Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Indeed, I could have half my weight in luggage and still be under that value.
New to cycling mid life crazyness help needed
- Thread starter streetwisek
- Start date
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Indeed, I could have half my weight in luggage and still be under that value.
Jameshow
Veteran
Poor bike!🤣🤣🤣🤣
Slick
Guru
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
I do some touring with friends that use the bike packing kit and it is a huge compromise that they openly admit to. Yes, they get to use a road bike, but..... It is a faff to get the bare minimum into the packs each day. The packs tend to come loose and swing around or droop onto the rear tyre and usually need at least one stop to tighten each day, often more. The bikes have skinny road tyres so as soon as we hit any less than perfect roads or bike trails that often feature in a typical tour route, they are struggling with the surfaces and risking punctures. We did the Coast and Castles route just last weekend. 
On the other hand, my commute/tour/road bike has 32mm tyres and rear panniers. They don't like to admit it but they love the fact I have easy load space for all the team tools, some of their kit, bike locks and even carry proper shirt & trousers for the evenings (we always stop in pubs/hotels each night, all very civilised).
Horses for courses. Don't tour on an aero race bike unless you want to struggle. My road bike is a proper road bike and rides like a pedigree, but is also happy loaded up with all the extra schizzle that comes with a week+ of touring when needed.
Kona Wheelhouse 2018
On the other hand, my commute/tour/road bike has 32mm tyres and rear panniers. They don't like to admit it but they love the fact I have easy load space for all the team tools, some of their kit, bike locks and even carry proper shirt & trousers for the evenings (we always stop in pubs/hotels each night, all very civilised).
Horses for courses. Don't tour on an aero race bike unless you want to struggle. My road bike is a proper road bike and rides like a pedigree, but is also happy loaded up with all the extra schizzle that comes with a week+ of touring when needed.
Kona Wheelhouse 2018
You could use an aero road bike for touring (I've done it, once- I wouldn't do it again. Only because the gearing is too high for loaded riding). You'll either need bikepacking style bags or a Tailfin aeropack and panniers (various sizes to choose from). Photo of my aero road bike set-up for commuting (though my bags aren't packed yet in this photo). I'm not generally a fan of large panniers, but in addition to a change of clothes, I needed my laptop, my steel cap shoes, and some tools, so needs must. I could have used my gravel bike today, but my road bike has seen so little action this summer and it's nice, so it came out to play.
Jameshow
Veteran
I do some touring with friends that use the bike packing kit and it is a huge compromise that they openly admit to. Yes, they get to use a road bike, but..... It is a faff to get the bare minimum into the packs each day. The packs tend to come loose and swing around or droop onto the rear tyre and usually need at least one stop to tighten each day, often more. The bikes have skinny road tyres so as soon as we hit any less than perfect roads or bike trails that often feature in a typical tour route, they are struggling with the surfaces and risking punctures. We did the Coast and Castles route just last weekend.
On the other hand, my commute/tour/road bike has 32mm tyres and rear panniers. They don't like to admit it but they love the fact I have easy load space for all the team tools, some of their kit, bike locks and even carry proper shirt & trousers for the evenings (we always stop in pubs/hotels each night, all very civilised).
Horses for courses. Don't tour on an aero race bike unless you want to struggle. My road bike is a proper road bike and rides like a pedigree, but is also happy loaded up with all the extra schizzle that comes with a week+ of touring when needed.
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Kona Wheelhouse 2018
I'd use bike packing stuff for b+b / travel lodge touring
But panniers and touring bike for camping touring. Which ime suits being in the countryside, slowing down, enjoying nature, meeting people?
Where as bike packing feels to me about getting somewhere fast, a challenge, an audax etc.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Erm, I thought that's the reason they invite you, to carry their kit, especially Mr Saggy Bottom
presta
Guru
....and the gear ratios are all wrong too.
Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
Whereas to me, bikepacking just implies carrying everything you need for your tour on the bike. Camping touring is a subset of bikepacking, the way I look at it, and bikepacking has no implications of speed (either fast or slow).
Just shows how open to different interpretations the English language can be (note - I am not suggesting you are wrong, just a different interpretation).
Jameshow
Veteran
The more modern style of bike packing involves large saddle bags, frame bags and small handle bar bags. This has become a social and market descriptior, as opposed to rack and panniers of traditional touring.
HobbesOnTour
Guru
- Location
- España
It has, but only to an extent and it varies by from place to place.
It's not at all uncommon to see people describe their 4 panniers on racks as "bikepacking" and I see lots of examples of people "touring" in a way that I wouldn't immediately consider touring at all. But so what?
That's not me trying to be provocative or argumentative, just giving my observation.
I still have no idea what a Touring bike is.
I couldn't care a fig about how people classify themselves. The more people out on bikes the better, as far as I'm concerned. It's better for us all.
Once someone understands the advantages and disadvantages of their bike for their uses then it's all good.
It's a pity the OP hasn't come back to offer any enlightenment. Touring, which for me involves at least an overnight element (and not riding all night!
) is a relatively easy, uncomplicated and cheap way to "get away from it all", a great way to explore new places and see familiar places from a new perspective, is healthy (unless we go a bit mad overindulging ) and is generally (but not always) great fun.In all honesty (and heresy on a cycling forum) the bike is probably the least important part of a bike tour, in my book. It's a tool. And like most tools it's best suited to specific tasks.
