[Closed] Why do mountain bikers carry backpacks?

On an MTB ride I'll use my Camelbak, can't remember what type it is, but it comes from the hillwalking range and has about a 20 litre luggage capacity. It usually has an outer layer in it, tools, two tubes (I'm a lardy bugger), some food, camera, spare buffs, gloves if cold, basic first aid pack, polythene survival bag. Mobile phone in there somewhere too.

It usually stays packed between rides so that it is harder to forget things.

Darkside I use jersey pockets, but always find the more in the pockets, the more painful my lower back will be on longer rides, however it is always easier to forget things this way, plus items such as mobiles are more exposed to rain/damage etc. Saddle pack carries tools & such like.

This:

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3507920441_3085e19faf.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3507920441_3085e19faf.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/30428607@N08/3507920441/ ]Aftermath of 5 Mile Pass 2009[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/30428607@N08/ ]Pop_martian[/url], on Flickr

And this:
[img] [/img]

8)

"Why do mountain bikers carry back packs?"

Because we've made a choice and expressed the preference to do so 🙂

I've no bottle cage mounts on my frame - so I've no choice either.

As for the comments about "uniform" - lol. People tend to follow good ideas.... TJ - I do worry that you seem to hate almost every other mountain biker out there.

I very rarely carry one. You don't need 3 l of water, you don't need a rucksac full of stuff.

Depends on the weather: you do need 3l of water in summer here, you don't in winter. I did 3hrs on the road bike yesterday with just the one bottle of water, probably could have done with a bit more but survived just fine.

Most of the stuff you carry in a rucksac you'd end up having to carry elsewhere, personally I find the rucksac far more convenient.

I take hardly anything... 😆
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/3333821498_5f2b49e266.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/3333821498_5f2b49e266.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/milkiekula/3333821498/ ]Camelbak Kit[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/milkiekula/ ]MilkieKula[/url], on Flickr

dear o dear, if i want to carry more water than is scientifically proven to be needed and a few bits of kit in my pack then i don't care what anyone thinks, it's what works for me.

I fill my bladder up, grab the pack off the hook in the shed and off i go, simple and easy.

haha...brilliant.

The weekly [i]"You've made a different choice to me therefore are wrong thread"[/i].

If anyone's interested, I wear/carry whatever the hell I like.

A nice simple, small, light weight camelback with 2L of juice...

Pump
Tube
Multi-tool
Tyre repair boot
Patches
Couple of energy bars
Cash
Lightweight windproof

Thats it, grab the pack, fill up, ride out...

Like most people I have tried various options, saddle bags etc, but it just makes life easy to have it all in one bag...

Tried bottles too, be they just get covered in crap.

Horses for courses....

This is mine; there is usually 3l of water, a packet of nuts and some sweets in there too.

[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/4947870706_266628c137.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/4947870706_266628c137.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/flamejob/4947870706/ ]CamelBak Contents[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/flamejob/ ]Flamejob[/url], on Flickr

Can I also add, that I dont want kit in my jersey pockets stabbing me in the kidneys when I have an off, therefore I use a camelbak.
I've used:-
saddle bags - things fall out
Bottle cages - bottles fall out
bum bags - good, but cut into your waist
jacket / jersey pockets - either falls out or digs into your back
Panniers - wouldn't fit too well on my FSR and would just weight the bike down.
Camelbak - rides up a bit on steep techie stuff and can get a bit sweaty in summer, but its the best solution for ME.

Claire with the pics of riding stuff like that made me chuckle. I rode 37 miles in Nidderdale on Saturday and didnt take a rucksack full of stuff.

It baffles me why people have so much stuff, but, each to their own. As long as their enjoying themselves.

Flamejob - [i]Three[/i] spare mech hangers? 😯

The need of a shock pump baffles me 😆

I bet 98% of people finish their rides and empty most of that 3l of water from their packs.

Come on, if you need 3l you havent hydrated correctly before hand.

I initially moved to a hydration pack because my mates would never take water and would ask for some of mine when we stopped, making me their pachyderm. So when I changed, they were left with the option of a sip from my spittle covered bite valve, go thirsty or put the effort of carrying some water in.

But since I've found it very preferable, it's easier to drink small ammounts regularly and have all the little bits & bobs I might need stashed.

I had a fall and landed on my mule type rucksack which effectively caused an osteopath type manipulation on my back, cracking me around the rucksack, and left me with a nasty kink in my spine which took a few more cracks from an actual osteopath to free up.

But it is useful for carrying emergency tools/tube and I use mine to transfer fluid between my bladders 🙂

I bet 98% of people finish their rides and empty most of that 3l of water from their packs.

I leave it there for next time. And just because it holds 3 litres doesn't mean you have to put 3 litres in it.

Why would I want to increase the unsprung or partially sprung weight on my bike when it can be avoided?

I always look at people with saddle-bags and stuff stuck all over their frames and assume they're German. Dunno why. Maybe its the hideous 1980's style lycra they generally tend to be sporting?

I'm never usually properly hydrated when I go on a ride as I live a normal life and don't measure my fluid intake throughout the day.

Plus that and I'm usually hungover on a Saturday/Sunday and water helps me feel better. 😉

I've always used a bag as I like to keep stuff in it. It keeps my back warm, I can put a warm jumper/coat in there and if I decide to pop to the shops on the way home I can put my shopping in there.

Thus I am better than you all.

Weight on the bike : passive weight
Weight carried by you : active weight
simples.........

I dont like hydration packs.. dirty icky rubbery tasting ick..

am I wierd for carrying waterbottles in a backpack?

I don't like carrying stuff on the bike for alot of the riding that I do..

will I have to give up riding..?

yunki, if it tastes funny you're doing it wrong.

Scienceofficer:

Flamejob - Three spare mech hangers?

I'll field this one 😉 I carry 3 mech hangers because each of my bikes uses a different one due to [i]standards[/i], and I'd feel a right knob if I broke one and checked my bag and only had the hanger for one of the other ones. And it's kind of inevitable that if I only carried one or even two (especially 2!) this is exactly what'd happen because lady luck is a right bastard.

In the shed I have 3 hooks:
1 - short ride, bum bag with pump, 3 tyre levers and 1 inner tube. Bottle will go on the bike / in the bum bag.

2 - medium ride / race - backpack with 1.5ltr bladder, pump, toolkit and 2 inner tubes.

3 - long ride - camelback mule, waterproof, toolkit, 2 inner tubes, spare brake pads, tyre repair, puncture repair, food, shockpump

All loaded and ready to go to reduce my faff time to a minimum.
I tried tubeless and didn't like it, I'm a sweaty bar-steward so need lots of fluid.

Because their handbags keep slipping off their shoulder?

Usually I carry 6 house bricks and some lead flashing.
Tackleberry ain't got nuffink on me.

Pure fashion. Its a part of the "uniform"

Well, I've heard some right old drivel on STW in my time, but that's in the top 5!

For me, the Camelbak is one of the best inventions in MTBing, on par with lock on grips, disc brakes and suspension.
I remember carring tubes and spares in a (rattly) seatpack, pump on the bike and a waterbottle, and it was a right PAIN IN THE ARSE!
With a Camelbak I can drink easily when I like without taking my eyes off the trail, I don't loose my bottle on the first rocky descent, if I fall off I don't fall on pockets full of metal things, I can take a nice lunch out with me rather than sachets of chemical muck, I can strap my camera to the front and have it ready to use in 3 seconds flat and if it looks like rain, I can carry a jacket, I can pick up whichever bike I like and not have to transfer all my kit over etc etc....

If you don't want to carry a pack, fine. Don't. Sometimes I go for a short blast with a tube and a gas cartridge in my pocket and a bottle on my bike and it's great, but to call it 'fashion' is, well, utter BS. Sorry, but it is.

And so what if it is fashion? What would be wrong with that anyway?

I give up......... 🙁

Is the answer the same as "why do roadies shave their legs?", ie because they do?

i used a saddlebag at the weekend. the zip got muddy and wouldn't open or close. each time i used it i had to spray it with energy drink from my bottle to open it! ridiculous thing!

yunki, if it tastes funny you're doing it wrong.

that's exactly what this guy used to say to me...

[img] [/img]

PeterPoddy - Member

Sometimes I go for a short blast with a tube and a gas cartridge in my pocket and a bottle on my bike and it's great, but to call it 'fashion' is, well, utter BS.

It's not [i]just[/i] fashion... But I reckon TJ's part right, for some people it's part of the uniform. I've been riding a lot with a younger kid recently and the list of things he [i]needs[/i] to go riding is ridiculous... And it's because everyone else he rides with has these things. He's never tried using bottles and seatpacks etc because to him it's just not what mountain bikers do. Bet you money he's not the only one.

So yeah, sometimes it's fashion. Maybe I'd have been the same, I remember needing a flexstem 😳

The whole backpack wearing thing has come about through neccesity, and then becomes almost a "culture" As already stated on here, MTB'ing takes you to slightly rougher places than a road bike so you may need more spares.
Hell I knew of old roadie guys who beleived that you could do 100 miles with no water or food, those guys would just go and ride, with a spare tube and tyre levers stuffed in an upside down bottle with the top cut off. When I worked in a bike shop that supported this macho road riding culture, it wasn't unusual to have to take the shop van out and scoop up these riders as they had bonked massively and were dribbling like babies at the side of the road. We used to joke that we heard the bang at the shop when they blew.
I feel, probably like most, that I'd like to be able to return from a ride if I had a mechanical or was even injured. I've been on a group road ride where my front wheel was knackered by somebody elses pedal. I spent 2 hrs walking back as I had no spoke tools with me. Never again I thought. Hence the backpack.

my camelbak contains the following on a typical evening ride

Topeak mountain morph, a ghey rhoadie sheite could clip it to their frame, but mud is not good for pumps so mine goes in my bag

Battery pack for my helmet light
folding pruning saw
spare jumper or windproof
Spare gloves if there is a lot of snow
chain tool
spare chain links, spare mech hanger, 1 pair of brake pads.
tyre levers
spare tube
Allen's keys
First aid kit
ID card
mobile phone
keys
Cash for ale

I bet 98% of people finish their rides and empty most of that 3l of water from their packs

3 spare mech hangers? how about a universal one? [url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/wheels-manufacturing/gimp-multi-tool-with-emergency-derailleur-hanger-ec018749 ]Available attached to a mutlitool[/url] (not had to use the hanger yet but hopefully it will get me home)

Pure fashion

I use a back pack as there is no where to put any thing on my bike and not only that I've had a pump that wore out prematurly from bei g covered in crap as well as not wanting to use a bottle cover in it. I carry enough emergency tools as you don't know when things are going to break no matter how well you look after them. A also carry at least 2 spare tubes as I run tubeless and if I damage the tyres I'm going to need the inner tubes for each wheel.
And stated above just because I have a 3l bladder I only ever fill it right up when out for long summer rides in fact on short winter rides I leave a thermos with tea in it in the car and don't fill the bladder at all.

Yunki - "am I wierd for carrying waterbottles in a backpack?"

Not at all, I usually take a 2 litre bottle with me as I've ruined too many of those bladders by not cleaning them properly.

Plus I like to stop and have a look around while I have a drink, it's part of the fun of off road riding. I've never found gasping for breath while drinking all that comfortable either.

Oh, and as for the fashion thing, I'm the least fashionable person on the trail. Hence the coolest.

I tend to use a little rucksack precisely because it allows me to [b]not[/b] have to wear the 'uniform' if I don't want to. Rather than wasting money on cycling specific jerseys with pockets, I use the same tops for cycling, climbing, hillwalking and taking the dog out.

It allows me to minimise faff/maximise riding - I just chuck some water in the bladder, shove it in and I'm ready to go. Sack gets hung on the same hook as my helmet and gloves, allowing me to finish work, swap clothes and be out the door in about 15 mins.

Using a bladder allows me to drink when I want, rather than when the trail allows it. Completely different on a road bike, where it's really only on steep descents that it's difficult to drink from a bottle. On a related note, a lot of the trails round me are used by horses and dog walkers, so I don't want puddle water of dubious origin contaminating my water supply on a ride.

For going out on the road, I have a little container that fits in the second water bottle cage that takes most bits and pieces, for longer rides I can add a little pouch under the seat to add other stuff as required.

Interesting someone mentioned the 'airbag' effect of a rucksack - years ago, a young lad I knew screwed up while descending the Crow Road off the Campsies and went through a barbed wire fence near the bottom. He was a bit of a mess, but the orthopaedic consultant who oversaw his recovery was of the opinion that, in his case, the 2 litre juice bottle full of water that was in his rucksack probably acted as a very effective shock absorber when it popped as he landed on it.

most of you lot aren't going for epic rides in the wilderness.

ahem, most of my riding is in pretty biggerish wilderish places, and I would always have a small bag of stuff with me.

My main reasons for carrying a backpack:-

1) It's an Anti-faff unit. Keep the regular kit in there, ready to go.
2) Camelbak - no-fuss handsfree hydration on the move.
3) Versatility. Allows you to be prepared for any situation when going into unknown territory (i.e. not a B Road).

I have a "minimum kit" which comes with me on every ride, regardless of length or conditions. In this respect I get used to it, it's like part of my clothing, and the camelbaks fit like a limpet shell.

In the seat pouch
- Inner tube
- Cable Ties
- Puncture repair patches
- Tyre Levers
- M8 nut and bolt
- Bike Multitool

In the backpack
- Water Bladder
- Pump
- Keys
- Phone
- Wallet/Money
- Small First Aid Kit
- Leatherman

Other stuff can be added if/when needed. Elbow and Knee pads for example, I don't think anyones mentioned that yet. Anyone who's been in teh Scouts or Army will also know that the pack itself has dozen's of other uses in an emergency.

You can almost guarantee that the one time you ditch the pack, is the one time you're going to need it.

Be prepared!!

Did dib dib

Topeak mountain morph, a [b]ghey [/b]rhoadie sheite could clip it to their frame, but mud is not good for pumps so mine goes in my bag

Followed by

folding pruning saw
spare jumper or windproofspare

FAIL!

A ****ing SAW? Gotta be a troll thats just too funny.

I bet 98% of people finish their rides and empty most of that 3l of water from their packs

Like the others here I don't fill it up fully in winter. But I challenge you to come and ride up a mountain in central Spain any time from June to September without needing at least 3l of water.

TandemJeremy - Member
What a bunch of sanctimonious pricks

Nice language Jezza ❗

why [s]you[/s] [i][b]I[/b][/i] don't NEED 3l of water.

TFIFY 😉 ,
You like to play the 'free spirited, unorthodox, edgy left fielder' card but then are only too keen to extrapolate your own limited set of needs and experiences onto the rest of the world.

Live and let live eh, we don't all have the same likes, needs and motivations so why do you always have to be so authoritarian in your postings - it's very unbecoming and sends the tone of any thread spiralling towards antagonism and abuse 🙄

A ****ing SAW? Gotta be a troll thats just too funny.

I recently added one of these as round here we don't have magic elves to build and maintain trails, we have to do it ourselves...

Hilldodger - merely replying in kind to the insults I was given. 🙂 Question the orthodoxy and people go apoplectic.
You need to read crickeys post on the other thread to understand why you don't need 3 l of water in this country for the riding most of us do - a few hours around the woods and fields

crikey - Member

My view is that the advent of Camelbaks and the like is generally a good thing in terms of people hydrating during exercise, but it is waaaaaaay overdone. There is no need for the average STWer, chubby IT manager type, insert stereotype of your choice, to be carrying 3 litres of water for what is realistically a hour or so of exercise and 40-60 minutes standing about chatting about coffee machines or which razor to buy.

It is clear from any observation of top athletes competing in endurance sports like running, that water intake is minimal, and that we are perfectly evolved to be able to deal with a little dehydration without melting like that witch in the Wizard of Oz.

We have also bought into the whole "drink this sports drink or you'll be as weak as a kitten" and "that slightly overweight girl from accounts will laugh at your pathetic attempts to chat her up" thing.

Road riding is not rocket science, and you really really really don't need to carry a litre of water for every hour you are out there, even in the summer, should it ever happen.

and others on that thread
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/why-dont-roadies-carry-backpacks/page/3

the bag has what i need in it, whichever bike i ride, just add keys and phone.

You need to read crickeys post on the other thread to understand why you don't need 3 l of water in this country for the riding most of us do - a few hours around the woods and fields

Fair enough, CBA to read the thread tho' 😉
personally I don't 'go on a ride' unless it's for at least half a day and of that about 95% is riding time 5% food/photo/view stops, and then 2-3 litres may well be needed.

You need to read crickeys post on the other thread to understand why you don't need 3 l of water in this country for the riding most of us do - a few hours around the woods and fields

Cool TJ. You're saying that (in a thread written by a non-expert (apologies to Crikey if he is) professional athletes and road riders don't need 3l of water.

Thanks for bringing that to a discussion about mountain biking amongst amateurs.

I've burned my back pack in favour of a support team driving along behind me in a Skoda.

Sorted.