'd imagine. I'm a big believer in carrying what we need to
enjoy the ride, not just what we need to
do the ride.
Nor is there any indication of your daily distances or any mention of time pressures, both of which can have an impact. If what you're carrying is making it harder to get to B from A then I can understand the frustration. On the flip side, if what you're carrying is helping you to enjoy the space between A and B (or wherever) then those frustrations barely arise.
If your planning is for big distances and/or lots of climbing, then it makes some sense to pack accordingly and to have the bike setup with gearing that suits. Or just change the plans!
In any event, this has been an exceptionally hot summer and a recent cross Spain jaunt with temps into the 40s was some of the "hardest" touring I've done. The cumulative effect of high temperatures took its toll on me and there was little respite as temperatures barely dipped below 30 at night. Avoiding the touristy areas, services were very limited because many places were closed for holidays. Timing, perhaps, should be a factor for Italy next year, too.
5 pm, the temp is 40C and over 1000m of climbing done.
Feckin' glorious, though!
