What is "bikepacking"?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
PH
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by PH »

mattheus wrote: 11 May 2023, 9:36am oh, you mean cycle touring. ok, got it.
Explained in a link early in the article.

"Yes and no. Touring traditionally sticks to roads and involves a sturdy, road-type machine, normally with a luggage rack, even racks, and panniers. Bikepacking is similarly self-supported but tends to mean lighter loads, with bags connected more directly to the bike, allowing faster speeds and greater ease on off-road routes. Of course, this isn’t a new idea, but it is increasingly popular."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... keting-fad
pwa
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by pwa »

PH wrote: 11 May 2023, 10:12am
mattheus wrote: 11 May 2023, 9:36am oh, you mean cycle touring. ok, got it.
Explained in a link early in the article.

"Yes and no. Touring traditionally sticks to roads and involves a sturdy, road-type machine, normally with a luggage rack, even racks, and panniers. Bikepacking is similarly self-supported but tends to mean lighter loads, with bags connected more directly to the bike, allowing faster speeds and greater ease on off-road routes. Of course, this isn’t a new idea, but it is increasingly popular."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... keting-fad
And I bet the term "bikepacking" will soon come to include pannier-based touring, as the phrase itself has nothing to indicate how exactly the packs are attached to the bike. I have already seen instances of people using the word to mean "loaded cycle touring".
mattheus
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by mattheus »

pwa wrote: 11 May 2023, 3:01pm
PH wrote: 11 May 2023, 10:12am
mattheus wrote: 11 May 2023, 9:36am oh, you mean cycle touring. ok, got it.
Explained in a link early in the article.

"Yes and no. Touring traditionally sticks to roads and involves a sturdy, road-type machine, normally with a luggage rack, even racks, and panniers. Bikepacking is similarly self-supported but tends to mean lighter loads, with bags connected more directly to the bike, allowing faster speeds and greater ease on off-road routes. Of course, this isn’t a new idea, but it is increasingly popular."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... keting-fad
And I bet the term "bikepacking" will soon come to include pannier-based touring, as the phrase itself has nothing to indicate how exactly the packs are attached to the bike. I have already seen instances of people using the word to mean "loaded cycle touring".
Goodness yes! There is a well-respected podcast interview with Timmy Mallett, about his tour of France+Spain carrying painting equipemtn between hotels on an e-Bike. "bikepacking" through-out, and the word touring - let alone cycletouring - had clearly been banned.
Peeps have clearly stated it can include just going for a longish ride.
rareposter
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by rareposter »

Decent thread over on Singletrack about bike packing bags, panniers etc and the differences / similarities...

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topi ... -panniers/
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al_yrpal
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by al_yrpal »

Well, the Vietnamese could certainly fill you in on that....
DSCF0255.JPG
Al :lol:
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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Chris Jeggo
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Chris Jeggo »

Ain't it obvious? It's backpacking by bike. :D
scottg
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by scottg »

Chris Jeggo wrote: 11 May 2023, 11:49pm Ain't it obvious? It's backpacking by bike. :D
No it is this.... :D
2023-05-12_14-18-59.jpg
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cycle tramp
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by cycle tramp »

The main difference between a touring & bike packing is that cycling touring uses a dedicated rack and pannier system to carry cooking equipment, camping gear, clothes and anything else. It's generally a very good system of keeping things dry(er), organised, out of the way of road dust and it makes it easier to load and off load the equipment from the bike....

Cycle camping doesn't... and when done badly it looks like someone attempted a game of buckaroo using a bike, a skip full of 2nd hand soft luggage bags, various household items and a bungee cord..

Bikepackers claim that by not using panniers the bike is less wide and can squeeze through the under growth and vegetation.

Which tends not to explain the photos on website like the radavist or bikepacking which show bike packers cycling along gravel roads which are wide enough to part a lorry lengthways and have less surface imperfections than the m5...
Last edited by cycle tramp on 17 May 2023, 8:33pm, edited 2 times in total.
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pete75
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by pete75 »

This is


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MrsHJ
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by MrsHJ »

Despite the trendiness of bike packing the percentages on the road here in SW France is tiny compared to the pannier brigade. Probably because I’m on a fairly mainstream route. The “young folk” seem to like it. I’m not wild about the packing practicalities although I’m fairly lightweight myself (ok my luggage not me).

I’ve got to say the success of promoting cycle touring in France continues to look huge. Need to send our transport and tourism ministers here for cycle trip.
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Audax67
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Audax67 »

I think it's really a word that competitive cyclists who scorn cycle touring use when they want to go cycle touring.
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mattheus
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by mattheus »

Audax67 wrote: 28 May 2023, 8:29am I think it's really a word that competitive cyclists who scorn cycle touring use when they want to go cycle touring.
... or in fact any that think they're too cool for the traditional images of cycle touring.
Nearholmer
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Nearholmer »

I think that in a sense you’ve hit the nail on the head there, in that trad “heavy” touring has an image problem: it isn’t perceived as a cool thing to do.

How so? I think most people are simply overawed by the “pack everything and pedal to Patagonia” sort of touring, so I’ll leave that aside, and focus on “a week or two holiday, with a tent, on a bike”. If you mention that sort of touring to many people the image that it conjures-up is of something old-fashioned, involving damply flapping canvas tents and damply flapping baggy shorts that largely died-out once people could cheaply get to the Med. Think “Carry on Camping”, and remember that is the generation of the bike-packers grandparents.

Relaunch as “bikepacking”, with an emphasis on travelling very light (no heavy, damp canvas!), leaving nothing but tyre tracks etc., and fire the concept at a new generation of younger people, what amounts to not far off the same thing becomes something to aspire to do ….. it’s cool.

Some of the emphasis and content has changed, and certainly the gear has advanced, and the prospect is of a few nights in acceptable discomfort, rather than more nights in a bit more comfort, but the really big change has been re-branding. And, since this freshened-up version of cycle touring has got a lot more people doing it, maybe the rebranding has been a good thing.

PS: I’ve also noticed the emergence of what might be called “bike glamping”, with a couple of entrepreneurs offering “gravel” tours with overnight stays in upmarket camping places, moored narrow boats etc, so for that you only need to bike-pack a toothbrush and change of undies.
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

I'd see bikepacking, gravel riding and touring as a Venn diagram in which the vast majority of each circle overlaps both the others.
cycle tramp
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Re: What is "bikepacking"?

Post by cycle tramp »

Nearholmer wrote: 28 May 2023, 7:05pm I think that in a sense you’ve hit the nail on the head there, in that trad “heavy” touring has an image problem: it isn’t perceived as a cool thing to do.

How so? I think most people are simply overawed by the “pack everything and pedal to Patagonia” sort of touring, so I’ll leave that aside, and focus on “a week or two holiday, with a tent, on a bike”.

Relaunch as “bikepacking”, with an emphasis on travelling very light (no heavy, damp canvas!), leaving nothing but tyre tracks etc., and fire the concept at a new generation of younger people, what amounts to not far off the same thing becomes something to aspire to do ….. it’s cool.

Some of the emphasis and content has changed.....And, since this freshened-up version of cycle touring has got a lot more people doing it, maybe the rebranding has been a good thing.

PS: I’ve also noticed the emergence of what might be called “bike glamping”, with a couple of entrepreneurs offering “gravel” tours with overnight stays in upmarket camping places, moored narrow boats etc, so for that you only need to bike-pack a toothbrush and change of undies.
To be fair, although I've been slightly derisory about 'bike packing' in my previous threads... it has challenged my perspective.. in the past even doing sub 24 hour camping trips, I was always a tent, sleeping bag, inflatable pillows kind of person.. certainly if my lifestyle changed and allowed me the opportunity to return to sub 24 hour adventures, I'd pack a tarp and a bivvy bag rather than a tent..
..and i'd much rather have cycling represented by a group of friends having a shared experience, which not only involved cycling at a more relaxed place, enjoying local food, entertaining each other by music, taking time out to draw or paint a stunning view and enjoying nature rather than tour de France our whatever..
..and yes, whilst I'm aware that are timed events over distances, it still seems to be a more relaxed, even party type of atmosphere... and further to this is actually more relevant than the rules of tour de France, one of which is being responsible for fixing your own bike if it breaks - just like the real world.
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