Newbie to bikes - making the transition from hiking

[Highbinder]

Hey all,

I've spent the last few days since discovering your wonderful website trawling your forums and personal setup sections trying to absorb as much information as possible before I start spening my hard earned monies. Overwheling amounts of information here, technical data and new (to me) nomenclature. I figured it was better to sign up and join in the fun and request the wisdom directly!

First a little about myself. I come from a UL hiking / bushcraft background, but for a few reasons I'm looking to make the switch from foot-power to pedal-power. The idea of getting the weight off my back and onto a bike and traveling greater distances are both very appealing to me. Rather than switch 'ethics' completely I'd like to incorporate aspects of bikepacking into my existing style.

As much as I love gear I'm trying not to spend too much money (ha!) and would like to transfer my existing setup 'as is' to bikepacking if it is possible. I'm originally from the UK but live in Spain now, and the biggest transition I've found is in terms of the summer climate and the availability of water and thus the amount I have to carry with me. Last summer I was lugging 4-6 litres with me.

Currently my baseweight is around the 8kg mark depending on season, I've misplaced my spreadsheet but the main elements of my gear from memory are..

Shelter: Golite poncho tarp or DD 3x3m tarp, DIY single layer pertex hammock, 2 season down UQ plus CCF mat, Rab 400 sleeping bag and travel pillow.
Camp: Ti pot, whitebox stove, Al windshield, chopsticks, opinel 6,
Clothing: camp clothes (wool base layers plus fleece), hiking clothing (wicking tee, pertex windshirt, running trousers), spare socks, leather work gloves, wooly hat (my faithful..) and wool buff
Other: Petzl Tikka2 headlamp, basics FAK, emergency blankey, golite jam rucksack, leatherman juice S2, cordage, no-brand saw (chinese shop win!), and usually a fixed blade (BRK Imp or Mora #1), compass, whistle, ductape, firesteel,

My main question is what bike! I'm 5' 9" so I'm guessing a medium frame bike? I'd like a fixed tail 29er. Happy to buy second hand (probably from the loquo website) but I have no idea what brands are reputable. Otherwise happy to buy new if I can get a good deal. My bike budget is 500eu but if I have have to I can up it. Looking to hit the GR trails across europe (my usual haunts) so some rough trails will be involved but not looking to tackle anything technical. Quite happy to get off and push if needs be and as it is I intend to wear my trail shoes to do some day hiking. Another consideration is that I live in Barcelona, apparently the capital of shiney-expensive-bikes-being-stolen and so in my day to day life I'll have to carry it up 3 flights of retardely narrow stairs.

My rucksack is ~50l, and although it would be cool to get everything onto the bike I think I'm leaning towards a compromise of carrying the heavy stuff (food, water, fuel, tools) on the bike and keeping the light stuff (clothing, insulation) plus a small hydration bladder in a daysack (I have a 22l bag I'm quite happy with)

I was considering a rack and panniers (ortieb bags are reasonablly priced here and I really love the waterproof factor), and at 20 litres each I should be able to get all my gear into and leave the frame for water carrying. I'd rather not seperate my gear up too much but I really like the idea of a frame bag. What kind of volume are they? Who are the main retailers for them? A quick google search didn't turn up a great deal.

What other gear will I need that is bike specific? Will my multitool be enough or are there bike tools I'll need? What should I include in my bike kit beyond a pump, spare tube, repair kit and chain links? I figure I can source lights and a lid without having to research too much. What about a bike lock?

Quite the ramble so I'm sorry guys, but any insights will be really appreciated!

Love to all, Stu

[Payton MacDonald]

Hi Stu,

Welcome to bikepacking; it's a wonderful way to get out and see the world.  Nothing beats the incredible feeling of freedom of having everything you need right on you.  Just like backpacking, except you can go a lot further a lot faster.

As far as bikes go, you should really go test out a bunch of stuff.  It's impossible I think to get a handle on a bike through the internet.  Any reputable bike shop will be able to size you and get the right fit for you.  Depending on the kind of bikepacking you'll be doing, you may even want to get a more precise fit (a la road bikes or TT bikes), especially if you're going to be in the aero position a lot.  That usually happens after you've purchased the bike and can take a few hours as the fitter measures you and makes a bunch of small adjustments.

As for brands, all the usual big names produce reliable bikes: Trek, Specialized, Salsa, Cannondale, etc.  Many smaller companies like Moots also make wonderful bikes.  Your best is to just read a ton of posts on this site and go to the store and try stuff out and spend time with some mountain bikers "talking shop".

Most folks here prefer bags over panniers because they are lighter and less bulky.  Weight does matter when you're out for days on end riding hard, especially if you're climbing a lot.  But again, that depends on your style of riding and the routes you choose.

As for bike tools, I would recommend reading the various posts where people list all their gear and then come up with a plan that works for you.  You'll have to do some overnighters and see how things go to test out the gear.  Everyone has their quirks.  For example, I always bring a multitool plus a 5mm hex key since 80% of the bolts on my bike are 5mm.  I'm paranoid that the 5mm on my multi tool will break (very unlikely, but you never know . . . ) and I'll be stuck somewhere with no way to tighten my aero bars or whatever.  At any rate, check out those posts where people list their stuff and that will help you.  In addition to what you list I would recommend two tubes (not just one), a patch kit, a needle/thread kit for sidewall repairs, a chain breaker/tool, a roll of electrical tape, zip ties of various sizes, and maybe a small tube of super glue.

As for bags, I got mine from Jeremy Cleaveland and they are amazing.  But there are many retailers now, just poke around this site and you'll find them.

Bike lock: yes, definitely.  There are lightweight ones out there.

I hope that helps,
Payton

[Highbinder]

Payton,

Thanks for the reply, especially regarding the tools. Given me some (more) food for thought. I'm in NYC (oh how I wish I could bring a bike back from here) at the moment but return to Spain at the end of the month so I'm going to hit up some of the local shops and see what they have and what I can take out for a spin.

Right now I'm leaning towards a single speed 29er. I used to ride BMX back in the day and the advantages of a fixed gear setup really appeal. Any gnarly climbs I don't mind walking! Plus at my price point I think I'm going to get a bike with better components if I opt for a simpler design.

There seems to be a lot of good things said about the Redline Monocog but I can't seem to find any EU stockists. A Vitus Vee 29 is another option and looks like it'd be easier to find here. I'm also going to be back in the UK in the coming months so I can potentially buy something whilst there.

And regarding panniers and gear carrying. I've been checking out threads showing off peoples individual setups, and I've seen a lot of people strapping drybags directly to their bars and seatposts. I'm pretty confident I could fit my sleeping bag and clothing into say a 20l bag, which would be ~2kg, and my shelter (hammock+tarp) into a 10l bag under my seatpost. Water and fuel on my frame, and everything else (waterproofs, cookkit, personal items) in my daysack. Again I'm a big fan of simplicity, and also the idea of being able to remove everything from my bike if I need to leave it unattended appeals to me.

Saying that, I've seen some people using small lightweight racks, which could add flexibility to the setup...

Too many options!