A yearlong bike adventure from NZ to the UK

For those of you that keep a close eye on our social media in 2025, you will have noticed photos of two happy riders, riding through the heights of the Himalayas, remote Kyrgyzstan valleys and otherworldly landscapes in Türkiye.

Alan Danby and Britt Walker recently completed their long ride home to Bristol and spent some time reflecting on whole adventure for us, as well as breaking down some of their kit choices. Over to them to pick up the tale.

Intro

Crikey, after nearly a year on our bikes, we’re back in the UK and slowly settling into the comforts of home and enjoying all the familiar pleasures. We were never big sofa dwellers before we left, but it has felt good to stop and put our feet up whilst reminiscing on our journey over the past year.

This trip was everything we dreamed of and so much more. It feels as if it flew by, but really, everyday was filled with so much joy and memorable moments, each one an adventure in itself. Our aim was always simple, to ride our bikes through some incredible places, linking fun off road trails and most importantly enjoying it, whilst immersing ourselves in the different cultures of the locations we pedalled through. We did just that. In the end, we cycled  just over 11,000 kilometers and climbed over 160,000 meters, through some beautiful countries on the way back from New Zealand. What we couldn’t have imagined though, were the unexpected times in between that made the trip so special. The ever changing landscapes, incredible people and friendships we made along the way.

Where we went

Our dream was to ride the summer home. We wanted to make this trip as fun as possible and to see each location in their best light. So we choose each country depending on the time of year we would be rolling through and whether it would be feasible to ride.

The ride began in New Zealand in November 2024, starting in the southern hemisphere’s spring was the perfect time to explore the country. Over five months, we cycled more than 5,000 kilometers from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, linking trails, surfing, hiking, and camping in incredible places along the way. New Zealand was an ideal introduction to life on the bike, everybody was so friendly, logistics were easy and we had stunning riding every day. Tackling routes like the Old Ghost Road and the Paparoa Trail showed us just how capable we and our bikes were, giving us confidence for what lay ahead.

From there, we headed to the high peaks of the Himalayas. Nepal had long been a dream, and riding there in spring exceeded everything we imagined. Seeing the Annapurnas for the first time was unforgettable, and despite challenges with air quality, early monsoon rains gave us a clear window to ride the Annapurna Circuit and return to Kathmandu via the mid-hills. Cycling at altitude and above 5,400 meters at the highest point, was tough at times but it was made manageable by the endless dhal bhat and all the guest houses in the mountain villages along the route. This made it one of the most intense yet straightforward sections of the trip.

June took us to Kyrgyzstan and the Tian Shan traverse, a dramatic shift from Nepal. Vast remote valleys, high plateaus, and a nomadic way of life made this the hardest but most rewarding riding of the journey. Later in summer, we began our pedal-powered return toward the UK, starting in the otherworldly landscapes of Türkiye and riding through Cappadocia before following the coast to Greece where we baked in the sun as the heatwaves blew through. We continued through the Balkans, ticking off Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia, where relentless climbing and summer temperatures tested us again, with Bosnia standing out as a surprise favorite.

We finished our ride in the delightful Dolomites, a really special final chapter amongst the dramatic peaks and stunning scenery. As autumn arrived and snow dusted the summits, we accepted that it was time to make our way home.

Bike set up

Our bike's set ups evolved as our trip progressed. The further we went, the less and less things we carried. Luxuries were dropped off and only the essentials were left by the end. It is really interesting how little you really need day in day out on the bike and in life generally. We both rode Brother Cycles Big Bros with a selection of Restrap bags carrying and organising all of our gear. Here is a breakdown of all the bags, gear and extras we used for the trip. 

The bags we used on the both bikes:

Handlebar – Restrap Holster Bar Bag Plus 18L (Including Rolltop Canister Bag)
Top tube – Restrap Race 1.2L Top Tube Bag
Cockpit – 2 x Restrap Race Stem Bags
Frame – Restrap Custom Frame Bag, Double Zip
Fork and rear rack mounts – 2x 5L Switch Panniers + 2x 10L Switch Panniers
Rear rack - Restrap 14L dry bag + Mounted with Restrap Rack Straps

Extras:
Restrap Adventure Race Musette for all the snacks
Restrap Utility Hip Pack for camera equipment
Restrap tyre boot kit
Restrap tool roll
Restrap bottle cage - mounted on the down tube
Many Restrap Fast Straps
Restrap & Quoc sandals for maximum camp and travel comfort

Camera equipment

I carried a Sony A7Riii with a Tamron 28-70mm lens for the journey. It was weighty, but once it was sitting in my Restrap hip bag, I got used to it and completely forgot it was there by the end. Keeping the camera off the bike gave me peace of mind that it was protected from all the vibration and knocks from the road, but also ready for quick and easy access.

Tool kit

Our tool kit was organised within two Restrap tool rolls and kept safe in our frame bags. We carried plenty of spares for this trip and ended up having very little to fix, over the whole trip we had a couple of punctures each and no major mechanicals, except for a few minor tweaks here and there. Here are a few key items we carried:
Restrap tyre boot kit
Multi-tool, Pliers, pocket knife, tyre levers & leatherman
Lezyne HP Micro Floor Drive Pump
2x spare spokes each
Spare valves, pads, bolts, gear cables, lube, chain links & cleats
Tyre plugs + tubes
Zip ties and tape

Camping and cooking

Our camp and cooking equipment was split between both our bikes and carried in our handlebar bags. Whilst riding they were protected, but the items took a fair old battering from the elements. Our Big Agnes tent did manage to last the whole year, be it with a few holes and lack of waterproofing by the end. We each went through a couple of sleeping mats, and had a few sleepless nights, but the majority of our kit did manage to last the test of time.

Favourite item

It is difficult to name a favourite item as we had so many little interactions throughout the day with all the products we used, each had their specific purpose and reason to be on the bike, I can’t even imagine how many times we must have reached down to open our top tube bags to grab a snack or energy booster. Our frame bags were pretty awesome, they never left the bikes and always had more space than we imagined, each compartment had a role and was really versatile across the whole trip depending on what we needed. When we made the bikes lighter without fork bags it was the main bag to carry our items and when we were fully loaded its purpose was to carry a multitude of different bits and pieces. There were a few extras that really improved day to day activities, our Restrap sandals made time at camp super comfy and allowed the feet the breath and the Restrap Musettes made shopping easy and allowed us to carry a few extra litres when our set ups were full, they saved the day many times.

Best feeling/learning from the trip

The best thing? The feeling of being outside for every minute of the day, this is time we will cherish in the future. It’s going to take a while to get used to waking up to four walls again…or maybe we'll just go feral and live in the garden.

Thanks

We would like to give a massive thanks to the whole Restrap team for helping us on this journey, you made life on the bike an absolute breeze. 

Happy pedalling 🙂