Bike-packing the swiss alps (advice needed)

The Mountain Hut
1

Hi all,

I am looking for advice for a bike packing trip through the swiss alps. I will be doing it in the first two weeks of July.

Places: Any suggestions?
What I want to see so far:
Geneva
Chamonix
The Matterhorn
Mont blank
Lake Como (or something similar)

Accommodation:
My plan is just to wait until the sun goes down and sleep somewhere next to the road.
Any thoughts on the feasibility of this strategy?

Timeframe:
I will have about 10 days and I am planning on riding about 100km a day. I am quite a fit guy and I think that 100km spread out over a whole day should be ok. Please tell me if this is unreasonable.

Gear:
I plan on taking:
Sleeping bag (-10C comfort)
Survival bag
Down and waterproof jacket.
Two shirts, pants, and underwear
Two phones and a charging bank.
A second-hand bicycle that I will buy there. (I will also probably get a gell seat for it)
A backpack to put everything in.
800 euro cash

I know this seems a bit bare bones but I have experience in rough conditions. I am not to worried about comfort but if this seems unsafe then please let me know.

2

Hi Daniel,
As per my Whatsapp message to you have a look on Komoot and connect with the Bike Packers.

See Top 20 Most Beautiful Road Biking Routes in the Alps | Komoot
I use Komoot, and the community is super friendly and will help.

Enjoy,
Ian

2 Likes
3

A story in German gives you some impressions

Hi, do you know this website with routes and advices and the youtubestory? It will be steep, and sweaty. Watch the weather forcast to avoid dangerous situations. Others it will be safe.
Kind regards
Sonja from Germany

4

Hi Sonja, This is awesome thank you!

5

Hey Daniel

I would recommend aiming for around 80km a day when bikepacking in the mountains. More than that, and unless you are a pretty high-level cyclist, you will spend most of your time riding and not enough time seeing sites / being able to stop for photos, snacks, diversions etc - and that’s the stuff that makes it all worthwhile for me personally.

Switzerland is amazing for cycling and many areas have multiple routes going in the same direction, giving you the choice of a flatter riverside route, a central route, or the hilly climbs; all with similar end destinations. I really enjoyed it.

Lake Como is quite a different energy to the Alps, if you want to stay in Switzerland and have a few days with variety I could also suggest Interlaken. Lots to see, do, and ride.

I have slept rough in Switzerland and while it is possible, if the weather is inclement you will have a bad time of it, especially in the mountaineous areas. It is also a very law-abiding nation as you may have heard and I have been reprimanded by the police for riding my bike on the wrong side of a rural road so I would be careful about where I pitch my tent and make sure I know the local rules!

Lastly, I would suggest looking at panniers or similar solutions if possible. It will be difficult to fit all you want to carry in a backpack and your back will suffer from it with hours in the saddle. Panniers are cheap and if you are not doing much rocky off-road riding they offer loads of space in a stable format.

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Hi Nico,

Awesome thank you! I appreciate the advice!

I will make sure to scale back my distance calculations. Interlaken has also been added to my list :smiley: .

I will make sure to seek out a campsite if the weather or the locals turn nasty.

Hopefully, I can find a bicycle with some sort of mounting system. I think my butt will thank me!

7

Should be very easy to find a bicycle with a cheapish set of panniers, they are extremely common in europe and normally provide an easy 40-80 liter capacity that is more than enough for your needs.