Here we are, that’s my bike and i’m suffering for the frame. I bought it just to going from home to work and same some gas money. Actually i want to gravelize it and maybe change color . Any suggestion?
by Important-Cry6203
Here we are, that’s my bike and i’m suffering for the frame. I bought it just to going from home to work and same some gas money. Actually i want to gravelize it and maybe change color . Any suggestion?
by Important-Cry6203
19 Comments
It’s a riverside 120, with low frame (they said it’s for both sex but looks kinda girly)
Send it!
You can travel on that thing for sure. I don’t have experience with that frame style holding gear but the only thing that won’t work is a frame pack.
How much clearance do you have for wider tires? I believe it comes with 700x35c… which may make it uncomfortable on anything but roads and light gravel when laden.
You’re kind of stuck for a frame bag as you have virtually nowhere to put it, but I believe there are half-frame bags that Decathlon do for that bike (maybe one sixth frame would be a better description)? Anyway, you have a rear rack, so that can cover for the lack of frame space to some degree.
I would also worry about the gears, as I believe it’s a 1×8 and that’s going to be awful going up steep hills when you’re carrying extra weight. I guess you can always push…
Front rack or mounts will open up a decent amount of storage space, throw on a couple Ortlieb Rollers on either side on the rear and maybe a top bag and you might might be surprised at how much you can fit without a full size frame bag.
Feed bags are also a nice addition.
There’s a somewhat artificial divide that has been made between “bikepacking” and “bike touring” gear, in the sense that it matters at the extremes but for regular people I’d argue it’s mostly about aesthetic.
If you’re doing actual singletrack trails and unmaintained logging roads, you do actually want bikepacking-style bags that don’t get hung up on branches, that keep your bike light etc. But I would guess that for a lot of people on this sub that’s only an aspiration, and they would do just fine on the gravel trails they ride with a rear rack and a couple panniers, and the “bikepacking” setup is an aesthetic choice that arguably has downsides (reduced cargo capacity and the pain in the ass of distributing stuff across 5 different small bags).
If you put a couple big panniers on there and the biggest puncture-resistant knobby tires you can fit, you will do just fine on gravel trails and roads. Go for it! That is still bikepacking. If you catch the adventure bug and want to go more remote someday, that’ll be the time to think about upgrading the bike.
Get some panniers and shred it!
Honestly looks like it would work well. Ride what you got. I think I spot some eyelets on the fork? If so you should be able to put a front rack on it. You already have a rear rack. I’m not seeing a lot of water bottle storage options so maybe get one or two stem bags to fit bottles in
If you’re wanting a frame bag, just find a bag maker you like and commission a custom one that could string from stem to seat post.
I just googled “step through frame bag” and found this for inspiration
https://preview.redd.it/93sbx93soc2h1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a541772ce6fccf02ffe125a1d4836ce153caa5a7
[https://bikepacking.com/news/bags-by-bird-clem-smith-framebag/](https://bikepacking.com/news/bags-by-bird-clem-smith-framebag/)
look at bike tourers/packers from a hundred years ago.
your bike is a rolls royce – just gotta adjust your mindset!
https://preview.redd.it/mkn6b9z0qc2h1.png?width=726&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a9801fb65883d0da15099cdd6076d984c00df72
[https://bikingfranceblog.com/2022/04/24/bike-touring-just-like-they-did-in-1896/](https://bikingfranceblog.com/2022/04/24/bike-touring-just-like-they-did-in-1896/)
Welllllllll just saying.. 70 pounds.
https://preview.redd.it/wze3s8jeyc2h1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7623f8a7ddafd8d28c4f125e5822c046804a9b89
Womens bikes are not as sturdy, which will feel less secure when packing a lot. That does not mean it will not work, but when riding fast downhills especially the bike will not feel stable.
Depending on how long or often you want to bikepack I would consider to buy a different bike.
Use that fancy bell to ring away any naysayers!
Just do it
I would suggest a good bike fitting first
looks pretty good! I’d maybe add a front rack to increase the cargo space, and maybe add a pair of ergonomic handlebar grips (they really help on long multi-hour rides).
First trip. Just get or borrow some panniers, maybe a front bag roll and go on an overnighter to see if you like it.
You don’t need to be fancy, just dip a toe in
Bike’s fine – at most you’d be missing a frame bag, which you could fabricate regardless of the lack of a top tube if you were so inclined.
You’ve already got a rear rack (though if you load some weight on the sides and take a sharp corner, it’ll try to sway despite how hard that clamp is grabbing the seat post).
The handlebars are up high, so there’s a lot of room for a sleeping/bike bag up there.
You can get clamp-on front forks if there aren’t mounts already.
Front rack or a handle bar harness. Either way you can get 50L on that bike as is and that’s plenty for a weekend.