Fully Loaded - Touring Bikes

[Oscar's dad]

Definitely not stripped for racing! Nice contrasts.

Historically I have very much been in the "take everything including the kitchen sink" camp but I would like to try a more minimalist approach and move towards backpacking luggage systems.  The thing I don't like about traditional panniers is they can become dislodged when comedy off-roading whereas bike packing bags probably won't.

[salar55]

How many photos do you see of the bikepacking bikes on tight singletrack thro the woods? Bikepacking bags are fine for a day or two in the dry weather. 😄

[Kim]

The thing I don't like about traditional panniers is they can become dislodged when comedy off-roading whereas bike packing bags probably won't.

I hadn't encountered this phenomenon until I used a pair of front-rollers on the back of my Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle^[1] descending the lane with the shark-infested potholes at speed on one of the Tan Hill rides.  The main fixings were fine, but the lower hooks kept getting shaken out from behind the rack struts.

It seems that the suspension on my touring bike (which has done plenty of comedy off-roading over the years) serves to keep the bags attached, as well as not rattling your BRANES.  The main problem there is riding through a gap in the undergrowth that's narrower than the low-riders.


_{[1] Not very Mildly Inappropriate, I know, but I did end up wading through a bog and chucking the bike in a beck on the way up, so I was grateful for proper Ortliebs...}

[Oscar's dad]

The thing I don't like about traditional panniers is they can become dislodged when comedy off-roading whereas bike packing bags probably won't.

I hadn't encountered this phenomenon until I used a pair of front-rollers on the back of my Reasonably Priced Mountain Bicycle^[1] descending the lane with the shark-infested potholes at speed on one of the Tan Hill rides.  The main fixings were fine, but the lower hooks kept getting shaken out from behind the rack struts.

It seems that the suspension on my touring bike (which has done plenty of comedy off-roading over the years) serves to keep the bags attached, as well as not rattling your BRANES.  The main problem there is riding through a gap in the undergrowth that's narrower than the low-riders.


_{[1] Not very Mildly Inappropriate, I know, but I did end up wading through a bog and chucking the bike in a beck on the way up, so I was grateful for proper Ortliebs...}

Exactly.  Some years ago me and The Current Mrs R were moving at speed along a very busy A road astride Tina the Tandem and one of my ancient Karrimor rear panniers became dislodged and jammed the rear wheel causing a rapid and unwelcome emergency stop.  Said pannier went in the bin as soon as we got home.

[Kim]

Exactly.  Some years ago me and The Current Mrs R were moving at speed along a very busy A road astride Tina the Tandem and one of my ancient Karrimor rear panniers became dislodged and jammed the rear wheel causing a rapid and unwelcome emergency stop.  Said pannier went in the bin as soon as we got home.

I bought a pannier from Aldi when I was a newbie cyclist and had that happen.  It managed to fold the rear mudguard up and lock the wheel while negotiating le Col de Priory Road in busy traffic (it's always in busy traffic, otherwise you'd manage to avoid the pothole).  It was immediately relegated to cyclo-tat storage duty, and hasn't been near a bike since.  Friend who'd bought the same panniers had one end up under a taxi not long afterwards.

As a result, I've learned not to be cheap about luggage, and to eschew gravity-powered fixings.

[woollypigs]

While cycling the Carretera Austral, one of my pannier fell off. Only reason for that, must be because I didn't fit it correctly that one time. Cause it didn't happen again on the rest of the 900 odd Km we did of the Austral or the rest of our 12+ months tour.

I was sooo glad that we have a friendly French couple on a tandem behind us, as they found the pannier about 5 miles back from where I found out we had lost the kitchen pannier. Cause I would have been spend adding a 10km round trip to that days riding on that surface.

Yes, back then the Carretera Austral was that *rough* that I didn't notice the loss of a pannier, compared to what it is now. I just saw a new movie about the building of the Carretera Austral. Many sections that I have burned into my mind to be rougher than the worst of Sustrans "best". Now have nice smoooooooth tarmac.

Don't worry the tandem was paid in chocolate for their service.

[salar55]

Not long until its super bikes and sports car tours along with Santiago heading south for holidays . The days of the 4 wheel drive expedition motor homes and offroad motorbikes will soon be over. This section has started with blasting to widen the road.

[L CC]

I had a pannier leap for freedom on that infamous off road of... The main road through Diss. Mr Smith was wheel sucking behind me and bunny hopped it. The man has SKILLZ.

[perpetual dan]

Here's my bike in Bristol. At this point the panniers had added Gin, for a friend.


For the record, that's a pair of front rollers, Alpkit frame and saddle packs, a large Haberland bar bag and a pair of bottles.

[ElyDave]

ready to start day 2 of the KAW, day 1 was Salisbury plain, and got a bit mucky, on reflection, a front rack is in this bike's future for better weight distribution

[Cudzoziemiec]

Thought: you might be able to get better weight distribution by tilting the rear rack so the panniers are more vertical, rather than leaning back like that.

[perpetual dan]

Wow, this thread has been quiet!

Here I am at the dam beside Ben Lawyers.

[Kim]

The new Streetmachine (which is a lot like the old Streetmachine, apart from nearly^[1] everything that involves the mounting of Stuff, which has subtly changed in order to frustrate and annoy), on its inaugural tour to the 2024 Cycle Touring Festival:




_{[1] The front panniers attach to the lowrider rack without any adjustment whatsoever, which is reassuring as it's the rack from the old bike.}

[chopstick]

Hi Kim, I meant to have a proper look at your bike at Twitey's.  I do like it.

[IanDG]

ready to start day 2 of the KAW, day 1 was Salisbury plain, and got a bit mucky, on reflection, a front rack is in this bike's future for better weight distribution

Sure LEE would have something to say about that photo

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61057.msg1895918#msg1895918

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=61057.msg1895973#msg1895973

[yorkie]

My Dawes Galaxy, loaded for camping, propped up on the gate at the Kingsbury end of the Kingsbury Water Park on the way home from the Association of Lightweight Campers AGM Meet at Kingsbury camp site.

[mzjo]

About time I put my camper here

On the Brest-Nantes Canal for a long w-e cyclecamping with my daughter beginning of may last year. The bag for the folder is on the seatpost here but I moved it onto the top of the rackpack so that the bottle could go behind on the post, out of the way of my legs! Next addition will be a little trolley for moving the outfit around stations and public transport!

[bobb]

On a bridge, filthy and in heavy rain.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Good photo, nice bike. What's the river?

[bobb]

What's the river?

The Manchester Ship Canal. Bridge is just south of Warrington.

[Cudzoziemiec]

What's the river?

The Manchester Ship Canal. Bridge is just south of Warrington.

Ah – that explains the straightness!

[Andrew Br]

I thought it looked familiar !
Warburton Toll Bridge.
Free for bikes, I think it's around £0.20 for cars. There are often long queues at the toll gates, bikes can sweep on by....
I believe (can't vindicate) that some drivers pay more than they need to to speed up the queues.

I'm guessing, from the position of your bike, that you were riding from the A57 towards Dunham/Lymm bobb.

[IanDG]

Start Lands End to John O Groats on Saturday. Photo taken at Mitchellslacks while heading out to the KM Rally during my "test run". Managed to sort out the tent and able to pack everything in the bags now.

IMG_20240524_152746_647 by ian, on Flickr