Looking at the statistics, cycling has taken up the most time after my work in software development over the past year. Even more than basketball, which is simply because you can ride a bike for 10 hours straight, but playing basketball for 10 hours would be quite a challenge.

In my first year after buying a gravel bike, I made a lot of investments, and I want to review what I spent, how much I used the gear, and whether it was worth it. It all started with a well-considered purchase of my Rose Backroad AL, which was finally delivered in October 2023 after an excruciatingly long wait.

But let’s start from the beginning:

Why a Gravelbike?

This question actually contains two questions:

1. Why do I need an expensive bike at all?
2. And why did I choose a gravel bike instead of a road bike?

To answer the first question, I mainly play basketball and go to the gym, and it sometimes annoys me that almost all the sports I do take place indoors. I’m usually only outside for sports like spikeball or beach volleyball, which depend on other people because they don’t work well alone. I run occasionally, but I find cycling cooler. That’s why I wanted to integrate cycling as a regular part of my fitness routine. This idea has been on my “to-buy” list for a few years now, and recently I’ve noticed more and more friends buying good bikes.

For the second question, I wanted something that was maximally flexible and required less thought. I didn’t want to constantly worry about which roads I could turn onto and which I couldn’t. Additionally, I had bikepacking in mind from the beginning, and a gravel bike is definitely the right choice for that. In the end, you can do everything with a gravel bike that you can do with a road bike. And if I really become fanatical about cycling, I can always buy a high-quality road bike later.

Purchase Decisions

The decision was relatively simple. I didn’t want to spend too much money but still wanted a high-quality bike. I narrowed it down to Canyon or Rose, two high-quality German bike brands. I found Rose bikes to be more aesthetically pleasing, with integrated cables and other features. Most importantly, a local sports store is a Rose distributor, so I could order and have it assembled there without shipping costs.

So, Rose was the choice, and then it was just a matter of which gravel bike to get. I chose the cheapest option. It wasn’t important to me to have a full carbon bike or anything like that; I wanted to see if cycling was really for me first. And since I weigh 100 kg, making the bike 2 kg lighter with carbon didn’t matter much. That’s how I ended up with the Rose Backroad AL.

First Rides and Impressions

In short:
It was awesome.

A bit more detailed:
Even if I know what I have to expect, I was surprised by how much of a difference a good bike makes. Due to the long delivery time of my bike, I had already done some longer tours (even one 100 km ride) with my singlespeed bike. That was okay in terms of feeling on the road, but of course, it had a normal handlebar, no gears, etc. After my first tours with the new gravel bike, I can really say: a proper bike makes a huge difference. Once I got used to the feeling, I found it much less enjoyable to ride my regular bikes. And to anyone who says they don’t enjoy cycling, I can now confidently say, “Then you probably have the wrong or a bad bike.”

After the first few tours, I experienced a speed rush, thoroughly enjoyed pushing myself up hills to then have a blast on the descents, and quickly completed my first 100 km tour. I realized that long rides and covering big distances are something special.

Bikepacking Tours

First ever Bikepacking Tour

My first bikepacking tour took place in November 2023, covering several stages across Schleswig-Holstein. Despite the mediocre weather, I finally got to ride my gravel bike after months of waiting due to delivery issues. The journey included six stages, starting and finishing by train in Hamburg.

• Stage 1: Osnabrück to Henstedt-Ulzburg via Harburg
• Stage 2: Henstedt-Ulzburg to Kiel
• Stage 3: Short stop in Kiel
• Stage 4: Kiel to Seedorf via Holsteinische Schweiz
• Stage 5: Seedorf to Henstedt-Ulzburg
• Stage 6: Henstedt-Ulzburg to Hamburg Central Station

Conclusion

1. Bikepacking is pretty cool.
2. Bikepacking is probably better in the summer.
3. Better equipment would be nice, and riding with a backpack is uncomfortable.
4. Definitely worth doing again.

Full Tour from Osnabrück through Schleswig-Holstein

Following the positive conclusion of my first tour, I started on another journey in May 2024. The destination was once again Schleswig-Holstein, combining cycling with visiting friends in the north. This time, I had a companion who was also heading north to visit friends.

Key Statistics
Total Distance: ~850 km
Total Stages: 5
Days on Tour: 6 (with 1 rest day)
Starting and Ending Point: Osnabrück

Stages Overview

Stage 1: Osnabrück to Heidepark Soltau (195 km)
Started at sunrise, camped at a campsite, and set a personal record for the longest single ride.

Stage 2: Soltau to Wasbek (208 km)
Rode around Hamburg to Neumünster, then split up to visit friends. Another personal distance record.

Stage 3: Wasbek to Kiel (66 km)
Faced multiple tire punctures, turned a leisurely ride into a tire-fixing marathon. Shortened the ride to Kiel.

Stage 4: Kiel to Henstedt-Ulzburg (88 km)
A solo ride to my parents’ place, with a quick stop to buy new tubes.

Stage 5: Henstedt-Ulzburg to Osnabrück (287 km)
Set a new distance record, riding 287 km in 11.5 hours. Started solo, then joined by a friend in Hamburg for the latter part.

Conclusion

1. Bikepacking with friends is more enjoyable.
2. Always be prepared for tire issues.
3. Setting new personal records is rewarding.
4. Combining cycling with visiting friends is cool.

Tent Testing Overnighter Tour

In July 2024, I started on another short bikepacking tour with a friend to test my new gear, including the Sea to Summit Telos TR2 Bikepack tent. The tour was a quick overnight trip to put my equipment in use before starting on my biggest bikepacking adventure in August.

• Stage 1: Osnabrück to Lemgo (110.33 km)
• Stage 2: Lemgo to Osnabrück (87.68 km)

Conclusion

1. Successfully tested the tent, Fork Luggage rack the Trangia stove, and the Alpaca Camping platform.
2. Managed to avoid a thunderstorm.
3. The tour was a good test for my gear, but my legs weren’t at their best this weekend, having some pain in my leg on the way back.
4. Overall, the test was successful, and the new equipment performed well.

2000 Km Bikepacking Tour from Osnabrück to Straßbourg

August 2024. My biggest bikepacking tour yet covered 2,000 km over 15 days across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. The route included a mix of flat and hilly terrain, crossing several major rivers such as the Ems, Rhine, and Moselle. The tour also passed through larger nature regions with more elevation, including the Eifel, Hunsrück, Rhineland/Westerwald, Palatinate Forest (Pfälzerwald), and Sauerland. Daily distances ranged from 106 km to 170 km, with an average speed between 19.6 km/h and 27.2 km/h. I was traveling with a friend, but I also rode several parts of the route alone.

Key Statistics
Total Distance: ~2,000 km
Total Climbing: ~17,000+ m
Average Daily Distance: ~130 km
Longest Stage: Aug 16 – 169.9 km, 2,241 m climbing
Fastest Stage: Aug 3 – 27.2 km/h average speed

First Year Stats

• Activity Count: 70
• Total Distance: 5,100 Km
• Total Time: 220 Hours
• Total Activity Calories: > 100,000
• Total Elevation Gain: 38,000 m
• Average Ride Length: 80 Km
• Longest Ride: 345 Km
• Maximum Elevation Gain in a Single Ride: 2,250 m
• Maximum Speed: 76.8 Km/h
• Longest Ride Time: 14h 13min
• Bikepacking Tours: 4

Special Rides

Fastest 50 Km Ride

• Distance: 50.00 Km
• Time: 1:38:04
• Average Speed: 30.6 Km/h
• Elevation Gain: 504 m

Fastest 100 Km Ride

• Distance: 102.91 Km
• Time: 3:44:04
• Average Speed: 27.6 Km/h
• Total Elevation Gain: 421 m

Longest Ride

• Distance: 344.41 Km
• Time: 14:13:15
• Average Speed: 24.2 Km/h
• Total Elevation Gain: 1,683 m
• Calories Burned: 6,675

Ride with the Most Elevation Gain

• Distance: 169.93 Km
• Time: 8:40:06
• Average Speed: 19.6 Km/h
• Total Elevation Gain: 2,241 m

Costs

I don’t know if I’ve caught everything, but I think I’ve managed to roughly reconstruct my expenses related to the gravel bike purchase and cycling.

Bike & Equipment

The majority of the cost is of course the bike itself, but you often forget that there are a few other things, such as bottles or tools, involved in such an initial purchase.

Bike Tech

You don’t really need all that tech stuff, but I’m a tech nerd and I love it and I love statistics. I started riding with just the watch for tracking and navigation, but then quickly upgraded to the full bike computer. I would probably have bought the watch even without the new bike, but I’ve listed it anyway.

Clothing

I mean, I already had sportswear, just functional shirts and so on. You don’t have to buy everything new. But I still bought a couple of things. First of all, of course, proper cycling shorts and a helmet are useful for longer or faster tours.

Bikepacking Specials

Most of my kilometers with the bike I did while bikepacking, so I think I should roughly list all the purchases I made for it here.

Spare Parts & Repairs

My bike hasn’t suffered much damage. After the first year, I have now had a service carried out once at a bike service center, but it is not listed here. It felt like I didn’t need any inner tubes for months and then 5 of them on one ride. And I don’t know why I broke a spoke in the rear wheel twice. Maybe I’m just too heavy to ride a bike.

Overall Costs

However, it’s important to note that there are essential costs for the hobby of “cycling” and those that are not directly related. For example, if you subtract the camping equipment for bikepacking and exclude the relatively high expenses for bike tech (which I purchased because I love technology and statistics), the total comes to around 3200€.

If you do the math with these 3200€ and take a quick look at the statistics I’ve listed above, we’re currently at around €14.50 per hour of cycling. Since the clothes I bought and the bike will hopefully last a while, I assume that this value will continue to fall in the coming months and years.
Or it will rise dramatically because I’ll be buying an incredible amount of new equipment.
Who knows…

Summary

In financial terms, the gravel bike was just the entry-level purchase to unlock many more purchases. But it has given me some pretty awesome trips and experiences and allowed me to set new sports records.

And when you consider that I’m not sitting there right now, annoyed that I’ve spent too much money on this hobby, but rather sitting in front of the computer again and again researching further purchases for cycling, then you can probably say “it was worth it”.
The same goes for the routes. I have no idea how much server capacity Komoot has, but with the sheer number of routes I create daily—most of which I never actually ride—I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m pushing their hard drives to the limit. And honestly, I see that as a good thing — it just proves I may like cycling.