Less is more - this is especially true for luggage on a road bike. Even the terms "road bike" and "luggage" don't really go together. After all, it's not for nothing that racing cyclists do without everything that slows them down. Pannier rack, mudguards, side stand? Superfluous ballast that hinders the ease of road cycling - get rid of it!
UP AND AWAY
On the other hand, precisely because the road bike rolls so easily, it is the ideal vehicle for short escapes from everyday life. On a long weekend from Hamburg to the Harz Mountains or from Munich over the Alps to Milan - with a racing bike and a reasonably good level of fitness, this becomes a short holiday with a long-term effect.
The difficulty of fitting in the necessary small luggage for a multi-day tour with an overnight stay in a hotel is also an attraction: limiting yourself. This means thinking carefully about every detail of your equipment. Apart from small change and a credit card, you don't have much: Clothes for all weathers, an emergency kit for breakdowns and minor injuries, civilian clothes for the restaurant in the evening, a toothbrush. Everything else can stay at home - after all, we live in Central Europe. If the weather really doesn't play ball, the nearest railway station is certainly not far away. The worst thing that could happen is a regional train, where the return journey takes longer than the outward journey by bike.
Intelligently put together, minimal equipment for short cycling holidays need not weigh more than two kilos. The first optimisation measure: leave your usual road bike shoes at home and put mountain bike shoes with outsoles and a suitable pedal system on your bike instead. This saves a second pair of shoes and between 500 and 1,000 grams of weight. Functional disadvantages: None. Many mountain bike shoes are similar in construction to road bike models except for the sole and also ride very similarly.
CLOTHING TUNING
A windproof, water-repellent jacket, arm and knee warmers - with these few accessories, combined with a jersey, functional vest and cycling shorts, you are equipped for a cool ten degrees as well as for high summer temperatures. In the mountains, in spring or autumn, overshoes, hats and long gloves can also be added. Then even a brief cold snap won't mean you have to cancel your trip. If you also want to make a reasonably smart impression in the hotel lobby in the evening, you also need a civilised outfit. A thin fleece jacket, a light shirt and light trekking trousers made of microfibre, plus underwear - the hero and heroine of the country road can pass as (almost) normal travellers. Plus the essentials from the toiletry bag, which is best left at home. Shampoo, shower gel and a hairdryer are part of the service in most hotels, as are towels.
Just in case: Cycling holidaymakers don't need evening wear or polar-appropriate touring equipment. Functional minimalist equipment doesn't have to weigh a lot. We recommend: Lightweight microfibre trousers (280 grams), wind and rain jacket (320 grams), thin fleece jacket (300 grams), top shoes (250 grams), arm and knee warmers (70 grams/120 grams), mountain bike shoes (800 grams). Plus: a second set of cycling clothing, cotton T-shirt, pants, socks, toiletries and breakdown kit, multifunctional scarf (can be used as a head or neck scarf; 30 grams).
Dealer references:
Deuter, telephone 0821/4987327, www.deuter.com
Ortlieb, telephone 09872/8000, www.ortlieb.de
Topeak via RTI-Sports, phone 02630/95520, www.rtisports.de
Tubus, telephone 0251/7619688, www.tubus.net
Vaude, telephone 07542/53060; www.vaude.de
SACK & PACK
The question remains as to how the belongings should be transported. There are four main options, each with advantages and disadvantages: Backpack, classic pannier rack with panniers, seat post rack or a spacious saddle bag. A fifth option is the good old handlebar bag, which rarely fits on modern road bikes. The bag adapters are not available for the diameter of oversized handlebars; moreover, handlebar bags take up the space occupied by the shift cables of Shimano STI brake shifters. Otherwise, however, handlebar bags are practical - you can even get to your wallet or provisions while riding. And: handlebar bags often have a compartment for maps in the lid.
MORE IS MORE
All transport options have one disadvantage in common: they do not exactly correspond to the ideal of beauty of the pure racing bike reduced to the essentials. However, if you can't get over this, you are missing out on a unique experience. The recreational value of a multi-day tour on a road bike is hard to beat. You can always dismantle the bike afterwards.
