[Closed] Whats the best adventure bike? - bike packing.

Surly ECR? I just want other people to have them, so that I don't necessarily have to....

Just to put it this way, the next frame I'm building is going to be similar to a Fargo geometry wise (but carbon), for a very similar purpose (all round adventure/bikepacking bike)

[url= http://www.shandcycles.com/bikes/stoater/ ]once seen, forever smitten[/url]

Depends if you want a mountain bike or a drop bared mountain bike/gravel bike.

Are you 100% off road, mainly fireroads and singletrack, or a mix of road and off road?

I've a Fargo, it's great, but it's not the immediate love affair like I found with my Vaya.
I'm thinking of getting an ECR, and seeing how I get on with that..

I think the bike will be a mixture of gravel, roads and off road. so an all rounder. I love my 29er but want something which will be set up for bike packing souly.

that STOATER is ****ing amazing. Way out of my price bracket though.

I'd also not heard of the ECR that's looking tempting!!!

always bought bikes suitable for a bit of offroad touring (bikepacking) as it is now fashionably named.
it the past the best bike I have found for this purpose was a full rigid singular swift. nice and comfy with a bit of luggage on, ok to clock on at a bit of pace on the road.
I have run a surly lht, and now a disc trucker for a few years now....perfect also for a bit of offroad touring.

been looking at a possible new bike recently. one to cover all the bases, racks. guards, discs. the shand bikes are gorgeous, but the price puts me off. I know they are custom but it is still too much for me.
the Croix de fer genesis bikes also grabbed my attention, and for the money they seem perfect.

The Shand Stoater is indeed lovely & spendy.
The Genesis Croix de Fer 30 2015 floats my boat at the moment...
The Kinesis Tripster is a popular choice and also lovely , I think there may be a l'aal thread about it somewhere...... 🙂

A few people seem to be trying the Genesis Latitude frame but I've not seen any long term reports yet.

There was a posting on the Cotic blog/site about putting 650b+ wheel/3" WTB tyres on a Solaris but again there's no update as to how it's gone. (the 650b+ combo comes out within a few mm of the diameter of a 29er wheel)

No-one mentioning the Genesis Longitude?

Was just going to mention the ECR! I just built one, but I can't offer any experience since I haven't actually been anywhere on it yet :$ I can offer pictures though! 😀 I built it up to be ideal adventure bike, and while it one hell of a machine, I find it really hard to ride still. I think it's just like cruiser bike. If you go slowly on it you could ride for miles on end! But I am talking slow...

@MussEd Gah! Meant the Longitude 😳

Surly Ogre. A Karate Monkey with more braze ons than you can shake a stick at. Mrs Mugsy and i have them. For heavy loaded touring with kids for 3 weeks caampingper year towing trailers/ kids bikes etc. Mine also serves me as my MTB.

Sabbath September might fit the bill. Or Tripster ATR, staying with the Ti theme.

Cheaper, and faster on the roads, how about CAADX?

Lots depends on how wide the tyres need to be.

I have a Surly Ogre, it's a great bike
[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2940/14680845073_e517558e5c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2940/14680845073_e517558e5c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oniaLv ]
P1030090[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/107347896@N06/ ]pickers48[/url], on Flickr

But if I was buying it this year, not last year, I'd likely have a Longitude which appears to be a pretty much identical frame for less cash.

If drops and some dirt is what you're after I'd look at a gryphon or similar first. Terrain and tyre size influence the choice a lot I think. I've done light load summer trips on 50-50 road dirt mix with a 40c cx bike, felt great. Light and quick. Easy to overwhelm a 40c ofc road with luggage on though. My Jones on 2.2" is more fun off road and more comfy over long distances, say 4-5 days plus. Speed evens out as comfort becomes more of a factor.

bikes suitable for a bit of offroad touring (bikepacking) as it is now fashionably named

So true

I think it does depend on how much off road ability you want. I think 2 inch plus tyres and even suspension forks have there place if you on proper off road terrain. Personally I think that in say Scotland many tracks that aren't that technical are still rough. An extreme example would having to stop on my descent of the corrieyairack pass as my arm hurt so much, that was on a rigid MTB

 

Sorry I can't edit that to stop my bit looking like a quote

[quote=gazerath ]is a fat bike just a fadNo

and is a more conventional frame/bike a better option for general bike packing.

I have a fatbike, a Ti 29er and a Ti cross/tourer. They are all suitable for bikepacking, depending on the terrain you'll be mostly on (I even have plans for trips with my Blur). If I was to select one bike, I'd probably opt for flat bars over drops and something with either a small amount of suspension or B+ tyres/wheels.

If you really do have that complete bulletproof, "fix it in the field" necessity then you should stick with steel. However, trips to the wilds of Africa, Asia or South America are, for most of use, only distant dreams. I'd not be stuck on steel if I was likely to be somewhere less remote.

I have an Ogre which commute on and have grown to like but given the Genesis Longitude has non suspension corrected forks (which would be an advantage for me a a shortish person) and that it's cheaper, if I were buy now I might also have had the longitude.

I'll echo what scotroutes mentioned ^ about having a flat bar instead of drops, since fitting the Jones Loop bar and the XTR kit + clutch mech to my tripster it has totally transformed the bike for the better by a factor of [i]X+1[/i], it is so comfortable for riding on road and so much better for rough lanes and genuine off-road stuff with far-far greater control that there is nothing i can't do on my tripster compared to my hummer, albeit a bit slower with 40mm tyres.

When i jump on my Hummer with it's carbon riser bars it feels so strange and ungainly - it's just wrong, my wrists feel like they are in the wrong position for comfort and control to the point that i can see myself buying another Jones loop bar for the hummer.

In my Tripsters previous build with the Salsa woodchippers and Ultegra build i thought it was the absolute dogs bollox for bike packing/touring etc but i now realise that the drops restricted my movement around the cockpit area as i only ever used the hoods, the narrow stance/grip compromised my off-road ability as when i wanted to brake heavy i would have to move my hands from the hoods to the drops which is not the best thing to be attempting when you need to slow down and maintain full control over sketchy terrain but i didn't realise it at the time, unlike now when i can ride the same trails with a lot more control.

Fargo with Jones Loop bars.
Amazing

Somafunk there is a lot of food for thought there

The Jones bars do look great. On a budget I find mary bars offer at least 2 proper hand positions. One for control and the other offering a reasonable tuck

If flat bars are the answer and I think for many situations they are these represent amazing value at £650. Tyres up to 2 inches. Not much else around at that price that has the sort of spec a bike like this will need

[img] [/img]

I have Woodchippers on.my cross/tourer and regularly use the drops. In fact I prefer that when descending anything sketchy.

got jones loops on my surly disco. for some idiot reason, i was gonna rebuild it and put either flats or drops on.
i rebuilt it today after some much needed tlc. i put the jones loops back on, and rode 12 mile home with them at a bit of a steeper angle.
bloody fantastic...so comfy. they are gonna stay on it now.

I've put the Loops back on the fatbike for the winter. I do like the extra control they seem to offer on loose surfaces (snow, slush etc). It took me a couple of attempts to get the angle [i]just right[/i] though. A couple of degrees out in either direction and they just feel wrong.

And those Pinnacles look to be amazing vfm. Much as folk on here are complaining about the cost of top-end bikes, while something like that exists there will always be a relatively cheap way of satisfying your riding requirements. The Arkrose looks to fulfill a similar job if you're into drops too.

I just wish the Jones Loops weren't so expensive 🙁

Peregrine?

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/15932386556_68650684df_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/15932386556_68650684df_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/82598458@N05/15932386556/ ]december 004[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/82598458@N05/ ]jamesanderson2010[/url], on Flickr

I just wish the Jones Loops weren't so expensive

Mary will go most of the way

If you need more at bar ends in the middle

I recently got a Tripster ATR to replace my snapped Kaffenback frame. The ride is sublime. Slow steering will take a bit of adjustment, but after a week I'm getting used to it.

Lots of people are running 40/42 tyres, and I reckon that you'd get a 1.75 in the fork. The rear would take a bit less.

For proper rugged terrain packing, I'd go for a Spearfish.

Surly Krampus?
Lacks braze-ons, but with a decent saddle/post mounted harness, frame bag and handlebar harness, it suits the bill.
Very comfy, a bit quicker handling than the ECR, I'll happily go all day and more on mine.

Kitted up for a short day out....

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/15241890533_ea1d228278_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/15241890533_ea1d228278_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pdSF36 ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/47113722@N00/ ]silly-boy[/url], on Flickr

I think the best bike is the one cobbled together with the parts bin....and just get on and camp....otherwise ...a Fargo ...

Yup, I think I need to rekindle my love fir my Fargo..
Need to get some trips squared away..

[IMG] [/IMG]

Stoater looks lovely. The traditional / current Brit adventure bike would prob be a Thorn, bet more have travelled to adventurous places than others. Mine, as in my 'adventure' (go anyway loaded up) bike is my old Stumpjumper (1980s edition) with more road orientated tyres and pannier racks back and front.

[img] [/img]

http://www.cyclesjbryant.com

Thata nice. 44 Bikes Hunstman is also drool worthy Trans-Atalantic handmade bike-packing beauty.

IMO a good bikepacking bike is the same as a good trail bike. My idea of bikepacking is extending good singletrack rides beyond a single day. For example that bike above looks horrendously overloaded and cumbersome to me, I can make do with far less than that for week long trips.

My SC highball alu is ideal for me, firstly its dimensions fit me, I don't buy into the [s]fashion[/s]advantages of steel, and I want front suspension.

Many of the bikes recommended are similar :Gryphon vs Fargo etc.

For me these'd be the factors:

Drop bars vs flat.
No. of braze ons.
Tyre size.
Rigid or not.
Weight- do you mind it bring a tank if ridden unladen (and thus material)

I have an ALU 29er with drops.

[img] [/img]

Bought this to cover commuting (current set-up), light touring and bike packing. Didn't like the bars that came with it, so went for the Jones loops, which are a revelation. For the money I doubt you will find better.
There are mounts everywhere, horizontal dropouts for versatility, clearance for 3" tyres front and back. It rides beautifully and is surprisingly quick unloaded.
It's a lot more capable than I am...

Can I use a normal mtb for bikepacking or will I die?

Been asked if I want to go to Iceland for 10days in the summer and was planning on taking my bandit.

Can I use a normal mtb for bikepacking or will I die?

Yes you can.

I used a normal mtb to do 10 x polaris events.
bikepacking is just a fashionable new name for a very old type of cycling.

Can I use a normal mtb for bikepacking or will I die?

You could bike pack on folding Raleigh 20 with a wicker basket on the front if you wanted to, ride whatever you have and feel comfortable on. Apparently what we as kids used to get up in the mid 80s @ Loch Awe Argyll was [i]bike packing[/i] on our bmx's, I wish I had known it at the time, we were so far ahead of the curve with our plastic sheets for tarps and telescopic fishing rods taped to our frames along with a rucksack stuffed with stolen food from the pantry.

bikepacking is just a fashionable new name for a very old type of cycling.

bikepacking is just a fashionable new name for a very old type of cycling.

True.

1. Classic Touring - Panniers and a Dawes Galaxy.
2. Bike packing - a Hardtail, a beard and a shed load of custom frame bags.
3. Bivy Biking. Full suspension, Rucsac, box of matches, Beer tokens and a bivy bag. The true path to enlightenment 😆

i actually think that because there is a pretty good selection of bike packing gear that doesn't rely on braze on / panniers etc that pretty much any bike is 'adventure bike able'.

and seat packs, frame bags and bar bags etc don't give you that 'just about to topple over' feeling as much panniers either so your bike is still a slightly heavier version of its natural trail friendly self.

having said all that, heading on an extended trip brings in other factors like simple set ups and being able to sort stuff that break enroute in the middle of nowhere. but there is a difference between a malfunctioning xtr di2 (joke!) on ben alder and totally off piste with a soggy map in alaska as well.

The first use of the term seems to be from an article published in National Geographic in 1973 which chronicled a 3000 mile trip across Alaska and Canada.

While off road touring has been taking place for as long as there's been bikes, I think the Australian sheep shearers might have been the first to use a set-up that somehow looks 'bikepacky' in the modern sense. They were crossing the outback on these things from the late 1800's ... covering some massive distances.

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And yeah, use whatever bike you have ... when Samafunk mentions Raleigh 20, he speaks the truth.

Sale El Mariachi here. Wanted something to cover all possibilities. Rack capable, can be fitted with different dropouts for SS, hub gears etc, but also razor sharp handling and excellent balance for technical whatsits. Needs sus forks for me though.

I disagree that bikepacking is the same as old style rough stuff touring.

The point of it is to use modern equipment both bike and lightweight minimal camping gear to maximise trail riding fun, if you are loading up loads of gear onto your bike then you are touring. It is mountain biking extended beyond the reach of a single day.

[quote=MSP ]I disagree that bikepacking is the same as old style rough stuff touring.
The point of it is to use modern equipment both bike and lightweight minimal camping gear to maximise trail riding fun, if you are loading up loads of gear onto your bike then you are touring.
And I disagree with your definition. 😆

Don't you start, I still haven't forgiven you for buying my old tent 👿

my list of gear for a polaris event was,
saunders jet packer tent
snugpak softie kip bag
half a karrimat
a mess tin
a exi block stove
4 packs of supanoodles

proper lightweight set up , even by today's standard.

I think in the UK I'd be tempted to bikepack with a rucksack - all the better to enjoy the singletrack. If I were not doing singletrack I'd load the bike.

I think in the UK I'd be tempted to bikepack with a rucksack - all the better to enjoy the singletrack

[quote=molgrips ]I think in the UK I'd be tempted to bikepack with a rucksack - all the better to enjoy the singletrack. If I were not doing singletrack I'd load the bike.I've tried that and it can work OK for very short trips - especially if you can really, really cut down what you are carrying. It can also make manhandling a bike over tricky terrain a good bit easier. However, bike-fitted gear works out much more comfortable on longer trips which is why that approach has been almost universally adopted.

I've done quite a few Polarises, used a rucksack for all of them. Also makes it easier to carry the bike, because the rucksack ends up acting like a bit of a harness for it. As I said, depends on the riding. And.. you know.. personal preference.. 😉

bikepacking is just a fashionable new name for a very old type of cycling.

So what Tony? ALL kinds of modern cycling(and therefor modern bikes) are just a process of evolution of what's gone before, of materials/building processes coupled with user experience/feedback. Obviously when someone sniffs a dollar the marketing kicks in and new(or rehashed) names arise to try and kick new life into something.

Why must all STW threads descend into "we used to do this stuff back when I were a lad and didn't have to call it x"

I guess it's the typical demographic on here? Old Man bollox I suppose. Speaking as an Old Man that isn't a dig at you Ton, or anyone else for that matter.

Personally I love the new style bikes labelled for Bike-packing/adventure biking/off road touring....and I'd much rather attempt this stuff on them than on an old 1920's pig iron SS/Fixie laden down with soaking wet sacks tied to the frame with twine...

*EDIT* I'm getting to the point that even a near empty Camelbak annoys me to the point of distraction on the bike

just my twopenneth mussed...sorry to upset you, or anyone.
I will leave this post now........ 😐

Not upset mate - just adding my tuppence as well, in the spirit of debate! A thousand other things to be getting on with but debating bikes is currently taking precedence...

Personally I love the new style bikes labelled for Bike-packing/adventure biking/off road touring

I bought mine for longer rides with lots of road and rough tracks - I guess that could qualify as 'rough stuff' but I think it'll be better with XTR and 2.2" tyres than with a 60s touring bike.

Haven't yet been on such a ride though - hopefully get out on Saturday AM 🙂

I've done quite a few Polarises, used a rucksack for all of them.

Why must all STW threads descend into "we used to do this stuff back when I were a lad and didn't have to call it x"

Oops. Didn't mean to derail things. Just wondering if my bandit would be totally impractical.

Fargo + Jones bars x10000000

Love mine, just so comfy, feels so right (but yes looks so wrong)

[img] [/img]

Teeto lets get a ride planned

[quote=jam bo ]Oops. Didn't mean to derail things. Just wondering if my bandit would be totally impractical.Nah. As jameso says, the best adventure bike is the one you use for your adventures.

As jameso says, the best adventure bike is the one you use for your adventures.

True.

The only difference the bike really makes is practical stuff like having rack mounts (if you want/need a rack of course) or space to put a frame bag. I really wanted rack mounts - not necessarily because I will use a rack for bikepacking (but I might) but because I like to travel for work with panniers, and prior to the Salsa the only bike I had with rack mounts was my commuter hybrid.

And there's also the possibility of something like family touring where I'd have to carry way more than I would bikepacking on my own. Can't put front panniers on my Salsa Cromoto Grande fork though.. 🙁

I had pannier mounts added to my Burls "just in case" too as I may well use it for on-road touring where panniers make a lot of sense.

To be honest if there were carbon XC race bikes with rack mounts I'd have been very tempted. The build would've ended up a good few lbs lighter, I could've XC raced it too.

Speaking of adding mounts to things though - who did you use?

I think I would like mounts of some kind added to the fork - either standard low rider front rack or the Salsa anything cage. Or both.

Based on almost no experience (1 trip) and lots of internet daydreaming...

I think my choices would be...
With soft Bikepacking set up
Roads/Gravel Tracks = Fargo
Roads/Gravel Tracks/Singletrack = Rigid Surly Karate Monkey with Jones Bars
Gravel Tracks/Singletrack = Surly Krampus with Jones Bars

I actually own a Karate Monkey (by choice) and Krampus (by pure dumb luck).

If I were to do an extended tour with racks. I would probably take a Surly Ogre or ECR.

There were other considerations in my purchase too - I wanted a 15mm front axle and also a tapered fork for future compatibility...

[quote=molgrips ]Speaking of adding mounts to things though - who did you use?
Sorry - I meant that I had them "added" during the build. Pannier mounts, an under-downtube cage mount and routing for one-piece outers all made it onto the frame, along with some specific geometry changes I wanted.

Wow there has being a lot of activity since I last logged in yesterday.

I have used my 29er front sus for bike backing (sorry off road touring) and it was good but I think I am a bike whoare and just like building bikes. My Kaffenback has being used on and off road, done some epic trips on it but as soon as I hit the rough stuff it just feels like it could throw me at any time.

I'm liking the sound of the Jones loops as I like drop bas but I tend to spend most of my time on the hoods or tops. not very often on the lower D's

I'm torn between a Fargo, Singular Gryphon, and Genesis Longitude. There are some amazing bikes on here but I'm not sure I could afford some of the custom frame builds, titanium jobs. I do like the steel idea as one day I would love to go ride in some far of countries and if some how something happened to the frame I like the idea it could just be welded back together.

I'm cycling from Amsterdam to Paris next which will be a road tour, so the Kaffenback will probably be used then.

I need to find a stockist of Surly so I can go have a look at the ECR.

I do like the steel idea as one day I would love to go ride in some far of countries and if some how something happened to the frame I like the idea it could just be welded back together

I am far from convinced that modern steel tubing could be repaired by any village odd job repair man, in fact I am fairly convinced that it is a bit of a silly, although often repeated, myth.

Realistically a frame failure is one of the least likely events that could terminate an adventure.

If I snapped a frame I would probably start looking for a stick and some gaffer tape.

If i snapped a frame on a round the world tour i'd expect my support vehicle to arrive pretty damn sharpish, and whilst my mechanic swapped the parts over and set the bike up to pre-determined measurements i'd be getting a massage from the sports physio that's on call 24 hrs/day. To be entirely honest i'd also expect a decent feed from my personal chef but he'd better remember to remove the stones from my Kalamata olives this time - you ever tried to get your personal dentist to drop out of a hovering helicopter in the middle of the Afghan Kush?…Pah!…big soft jessie that he is….doesn't he realise this is a dangerous adventure i am undertaking?.

Everyone needs to pull their weight or they're out…no if's….no but's….no more excuses will be suffered……adventuring is not for wimps!, mtfu or go home.

It's surprising how little mechanical knowledge you need to be a round-the-world cyclist. I'd expect to be able to replace a HT2 bottom bracket without having to be emailed instructions (or talked through it over the phone) by my LBS.

adventuring is not for wimps!, mtfu or go home.

Says the man who has mounted a Bluetooth speaker to his Tripster as "has to have tunes whilst out on a ride"! My eyebrow(left) is raised....

I've just bought a Longtitude but not built it - I doubt I will ever use it for true bikepacking but you never know.

Anyway my point - have you seen the full two page advertisement; despite the fact that the frame is full of brazed on fittings, the bike is shown in all its splendour fully kitted out for bikepacking and all the bags are attached with velcro.