Panniers vs Bikepacking Bags

So the less trail the better?

Not imo no. Lower trail (ie neutral, not twitchy or floppy-slack) can make no-hands riding easier to a point and you don’t get the exaggerated steering flop at lower speeds that comes from longer trail, but I really don’t believe in low trail as a solution for loaded riding.

I’ve found the best handling bikes for evenly-loaded riding on mixed ground have fairly middle of the road geometries – road tourers / gravel bikes or older XC MTBs. There is a lot written about low trail bikes. It might work on a road-going rando bike where everything inc tube specs is designed around it but that’s a lot of spec dictated by something that’s a questionable idea in the first place, I don’t know about you but I’ve never ridden to the point where the effort needed for my steering is tiring me out. I had a couple of frames and forks made that way for gravel type riding and after a few trips and a decent # of miles I wasn’t a fan, at all. It’s a tail wagging the dog kind of solution imo. You get all the negatives of a twitchy bike, they’re just masked by the bag weight in some but crucially not all situations. Add to that the fact they handle poorly when unloaded and have an optimum weight requirement, dictate how you pack etc.

Panniers?

Ooops https://t.co/rnLWgwm8Rs

— Mat Oxley (@matoxley) August 11, 2022

Ewan? Ewan? You OK?

Omg thats terrifying!

Soft bags strapped to your seat bugger up the balence if they are loaded. Weight is too high. Panniers can drop that weight.

Soft bags strapped to your seat bugger up the balence if they are loaded. Weight is too high. Panniers can drop that weight.

What are you putting in it.

Heavy stuff (water/food /tools ) in frame bag.

Bed under the bars

Dry socks thermal layers and waterproofs in the bag.

If your taking more than that soft bags are not what your looking for.

If your taking a trailer off road- one suggests your not actually off-road and are merely on an unpaved road

If your taking a trailer off road- one suggests your not actually off-road and are merely on an unpaved road

Not so. Done loads of single track with mine. Its no issue. Bikepacking bags are better of course if you can get your kit minimal enough but imo a trailer is better than big panniers.

longdog

Free Member

That’s really useful, thanks!!

jameso

Full Member

I find getting my head round fork trail and handling so hard! Thanks for the explanation! 😀

Remind me how loch bulig went with a trailer ?

The point is that with bike packing bags – if a bike can be ridden there then the bike packing bags will not be the hinderance.

Off road a trailer is a liability.

If your taking a trailer off road- one suggests your not actually off-road and are merely on an unpaved road

Coped well enough on this downhill run in Maribor!

I’ve got a bit of a noob question actually.

My Marin Pine Mountain has two bottle cage mounts in the triangle and one under the downtube. All good. Familiar with that.

It also has other bolts/mounts that appear to be single, as in too far apart to be for standard bottle cages.
A bit like these on the underside of the top tube. Two on the seatstays (luggage rack?)
(Not my bike)

I also have them on the rigid fork legs. Just one bolt, either side.
Forgive my ignorance, are these for bags/accessories that bolt on using single bolts and perhaps additional straps or something?

I’ve seen fork mounted ‘anything carriers’ etc but am unfamiliar with how they mount.

👊

Remind me how loch bulig went with a trailer ?

Rode all the singletrack no issue

Geln tilt however………

@kayak23 – the bolts under the top tube are probably for mounting a custom frame bag.
The seat stay bolts are indeed for a rack.
Single fork mounts are usually intended for attaching a rack rather than a cage. Cages usually need two or three anchor points.

Cheers @dove1 👊

Love the seatstays on that Marin!

I’m looking at buying some bike packing bags for some 2/3 day gravel touring, thinking about saddle bag, handlebar roll bag and frame bag.

can anyone recommend some specific bags…probably closer to budget end than some of the really fancy stuff!

For budget bags/packs try the PodSac range from Planet X.

Just wanted to say thanks again, turned into an interesting read.

I’ve started putting together my kit and so far have my rack which I plan to use the motorbike 20l bag someone linked to earlier on in the thread, a 3l bar bag that my wife has passed on, half frame bag and a pair of anything fork cages with Restrap 5l bags.

Hopefully that’s enough space to get me started.

I’ll report back once I actually make it out on an over nighter, think it’ll end up as an Autumn trip, hopefully doesn’t end up too cold and miserable before I get out!

can anyone recommend some specific bags…probably closer to budget end than some of the really fancy stuff!

Somewhere between budget and pricey are the Blackburn Outpost range? I’ve got a large expanding frame (under-top tube) bag (like it) and I believe the handlebar roll w/dry bag are well-reviewed

@rockbus I’ve got one of those Blackburn Outpost bags that doesn’t fit our bikes. Drop me a message if you’re interested.

Looks like this

At the very budget end the PodSacs kit from planet X works for me. I use them only 3 or 4 times a year most but they have survived a few years now. I use a couple of extra Voile Straps on bar bag. The stuff is a bit heavy but seems robust.

I’ve just used the Blackburn frame bag, medium sized, on my medium Marin Pine Mountain. Really liked it. Seems very well made.
Unfortunately it meant I couldn’t use the bottle mounts in the triangle but luckily I have mounts beneath the downtube too.

I also have the Podsacs bar bag which essentially works really well. The fitting depends on cabling etc really. I didn’t like having to squish my cables to fit it but it didn’t cause any issues.
I might look into getting a bar with an extra loop such as the Sonder Confucious.

For the seat pack, I just used a dry bag and two loops of hook and loop straps. Worked pretty well.
I’ve got a Blackburn outpost seat harness coming off eBay though.

Rode over three days with my tailfin aeropack on the north downs, king al’s and South Downs way, did not fit the mini panniers as decided to glamp due to the thunderstorms forecast.

Aeropack was totally solid off road with some fast bumpy trails, so a recommendation from me.

I was in the Brecon Beacons when the self supported offroad LEJOG race passed thru, loads of them had a tail fin and I guess they should know