What is "bikepacking"?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Indeboat
Posts: 121
Joined: 4 Oct 2012, 5:59pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Indeboat »

+1 for reohn 2
+1 for Gattonero.
Went CAMPING last weekend,Fatbike with "Bikepacking frame bags".
Peak district,old drove roads,towpaths,tracks and trails,rock garden's.Very steep ascents/descents.Fully loaded,very slow up ,some what quicker down. :D
Most of the terrain i would not have attempted on a normal "TOURING BIKE "setup.
Fat bike took it all in its stride 8)
I just like to be off road away from the #**********#.
Much slower pace and enjoyed every minuet.
Indeboat
Posts: 121
Joined: 4 Oct 2012, 5:59pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Indeboat »

Also my Fatbike does not have means of fixing carriers safely so frame bags are the logical answer
Tangled Metal
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Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Been to Staveley today. UK's biggest bike shop and the lakes on its doorstep. Bikepacking heaven!

So with it being Sunday afternoon you see quite a few bikepackers coming back from a weekend of off road fun. Muddy and grinning ear to ear. That is exactly the same thing I get from riding my bike anywhere, except the mud as I'm mostly road based. The point is ppl out riding a bike their way and enjoying it. Disdain at that because they choose to call it bikepacking is pure idiocy IMHO. If you don't understand it then look at your most enjoyable cycling experiences, how did you feel? That's what bikepacking types are out to feel their way.

I've talked about "their way", but TBH it's not just their way because nothing is new in cycling. What modern bikepacking is, IMHO only, is twofold. It's about getting out anywhere you want off road mostly and into the wilds. It's about using the kit that doesn't get in the way or make it hard to progress. For example riding narrow trails in upland fells with brush, heather or other vegetation isn't easy with low down panniers such as trad touring style. BTW trad style was once new since bedrolls strapped to bars was the way the earliest tourers went, often on rough roads/trails. In fact Nick Crane (the map man) did a piece on a cycling guidebook from the earliest days of cycling. He did a route over a lake district fell following the guide book on a modem bike while his interviewee used a Victorian bike IIRC. Point being cyclists did rough stuff in the past too often with just a bedroll.

Modern bikepacking IMHO came about from mountain bikers wanting to stay out longer on the hills and rough terrain they liked. Bikes made for that terrain aren't pannier capable in many cases. What do you do? P clips or strap dry bags where you can and just get out. It mirrored the backpacking world which changed from heavy kit to the bare minimal of very lightweight kit. Bivvy and tarp instead of tent or a very light and small tent. One tent I've seen was not much.bigger than a kitchen roll!
Tangled Metal
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Tangled Metal »

One more off topic point I would like to make is how some ppl appear to have closed minds. For example I have a bike that's imperfectly good as a leisure bike, commuter and general run around. It's a study road based bike that's kind of CX based. It's my only bike because I can't afford the money and space for extra bikes.

I want to tour with my family. I'm the main load carrier as both bikes can't fit front racks. Mine can't the other can with certain racks made for suspension. I got some very unhelpful replies to my question about how to get more capacity for carrying luggage.

So I went elsewhere to other forums where there's more open posters. I got a lot of replies that kind of said I/ needed another bike or I had the wrong bike. Other sites said have you thought of this or that. Basically they applied bikepacking solutions of various kinds. I've gone for a custom full frame bag, rear panniers plus rack top and a large 8 litre bar bag. I can't fit a bikepacking bar roll because of the terrible design of tiagra 4600 shifters with the side exit cables. I'm yet to get out with it but it's going to take me on a 2 week family tour. I'll enjoy that and ignore the attitude you get from some on here when you're unable to conform to their views.
amediasatex
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Location: Sunny Devon! just East of the Moor

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by amediasatex »

Touring is something you do.
Bikepacking is one way of doing it.


Best answer yet IMO, and I'm going to re-use that when I have similar discussions with people about the varying options for carrying stuff to places.

Pick the bike and luggage according to your needs and the requirements of the route, just because something works for rider A on route X doesn't mean it will work for rider B on route Y.

It's true that there are very few new ideas, look back a century and people were doing all sorts of rides both on and off road, on all sorts of bikes, and with all sorts of luggage, the modern marketing may be a bit in your face at times but if it brings good products to market and enables participation then it's all good.

I use a mix of different bikes and luggage depending on where I'm going, I really don't like the slightly sneering and derogatory (intentional or otherwise) nature of some of the opinions expressed, not just here and about bikepacking, but I see and hear the same in reverse about 'old and crusty' traditional touring with panniers from some people, it doesn't matter which side of the fence you're sitting on, you might gain some insight by leaning over to chat to the other guy once in a while ;-)
amediasatex
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Location: Sunny Devon! just East of the Moor

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by amediasatex »

I can't fit a bikepacking bar roll because of the terrible design of tiagra 4600 shifters with the side exit cables


I've had some success with this problem using v-brake noodles on the cable exit before the outer cable, allows you to redirect the cables at 90deg (and swivel) to create a lot more clearance for bar bags.

It's not perfect, and not exactly pretty, but it's a decent option if you can't or don't want to swap shifters, might be worth experimenting, feel free to PM me if you want more info.
hamster
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Joined: 2 Feb 2007, 12:42pm

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by hamster »

Another solution is to use Nokon cables - they can be looped round and then go under the bar tape.
AMMoffat
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Joined: 1 Dec 2007, 1:05pm

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by AMMoffat »

I have a hard tail mountain bike that has fittings for a pannier rack and I use panniers when I use this bike to cycle on the bridleways and roads around where I live. However the Scottish mountain around which I carried, pushed and rode my bike last week is one place where I can see that bike packing bags would make life considerably easier. Although I only needed a small rucksack for that trip (and I chose the rucksack, though I hate cycling with one, because a pannier would have made an already tough route even tougher) I would acquire bike packing bags for a longer (overnight) trip over similar terrain - and I'm planning such a trip for later this year or next spring. Yes, I could do it with panniers, but why make life harder than it needs to be :D

In the past I have cycled all over Dartmoor, Scotland and other places off road on a traditional touring bike because that was the only bike I had. I now have the choice and means to have a bike and luggage better suited to the task. It doesn't mean that you can't do rough stuff on any sort of bike. Maybe I've just got soft in my "old" age :oops:
Last edited by AMMoffat on 5 Jun 2017, 11:56am, edited 2 times in total.
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mjr
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by mjr »

Indeboat wrote:I just like to be off road away from the #**********#.
Much slower pace and enjoyed every minuet.

Is this what really offends some tourers about bikepacking? There seems to be a strong "Right to Ride on Roads" element of cycle-touring, to the point of shunning even some quite good cycleways.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
hamster
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by hamster »

It's the same people who complain about the lack of quality screw-on freewheels and 27" tyres. Frozen at a point in time.

It's one thing to be skeptical of the marketing of new stuff (who actually needs 11 speeds on a cassette) but another to be completely closed to new ideas. Somebody on this forum refused to accept that BMX was cycling the other day IIRC. :roll:
rualexander
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by rualexander »

Nothing new about bikepacking and frame bags etc.
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Tangled Metal
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Tangled Metal »

It's purists that have the problem I reckon. By that I mean those who see touring only as 4 panniers on a steel bike. Mention titanium tourers I reckon you'd have got the same response, until spa cycles started selling them of course! :wink:

I'm a cyclist. That's the only description relating to my time spent on a bike. I commute, ride for leisure and am getting into.touring. My bike suits two out of three activities perfectly. Most of my cycling is covered, but for a few weeks touring. I can't fit front panniers. So is my bike wrong one for me? Some have that view on cycling forums (especially this one). Well I can tell you now I tour on it just fine. I'm still kitting up but modern bikepacking kit is helping get around the front rack issue. It works well enough for me.

Now does that mean I'm a bikepacker now? I use rack and panniers on the back with frame bag and conventional bar bag. I'm just a cyclist making my way along whatever route suits.

P.S. if anyone asks for recommendations for solutions to no front rack please don't tell them "wrong bike" and leave it like that. There are solutions borrowed from MTB offroad bikepacking types that could work. If you've only the money to set up the bike you have then hearing it's the wrong bike doesn't contribute much does it?!!
danielb
Posts: 38
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 4:59pm

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by danielb »

It's a bit like marketing "craft beers" to people wouldn't have touched them with a bargepole when they were called "real ales".

Just a way of rebranding an existing product or concept to make it seem trendy. It happens all the time and I have been expecting for a while that the sort of cycle touring we are familar with would become fashionable as it is an obvious development from the boom in cycling when people think how they can take it further from day rides and sportives.

A bit irksome to those of us who have been doing it for years when people talk as if they have invented something new, but harmless enough I suppose.
hoppy58
Posts: 343
Joined: 9 Mar 2011, 3:07pm

Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by hoppy58 »

To be fair, you don't need loads of expensive kit - bikepacking can be a very cheap way of touring off road..all you need is your existing mountain bike/cross bike or even a sturdy tourer, a couple of dry bags (say £20 to £30) and a small rucksack...you can even get a decent frame bag for £23.00
- see lomo bike bags

http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... -lomo.html
colin54
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by colin54 »

Here are a couple of people's bike-packing experiences from the 'Crazy Guy ' site, one off-road and one on-road .

Different spokes for different folks as it were.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 08898&v=2C

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 56856&v=1j
Nu-Fogey
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