I’m planning a little ride over some hills for approximately 8 days to begin with ( I haven’t booked yet so this could blow out to 4 weeks). It might get real cold at the top of said hills at real short notice, but could be pretty warm for the rest of the time.
I can get my hands on the appropriate kit for the job, but in your experiences, what are the essentials that I’ll need?
Complete touring noob.
I was thinking frame bag and saddle bag, (recommendations welcome) and thats as far as I got.
Maybe one set of regular clothes, basic tools, tubes, chain,…?
Where I’m going there are towns pretty close together and I’m just going to wing it and book maybe a day ahead here and there where I can get the interweb if not I’ll be door knocking. I’ll be running my Stainless Snob with mechanical grouppo.
Besides regular kit, a merino long sleeve shirt and some modesty shorts are good for when you’re having dinner or at the bar. Maybe take a second pair of bibs to alternate.
Besides those, basic toiletries (toothbrush, toilet paper, chamois cream), basic first aid (painkillers, bandaids) and more food, all you’ll need is whatever you’d take for a long day ride.
You can wash your stuff in a bathroom and hang it off the saddle bag to dry.
Fitting a frame bag and saddle bag will probably be easiest then. My first thoughts are tights and a puffer jacket. Maybe something like these GE Daddy Longlegs. You can wear them while you ride and under some light trousers when you go to dinner. A lightweight packable puffer like a Patagonia Nano Puff or Ultralight Down Jacket, or one of the Macpac ones like this one. I have an older version of this RAB Xenon X. There’s plenty out there.
Then maybe just wear riding kit suitable for different weather - windproof gilet, lightweight raincoat for warmth (not to stay dry) - some lightweight trousers and a merino shirt for going to dinner. Maybe something like Rapha Brevet shorts to ride in so you can just go into the pub for lunch without feeling too much like a numpty. SPD mountainbike shoes. Maybe some shoe covers so you don’t have to go to dinner in wet shoes.
I’ve got some frame bags you can borrow if you like - I won’t be using them any time soon.
Would recommend a half-frame bag, a good sized saddle bag, and probably a small top tube bag behind the stem for snacks. Maybe even some chaff bags behind the bars if you want to carry extra bidons, or food.
Bags are going to scratch your frame though. Even on bitumen you tend to get a fair bit of rub from the velcro etc.
Also, is that a carbon seatpost? The saddle bag I’ve got uses a steel support that would want to go on an alloy one.
I probably wouldn’t recommend a front bag on that bike unless you’ve got some clever way of stopping it hitting front wheel.
Alex, why does it have to be an alloy post? Will it scratch it? That saddle bag look dope! I think I am asking more about what Big Adz said. I hadn’t thought about first aid.
Anti inflammatories probably good as well? EPO?
I’m good for kit, working for Rapha has some perks, but thanks for the tips. Noted
A lot…I have a Revelate Pika that fits about 12-14l. I put only light stuff in there, jackets, clothes in general, light food (eg coffee, noodles).
Bob, Merino is the way to go. Get a longsleeve from eg Icebreaker, take some hiking pants (light, dont take much space) and some light traines (Nike free or similar). Merino underwear is also pretty good as are socks. you can wear them for days and they dry easily over night if have to. Toured the South Island like this.
I’m using my phone. (I tried a few different things but still haven’t found a good way to link images from instagram or Flickr using just my phone browser)
Bob, re: the alloy post, my saddle bag is a Porcelain Rocket Mr Fusion, with a machined alloy ring that slides over the seat post. The ring has fairly sharp edges, and over time I reckon the vibrations could start to eat into a carbon post.
The saddle bag would be overkill, but would mean you could take extra winter clothes. You’d struggle to fit a jacket or trousers into a frame bag, and besides the frame bag is better for tools, spares, food, first aid etc.
I don’t quite know how to describe the capacity of the bag. I’ve previously fitted a small tent, a mini Trangia, and about 5 items of clothing, including one jacket, if that means anything. The bag is highly compressible though. One advantage of this one, with the supporting frame, is that it’s still steady when half full. Also the bag detaches easily out of the harness so you can take it with you when you arrive somewhere.
I’ve used a big bike packing style saddle bag on my MTB carbon post, be wary of overloading it and wrap the post in tape to stop rub esp. In the wet. I wore thru two layers of clothe tape in ten days in NZ. Buy a cheap alloy post if you have a nice carbon one your worried about.
Revelate Viscacha is fine with carbon post - TCX has a carbon post and survived lotsa rough bike packing! Maybe not fine with a Tune, Berk or McFk one though…
