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Old 08-12-19, 07:42 AM
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bikemig 
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Time to ditch the trunk bag & bike rack?

Don't get me wrong. I like a bike rack just fine for grocery shopping and touring.

But there has been a big movement away from racks by bikepackers in part to save weight and in part because a lot of modern bikes don't do that well with racks.

Of course that's the way people toured way back in the day as well with a large saddlebag and perhaps some sort of front bag. The weight savings is considerable.

I've been using a rack and an arkel tailrider for longish rides when I need to bring some extra gear. Total weight is right around 1500 grams (app. 3.3 lbs).

The tailrider is a really nice bag and holds between 8 to 11 liters.

A 9 liter Carradice bag (those aren't lightweight) weighs 654 grams. You could save more weight by going with one of those backpacking style saddle bags. The medium ortlieb holds 11 liters and weighs 311 grams. A Jandd mountain wedge 3 weighs 440 grams and carries up to 7.5 liters.

I'm thinking it's time to ditch the rack for most uses.

Last edited by bikemig; 08-12-19 at 08:40 AM.
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