A real bikepacker doesn't debate whether he should saw off the handle of his toothbrush for weight reasons. He does that anyway. A real extreme cyclist is more likely to discuss whether the toothbrush is worth the extra weight. One of the favourites of the 4000-kilometre self-supported race "Tour Divide" in 2016, Josh Kato, had reduced his equipment to a total of 17 kilos - including complete camping equipment for the Rocky Mountains. And including his bike. There was no shaving kit on his packing list, which could be one reason for the perceived proximity between bikepacking and a fashionable full beard.
Bikepacking is zeitgeisty and suitable for advertising because it produces splendid images of bearded adventurers in the great outdoors.
This contrasting programme is fuelling urban desires, regardless of whether the adventure equipment purchased is ever used appropriately. On the supplier side, this impulse falls on fertile ground. If you draw a line under the last two or three trade fair years, "bikepacking" or "adventure cycling" is one of the most conspicuous trends in the extended trekking sector - with the generous exception of electrification.
The term "bikepacking" cannot be clearly defined. However, if you distil the relevant websites, it always refers to multi-day cycle tours away from the usual infrastructure, where an overnight stay in the open air is an essential part of the experience. It is obvious that this combination of rough paths and overnight luggage leads to individual solutions. The most obvious of these are the bags.
Having to drag and pull a conventional touring bike with a full load is a punishment. It is difficult to manoeuvre around obstacles in rough terrain because the weight makes the steering sluggish. What's more, a bag occasionally pops off. Bikepackers are therefore happy to do without a pannier rack despite being fully equipped. It's not just about the weight of the carrier, but above all about the load distribution: the closer luggage is placed to the front wheel on the steering axle, the more agile the bike remains. And the lower and more central the centre of gravity of the entire load, the safer the handling.
Pioneers such as the US brand Surly have therefore provided the fork blades with many threads, among other things.
If you fill your frame triangle with a pannier, there is no more room for water bottles. They go on the fork. Alternatively, special luggage cages can also be attached there with a favourable centre of gravity.
A saddle bag with a volume of up to 15 litres usually floats above the rear wheel. There is no classic pannier rack, even though almost all special bikepacking bikes would allow it to be fitted. There is also a waterproof pannier with a special holder on the handlebars. There is space for a sleeping bag or a change of clothes. You can hardly save any money with this alternative packing system, because the really well thought-out special bags are expensive: some frame or saddle bags cost around 200 euros.
The new pannier system is also fast. For most trekking cyclists, travelling speed is probably not particularly important, but the website "cyclingabout.com" credibly reports on an aerodynamics test on a cycling track, in which conventional panniers with pannier rack and a set of bikepacking panniers were compared. The test rider pedalled with constant power (200 watts). With a pair of Ortlieb panniers on the front or rear rack, he reached an average speed of around 28 kilometres per hour, but with the bikepacking equipment it was around 30 kilometres per hour - a very clear difference for sportspeople. The fact that the bags also allow new luggage options beyond aero considerations is also a benefit for traditional bike travellers. Apart from the "Anything Cages", the luggage baskets for the fork, the bags also fit a timeless trekking bike.
It is impossible to say which type of bike is best for adventures with light, well-distributed luggage.
We ordered four more or less specialised representatives of the "adventure bike" genre for testing in order to demonstrate the entire spectrum. What they all have in common is the claim to be reliable and low-maintenance. Leaving aside the competition-orientated Salsa Cutthroat for a moment, the frame material steel seems to offer particularly good conditions for this. The advantages of the material are sometimes invoked almost religiously. Riding comfort and durability in particular are said to be at a very special level, surpassed only by titanium. There are good arguments for doubting this, but one thing remains true for frames and forks made of this material: the many, many threaded eyelets can hardly be attached to the frame and fork with more durability and resilience than with the traditional material at a reasonable cost. Riveted threads in aluminium and even more so in carbon are second choice. Surly in particular, but also Bombtrack and Specialized take advantage of this to offer a wide range of options for luggage transport. With a whopping 20 threaded eyelets on the fork, Surly definitely takes the cake - even experts briefly ponder the purpose of some of the eyelets, although similarly stiff framesets made of aluminium would be significantly lighter; in our experience, the difference for such robust models should be around one kilo for the frame and fork.
A second step towards reliability is the absence of a suspension fork.
It would not only make transporting luggage more difficult, but could also lose air or wear out. A carefree bike in this category does without it as standard, but the geometry of the Salsa and Bombtrack would be designed for it. The cable routing with continuous outer sleeves also aims to minimise maintenance in extremely dirty environments. All bikes in the test also favour disc brakes. Thru axles for more stiffness and precision are either already fitted or - on the Surly Troll - possible in principle.
It is still too early to assess the influence of the bikepacking trend on travelling by bike, but in purely technical terms it is certainly an enrichment: the strong influences from the mountain bike sector are expanding the range of touring bikes with sensible, robust technology such as thru axles on disc brake bikes and thick tyres for off-road travel. The extended range of panniers also makes weekend trips with conventional bikes easier, as there is no need for additional pannier racks. And the bikepackers' pictures of the magnificent landscapes? They broaden our horizons, fire our imagination and have us mentally putting the saw to the toothbrush handle.
The complete article "Trendreport Bikepacking" was published in Trekkingbike issue 1/2017. You can download the issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK-Shop order.
