People who ride without backpacks, how??? solutions on longer days please

My third saddle pack just gave up the ghost, so I am trying a fuel tank/frame bag next..

sometimes I have a frame bag – and possibly tiny saddle bag.
sometimes Camelbak or similar – with water bottle, or hydration pack.

It’s all good – I revel in a frame bag TBH, and quite happy with water bottle – but end up of it getting covered in cack 🙂

I went out for a year or two with local Sunday morning wheelers – nothing too far or tough, road riding with cafe stop. I turned up on one of first rides with my hybrid (was happy with that) and since I had jacket, tools and so on, I chucked on the pannier. Oh how they laughed (I’m looking at certain responses above, here). “What’s in your pannier” – jacket (it was Feb/Mar), pump, spare tube, multi tool, spare links, chain tool”.

“A *chain tool*” – they laughed again – what use is that. I asked them how they fixed any bust chains, in that case – “oh, usually Gordon does that sort of stuff (local, not very good LBS owner”.
“Which one is he” I asked.
— “ah, he’s not here today”
— — “bad luck” I thought if any mishaps occurred..

What do you mean by hyperbole?
800 miles in 95 degree heat

To be fair there’s not much hyperbole, I just like the word. But people are using extreme use cases as justification for the everyday. Pawsy_Bear is a great example. Unless every ride is the Trans Rockies it’s a moot point that he thinks it’s useful for a 100k ride in 35 degree heat. No one is saying “actually, I could definitely do without my bag, but I quite like it”, people are saying “but when you’re 40 miles into a ride and its 30 degrees what do you do?” It’s not hyperbole admittedly, but it’s hardly classic use case. That holds no relevance whatsoever to the riding 95% of folk do.

I said as much on page 1

Most important thing is to know when you actually DO need a pack.

Some just seem to set the bar at “when i go riding”

I tend to carry a bag at BPW as if I am paying £35 I want to get in as many runs as possible for my money. It also means I have enough water and snacks that we can roll out the bottom of the trail straight into the uplift queue and more often than not be back on the bus having a drink 5 mins later. And I can carry enough water for me and the GF (who gets grumpy if she’s not topped up with snacks regularly). For £35 I want to get a minimum of 9 runs if not more.

If iMm heading to FOD on my own I’ll just chuck pump, patches, tool and levers in my shorts pocket and a 500ml bottle of water in the back pocket of my bibshorts (like an old cheap SWAT bib) and pop back to the van to refil after an hour of DH or a loop of the trails.

I think in-frame storage like the Stump Jumper’s SWAT is the future for stashing kit. I like the fact that it has space in the Down tube and the built in multi tool.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to what to carry and how to store it. But if you don’t have the tools/fix your bike or tyre on a ride I think it’s fair to expect to be walking back to the car.

Tom KP

I ride daily in the peaks and rarely take a pack any more due to it hurting my back on climbs. I’ve run tubeless for years now and never needed a spare tube or pump on high roller 2’s. I take a multi tool with chain splitter and spare power links. Then just take a water bottle and that’s it. I feel better on the bike without a pack.

Its a revelation not having to ride with a big clingy thing on your back. On longer rides I have one in the frame and one in the backpack. You really don’t feel it sat there. It’s like a revelation for me.

In the central part fits a waterproof and tubes. To the left a small pump in the long zip section

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/biking-bum-bags

My old topic

trail_rat – Member

mean while over in bottle corner i delight in filling my bottles and being away before they have untangled them selves from their camelback and tried to get the bladder out to fill it.

Your riding buddies- are they all handicapped in some way? Amputees, perhaps?

How do road riders cope on big remote rides?

If you hydrat properly on the day before etc it all counts. I used to fill a 2lt bladder and always have some left.

You’re never that remote on a road. You’re on the road… 2 bottles should last 30 miles, even in heat. There’s nowhere in the UK you can be 30 miles from a source of drinking water.

Although it can be very hard to find it at night, which is why I’ve occasionally fitted a third bottle cage to my tourer.

Seems eminently reasonable, overnight touring being into those ‘edge cases’ again!

Yep. The only other time I’ve struggled in the UK is when everything is frozen. Again, not exactly your everyday scenario.

@ nee20, I agree with your above, Not much hyperbole, and plenty of folk willingly advocating “WHY” they do either, And as i said above it’s akin to the Baggies V Lycra debate, of which i am cautiosly in favour of…….

Back on topic, And as a CTC acreditted Mountain leader……… Without putting the hat on,,,,,, I have had to carry all that and more, In a Ruck Sack as a camelbak wasn’t big enough. It’s different taking a group out as the responsibility is as the Acreddited person mine. So there are the need to haves and the nice to haves. I still ride Off road with a Camelbak, I’ve spent most of my working life bimbling round with kit on my back so for me its nice to have, And having come across some sights over the years out on the trails i like to be prepared.

Not just MTN Bikers though, Walkers, Horse riders and even Motorists.

I set off yesterday Morning on a 70 Mile Road ride, 1 – 750ml water bottle, a spare tube, tyre levers, pump.
Coffee & cake @ 20Miles
Tea & Cake @ 40 Miles, Filled my water bottle at the Cafe which they obligingly did. This is new to me, As a MTN Biker this Cafe Culture thing is all a bit new, took a while to get around to.

I think the general concencous with MTB is that I’m off into the Mountains, I may be a while, Best pack accordingly.

Slight thread hijack (sorry OS), but anyone used the Specialized Swat bib shorts? Or similar?

Bollocks to all that, get a backpack and fill it with cake, otherwise what’s the point of all the suffering.

jandd semi frame bag

^^^ Snap, only mine’s in yellow. Great bits of kit for not much moolah 🙂

Like so many subjects to me this seems to be people resorting to hyperbole as justification.
“how do you bottle people manage on 800 mile rides in 95 degree heat?”

It does seem like an oddly polarised topic doesn’t it…

If I am out for less than say 4-5 hours, bottles make the most sense…

For an all-dayer/overnighter, it really depends on the route, and the liklihood of being able to stop somewhere to get water/food plus what the weather up to… If I can avoid carrying a pack I will, but sometimes you simply have too much stuff to tape/strap to the frame or stuff in pockets, a small dry bag lashed to the bars can carry quite a lot, and doesn’t really make much difference to the balance of the bike IME. A rucksack is still a valid option… And not everyone has a vast array of bike luggage options.

My pack has become pretty redundant but it still has some use.

Edit: only issue I’ve ever had with bottle ejection was due to a crappy plastic cage, decent alloy jobs, Blackburn or similar, keep a good hold on a full 750ml bottle. That said I have been eyeing up bigger 1L bottles to try.

Ive no idea northwind but it would explain why strangers at feed stations make it look so difficult….

What are the best/cheapest sideloading bottlecages? Space is tight in my triangle

Ooh, err, missus

said the actress to the bishop.

What are the best/cheapest sideloading bottlecages? Space is tight in my triangle

I’ve got the Elite ones, from Halfords, paired with the Elite bottles. Had no issues with ejection.

It does seem like an oddly polarised topic doesn’t it…

Bizarre. It’s like the mudguards argument.

I don’t mind carrying a small pack. Usually, when I’ve finished my ride I have to travel home on the train or ferry, so carrying some dry clothes is a good plan.

🙂

Perhaps it because it’s the camp I’m in, but it seems to me the views are either:

– bottles make sense most of the time, of course there are instances where a pack is better
– you have to have a pack for riding 100 yards to the shops and you’ll die of dehydration if you consider just using bottles

Metal Specialized Zee cage.

3 months in Whistler, 80 days in the park & never lost a bottle. Worked for me 🙂

I ride with a bag without a bladder in and a bottle on the bike…

To contrast slightly with Hob Nob, I have the metal zee cage as well as the plastic one. The plastic one seems slightly better (and cheaper) as it’s easier to get the bottle in and out of. Not lost a bottle from either.

Using Specialized bottles though, not sure if that’s a factor but thought I should get what it was designed for.

Perhaps it because it’s the camp I’m in, but it seems to me the views are either:

– bottles make sense most of the time, of course there are instances where a pack is better
– you have to have a pack for riding 100 yards to the shops and you’ll die of dehydration if you consider just using bottles

Or
-if I have to carry a backpack I’ll get all sweaty and my ride will be ruined
-backpack is an adequate tool for the job most of the time, although sometimes it’d be nice not to use one

I’m the other way, If i go out and ride and don’t get hot and sweaty my rides ruined.

for the BPW crew, just leave a bottle by the uplift queue, makes life a lot easier.

Bottles also have the advantage of being easier to clean!

Or
-if I have to carry a backpack I’ll get all sweaty and my ride will be ruined
-backpack is an adequate tool for the job most of the time, although sometimes it’d be nice not to use one

Not really seeing that though? No one is saying that using a pack will ruin their ride. Just nicer not to use one.

No one is really saying this either though-

you have to have a pack for riding 100 yards to the shops and you’ll die of dehydration if you consider just using bottles

Or how about the sensible point of- both of them are fine but it depends how much you value no bag vs grab and go, being prepared vs travelling light etc etc and it’s a sliding scale and people can do what they prefer?

Don’t be coming on here with yer balanced well reasoned compromises yer bloody bleeding heart left wing refugee loving communist penguin shaggers……
Life is black/white.Right/wrong.Bovril/marmite.

😆

I haven’t read the whole topic and I don’t intend to because it seems like a lot of arguing. For short to medium (3 hours ish max) I’ll take bottles and my spesh SWAT shorts (which I really rate). Anything longer and I’ll take a bag. Sometimes if the weather is changeable I’ll take a bag on shorter rises so I can carry a few layers.

Anyway, the point of my post was to recommend the SWAT bibs.

Water bottles are great when they get splattered with dog shit,