Happy Feet

I have a small one but have to say I'm not a fan of that particular type for carrying any sort of larger load. Look at how much weight is cantilevered and suspended off that fastex buckle! Now hit some decent single track bumps or bunny hop a few curbs. A failure and it drops right down onto your rear tire. Happened to a friend two summers ago. He didn't notice for a bit and his rear tire wore a groove right into the bag.

I opted for a Carradice carradry saddle bag that is PVC/water proof. Holds quite a bit of stuff and stays out of the wind behind my thighs. It also needs some sort of support frame though which Carradice sells or you can make diy.

manapua_man

I'm pretty happy with my Arkel bag. Doesn't sway much with the bag being supported by a metal frame.

Lazyass

Thanks. I do like the Arkel but I think I'll just go with a standard rack. I'm looking to but a DB Haanjo 5C but I'll wait and see if they go on sale over Labor Day. It has 650x47c tires.

DropBarFan

This spring I bought the 5C predecessor, EXP Carbon.The only difference I spot is 5C has the 47-584 tires vs previous 54-584. I'd guess 5C can handle the 54mm-wide tires if desired. Tubus Cargo (classic) rear rack fits well, I also included the bracket that positions rack rearward an extra bit--that seems to prevent any pannier heel-strike problem. Finding a front rack has been a hassle, it might have been easier to order a custom titanium front rack from China, heh. Tubus Duo requires double-sided front eyelets plus the EXP's eyelet spacing is about 1 cm more than Tubus standard. Tubus Tara (std) didn't give enough clearance around the 54mm tires, hopefully the Tara Big Apple will work, though I'm worried that with the straight fork the pannier rail will tilt down some. I may have to construct some special mounting bracket...

On local rides the EXP Carbon is pretty fun--amazingly light & the CF frame does seem to dampen out road vibration a bit even though the wide tires are already pretty comfy. I like the 3X9 gearing, IMO it's more versatile than 2X found more commonly on gravel bikes.

alias5000

Have you looked at the Axiom frontrunners? Do not need any special fork mounting points and work with any front tire width. I like them.

Lazyass

Thanks. Is the rear hub 11sp compatible? Also wondering if they have butted spokes. Their specs for my Podium don't list them as butted but they actually are, which is a big upgrade to me. I didn't realize it until I felt the butted ends with my fingers, it's hard to see with the naked eye. The Haanjo 7C also has Tomcat wheels and they are listed as butted except those are black and not polished.

DropBarFan

I'm leery about using the u-bolts on a carbon fork.

142mm rear axle so I'd guess 11-sp would work but Tomcat info is sparse. HED site doesn't include the Tomcat which apparently is only available to bike makers as an OEM piece. I'd like to know about bearings/replacement. I looked at the wheels, spokes seem to be straight-gauge. Hopefully the HED folks can supply details if one contacts directly.

Lazyass

If you have a spacer behind your cassette then the hub is 11sp compatible.

alias5000

I would, too. Didn't realize you were talking about a carbon fork.

DropBarFan

I took a glance but I guess one would have to remove cassette to see all the spacers. Well I really need to know about the bearing so I'm going to call HED & will ask about 11-sp compatibility.

Lazyass

If you can't see a spacer then it's not 11sp compatible. If you have one you can easily see it sandwiched between the cassette and the spokes.

DropBarFan

I need to look at it in sunlight tomorrow. I called HED who said Diamondback assembles the wheels; Diamondback didn't have details, says Novatec makes the hubs. After I get a good look at the hubs I'll call Novatec, esp since their website doesn't seem to show the hub. BTW I read that some folks consider the Tomcat wheels as fairly low quality & do an upgrade anyway.

cyccommute 

Having just returned from a 4 day trip on rough dirt roads, I can tell you that the seat bag works. It does just that, however. I've off-road toured with standard panniers, trailers and bikepacking bags. None of them are perfect but some are better than others. I have a Viscacha rather then the Terrapin in your picture but they are similar. They do tend to wag but they don't come loose which can be a problem with regular panniers. There's nothing that harshes a fast downhill like having to stop to pick up pannier that is tumbling down a hill. Hopefully, the pannier stops before it goes over a cliff

They can be a bit tough to pack since they have a narrow shape and they can be a bit inconvenient. Don't pack something that you need in a hurry in them since you are going to have to dig around to get something out if it is at the bottom. Then you have to repack the bag. I put my fuel canister and mug at the bottom of the bag so that the weight was sitting lower but every night, I had to completely empty the bag and repack it in the morning. It gets old very quickly.

The load is also carried a bit high which causes some problems with handling. That's a general problem I have with modern bikepacking bags in general, however. The load is too high and to far forward. If you hit sand at speed or if you have to stop suddenly, there is a distinct possibility that you are going to go over the bars. You have to be very vigilant about getting your weight back to avoid going over the bars. I've crashed pretty badly on a step downhill (at slow speed, thankfully) because I wasn't paying attention. Part of the problem is that the heavy bits of my camping gear...tent, sleeping bag pad and food...are on the handlebars while the rear load is light but bulky clothes. My cooking gear is forward of my CG as well so the whole bike has a weight forward balance which is not good for off-road riding. Here's my bike

DSCN1197 by Stuart Black, on Flickr
DSCN1138 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

I'm thinking of adding some micro panniers on my next trip to balance the load. I might just use handlebar bags attached to the rear rack. I don't really need that much more space.

cmon4day

Heading out tomorrow morning on a quick 4-day 3 night 100+ mile loop out of Graeagle, CA. Here's a picture of my rig, a 2000 Marin Pine Mountain.