Hi All,
In a couple of weeks, I am heading out on my first major bike packing trip – two weeks through the Outter Hebrides and Isle of Skye. I plan to do around 40 miles a day and mostly camping. I have just got back from a three day 'shakedown' test in Wales and the bike held up well. The only change i made was the grey handle bar bag is a new addition for my camera/drone – otherwise it's mostly the same.
For context, I'm a heavy guy (100kg) so I've pushed a lot of weight forward to try to balance the bike – steering is a little heavy but I won't be travelling particularly fast so I can live with that…
Bar bags – tent, sleeping bag, camera, drone.
Right Pan – Cooking gear, toiletries etc…
Left Pan – Sleeping mat, towel, rain jacket etc…
Frame – Tools, spares, midge spray, water filter, batteries, phone etc…
Back – Clothes, warm jacket – strap for bags of food, pump!
I am a bit concerned about weight but I honestly don't see where I can shave any more weight off so I'm pretty sure this is my final setup.
So my Question is… With your expert opinions – what am I missing? I appreciate I've not added a full packing list but does anything immediately jump out at you or does this look pretty reasonable? Obviously, the truth will tell once I'm out on the road but I don't have time for another shakedown trip so I just thought I'd ask incase anybody spots anything glaringly obvious – Thank you 🙂
by CameraGeekery
10 Comments
Looks good and if you like the handle of the weight I would say you’re golden. I’m a very light guy but even on low speeds I found the front load to effect the steering
Looks good man
If you are satisfied roll with it
Anything else you can change laterÂ
>(…) I honestly don’t see where I can shave any more weight of (…)
In practice, by simply taking less stuff and prioritising travelling comfort over the camping comfort (it all comes down to priorities – are you just camping to be able to get some sleep and do some long trip or is camping an actual part of the trip and goal itself).
No room for beer and food.
It seems like there’s too much weight up front. If you can shift some weight to the rear so the center of gravity doesn’t shift, then the bike would be more controllable.
And if you can remove something It would be better
Im a ‘weight on the back, light on the front’ guy so I can only say personal preference I’d move some weight to the back, but it’s all preference. One thing I noticed is try a few rides with your whole set up to make sure you have no steering issues or wobbles from the front weight. Also I’d suggest some bag space for food or souvenirs. I would maybe leave the drone unless you really want the good shots. My first trip I gave away a bunch of stuff about 200 miles in to make room and save weight. You’ll know what you don’t actually need pretty early on, and the drone to me might fall into that category.
Looks good! Make mental notes along the way of what works/doesn’t. Thats the fun !
Ehaaa, who deserves punishment for how this bar tape was wrapped?!
stop thinking of what you’re missing – but what you can get rid of. The bike looks too front loaded, I’d put more on the back rack or pack the front closer to the bars. Like the front Green bag – can that just get stuffed into the rear rack bag? The pump mounting also looks like it will be problematic. Also allow for some empty space so that you can pack food with re supplies easier and not be maxed out 100% of the time.