When we think about cyclotourism, we immediately think of a fully equipped bicycle with large bags attached to the rear luggage compartment. Handlebar bags and maybe even on the front wheel.
With all that load, a bike can even weigh up to 35 kg. This is why we usually travel along bicycle paths or little low-crowded streets, always flat.
But if are you going to travel in more difficult conditions, outside common itineraries, in places with scarcity of food or accommodation facilities? How to equip yourselves if you want to go to adventure?
A classic tourism bicycle is to be discarded, better to start with a mountain bike. Often, however, hooking cycling luggage to a mountain bike is impossible because the luggage carrier isn’t present.
To solve this problem we can rely on “bikepacking”.
That is, specific bags that attach directly to the bike frame without creating hindrance. The purpose is to have a perfect handling while nevertheless carrying all our luggage.
With bikepacking:
- the bike is lighter and faster because the equipment weighs a third less than the traditional one
- weight distribution is better and ensures good handling
- no tools are required to assemble and disassemble the bags because they attach directly to the frame with straps.
It’s the ideal solution for short trips in your area or for long holidays in the nature. It’s a more adventurous type of cyclotourism that requires proper mental preparation.
Obviously, before purchasing the bags for bikepacking, you must make sure that the frame of our bike is fit. Is there enough space under saddle for a purse? How much space do I have between the seat tube and the head tube?
Choosing between bikepacking and traditional bags is also a matter of personal tastes and choices, If you prefer to travel light, bikepacking offers some advantages over the luggage carrier. Same as if you have more than one bicycle, perhaps a race one and a mountain bike or a folding one, bikepacking, allows you to keep costs down and use the same bag for all bikes for the most varied uses.