Cold and Afraid: Bikepacking Iceland

Follow 4 lads as they attempt to cycle through Iceland following an adaptation of the Icelandic divide bikepacking route.
14 days of adventure cycling through Iceland for a total of 1000km covered
the trip was completed in July, and was still very cold!

[@Cycling366]

Great adventure chaps! I was bikepacking there myself in June, bloody freezing haha... Keep up the great work mate!

[@warrenhaas]

Just wanted to say thanks for creating a video like this that's actually entertaining and not just a summation of what happened.

[@maxbikepacking]

Hey warren, really glad you enjoyed the video mate. It was my first stab at making a film and tried my best too show what happened while being light hearted. Appreciate the comment...plenty more adventures to come I hope.

[@hoser7706]

Awesome film thanks!! Iceland is incredible. Craziest roads we have ever bedn on.

[@WanderingSoleTV]

5 degrees, wet, and cold in July, that's intense! I love how people always help out to bikepackers! I'm only a few days in so far, but great storytelling!

[@paweldrozd3169]

Max and the rest of the Team, my 2days in Icelandic interior was really nothing comparing to your 2 weeks in hell (although too cold to be called "hell")! I do respect you guys, and it was my pleasure to be a part of your trip and this movie and I only hope we can meet again somewhere, somewhen in that small World where it is easy to meet 3times within 4days without planning anything 😂. Good luck and hope to see you soon! Pawel (from Poland 😉)

[@maxbikepacking]

We will see each other again Pawel! But it will have to be somewhere where the beers are cheaper ;)

[@paweldrozd3169]

@@maxbikepacking and more tasty 😀

[@roelheurman3477]

Epic ride! Great job guys.

[@maxbikepacking]

Appreciate it mate!

[@southerncross1941]

Wow "boldness by my friend" Well done.

[@mariocouture1596]

Wow! Very well done on so many levels! Kudos to you all. 🤘

[@Tomo_Brah]

Providing top notch entertainment for my lunch break! Fantastic video Max!

[@jeroenradboudvanemmerik]

Wow, I really enjoyed watching this vid. Very well done. True teamspirit. Very inspiring.

[@lukethomas216]

Really enjoyable vid and inspirational to boot! Excellent 😁

[@KrzysztofArciszewski]

that was an epic adventure and a great watch guys, kudos to you all

[@canica99]

what a journey fellows...great job..Iceland is not joke, your accomplishment is epic. Video is great.

[@BasicStealthcamping]

fellas this was an epic journey, loved your sense of humour, really well made film of your trip! i'd love to see more of these if you do more, cheers

[@maxbikepacking]

Thanks for the comment. Hope the next adventure is just around the corner!

[@Lucasmrt007]

Fantastic dude! Keep going and u guys are lucky caz I also have a dream to go bike packing either but for now, I couldn't do that. I'll be waiting for another video like this but in a different country.

[@ThisIsBarcode]

Amazing video!!! I did a week long ride a few years back in Iceland, drastically underestimated the wind and rain!!! Looking forward to going back again to do the Divide

[@balamibarra5669]

Your channel deserves a lot more subscribers. Count me in!

[@maxbikepacking]

Thanks mate, very encouraging!

[@Adventure-Outdoors]

Cracking video mate, what an adventure. Nice to see the Lebowski bar at the end, I got hammered in there last year!

[@maxbikepacking]

The Lebowski is a rough place if you're a lucky man! Glad to hear your enjoyed our adventure

[@RobBastien]

Fantastic video, thanks for posting.

[@maxbikepacking]

glad you enjoyed rob!

[@007bigrob]

Well done guys,well done 👍👍👍

[@maxbikepacking]

thanks BIG rob!

[@vcie515]

Great team spirit, great video, great music, impressive landscapes even with pitiful weather... Thanks to have shared with us your epic adventure!

[@maxbikepacking]

Really encourages us to hear you enjoyed it! Bring on the next adventure!

[@GARoskilly]

It was great 👍 Thank you.

[@saefeasf]

Damn, what a masterpiece! 👌

[@_kayleighbrown]

This is bloody brilliant 😂

[@LetsGoSid]

Amazing Work 🙌🙌

[@piotrantonik306]

It's beautiful where there are no people. I hope that the volcanoes in Iceland will sleep for a long time and I will be able to see it. Amazing trip, I envy you do much.

[@maxbikepacking]

It's a very unique feeling to be somewhere completely devoid of life. highly recommend! glad you enjoyed

[@TravelingThru222]

Such beautiful scenery, great channel, just subbed.

[@maxbikepacking]

cheers, hope to put out a few more small scale adventures in the near future

[@Evanpsk]

wow great video man!

[@saucepanmushroomflip]

Ace, you guys just threw it out there and got on with it, really enjoyed that.

[@maxbikepacking]

How hard can it be... turns out a lot harder than we thought haha. Glad you enjoyed cheers mate!

[@WanderingSoleTV]

That was awesome. Putting people that gave you thumbs up into the credits makes so much sense! I still remember thumbs ups I got from my first trip - which was. well, a few years ago now haha

[@maxbikepacking]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's not until you ride a bike in the rain do you realise how many good people are out there :)

[@WanderingSoleTV]

@@maxbikepacking For sure! I've had people pull over and refill my water bottles on hot days, people take me into their homes for the night, and the morale boosting thumbs up and honks are the best! : )

[@torrabocabajo6417]

Absoluta genialidad de viaje y de vídeo

[@user-ly3qu7bo6w]

On ya Max, well done. Travel safe

[@sessions6283]

What a great little movie. I enjoyed that quite a bit. If you're ever in Iceland again, hit me up and I will make you hot soup out of my van. One little thing: Please don't ride outside of trails, especially on moss like at time 32:15. The moss can take decades to recover, even from bike tires.

[@MonkeyDolphin]

What an amazing ride! It seemed so easy, too, up until Kristian got grease on his hand. He will be missed.

[@maxbikepacking]

Gone but not forgotten :(

[@holesom522]

this was a nice video🤩

[@ChrisSmith-bi8hs]

This is by far one of THE BEST videos I've watched in a while... and I wat cha lot! Great on every level. What month did you do it in? I'm planning my next big trip and this could be it. 😀Cheers guys, that was truely inspirational.👍

[@maxbikepacking]

Hi Chris, thanks for the feedback mate its very appreciated. We did it in July and it was still damn cold most days. An alien environment like no other, definetly recommend if you like a challenge BUT we will be seeking warming weather for the next trip I think! Keep an eye out for a new video sometime this year. Good luck with your upcoming adventure!

[@advanturest]

Suffer-Fest. Love it. Solid effort boys!

[@maxbikepacking]

love your videos in the snowy mountains and barrington tops. I've cycled both places and made videos of it on a previous channel. The youtube algorithm is amazing!

[@advanturest]

@@maxbikepacking yeah it is, your video just popped up on my main page. KZbin is pretty good at telling me what to watch. I noticed right at the start of this video a photo of you at the Barrington Tops Dingo gate. I love it up there and heading back in October. After watching your video I’m hoping for cold wet conditions 😂 An overseas bikepacking trip though is next level. I’m jealous. Looked like a trip to remember 👍 hope the knees have recovered!

[@grumpyjoe3298]

Getting grease on your hands is a real nuisance, fair play. Especially after hitting such a particularly strong head wind near that lake. Otherwise, the rest of the trip looked easy, well done lads, awesome trip. When you've recovered get another one done!

[@maxbikepacking]

Cheers grumpy joe! Has taken a bit of therapy but we are almost ready to go again. Ready to rock another big trip and get a new video out to you before the year ends ;)

[@MegF142857]

July!? I think about this with my Icelandic horses. I don't know how much to clip their coats to balance our weather. July in Iceland can be like many of our winter days, so their summer coats handle such days easily. Yet... they still grow in winter coats.

[@GravelRacer1]

Wow, what a crazy adventure. Good for you guys. I would not attempt this without support to drop supplies and food along the route.

[@maxbikepacking]

Yes I probably should have mentioned but what gives the route such a high difficulty is that you have around 8 days of no resupply points. We went with big bags and freeze-dried meals to make it work. Thanks for the comment Richard, really glad you enjoyed it!

[@cristibaluta]

@@maxbikepacking How did you do with the water though?

[@maxbikepacking]

@@cristibaluta There is water from streams etc throughout iceland. Some of the rivers were dry but luckily there were supplied jugs of water in the huts.

[@evelynngaming3961]

WOW! I have the same dream to be accomplished. I would love to know a little about the bikes you were using. Especially what kind of tire you would recommend. Thank you! Awesome video.

[@maxbikepacking]

Jason and I were using giant tough roads. Kristian was using his dad's old 26-inch mountain bike. I honestly think bike setup doesn't matter as much as people say. Having no suspension I think is a real advantage when you are carrying gear (prevents bags from rubbing on tyres). For Iceland I wouldn't want tyres any thinner than a giant tough road (which would be considered pretty narrow for a mountain bike). As we said in the video a fat bike would be optimal but not necessary. Hope that helps.

[@cheryl_the_horsechick]

Water and volcanic rock. One tough bike pack. Even sleeping on that would be awful.

[@maxbikepacking]

Have never slept better, crazy what cycling all day will do ;)

[@hattalyssajoux4530]

Amazing video guys!!! (From the french cyclists with green canyon bikes and broken freehub)

[@maxbikepacking]

Hey Guys awesome that you found the video! You wouldn't believe it but a week after we finished the trip Jason's freehub did exactly the same thing. I've never heard of this happening before and just shows how tough iceland is on the gear. Hope you guys are planning the next adventure! Happy pedaling :)

[@hattalyssajoux4530]

@@maxbikepacking yes Iceland roads are very bumpy. Hope you'll enjoy your next trips as well !

[@Angel31416]

Epic!!

[@mcnab1383]

Good trip and video. You were lucky with the weather, could have been like the first 3 days for a week or more.

[@maxbikepacking]

I've learned that if the weather doesn't kill you in Iceland then it's considered 'good weather'. Glad you enjoyed the vid!

[@mcnab1383]

@@maxbikepacking Yes, similar to Scotland, where it's the cold winds and rain which are often more dangerous than sub-zero temperatures. I used to fear the worst when I saw the first mountainbikers head off into the mountains in Scotland in the 1990s, with cycling shoes and thin gloves. I found that sheepskin mittens and proper hiking boots were the only thing that could keep my fingers and feet warm. I only got caught out once, when I had to ride 15 miles into a blizzard to get back to the nearest village. Never went for on a winter/spring ride after that without taking ski goggles.

[@rumenvachev2200]

Hi Max, thank you for the great road movie. Tell me please , where did you store the bike packages while you made your trip. I think you use then again for the flight back home?

[@maxbikepacking]

Hi there. There is a shipping container/bike repair bay at Reykjavik international airport. I know a lot of people have utilsed this to get a bike box (that other travellers leave behind). After Jamie pulled out due to injury we phoned ahead and got him to organise some boxes from bike mechanics in Reykjavik. Hope that helps

[@mihaylo_kovin]

How to do entertainment video? Put 3 underprepared cyclist into Iceland =) Thanks for sharing this masterpiece!

[@maxbikepacking]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Glad you enjoyed!

[@sweetsweet3753]

well presented and looks like hard yakka but fun... how much $ were those cabins on the rough trail parts and did you have to book them in advance.. cheers

[@maxbikepacking]

Prices were high for the nice ones shown in the video (as is everything is iceland) $40-$60 AUD per person. Honesty box system so no booking as far as we could tell. I think for some of them the local hiking club books them out from time to time but when we had the place to ourselves most of the time. I wouldn't have taken on this route if it wasn't for the huts, nice knowing even in bad weather you can still hunker down.

[@sweetsweet3753]

@@maxbikepacking 40-60 not cheap but yep better than freezing the nuts off lol thanks for the reply. much appreciated...

[@rottieshepcalibre9156]

Great adventure and nicely documented. Were you guys running clipless?

[@maxbikepacking]

Yes we were. We have been riding MTB clipless for years now so are pretty used to it on the decents ;)

[@cristibaluta]

I'm going to the westfjords this week, but my route is all asphalt, or at least i hope it is. I have only a touring bike and it will be a guaranteed disaster to go on such roads.

[@maxbikepacking]

My understanding is that the west fjords by road is a much more manageable route. Pack some decent clothes and you will be perfect! Good luck :)

[@jamesh3534]

Are those huts free to sleep in?

[@foti5651]

watching from pluto

[@silpasilpaa.s8227]

Subscribed India👍

[@iann23]

It dramatic for a beach ride.

[@jaybe6188]

Fuck, this is what Iceland looks like in july? 😮 epic tour. Do you book these huts in advance? If so, where can I find Infos on them?

[@maxbikepacking]

My thoughts exactly and remember we were never at any notable altitude and still got snow! We didn't book any of the huts in advance and I believe it was a first come first serve basis. We rarely saw anyone in the huts. Lots of great info on the bikepacking.com page (Iceland divide nort-south). Glad you enjoyed!

[@ornleifs]

The average temperature here in July is about 12°C and that's in Reykjavik so up in the mountains it's much colder - for us a warm summers day is 15°C - Ha Ha.

[@maxbikepacking]

@@ornleifs This is infomation I really should have known before I went. Never underestimate iceland! It is fantastic when it hits 15 C!

[@ornleifs]

@@maxbikepacking You're so right in that you should never underestimate Iceland and unfortunately to many foreign travellers do since every year we hear about a few deaths of foreigners who have gone into situations that no Icelanders would have gone into cause we know what it's like here and specially how utterly unpredictable the weather can be.

[@sohndervenus]

You need to balance the volume levels otherwise it's hard to enjoy the video. Also the audio of the narrator is coming from the left when it should be centered.

[@maxbikepacking]

Hey sohndervenus . You are absolutely right the audio on this video is straight-up garbage. It was my first attempt at a video and didn't expect it to get 23K. Will be investing in a microphone instead of using my phone to record for the next video. Good tip on the audio balancing. Cheers Mate!

[@sohndervenus]

​@@maxbikepacking You can use your phone if you like. It's not the quality of the recording that's bothering, you just have to make sure to balance the volume levels of all the different elements (narration, music, video clips) in postproduction. And don't put a mono recording into a stereo track, because then you'll only get audio on the left channel of the stereo track. Congrats to the 23k views! :-)

[@craigrussell4105]

nearly as barren as Willis Park

[@maxbikepacking]

no dangerous locals though...

[@BeeRich33]

Guys that is touring, not bikepacking. The latter is a snack compared to touring.

[@studebaker4217]

How did you manage to create such a rough ride and see nothing particularly worth seeing?

[@frankducett9]

Sounds like bad planning, bad clothing and a bad attitude. This entire campaign would have been a stimulating challange to the right people. Perhaps a few years in the Army prior would help. I have never seen anyone spend thousands on a bike but forget his pants.

[@cristibaluta]

Looks like luck was on their side. When I see them pedalling full force uphill I can hear my knees cracking

[@Bikepacking]

This route is been looking for where can i get the full route gpx file