Questions for the bikepackers in this channel:
I’d like to try bikepacking before committing to buying all the specialized bags I see on a lot of bikepacking setups. I already have a bike and I’m a backpacker, so I’ve got all the necessary camping gear, and I have a set of small panniers.
I’ve read through this REI guide and this blog post, I’m aware of Yawp Cyclery in Edgewater and follow their socials, and I’m a member of the Front Range Bikepacking Group (@parsonsmatt is one of the organizers!)
If I were only going to buy one soft storage bag for bikepacking, which one do you recommend (or should I just strap dry sacks to my bike)?
What’s a good 1 night route in Colorado?
Are there any other groups out there that facilitate trips for newbies?
Excited to read your responses. 🙂
From Matt P:
Front Range Bikepacking is going to be running beginner-friendly bikepacking trips once the weather is better and COVID is safer! re gear: You can totally ride with a backpack and panniers. It's a good idea to get weight off your back, and evenly distributed, so if your panniers are on the rear, a handlebar bag might be the best bet. I'm a fan of the Profile Design Legacy II handlebar bag setup, but you do need to bring your own dry bag and ski strap
I can do 5-10L on a handlebar bag on the aerobars, around the same on a more usual handlebar bag harness. If you're on a rigid fork with mounts, you can get bowtie anchors and ski straps and buckle them on for a good 4-6L of storage up front (only lightweight items). Blackburn Cargo Mounts or Salsa Anything Cages HD can get you up to 8L of storage on each for leg, but it's a bigger investment and more weight, and you still can't carry particularly heavy things. A seatpost bag like Revelate Terrapin or similar is going to give the most volume for the buck, though, which will
Waterton Canyon into the Colorado Trail is great. 6 miles of easy gravel + as many miles as you want of singletrack. I haven't had issues finding a camp spot along CT1 or CT2, I think most hikers and bikers want to get further along before settling down for the night. Buffalo Creek has great camping options along the CT segment 3, and it's also easy to car camp there. So you can park, ride around fully loaded, and set up camp next to your car. This is the lowest risk option to trying everything out. Out in Canon City, Phantom Canyon Road has a ton of camp spots all along it, and the Crippler race course is a lot of fun. Relatively easy terrain, but the 33mi climb up is quite a lot - but probably much easier if you're camping somewhere along the way Boulder Bikepacking Loop on bikepacking.com is excellent fun, but pretty burly for distance and climbing for getting started and testing the waters.
From Ricky: If you have waterproof compression sacks, you can just ski strap them to your handle bars and saddle. Same with tents in their stuff sack, just wrap it all once over with an old yoga mat.
For overnighters, I like to take people out to https://bikepacking.com/routes/eagle-hardscrabble-overnighter/ for their first go. It’s easy to drive to, is short enough to bail the cars if something happens, but enough climbing to feel like that beer has been earned.
https://bikepacking.com/routes/boulder-bikepacking-loop/ is my go to since I can ride from my front door.