Weight distribution

[TimBB]

A recent thread got me thinking.

What's the best way to distribute weight on the bike?
Options are a combination of ~

~ seat rack with or without panniers or Alpkit Koala
~ frame bag
~ 20L pouch on handle bars
~ small backpack

Up until now all I've had is backpack and seat rack with panniers. Most weight has been on back which I don't think is ideal.I have invested/made new kit and so now have more options.

I'll be carrying
Sleeping bag
Spare clothes
Lightweight 1 man tent or bivvy bag
Food
Water
Stove ( heavy primus at mo) plus fuel
First aid kit
Repair kit

I'd be interested to know the difference in bike handling when the weight is in different positions

Cheers

Tim

[whitestone]

This is one of those "piece of string" questions There's no one right answer but for off-road I'd go with the Koala and try and reduce weight in the backpack to the point where you don't need it. It's a continuous process so you won't get it right first or even second or third time but you'll get more ideas about what works for you. Generally heavier denser kit goes in the frame bag as it adds the weight in a central location so has least effect on how the bike handles. After that most seem to have sleeping kit at one end and clothing at the other.

This page http://www.bikepacking.com/bikepacking-101/ is a decent starting point

[slarge]

Weight on the bars is bad, as it affects steering. 20 litres on the bars sounds like several kg, which is very noticeable. Panniers are right over the back wheel, which isn't great for stability or out of the saddle riding either. General consensus will be that you put the weight centrally, so in the frame bag, then towards the rear, so seat pack, then front. Backpacks are personal preference - I don't mind a few kg, but many don't like backpacks.

The thing to do is experiment, and find the setup you like for the type of riding you do, then obsess over lighter and smaller kit until you can pack everything into a matchbox and survive -15 deg C......

[voodoo_simon]

Setup from last weekend

Front bag 20l
-Sleep bag
-Roll matt
-Bivi bag
-Tarp

Stem cells x2
-Nalgene bottle
-Food

Rear bag
-Down coat
-Hat
-Buff
-Insulated trousers

Frame bag
-Tools etc

2x bottles on forks

Was only an overnighter, so no need for a stove. Normal I would carry less water and a filter but I knew I wouldn't really need it, so opted with extra water instead. I've used this setup in the summer for a full two day tour but this picture was an hour or so after work on Saturday and then a full day Sunday.

Without water, this setup weighs roughly 37-38 lbs.

No stove means finding pubs or cafes, which I normally can, except in Anglesey, where they've never heard of catering Thankfully they do have pubs though

[ianfitz]

Framebags are good for heavier stuff

[Alpinum]

In general I pack more on my back the more I expect to be riding out of the saddle and carrying the bike, ergo the more technical the terrain the less weight on the bike. When riding on the limit of my capability I rather have a rucksack and a DIY Chikara framebag with only about 400 g worth of gear in it, like mat and spare tube etc. Gear on your back is suspended and wont give the bike sluggish handling. Carrying a bike is much comfier with a 20 L rucksack.

The more the route goes along good track, the more weight will be on the bike. But even on classic UK bike packs I still have a little rucksack for wallet, phone, water and the likes.

On the other far side of the terrain lies gravel roads with only very little techy tracks. I don't really like stuff like that (at least not for now), but if I would be out on gravel trips I'd probably not use a rucksack.

Having that said, on so far all of my multi day bike trips in UK I used bar, frame and saddle bags. Bar sub 1 kg. The lighter the better. Framebag sees tools and food. Saddlebag clothes especially rain gear, kitchen, more food (supper, brekkers), tarp... all in all without the food the gear will probably weigh in around 2.5 to 3.5 kg. The other .5 to 1 kg are on the back.

[JustinF]

In-board of the axles and heaviest items in the line bisecting the bars/seat

[Blair512]

I have my sleeping bag, mat, and a dry set of clothes on the bars. My tent in a tapered airlok, tools, spares etc. in a small possum frame bag. water food and cook kit has to go in my back pack for now. I've been building up my old rockhopper for bikepacking duties so I'm hoping I can get a bigger frame bag on it and get all the gear off my back.

[HaYWiRe]

This is something I've been looking over recently and its quite a coincidence this thread started....

I currently have:

Front harness
-Tent, 2 kg

Top tube bag
-food

Framebag
-sleeping mat, 400g
-spare tube
-rain jacket (quick access) 160g
-food (heaviest)

Seatpack
-sleeping bag, 1kg
-spare socks / foot care kit

Waistpack
-water 1l, 1kg
-first aid kit, 90g
-insulin
-diabetic supplies, 100g - 250g
-bike tools, 145g

If I need more clothing layers, food or medicals ill switch to a 10l backpack, but I'm quite enjoying less weight on my back ATM

Main concern is too much weight up front, tent is heavy but more than livable for 2 people, my partner carries the poles and stakes. Most rides the 2kg is barely noticeable but I plan some more "technical" routes through trails and singletrack and worry it'll make the descents sketchy?

[richvs]

I try to balance loads across front and back and have heavier stuff in a frame bag.
I figured that way my fore/aft body positioning doesn't need to be relearned.

For fun I also took the boy out in his Yepp Mini headset mounted baby seat with the bike fully loaded. He's two. Climbing lumpy stuff felt very stable because of all the weight over the front but foot-down bailing in a stall was awkward because the bars wanted to flop away with the extra weight. He loved it (but don't tell his mum).

[whitestone]

Since we are listing setups This is what I've had in the last couple of trips out

Front:
Sleeping bag (+ quilt if it's cool), sleeping mat, bivy bag in dry bag mounted on harness. maps, gps, phone, sundries, some food in supplementary front storage bag (Wildcat Lioness) This comes to around 2.5Kg

Partial framebag:
poles and pegs for tarp, toolkit, first aid kit, stove + fuel, mug, food.

Seat pack:
Jacket, spare clothing - socks, thermal shirt, gloves

I carry a lightweight waterproof in one of my jersey pockets so I can get to it easily, cash and debit card goes in a small ziplock bag in another pocket. I've two bottle cages mounted on the bike: one is on the front of the seat post, the other is inside the frame. If I need more water then I've a small Camelbak. I've also got a stem cell and fuel pod if I need them.

[TimBB]

Many thanks for the information. It's most useful.

Tim