Bikepacking

the confusing and exciting world of bikepacking

WITH PADRAIG CROKE

Bikepacking? You mean backpacking. . . No I mean bikepacking. Something I have very recently started to dip my toe into. And I must say that I am very confused by it all. Tire sizing? Do I want 700 or 650B wheels? Steel frame or aluminium? What is a downtube? All these questions have me scratching my head. But secretly I love it.

It’s always a rush when you discover a new hobby or interest that you have absolutely no clue about, trying to learn as much as you can in a short time. I remember it was the same for me when I discovered bushcraft. This new world of axes and waxed canvas and firesteels was something I knew nothing about, except I knew that I wanted in. Six years later and I’m still here learning everyday. So join me as I take you down a gravely path into the world of bikepacking. CYCLE TOURING VS BIKEPACKING The idea that you can carry everything for a camping trip or a holiday on your bicycle is nothing new of course, people have been doing it since the bicycle was invented. As well as this, just taking your bicycle off road and hitting some dirt trails has basically always been part of the culture, if perhaps a little more underground than it is today. Groups like The Rough Stuff Fellowship have existed since the 1950’s, and even before that there were documented trips of people cycling across rugged landscapes like Greenland. But there are quite a few differences between cycle touring and bikepacking, and those differences have a significant effect on what type of rider you want to be. The main difference is how you carry your kit on the bike, or how it’s packed. On a traditional touring bike the main luggage compartments are on the sides of the wheels in big bags called panniers. These sit on the wheels and keep the centre of gravity low on the bike, allowing for a great deal of weight to be carried while also keeping the bike very stable and grounded. This works great when you are cycling on roads and the large packs allow you to essentially travel indefinitely, with regards to how self-sufficient you can be with them. People cycle this way and travel for years, with everything they need right there on their bike. But with bikepacking, this is not the case. Panniers are acceptable of course, and I’ve seen lots of setups that use them. But more often than not, bikepacking bags sit much higher on the bike, and they are set up inline. So that triangular space in the middle of your bikes frame, behind the seat and on the handlebars are typically where most of the kit is kept. The reason for this is so that a) the load is higher and not so wide, perfect for when you’re travelling on

narrow forest trails where your bags could get caught in brush or trees, and b) its lighter and more manoeuvrable when hitting the trail. The downside of this is of course you have much less capacity than you would have with panniers, so bikepacking is much more difficult on longer trips. The other main difference is the terrain type, and therefore the bike styles are completely different. Because traditional touring will usually involve mostly main roads or hard packed gravel, they will typically have wheels that are narrow enough to travel at speed on a road, but wide enough to support a heavy load. Usually around 40mm in width. The nature of touring will typically have a cyclist in the saddle for 100km a day and so the riding position favours comfortability over aerodynamics. Because of this, you will normally sit in a very upright position on a touring bike, and the handlebars will most likely be straight. The bikepacking bike on the other hand is geared much more towards off road cycling. Narrow singletracks, muddy forest trails and gravel roads. This is more closely related to the traditional mountain bike terrain, and so what we see are much thicker wheels (usually 2 inches or so) that are set up tubeless to allow them to run at lower pressures. This gives the ride more cushion and comfort. Shock suspension is also very common on bikepacking bikes for the same reason. As well as this, drop bars are more common, putting the rider in a more action based position, albeit not as comfortable for a whole day of cycling. MY GOALS WITH BIKEPACKING I bought an old racing bike from the 80’s when I first moved to Finland last summer. Tiny racing wheels and a lightweight frame saw me well through the Summer and Autumn months that year. But when the snow and frost came the bike was put away and I couldn’t cycle again until well into the spring. Because I don’t drive, and the bike is my main source of transport, it was frustrat-

ing to me, and so I started looking into how I can extend my use of the bike throughout the year. I saw a lot of people here riding fat bikes with 4 or 5 inch wheels, but this didn’t really interest me. Then one day I just stumbled upon a bikepacking article and my world got a little more exciting. People were combining mountain bikes with camping and touring! I already love camping and bushcraft, and the idea that I could carry all my kit in such a way sounded very interesting to me. And so here we are, about 2 months later, and I’ve gotten myself a bikepacking style bike and am planning my new adventures. I hope to be able to combine my love for bushcraft with this also, as it’s not something I’ve seen too many people do. Are there elements of bushcraft that could be useful to cyclists? I’m sure the two worlds could teach each other a thing or two. The journey has just begun for me, and I am really looking forward to bringing you all along on this journey with me. Let’s see where the rubber takes me! If you are interested in this topic, here are some useful links to get you into the world of bikepacking Bikepacking. com This is where I started. It is absolutely packed with info, videos, tutorials, reviews, routes. Everything you could possibly need to know, it’s probably on there. The only downside to this site is that it’s very USA focussed, and alot of the products and bikes may not be available. But the info is fantastic. Here is the website

Park Tool YouTube Channel Park Tool is an American company that makes tools for fixing bikes. But their YouTube channel is a fantastic resource and they have a video for virtually anything you can think of with regards to fixing and maintaining your bike, or installing new parts. Martijn Doolard. Books and YouTube Martijn is a Dutch cyclist, best known for his beautifully produced books, One Year on a Bike, in which he documented his trip from his home in The Netherlands to Singapore, and Two Years on a Bike which captured his journey from Vancouver to Patagonia. Both are excellent books and contain so much inspiration and information. They are available from Gestalten Books

I would also highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel too, as he has done a four part documentary about his trips also. Bikepacking book by Gestalten Another extremely useful guidebook that combines tips, tricks and stories to give you a bit of inspiration and get out there. They cover so many different topics in the book such as how to pack, how to travel solo or in a group, bike maintenance… and lots more. A great resource and it looks good on a coffee table also. Find it here

The Rough Stuff Fellowship The Rough Stuff Fellowship is a group dedicated to just getting on your bike and going off into the wild! They have been around since the 50’s in the UK and their archive of videos and photos are fascinating. I highly recommend checking out their Instagram and their archive photo books for a healthy dose of inspiration.