Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

I bought a framebag (Restrap) to use for touring in May. I used it yesterday to try it out and for a lot of the ride my legs rubbed against it, which has caused some fraying to my bibs shorts.

I know this is because I'm flat footed and when I walk or cycle my feet roll inwards.

Whilst riding it felt as though I was naturally compensating for the bag (causing some odd aches as I held my legs in a way I usually wouldn't) and my legs weren't rubbing the bag as much at the end.

Will I adjust to the bag naturally, should I try insoles or is a frame bag just not for me?

If you weren't having any leg/knee/foot/bikefit issues or pains before fitting the bag I wouldn't suggest trying to change your fit or changing what works for you to compensate for the bag.

If you were already having issues/pain with your knees tracking weirdly or felt that you needed insoles/arch support prior to using the bag, then I guess it's worth considering. But yeah, don't change just for the bag.

Hard to say without know how full the bag was but if rammed then try packing less in it towards the back to keep it narrower, so it tapers in towards the seattube? Not a problem for many people but I also had knee running when I first got a frame bag, packing it differently sorted it.

@TM @TurtleRecall thanks both.

I've not had any pains except my knee occasionally clunks the toptube which is part of the reason why I know they track inwards.

It was quite full so I'll try packing it differently and see if that helps.

what kind of pedals do you use?

SPD. I have the cleat position set so my feet sit as far out as possible.

That might be making your knees bend in.

Also sounds like your saddle might be too low.

Have you had a fit/had advice about fit?

Nope. I've not seriously considered one simply because I don't really get pain riding but I'm also aware my bikes could probably be better set up.

My house mate recently went for one for his knee pain and my gf is booked in for the same reason. I wear arch support insoles in walking boots but not on the bike and I don't have custom ones. I would suspect a bike fit would suggest insoles as well as any other adjustments.

As for cleat position I just have them set up as I always have and because i've not had discomfort I've not experimented with different positions

tl;dr i should probably get a bike fit.

Sounds like it would help-you might not necessarily need insoles as some pedals have greater 'float' than others which permits a bit of natural movement in your ankles and knees. The angle you have the cleats set up in your shoes might be a bit extreme and your inward leg movement is trying to compensate however, really difficult to say.

Things like saddle height obviously make a difference too. Your knees shouldn't really be hitting the top tube with a normal pedal action at any rate, which kind of suggests that the bag isn't the issue. You can always fuck off the frame bag and go with a low rider front rack and keep your natural pedal flair!

Thanks for the advice. My knee hitting the top tube is quite rare, it's definitely not every ride but i'll have a play with my cleat position and see if that helps.

My right knee always went in a bit and I ended up having itb issues. Turns out it was a combo of muscle imbalance, right glute not firing as much as the left, saddle a bit too high, saddle too far back and no arch support.

Right knee still goes in a bit, but nowhere near as much as it used to.

Tl;dr, a bikefit might be a good idea :)

Edit: if you're gonna mess about with cleat position, I'd strongly recommend reading Steve Hogg's bikefit site and the article on there about cleat fitting. A little preparation and knowing (roughly) what you're doing will help a lot.

Hoping someone with experience of all three can comment on ortlieb vs restrap vs altura handlebar bags?

I won't be doing any major bike packing but they look like a neater way to carry clothes to work versus the backpack I currently wear.

Ortlieb seems like a bit of a known entity as I know a couple of people that own them and sing their praises. Is there any reason I should consider the other 2?

I've got the Restrap system. It's not so much a bag as a holster that wraps around a separate dry bag, so pretty handy for carrying a bag of rolled up clothes that you can slip out in the drybag, particularly if you can leave the holster on the bike.

Ortlieb is good, better if you've got a clickfit system on it but don't know how much you'll fit in-aren't they about 7litres? Restrap can handle double that. No idea about Altura. Main thing I'd be looking at is ease of getting on and off the bike if it's an everyday thing.

Ortlieb do a "bikepacking" bar bag as well, it's an absolute farce, really complicated to get on and off (they supply you with foam spacers...) probably one of the worst out there.

The foam spacers are there for a reason, to space the drybag part away from the stem clamp, brake/shift levers, and cables.
A feature which Revelate came up with and still use on their sweetie roll.
Neither of them are harness style, and if I remember correctly, neither is the Apidura. None of them are designed for constant fitting and removal, they're designed to stay on for the duration of a trip.

This is why all of this type of luggage is called 'bikepacking' luggage, and not 'commuter' luggage, and is probably why I see so many people cycling around town with almost empty bikepacking saddlebags swinging around behind them.

At the end of the day, the Ortlieb luggage was good enough for Josh Kato, and the Apidura luggage was good enough for Mike Hall. . . So I would recommend finding shops that stock all of them and have a good look yourself to see which you prefer.

just noticed you said Altura, not Apidura. . . But from the looks of the Altura drybag style bag it's just another 'me too' product.

Oh really is that what they're for? Thanks so much for explaining that.

To be honest this sounds more like a standard saddlebag than anything more elaborate. Carradice at the quality end of the market (SQR tour, slim or carradry) or a whole variety of cheaper ones.

I quite liked the Ortlieb barbag. The foam spacers mean you can actually set it up properly around cables, and then it stays put. It is a little fussy, but I'd rather that than use the Apidura stuff, which I could never get to stay in place, and fouled my cables etc.

http://bikepackingscotland.com/capitaltrail/

Anyone?
(The route, not the ride)

How are people attaching dry bags to their handle bars without using the restrap bar bag thingy?

I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy some restrap gear next week or when I'm in Leeds end of the month...need to get camping

Straps/bungees. Alpkit dry bags have loops which straps can go through.

Either just with cinch straps, or with any of the other handlebar drybag harnesses on the market... Many of which have been around for years.

Those alpkit ones look alright, just need to know what size to fit a sleeping bag in for my handlebars...hmm