What bike do you recommend for bike packing (mountain biking + touring)

[Kira]

I've been on a Trek 930 for a long time:-) I actually don't mind mountain biking technical stuff on it, but it's so old it's falling apart:-) So, instead of replacing every new piece, I'm ready for an upgrade!

I'd love to buy a used bike, but I'm open to spending a couple thousand on a new one.

Any suggestions on what to get? (I'm 5'5", want the bike to be modern, yet fixable out of country...)

I will mountain bike, tour, and bike pack with this bike

Thanks!
Kira

[chrisx]

Depends what you mean by out of country?
They have 26 inch wheels and rim brakes in every village from north all the way to south.  
29er is making a little progress in Mexico.  It will be another 5 years before they are every where.
There are no 29ers in Central America.

where you headed?

[Hadfield]

I suggest a 29er. I bought a ghost carbon fiber bike. You can't go wrong with a salsa fargo. I went with the ghost because it came with full xt components for 2950.00 A new fargo in canadian dollars will be 2500.00

[Smo]

I highly recommend a 29er.  Hardtail if you want suspension, and you can always put a thudbuster seatpost on it.  My first ever bikepacking trip was on washboarded dirt roads on a 700c road bike, and that sold me on the value of larger wheels.  I was more comfortable on washboards with that road bike than I ever was on a 26" bike.

Get a good wheelset and you shouldn't have to worry too much about 29er parts.  Sure, they are impossible to find in lots of the world, but the probability of a good wheel failing on you is pretty low.  Certainly lower than the odds of getting hit by a car.  If you have to switch to hitchhiking for a week while you get a wheel shipped, enjoy the cultural experience.

[12wheels]

29ers are great but at your height a hardtail with 26 inch wheels would probably be a better choice for bikepacking especially if you're traveling internationally.  As others have pointed out, 29er rims and tires are currently harder to find outside of the US.  You'll also find that small 29ers limit the amount of gear that you can carry on the bike.  The front triangle of a 29er is smaller than that of a similar sized 26 inch frame so you'll have to run a smaller frame pack with less capacity.  You'll also have less clearance between the bottom of your saddle and the top of the rear tire which will probably force you to use a small or custom medium saddlebag, you won't have enough clearance for a large saddlebag.  If you run front suspension the distance from the underside of your handlebars to the front tire will limit the diameter of the load you can safely carry.  You can use racks and panniers instead of the current soft packs to carry more gear but the setup will be heavier and some riders have had problems finding systems which provide adequate clearance between their heels and the panniers.  

Another reason to go with a 26 inch bike is the current state of the used bike market.  29ers are hot, 650b's too, so it's pretty easy to find quality used bikes with 26 inch wheels selling for really reasonable prices.   Good luck.

[Hadfield]

I'm 5' 4" and don't have any trouble with a 29er. Remember a lot of your gear is smaller than tall people.

[Kira]

Thanks Chrisx! That's good to know about 29ers and Mexico and Central America. For me, I could end up going anywhere over the next few years. So, I'm leaning toward a 26er without components that I'd have trouble replacing... On the other hand, if I do get a 29er, I could still decide to buy a new bike in the country of travel if that seems like a good move. I tend to travel to very remote places when I travel...

[Kira]

Thanks Hadfield. Does the Salsa Fargo have eyelets for a rack? If not, do you carry a pannier? I'd be curious what kind of rack you're using how it's working, and how many years and miles you've toured on it...

[fotooutdoors]

The Fargo has eyelets for everything.  I have a second generation Fargo (they are currently on the third generation), and have been pretty happy with it, though I certainly have not used it enough.  Considering your off-the-beaten-track (countrywise) bent, I would seriously consider a Surly Troll.  26", eyelets for everything you would want to attach to your bike, can handle wide tires, can handle a short-travel fork or rigid, can do disc or canti/linear pull brakes.  In short, if something breaks while on tour, you can probably find someone that has replacement parts (or parts that could easily swap in, like going to rim brakes if you can't get replacement parts for discs).

[Hadfield]

Yes the fargo has plenty of spots for water bottle cages to attach. They even have water bottle attachments on the fork legs. The only reason I did not go with a fargo, was that I got a full shimano xt grouping and 180 mm brake rotors on this ghost bike. I use Lightweight bikepacking bags on my bike. I don't use panniers because less to worry about breakage and less weight. One thing I find about my 29er is that it seems to move much faster with less effort compared to my 26 er trek. You definitely have to get used to riding a 29 er. It feels as if you are riding on top of the bike more. On my 26 er I feel like I can throw it around on single track more than the 29er. My opinion you should take one for a good test ride to see if you like it first. For bikepacking I am sold on the 29 er and love mine. If you live near edmonton I would gladly let you try mine. Another option is 27.5 which give you the best of both worlds. Problem is not many on the market at this time. Another thing that made a difference is that the place I bought my bike from did a pro fit which made a huge difference. You can pick up the lower end fargo for 1450 canadian or the higher priced model for 2500 which comes with a carbon fork. If you have some sewing skills you can make your own bikepacking bags for cheap. There are lots of ideas and patterns on here. Make sure u buy the small sleeping bags to minimize weight and bulk. There are some benefits to being short. If you need anymore advice feel free to ask and there are a lot of great people on here. Richard

[chrisx]

Are you allowed to have 2 bikes?
Say an old trek 930, and a 2015 Fargo
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/2014_fargo_ti/geometry/

Fargo is a off road touring bike. If that is what you want. 
Maybe join a bike coop and fix up the old trek. 
Nice to have an old bike the thieves aren't interested in.

[Kira]

I don't want to be limited to pavement (or even dirt roads) when I tour . And I need to bring my super warm sleeping bag, bc I'm kind of cold blooded. So, I generally am not conservative on bringing warmth and food and water. Other than that, I don't bring 'extra' stuff... except for a little paper and a pencil to write or draw with... but those super light systems are probably not for me. I'll be up all night doing sit-ups to keep warm...

I demo-ed 4 of my friends' bikes last weekend after a ride... all around $4000 mountain bikes... I don't care that much about how cushy the bikes are, but they were actually a lot more comfortable than my Trek... and looking at the geometry, I felt like my trek could never even get there. (My main issue is my shoulder (levator scapula/teres/scalenes,scm)...

I checked out the Surly Ogre today at a store, and again, didn't think the geometry would lead to a healthier position on the bike. It looks like it's designed for efficiency in going on the road, more than the way modern mountain bikes have you more upright...

The Spot Honeybadger looked like a good fit, except it doesn't have eyelets... but it's steel, which I like, and I wonder if a steel bike can be adapted for a good rack pretty easily bc of the welding capabilities... hmmm.... still searching...

[Kira]

Hi Photooutdoors... so the fargo has eyelets? The bike store said it didn't. I'll have to look into that again. Maybe the person who told me that was mistaken. Thanks! I'll check out the Troll, too, and see if I like that better than the Ogre...

[Kira]

By the way thanks for offering for me to check out your bike... I'm not anywhere near there though:-(

[Kira]

I want 1 bike that can do it all... bc I will do it all in one ride:-) (And I'm not strapping an extra bike to my rack! Plus that would make the mountain bike touring sections extra hard w/o panniers:-)

My old trek is just having way too many maintenance issues these last couple of years:-( Otherwise, I probably wouldn't even be thinking about a change... but now that I am... I want a bike that will be healthier for my body... and modern enough that most bike stores in the US carry parts to repair it, and not so specialized that I can't repair it in a little pueblo in S.A.

[Aurora]

Kira -- I'm looking for the same thing.  I got a Salsa Vaya, but think that I may go towards the Fargo because I am hoping to travel similarly -- dirt roads in SA - and carrying food, warmth, etc., like you.  I love my vaya, but not sure it can handle the roads I want to ride.

[Kira]

Hi Aurora! Thanks for your recommendations! Does the Salsa Vaya have eyelets for panniers? (or the Fargo, for that matter?) Or have you put panniers on in an alternative way?

[aphoto]

OMM racks fit on virtually any bike with no eyelets needed.

[pcampbe8]

How long are the trips you would do? Are you planning a continuous world tour type or shorter periodic style (if so how long) with returns to home in between?

[fotooutdoors]

Hi Photooutdoors... so the fargo has eyelets? The bike store said it didn't. I'll have to look into that again. Maybe the person who told me that was mistaken. Thanks! I'll check out the Troll, too, and see if I like that better than the Ogre...

Yep. Eyelets for low rider front rack, rear rack, fenders and 4-5 water bottles depending on size (though if you use a front rack, you lose access to two of the water bottle mounts). I am not positive that the fork mounts are available on the carbon fork version, but the steel version has them.

Sent from a one-finger keyboard...pardon my autocorrect