Are you searching for some newbie bikepacking ideas? You’re in the suitable place! Over the previous few years, bikepacking has actually taken off among the many biking neighborhood. It’s a good way to discover new locations, spend a while outside, and canopy extra floor than you possibly can on foot. I’ve been occurring bikepacking journeys for a few years and it’s fingers down one in all my favourite methods to journey.
However there are some issues that must be considered earlier than you head out on a bikepacking journey. Components like what gear to deliver, pack a motorcycle for bikepacking, and selecting a beginner-friendly route are all important for planning a profitable journey.
After a lot of brief and lengthy bikepacking excursions myself (together with pedaling 630 miles throughout the state of Washington!), I wish to share a number of ideas and tips I’ve realized that will help you prepare in your first bikepacking journey.
Able to roll? Listed here are my high newbie bikepacking tricks to get you prepared and stoked in your first tour.
Selecting a Newbie Bikepacking Route
On your first bikepacking journey, you wish to select a route that’s manageable. In a single day journeys are a good way to check out gear, determine if you happen to truly take pleasure in it, and get a really feel for what it’s wish to pedal a loaded bike. Bikepacking.com is a superb useful resource for locating and researching bikepacking journeys they usually have a complete part devoted to overnighters.
Different components to think about when selecting your first bikepacking route are:
- Water availability. Until you’re ready to hold your whole water, it’s a good suggestion to decide on a route the place you realize there shall be dependable water sources.
- Logistics. Loop rides are simpler to plan than point-to-point rides since they don’t require any shuttles.
- Cellular phone service. Whereas it’s good to disconnect from the world, it’s a good suggestion to plan your first journey someplace that has dependable cellphone service in case one thing goes improper. Damaged derailleurs or a slashed tire can imply a protracted stroll out!
- Terrain. Bikepacking routes vary from rugged singletrack adventures to fast-rolling gravel roads. In the event you’re not accustomed to pedaling and dealing with a loaded bike, it’s finest to decide on a straightforward or reasonable path or highway in your first journey. There’s no must sort out one thing tremendous strenuous your first time round, particularly when you find yourself nonetheless determining get your setup dialed.
Important Newbie Bikepacking Gear
The gear you want for bikepacking doesn’t differ an excessive amount of from the gear you want for in a single day backpacking journeys. We’ve a wonderful 3-day backpacking guidelines that particulars a few of our favourite tenting gear. You’ll additionally want some bikepacking-specific gear, which I’ll go into element about beneath and you can even discover my full multi-day bikepacking gear record right here.
Your Bike
On your first bikepacking journey, the most effective bike is the one you already personal. If it’s been sitting within the storage for some time otherwise you haven’t proven it a lot love, you’ll wish to take it to your native bike store for a full tune-up to verify it’s in bikepacking form.
In the event you don’t have a motorcycle that may work, you possibly can lease one or borrow one from a buddy. REI shops sometimes have bike leases and a few native bike retailers do as properly.
I don’t suggest going out and shopping for a brand new bike previous to your first bikepacking journey. First, you wish to be sure to truly take pleasure in bikepacking, and second, you’ll wish to get a greater understanding of the kind of bikepacking you’ll be doing in an effort to purchase a motorcycle that matches your bikepacking wants. A full-suspension mountain bike is nice for singletrack trails, however it’s not the optimum bike for multi-day journeys on gravel roads.
When you some driving underneath your belt and begin to get a really feel for what sort of longer adventures you wish to go on, then you can begin to search for bikes that shall be finest for these sorts of excursions.
Bikepacking luggage
There are quite a lot of totally different choices in terms of attaching gear to your bike. Investing in a full bikepacking bag set-up is dear, so I like to recommend utilizing what you may have already first. Dry sacks may be secured to the handlebars or rear rack with voile straps and water bottle cages may be connected to the body.
In case you are seeking to buy some newbie bikepacking luggage, listed here are a number of firms that make sturdy and waterproof gear:
- Rouge Panda: They really make customized body luggage to suit your particular bike and you may select from a ton of enjoyable colours and patterns.
- Revelate Designs: Primarily based out of Alaska, Revelate Designs makes high-quality luggage which can be designed to resist quite a lot of put on and tear.
- Ortlieb: Ortlieb is understood for his or her panniers, however additionally they have a full vary of bikepacking luggage. Panniers mean you can carry extra gear, however take into account that you’ll want a rear rack. Additionally, relying on the terrain you’re driving, panniers can bounce round so much and I’ve even heard of the clips breaking, which might be a giant problem to repair on the path.
For in a single day journeys, I truly want sporting my Osprey Mira 32 backpack. Not everybody will agree that it’s higher to hold your gear in your again, however I discover this backpack to be very comfy, even when loaded with gear. It additionally retains my bike gentle and free from numerous luggage and straps.
My 1 or 2-night bikepacking journey setup is to put on the Osprey Mira on my again (with a 2.5 L water reservoir), a handlebar roll in entrance, a high tube bag for snacks, and a water bottle in my water bottle cage.
Bike Instruments & Restore Package
So far as bicycle instruments go, you’ll wish to deliver a lot of instruments and spare components with you. Under is a primary record, however if you happen to’re heading out on an extended bikepacking journey, you’ll wish to embrace a number of extra gadgets which I embrace in my multi-day bikepacking gear record.
- multi-tool. My go-to multi-tool is the Crank Brothers M19.
- Grasp chain hyperlinks. Grasp chain hyperlinks mean you can repair a damaged chain. Take a look at your chain to see which grasp hyperlink you want (10-speed, 11-speed, 12-speed, and many others…)
- Valve cores. Valve cores can fail and if that occurs, you don’t have any manner of pumping up your tires. Carry not less than 2 spare valve cores.
- Hand pump. The Lezyne Strain Drive CFH can be utilized as a standard hand pump for each Presta and Shraeder valves and it may also be used with CO2 cartridges.
- Tubeless tire equipment. Most bike tires are arrange tubeless today, which has drastically diminished the variety of flats. Nonetheless, punctures nonetheless occur, so that you’ll must deliver a tubeless tire equipment with plugs and an insertion instrument. I’ve the Real Improvements Tubeless Sort out equipment, which additionally comes with valve cores and you may retailer your grasp hyperlink in right here, too.
- Duct tape. At all times good to have!
- Spare tube. Be sure to get the suitable tube measurement in your tires.
- Tire levers. In case you get a flat and you want to insert a tube.
- Tire boot. These can get you out of a jam if you happen to slash your tire.
- Zip-ties. Helpful for an infinite variety of issues.
Bringing these instruments is crucial for each newbie bikepacker, however provided that you know the way to make use of them. That’s why earlier than you head out in your first bike tour, it’s important that you simply brush up in your expertise!
Methods to Pack a Bike for Bikepacking
There are quite a lot of totally different opinions in terms of pack a motorcycle for bikepacking, however for me, I discovered that the next methods work the most effective.
Handlebar roll
Preserve lighter stuff like your tent (minus the poles), sleeping bag, and sleeping pad in your handlebar roll or stuff sack. This enables the entrance of your bike to remain nimble and maneuverable.
Body bag
Pack meals, water, tent poles, and different heavier gadgets in your body bag. This retains the burden within the heart of the bike and might help present traction.
Seat publish bag or panniers
Pack the remaining items of substances like range, pot, utensils, garments, and toiletries in your seat publish bag or panniers. In the event you’re utilizing a seat publish bag, ensure that it’s cinched down tight to stop undesirable sway.
Prime tube bag
I wish to have quick access to my snacks, multi-tool, and telephone in my high tube bag.
Hydration pack
I sometimes at all times put on a hydration pack after I’m bikepacking as a result of it permits quick access to water and it may well match small odds and ends like instruments and spare components, meals, and different light-weight gadgets. In case your tent poles don’t slot in your body bag, they will go in your hydration pack.
Water bottles
If you want to carry extra water than what’s in your hydration pack, you possibly can connect water bottle cages to your down tube. If you want to carry much more water, these water bottle cages can connect to your entrance fork legs with a velcro strap.
Bikepacking Pre-ride Guidelines
Now that you’ve your route picked out, your gear sorted, and you know the way to pack your bike for bikepacking, you’re able to roll! However earlier than you head out in your first journey, here’s a fast guidelines to run by means of to be sure to have all the things dialed.
1. Your bike is in nice working order
My largest bikepacking tip is that this: earlier than you head out in your experience, ensure that your bike is in nice working order. This consists of checking to see in case your tires are in good condition, new sealant is added in the event that they’re tubeless, the chain will not be worn, it shifts nice, there aren’t any mysterious noises, your brake pads are contemporary, and all the things feels nice.
The very last thing you need is to get midway into your bikepacking journey and have one thing go improper together with your bike that would have been prevented beforehand.
In the event you’re undecided do bike upkeep your self, take it to a motorcycle store and have a mechanic look it over. It’s value the additional cash to make sure your bike is in tip-top form.
2. You’ve brushed up on some primary bike mechanic expertise
You, or somebody in your group, ought to know :
- Change a tire
- Repair a damaged chain
- Substitute a derailleur hanger
- Lube a sequence
- Use a tire boot in case a tire will get slashed
- Insert a tire plug
If these all sound scary to you, I like to recommend signing up for a primary bike upkeep course or watching some YouTube movies.
3. You’ve deliberate out your route and have achieved cautious analysis
Identical to planning a backpacking journey, planning a bikepacking journey requires cautious analysis and preparation. You could understand how a lot meals to deliver (belief me, being hangry on a totally loaded bike will not be enjoyable!), the place there are dependable water sources, a tough concept of the place you’ll camp, what the forecast and temperatures are trying like, and some other element you possibly can consider. The extra you propose, the much less possible you’ll end up in a sticky state of affairs.
4. Your gear is organized and examined
Be sure to pull out, arrange, and take a look at, all of your gear earlier than packing it up in your bikepacking luggage. On a latest bikepacking journey, I forgot to check my water filter solely to comprehend that it was clogged up and consequently, it filtered water actually gradual. Not the top of the world, but when I had examined it previous to my journey, I might have flushed it out or purchased a brand new one.
One other mistake I’ve seen is folks assuming that each one of their tent components are within the tent bag, however then discover out that the poles or rain fly is lacking once they go to arrange camp on day 1.
At all times arrange and take a look at your gear earlier than you permit!
5. You’ve instructed somebody the place you’re going
Final, however not least, inform somebody what your bikepacking route is and while you count on to be completed. If nobody is aware of the place you’ve gone or while you’re speculated to be again, it may well make getting assist and even rescued extraordinarily troublesome.
It’s additionally a good suggestion to hold a GPS communication gadget if you happen to suppose you’ll be out of cellphone service vary. The Garmin inReach Mini is a superb possibility.
Focused on studying extra about bikepacking and mountain biking? Remember to try Becky’s weblog, Two Wheeled Wanderer.
What are your newbie bikepacking ideas? Do you may have recommendation for these simply beginning out? What questions do you continue to have about bikepacking? Drop a remark beneath!
