beginner here please be nice haha! I’m thinking of cycling across the uk and a bit of europe in the coming months, and I don’t want to spend too much money on new bags. I have attached the pic of my half-packed bag (pls excuse the mess) to give u a rough idea of it’s size. Is there an efficient way of securing it to my bike? thank you!
by EarlyDivide2237
15 Comments
on your back will be the most efficient and least dangerous way.
or put it into a drybag and strap it onto your carrier.
Strap it to a front or rear rack and make sure all the dangling straps and such are really secure so they don’t dangle down and get caught in your wheel? Large front basket or flat rack? If you don’t have the racks you might just be better off buying some bike bags though, it seems like it might be a bit of a struggle.
Nah
Get a rear tire rack. Strap it down to that.
60L is a really big backpack. Might even be too big to wear, as you might not be able to tilt your head back far enough.
The cheapest way to fit that much stuff would be to buy a rear rack and some generic panniers. You can pretty easily get a pair of panniers that fits 30L each. 60L in one bag is just a non-starter on a bicycle.
Maybe a rear rack and a euro box attached to the rack would work, it would hold all the straps inside, if it rains it would drain out and the ultimate frugal part is that they can be found for free at your local market, just make sure to get one with thick sturdy plastic and you should be grand!
You’ll need a rear rack, elastic straps and a plastic bag big enough to cover your backpack.
Attach the rear rack to your bike, then put the backpack in the plastic bag, then attach the backpack to your rack using the elastic straps. Easy. Just make sure no dangling pieces can get caught in the brakes or between the wheel and the frame.
I rode through NZ with a 60L pack. Thought i could strap it down to my rear rack with everything in it. I ended up having to get small panniers and a handlebar bag to lighten the load. Before that, it was just hanging off my rear rack too much and sliding off left and right.
Panniers also help keep the pack on the rack.
Dear god don’t do this. That’s a huge backpack and it’s not going to do well on your bike. The straps are dangerous. It’s too big. It won’t strap down securely. It will get covered in dirt and mud.
Instead consider buying some new or used bags that mount to your bike. If you already have a rack, look for panniers. If you don’t have a rack or don’t want one, look for a seat bag and handlebar roll.
Spend money on a rack and shitty panniers and it will be 2 million times better than trying to use that 60L pack
Too big and too heavy (probably) to be in one place. Panniers. Distribute the load. Ignore people who say “front panniers inhibit the steering” in general – with that load you’re probably not rock hopping at Olympic level but rather churning through the miles relatively straight most of the time abd the steering will be fine. My favourite setup on my tourer when not taking a tent is two carradice super-C front panniers and a carradice camper saddle bag. Nice weight distribution.
60L is huge. You can make your own frame bag cheap. [https://bikepacking.com/gear/how-to-make-a-bikepacking-framebag-krampus/](https://bikepacking.com/gear/how-to-make-a-bikepacking-framebag-krampus/)
Also, there are some cheap bags on Amazon. I do a frame bag, saddlebag, and backpack. I use two cheap velcro straps to attach my sleeping bag to the handlebars. My saddlebag was $80, but most people already have a backpack and the velcro straps are like $3 for 50.
In a trailer
You’re talking about a touring/trekking trip tbh, and pulling a little 1-2 wheel trailer would solve your problem. In the US, you can find used ones for $50-200ish easily. Then, leave it and your tent at your campsite for the day if you’re ever trail riding somewhere.
Not