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@Poetic I'm going on a Brother Kepler I built up for a tour from London to Copenhagen two summers ago. It was perfect for the flat route, but after two weeks riding in northern Norway this summer (https://www.pannier.cc/journal/north-to-narvik), I realised I could do with some mountain-appropriate gearing.. Think I'm gonna sort that for this summer and beyond.
@giofox88 Curious - presuming you're using the same tent as you would if riding in a pair, why would going solo make it lighter? I'm worried that my panniers will be slightly heavier as I wont be sharing the tent/cooking stuff with my bf this time, so any tips on how to lighten the load would be great!
speculoos-
Simple, I carry all the load, including my gf stuff too. :)
She has a bad knee that acts up from time to time, so rather be heavier myself than riding solo or her having problems in the middle of a trip. It's a great training too!So if I go solo I will have only half of the sleeping gear and clothing. Tent/tools/shared gear will be the same.
Unfortunately to go lighter you only have two ways, leave stuff at home or upgrade gear. We recently got a new tent that sheds 2kg alone, plus it's incredibly small to carry.
Bikepacking setup additionally saves the weight of the racks, cookware too, it can be sacrificed when not touring through remote areas and food is available.
These kind of things, and in general, "if it can't be worn/used on a bike, you probably don't need it"
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Also, loved that trip of yours, I read it when you posted it last year!
giofox
I am going with a Surly Straggler with compact chainset and 11-32 on the rear. The final touring setup depends whether my girlfriend comes with me, in which case it would be a mix of front rack with rear panniers and saddle/frame bag, or if I am doing this solo, in which case a lighter setup, swapping the front rack and panniers with anything cages, for sleeping bag/mat/tent stuff