Together with Rad15 / Omnium / ten:07 / LeichtLast we are at stand 11,350.

https://cargobikefestival.com/

#DecadeoftheCargoBike
"Our goal is to inspire the world to stop using cars and vans and instead start using cargo bikes. That’s why we've declared the 2020s the Decade of the Cargo Bike.

Why? We believe this is the decade the cargo bike will hit the mainstream. The potential impact is enormous, so join us, and together let's make it happen"

Jos Sluijsmans and Tom Parr,
organisers of the International Cargo Bike Festival

On July 22, 2023 we are represented in the mountain bike museum with idworx mountain bike test bikes, which can be used to ride a beautiful part of the Schaarsbergen route. The museum has a unique collection of mountain bikes, including the very first Idworx from 1999, the Double D, the first carefree mountain bike made specifically for Dutch conditions.

We take enough Rockn Rohlers and Rapid Rohlers with us, the latter with the Super geometry specially made for Dutch singletrack. You should definitely try it out and compare it directly with your current bike (so take it with you)!

We are there for you from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Registration at: testdag@idworx-bikes.com Questions about the event can also be asked here. Please bring your own pedals.

And on the 2nd day - meaning after the first tour - it isn't looking any different, because not everything fit... What was gear shift in ukrainian again? I still had it yesterday, but now, that things are getting serious...

Unfortunately, the Tandem of a latvian team had problems, meaning it was actually just the chain, that didn't want to work. And because the next bike shop offered a repair date in six weeks, the Tandem had to go into the garage. Yes, gear shift in ukranian - we had a new problem now, because the alternative Tandem looked completely different.

Surprises such as these are of course nothing new at the international Tandem-Jugend-Camps.

Why would it look different at the 19th time in June in Cologne?

Oksana didn't really know how to handle the new bike as the pilot. She came from Kiev via buses and trains and together with her co-pilot Andrey, who had already found a temporary home in Nürnberg for a year, she came to the Tandem camp.

She didn't let it discourage her, even though she hardly had any Tandem experience. But 60 to 70 km daily on a bike, that you don't really know how to handle and the gear shift seems a bit complicated...

Cologne was the savior, to be exact it was the fact, that Tandem-Hilfen e.V. had placed a Tandem to „practice“ in the local school for the visually impaired.

It had to step in... And we didn't even have to know what gear shift means in ukranian, because it was easy to handle and perfect for the team...

Oksana and Andrey were happy and from now on always at front. Apparently, they didn't need all 14 gears on the managable terrain. But Andrey was amazed. It was not his fault, when starting up didn't quite go so well. Now, there no complications anymore when it comes to that.

Well, shifting with the Rohloff gear shift, is also possible without a dictionary.

Thomas Nicolai

Tandem-Hilfen e.V.

www.tandem-hilfen.de

My tour had just begun and I was already overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape through other reports, that I read. The excitement was huge. The route led along the coast and while I was pedaling, a spectacular view on the shimmering sea and the endless beaches came up. The majestic sand dunes, that lined the path, presented themselves as a picturesque view, that entirely enchanted me. The path itself was built very well and provided me a comfortable ride - atleast that's what it should've done.

The heatwave without any rain for weeks had left its trail though and had notably changed the condition of the path along the Vestkystenruten R1. The constant dryness had made the paths unusually dry, sandy and dusty. The sandy terrain turned cycling into a real challenge, because my wheels kept sinking into the deep sand. I had to use all my power to even move foward and building up velocity also became pretty difficult. The instable consistency of the loose sand became a challenge for my balance and steering skills - it was a constant fight keeping the balance and to not start drifting.

Especially exhausting were the parts with deep gravel beds, that were located along the route. The merciless heat had loosened up the gravel, which created unsafe spots. Crossing these areas demanded lots of concrentration and the handiness to keep the balance and cycle through them safely. The efforts that these gravel beds demanded, were definitely noticable and took additional energy from me.

Even with the unpleasant conditions, I didn't let that discourage me and I decided to continue my bike tour. The fascinating landscape and the rich history, that waited for me along the Vestkystenruten R1, were worth accepting these challenges. I adjusted my speed to the difficult conditions and carefully mastered navigating through the sandy and gritty ground. Luckily, I could rely on my trustworthy Rohloff Speedhub, that stood through the harsh conditions with its encapsulation and empowered my trust in its performance.

When I distanced myself from Esbjerg and cycled further north, a breathtaking landscape began. The scene slowely started being dominated by small, picturesque fishermen's villages, whose houses offered an enchanting view with its remarkable, thatched roofs. I couldn't resist to stop by at a few of these villages to suck up the local atomsphere and to chat with the heartfelt habitants.

The route also led me through dense, magical forests, in which the scent of fresh moss bewitched my senses and the tranquility of the night laid itself around me, while I bravely kept moving throught the green rows of trees. It was, as if I had a secret place of peace and relaxation, that led me along the coast.

During my trip, I also stumbled upon fascinating, historical sights along the Vestkystenruten R1. This route already distributed to the history of the country in the 19th century and operated as a trade route for fishermen and craftsmen along the coast. Over time, The R1 would develop to a vital connection between the coast cities, that would shape the cultural and economic life.

But it was not only its history as a trade route, that made this route so impressive. The R1 also played an important role during World War II. Ruins of bunkers and defenses along the road still remained from terrible times. It was fascinating and a bit scary at the same time, discovering these historical relics and to imagine, what life and the war must've been like at this place.

On the northern hight of Aalborg, I said goodbye to the R1 and dove into the lively drive of the city. Aalborg showed me a fascinating history and a magical old town, had to be yet explored by me. Every step on these historical roads sent me further into the past and let me sense the roots of this wonderful place. 

Denmark is rightfully considered as one of Europe's most popular bike tour destinations. But my tour along the Vestkystenruten R1 was more than just a bike tour. It was an unforgettable experience loaded with thrill and atmosphere, that I associated with the beauty of the landscape, the heartfelt hospitality of the inhabitants and the fascinating history of Denmark.

https://www.scheibenelefant.de/

Bernhard Felix Rohloff, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease, died peacefully and unexpectedly on Friday, May 19, 2023 at the age of 73.

"Bernie" was an inspiration for the bicycle industry, always with a penchant for the small details.

Born on February 21st, 1950 in Lengenfeld, Germany, Bernie grew up in Kassel and began his technical career with an apprenticeship as an office machine mechanic at
Olympia. After successfully completing his mechanical engineering studies, he found employment at the Daimler Benz plant in Kassel and later as a freelance developer.

Later in 1986, Bernie founded the ‘Rohloff GmbH’ together with his wife Barbara. As technical director, Bernie developed the ‘Rohloff S-L-T 99’ derailleur bicycle chain. A
development which saw huge success throughout the 90’s, in part thanks to the victories of Greg LeMond and Miguel Indurain at the Tour de France and World Road
Championships. In the years that followed, the popularity of the ‘S.L.T 99’ chain accelerated to cult-status, and the Rohloff product range expanded to include various
high-quality bicycle tools – tools which have stood the test of time and are still available from quality bicycle dealers today.

The now legendary Rohloff SPEEDHUB 14-speed IGH was introduced at the IFMA show back in 1996, and since then, the name of Bernhard Rohloff has been inextricably
linked to bicycle drive technology. This one innovation alone, has clearly pushed the boundaries of possibility, and continues to set new standards to this very day.

But all that aside, Bernie was much more than just a brilliant inventor. He was an inspiring character who could not only impress with his expertise, but also respected
and had time for the ideas and concerns of his employees. It is this humanity which made him a role model people trusted and were happy to follow.

Bernie leaves a void which simply cannot be filled. With him, the bicycle industry not only loses a visionary, but also an exceptionally warm and approachable character.
The company's employees and friends will miss his sincere and humorous manner – a trait which never failed to bring a smile to your face.

Condolence address: Rohloff AG, Mönchswiese 11, 34233 Fuldatal, Germany
abschied@rohloff.de

Make it a family challenge. Send your youngest ones up the safe and car-free path. We're tracking your time on the overall 300 meters. The average slope is a little more than 8%. 

Can I make it? Of course you can. And the slope is also possible for younger cyclists. Our tip for the classes U17 and younger: A MTB or a similar bike with a very light gear. And we are sure, you can do it. You just have to be careful so you don't get dizzy. The starting cost of 5 Euros is free for our little ones.

Register now and save yourself a start number

https://zweirad-kassel.de/bergsprint/

Peaks into how the Speedhub is manufactured, length ca 1,5 - 2h.

Registration (including amount of people) is only possible through Email:

service@rohloff.de

The capacity is limited, please wait for our personal answer.

Your Rohloff Service Team

From the Via-Claudia-Augusta in south europe, the Rhine up to its estuary in the Netherlands, through Swedens forests or along the german baltic see coast to Poland, they got to know new places and cultures and enjoyed the freedom on two wheels.

The bike tour project "Scheibenelefant" is their call to everyone, to explore the world by bike and to go on adventures. Even though they have responsibility for their family and jobs, they found a pragmatic solution and devided their journey into different stages. Every stage they got to know new cultures, countries and people and challenged themselves.

In the year 2022 they mastered their first stage from Lübeck to Munich and in 2023 they'll go on their second stage from Munich to Zagreb. But not only do they live their passion for cycling on their journey - also in their everyday life and they're reguarly on the way on solo and pair tours and always explore new places and landscapes.

This year you can accompany Antje und Francicso on their bikes along Denmarks north sea coast and through the Normandy. They will take you with them on their journeys with lots of passion and enthusiasm for cycling and prove, that a bike can not only a vehicle, but also a wonderful companion for unforgettable experiences and impressions.

Accompany them on their weekend bike tour and let their stories and experiences inspire you, to go on your own adventures on two wheels. So get your bikes out and pedal to explore the world together with Antje and Francisco!

https://www.scheibenelefant.de/

Bammmm, there we were. Reality had gotten to us.

This was now almost a year ago.

Coming back "home" was harder, than driving off. It was harder than anything we had to endure up until that point and it became a real mental challenge.

For us "home" is now, after over a year by bike and in a tent, mostly in the middle of nature, mostly absolutely just the two of us- no set place, no rented appartment in Germany, not the home of our parents where we grew up. It had become a feeling, a feeling, that happens, when we wake up in the morning in the tent, smelling the fresh air of the new da, feeling the dew on the gras under our feet, in the middle of nature with which we are connected, excited, what the new day will bring, what we will see & experience, which landscape we'll cycle through & who we will meet doing that. Being full of faith, happiness and peace, even though in the morning we never know where "home" will be by the evening and where we will set up our tent.

A feeling, that we suddenly didn't feel anymore and were desperately looking for. We looked for it by being with our families, we looked for in the first appartment and we looked for it by moving again into a more rural house. After 7 months and moving 3 times, we stopped looking for it where we were and decided to go back where we last felt it. On the way.

The 24th of April 2023 we will get back on the way with our bike, into the unknown, into the adventure, into freedom. We decided to quit everything again. The jobs, the third rented appartment by now (we're not sad about it), stuff, that had inevitably gathered in our appartment. Pushing all that away and getting rid of it again was a feeling, that already came really close to the one that felt like "coming home". Having made the decision, and getting back, what had fulfilled us so much, no matter the cost- felt amazing.

Right now, we're sitting in a chaos, surrounded by old and new equipment in half packed Ortlieb bike bags and are in the last steps of preparing our bike world tour 2.0 - and we can't stop whistling and smiling. 

You are thrilled, which direction we'll start into this time and what route it'll be for now? Here, we discuss possible routes: https://youtu.be/F2abWMMjHwY 

You'd like to know all about what we experienced last year on bike tour along 10.000km and 9 countries? Here's a summary: https://youtu.be/YoJyd00Gp6o

In less than two weeks we'll start from our home town Osnabrück and so there will soon be new content on Instagram and bike tour vlogs on YouTube.
 

We're happy about everybody that virtually cycles with us:

Instagram:         www.instagram.com/quit.and.go

Facebook:          www.facebook.com/QuitandGo

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/QuitandGo

Patreon:             www.patreon.com/QuitandGo

     Scan me :-)

26.02.2023 Dorsten: 

„After I caught COVID-19 the past week, I had to start the cup because of my placement. From the first starting row, I could reach position 4 in the first curve. By skipping the hurdles of two U23 national cyclists (Luca Harter and Jonas Köpsel) could distance themselves. In the second chasing group, I was fighting for the 3rd postition with two other cyclers. One of them, Tim Neffgen my direct enemy in the overall rating. Together we could quickly distance ourselves. Unfortunately I made a mistake 4 rounds before the end. I lost approx. 30 seconds because of switching the rear wheel. After one round of regenerating in the next group of four I quickly hived off and started going after them. Unfortunately to connect I missed 10 seconds/ one round on 3rd position. Therefore I ranked 5th. More importantly though, the first one in the overall rating made a mistake and lost his rank.“

05.03.2023 Cologne Pulheim:

„I actually got to know the overall leadership yesterday. The course was equipped with very steep stairs with over 50 steps, double hurdle and long straight ways. Of course there was a focus on the overall rating. Gerrit Rosenkranz just didn't have a chance against the competition Luca Harter and Jonas Köpsel today. After a cycling mistake and a fall on my side, I had to start catching up until I could attack Tim Neffgen myself, 2 round before the end and in the end placed 5th 2 points before him. A special highlight was the attendance of André Geipel, who only very closely placed 4th.

Here is a nice video of the fight with André Geipel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpiNa4KO-YH/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y

12.03.2023 Finals in Radevormwald

The last run in Radevormwald was everything for Martin. On the very demanding and, because of the many rainfalls, heavy circuit, he had to concentrate on his direct competitor Tim Neffgen. Martin succeded that from the start. He quickly distanced himself from his competitors and cycled for the podest for a long time. In the end he had to put up with 4th place, but he did save himself the overall win in the elite in the Bombtrack NRW Cross Cup. He won with 244 points, before Tim Neffgen and Jonas Köpsel (both in the Radsport Nagel CX team) with 237 and 212 points. 

rad-net report:

https://www.rad-net.de/ajax.aspx/content/267b70f6-56c7-49d9-8e53-c9eee149488f.html

Stephanie Buchheister could celebrate her second season win in her second cross season ever at the Weser Ems Cup. After she run herself a comfortable advantage before the last run in Preußisch Oldendorf, she was happy about the 8th place in the daily classification. After a good start, she cycled a safe race over the as expected heavy and muddy circuit in Oldendorf, to not endanger the overall win.

She won with 376 points before Stepahine Paul (RSG Hannover) 336 and Diana Westerheide (RSG Hannover) with 214 points.

That day, Tobias Lampe celebrated his biggest triumph of his career. Since the third run of the series, Tobias was among the top three in the overall classification. Just before the end of the series, after he had caught a bad flu, it almost seemed like, it unfortunately would not be enough in the end. But sometimes a little luck is also necessary... and so the evergreen of the CX team Niedersachsen, could, after a 12th place in Preußisch Oldendorf, defend his 2nd place in the overall rating.

Winner was Robert Mitschke (RSC Oldenburg) with 342 points. Followed by Martin Kaminski (RSG Hannover) with 311 points.

With these excellent results, the team says goodbye and goes into the well-earned summerbreak.

"The Falkenjagd Aristos R Rohloff Titanium is the new High End Titanium Gravel Bike from the German Bike Brand Falkenjagd. Parts of the frame, the fork and the complete stem are 3D printed from titanium. The frame is prepared for a complete internal cable routing and the installation of a Rohloff Speedhub in conjunction with a Gates Carbon Drive drive belt. We have built this dream gravel bike with brake shift levers from Campagnolo which in conjunction with the Gebla box controls the Rohloff 14-speed hub. Titanium is THE material for light and noble bikes and the German Brand Falkenjagd is THE titanium brand par excellence in terms of experience with the light metal titanium."

https://www.falkenjagd-bikes.de

The children's situation in the Ukraine is terrible. The life and well being of 7,5 million children is endangered. Millions of children are fleeing. Children and families desperately need protection and humanitarian aid, especially now in winter.

With the engagement for the "Kinder Nothilfe Ukraine" (children's emergency aid Ukraine) the company lead and the family Rohloff decided to donate in spring 2022. We want to make a contribution and send a sign of solidarity.

Further more information like questions and answers about the UNICEF-help or how you can donate is to be found here: https://www.unicef.de/informieren/aktuelles/krieg-in-der-ukraine 
 

Die E-14 überzeugt auf ganzer Linie The E-14 convinces across the board

With the E-14 the gear hub expert Rohloff has a electrically driven Speedhub gear hub in its portfolio, that stands out due to its 14 gears and the big translation bandwidth of 526 Percent. The E-14 is compatible with the Bosch and the Panasonic-FIT-eBike-System and is also fits well with Pedelcs as well as S-Pedelecs and eTandems. Furthermore details about the Rohloff are the precise and fast switching operations, low wear and the option to have the approach gear automatically be set when standing at a traffic light.

It used to seem like a vehicle of the future: the racing solar mobile „Dyname“, which was designed and built by students of the university Kassel in 1987, together with vocational school teachers. One year earlier, Bernhard Rohloff, who had founded the Rohloff GmbH, specialized for bike chains with his wife Barbara, supported the team in the contruction of a light drive.
In one of Kassels professional schools, the Oskar von Miller school, everyone involved worked together to bring the oval-shaped capsule, which offered space for the pilot, on the street. On the roof a solar panel to power the engine. Goal: the Tour de Sol' 87, a quite new Solarrallye in Switzerland.

On the 18.11.2022 the award ceremony of the Rohloff-Cup took place in the rooms of the Rohloff AG

We congratulate all winners.

Get well through winter, we'll see each other on the road in 2023!

Cycling for Kassel. Racing for RR/MTB/CX. Mass sport with Gravel & RTF. Targeted beginner promotion.

https://zweirad-kassel.de/

https://www.mt-melsungen-radsport.de/regioteam/

For installation test for Rohloff A12 system click here -> https://www.rohloff.de/de/service/handbuch/a12-steckachssystem

Enjoy!

Now the tasty result of this cooperation is finally filled into jars and available in stores or even in the Onlineshop von Stadthonig.
The jars conatin 275g mixed flower honey. It's stirred fine creamy and is perfect for a healthy breakfast ;-)

I would've never thought, that my first active year would be so interesting and full of surprises. Sure, the first oh-experience was finding out i belong to a tandem. Man oh man, my siblings were already jealous, before I went on tour. And it started extraordinaly. While I was - polished to a high shine  - preparing for honored looks, i was sensitively touched by blind and visually impaired tandem bikers. They've already heard a lot of me and desperately tried to make me complete the newly aquirable double seat by my energetic drive ability.

And what should I say; after a tandem-season i claim: I used all my skill to be helpful; after all it was also about inclusion.

After being properly checked, i already heard the first appreciation, that casually came from a blind stoker to his pilot: „Then i can fix an error myself sometime.

It's so easy to take out and build in the back wheel with the R.S. and i mean; there's not much to clean up either. Even rain doesn't seem to bother him“.

The R.S. is me and i am only adressed by my last name - Rohloff. Additionally saying gear shift - o.k.

I could prove my skills in many different places:

First at the tandem-spring in the Spreewald. When there's a group of 15 tandems, people often stop and look. Everyone loved the tandem pilot being able to set his desired gear while standing. And even the tandem pilot heard the quiet click and could pepare for the start. I gave my best, also at the sandy floor.

Actual mountains were around Meiningen and Thuringia. Setting the gear on the mountain was of course no problem for me and for the tandem-team, that biked the first time together, it was a special experience, because right when you're not exactly sure how much your partner can give, I am a sweetheart. And at Tandem-Hilfe e.V. blind and visually impaired co-pilots are often on the way with pilots, that they didn't know before. I am active as a team builder in these cases, which I am very proud of. 

On the baltic sea there was constantly wind coming towards us. Luckily, in the front wheel, colleague engine helped out. We do also harmonise quite well otherwise. Sometimes though, he gets upset, when we get fast in the 14th course and he has to turn off at 25 km/h.

In Gifhorn and around, the team, which I was on the way with, could try out, how simultaneously and therefore harmoniously my gearing ratio could be increased. That obviously makes it go from two people on a tandem to a whole team.

Also in the Senftenberger Seeland I could show off my variability. The tandem pilot only said: „It's now going upwards, seemingly a former spoil heap; 12 percent rise“. The 2nd gear was actaully needed there; the co-pilot had of course just properly felt the mountain when it already became serious. I could help here too.

And named the meeting of the beginners „Tandem-Schnuppern“ (tandem-try out).

Again, it was the first time on a tandem for the pilot and the co-pilot had never ridden a tandem at all - well, try out. And what am I supposed to tell you: this might sound arrogant, but without me, some teams might've taken a little longer to get going. 

Usually I am not really the organization type-of-person, but i feel super comfortable at Tandem-Hilfen e-V. and especially I feel in the right place, because helping, that is is my thing

Meeting an ancestor, had me buzzing even more pleasantly in the free-wheel. There was actually a tandem, that has - equipped with one of my sisters already been on the way for 18 years and during this time it not only got to know Germany, but also Paris, Rome, Athens, St. Petersburg and all the other countries, that were on the way there.

It still doesn't show any signs of aging. Sets gears like always.

(written by:

Thomas Nicolai

www.tandem-hilfen.de

The Racing steel 853 Rohloff Gravel has a maximum wide range of uses – fast roads and terrain use, long distance travel bike, and sport vehicle all in one. The option is between wide 650B or thin 28″ impellers. The implementation on one of a split like this was connected to a row of technical adjustments: For example, the sliding dropout for tensioning the belt drive has been adapted to the modern Flatmount standard. This way actual shift brake lever units can be montated like in racing bikes, which just fits for Gravel handlebars. Racing steel adjusts the shifters to the customer's wishes, so that it can either be downshifted on the left and upshifted on the right or vice versa. This way not only a clean appearence is possible but also ergonomic switching of the 14 evenly spaced gears. To switch gears, you no longer need to change your grip on the usual twist grip. Shift and brake levers are ergonomically perfect in your hand. The slightly flared handlebar provides more control in terrain. This bike is designed for durability in all aspects. The steel frame has a cathodic dip coatin by which he is protected internally and on the outside from corrosion. Thanks to the standard belt drive, the bike impresses with minimal maintenance and a long service life - ideal for daily commuting to work in any weather. The in-house luggage rack consequently also allows an internal, well-protected light cable routing and allows the bike a payload of up to 165kg. The extra-long lamp holder from Falkenjagd ensures a perfect light image without shadows, even when the lowrider is mounted.

In Armenia there were still roads covered in snow and snowrain. In Iran, from the border on, there were dusty, dry roads and later the desert. Our clothes also changed. Atleast essentially those of Melli. In Iran women are obligated to wear a headscarf and a wide shirt, that covers their butt. Men should wear long pants. A little challenge with those rising temperatures.

Instead of going over the main route from the armenian border towards Täbris, we decided to go over a less full road over the mountains at the very beginning of our Iran trip. We took about two day to get into the next village. The landscapes around us were amazing, even when it started to rain. We now had the choice to follow our road or to take a little shortcut. The alternative offered by far less altimeters and even 15 les kilometers. Great! We thought! The first 7 kilometers were really nice, it went downhill and the driving surface was not even that bad. But one thing we totally missed, was that it had rained the past 7 days straight in this regon. You really shouldn't go these amazing shortcuts with unpaved ground and rain by bike. So we went through muddy hollows and all the dirt on the wheels completely blocked them so they woulnd't move for even one millimeter. Both of us started, pushing the bikes, but that didn't a lot of sense. One stayed with the bikes and the other one went looking if the way would get better. Actually, were just 3 kilometers ahead of us until we would hit the original road.

We thought about how smart it would be to just unload all luggage and tranport it all step for step, meter for meter. But then we had to admit that this adventure did seem a little hopeless, if we didn't want to push our bikes until late at night and arrive at the intersection totally annoyed. We were already wet and fully covered in mud anyways. So we turned around, pushed the bikes, that felt like they got heavier by hundredweights, until the ground got bette again and went the amazing way back. The mud, though, sticked to the rim and the brakes so persistently, that Mellis brake got completely blocked and she couldn't move her bike anymore. Now, not even pushing was possible anymore. Atleast we could now test our exchanged equipment, like the new Ortlieb backpacks, for their waterproofness and we can say - test passed!

Coincidentally, one of those little blue pack cars, that we had already seen out here, passed by. The man offered us to take one of the bikes to the next village. So one thing led to another and young iranians brought us to the garage of one of their fathers. Quickly many people surrounded us to watch Dani screw. At the back corner of the screw garage there was a gas hose being lit, that brought us comfortably warm fire. One of the men spoke good english and invited us to the the neighbour house to spend the night at his. There, he slept with his friend and his father in law after coming back from gold digging. Because there were goldmines nearby. We learned a couple of words in Farsi and got a first look at the culture. The next day we reached Tabriz where we straight up collided with a huge bike group. Again, we were invited and slept over at the group leader's that showed us the city. In the evening he brought us to break the fast on a mountain, where we ate together with many families and had a great view over Tabriz.

Our trip through Iran went on. We decided to meet our swiss bike friends Lisa & Dario from Erfahrung der Welt (Experience of the World), that were also in the country right now. We had already spent some time with them in Turkey and Georgia and they are also headed East with their bikes. They are on the opposite route through Iran and so they gave us a few helpful tips. Then we were headed for the iranian desert. We were alone for more than 350 kilometers, 90km of them without water, without villages and barely the trace of a human. The few cars, that passed by, stopped and the iranians in them gave us ice cold water and sweets. All of a sudden we had enough water. Melli's long clothes and the scarf around the head ended up proving themselves as very helpful. It was a good protection against the sun. The temperatures rised up to 36°C, which we could be glad about, because one week later they were supposed to rise over 40°C.

On the third day in the desert we saw a building flare up on the horizon. No, not a Fata Morgana. We arrived at a old, abandoned caravanserai. In some places she was dilapidated, but not any less impressive. The best ever – no one was there. We had the caravanserai for ourselves and went to explore. We couldn't have found a better place for the night. So we set up our indoor tent in one of the half open rooms and imagined, what this place must've looked like a long time ago. The caravanserai served as a contact point for travelers, a goods depot and a water source in the middle of the desert. Just amazing. After a week we had passed through the desert and we can say: again a unforgettable and terrific moment on our world tour!

Just like the countless encounters we had this month in Iran. Let it be in the capital of Iran, in Teheran, in Isfahan, in Yazd, in the many small villages inbetween or just on the steet. Again we met wonderful people, that showed us their everyday life and their culture and from who we could learn so much new stuff. Especially there encounters with the natives make this trip so unforgettable, so wonderful and unique.

Yesterday we could extend our Visa, yay! The Iran is just way too big and there's still so much to explore! We're looking forward to what further expects us on our trip!

Best wishes from on the way
Melli & Dani
 

Became curious?
We'd happy about your visit on our website www.vaegabond.com.
You'll also find us on:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

For that reason, here is the packing list. Here you get to our equipment for 5 years of traveling the world: https://bit.ly/fahrradpackliste2 There we also give a quick look into why we use certain stuff or why we switched to that equipment object. With our Rohloff on the other hand, we had no problems the past 2,5 years. We love this hub and are very happy with it!

During our time in Germany we maintained our bikes and of course we worked a lot to pepare many new blog articles. We will now publish these bit by bit. For example we were often asked how we work on the way. We even wrote two articles about this. Firstly about the topic „Digital Nomads – cutting films on the way “ and „Outdoor Podcast“, how we record our podcasts and what we use for that. Besides that there's also Tipps from 2,5 years outdoor cooking and what you can use for the „outdoor kitchen“.

Then we publishes a trailer about the past 2,5 years of our world tour and and summarized all of our articles so far. Because the most often asked question we got was: what does a world tour on a bike even cost? We documented all that including acquisition costs in our blog article.

Now we're back on the road, again in Georgia and again there was adventure and action from the first minute on. Unfortunately we realized after our arrival, that there was something wrong with Dani's Rohloff. We assume, that something sharp got under the sealing lip and the Rohloff got leaky because of that, but like, really leaky. Freshly refilled oil completely leaked in just a few minutes. Of course we had the oil to refill every 5.000km with us. Though we used up our reserves and the problem wasn't solved either. Of course the Rohloff is tough and we could've gone a little further even without oil. The problem was, that in the next 5.000 to 10.000km, there was neither a Rohloff merchant, nor any service options. In addition to that, there was no place like Georgia to recieve packages. Therefore „just going on“ would've just made the problem worse. Luckily Rohloff has an excellent service. After a short research, where we could actually recieve a package, they instantly sent a package to Georgia. Again, many thanks to our contact man at Rohloff!

The only thing we still needed was a chain whip to loosen the pinion to clean the spots. This was not really easy to find, so we had to get creative. So we opened our bike chain and fixiated it with spikes on a piece of wood. The principle was genius, but our construction was unfortunatly not strong enough. So we tried something new bit by bit. Dani had another idea. We built in the rear wheel and the pinion puller, fixiated everything and pedaled backwards. That worked very well, but unfortunately, there was not enough thread protrusion on the sprocket side when installed to screw the nut on. Because of that, the bike only went forwards. So we needed a new solution.

After a lot of back and forth, we went back to the idea with a self-made chain whip. Dani fixiated a few spikes, small vice and wood as the chain protection on the handle of an old axe. And voilà, the DIY chain whip was done. We were actually successful with this new construction and so we could loosen the pinion and finally repair everything. The method worked out really well and nothing was damaged or scratched. In case you also get into an emergency like this, and don't have a chain wip with you, you should really make sure, that the spikes or screws don't damage the chain. If possible, you should always pad. 

Now we can finally go on, in fact straight to Jerewan, the capital of Armenia. Yes exactly, we've been there before ;) That's why we want to get back to the point where we last stopped as soon as possible - just before the border to Iran. And then a new chapter of our world tour begins!

Best wishes from on the way
Melli & Dani
 

Became curious?
We'd happy about your visit on our website www.vaegabond.com.
You'll also find us on:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

https://www.falkenjagd-bikes.de

https://youtu.be/WtqMEuUkIog

You can find us on the EXPO Reinoldikirche süd.

It is strongly suggested to get the tickets online.

So we went on, now in our 6. country Spain and we reached the last village Irurita before the pass, set up our tent for the night and mentally prepared to cross the Pyrenees. On 12km rise we had almost 1000 altimeters awaiting us. A friend, that also travels the world by bike and that has already 15.000km and 15 countries behind him, told us it was going to be hard. He had pushed his bike up the rise for four hours and there is also a bus. However, we wouldn't dream of that.

Long story short, we made it! We even made it so good, that no one had to push his bike at all! It took us five hours until we reached the top, it also took us enorme muscle strength and we were sweating like old men after going to the sauna of the finnish type- but it was all the way worth it. More than that- we actually had lots of fun! It was amazing seeing your own body so self effective. After having reached the top, we couldn't believe, that our first pass went so good. We rewarded ourselves with a wild camping place of the special kind- 1000 meters high we build up our tent for the night in the middle of the Pyrenees. A breathtaking view, no one else around us, only wild horses, cows and foxes. Foxes? Yes, we would see three of them at night. Afer having cooked our well deserved dinner on our gas cooker, we didn't have enough water left to do the dishes, because we needed the amount of water, that we had brang up to the pass to drink. So we put the pots a few meters away from our tent. Then in the night we heard a sudden rumble and clink. We were instantly awake. We peaked out the tent with our head lamps. Three pairs of eyes looked at us. A big fox instantly ran back into the night, another one hestitated at first, but then left the dishes after loud yelling and followed the other one. The last one though, the smallest one, didn't let our light, clapping and yelling bother him while grabbing a pot with his little teeth and running into the other direction with it and vanishing with it over the green hill into the dark. A little amused we thought, we could process this loss. Luckily we saw the next day, that the little fox had left the pot on the grass beneath us. The wind had increased over night, and under roaring breezes coming from everywhere, we took down our tent, packed our bikes and went on towards the valley until we reached the village Eugi. There Fabian had his first flat tire. Glad, that this didn't happen at the rise.

You can find the travel documentation of the pyrenees passing here: https://youtu.be/BCHSm0myofo 

We reached the city Pamplona and got on the pilgrimage, that so many people follow with the desitantiob of Santiago de Compostela. The Eurovelo 3 runs parallel to the way of St. James, crosses it every now and then, on a few spots they even intertwine. And so it was hardly surprising, that we were quickly intrigued by the special mood and the athmosphere and after just a bit of time Santiago de Compostela became our new stopover. We also really liked the many small pilgrim hostels alomg the way in which you can get a bed in a sleeping hall for on average 7-12€. We also got us a credential also known as a pilgrim passport and collected the famous stamps. „Buen Camino“ is probably the most common phrase of this route, you hear him every day (too) often. But it's true, during the day beautiful lonely regions and small old villages, in the evening many communicative people, everyone with a different story, most of them want to tell theirs. A big destination for all, Santiagp de Compostela, for most them the way is over then, the route is done. Not for us though. We go on to Portugal. We especially enjoyed this way of thinking, of realizing, of walking or cycling together and will never forget many acquaintances and the special mood, politeness and openness of the way of St. James.

The last day on the Camino de Frances were pretty though, daily we went 700 to 1000 alitmeters and 50 to 80 km high and wide. We reached the „Puerto de Foncebadon“ on 1504km the highest point of our trip to this point. the mountain range demanded a lot from us, but we were in good shape. We enjoyed the time in northspain on the way of St. James, even though some rises made the Pyrenees look like a little hill. 

Our drive on into country number 7, Portgual, brushed aside our last doubt, if there even were any, that we truly made a good and right decision. The decision, to free ourselves from all the unnecessary and overrated stuff and to realize and experience the true beauty of life. This country is a pearl on the Atlantic, meter high, roaring waves on wide, long, beaches that are acessable for everybody, red cliffs, secret caves. The coast of Portugal has all these and were in the middle of it every day and every night and were amazed by the breathtaking nature. The waves put us to sleep in our tent and the first sun light woke us back up. Portugal is a paradise for freedom lovers and the alternative living in their vans and campers or of course on their bikes and with their tents. So the time we spent on our route along the coast of Portugal flew by, we spent Christmas on the Algarve with new friends, that we got to know on our way.

A thrilling year passes by, maybe the most thrilling we've ever had. We'd love it to continue like this.

Unfortunatly, the pandemic goes on and so we had to change plans and cancel routes. Therefore we cannot, how had actually deeply hoped, sail through the gate of Africa and enter Morocco over Gibraltar. Because the way is completely closed, no ferries, no flights, no good connections to Germany at the moment. But we're glad to be able to go on in the first place, in that case over south spain through Andalusia, the Sierra Nevada as the highlight, to Barcelona. From there, we want to go to Sardinia with a ferry, further to Sicily, back onto the mainland over Messina to Bari, where another ferry awaits us and brings us to the balkans. Through Albania to Greece and then to Turkey.

Such a journey doesn't only change the body, it becomes more muscular and more athletic, but much more the mindset changes, it is so important to experience yourself as effective. While planning this trip we never thought of ourselves as people who just casually want to go on a world trip with their bikes. We need to admit, that we couldn't even identify with it, as were the type of kids, that never liked the Bundesjugendspiele. With a micro view, though, we could imagine ourselves cycling a little bit every day, a few kilometers daily, with a few break days inbetween as well. Small steps then go together as a whole and suddenly, you're already in the middle of it. We intentionally do not write „at the finish“, because the way is the goal. You should really let this saying affect you sometimes and not act like it's just some phrase. Nobody can take the thousands of kilometers by bike, the many countries and past months from us anymore. The time seemed like it flew by, as if it was the length of a movie, that played in a hurry. Then again, we think of our first kilometers, the first days and all that what's happened seems, like it's happened years ago. In the past months of our journey, we've experienced so much every day, like never before in many years.

Dies kannst auch Du alles mit- und nacherleben auf unserem Youtubekanal gibt es alle Radreiseepisoden vom schwierigen Start in Deutschland, über den Abstecher nach Tschechien bis zur westlichen Route kannst du alles nachverflogen.
Wir nehmen dich virtuell mit auf unser Abenteuer. Ungeschönt und ungefiltert, zeigen wir, wie wir unser neues Leben erfahren. Auf welche Schwierigkeiten wir stoßen, wie wir manche Herausforderungen meistern, wie wir vor Freude verrückt lachen oder vor Überforderung weinen. 
Sei auch du mit dabei und erlebe gemeinsam mit uns Abenteuer auf der ganzen Welt. 
Vielleicht spürst du ihn aber auch- den Drang in dein ganz eigenes Abenteuer, den Zog nach draußen, den Ruf der Freiheit.
Worauf wartest du? Wenn wir es schaffen, dann schafft du es auch! Denn- weltreisen kann jeder!
You can experience all this with us, all bike travel episodes are on our YouTube channel from the rough start in Germany, over our detour to Czechia to the western route, you can follow us through all of it.
We digitally take you with us on our adventure. Unbeautified and unfiltered, we show how we experience our new life. What burdens we face, how we master challenges, how we laugh histerically because we're happy or how we cry, because we're so overwhelmed. 
Be with us on adventures all around the world.
But maybe you feel him to- the urge to go on an adventure of your own, the pull into the outside, the call of freedom.
What are you waiting for? If we can do it, you can do it too! Because- everybody can travel the world!


Got curious?
Facebook channel
Instagram
Polarsteps travel
YouTube channel

By the time of the year change 2020/2021, we were still in Antalya in Turkey. The borders around us were closed due to COVID-19. At this point we didn't know yet, that we would end up spending almost 9 months in Turkey. It didn't bother us though. ;) We discovered our passion for rock climbing, cycled to Cappadocia a second time and over the Taurus. Besides that we enjoyed the amazing turkish cuisine and got to know many cool people. Unfortunatly, we also had to say goodbye to our devoted work phone, that was run over by a truck in the mountains. We almost lost our drone too, because it just fell ca. 600 meters deep, while filming a beautiful golden yellow, orange sunset in Mardin. We were incredibly lucky and met a young turk, that had seen where the naughty thing came down. 

In May we went over the Eastern Anatolia Region to the Mediterranean Sea and into the wonderful, green Georgia. Just after crossing the border, we got us a cold beer. We also met people in short clothing again. The landscape is just fabulous and amazed us over and over again. By the way, did we mention it? Everywhere, like really EVERYWHERE you come across cows and pigs, that walk freely and relaxed over the streets. After cycling from one hot sulphurous source to another, we went back to the mountains. In the high Caucasus, we especially liked the region Svaneti. There, we cycled through the rustic Ushguli. Old defense towers are the landmark of the region and we kind of felt set back into the middle ages. Later we went to Kazbegi and to the region Tusheti. There, we cycled on of the most dangerous roads in the world. The road itself is not too well fixiated and very narrow. You basically only encounter SUVs and natives, that know the place very well. The landscape itself though, is very beautiful.

Just, like all around the little Caucasus, where we had the hardest adventure of our entire world tour in October. Rain and fog lasting for days, totally drained our equipment and at the end not only our underwear was wet, but also our bags from the inside. We tried to warm ourselves in an abandoned shepard's hut and dry us as well as everything else for two days. Coincidentally we got to know george, that made our last night on the pass with self made cheese and wine. The biggest reward was the view into the valley and the following downhill. 

We then left the loved Georgia a little wistful. There, everything was so tasty, so easy, the people so nice, the lanscape so breathtakingly. We wet on to Armenia. Even though we didn't make that many acquaintances here, there was a diverse landscape again. We went trough canyons, alongside the Sevan Sea, over mounatains and directly with the view on the Ararat into the capital of the city.

Now we're back to the roots for bit of time. After 2,5 years of continuous use we need to repair our equipment and replace it. With this oppurtunity we also get to see our families and friends again. So this is our third Christmas of the world tour. Just how fast time flies by... 

Christmas 2019 we were in the Dades valley in morocco and cooked a 4 course camping menu with other bike travelers out in the wild. We spent 2020 in the mountains of Antalya in Turkey with our climbing buddies. Now 2021 is the first christmas of the world tour, that we can celebrate with our families again. 

Our break doesn't last for long though and soon we'll be back on the road towards Japan!

Therefore we wish everyone a merry christmas and a successful, healthy year 2022!

Best wishes from on the way,
Melli & Dani
 

Became curious?
We'd happy about your visit on our website www.vaegabond.com.
You'll find us on:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter und YouTube.

Hello, we're Franzi and Fabian, two completely normal people, at the beginning of thei 30s, that used to work two completely normals Jobs and lived in a completely normal apartment, drove two completely normal cars- mostly to work and back. At the weekend we liked playing board games with friends, but mostly looked for peace on the couch and in front of the TV after a stressful week. We felt like life was just passing by, like we didn't use it and we were really unhappy with that.

Sometime at the end of 2019 we decided, that we wanted to change something, to choose a whole new everyday life- we wanted to experience life completely actively and conciously.

We decided to make a world trip- by bike.

So we made our first kilometers in the lockdown-Germany and went over the Elbe cycle path to Czechia. After getting our Covid vaccination we could go our actual prefered route, western over the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain to Portugal. This time we were allowed to cross the borders of our western neighbours, cycle on the wide cycle paths of the dutch and enjoy the right of way of the cyclers. After Czechia, this was a welcoming change. We crossed the Ijsselmeer on a dike, that was over 30km long from Lelystad to Enkhuizen all the way to Den Helder. From there we always cycled along the coast, through beautiful dike landscapes, over the Den Haag and Delft, we looked at both cities, further to the province Zeelande to Middelburg. In the Netherlands we spent our camping nights mostly one of the many farmer campings, that are really found everywhere over there. For 15€ per person on average (2 people, 1 tent), you get a spot between chickens and cows, a shower, most of the time a little outhouse or a bungalow and especially as cyclists your peace.

From Middelburg we went over into our forth country, Belgium. In Antwerp we found stuff like warmshowers (platform, similar to couchsurfing, only for cyclists) and an accommodation for 2 days to explore the city. After just 4 days in Belgium, we went over Ghent into country number 5: France

We were proud. Very proud, when arrived the sea in France. That was truly an undescribable moment for us being the first time on the cliffs of France, even if it was only the english channel- we would reach the Atlantic too, for sure. With arriving at the french coast, over confidence went up and our muscles and condition have also had a noticable change. While the altimeters in Czechia had us cursing and sweating, the cliffs in France had us less cursing, but surely equally sweating, but now we would happily drive them up and down. And up and down again. In France it was the first time feeling like we've actually arrived on this journey. As far as it makes sense to speak about „arriving“ on a journey. But we finally had the feeling of experiencing this journey like we had imagined it. We started a little rough and of course quite helpless in Germany- we had to handle route navigation and completey changing plans, because of the pandemic situation back then- we could follow follow the coast for the first time in France, the sea always to our right, to get into the direction of the sun and the south. So wehoped. How we all know now this year's summer turned out as a total disaster and we didn't get much sun on the bike. So going on, there was much water from above and wind from the front. As opposed to Belgium and the Netherlands though, wildcamping was much better possible in France. We always found a place for our tent, if it was on the beach or anywhere else in nature. The French still live after their saying „Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité“ (freedom, equality, brotherhood), which stems from the french revolution and is deeply ingrained in the constitution of France. Therefore everybody lets the others do as they please, as long as they greed and don't cause any trouble. The French love to go camping themselves in the landscapes, the nature and land can be used together. Therefore building up the tent in the evening especially on the natrual cycle paths, along the many channels, was relaxed and peaceful.

France is a big country and we spent pretty much exactly two months there. We first met other bike travelers on our journey, some coincidentally, some planed. We cycled with all of them for a while, exchanged our experiences, learned from each other, until the ways parted again.

The west coast of France was especially beautiful to us, on the same height as La Rochelle, on the south past Bordaux. In Arcachon, we climbed the biggest wandering dune of Europe- the Dune du Pilat- with over 100 meters. The view from the top to the sea side, was something that we've never seen before. It seemed like a different world being stuck in the deep sand on the top. Our tip for this destination: make sure to climb the dune in the morning. This way you avoid the other Pilgrims and the dune is almost empty.

We cycled through Le Landes, the biggest coherent forest region in west Europe. Created after the afforestation order of Napoleon. A good idea he had. It is artsy beautiful, idyllic and smells incredibly good like pines, heather and a lot of nature.

Over Biscarosse and Mimizan the coast led us further to Bayonne and Biarritz just before the spanish border. We were just before the Pyrenees now. Of course we wanted to cross thes, our first pass of 1000 altimeters, our first summit challenge. We were ready, we finally wanted to enter our sixth country on our world tour and we also wanted to cross the pass. Although we were stopped on a camping site in Biarritz.

Fabian's back gave up. After our start in Czechia Fabian had already noticed a heavy backache. While barely feeling anything while cycling, the pain got even worse in the morning and in the evening. We tried a couple of things until we reached the west coast of France. Tons of stretching exercises, appointments with an osteopath- everyone, who we talked with, doctors, physiotherapists assumed a sciatica, which is pain that comes from the sciatic nerve and goes over the lumbar region and buttocks, down into the leg. After the pain juust didn't get better in months, we had to demand a serious examination. We had to bite the bullet and pause our journey, contact international health insurance and go to a hospital. In Biarritz a CT (computed tomography) was issued. The results shocked us all and all of a sudden our world tour was strongly endangered. The CT showed, that Fabin had a disc prolapse ob the left side. He did the wrong back exercises every morning and every evening for months, because we had thought the pain had a different cause.

We didn't let that discourage us and we didn't want to cancel the tour. Fabian spoke to the doctors and got a green light for going on. Slowly and advisedly, no stronger vibrations and in no way heavy lifting.

How we continued our journey and how Fabian got over the first pass over the Pyrenees with a disc prolapse, will be in the next article.

Got curious?
Facebook channel: https://www.facebook.com/quitandgo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quit.and.go/?hl=de
Polarsteps travel route: https://www.polarsteps.com/QuitandGo
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuMk2oebn7YtqMpfIyMEHFA