Bikes

• Surly Ogre 2022 — steel 29er, rack mounts everywhere, geometry that handles a loaded touring setup or a fast empty ride. The do-it-all bike: commute, gravel, light bikepacking. The one I’d keep if I had to keep one.
• Cube Attention 2013 — the old hardtail. Aluminium, 27.5″, RockShox up front. Still going. The bike I learned MTB on and the one I lend to friends.

Cockpit

• Jones H-Bar 2.5 — swept-back loop bar on the Ogre. Multiple hand positions for long days, neutral wrist angle, room for a handlebar bag and bell and bike computer without anything fighting for space.

Touring kit

• Tubus Logo Classic — the rack. Steel, 40kg rated, made in Germany. Quiet, stiff, will outlast every component on the bike. The default recommendation for touring; there’s no reason to second-guess it.
• Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic — the panniers. Roll-top closure, waterproof seam, QL2.1 mounting hooks. Twenty litres a side. Survives rain, snow, being thrown around on trains. Bombproof, boring, perfect.

Lock

• Litelok X1 — angle-grinder resistant, Sold Secure Diamond rated, light enough to actually carry. Around 1.7kg. The replacement for a heavy U-lock; I pair it with a small cable for the front wheel when leaving the bike outside the train station all day.

Routes, packing lists, and overnight reports coming. Got a loop near Basel or along the Rhine worth riding? Send it over.