Learning to ride a bike – Are you traveling with a roof tent or camper van and looking for an activity that offers fun and exercise for the whole family?
Grab your bike and a bike rack for your car or tent trailer! It’s a healthy way to get around and discover great places in Germany, Italy and France, for example.
Here you’ll find lots of tips for planning your bike tour, packing lists and popular destinations for camping with a bike!
Camping Ratgeber:
Tips for beginners: Whether young or old!
First of all, it is important to pay attention to your own balance when cycling.
As a beginner, you should therefore try out exactly how well you can keep your balance on the bike.
To do this, beginners can sit on their bike, place one foot on the kerb and let the other leg swing.
Braking should also be practiced before the first attempts at riding.
This often reduces the fear of actually riding a bike.
One way to get an initial feel for riding is to let the bike roll with your feet just above the ground.
Lost balance can be corrected safely and easily by briefly placing one foot on the ground.
For children, balance bikes are suitable for such exercises.
For adults, you can also simply unscrew the pedals.
With the pedals unscrewed, you won’t bump your rail legs on them as often or get stuck.
To unscrew the pedals, turn the pedal in the opposite direction.
In other words, the left pedal to the right and vice versa.
At a glance:
- Check balance
- Practicing braking
- Let it roll
- For children: balance bikes
- For adults: Unscrew the pedals
Bike settings: saddle height, brakes & models
Lighter bike models are generally somewhat easier to handle for younger beginners.
However, they often offer less stability when riding, so more practice is required.
The saddle height of the new bike should be adjusted so that budding cyclists can stand with both feet on the ground.
It should be possible to put weight on the majority of the foot and not just the tips of the feet.
A coaster brake is also recommended, as this offers even more control over braking.
You should pay attention to this in the settings:
- Beginners: lighter bike models
- But: also less stable again
- Saddle height: ground comfortably accessible with the feet
- Coaster brake recommended
Cycling exercises: Braking, looking around & cornering
Once the novice cyclist feels reasonably confident, they can try out the following exercises.
These help to improve the riding experience and increase control of the bike so that the cyclist can get through traffic safely.
You can try out these exercises:
- Precise braking
- Stay in lane, drive on the right
- Look around
- Driving through bottlenecks
- Driving curves
- React to surprises (other vehicles, pedestrians, animals, etc.)
- Show direction (extend arm)
- Ride in a small group one behind the other
Riding a bike: These are the advantages!
Cycling is one of the most popular sports in Germany.
And it’s no wonder, because cycling allows you to cover long distances in comfort, get healthy exercise and still move slowly enough to enjoy the countryside.
It also strengthens your joints and tones your muscles.
Even if you are not yet a competitive athlete and prefer a more relaxed riding style!
That’s why cycling:
- Healthy
- Strengthens your condition
- Relieves the joints
- Improves relaxed muscle structure
Cycling is particularly beautiful in popular vacation regions such as the Baltic Sea islands of Fehmarn, Usedom or Rügen.
Read more about these cycle tours here:
Cycling tour: planning with dog and family
Of course, the right planning is also important here, and shorter bike tours are particularly suitable for beginners.
Sixty to seventy kilometers per day are recommended, but this can vary depending on your level of training and physical condition.
If you are planning a multi-day tour, you should also pay attention to different daily goals.
Exhaustion often sets in on the third or fourth day, so the daily target should be a little lower.
If you’re just going for a ride from the campsite, it should be around thirty or forty kilometers.
You should pay particular attention to the right terrain.
For a beginner, the flat landscape of the North Sea is probably more suitable than the mountains in Bavaria.
Of course, there are also differences in the condition of the cycle paths, meaning that asphalted cycle paths are more pleasant to cycle on than field or forest paths.
On the other hand, the latter can offer a broader experience of nature and adventure.
Safety, fitness & dog paws in the planning
It is always important to consider the safety and physical conditions of all passengers.
A test drive beforehand is a good idea to check the fitness of all passengers.
With children in particular, you can prevent them from getting cranky on a route that is too long.
If you can train your dog to ride safely on the bike, this is a great way to ensure fun and exercise for your four-legged friend.
Tip: Pay attention to the route with your dog, as hot asphalt can injure sensitive dog paws.
You should bear this in mind when planning:
- Length of the route
- The right number of kilometers in one day
- Condition of the paths
- Stamina and physical conditions of all fellow travelers
- Training and terrain for your dog
Camping with a bike: adventure and experience
Getting to your destination is also an important factor.
If you start from the campsite and are traveling by car, a bike rack is a good idea.
Of course, you can also travel to different destinations by car.
A roof tent or tent trailer (see picture) offers you a lot of mobility.
This makes it easy to leave the campsite by car and drive to another destination. 
Packing list: Bike helmet, repair kit & co. – 15 tips
As with any trip, it is also important to make sure you have the right equipment for cycling tours.
Here are a few examples of a packing list.
If you are interested in a general packing list for camping, you will find it here: Camping packing list.
- Bicycle helmet
- Rain covers for helmet and shoes
- Breathable T-shirts
- Cycling gloves
- Rain pants
- Cycling shorts
- Trainers or cycling shoes
- Safety vest
- Air pump
- Repair kit
- Tear-resistant adhesive tape
- First-aid kit
- Plasters, bandages
- Disinfectant
- Flashlight or camping lamp
Top 5 + 1 travel destinations: Sea, lakes and river
Here you will find five great places to really enjoy cycling.
These include the most diverse types of terrain, such as the mountainous region around Lake Constance or the flat countryside of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
These places also offer beautiful side destinations, such as the river Moselle, the extensive lake landscape of the Mecklenburg Lake District and the beaches of the Baltic Sea.
- Altmühl Valley
- Lake Constance
- Mecklenburg Lake District
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- Moselle
- Baltic Sea
Collect more memories on vacation!
Here you will find many more vacation tips for beginners.
These include other vacation experiences on wheels and many other options.
Vacation on wheels: Motorcycle & Quad for beginners
Whether with or without a motor, you can experience a lot on a vacation on wheels and cover distances quickly without having to walk much.
You can relax and enjoy nature or embark on your next adventure.
Here you will find lots of tips for cycling, motorcycling and quad biking or ATV riding to make your vacation even more unforgettable.
Vacation activities: Water sports, winter sports & Co.
Are you planning a vacation but still looking for activities for you, your family, your partner or just for yourself outside the campsite?
Here you’ll find lots of great ideas for experiences that will enrich your vacation.
With lots of tips for beginners!
So you can start from the very beginning and find out what to do first.
