What kind of bicycle for the Trans Dinarica? Gravel, touring or MTB?

“Can I explore the Trans Dinarica cycling route through the Western Balkans with a loaded touring bike? Or do I need something more off-road oriented?” is another common question that you were curious about. Here’s the short answer:

The diverse paths of the Trans Dinarica cycling route wind through terrain that invites all types of riders.

Trekking or touring bikes, some call them hybrid or fitness bikes, will be very useful, and an enduro or cross-country bike can also be an excellent choice. We would only advise against folding bikes, downhill bikes, and road racing bikes. Although, you know, where there’s a will, there’s a way 🙂

We used gravel bikes for exploring the route because they are fast on the road and relatively good on macadams. Above all, they are an excellent compromise because we don’t need a lot of luggage for our research work – a support van helps us with that. We think that most cyclists on the Trans Dinarica use gravel bikes, followed by hardtail mountain bikes (with front suspension), which are better on the more difficult stages.

Perhaps even more important than the bike is the choice of tires. It depends a bit on the weight (bags) on your bike, personal taste and the stages ahead of you, but roughly speaking, you could say that ‘bigger is better’, and we wouldn’t recommend tires thinner than 40 mm. The tread should be suitable for both road AND off-road. There will rarely be mud under your wheels.

Packing for the Trans Dinarica

When cycling a long-distance bike route, as far as luggage (and weight) is concerned, we advise you to take only the most essential things with you, as you will pass by the market or store almost every day (every other day for sure). What is necessary and how many extra kilograms should be carried on bicycles, opinions differ so much that it is difficult to draw a line between what is an acceptable weight and what is decidedly too much. Just be aware that sometimes roads like this await you:

Cycling through the Balkans, riders will encounter a mix of gravel roads and natural landscapes, making it a unique exploration of the Balkan Peninsula’s diverse terrain.

How much asphalt and gravel is there on the way?

Roughly 80% of the Trans Dinarica cycling route is asphalted, but the ratio of asphalt to gravel varies by stage. In some sections, like the Croatian part of the route, we’ve recorded stages with up to 99% macadam. Though most of the unpaved roads are well-maintained and easily passable, the experience of cycling on gravel often feels more significant since the slower pace on macadam makes it more noticeable.

When it comes to unpaved surfaces, cyclists can expect mostly well-maintained, hard macadam roads, which are accessible even by standard cars. However, some stages feature rougher terrain with larger stones, which are marked in the Trans Dinarica navigation packages for better route planning and preparation. Read more here: How many paved roads and how many gravel roads can I expect on the Trans Dinarica cycling route?

Important: Wear shoes you can walk in! (and push your bike)

One of the cyclists, Konstanze, pointed out an important point. Stages with more challenging gravel roads, especially in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, sometimes require getting off the bike and pushing on foot. That’s why it’s important to have shoes that are also suitable for trekking and not some special road racing cycling shoes with plastic soles. When you add up the bad gravel, a fully loaded bike and possibly rain, you have to take matters into your own hands. And your legs.

Discover what kind of terrain you can expect as you travel through each Western Balkan country on this adventurous cycling route.