What is the difference between bike packing and cycle touring?

[tyred]

Forgive my ignorance here. I like to tour, and I use a bicycle for doing so. I would describe myself as a cycle tourist.

Yet for the past week, most of the people I met in the Hebrides that I spoke to said they were bike packing.

Am I just out of touch with terminology, or is there a difference?

 

[raleighnut]

Forgive my ignorance here. I like to tour, and I use a bicycle for doing so. I would describe myself as a cycle tourist.

Yet for the past week, most of the people I met in the Hebrides that I spoke to said they were bike packing.

Am I just out of touch with terminology, or is there a difference?

As I understand it 'Bikepacking' tends to be lighter and shorter whereas cycle touring involves carrying more kit and is for a week or more, I could be wrong but I described my short 'overnighters' to Monyash with the little Bikamper tent as bikepacking but longer trips as cycle touring but I'm carrying more food, kettle. stove etc.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

My understanding which may be wrong is it almost comes down to volume of kit you carry.

Cycle touring maybe for longer maybe more independent (so maybe a stove, maybe camping gear, etc).

Bike packing lighter, probably with credit card (they are small and lightweight). Probably staying hotels, AirB&B, basically sleeping in a bed. Food, drinks, etc. purchased and consumed quickly (generally not carrying eg food for tomorrow).

But I'll be interested to see if my impressions are wrong. I place myself in "Cycle Touring" with two rear, two front panniers, bar vag incl. tent, stove, etc. trip typically 2 months.

 

[tyred]

I wasn't carrying a tent on this occasion, but did have enough to be completely self-sufficient, clothes, tools and food.

 

[Ian H]

I tour with a credit card and a saddle-bag (occasionally panniers). Bikepacking seems to involve filling the main triangle of your bike with odd-shaped luggage, cantilevering more of it off your seatpost, then strapping even more to your bars and fork blades.

 

[mickle]

Bikepacking: a relatively new niche and closely related to the gravel fad. Lightweight gear carried in minimalist luggage. Attached directly to frame, bars or saddle rails, negating the use of racks. Weight is carried high because mostly offroad, gravel, fireroads and keeps everything up and out of the way of rocks, foliage etc. wider drop bars. High volume tyres. No mudguards. Usually carbon or alu frame and fork. Often 1x or 2x transmission.

Cycle Touring: been around forever. More gear carried in traditional panniers attached to racks. Lower centre of gravity for stability over long distances. Almost exclusively road based. Thinner tyres traditionally, combined with mudguards. Usually steel frame and fork. 3x (or less commonly 2x) transmissions.

There's increasingly more crossover between the two types. You can mix and match bags according to your needs. I'm running 42mm gravel slicks on my touring bike which gives it a bit more grip and cush on unmade roads. Bikepacking bars have some interesting dimensions, shapes and angles that might see their way onto touring bikes. Ive got some OEM gravel bars i bought out of a bin at my local bike shop which have more flare and shallower drop that trad touring bars. Frame bags are an excellent way to carry heavy shoot because it centres the weight which minimises its negative effects on handling.

 

[Jameshow]

Simple....

If your over 50 your a cycle tourist

If your under 50 your a bike packer just saying! 🤣

 

[Webbo2]

I think it’s like what’s the difference between masturbation and W@nking.