I want to go on my first bike packing trip but wondering whether I could 1) pick one or my two bikes as is 2) swap parts like the wheels 3) need a new bike.
It would be mostly road and some light gravel though south France and north Italy in november
City bike
Koga supermetro 2025 (photo): a really nice bike, fast and sturdy, for in town but maybe not ideal for long distances and mountain
Specs
• Frame/Fork: Rigid aluminum frame and fork (no suspension)
• Handlebar/Saddle: Fixed stem, KOGA grips, Selle Royal saddle, LightSkin alloy seatpost
• Drivetrain: Shimano Nexus 8-speed internal hub, Gates CDC 24 belt drive
• Shifter: Shimano Nexus twist shifter
• Brakes: Shimano MT201/UR300 hydraulic disc brakes (front & rear)
• Tires: Continental Contact Urban
• Rear Hub: Shimano Nexus internal gear hub
• Front Hub: Shutter Precision PL-7 dynamo hub
road bike: giant tcr advanced 2 disk
A fully carbon road bike. Fast but not sure suitable for days on end. Maybe just switch the wheel set for thicker tires?
Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc (2021) – Key Specs:
• Frame/Fork: Carbon (Advanced-Grade Composite), OverDrive steerer
• Wheelset: Giant P-R2 Disc, 12mm thru-axles, tubeless-ready
• Tires: Giant Course 1, 700x25c (fits up to 32mm)
• Drivetrain: Shimano 105 R7000, 2×11 (52/36 crank, 11–30 cassette)
• Brakes: Shimano 105 hydraulic disc
• Mounts: No rack or fender mounts
• Weight: ~8.3–8.5 kg
Planning to do a 6 day trip and camp
Thanks for any recommendations to help me solve this dilemma 🙂
by Material-Ad5426
9 Comments
If the road bike doesn’t have a rack, then I wouldn’t use it. If the camping gear isn’t ultralight, you’ll probably struggle fitting it in the typical bikepacking bags.
In my opinion your koga will be more than sufficient, of course another bike would be great everyone loves n+1! I do think would be the best of the two for such a use case, koga also make some brilliant bike packing/ touring bikes. Ultimately the best bike for the job is the one you have.
Don’t see any problems with using a city bike.
If you won’t try to be fancy and just get a set of used panniers for the rack the whole budget could be like 30-50$.
Yes the city bike. Don’t risk your road machine.
Great advice. Probably can get these through some friends. What else is good to add to the bike??
– change steering wheel to more suitable for touring
– switch to SPD / SPD SL? In stead of standard pedals or with bike packing not practical?
– I assume pack on steering wheel, frame, “ass rocket” pack?
You most likely will get on a trackthat isn’t made for road bikes, especially not with cargo. So your city bike will be fine. In fact, I think it fits quite well for a camping adventure. Only downside is that your abilities for some cargo at the front are limited, but there are always options.
Another +1 for the hybrid. I take my 15 year-old Giant Escape on all my bike packing trips. As a city hybrid, it’s light enough but almost shockingly sturdy. It’s great because I don’t worry too much about it at this point as I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth already with that bike. I don’t even swap out tires; I run it with the 28 commuters.Â
I would usually say city/hybrid bikes are ideal for beginner road bikepacks – the one caveat is if your route is extremely hilly and exceeds the gearing you have on your hub
I’d just use the Koga, get some racks/bags and you’re good. Btw, I have a Nexus 8 on my Folder and apparently the most efficient gear is 5.