Cycling the 'Romantic Rhine' section of the EV15 | Week 3

[@SloMo2723]

Greetings Rob and Les, New to your channel. After living in Germany for almost 5 years I'm surprised to see so much rain in September. My friend and I biked Lake constance and the Danube in September of this year and saw no rain. In 2025 My buddies and I plan to add the Rhine to our trip. Thanks for posting this video! All the best from Northern California

[@gogorobandles]

Hi Monte from Northern California. We did seem to experience a lot of rain but it wasn't too bothersome. Further into our trip we had a horrible stretch of it that wasn't welcomed at all. I've heard the Danube is lovely to cycle - would you recommend it? So many places to choose from for future adventures.🙂 Thanks for watching and happy cycling.

[@NoCarNancy]

Beautiful ride 😍

[@dongxue3909]

Les, you are making fantastic videos. Yours is one of my favourite bike touring channels no doubt. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[@gogorobandles]

Wow! I'm blushing😁 but seriously, thanks for the compliment. It takes a very long time to edit a video and it's nice to know that someone else is enjoying them besides Rob and myself. Thanks again.

[@ferruccio4531]

fully agree.

[@HappyTrailsAdventures]

Hi Rob and Les! Great video and we love this tour, especially along the Rhine River. We often thought about taking a boat tour here and its nice to see the perspective from your ride! Ps, we have been slow to catch up on your adventures. Both of us have been super busy with work over the last few months, we can't wait to retire to have time making adventures! Tom & Suzanne

[@gogorobandles]

The Rhine section was stunning. It was very busy with riverboats. I think you would love it. Retirement is wonderful - I hope you get to experience it soon🙂 It certainly is means more time for adventures. Take care and we will keep our eye out for your next video. L&R

[@travelooky1560]

I cycled 3000km solo in 2022, London, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland. My route included the full length of the Rhine River sea to source. Watching your video brought it back in full colour so I am reliving my own journey through the middle Rhine. I think you had my exact campsite in Koblenz! Looking forward to following along the rest of your tour 😊

[@gogorobandles]

That must of been a wonderful tour with fond memories. What was your favorite section of the Rhine? We found the middle Rhine quite stunning - just wish the sun had made its appearance a bit more often. Thanks for watching🙂

[@travelooky1560]

@@gogorobandles The upper-middle Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz I think is everyone’s favourite. But I highly rate the Alpine and Lake Constance sections. The Rhine source is Andermatt in the Swiss Alps so of course the scenery was stunning. The Rhine Gorge near Versam was amazing and the beautiful riverside villages below Lake Constance - Stein am Rhein, Diessenhofen - were straight out of a fairytale. But so many other faves too 😊

[@gogorobandles]

@@travelooky1560 Sounds lovely. If we get the chance to return, it will be hard to make a choice on where to go.

[@daivapetrikaite]

Your are amazing 😊

[@gogorobandles]

Thanks - we are just your ordinary senior couple looking for the occasional adventure to keep us feeling young and have fun.🙂

[@SlowMovingSaddles]

I just keep enjoying your videos!❤ And how do you make these beautiful maps with your route on it? Wow!

[@gogorobandles]

I'm glad you are enjoying them🙂 The maps I make with great difficulty and confusion lol. I haven't perfected it yet. I followed a how to video - there's a few out there to choose from. Good luck and thanks for watching.

[@alexmorgan3435]

A++++. Subd.

[@mbrylewski]

Super video of your adventure. Question about your kit. Bije specific. Did you buy the bije before you embarked on your adventure of you have always used the same bije for touring? Which brand are they?

[@gogorobandles]

Hi there - thanks for watching. The bikes are Giant Toughroad SLR1. We acquired the bikes in the fall of 2022 and took them out on a week long tour in the spring of 2023 before heading off to Europe. They performed remarkably well. Rob has changed a few things like the gearing for better climbing gears. We would be happy to answer any more questions you may have. Cheers Leslie & Rob

[@mbrylewski]

@gogorobandles I had a hunch that it looked to like Giant bikes. I have been researching retailers here in Poland who sell Giant bikes and have decided on the same model. Delighted that you endorse the brand for its quality. Thank you for responding. What did you change. What was on the bike originally, and what did you upgrade it with?

[@gogorobandles]

@@mbrylewski So Rob did some research to see what would work and changed the chain ring from a 32 to a 30 tooth. It took some work to find the right 4 bolt configuration. On the back we changed the cassette from a 11 by 42 to 11 by 46. We changed the handlebars - mine are Moloko bars and Robs are Cenelli? Double trouble barsI believe. Rob also changed the back racks to fit our Arkel panniers better. Highly recommend the Arkels. He is also looking at changing the front racks as the bolt broke on his front rack nearing the end of our trip. We were concerned with the lesser spoke count on the wheel but we were assured by the bike shop we use that we wouldn't have a problem and they were right, even with our heavy load. We also changed our Saddles and pedals. Hope this helps. L&R

[@ferruccio4531]

hi Rob and Les, why was the campground questionable? (if I may ask) and, did I get it right, you lost your passports again?

[@gogorobandles]

The campground was ok and was located right beside the river but it just had a weird vibe about it. I think it was mostly set up as a mobile home park with a bar set up. I got the feeling he wasn't used to seeing tenters stop by. As far as the passport.....Rob's got wet to the point that it had to be replaced!