Why isn't touring just called bikepacking?
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Disassembling my S&S bike to fit in an airline size case is pretty easy to do but it is quite time consuming, the time for it has to be budgeted at the end of a trip before coming home. And if you have to budget time for it, the process deserves a name.
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The earliest written use of the term 'bikepacking' I've found is in the May 1973 issue of National Geographic. Their meaning seemed to be 'self-contained bicycle touring', differentiated from the inn-to-inn cycletouring* done by the contemporary IBTS.
In the late 1970s my Sierra Club friends who came to cycling from backpacking all used the term bikepacking for bike touring.
Some say you strap your dunnage tight across the width of the handlebar and in a narrow bundle behind the rider and it's 'bikepacking'.
1884
1900
I've heard others say it's not about the bags - 'bikepacking' is off-pavement bike touring with minimal equipment adopted from modern ultralight backpacking.
*My bicycling literature from the 1930s thru the 1970s uses the term 'cycletouring' for all styles, self-contained wilderness touring to 5star-hotel-to-5star-hotel. That word is obsolete now and you seldom see it.
In the late 1970s my Sierra Club friends who came to cycling from backpacking all used the term bikepacking for bike touring.
Some say you strap your dunnage tight across the width of the handlebar and in a narrow bundle behind the rider and it's 'bikepacking'.
1884
1900
I've heard others say it's not about the bags - 'bikepacking' is off-pavement bike touring with minimal equipment adopted from modern ultralight backpacking.
*My bicycling literature from the 1930s thru the 1970s uses the term 'cycletouring' for all styles, self-contained wilderness touring to 5star-hotel-to-5star-hotel. That word is obsolete now and you seldom see it.
Last edited by tcs; 08-28-20 at 11:47 AM.
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It's a thing, folks.
https://bikepacking.com/?s=basket
74 year old Nils Gustaf Hākansson (a.k.a. Stålfarfar) cycletouring from Sweden to the Holy Land in 1959:
https://bikepacking.com/?s=basket
74 year old Nils Gustaf Hākansson (a.k.a. Stålfarfar) cycletouring from Sweden to the Holy Land in 1959:
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I always figured a good way to think of it is: bike touring is to hiking as bike packing is to backpacking.
In the sense that both go from A to B, there's probably not a lot of difference. But in the sense of terrain gone after, IMO "bikepacking" tends to be toward the heavier-duty, more all-terrain end of the spectrum, as opposed to the road-centric general travel end of the spectrum.
That said, I've seen a great number of people with traditional "touring" road bikes that have heavy and varied loads, as well as many with typical "bikepacking" bikes that go lighter and simply enjoy going off-pavement occasionally instead of "packing" everything but the kitchen sink.
JMO.
In the sense that both go from A to B, there's probably not a lot of difference. But in the sense of terrain gone after, IMO "bikepacking" tends to be toward the heavier-duty, more all-terrain end of the spectrum, as opposed to the road-centric general travel end of the spectrum.
That said, I've seen a great number of people with traditional "touring" road bikes that have heavy and varied loads, as well as many with typical "bikepacking" bikes that go lighter and simply enjoy going off-pavement occasionally instead of "packing" everything but the kitchen sink.
JMO.
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Pretty close Clyde.
When these discussions come up people tend to get stuck in the "gear to describe the activity" mode of debate. But a quick look at either bicycle touring or bike packing sites shows a variety of configurations using equipment from both.
I would say the definition lies more along the lines of what the titles describe.
Touring is a broad term that descibes a journey made to see an area, usually multi day, at a somewhat relaxed pace (not racing). Could be self supported, could be credit card, could be guided.
Bike packing is like pedestrian back packing. Often (but not always) in a rugged locale. Usually self supported. Usually with a minimum of practical gear. That is why, although on pavement, the Trans Am was initially called a bike packing race.
One could call bike packing touring, but not all touring is bike packing.
Str is a member here who shows a good recent example of touring in Spain using bike packing gear.
I would say this is an example of bike packing using a mixture or touring panniers, racks and frame bags.
I wouldn't get too hung up on terms or the motivations of the groups using them. There are free thinkers, doers and curmugeons
in all camps. Heck, look at these guys.
When these discussions come up people tend to get stuck in the "gear to describe the activity" mode of debate. But a quick look at either bicycle touring or bike packing sites shows a variety of configurations using equipment from both.
I would say the definition lies more along the lines of what the titles describe.
Touring is a broad term that descibes a journey made to see an area, usually multi day, at a somewhat relaxed pace (not racing). Could be self supported, could be credit card, could be guided.
Bike packing is like pedestrian back packing. Often (but not always) in a rugged locale. Usually self supported. Usually with a minimum of practical gear. That is why, although on pavement, the Trans Am was initially called a bike packing race.
One could call bike packing touring, but not all touring is bike packing.
Str is a member here who shows a good recent example of touring in Spain using bike packing gear.
I would say this is an example of bike packing using a mixture or touring panniers, racks and frame bags.
I wouldn't get too hung up on terms or the motivations of the groups using them. There are free thinkers, doers and curmugeons
in all camps. Heck, look at these guys.
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Or maybe it's anthropological. A question that is hundreds of thousands of years old: Who is in my tribe? Who knows the myths and legends I know? Who knaps flint and weaves baskets the way I do? Who do I reciprocally share with, and who do I make war on?
Anyway, from the Sheldon Brown Bicycle Glossary:"Touring" is a slippery word, and means different things to different people. This can cause miscommunication, so the word should be used with caution.To non-cyclists, or casual cyclists, "touring" may mean riding 8 miles on a rented cruiser at a beach resort, or a fund-raising "thon" ride, or any type of riding where the principal objective is leisurely enjoyment of scenery and fresh air. In the sense more generally accepted in cycling circles, however, a "tour" is a multi-day ride, which is not a competition or a timed event.
"Bikepacking" is not defined in the SBBG.
Anyway, from the Sheldon Brown Bicycle Glossary:"Touring" is a slippery word, and means different things to different people. This can cause miscommunication, so the word should be used with caution.To non-cyclists, or casual cyclists, "touring" may mean riding 8 miles on a rented cruiser at a beach resort, or a fund-raising "thon" ride, or any type of riding where the principal objective is leisurely enjoyment of scenery and fresh air. In the sense more generally accepted in cycling circles, however, a "tour" is a multi-day ride, which is not a competition or a timed event.
"Bikepacking" is not defined in the SBBG.
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I met this young couple at the campground in Reykjavík. They had decided to quit backpacking, bought a couple cheap folding bikes and decided to go bike <insert whatever word you choose>. They were simply strapping their backpacks onto the rear rack of the bike. I had just finished my trip a few hours earlier, I gave them a few straps I no longer needed.
I had expressed my doubts about what they were doing, they said that they had done the same thing months earlier in India, bought a couple cheap bikes and shortly before they left India, they sold their bikes for slightly less than they had paid for them and moved on.
I had expressed my doubts about what they were doing, they said that they had done the same thing months earlier in India, bought a couple cheap bikes and shortly before they left India, they sold their bikes for slightly less than they had paid for them and moved on.
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A couple times a year I see someone wearing a backpack on a bike, but the pack is usually small enough that I assume the rider was only on an overnight. Usually when I see that it is on a gravel bike trail between my community and a state park about 27 miles from my condo on that trail.
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#38
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A couple times a year I see someone wearing a backpack on a bike, but the pack is usually small enough that I assume the rider was only on an overnight. Usually when I see that it is on a gravel bike trail between my community and a state park about 27 miles from my condo on that trail.
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Wwst? :d
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I saw a couple of guys with "yuge" backpacks and mountain bikes at a trailhead a couple of days ago. It looked uncomfortable. The geezers say "load your bike, not your back", but whatever.
Get on your bike and go explore. Carry your gear in whatever way is suitable for you. Call it whatever you want. Have fun.
Get on your bike and go explore. Carry your gear in whatever way is suitable for you. Call it whatever you want. Have fun.
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aahh..yep.
The largest/easiest population of consumers to sell bike stuff to is the group that already has bike stuff. The problem is, if they already have the bike stuff you're trying to sell..well..then they won't buy more bike stuff. The key is to carve out(create, invent, redefine, market into existence even if it doesn't exist) a block of new bike stuff that the consumers don't have..and being good consumers, they'll then line up to buy new bike stuff to add to their pile of old bike stuff.
rinse..
repeat..
The largest/easiest population of consumers to sell bike stuff to is the group that already has bike stuff. The problem is, if they already have the bike stuff you're trying to sell..well..then they won't buy more bike stuff. The key is to carve out(create, invent, redefine, market into existence even if it doesn't exist) a block of new bike stuff that the consumers don't have..and being good consumers, they'll then line up to buy new bike stuff to add to their pile of old bike stuff.
rinse..
repeat..
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Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
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And the brand new 559er that’s going to be introduced in 2023. The ad copy states “Quicker response, lower gearing, lighter weight. Revolutionary!”
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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I asked a bike shop employee a couple years ago why they were suddenly pushing what they called 27.5 inch bikes. He said it is a new size, faster and better handling than 26 and 29 inch.
I told him it is not a new size, and that I had troubles trying to buy replacement 650b tires in the late 1980s. I think he wanted to tell me that I was an idiot but employees are not supposed to say that to customers.
I told him it is not a new size, and that I had troubles trying to buy replacement 650b tires in the late 1980s. I think he wanted to tell me that I was an idiot but employees are not supposed to say that to customers.
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#50
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I wonder what they called what they were doing at the time?
Ian Hibell on the way back from Machu Picchu in the 1970s:
On the way from Kathmandu to Everest base camp, 1984:
Ian Hibell on the way back from Machu Picchu in the 1970s:
On the way from Kathmandu to Everest base camp, 1984:
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