Hi

I have been thinking of a new bike for ages and just cant decide what I want it to do

It will mainly be my commuter, it will have drop bars, disc brakes, mudguards and Im not completely sure of the rest yet

Something which Im keen to get into is overnight and/or multiple nights away trips and so Ive been wondering about luggage as none of my current bikes have any provision for this

Bikes that can take panniers are a bit limited and usually look like theyd be slow
The new one will be used on winter road club runs so slow is not good

So bike packing kit? What do you know?
Seat post bags, frame bags and bar bags – I have no idea on the practicalities

My most likely use is weekends away staying in B&Bs or YHAs
I dont need to carry a tent but some disco pants and knitware would be nice in the local boozer instead of lycra or baggies – do seat post bags have a weight limit, is a carbon seatpost a no-no, can you get much in a frame bag and do bar bags trash your handling are all things I know nothing about

The end of it is should I buy a Diverge which takes panniers or can I kit out a Roubaix for weekends away when I know the Roubaix is probably a better winter chain gang bike than the Div on the club run

Cheers

If you’re not heading off road then just use panniers (front and/or rear) and a barbag if required.

I use panniers off road as well .I don’t get all the bike packing luggage its expensive and not as good

Or just get a Carradice saddlebag ,a weeks kit goes in one of those

If you are mainly B&Bing then something like a Carradice SQR saddlebag will be more than enough. We’ve done a week’s touring in Scotland like that. Add something like a 5L Ortlieb handlebar bag for camera, wallet & trail snacks and you are good to go.

A Kinesis 4S disc will take panniers and is certainly quick enough for winter club runs!

I’ve got one (non disc) and would only chop it in for the GF Ti (which is the same but in titanium).

One of those new Ortlieb bikepacking saddle bags looks like it might suit the bill.

I used to use a bar bag and it didn’t affect the handling, but it was fairly lightly loaded.

I’ve got a Kaffenback 2 for a do it all (road/gravel/commuter) that has rack mounts, fast down hill….thanks to the weighty steel frame…. and disc brakes sure do stop it, as comfortable as a bike can be.
I like the classic looks as well though I kind of wish I went for the coffee colour… I’m fat enough not to worry about the weight of the thing…. if you can look past that it’s a very capable and comfortable bike, I thought it was well specked for the price and often comes up with discounts, I think I paid £650.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/road-bikes/kaffenback

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GaBf1N]IMG_20160411_192706[/url] by Stephen Williams, on Flickr

I’ve also just bought a Altura Vortex saddle pack for my emergency/commuter kit, will be used on this and my MTB for when I go Dartmoor and the like. One of the cheaper saddle packs about but I might add an extra strap as it did seem a bit wobbly, though I might not have it set up right. I do need to use it in anger.

http://www.altura.co.uk/products/detail/ALVORSPB

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gf6EAQ]IMG_20160415_093627[/url] by Stephen Williams, on Flickr

EDIT* Sorry had a better read of what you are after…. A Kaffenback might be a bit too slow……

If you want more choice of standard road bikes, you can get a pannier rack that uses the rear skewer for the weight and brake mount for positioning. The Axiom Streamliner Road DLX is one design, I am sure there must be others too.

EDIT: scrub that, it only works with V, not disc brakes.