Five things I wish I knew before riding self-supported

A few thousand kilometres of self-supported riding has taught me more than any gear review ever did. These are the five things I'd tell myself before the first trip, back when I thought a bigger frame bag solved every problem.

1. Water planning beats a bigger frame bag

Carrying capacity matters far less than knowing where the next reliable source is. I now plan water stops before I plan distance for the day.

The single biggest change to how I ride: treat water as the thing that decides the route, not the thing you carry enough of to ignore the route.

2. What actually breaks first

Not the frame, not the drivetrain — it's usually a rack bolt or a worn brake pad, the boring parts nobody checks before leaving. I now do a five-minute bolt check every morning of a trip.

3. Pack for the worst three hours, not the average day

Most of a trip is comfortable. The gear that matters is what gets you through the one cold, wet, or exhausted stretch — everything else is a nice-to-have.