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I want to get into Bikepacking this year and was looking for some gear suggestions. I'm a big backpacker and mountain biker but I want to combine the two and spend some nights out on that tasty tasty single track. I am thinking about taking my daypack and going out with a hammock, change of clothes, rain coat, some misc tools/tubes, food and a water filter. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I've been scoping out different websites but I guess I am looking for the "works well enough" type gear since I don't make enough to buy real gear more than once a year.
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May 6, 2016 05:04
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:40 |
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Dr. Shithead posted:I want to get into Bikepacking this year and was looking for some gear suggestions. I'm a big backpacker and mountain biker but I want to combine the two and spend some nights out on that tasty tasty single track. I am thinking about taking my daypack and going out with a hammock, change of clothes, rain coat, some misc tools/tubes, food and a water filter. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I've been scoping out different websites but I guess I am looking for the "works well enough" type gear since I don't make enough to buy real gear more than once a year. ^^This Also, what kind of distance targets do you guys typically shoot for? 60 miles a day? 80? Or is it just dependent on the section? Do you sprinkle riding throughout the day with rest stops or try to knock out a big chunk early? My goal is to run the Ohio to Erie trail later this year, which is ~300 miles and I'm just not sure what kind of time frame, gear, and preparation I need to do to get ready. Most I've ridden is ~45 miles total in a day, of which only 26 was contiguous. I get a solid 20 miles in every day with commuting, but I just haven't found a group to do longer rides with.
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May 26, 2016 15:19
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I comfortably manage 70-80 miles a day, with gear, if the way is relatively un-hilly like a rail trail. I also like to stop and enjoy things along the way. I could probably push 100 if i decided to just be a biking machine all day but that's no fun.
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May 26, 2016 16:16
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OSU_Matthew posted:^^This Here is a nice resource for ~real~ manufactured gear I haven't ordered anything from here but when I do, I'll post a little about the quality and any use I get out of it. Apparently, one of the companies (a married couple from Russia) charges less that $200 and makes the bags to custom fit your bike, which seems like a fairly affordable option. Here is mtbr forum discussion about their products. Again, if anyone has any suggestions for make-shift packs/bags I'd love to hear it since real gear is often expensive. I'm thinking about doing a ~45 mi loop in southern Va in a few weekends so I'll report back with some details.
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May 27, 2016 20:28
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People make panniers out of square storage buckets. They're way too wide for city riding but on the open road with a wide shoulder I guess it doesn't matter much.
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May 29, 2016 05:27
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Keeping things light and sharing the main roads with traffic (rather than the snaking, hilly, variable surface cycle trails that often share sections of foot traffic in parks) seems to be the only real way to do distance. The ultralight route is pretty manageable, especially if you're comfortable with a bivy or tarp rather than a full tent, and there are plenty of youtube videos with people showing off their ultralight bikepacking/touring setups. That said, maybe pushing max distance isn't the way to go: you might have a better time shortening the route, shortening the daily rides, and giving yourself more time to explore along the way. For example, a few weeks ago I did a weekend overnight ride and did sixty miles a day, however the last ten miles each day were miserable and I didn't feel like I could stop as often as I would have liked to check out some of the places I was passing by. My next time out I'll plan for 50 miles a day instead. Of course, if you're wild camping and don't need to make a pre-planned destination, then you could more easily play it by ear, or by legs, or more likely by rear end.
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May 31, 2016 16:18
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Going on a short 48 mile round trip bike camping trip this weekend. Looking forward to it
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Jun 3, 2016 18:51
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When I was managing a pedicab shop we had this guy come in and apply, who mentioned that he had rode from Portland Maine to Portland Oregon on a drat crosscheck. Obviously we hired him in a heartbeat, became the tightest of friends, and I learned some cool touring tricks. Best one: plan your day out so that you know what town you'll be landing in and roughly the time you'll be there, and then call the fire station. He said that they almost never let him pitch a tent in the front yard because dudes were always demanding that they stay in a guest bedroom and have a home cooked meal. He would always, at worst, end up with a safe, cop-sanctioned place to camp and a shower and usually a couple bucks or lunch or something, but usually he'd be sleeping in the firehouse or in one of the dude's homes. Obviously firefighters are the best people that exist in the first place, but also if you're rolling through boring middle American towns they adore people from out of town that are doing something interesting. If you have even a little charisma, you're a traveling road show for a lot of people. Capitalize on that, they'll be stoked that you did.
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Jun 15, 2016 08:38
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Firefighters are so drat good
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Jun 15, 2016 14:51
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That sounds like it has as much to do with the Pacific Northwest as it does firefighters. It's like loving Mayberry everywhere you go up there. e: i hate reading
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Jun 16, 2016 07:54
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anybody do any touring near the grand canyon before?
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Jun 17, 2016 13:01
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Piso Mojado posted:anybody do any touring near the grand canyon before? watch your steering, it's a nasty fall
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Jun 17, 2016 13:20
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firefighter story: i was in the hills north of Tuxpan around early December when a cold front blew in and some rain caught me off guard. i was in a cotton hoodie and didn't realize how quickly the heat was being sapped out of my body, especially after a rough 60 miles with not enough to eat. everything started going numb, so i pretty much collapsed off my bike and started hailing cars in the night. a truck carrying massive bundles of sticks slowed down to a stop a hundred feet ahead of me, and i scurried to get my equipment and body on the sticks. the driver gets out of the car, shocked, and tells me his car had just broken down, not even seeing me on the road. but he was a firefighter, and the truck was on its way to tow him into town! i got to ride in the passenger's seat of the big truck, and they even had a bunkhouse with the firehouse pole and everything. we watched the simpsons and i didn't die
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Jun 22, 2016 22:40
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I really want to get into this, been riding bikes for decades and this is the next logical step. Anyone know some weekend or week long trips near Sacramento? I've got a few buddies that are really into touring, but they don't live in the area anymore. One of them rode from CA to NY to meet up with our friend so they could ride back to CA together.
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Jul 6, 2016 16:45
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Route finding and route making are huge topics in themselves and pretty fascinating with regard to the technology involved. Check out http://cycle.travel my favorite at the moment for all its touring-specific tie ins. It has routing for the UK, Europe, and the US. Its algorithm is excellent and often finds a perfect balance between road quality and low traffic. You can also put in a starting point and get route suggestions based on the length of ride you're looking for, or you can enter your starting location for a "day out" or "overnight" which will give you routes to a hotel or campsite and include a return trip. Another great website for finding cycle routes created by other people is http://ridewithgps.com. It has a subscription model but the free basic account is fine, as it allows you to search for routes by point of departure and distance as well as create your own routes for export. Most of the routes on the site will be out-and-backs geared toward road cyclists but you might find chunks of longer tours or overnight routes as well. I like to find Audax loop routes (of 100 miles+) and, using the site's editor, carve these into separate days. This website also has the best tools for route planning and route design that I've found. While its routing algorithm isn't as good as Cycle.travel for calculating a route between locations, it is much better than Google's routing and it's the perfect tool if you know the route you'll be taking or are willing to map it yourself. An especially useful feature in Ride with GPS is the street view integration for checking on road quality. If you're designing your own route (rather than using something from an Audax community) be sure to check your route on Google Maps to ensure road quality and traffic safety. You can even export a route from cycle.travel, upload it to Ride With GPS, and drop in on Street View to view any questionable sections. It's worth spending an hour examining each day's route to ensure that you don't end up routing into sand trails, shoulderless main roads, footpaths, muddy bridleways, across fields, or through someone's private/gated property (all of which have happened to me). You'll inevitably have to re-route due to construction or flooding, but nothing sucks more than realizing you've mapped yourself into a dead end or dangerous scenario.
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Jul 6, 2016 20:53
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FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:Can we post cool bike tour pictures? This is Luddington on the Lake Michigan tour. Mein Eyes! posted:Route finding and route making are huge topics in themselves and pretty fascinating with regard to the technology involved. My top achievement while touring was being spotted by a street view vehicle, 
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Jul 7, 2016 04:13
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gently caress the system - middle of nowhere, sierra madre oriental
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Jul 10, 2016 03:04
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:40 |
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If anyone is goign through Western Massachusetts this summer you're welcome to stay at my lovely house.
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Aug 16, 2016 16:55
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