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The Best Bikepacking Bike is the One you Already Own: Part I

Author’s Note:  This post was updated on Dec. 29, 2016.  It was originally published on Feb. 20, 2015.

As interest in bikepacking and off-road bicycle travel continues to grow, many bike makers are offering machines that claim to be optimized for the task. We should know, as Surly’s line is full of bikes like the ECR, Ogre, Troll and Karate Monkey that are ideal vehicles for pedal-powered exploration. This level of specialization in bicycles can be a good thing but it also leaves many would-be bikepackers on the sidelines because they think they need a whole new bicycle to participate. While a shiny new bike can certainly make things easier and provide good motivation to get out and ride, you may discover that the best bikepacking bike is the one you already own.

With a few simple modifications or additions, any good-quality mountain bike can carry you and your gear into the backcountry. In this series of blog posts, we’ll guide you through the process and detail a few key points to consider when evaluating, upgrading and modifying your bike into a two-wheeled adventure steed that will take you places you never thought you could go.Especially since many key pieces of equipment  (bags, lights, etc.) won’t come with any new bike, modifying the bike you already own can be a much more cost-effective path of entry.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the key qualities that good bikepacking bikes share and see if your bike fits the bill. A comfortable, durable, mechanically-sound bicycle is critical. The consequences of an ill-timed breakdown or failure can be quite serious when venturing far from home, so these are very important considerations. Assuming you own a mountain bike of some kind, wheel that thing in here and let’s have a look.

Evaluating your Bike for Trail-Worthiness

Before heading into the backcountry or sinking lots of money into expensive upgrades, you would be well advised to be sure your bike is up for the task. There is a certain standard of trail-worthiness that not all mountain bikes meet. This is mainly a question of reliability. Off-road riding is hard on equipment and many inexpensive, “entry-level” mountain bikes are built with more casual riding in mind.

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Two trail-worthy mountain bikes, ripe for a bikepacking conversion. Photo by the author.

So, how do you know if your bike is trail worthy? If you purchased your bike at a bike shop and are already riding it regularly on singletrack with few mechanical issues you’re probably in good shape. If you bought your bike somewhere other than a specialty bicycle retailer your chances aren’t so hot. Bikes sold in many sporting goods and department stores are cheap for a reason and don’t typically hold up well when ridden often, especially off-road.

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Department store mountain bikes are not a good option.

However, even many top-quality mountain bikes don’t make great bikepacking bikes. So, let’s dig into some of the nuances that set a potential bikepacking rig apart from the rest. Your bike doesn’t have to meet all of these criteria to work well but you’ll be more likely to enjoy the experience if you have most of these boxes checked.

What Makes a Good Bikepacking Bike?

Comfortable Riding Position

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Two riders pedaling comfortably on the Idaho Hot Springs MTB Route. Photo by the author.

This is perhaps the most important consideration that we’ll discuss but also the most potentially challenging to get right. When you’re on the bike for hours at a time for days in a row, any potential source of discomfort can lead to frustrating pain or a debilitating injury. Other than employing the help of a skilled bicycle fit professional, the only way to know if you’ll encounter comfort issues is to put in the hours riding your bike. If you’re preparing for bikepacking you’ll want to do plenty of preparatory rides anyway, so listen carefully to your body for signs of problems as you ramp up the miles. A comfortable saddle and handlebar in the proper position are key elements in this equation. We’ll get deeper into fit issues in future posts. Assuming that you have a properly sized frame that you can ride comfortably, let’s take a look at some of the nuts and bolts of your bike.

Front Suspension or None at All

While full-suspension mountain bikes are becoming more common across all categories, they are often less than ideal for bikepacking on anything other than the roughest and most technical of routes. Suspension pivots and shock mounts take up valuable space in the front triangle, making frame bags difficult if not impossible to mount. All those moving parts also require regular maintenance and are often impossible to service in the field. You’d rather not be a hundred miles from the nearest bike shop when your rear shock blows a seal and stops holding air.

A suspension fork takes the edge off the rugged singletrack on the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route.
A suspension fork takes the edge off the rugged singletrack on the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route. Photo by the author.

A suspension fork can be valuable if your route includes a good deal of rough terrain but can be overkill for routes consisting mainly of dirt roads or smoother trails. Much like rear suspension, a suspension fork adds weight and complexity, requires regular maintenance and can be a major problem if it fails. While rigid mountain bikes have become a relative rarity the simplicity they offer is appealing. If your bike is already equipped with a rigid fork you may be in luck!

The choice to ride front and/or rear suspension will be dictated by your bike, route, personal preference and budget. If your bike does have suspension, be sure it is in top condition before heading out on a long trip.

Big Wheels, Wide Tires

There are many good reasons that 29ers have taken over the mountain bike market in recent years. The bigger footprint, increased air volume and shallower angle of attack offered by wide 29″ tires deliver excellent traction and improve the bike’s ability to roll easily over larger obstacles. These attributes are especially helpful when the bike is loaded down, less maneuverable and harder to unweight over bumps. However, don’t despair if your bike has 26″ wheels or is one of the newer crop sporting 650b/27.5″ hoops. Wheel size won’t make or break your experience out on the trail but larger wheels certainly offer appealing comfort and performance benefits.

Regardless of wheel size, you can do yourself a big favor by using the widest, highest volume tires your frame can safely accommodate. Wide tires will provide a smoother ride, cushion your bike, load and body from bumps and provide improved traction. We’ll talk more about tires in a future post, so stay tuned for that.

Quality Components

For better or worse, the price of an “entry level” mountain bike is incredibly low these days. This is certainly a good thing for many riders as the cost of getting into cycling is lower than perhaps ever before. However, those “entry level” bikes reach their low price points by cutting corners somewhere. One common place for this cost-trimming is in the bike’s wheels.

Bicycle wheels endure tremendous forces, especially when carrying heavy loads over rough terrain. Low-quality wheels that break spokes, bend axles, dent easily and won’t stay true are a serious liability. You’ll want to be certain that your wheels are built on sturdy, double-wall rims with quality hubs and spokes to avoid problems.  As shown in the cross-section diagrams below, double-wall rims feature a box section design that adds significant strength over the less-expensive single-wall design.

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Double-wall rims – like Velocity’s Blunt 35 – provide much stronger wheels.
(Diagram from Velocity USA)
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Single-wall rims are not typically strong and durable enough for trail riding or bikepacking.
(Diagram from Velocity USA)

On the subject of hubs, most newer bikes are equipped with a “freehub” drive system rather than the older “freewheel” style.  Bent or broken axles were common with “freewheel” rear hubs on mountain bikes because of the long section of axle protruding past the drive-side bearing.  If you have a rear wheel using a threaded-on freewheel you’d be wise to consider an upgraded wheelset before loading the bike down. We build a significant number of bikepacking-worthy wheelsets here at Bike Touring News, so we’ll talk more about wheels in an upcoming post.

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Hub comparison from the late, great Sheldon Brown. sheldonbrown.com

Other than wheels, you don’t really have too much to worry about. Even inexpensive brakes, shifters and drivetrain parts are surprisingly reliable and rarely fail when properly maintained. Higher-end parts will be lighter, more precise, offer performance benefits and are sometimes more durable but are not required. However, it is vital that all of your components are well maintained, not excessively worn and in good working order. It is wise to check and replace (if needed) your chain, cables/hydraulic fluid, brake pads, etc before heading for the hills to avoid problems on the trail.  We have a series of blog posts on roadside repair and maintenance, so brush up there if you need a primer.  Many trip-ending mechanicals are a result of poor maintenance and should be easily avoidable.

Metal Frame

Carbon fiber is everywhere in the bicycle industry. Carbon frames and components are showing up at surprisingly low price points and have (mostly) shaken off their reputation for fragility and premature failure. Modern carbon bikes and parts from reputable manufacturers are of very high quality and have proven reliable in demanding conditions. Many also offer extra protection in the form of tough, durable finishes, rock guards and the like. However, you’d still be wise to take extra care when bikepacking with a carbon frame. The combination of additional weight, frame bag straps, accumulated dirt, abrasion and vibration – in addition to normal hazards such as sharp rocks, severe crashes, etc – can cause serious damage to frame tubes of any kind but the problem can develop faster and have more severe consequences with carbon tubes. A good carbon bike can be a potent off-road weapon – especially for those looking to travel fast and light – but metal bikes will be more worry-free and probably longer-lived.

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Four riders – all on metal frames – head into the Owyhee Desert. Photo by the author.

On the other hand, steel or aluminum bikes may suffer damage to their finish from the conditions presented by bikepacking but will rarely sustain serious damage to the tubes themselves. Regular cleaning and inspection is still important but is not as serious a concern as with carbon tubes. Though expensive, titanium may be an ideal material for bikepacking bikes due to its exceptional hardness and resistance to scratching or abrasion.

Summary

So, is your bike up for the challenge? You may already have your new bikepacking bike hanging in your garage, waiting to hit the trail! If your ride doesn’t cut the mustard, Bike Touring News offers a range of models from Surly that will do the job admirably without breaking the bank, like the ECR, Troll, Ogre or Long Haul Trucker.  There comes a point where a new bike becomes a simpler, more cost-effective option.  Feel free to give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by the shop if you want to talk about the pros and cons of your current bike!

Throughout this series of posts, we’ll dig deeper into some of the considerations outlined above and a few more in order to help you build the best possible bikepacking setup for your application and budget.  In the next post we’ll explore various methods of carrying the supplies for your ride, so stay tuned for that!  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BikeTouringNews for the most up-to-date news and information.

What questions do you have about setting up a bike you already own for bikepacking?  Sound off in the comments, give us a call or email and I’ll do my best to cover those topics of interest in a future post.  Hey, thanks for reading!

Categories
Bike Touring Equipment Bike Touring Tips Idaho Tours and Rides

Lessons From the Trail: Doing it Better Next Time

We are always looking, hoping and striving for the best possible experience when we head out on a bike trip. Our free time to dedicate to these journeys is limited and valuable and we should do everything in our power to make the most of the opportunity. Many components in this alchemical equation are beyond our control. Weather, terrain, wild animals and innumerable other factors will all have a say in what we have to cope with out on the trail. We can try to plan and prepare for some of these unknowns but they are beyond our influence.

However, there are also key ingredients in an enjoyable bike trip that are wholly up to us. Our planning, preparation and packing all have the potential to make or break a trip. In hopes of improving our experience the next time, we look back upon returning to see what lessons can be learned. How did your planning, preparation and packing work out?  What worked and what didn’t?  What would you do differently next time? As you unpack, you have the opportunity to take a second look and assess your approach. Is there anything buried in the bottom of your bags that you had forgotten was there? Do you still have two pounds of food left over? By paying attention to these things during and after your trip, you’ll be able to learn from your mistakes and keep from repeating them in the future.

So, in hopes of offering some insight into this process, I’ll go through my unpacking and look back on the recent Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400. In doing so, I hope other new bikepackers and tourists will learn from my successes and failures so they can make their own mistakes rather than repeating mine! You may remember my Packing List and Planning posts on this blog. If you haven’t seen those I’d go back through them for the relevant background information.

 

Planning:

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my approach to the route. Given my lack of fitness and unfamiliarity with most of the terrain, I was well aware that any major setback could easily put me into a position where I would need an extra day to complete the route. So, I set out on Wednesday morning hoping to finish the ride before dark on Saturday but prepared to be out another night and finish on Sunday if needed. However, things went well out there and I was able to make it back to Boise’s Hyde Park neighborhood just before 7:00pm on Saturday. I was a bit disappointed to miss happy hour but the post-ride beer tasted just as sweet.

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Victory Beers in Boise!

My daily distance goals proved to be attainable, though perhaps more difficult to reach than I expected. I’ll also admit to underestimating the amount of time the tougher climbs would require and the physical toll they would take. When planning, it is easy to be overly optimistic and forget how grueling long climbs can be on a loaded bike and I fell into that trap. Because of my lack of respect for the climbs – especially the grind up to the Dollarhide summit – I fell short of my goal to reach Redfish Lake on the second night.  Looking back, I made the right call to stop and bed down rather than push on longer into the night. I made up the difference the next day over more level terrain and made it to Deadwood Reservoir on night 3 with daylight to spare.

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Dollarhide Summit

On a navigational side note, I did have some difficulties with my Garmin. I don’t know if other riders had similar experiences with their GPS equipment but my Edge 500 seemed to be struggling to communicate with its satellite and was very slow to update my position. Not a lot of satellites over Idaho, perhaps? I wasted a good deal of time standing still, waiting for it to re-find the route after going off-course. I was glad to have the Garmin but learned to keep the cue sheet handy to avoid missing turns. A handlebar bag with a map case is an ideal place to carry a map or cues and I’d like to experiment with different front carrying setups on future rides. Storing it under the strap on my handlebar bag works but is far from ideal.

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Cockpit Setup

Also, I was very happy with the Revelate Feed Bag and found it to be a perfect addition to my cockpit. The ease of access to my trail mix and other snacks was excellent and allowed me to keep a constant flow of food coming in. The outer mesh pockets also provided a perfect place to stuff energy bars, empty wrappers, my audio recorder and other small objects that I wanted to keep close at hand. The attachment was simple and secure, though the stabilizer strap that loops under the fork crown was just barely long enough for my bike. Riders on more modern mountain bikes with tall forks and short head tubes won’t have problems but folks with high handlebars and non-suspension corrected front ends may have to improvise an extension to the strap.

 

Preparation:

I was not in the best of shape coming into this event. Other than quick rips on the mountain bike up in the Boise foothills and riding to get around town, I haven’t been on the bike much since returning from my short trip on the Hot Springs route back in July. Given that less than three weeks intervened between my hearing of the event and taking the start on September 10, there really wasn’t time for training. Mostly, I just focused on sleeping well, getting quality food in me and drinking enough water. Given that I much prefer hoppy beverages to plain water, this can be a challenge! I was certainly well-rested and had the leftover base from my other long rides this summer to get through the Smoke ‘n’ Fire but suffered more than I would have liked. I made up for my lack of fitness with experience and a conservative approach to the event. I knew I couldn’t afford to take big risks.

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The Boulder Mountains seen from the Harriman Trail

Overall, I measured my efforts well, stayed within my limits and got through each day’s ride about as well as I could expect. I only had one cramp (while putting socks on in my bivy), consistently ate and digested well and only had a small handful of nagging aches and pains beyond the normal soreness and fatigue. I had some pain in my achilles tendons, usually a symptom of a too-high saddle. I dropped it 2-3mm on the second day and things improved a bit. I also had some minor saddle sores and chafing. This could also be attributed to the too-high saddle forcing me to rock my hips on the seat. This point illustrates the need to put in plenty of pre-trip miles on the bike you’ll be touring or bikepacking on. Had I been riding the RandoGnar and not my mountain bike for the weeks before the race I would have discovered the saddle issue beforehand and corrected it before it caused issues.

On a related bike-preparation note, this ride certainly pushed the limits of singletrack riding that I would knowingly undertake with my current handlebar configuration. I love all the hand and body positions that my long-reach, deep-drop handlebars offer on easier terrain but they place me at a disadvantage when things get steep, rough or technical. For future trips with more singletrack riding, I’d switch to a more upright handlebar configuration. Something like the Jones H-Bars might be ideal as they offer a wide range of hand and body positions and would put me in a stronger position to attack difficult terrain.

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Nasty, washed-out trail

 

Packing:

It is easy to nerd out over this department. Sure, there are map nerds and fitness nerds out there too with their own brand of dorkery but nobody nerds out like gear nerds. You know the signs. You’ve seen the shelves and closets overflowing with x-pac, down, silnylon, titanium and carbon fiber. I’m talking about computerized spreadsheets with a few-thousand bucks worth of outdoor gear and bike parts all described, tagged, weighed, starred, “faved” and color-coded. And of course, everyone’s favorite obsession – light weight – is actually kind of a big deal when you’re talking about pedaling the whole mess up and down mountains for a few days. However, any factor in your planning, preparation or packing stands to wreck your trip if you screw it up – no one more than the others – so don’t forget to do your due diligence in other areas. Don’t let the gear get in the way of the experience.

I try to choose gear that is space-efficient and functional and try not to obsess about the weight. I can’t afford to re-outfit myself with the ideal kit for every trip so I’d rather purchase gear that is versatile and durable. For the most part, I think I packed well. I used every piece of gear I carried except for the ones I always hope not to use: tools and first aid.

However, the colder-than-expected temperatures in the low twenties (one night set a record low near Stanley) certainly pushed the limits of my equipment. If I had gone any lighter on shelter or clothing I could have easily gotten dangerously cold. I had a tough time keeping warm through my second-night bivy at the bottom of the Williams Creek Trail, high up in the Wood River Valley.

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Daybreak in the Valley of the Sawtooths

The frigid air seemed to sneak in through imaginary drafts in my bivy and sleeping bag though both were zipped and cinched tight except for a small breathing vent to prevent buildup of condensation inside the bivy. My feet suffered the worst of it. They were just starting to warm up and come back to life after some jumping jacks until I got back on the bike. The icy wind pierced my meshy shoes like needles. I improvised toe covers from a pair of ProBar wrappers (inserted over my socks, inside the shoes) which helped cut the chill and retain some heat.

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Putting the “PRO” in ImPROvisation

More substantial gloves, toe covers and/or chemical warmers in my shoes would have made the chilly mornings much less painful. Also, despite the lack of extra space in my bivy, I’ll be sleeping with my shoes on future trips where lows are expected to be below freezing. All the icy metal, plastic and carbon fiber in the soles of my shoes sucked the heat out of my feet faster than my blood could circulate.

Food-wise, I was pretty happy with what I carried and how much. I made one resupply stop in Stanley where I purchased some additional ride food (beef jerky, Baby Ruth, Snickers, Mr. Goodbar, two bananas) and supplements (pouch of chunk chicken, Ramen noodles) for my final dinner on the trail.

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Dinner at Deadwood Reservoir: Lentil Soup with Chicken and Ramen

I stopped at some of the convenience/general stores along the way when they were available for cold drinks and to refill water. I also enjoyed a beverage stop with some new friends at the Featherville Saloon on day 1 and an amazing breakfast on the morning of day 3 at the Redfish Lake Lodge.

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Frosty Beverages in Featherville
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The “Northwest Breakfast” at Redfish Lake

Aside from these little luxuries, I ate and drank only what I carried and was able to ride safe in the knowledge that I had plenty of calories on board, could filter water from any of the many streams on the route and cook up a hot meal whenever appropriate. Conversely, with good route and resupply information, proper planning and measured riding, one could tackle this route (as many did) with a bare minimum of food on the bike, relying on services in towns and outposts along the way. Although a more expensive way to travel, this tactic certainly has its benefits as food gets heavy fast. It would have been easy to drop several pounds of weight off my bike by leaving the cookset and camp food at home but I would have had to sacrifice a good deal of my self-sufficiency and independence. For my purposes, it wasn’t worth it.

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Breakfast atop Scott Mountain

I rode into the darkness on both of the first two nights and found my lighting setup to be nearly ideal. The combination of the dynamo-powered headlight fixed to my front rack and the USB-rechargeable lamp on my helmet worked well in a variety of conditions. I could use the low, wide, bright beam cast by the dynamo light for most roads and supplement that light with the headlamp’s powerful spot for singletrack or whenever a more precisely-directed beam was needed.

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Helmet-Mounted Light at Five Points Campground

This system really proved itself on the second day. I had used the CygoLite for the last couple of hours on my first evening’s ride and continued to employ it while I cooked my dinner and made camp that night. I plugged it into the Sinewave Cycles Reactor as shadows began to grow long on the second day, got it topped back up to a full charge and used it for three or four solid hours on the second night to get me through the Fisher Creek/Williams Creek singletrack section under the light of the stars. This descent was one of the highlights of the trip and would not have been any fun at all with sub-par lighting.

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Last Rays of Sun Over the Sawtooths

Looking back, it is hard to see this ride as anything other than a great success.  Even so, I’m still looking forward to refining my approach to future rides and applying what I’ve learned.  I hope these posts have been helpful and entertaining.  Feel free to leave your questions and comments below.  Thanks for reading!

Categories
Idaho Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route Tours and Rides

Sifting Ashes from the Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400

So, what happened out there? Frankly, I’m not entirely sure. Even after nearly three days back at home and two glorious nights of sleep in my own bed I’m still sifting the ashes. All the oversaturated visions of rivers, mountains, valleys and canyons I had out there in the Idaho high country are swept into a continuous blurred mental replay that rolls to the soundtrack of fat tires rumbling over rock and gravel. I’ve been digging back through the artifacts – the empty wrappers and dirt-crusted bottles, the filthy clothes and foul-smelling socks, the crumpled maps and GPS tracks and the photographs and the journal entries – looking for answers. The excavation stirs the cooling embers of the fire that burned bright for four days but only a pale glow is left, barely visible in daylight. I can feel it in my still-tingling toes, swollen ankles and healing saddle sores. The photos are there, all 354 of them, but they don’t look quite like I remember them… There they are, the hot springs, the sheep herd, the hairpin turns, the bald eagle, the endless road. Depending on shutter speed, all of these photos account for somewhere around six seconds of total time over the course of 84 hours out there in Idaho. What happened in between?

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For those on the outside of this event, Trackleaders’ ride tracking page offered a God’s-eye view of the action that feels something like a game of Pac-Man played in super-slow-motion. Through the miracles of satellite photographs and map overlays, the casual spectator had access to a wealth of information about the event as it unfolded in real time. Much like Santa Claus, they knew when we were sleeping, knew when we were awake and could probably make an educated judgement as to wether we were being bad or good. But while the race replay feature can show you who won and who slept and where we got lost, those little tracker pins racing around like deranged slot cars don’t really tell you much about what happens out there.

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Despite all this recording of ones and zeros, there are massive gaps in the record: moments that went wholly undocumented or recorded in any way. These moments could hardly even be called memories as they were experienced in a state of no-mind.

After a couple of days, the routine of pedaling ones bike from sunup to sundown becomes natural. Time begins to distort. Sometimes hours fly by and you note the passage of time only when your shadow appears on the right rather than the left. Eventually – like a circumambulating pilgrim – we find a mental space in which we move through the landscape just as it moves through us, leaving only a faint track and puff of dust. A vague trace is all that is left of our passage, each through the other. No GPS data, no pixels or POIs on a map can tell those stories. The times of most complete focus make the greatest impact but leave us with only a vague notion of what happened, like a smeared painting or dream forgotten upon awakening.

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So why do we go? What pulls us from of our comfortable lives out onto the trail where we are at the mercy of the elements and forces of nature that we could never understand?

Sometimes we need a challenge put to us. We need a test to pass, an opportunity to excel, to show our abilities and prove ourselves. Prove ourselves to who? Ourselves, mostly. To prove to ourselves that we can do bigger and better things that perhaps we ever thought we could.

Sometimes we need to escape. Escapism is a natural reaction to conditions that offend our spirits so we seek an escape into a simpler world to restore a sense of balance. Finding this balance point isn’t easy, however. Tip the scales too far and you might be gone for good.

Sometimes we’re chasing. We’re looking for something – we’re not sure what – that we lost along the way. Or we’re striving for a goal, driven on by the desire to acheive, conquer and win. Looking for one more fix, one more thrill.

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No matter what drives us out into these places, out on our bikes over mountain passes and down harrowing descents, through darkness and blinding sun, frost and fire, we all end up finding something. It is different for all of us and that is what keeps us coming back. To get one more taste, to draw the cold, pre-dawn air into your lungs and feel it purify you as you round a bend on a high mountain pass. We go as explorers of the world within us and without us, to adjust our sense of scale and reckoning of our position. We go to be put in our place. To be awed and humbled by the majesty of the world outside the narrow tunnel we often see through.

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We go to lose our minds, to find our no-mind, to forget everything except the essential: food, water, clothing, shelter and forward progress. Always forward. The mountains, rivers, pairies and gorges of central Idaho are the perfect place to outrun whatever chases us and find whatever we’re looking for. Out in this wide-open country there is room for us to grow and expand beyond the normal bounds that we exist in. The clear, blue air and cold, crystalline streams carry our hopes and dreams. We just have to carry enough food.

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Upon returning, our charge is to carry the clarity of vision, simplicity of purpose and purity of drive found on the road into everyday life. This isn’t easy. Reintegration into a world that scarcely understands what we’ve lived through is not a simple matter. How does one explain the deeply-felt but inexplicable meaning of such a journey to friends, family or co-workers? To those who haven’t experienced something similar, it’s just a long bike ride and you’re just crazy for doing it. The truth is, they’re right on both counts. But there is more beneath the surface of a long bike ride.

To leave the lessons of the trail behind is to decline a great gift. Our daily lives can be hurried and complex, filled with a paralyzing array of choices or possibilities. With no cue sheet, route map or GPS track to guide us, we have to make our own way and find our own path. We must continue to seek moments of no-mind, break free of old patterns and habits that keep us trapped in a stable, predictable but ultimately unsatisfying existence. If we get it right, we’ll look at our familiar world through new eyes, see everything always for the first time, dream, chase and dream again.

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 >~\~>

See my pre-ride entries about packing and planning for the Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400.

Thanks for reading.

All photos ©Ryan King
flickr.com/photos/rspinnaking
Categories
Bike Touring Equipment Hermit's Workshop Idaho Planning Resources

Packing for the Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400

Greetings!  I’m a new voice here so I’ll briefly introduce myself.  My name is Ryan King and I’ll be riding the inaugural Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400 bikepacking race with the support of the good folks at Bike Touring News.  I’ve done a small handful of rides like this, including the Oregon Outback in May of this year and a four-day trip on the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route in July but this will be my first solo, race-type bikepacking trip.  I’ve always sought out new ways to push my limits as a rider and am excited (and a little nervous) about seeing what I’m capable of through this test.  As a first-time “racer” I’m no expert at any of this so I hope that I can offer some insight into my approach to this event and help others learn from my successes and mistakes while encouraging them to undertake similar challenges of their own.

Bicycle travel can be as simple or complex as you want to make it.  I think this is part of why I enjoy a bikepacking-style approach and make every effort to streamline and simplify my trip rather than finding ways to bring more and more gear.  This takes a good deal of planning and head-scratching sometimes but the joyful freedom of pedaling a bike packed with everything you need and nothing you don’t is well worth the extra work ahead of time.

So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.  What do you bring on such a journey and how do you carry it?  Let’s start with the “how” and then get into the “what” after that.

 

Luggage

For me, the first decision isn’t so much what to pack as how to carry it.  The carrying capacity offered by traditional rack-and-pannier setups is appealing (and ideal for longer trips) but their bulk makes them impractical when one intends to travel light and fast over more rugged terrain.  The benefits of bikepacking-style luggage have been extolled elsewhere but the main advantages for my purposes are lighter overall weight, improved aerodynamics and more clearance on narrow trails or when pushing the bike.

My setup differs slightly from the “standard” bikepacking kit in a couple of ways.  First, I prefer not to carry a backpack or hydration pack so I use a half-frame bag that fits under the top tube with room for water bottles in their cages.  The frame bag does fit a 100 oz. hydration bladder to stretch my water-carrying ability when needed.  Also, my bike is built around drop bars and a medium-size front rack, so I use a rack mounted handlebar bag rather than a handlebar harness.  This allows me to carry odd shaped, non-compressible items and offers fairly easy access to all of the bag’s contents without having to unpack.  For routes consisting of roads and easy singletrack, I find this setup to be ideal.

Although it can create something of a packing nightmare when trying to find space for everything, I find it important to place constraints on the amount of gear I’m able to carry by not allowing myself a place to put it.  This forces a higher level of planning and prioritization that pays off if done right.  Of course, there are potentially serious consequences to leaving a key piece of gear at home but experience and research will be your guide when it comes to what really matters.  Overall, a lighter bike is more fun to ride, you’ll get up the climbs with greater ease, cover rough terrain more easily and be able to enjoy your time in the saddle much more.  If your trip involves more time spent in camp than on the bike, you’ll want to pack very differently.

Here’s my luggage for the Smoke ‘n’ Fire:

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Sleep Kit

This is one department where opinions are as varied as the riders espousing them.  Some will sleep very little or plan to use lodging along the route, carrying only the bare minimum for survival if forced to camp.  Others will carry a full-size tent, air mattress and perhaps even a camp chair.  Others prefer a hammock rather than sleeping on the ground.  In wet climates a synthetic-fill bag may outperform down which loses its loft when wet.  As outdoor gear gets lighter and more packable, there are lots of good options for bikepacking-friendly gear in this department if you have the coin to spend.  My low-budget approach forces some compromise and I carry more weight and bulk in sleep kit than I would prefer but I know I’ll stay dry and warm in anything but full-on winter conditions.

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  • Therma-Rest Prolite 3 Sleeping Pad, Small
  • Sierra Designs Zissou 23° Sleeping Bag, 700-fill “Dri-Down”
  • Black Diamond (Bibler) Bipod Bivy w/single pole and 4 stakes

 

Tools, Spares, First Aid 

One of the great joys of traveling by bike is its efficiency.  On a bicycle you have ability to cover an immense amount of distance each day, even over terrain that would stop a four-wheel-drive truck in its tracks.  However, one mechanical issue at the wrong time will turn your amazing machine into a glorified luggage cart.  If you don’t like the idea of pushing or dragging your bike for miles on end it is critical to carry the tools needed to fix common mechanicals and know how to use them.  Most modern bikes require only a handful of hex wrenches to perform the majority of adjustments or repairs you’d need to make on the road.  Don’t go off the deep end preparing for every potential catastrophe and weigh yourself down with several pounds of hardened steel that you’ll never use.  If you maintain and service your bike before your trip, you shouldn’t have to perform major repairs in the field.  There also comes a point where you have to place your trust in your equipment and hope for the best.  Your tool needs will vary depending on your bike and route but my tool roll holds pretty much the same kit I would take on a long day ride with the addition of a few “just in case” items.

My first-aid kit looks small by comparison but I tend to ride very carefully on trips like this and rarely suffer much more than the odd abrasion.  The Smoke ‘n’ Fire route is never too far from major roads or outposts of civilization, so I’ll rely on outside medical aid in case of anything more severe.

I plan to use my GPS unit and cue sheet for primary navigation but always like to have good old paper maps as a backup.  I don’t like to place too much trust in electronics.

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  • Idaho Hot Springs MTB Route Map (shows 90% of Smoke ‘n’ Fire route)
  • Relevant photocopied map pages from Benchmark’s Idaho Road and Recreation Atlas
  • Compass
  • Leatherman Wingman multi-plier
  • Bakoda Cable Lock (for a little peace of mind when making resupply stops)
  • First Aid Kit w/ alcohol swabs, misc. bandages, anti-chafe cream, moleskin patches, waterproof matches.
  • DIY Tool Roll with 6, 5, 4, 3, 2mm hex wrenches, vulcanizing patches and glue, 9 and 10-spd quick-links, tire lever, DIY multitool with chain tool, 8, 9, 10mm open wrenches and bottle opener, chain lube, duct tape, spare Crank Bros cleat, misc. spare hardware, spoke wrench, tube, rag.
  • DIY leather “Junk Straps”
  • Not Pictured: Topeak Road Master Blaster frame pump (on bike)

 

Electronics

The escape from our screen-filled, flickering electronic world of ones and zeros is an appealing feature of these kinds of rides.  They allow you an opportunity to get back to a more immediate, unplugged, unfiltered, simplified existence.  This is why I carry a minimum of electronic distractions.  I brought an iPod on the Oregon Outback thinking I might need the music for extra motivation but never used it.  I’m constantly shocked and amazed by the desire people have to carry all the mess and noise of the modern world with them into the backcountry.  However, I do appreciate GPS technology for simple route-following and ride tracking, love my digital camera and struggle to imagine a world before high-powered LED lighting.  The lynchpin of this setup is the dynamo hub on my bike which powers my main headlight and a USB charger that allows me to recharge most of my devices on the go.

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  • Cygolite Expilion 700 USB-rechargable headlamp w/helmet mount
  • Garmin Edge 500
  • Gomadic Charging Cable (specific to Edge 500, also charges the Cygolite)
  • SPOT Tracker
  • Cell Phone & Charging Cable
  • Digital Voice Recorder (easier than a paper journal for ride notes)
  • Spare Battery for Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 (Camera not pictured. Guess why.)
  • On Bike, Not Pictured: Supernova E3 Pro Headlamp and Sinewave Cycles Reactor USB Charger, powered by Shimano DH-3N80 generator hub. Portland Design Works Radbot Taillight

 

Clothing

Similar to tools and spares, this is another department where it is easy to overpack in a vain attempt to be prepared for anything.  In my estimation, if there isn’t a time where I’m wearing nearly every article of clothing I packed, I brought too much.  I’ve fallen in love with wool shirts as opposed to the wicking synthetics typically used in technical clothing.  They seem to hold just enough sweat or water next to my skin to allow it to cool me off when hot and never feel chilly or clammy when cold.  For a trip like this where I don’t plan to spend much time in towns or in camp I don’t bring changes of clothes.  I’ll be stinking to high heaven after a few days but bringing extra clothes just for the luxury of feeling a little more “civilized” isn’t worth it to me.  However, with early morning temperatures expected to be below freezing in the high places I want to give myself the best chance of staying warm.

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  • Smith Pivlock v90 sunglasses, platinum lens
  • Wool cycling cap w/earflaps
  • Generic cotton cycling cap
  • Lazer Genesis helmet
  • Sierra Designs Gnar Lite down jacket
  • Pearl Izumi cut-off half-finger gloves
  • Seirus softshell long-finger gloves
  • Dickies cut-off shorts
  • Icebreaker wool long-sleeve
  • Icebreaker wool short-sleeve
  • Wool socks, thin
  • Wool socks, thick
  • Leg Warmers
  • Synthetic (quick drying) underwear for hot spring or river dips
  • Icebreaker wool underwear
  • Rapha bibshorts
  • Specialized Pro MTB shoes
  • Cheap flip-flops
  • Not Pictured: Giro Insulated Vest

 

Hygiene and Hydration

I tend to keep things pretty simple here as well, especially for short trips like this.  I find some kind of electrolyte supplement to be a big help for warding off cramps.  I also get tired of plain water and like having one bottle of water and one of some kind of drink mix on the bike at all times, mixing up the flavors for some variety.  It’s easy to get sick of a particular taste when you’re sucking it down hour after hour, day after day.

For a trip this short, I’ll make do with quick stream baths to get the worst of dust and dirt off but would never go without my toothbrush!  However, I will use alcohol wipes in my first-aid kit to keep my backside clean.  The last thing I want to deal with is an infected saddle sore.

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  • Sunscreen
  • Hardshell sunglass case for glasses and toiletries
  • Spare contact lenses
  • Lens Case
  • Contact Solution
  • Glasses
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Chamois cream
  • Skratch Labs drink mixes
  • Nuun electrolyte tablets
  • Hammer Fizz electrolyte tablets
  • Sawyer Squeeze water filter and bag
  • Water Bottles, two 22 oz., one 26 oz.

 

Cooking and Nutrition

This is one area that I tend to overprepare in.  In an ideal world, I would carry just enough food to get me to my next resupply location without going hungry.  In the real world, I’d always rather have a little extra.  I also never know what I might find at unfamiliar stores so I prefer to carry a larger supply of food that I know packs well and keeps my fire fueled rather than making do with whatever I can get my hands on.   Also, this prevents me from being at the mercy of small country markets that often have irregular and unpredictable business hours.  There is comfort in the knowledge that if shit hits the fan I won’t be going hungry.

For rides like the Smoke ‘n’ Fire, some light-and-fast purists will leave the cookset at home.  For me, the comforting, morale-boosting ritual of preparing and enjoying a warm meal or hot beverage is well worth the extra gear and preparation time.  I prefer to cook simple dehydrated meals where I can just boil a small pot of water and add food.  This allows me to carry my simple, compact and lightweight alcohol stove.  There are lots of dehydrated food options at grocery stores with well-stocked bulk departments in addition to the freeze-dried meals available at outdoor stores.  Typically, I’ll carry oatmeal with dried fruit, granola or trail mix for breakfast and some kind of soup or bean mix for dinner.  I’ll supplement these bases with whatever I pick up along the way.  Jerky, smoked fish, tuna packets, summer sausage and cheese are favorites for quick protein and require no additional cooking.  I’ll also try to pick up fresh fruit where possible and eat it immediately since it doesn’t pack well.  When time and funding allows, a break for a hot meal in town is always a morale booster and gives me a chance to take on extra calories that I don’t have to carry.

On the bike, I’ll eat just about anything.  I like prepackaged food bars for ease of carrying/consumption, calorie density and variety of flavors/nutrients.  ProBars are among my favorites and I rarely get tired of them.  I’m excited to try out Revelate’s handlebar-mounted feedbag on this trip as it will allow me to have a bag of trail mix or other snacks easily accessible for one-hand munching.  In the past, I’ve finished trips with huge quantities of trail mix left over because it is so difficult to eat while riding and I’m typically eating my breakfast or dinner if I’m in camp.

For many of us, a hot cup of coffee in the morning is not a luxury but a necessity.  However, coffee beans and the apparatus needed to prepare them can be difficult to justify carrying and create additional waste that must be dealt with in a responsible way.  Fortunately, Starbuck’s VIA or Mount Hagen instant coffee packets are a workable substitute.  I’d much rather drink VIA than actual Starbuck’s coffee; at least it isn’t burned yet.  I also enjoy a warm cup of caffeine-free tea in the evenings while taking in the stars.  Lemon ginger tea with a splash of whiskey is a pretty delightful nightcap!

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  • Enameled Cup
  • Pot Gripper
  • MSR 1-liter stainless steel pot w/lid
  • 1 cup Refried Bean mix
  • 3 cups Lentil Soup mix
  • 4 cups Oatmeal w/dried mixed fruit
  • 2 Thai Noodle Soup packets
  • Trail Mix
  • Sesame Cheddar Sticks and Wasabi Peas
  • Fig Bars
  • 12 assorted Energy Bars
  • Handkerchief
  • Bamboo Spoon
  • Pot Scraper
  • DIY Beer Can Alcohol Stove
  • DIY Bicycle Spoke Pot Stand
  • DIY Aluminum Foil Windscreen
  • Denatured Alcohol
  • Lighter
  • Starbuck’s VIA Instant Coffee
  • Assorted caffeine-free Tea Bags

I think that’s everything!  Did I forget anything?  Now for the task of packing it all into my bags and onto the bike!  Packing strategies also vary widely but that’s a topic for another post.  Until then, here’s a photo of the Rando-Gnar all packed up at the start of the Oregon Outback.

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In my next pre-ride post I’ll get into some of the planning, strategizing and goal-setting I like to do when assessing a route.  Follow the link to read on!

Thanks for reading; I look forward to your comments and feedback!

[Looking for more Smoke ‘n’ Fire content?  Check out Ryan’s post-ride recap here.]