Bikepacking!

[KayakCyndi]

I love Bikepacking, bike touring, bike travel, really any excuse to get outside and away on my bike. Alas my bikepacking has been limited to the around here usuals — GAP and C&O but end to end and in various bits and pieces, fun overnighters to Sky Meadows, Erie canal etc but that doesn’t stop me from dreaming big! I’ve finally acquired the bags and gear to be able to ditch the rack and panniers. Here is what I use for bags:

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Those are all Relevate Design bags and include their Sweetroll for the bars, a feedbag, a tangle frame bag and the smaller Pika seat bag. With this and a few dry bags attached to the outside I was able to carry pretty much everything needed for a C&O canal two nighter when temps were going to be in the now thirties overnight (i.e. I was carrying a tent, thermarest, heavier sleeping bag and cold weather gear).

It ended up looking like this:

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If you want the details on what all was in the bags on this trip see my facebook post I did on it: https://www.facebook.com/KayakCyndi/posts/10210963889712455. (It is public so viewable).

(And have I mentioned today that I love my Viaje?).

[drevil]

Awesome setup KayakCyndi. Yeah, those Revelate bags are great quality aren’t they?

Your rear pack looks way out there, but it’s cool if it works for you. The C&O doesn’t require a lot of hard, unseated efforts anyway

I tried a friend’s rear pack (which I think was the same as yours) before getting my own (a shorter Revelate Pika), and when I was mashing out of the saddle on some climbs, the pack swayed so much that it often twisted my seatpost so that I’d have to stop to recenter my saddle after most climbs. I may make a bottom brace like one of my buddies did, who stole the idea from Porcelain Rocket:

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Another thing I learned when using the packs is to put silicon tape on the frame/seatpost where the velcro goes over. It prevents the packs from moving so much AND it protects the frame from the scratching that you may get from the inevitable dirt that gets under there. I just used this stuff from Home Depot, but it’s available on Amazon as well. I guess you could get the “official” bikepacking stuff as well: https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/accessories/FrameSaverTape

[EasyRider]

During my hikes up to Sugar Knob cabin in GWNF, I’ve often wondered how people on bikes traverse that rocky uphill section just south of the cabin. Now you can tell me!

[drevil]

@EasyRider 158129 wrote:

During my hikes up to Sugar Knob cabin in GWNF, I’ve often wondered how people on bikes traverse that rocky uphill section just south of the cabin. Now you can tell me!

I remember the cabin, but fuzzy on the details leading up to it. Is it straight up, rocky, and ridiculous, because I remember a few of those climbs as well. If so, the answer to what you are wondering is:
Pushing my bike, with tears in my eyes

That’s at about mile 5 on my Strava?
https://www.strava.com/activities/535202673

Maybe I’m just weaksauce, or my buddy Andy is a beast, but he climbed more and was much faster than me on his singlespeed (in the foreground), than I was on my 2×10. He did do the SM100 faster than me on his rigid fixie though

Bikepacking the GW National Forest by ricky d, on Flickr

[dkel]

So, why all those packs instead of panniers? Rockford and I did the ride out to Harpers Ferry, and I thought my panniers front and rear were great. What is it that I don’t know? Is it just lighter without the racks?

Also, half of Harpers Ferry burned down the night after we left, but that’s another story.

Additionally, the place we stayed in Harpers Ferry was featured on Hotel Hell a little while after we left. Also another story.

[ginacico]

Here’s a topo map, Sugar Knob cabin is on the northeast corner. I’ve hiked the Big Schloss loop a few times too, and it’s a rewarding route but rocky as hell. Even with stiff boots my feet felt all beat up, same story hiking pretty much anywhere in GWNF. I can’t imagine trying to navigate those trails on a bike, but then again I’m not a mountain biker (could be the cause-effect are backwards).

Any means one uses to get up there, that’s a beautiful area. We backpacked one time, pitched a tent somewhere along the Tuscarora Trail section, and we were surrounded by a chorus of whip-poor-wills all night.

[ginacico]

@dkel 158134 wrote:

So, why all those packs instead of panniers? Is it just lighter without the racks?

Yeah, mostly it’s the weight. I’ve toured a lot with racks and panniers, but I managed to trim down my gear so I’ve never needed bags on the front. Still, the rear rack plus two large Ortlieb back-rollers weigh over 6 lbs before I put anything in them.

[streetsmarts]

@dkel 158134 wrote:

So, why all those packs instead of panniers? Rockford and I did the ride out to Harpers Ferry, and I thought my panniers front and rear were great. What is it that I don’t know? Is it just lighter without the racks?

Also, half of Harpers Ferry burned down the night after we left, but that’s another story.

Additionally, the place we stayed in Harpers Ferry was featured on Hotel Hell a little while after we left. Also another story.

Sounds like some good stories. Next time I see you or Rockford I’ll try to pry these stories out of you!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[streetsmarts]

@drevil 158131 wrote:

I remember the cabin, but fuzzy on the details leading up to it. Is it straight up, rocky, and ridiculous, because I remember a few of those climbs as well. If so, the answer to what you are wondering is:
Pushing my bike, with tears in my eyes

That’s at about mile 5 on my Strava?
https://www.strava.com/activities/535202673

Maybe I’m just weaksauce, or my buddy Andy is a beast, but he climbed more and was much faster than me on his singlespeed (in the foreground), than I was on my 2×10. He did do the SM100 faster than me on his rigid fixie though

Bikepacking the GW National Forest by ricky d, on Flickr

That looks fabulous!!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[drevil]

@ginacico 158137 wrote:

Yeah, mostly it’s the weight. I’ve toured a lot with racks and panniers, but I managed to trim down my gear so I’ve never needed bags on the front. Still, the rear rack plus two large Ortlieb back-rollers weigh over 6 lbs before I put anything in them.

Ginacico tells it like it is. I too have a rear rack and large Ortlieb back rollers, and booooy-o, they’re hefty and bulky. When you mountain bike and have to occasionally step off the bike to push, the big panniers get in the way. I also end up banging the backs of my heels on them. If I was riding mostly on the road, I sometimes opt for the pannier setup, but with all the bumping and jumping around on rougher trails, the panniers are usually more noisy and rattle more.

Another reason to use rackless packs is if you don’t have rack mounts on your frame or fork. Yes, I know about P-clamps, axle mounts, and other means of getting a rack on your bike, but without the rack in the first place, you save weight and subtract complexity.

The last reason I can think of using packs over racks is that you spread the load out more on the bike. If I put most/all of my stuff in the rear panniers, the bike is very rear heavy, obvs. It makes maneuvers where I have to lift the rear (e.g., to get over a rock or a step-up) more difficult. With the rackless packs, I’ll put some weight behind the saddle, some in front or beside the fork, and put the heaviest stuff low in the center frame pack to make the center of gravity lower and more central. Basically, it balances the bike better.

[consularrider]

@dkel 158134 wrote:

… Additionally, the place we stayed in Harpers Ferry was featured on Hotel Hell a little while after we left. Also another story.

Hill House?

[ginacico]

@consularrider 158148 wrote:

Hill House?

Hilltop House is a sad, decrepit mess. A developer has been trying to renovate it since 2007 but a whole saga of hurdles has prevented it. I actually stayed there in maybe 2001 before it closed. It was reasonable, affordable lodging on a bluff with incredible views. It deserves better.

Sorry to hear Harper’s Ferry didn’t impress team D-Rock!

[ginacico]

Good points about how weight is distributed over the bike.

Traditional racks and panniers try to put the weight low at the wheel axles. If you tighten things up so nothing rattles around, it can be a very efficient way to travel on smooth surfaces. You have to be careful that the bike doesn’t tip over while mounting and dismounting, like you would with a motorcycle. Because of the bulk, and facilitated by Vaya’s sloped top tube, I’ve developed the habit to step through instead of swinging my leg over the back wheel (sometimes, it varies). But once you get going, you’re very stable. Many touring bikes have a longer wheel base to stop your heels from hitting the bags.

Riding a touring rig is a bit like driving a truck, gradual starts and stops, careful handling, and constant awareness of the load. (Add front and back panniers to a tandem, and this story gets exponentially more complex.)

By contrast, frame bags distribute the weight anywhere it can go without the benefit of a rack — handlebars, mid frame, under the seat — resulting in less weight and also carrying the load higher up. drevil and KayakCyndi can say more, but I imagine the balance is somewhat different, and I don’t know if it’s an issue tightening things down so they don’t sway. How to go bikepacking with Vaya and explore more off roads is something I’ve barely started to figure out.

With either setup, reducing the overall weight of your gear is a BIG win. Splurge on the ultralight stuff, cut the handle off your toothbrush, leave the hardcover novel at home, that kinda thing.

[Sunyata]

I have been a couple of times, just on the C&O, but I want to do some mountain biking or back country gravel trips once I am back from Kansas this summer and get better bags/packs for my Niner and Warbird.

I also used racks/panniers for my first trips, but want to pare down and just use frame packs/bags. I have a really nice tent and pad but need to get a lighter weight sleeping bag for summer trips (my bag is rated at 20F and is quite bulky).

[huskerdont]

I was thinking of trying this but just using my Banjo Brother’s backpack just like I do for commuting. Might not be able to do it for full-on mountain biking in the GWNF, or very long trips, but I think it would work for a night or two. Perhaps this is foolhardy. One way to find out.

[Author]

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