Author Topic: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour  (Read 20519 times)

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #25 on: 12 January, 2016, 11:27:18 am »
I'm leaning towards a couple of dry bags at the moment, one behind the seat and one under the handlebars.

Might a couple of Gorilla cages be worth considering? http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/a-bigger-monkii-gorilla-cage-review.html?view=classic Not so elegant perhaps, but maybe lighter on the physical and financial infrastructural investments needed. Decathlon do a silicone cage mount you can strap on to a convenient bit of frame.

(Behind the seat and under the handlebars probably best though, if that's doable.)

Love my barbags for quick and easy camera access from a side pocket. Are we talking compact here, or full on SLR style?


Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #26 on: 12 January, 2016, 12:48:27 pm »
My old friend Neville Chanin who toured more than most of us over many years, only ever used a Carradice long-flap camper saddle bag. He often took the micky out of us that cycle camped for carrying all that weight when he cycled a lot easier without the weight and staying B&B or Hostals.
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Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #27 on: 12 January, 2016, 12:56:48 pm »
I always take 4 panniers, even though they might be packed with fresh air.

I used to use a Carradice bar bag, but the cable snapped when I was on a tour in Wales once. I stuck it under a bungee on the back rack and was really delighted by the fact that the damned thing wasn't bouncing up and down any more on the rough road out of Rhayader. It was a really noisy bugger. If Flann O'Brien is to be believed, you may well meet some rocky roadsteads in the west of Ireland.

And extra policemen.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

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Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #28 on: 12 January, 2016, 01:30:05 pm »
I thought of washing my gear each night, but wasn't confident that it'd be dry by the morning and didn't fancy the idea of putting on damp gear each day.

Putting on damp gear is unpleasant (particularly when you do it in a small tent), but only for the time it takes to warm up.  If you're riding at any kind of pace (or there's Weather) then dry kit will end up damp in short order, and it is at least clean.

If you're washing your kit each evening I recommend synthetics over merino, because merino holds a surprising amount of water and will take forever to dry.

If you're going for the not-washing-your-kit approach, merino has a substantial pong-reduction advantage.  If you're not washing it, best to keep it on until it dries out before changing into your evening clothes.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #29 on: 12 January, 2016, 09:25:04 pm »


It's a shame they've sanitised the visitor viewing at the Cliffs of Moher so much. When I first went, around 30 yrs ago, you could crawl to the (remaining) edge of the car park and look straight down! Now there's a huge coach park (on my last visit 6-7 year ago I didn't hear and English/Irish voice, all Europeans) and an "award winning" visitors centre, and a path well away from the edge.

That reminds me of a sign I once saw on the edge of the Grand Canyon which was something like


"Danger - Cliff Edge - Keep At Least 10 Feet Back "

"Every Year People Die from Ignoring This Sign "



Thanks everyone. I think that I'll collect what I think that I'll need and see how big a package it makes and then buy something about 50% bigger !

I'm leaning towards the dry bag option as although I love the old-skool charm and practicality of the Carradice, the weight and having to fix it to a non-Brooks saddle looks like a bit of a faf.

Nikki,

I'm not sure which camera to take, but it'll be somewhere between a compact and full on SLR. I might look at the Alpkit fuelcell as this looks big enough to carry a fair sized camera.

Karla

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Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #30 on: 12 January, 2016, 09:54:07 pm »
Thanks everyone. I think that I'll collect what I think that I'll need and see how big a package it makes and then buy something about 50% bigger!

It sounds like you haven't heard the classic mantra of expedition packing:

"Lay out all the kit and all the money you'll need, then take half the kit and twice the money."

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #31 on: 12 January, 2016, 10:31:50 pm »
My solution would be purchase a very lightweight rack and some Alpkit dry bags (other makes available.

Secure bags to rack (lightweight homemade elastic/bungee) and you have a very lightweight system that is very flexible.  These are also good and weight is insignificant:

https://www.alpkit.com/products/airlok-xtra-tapered

Does benefit from an extra strap to keep it nice and tight to the frame.

I don't believe in going lightweight and then using heavy kit to carry the minimal amount, particularly when you have a credit card!

jiberjaber

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Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #32 on: 12 January, 2016, 11:18:51 pm »
I've credit card / youth hostel toured for up to two weeks with a Carradice Nelson (14 litres), it worked fine.  here's my kit list from one such tour.

Thats a great story :) good read!

In terms of credit card touring, I did 9 days with 2 full Ortlib panniers and a rack bag for day stuff, 14kg I think in total, however there was a mixture of approaches from the others on the tour.  I did experiment in washing my kit and found I needed to carry 3 sets, certainly of shorts, 1 to wear, 1 drying and one ready to wear the next day... it was taking a day and half to dry out the pad, warmer climes may reduce that of course.

In terms of options that were present on that tour:
A seat post mounted rack with a set of panniers on a carbon bike was one option through looked a bit high for the c of g. 

Another was a similar seat mounted bag like a carradice which was often coming a bit unhitched. 

There was also a rack with a large Ortlieb bag carried longitudinally atop a rack by Andrew OTP which gave a very aero approach but was a bit of a problem if you needed something out of it mid-ride.   

Also an Apidura seat bag by Olaf OTP which worked well on his Brompton, though having tried one (the bag) I didn't get on with it.

I recently did a short trip from Middlesbrough to Edinburgh of similar duration and used both my two rear panniers and a Ortlieb bar bag, I think I took about 11kg as I didn't plan on washing gear, just a a change every 2 days or so and assumed autumnal weather failed to happen (though it rained a lot one day) so I was quite warm in long bib tights which are twice as heavy as shorts...  I took the luxury of taking my trainers with me this time as I wanted to explore the towns a bit and though SPD shoes are OK for coffee stops, longer walks had proven uncomfortable whilst I was on the longer tour...

 
Regards,

Joergen

jiberjaber

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Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #33 on: 12 January, 2016, 11:22:20 pm »
Example packing list, work in progress! :)

Regards,

Joergen

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #34 on: 13 January, 2016, 12:21:36 am »
Since jiberjaber has mentioned me, I'll contribute a little sooner than I was going to.
I tour/audax/do most things on a cross bike, an On-One Dirty Disco.
When it was new, it looked like this:-

On One Dirty Disco by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

Initially, for w/e credit card touring, I used a Carradice SQR Tour:-

12-09-29 Carlisle-Newcastle Dirty Disco Carradice SQR Tour by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

(This picture is actually from an overnight ride, Mcshroom's excellent Carlisle-Newcastle)

Audax mode (it was a particularly wet audax; waterproofs went in the frame bag:-







)13-01-27 Dirty Disco after Mere 200 1 by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

Current set-up that jiber-jaber referenced:-

15-09-06 Dirty Disco with rack and luggage by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

Rack, Ortleib rack-pack, frame-bag and handle-bar bag.

Bike with moose but no rack-pack:-

P9060335 by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

I took this picture while I was waiting for jiberjaber to catch up  ;).

In the past, I have used a beam rack (different bike):-

10-05-15 Mongoose MTB Kona P2 fork Chester station by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

It's a Topeak rack and bag. It did tend to twist around the set-post.

I arrived at my current set-up because I don't like the way my bike(s) handle(s) when I'm using a heavily laden saddle-bag; the tail seems to wag, particularly when I'm out of the saddle. It's OK with the smaller bag and light loads.
The Ortleib rack-pack is very light-weight, as is the rack and it's also pretty aero. The drawbacks are that it's a faff to put it on- velcro straps and bungees in the picture above as a belt and braces approach- and it's very difficult to get stuff out of the bag during the day. Frame and handle-bar bags cover most "ride needs".
The Disco doesn't have fittings for a rack so mine mounts on the QR (no punctures yet; it'd be a real faff if I did have) and the seat-post clamp. So far, the set-up has been rock solid even over some rough roads at high speeds although I have to make sure that it's loaded correctly otherwise it can droop to the side.

One of the riders on the last Friday's tour was also on a Dirty Disco and she used a Bridge Street Designs bag:-

P9060330 by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

It's the bike on the far right of the picture. There were some issues with the bag bouncing onto the rear wheel over bumpy roads. We fixed it by wrapping a bungee around the bag and the saddle rails to raise it slightly and to stiffen the mounting.

All of my touring is "CC" based; I don't camp.
I always take 2 sets of cycling gear, particularly shorts/bibs. They don't weigh much and they're not bulky but I do enjoy putting on clean, dry kit in the morning.

My rack is an Axiom.





Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #35 on: 13 January, 2016, 12:17:46 pm »
Saddle-bag and bar bag for me as I already own multiple sizes of saddlebag.  Also there are loops atop the bags for bungeeing a dry-bag onto the top as required (I do this for my bulky Paramo jacket).
Tools are in a Tool-bottle slung under the frame.

I use this as a useful way to transfer bags from bike to bike (it's just 1 bolt) and to quickly remove the bag for security reasons as required
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=87

If you need bag support then:
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=147
Again, one bolt to move from bike to bike.

I also have the SQR system that also works, but it's not quite as stable as the Bagman and not all bikes have enough seatpost. Furthermore it lacks support under the bag.
I've recently discovered that large re-useable tie-wraps are often easier than the leather straps for attachment.

On the front something as simple as a £12 Decathlon bar-bag does the job of keeping small bits in one place, keys, phone, nibbles, map etc.



Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #36 on: 13 January, 2016, 05:53:02 pm »
Thanks again everyone. The packing lists are extremely helpful.

Andrew Br

That's exactly the same bike I'm probably going to use, an On One Dirty Disco, which for all it's charms doesn't have rack fittings. I didn't realise that you could get racks to fit. I'll have to take a look at the axiom racks. B.T.W. How did you get on with the Carradice Tour ? I'd looked at those and they seemed a good option.

Phartiphukbalz,

I did know that mantra, just thought mine was more pragmatic !

Thanks Fab Foodie, I'll take a look at those.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #37 on: 13 January, 2016, 06:14:37 pm »

I use this as a useful way to transfer bags from bike to bike (it's just 1 bolt) and to quickly remove the bag for security reasons as required
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=87

If you need bag support then:
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=147
Again, one bolt to move from bike to bike.


They really look like a great solution but £72 for a couple of things to hold a bag to a bike and then £85 for the bag. Wow ! It'd probably work out cheaper to get a taxi to follow me with my luggage.


Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #38 on: 13 January, 2016, 06:53:17 pm »


Andrew Br

That's exactly the same bike I'm probably going to use, an On One Dirty Disco, which for all it's charms doesn't have rack fittings. I didn't realise that you could get racks to fit. I'll have to take a look at the axiom racks. B.T.W. How did you get on with the Carradice Tour ? I'd looked at those and they seemed a good option.



Great choice of bike Rji, I love mine.....
I think my rack is this one:- http://www.axiomgear.com/products/racks/streamliner/streamliner-disc-dlx/

My LBS provided a saddle clamp with fastenings for the rack.

I find the SQR Tour to be OK but I don't like the way it affects the bike even when it's only laden for an overnight stay. It's not just the Disco, I've found the same on my other bikes.

Rack + bag is the way for me, I'd just like to find a light-weight rack-bag with enough capacity and a secure, easy on/off fastening and external pockets for ride stuff.

Bikes, lights and bags; you can never have too many. Or so it appears  ::-).




Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #39 on: 13 January, 2016, 06:59:57 pm »

I use this as a useful way to transfer bags from bike to bike (it's just 1 bolt) and to quickly remove the bag for security reasons as required
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=87

If you need bag support then:
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=147
Again, one bolt to move from bike to bike.



They really look like a great solution but £72 for a couple of things to hold a bag to a bike and then £85 for the bag. Wow ! It'd probably work out cheaper to get a taxi to follow me with my luggage.

Yeah the bags are pricey .... but last forever.
For QR attachment to bike with support, £45.  Again, last for donkeys and the whole rig is removed from the bike in no time to return to non-travelling mode.  No rack or rack mounts required.
I appreciate they're not everybody's cup of tea, but they work very well.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #40 on: 13 January, 2016, 08:23:38 pm »


Andrew Br

That's exactly the same bike I'm probably going to use, an On One Dirty Disco, which for all it's charms doesn't have rack fittings. I didn't realise that you could get racks to fit. I'll have to take a look at the axiom racks. B.T.W. How did you get on with the Carradice Tour ? I'd looked at those and they seemed a good option.



Great choice of bike Rji, I love mine.....
I think my rack is this one:- http://www.axiomgear.com/products/racks/streamliner/streamliner-disc-dlx/

My LBS provided a saddle clamp with fastenings for the rack.

I find the SQR Tour to be OK but I don't like the way it affects the bike even when it's only laden for an overnight stay. It's not just the Disco, I've found the same on my other bikes.

Rack + bag is the way for me, I'd just like to find a light-weight rack-bag with enough capacity and a secure, easy on/off fastening and external pockets for ride stuff.

Bikes, lights and bags; you can never have too many. Or so it appears  ::-).

I love my DD as well. The only difference is that I 'stealthed' (not sure that's a word) mine and had it delivered with no decals and fitted a single black On-One logo.

Tredz are selling the racks.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Axiom-Streamliner-Disc-Deluxe-Rear-Rack_54702.htm

They look good and together with a pair of light panniers like these :

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Altura-Ultralite-Packable-Panniers_76291.htm,

may be just the solution I'm looking for. I'll just need to resist the temptation to fill them.


Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #41 on: 15 January, 2016, 07:05:31 pm »


Andrew Br

That's exactly the same bike I'm probably going to use, an On One Dirty Disco, which for all it's charms doesn't have rack fittings. I didn't realise that you could get racks to fit. I'll have to take a look at the axiom racks. B.T.W. How did you get on with the Carradice Tour ? I'd looked at those and they seemed a good option.



Great choice of bike Rji, I love mine.....
I think my rack is this one:- http://www.axiomgear.com/products/racks/streamliner/streamliner-disc-dlx/



Andrew BR - how confident are you that it's that rack ? I've spoken to Tredz and they don't think that it'll fit the DD and so I can't really buy it from them unless I'm confident it'll fit, as I'll look stupid if I have to return it. I'll buy it if you're more than say 50% confident.


Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #42 on: 16 January, 2016, 12:59:36 am »
I'm 99% sure.
I know it's an Axiom and their other racks don't look the same as the one that I have.
Checking the dimensions show that it's pretty close (a few mm either way).
I'm using the two black upper fittings rather than the single (silver) one:-



They fasten to the seat clamp, something that the LBS got for me.
I can take a picture of it later today if that helps; the bike is currently at the LBS for "attention".

Please feel free to ask for more info  :).


Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #43 on: 16 January, 2016, 07:17:53 pm »
Thanks Andy Br, I'd say that's good enough. There's only a couple of the Axiom racks that it could be, the Streamliner Disc DLX or the 29ER DLX and it looks like either would probably fit as there only seems to be a few mm difference between them.

I'll measure the bike later and see if it'll fit.

Next step, the dry bag and maybe a small handlebar bag for daily stuff and my camera (oh, and the moose !).

LEE

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Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #44 on: 16 January, 2016, 07:46:14 pm »
A Rack pack or a Saddlebag.  I don't like panniers for credit-card touring, they tend to get filled and spoil the lightweight nature of it all.

I'm using my Carradice Super C for a 3 day tour in June but it also got me through my 10 day trip to PBP2015 and back over 10 days.

Cycling gear dries out overnight so I just washed it in the shower. 

Me and my big old Super C on about day 9.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #45 on: 16 January, 2016, 10:15:38 pm »
Thanks Andy Br,

Andrew. Please.

(oh, and the moose !).

Moose is optional.
Our's has done Vatterernrundan, a few audaxes and plenty of tours. He rides in the top-tube bag.

My earlier post wasn't too helpful; my rack is the Streamliner Disc DLX.

Andrew



Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #46 on: 16 January, 2016, 11:53:29 pm »
Thanks Andy Br,

Andrew. Please.

(oh, and the moose !).



Moose is optional.
Our's has done Vatterernrundan, a few audaxes and plenty of tours. He rides in the top-tube bag.

My earlier post wasn't too helpful; my rack is the Streamliner Disc DLX.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew, that's extremely helpful, thank you for checking. I'll order one tomorrow.

Apologies about your name, it's just that I'm an Andy and it came as second nature.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #47 on: 16 January, 2016, 11:59:03 pm »
A Rack pack or a Saddlebag.  I don't like panniers for credit-card touring, they tend to get filled and spoil the lightweight nature of it all.

I'm using my Carradice Super C for a 3 day tour in June but it also got me through my 10 day trip to PBP2015 and back over 10 days.

Cycling gear dries out overnight so I just washed it in the shower. 

Me and my big old Super C on about day 9.


Nice set up. That's pretty impressive use of a Super C.

Re: How to Carry Gear for a 4 Day Credit Card Tour
« Reply #48 on: 18 January, 2016, 03:42:42 pm »
I agree with Lee. I have used a similar saddlebag  for multi-day tours in warm and wet countries.
Mount it on a Carradice Bagman quick release and you can carry all your luggage into the hotel in one hand, rather than having to cope with several smaller packs. It may be traditional but it works.
Raincoat on top flap for quick access, everything else inside in waterproof bags.