my fella is taking me on my first biking trip to spain and france this summer - we'll be gone for three weeks. i'm terrified of the lack of space on the bike. how do other girls (40ish!) cope - what do you take? what do you not take? any tips appreciated!!!

georgie girl.

My wife and I go for 1 month rides every year. It depends on the size of your bags and if you wear riding suits. We each have 1 bag each and they are the same size. We wear riding suits so that our other clothing is not used on days when we are just riding.
Your rain gear and riding jacket liners or fleeces go in a tank bag or back box.
In the bags you carry 1 pair of walking shoes. 2 pair of pants, 2 shirts, 1 small shower kit. Stuff your underwear, socks around and in between the other stuff.
After that you can add any extras you would like. After a few trips you will not understand why other people take so much stuff with them.
John and Jean

Just take essentials and wash things as you go on. We have done France & Spain for the last 8 years and I now take very little with me.

Ally

France and Spain - pretty civilised, so pack less, and if you need something, you can always buy it on the road!

TAKE A KIKOI!!! You won't regret it - I've posted somewhere on here about 45 uses for it... just search for kikoi.

Underwear: take a good sports bra - as for knickers - go to Asda / Primark, buy three packs of knickers and bin them as you go along. (Thongs take up no space at all!).

Socks -- buy 'TROUSER SOCKS' cos they're lovely and silky and thin and clean easily... and dry very quickly.

I recommend bright pink ones -- they cheer you up no end after a long days riding! LOL!

Pack only small bottles of shampoo - you can buy and top-up as you go along. Ditto toothpaste. Boots do a great range of trial sizes in shampoo etc.

Deodorant: Mum24 do a wicked lipstick sized, concentrate... lasts for weeks and very effective!

Pack vest tops/tank tops - since you'll be wearing yr jacket most of the time over it anyway. They're small, easy wash and dry. (And yr sports bra will make sure you're not bouncin everywhere!)

Make-up (very important for biker girls!): clinque do brilliant trial sizes of all their cosmetics... go and beg at a Clinique counter.. Their 3step trial sizes last a MONTH!

Trousers is the difficult one... I wear jeans, so quite bulky - but we have a rule in backpacking: "If it can not stand up by itself, its still good to wear" so they can last a while without having to wash.

Towel: Go to MILLETS -they sell a microfibre towel that folds up as big as a purse... dries ALMOST INSTANTLY... and weighs nothing. The Xtralarge is big enough to wrap around my hair! Pricey at around £30 but worth every penny.

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Forget the Microfibre towel, IMHO totally useless, I never seem to get dry when I use one. Take 2 kikoi instead, use one as a towel.

I use the new materials rather than the old cotton stuff.

For one cotton item eg jeans I can pack two of the newer material pants - zipp off legs too so they double as shorts. The shirts will dry over night - at the end of the day have a shower - as you shower wash your cloths ... wirn them out and hant them up .. Put on your secnod set and have dinner etc. teh next day .. ware either set. Ok the pants take a little longer to dry .. but hung inside out they sar still wareable the next day ..
I take 3 sets - ware one, second set for wareing while No 1 drys and the third as a spare. As you are constantly moving (almost) no one will notice you're wareing the same things day after day ..

The larges item .. shoes and toiletaries. Every thing else is very small .. pack teh inside of the shoes with socks and undies .. Most couple settle on one pannier each .. the tank bag gets camera pens etc, the rear rack gets tent, cooking gear.

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

I take 3 T shirts for riding in - not cotton but lightweight stuff sold in Millets etc. Depends on how hot it is but I usually wear one for a couple of days riding, a different clean one in the evening then use it for riding in and wash the other. The third one just gives me a change of colour!
One decent wrinkle free 'girlie' top in case we go somewhere I need to be more respectable.
Also 3 pairs knickers and socks. Again lightweight stuff that dries overnight.
One pair of Millets type walking trousers - dry easily and legs zip off to make shorts.
I tend to take dark clothes and black undies - they feel nicer than 'grey' whites!
One pair of thin respectable trousers to go with girlie top.
Two micro fleeces if it's going to be chilly - one to wear, one to wash. You should get away with one unless you're unlucky!
My riding boots are lace up affairs that look OK to go out in and are also good for walking in. I also take a pair of decent walking sandals.
Shampoo is decanted into a small bottle and I basically use it for an all over wash so don't take soap.
I wash clothes in the shower and wring them out in a towel to help them dry. I use Microfibre towel - it works fine, you just have to get used to dabbing yourself dry rather than rubbing.
My riding jacket/trousers have to last the duration - we normally go 4/5 weeks.
If you're not camping and are staying in B&B etc. you don't need towels etc. and clothes should dry overnight quite easily.
Take a camping 'twisted' wash line - with hooks not suckers - so wherever you are you can dry what you've washed!

Strongly dissagree with you there Darren.A good quality microfibre towel takes up a quarter of the room of a conventional one,dries in no time and is MUCH better at drying you off.

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....