Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

Ah....I've got a barley, but couldn't remember how I attach it

http://www.carradice.co.uk/products/saddle-fixing-systems

Scroll down; Carradice offer cyclo loops or a clamp that fits the saddle rails, as well as the QR clamp that turns the bagman into a bagman QR (not cheap, mind - if you're just going to use a Barley one of these is about the same price and can replace the Bagman: http://www.carradice.co.uk/products/saddle-fixing-systems/carradice-classic-saddlebag-rack )

i have a pair of the velo orange clamp on saddle loops you can have for £5 if yr in ldn.
Lemme know and I'll try n dig them out.

Did you get either bag? They both worked well for me, particularly the handlebar bag. Some seams have pulled a bit on the frame bag (2 tubes, multi tool, swiss army knife, small lube bottle, levers so not excessive) will restitch or get replaced. Set up pictured halfway through http://veloviewer.com/segment/5097530 all was rock solid throughout.

Wouldn't change much for next time, maybe lose 0.5-1kgs through getting a multi tool with a knife and ditching the swiss army knife, only taking one inner tube, smaller towel and losing a small rei rucksack I had in case needed for shopping in the saddlebag. Conflicted about carrying a spare tyre (which I had doubled round the carradice) good for piece of mind, but other than 3 p*nctures from the same stealth flint the first day I had no issues.

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that might work! sending you a PM.

Anyone know of one of those fuel pod, top tube snack dispensing things that work well with a slammed stem?

I didn't trim my steerer all the way down when building up my 29er (leaving space for future adjustments), so have a bit of steerer protruding above the stem, which 1) I've been too lazy to trim, and 2) gives me somewhere to strap a fuel pod round. This may or may not be of use to you.

Failing that, a reusable zip tie would probably do the same job as the velcro.

That Alpkit bag does not look all that stable to me, get the feeling it'd do a fair amount of flopping around off-road.

Using two zip ties or thinner straps would be an option: one below and one above the stem. Should be as secure, if not more secure, than a single large strap.

I've not got any point of comparison, but the medium fuel pod doesn't seem particularly floppy to me. I use it on my 29er, as described above, and on my gravel bike with velcro below the stem. Normal cargo is tube, pump, wallet, phone, keys, gels.

The fore strap on the Restrap TT bag is double sided Velcro so you can move it around (the front of the pouch has a large patch of hook) you could also potentially add more double sided Velcro for additional security.

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Anyone done the ridgeway? If so when end is better to start from?

Thinking of getting a new bikepacking bike with my company's cycle to work scheme. So a budget of £1000

Thoughts are currently between the Surly Troll (26") and the Genesis Longitude (27.5")

Troll is above the budget, but I'm big fan of Surly having traditionall toured the roads of Scotland on my disc trucker. Genesis hits the right price point and I am happy with my equilibrium winter bike.

Primary usage will be for bikepacking the trails and land rover tracks of the nearby Cairngorms and up to the highlands too.

What is the hive mind thoughts on these two bikes, is there anything else I should consider in this vein?

For the price difference alone I would go with the Genesis longitude! I've done sections of the Deeside Trail on a cheap short travel FS mountain bike and was absolutely fine and would think I would be fine on something like that as well, even on the more technical bits TBH!

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Yeah,

Thinking that kind of thing as well as some of the single track stuff over mount keen etc.

Are you Aberdeenshire based?

Yarp, out near Torphins, Mount Keen looks awesome, Glen Tanner is great fun as well.
Hill of Fare is pretty good for a closer to home kit test (not that i did that before heading off on the deeside trail) and Scolty in Banchory has heaps of trails and links onto a fair few as well.

You can adjust where the straps are on that. I've found mine to be stable both on and offroad.

Ziptie would be the solution for some proper slammage though

Cool stuff.

I'm in Aberdeen, so if you're every planning a bikepacking trip let me know. There is a bunch of us through the BeCycle Community Workshop who go on bike camping trips throughout the year. Let me know if you're interested in getting involved. Going out to a Bothy near Braemar on 24th of June.

Hey, I did the Ridgeway last weekend from Princes Risborough to Chippenham (so not quite the start and a little extra on the end) It was great. Not very technical or anything. I wouldn't say it was easier or more fun either way, but perhaps the best way to decide is to figure out how you're getting home. Ie trains back to London from Chippenham are real pain!

Back in the day when I lived in Town I managed to get out on a couple of Thursday night rides with BeCycle, good group of folk :) This was over 5 years ago mind! Might very well be interested in a trip in the future although June is out for me, all of the weekends are taken up bar that one and likely hood of getting a weekend pass then is unlikely, plus I'm embarrassingly unfit, spend more time talking about bikes to strangers online than riding them (bikes, not strangers)!

good tip, thanks. Im looking forward to it!

Trains from Chippenham to London are normally direct and take less than an hour and a half. You had the misfortune of travelling when there were works on the line at Swindon (as did I).
GWR have changed their policy so you ned a reservation for the bike but they aren't always strict on it.

Yeah, its probably just me and trains don't get on so well.

The whole country and trains don't get on well. Engineering, shite Gov, terrible TOCs and angry Unions make it a, highly likely, potential nightmare.
#commuter_rant

Tru dat!