[Closed] Why don't roadies carry backpacks?

jersey pockets and seatpacks

support car ?

...just a guess!

Kev

1, Back ache, hence why tourers use panniers over 60ltr rucksacks, they work off road as heavy bikes feel worse off road.

2, Didn't the UCI ban them? Cammelbacks were deemed to be aerodynamic?

Jersey pockets - tubes, pump, multi tool, phone, baby food pouches & energy bars.

Same goes for the mountain bike. What the hell do you put in a backpack? (Serious question)

Why would you wear a rucksack on a day ride unless committing?

Saddlebag has multi tool, levers, tube, patches and some cash
Pump is on the frame
Water/drinks are in bottles/cages
Tri-bag (just behind stem) has bars/gels/keys/phone

Pockets might have an extra jacket and/or a buff.

Not much else needed if it's just a spin on a road bike.

2 spare tubes
maps
food
gps
radio
tools
camera
shock pump
normal pump
layers

* Spare tube
* Puncture kit
* Small pump
* Spare top / waterproof
* Phone
* Wallet
* Allen keys
* Chain tool
* Spare brake pads
* Spare chain link
* Spare dérailleur hanger
* Lucozade
* Water
* Food

Out of all of that, the spare top is the bulkiest.

I prefer cycling with a backpack, it helps keep my temperature correct, is good in an over-the-handlebars fall, and can be expanded to take things like cameras, radios, glasses, more spare parts etc etc.

If the UCI did ban them for road races, then that is your answer right there. A lot of cycling 'fashion' is driven by racing (see - no mudguards on mountain bikes).

As others said, jersey pockets and water bottles.
No need to carry all the unnecessary guff that MTBers insist on having in a backpack.

Saddle bag - multi tool, tube, tyre levers, CO2 canisters.

Jersey pockets - Food (energy bars and gels usually for me), mobile, keys, waterproof jacket if needed, camera, money.

Drinks in bottles on frame.

Cant think of anything else that would need to go in a bag.

how much crap are people taking on rides FFS, couple of spare tubes, couple of gas canisters and inflator. and a look at the weather forecast on whether a gillet or goretex might be sensible. some money and some food. spare brake pads for a road ride!! do some ****ing maintenance before you go out, the pads last months!!! and as for better temperature regulation, there are few things worse than the feel of a sweaty back and aching shoulders caused by a back pack.

As for mudgards mtbs, i would say the reason people don't use them is they are generally crap. either move, bend, break, don't work or all.

mini tool
co2
park patch
tube
phone
doorkey
£10
bars/gels

all fit in jersey pockets 9i use sunglasses soft bags to keep stuff together, some shorts have radio pockets in the back so i use them for one of the soft bags.
still room to stuff a gilet/armwarmers in there.
for long 100mile type rides i may use a saddlebag with extra tube/food

road riding with a camelback just feels wrong

Jersey pockets FTW - tube, levers, CO2, mobile, key (just the one to the house), tenner, food (if I'm out for more than a couple of hours)and if need be lightweight jacket. Drinks and calories in the bottles.

Because roadies know what it's like to work hard. They're not fat mountain bikers. Riding at 80% effort for 4 or 5 hours is standard practise for roadies. And you don't want some dirty great pouch on your back making you sweat nd slowing down heat loss when you're putting some real effort in. Best just to stow stuff in your pockets or a saddle bag for proper rides.

unless on an all day epic, you dont need more than:

-tube (two if your feeling thorny!)
-C02 inflator (couple of canisters)
-multi-tool in neopreme case (with spare link, zip-ties, and self adhesive patches
-mobile phone (in sunglasses bag/pouch, along with crumpled tenner)
-bottle of something wet
-bite of something tasty

all that fits inside a couple of jersey pockets

why would you want to carry more?

because roadies ride on the road where the worst you are gonna come accross is maybe a pointy sharp nail or a particularly treacherous section of damaged tarmac
mtbers are far more likely to break bits of their bikes and therefore need more tools/spares
and riding rockgardens with a water bottle strapped to your frame is a good way to loose all your drink very quickly

Over the years I have become more roadie than MTBer and in that time I use the camelback a lot less on the MTB, if you have a jersey with pockets and a bottle cage then why carry a big lump on your back, you tend to carry too much crap on a MTB with a pack.

I also think carrying a rucksack is also an excuse for those 'check how light my bike is' moments, and is also a fashion thing.

Although I tend to have more stuff 'on' the road bike, it's all essential kit such as guards, bottle cages and seat pack, but as space is limited I tend to think more what I take on a ride. I would only take a camelback on long MTB rides when I will be far away from the beaten track and need to be self sufficient. On a trail centre ride a bottle, tube, multitool, energy bar and a pump is all I need + a few quid for the cafe of course. Free the back!

road is smooooth, mini-pump and water bottles don't fall out of cages. and You'd be amazed how many jelly babies you can stuff into a gore phantom 2! Saddle pack for cash, keys n puncture stuff. And I'm not even a roadie!

agreed that mtbers take too much stuff on rides. Unless actually going up some mountains!

+ your position is much flatter on a road bike, a bag would move forward and knock your helmet
But basically you only take a fraction of the kit. If you need additional water/food you stop off at a shop

there are few things worse than the feel of a sweaty back and aching shoulders caused by a back pack.

Let me list a few:

1. Being freezing hot/cold for the 30 mile ride home because you didn't have room to carry/stash that extra layer.

2. Running out of food/water out in the sticks.

3. Puncturing for the third time on a really long road ride and not having the means to mend it.

4. Finding somewhere really, really interesting (old building, pub, cafe, ancient monument etc), but not being able to go and explore because you think looking like a professional racing cyclist is more important than carrying a decent lock.

5. Losing your wallet/phone/bloody expensive minipump or multi-tool out of an unsecured jersey pocket.

A featherlight Alpkit Gourdon 20 litre backpack or a saddlebag/panniers/barbag might not be the epitome of cool, but at least it means I can carry a decent amount of kit and properly enjoy a long ride.

I don't look like some TDF wannabee MAMIL either, and I get to read my book at cafe stops. 🙂

Thing with road bikes are, you tend to be on a road, hence, if you have a major mechanical. You're easy picked up.

that sounds like touring not road cycling

that sounds like touring not road cycling

Why do you feel the need to define things so precisely?

Let me list a few:

As a regular ton plus mile and audax roadie, I can only think that no.1 has ever been an issue for me, and even then it's rare. If you are talking touring I guess there may be more chance of your fears coming true or if you are planning to interupt your ride with a cultural event or maybe even a movie. If you just want to have a backpack/ or you if you cant't think ahead or are just a bit of a fretter then, also, maybe.

Fair enough, but what are the REAL disadvantages of a bit more luggage capacity?

A pound or so extra weight for an unladen pannier, barbag or rucksac?
Weigh (sorry) that against the advantages and you must admit that it's only image and the desire to conform that stops you.

Bet you've got a nice camera. Bet you never take it on road rides.

Sad? no.
If I want to out taking photos, I'll take a nice camera. If I desperately feel the need to snap something I've seen whilst riding, I use the phone. Nothing to do with image or wanting to conform (see http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/does-is-bother-you-what-people-think-of-you)

Sometimes I go out on the tourer and have a more relaxed ride. I might, as you suggest, take a book or something - usually in a handlebar bag.

Druidh, so you'd actively avoid taking things with you that could enhance the limited time you have available to enjoy the outdoors?
Even if there was little objective penalty involved?

If so, why?

EDIT:
I can see the point of being absolutely minimalist if you're competing in a TT or trying to break a PB, but otherwise, why bother? What, in all honesty do you gain?

And you're right, there's nothing wrong with wearing pink. 🙂

RS - the thing is that when I go out on the "fast" road bike, it tend to be just riding, say a 3 or 4 hour loop. It'll be planned reasonably well in advance, so I'll have an idea of the weather, where food might be obtained, how much to take with me. That's just the nature of that kind of riding.

If I have "all day", I might just take the tourer instead and head off with a less well determined route. In that event, I tend to take things as they come and will change plans accordingly. For a start,I'll usually wear an "MTB style" shoe and pedal combination so I can walk around a bit.

It's just a different type of riding really.

Oh and...there [i]is[/i] something enjoyable and fundamental about going out with little kit.

But I can sympathise with your scepticism. As a confirmed hillwalker/mountaineer, I can't understand these fell-runner types who go out with no kit and rely on speed alone to get them off the hills in the event the weather turns. Parallels?

A pound or so extra weight for an unladen pannier, barbag or rucksac?
Weigh (sorry) that against the advantages and you must admit that it's only image and the desire to conform that stops you

Don't let me stop you carrying loads of stuff round with you, but don't imagine the rest of us need all that when out for day rides. If you like I'll do your list:
1) - never had that problem, have always managed to stash layers in jersey pockets given you don't need huge amounts if you plan properly and keep riding.
2) - carry money and buy from shops/garages.
3) - puncture repair kit, though I don't actually ever carry one - the only time I ever have had 3 punctures in a road ride was due to dodgy rim strips where what you carry probably wouldn't have helped - I called the team car.
4) - if I do that I'm touring, in which case I'd carry more stuff.
5) - never happened, and I don't know of anybody it's happened to. I'm guessing you don't actually own a roadie top?

As a confirmed hillwalker/mountaineer, I can't understand these fell-runner types who go out with no kit and rely on speed alone to get them off the hills in the event the weather turns.

Fair enough Druidh.

Personally, I can't see the fun in it - tend to think of minimalist MAMILS on expensive carbon wonder machines in the same way I think of people on GS1200 BMW's dressed in full Dakar kit for a Sunday pootle:
Fantasists.

If you're going to race, then race. If not, stop pretending and enjoy yourself a bit more.

We have enough rules in life about without making up new self-imposed ones as well.

We have enough rules in life about without making up new self-imposed ones as well

Druidh/aracer, yes, I get your point lads.

I do have a nice light road bike, and a BMX. I wouldn't carry a pannier on either.

I do feel though that in some misguided attempt to conform with what is increasingly being promoted as the norm, people new to cycling are missing out on the sheer fun of just being out and exploring the country on a bike.

And no aracer, you don't HAVE to carry anything you don't want. 🙄

You should be able to ride what you want, when you want, where you want, without the fear of some pathetic hype-swallowing monkey telling you that you're not a proper road cyclist because you choose to carry a sandwich and a spare pair of gloves.

anyway, it's no biggy, backpack or not. yer still riding yer bike and doing something physically and mentally positive. Is this just a question of aesthetics?

Rusty Spanner is in the CTC before his time!

Or is it the boy scouts well after his time?...

I quite like riding fast-ish but CBA racing, getting out there on 23c's with minimal kit is great.

Nowt wrong with the CTC al, you get great cake on CTC runs

If you're going to race, then race. If not, stop pretending and enjoy yourself a bit more.

What about when I'm training for my racing? I want to replicate the conditions of my race (ie ride fast for a long period of time with no rest stops and no baggage on me).

So would you mind awfully if I rode how I wanted to rather than riding to your ideal?

I'm going out on my road bike later and will be taking my camelbak as usual. I hate having my pockets stuffed full of crap - it doesn't feel right, moves about, pulls on my jersey/jacket, keeps my ipod safe, means i can have a selection of snacks and I worry about losing stuff from pockets (given I I've on my own losing my keys would be expensive). Maybe a i look odd to the numerous 'proper roadies' I see out but then i'm usually in baggy shorts, long fingered gloves and big ol mtb spds. It's clearly a personal thing, but having tried both options I prefer to have a rucksack.

If I want "the sheer fun of exploring the countryside" I'll go on a mountain bike, with a pack, and bimble around.

If I'm out on my road bike, I'm there for the pain and suffering.

... because a roady with a camelbak on would look silly.

Kinda like having a Porshe 911 with a Baby on board sticker in the back window.

It just looks wrong!

... because a roady with a camelbak on would look silly.

Kinda like having a Porshe 911 [s]with a Baby on board sticker in the back window[/s].

It just looks wrong!

When I've ridden (what I consider to be) long road rides in summer (e.g. circa 80 miles) I take a camelbak classic along with 2x water bottles. It might look wrong but is preferable to running out of fluid 20 miles from the nearest shop. I also wear baggies, mtb shoes/top/helmet and ride a triple so get routinely ignored by roadies when out and about (not that it matters).

I either have everything on the bike (pump, tubes, repair kit, tools) plus pockets for snack,key, phone, waterproof, or if I'm touring overnight / commuting / need a big camera , have a really big (fits a 13" laptop) saddlebag.

I've done lots of miles with and without rucksacks, and it is just more comfy not to have one for long rides, particularly if like me, you sweat a lot.

If it is just a pootle for the sake of riding, it is easy enough to do a hundred miles in comfort without any need for extra bags - I think I stopped once for food last one, but only cos I was bored of soreen.

Don't take a backpack on the road, but given the unpredictable and very quickly changing Lakeland weather I always take a back pack with extra layer, food , tools, pump, tubes, you don't want a simple mechanical or crash to leave you a few hours walk from where you parked in the hosing rain with no mobile reception.
Be prepared?

cynic-al - Member

Rusty Spanner is in the CTC before his time!

Or is it the boy scouts well after his time?...

😀

Used to be in one, can well see me joining the other.

so get routinely ignored by roadies when out and about (not that it matters).

No sign of a first aid kit? I suppose its a risk based thing and it will probably only be needed every few years. But if you don't know how to use the kit then, its probably better not carrying anything. I'm surprised how little people care abour this. Free country I suppose.

I'm all for a small kit at all times a BIG first aid kit it you are out with less experienced riders who are relying on you for knowledge.

They're probably not far from home, or they have a phone to call their mummy to rescue them.

But seriously what do they need to carry? Water bottle, multitool, pum+ patches would cover most eventualities. Anything major, bike on shoulder and thumb out.

Back from my ride an i reckon i say about 25 other cyclists, mainly roadies. The majority were bagless, but 3 did have backpacks. One rider had a rucksack and a bag on his bars, and proceeded to run a series of red lights and use the pavement whenever it suited him. Clearly the more bags you have the more laws you can break.

CaptJon - Member

Back from my ride an i reckon i say about 25 other cyclists, mainly roadies. The majority were bagless, but 3 did have backpacks. One rider had a rucksack and a bag on his bars, and proceeded to run a series of red lights and use the pavement whenever it suited him. Clearly the more bags you have the more laws you can break

It was you, wasn't it?

it all depends on what type of ride you are going out on , i see pepole on road bikes going to and from work with backpacks on but never seen anyone out with the local chaingang with one.

It wasn't, Paul, I only had a camelbak. Ruddy windy out there and the winter has taken it's toll on Northumberland's roads.

I've had a sore back from a camelbak when on a road bike so now avoid using one

tools money phone in the toolbag under saddle
innertubes and stowaway jacket und food in jersey pockets
2 big bidons got me through the manchester 100

200Km ride = 2 tubes & 2 x Co2
Levers
Phone
1 x Kit Kat
500ml of water

100Km reliability trial today, as above sans Kit-Kat.

Never in my whole life had a road bike go wrong, everything is checked the day or night before. So no tools required.

Forgot to get to the point, you simply can't wear one when your backs flat.

Bet you've got a nice camera. Bet you never take it on road rides.

i have some very nice cameras thanks, i'm a photographer so it kind of helps.
i never take a camera when riding my various bikes it can't be that difficult to work out why.

I have a Carradice camper saddlebag, which I'm very keen on and will use any day in preference to wearing a rucksack on the road bike. I'm very intolerant of having anything on my back when I'm in the drops.

As others have said though, there's nothing I usually take out for the day that won't go in jersey pockets, on the frame and in a dinky little saddlebag. If I know I'm stopping somewhere and need a lock, dry togs, book, camera etc then that's a different sort of excursion.

🙂

i have some very nice cameras thanks, i'm a photographer so it kind of helps.
i never take a camera when riding my various bikes it can't be that difficult to work out why.

Ooohh, sarky. 🙂
Fair enough, busmans holiday etc. Funnily enough, lots of cyclists AREN'T professional photographers though.

oldgit + 1
only I have a couple of eccles cakes and a fiver for a coffee and cake somewhere on the route

you're riding a bike on a road, not scaling ben nevis.

If its cold wear an extra layer, if its not, don't. If you bollox this up and get cold HTFU and ride faster to get warm.

2 spare tubes
maps
food
gps
radio
tools
camera
shock pump
normal pump
layers

if that a joke? a radio??? what for the Archers???

not all cyclists go for bimbles in the countryside on their road bikes carrying lots of kit and stop off at the petting zoo, garden center and owl sanctury on the way 🙂

i guess they would look rather silly with a camelbak, hey has anyone designed a roadie sac yet ?

so where do they keep their waterproofs ? maybe they think it wont rain on them... i guess they want to be as light as poss...
and Harribo sweeties where do they stuff them ? 😉

In case it makes their bum look big..

See, I always carry a dictionary as well, so I know that you spell it 'sanctuary'. 😉

Went out for a small bimblette to the In Laws this afternoon.
I took a pannier.
They gave me cake to take home. I knew I was right all along. 😀

I might enjoy myself more if I visited more owl sanctuaries. Might experiment... 😉

Depends how you ride, natch, but most of my time on a road bike, whether by myself or with others, has involved tapping along at a steady, vigorous tempo with occasional breaks for tea (inside) or punctures (outside). As long as you've hit roughly the right amount of clothing on leaving the front door, and have a waterproof to put on, you're fine.

A huge proportion of mountain bike rides involve vastly less continuous effort, a much bigger range of pace uphill and therefore more waiting, a lot of hanging about looking at stuff, having rests and talking rot etc. Getting chilled is a far greater problem.

If youre not stopping you don't aiways need a waterproof. Today was torrential, but the jacket I put on to keep the wind out was good enough to keep me 'not bothered' when the roads flooded.

Elaine - I carry a waterproof except in high summer. Little Montane featherlight thing. It goes in a jersey pocket.

🙂

I have sacked off wearing a waterproof too. It has been horrid the past week with three club rides in pouring rain, seem to have got by OK wearing a windproof jersey with merino baselayer and synthetic mid layer. I was soaked when I got in but not cold.

and Harribos ? i guess you guys have those energy tablets mixed in ya water bottles too then.
harribos must be stuffed in the helmets too me thinks...lol
do you guys get alot of stick ? from traffic .... please dont hold onto car wing mirrors wen waiting at traffic lights or zebra crossings... hahahahhha 😉

and Harribos ?

It's easier to say why use a camelbak on a mtb. It's because off road when its bumpy you do not want to be reaching down and having to hold a bottle whilst riding twisty singletrack. Sticking a tube in your mouth is much easier. Roads are nice and smooth so one handed riding is much easier.

However why mountain bikers need such huge camelbaks and insist on filling them with so much crap is beyond me.

I'm experiencing the same kind of feeling that non-cyclists must get when I talk about riding a mountain bike; I just don't understand how it can be so hard to grasp that riding a road bike is not about transporting crap around the countryside.

First aid kit? On a road bike? What do you take when you go shopping, an operating theatre?

You are coldest for the first 10 minutes, then warm enough if you are dressed right. A waterproof can go in a pocket, or even get stuck up the back of a jersey.

Wierd things, mountain bikers....

I went to a party at an Owl Sanctuary once.
It was a hoot.

I'll get me waterproof, it's in that pannier over there.

What planet are all you 'new money' mountain bikers from!
I assume you do realise people have been riding bikes on the road (and off-road) long before your beloved water buffalo rucksack was invented!

bottles on an mtb get covered in mud (and sometimes dogshit which can be bad news)

elaine - those elrctolyte tablets are very good especially on hot days but pricy, myprotein.co.uk does bulk packets for much less

Oldgit

200k with only half a litre of water? That's some serious dehydration you're rockin there.

That's the reason I where a CB 'cos you can't ride for 3+ plus hrs without taking in fluid & fuel. 2ndly if I'm out all day across the hills then I need to be self-sufficient & that means carrying a lot of gear. You wouldn't go for a day out walking on the hills poorly prepped.

Anyway I'll do what I do & you'll do what you do, let's not worry about it too much hey.

[i]That's some serious dehydration you're rockin there.[/i]

I do wonder how anyone ever manages to run marathons without their 3 litre Camelbaks...

has anyone designed a roadie sac yet ?

Water stops.. 🙄