mtnbud

The frame of my current mountain bike is on the small side for lots of time in the saddle. I'm thinking of buying another mountain bike that fits me better. I'd also like to possibly use it for bikepacking.

What features should I be looking for? Full suspension? Hard tail? CF? It seems prices for 29ers are skyrocketing, but FS bikes seem heavy compared to my current mountain bike? For you who practice bikepacking on trails, what would you recommended looking for?
Thanks!

Rob_E

I would say that this group skews heavily towards more traditional touring, not that there are not bikepackers here or people with relevant experience, but it sounds like bikepacking/touring comes secondary to actual trail features. I would suggest you try your question here: https://forums.mtbr.com/bikepacking-bike-expedition/ and maybe mention a little about what kind of trails you expect to ride.

For my part, I don't think I'd be considering full suspension unless you plan on riding stuff that would be very unpleasant without it. Most bikepacking set-ups I've seen involve rigid or hardtail. When I do hear about people bikepacking on FS, it's often because it's the only bike they have in the off-road category.

My own "off-road" trips have been largely on rail trails and canal trails, pretty much as tame as you can get and not be on an actual road. For that purpose, a rigid bike was fine. I do have plans to build up a 27.5+ hardtail mostly for goofing around locally, but also with the thought that I might ride some more challenging trails in some future trips. I have no experience riding a FS bike. I can't see getting one for any bikepacking situation I might be looking at in the future, but that's me. Maybe you have something more extreme in mind.

All other things being equal, FS will be heavier than hardtail, which will be heavier than rigid. Full suspension is also harder to pack, as the frame itself tends to have less usable space, and racks are not generally an option (although lots of bikepackers forgo racks). But generally I feel like the issue is really about having the bike that's appropriate for the terrain you want to tackle and comfortable for the distances you want to ride. Once that's sorted you can figure out what bike can carry your gear that also meets your terrain needs.

Happy Feet

Very much depends on what you want to do.

I have a rigid fatbike that I have enjoyed bikepacking with. While great for rugged terrain one drawback is that it's not a long distance machine. A great size for bikepacking in that regard would be a 29r like the Surly ECR. My Spesh Fatboy is 35lbs with a dropper post, Brooks saddle and rear rack.

I just got back from mtbing in Moab with a full suspension bike and, if rougher terrain was expected, I could see bike packing with one. I used a Trek Fuel ex7 29r and it had a decent riding geometry. Aluminium, it was lighter than my fatboy..

If distance were important though, I would go for a gravel/all roads bike perhaps with a light suspension fork. Some suspension can't be underrated for long periods of rough riding. It takes the edge off getting beat up all day, reduces the need to pick lines as precisely and keeps the gear from failing from constant jarring.

One thing you want to look at is gearing. Current gravel bikes tend to go with road like gears for races but grinding hills with gear requires lower ranges. Unloaded my fatboy is ok with a 11-36 cassette but I plan to go to 11-40 or 42 this winter..

Depends if you see bikepacking as something done with a certain bag configuration or taking a bike on an off road adventure.

cyccommute 

I use a Moots YBB soft tail.


DSCN1146 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

It has a 100 mm fork with lockout and the rear suspension only moves about 1.5". The rear is enough to take the edge off without any complicated linkages. The only drawback is that the rear is always active and I can feel just a little bit of squish when pedaling. But the softtail really only works with titanium.

I have two other bikes that I could use for off-road (not just gravel) touring...a Dean hardtail and a Specialized Epic...I'm not sure which one I would use. Neither would have the rear movement of the YBB, which would be a plus. The Dean hardtail gives a nice ride and doesn't beat me up too much but the possibility is there. It has a rack which make carrying gear easier. An aluminum hardtail will give a harsher ride, however.


DSCN0934 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

The Epic would be a great off-road tourer but it would be limited in being able to carry much. A rack can't be put on it and it has a small front triangle (it's a 19" frame) so it would be limited in what kind of triangle bag would fit. The short bag you can see in the YBB pictures might work but I haven't tried it. Without that triangle bag and without a rack, the bike is very limited in what it can carry. The nature of the rear suspension means that I don't have to worry about locking it out...it does so on its own. The bike is a joy to ride but I just don't think it would do well for bikepacking.


IMG_1248 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

I bought the YBB several years ago just for bikepacking. The (slightly) annoying rear movement aside, it's does a very good job as an off-road touring bike.

Steve B.

I liked the thought process Darren Alff has when he purchased a Chumba Ursa, steel, 29+. His tour of the North Rim trails seemed like a perfect use of this bike, rigid fork, 3” tubleless tires. There are others like this bike (which I think was discontinued), but the concept’s the same, room for a frame bag, lightweight, not a technical single track bike.

Darth Lefty 

I was shopping with cargo in mind when I bought my current bike. (I have not actually made it out on a bike camping trip - we've mostly been doing family RV "camping" the last few years.) Some of the hard tails aimed at the do-everything category are available in different builds, or frame up. Surly's Karate Monkey and Krampus are both sold in either a front suspension build with hydraulic brakes, or a rigid build with cable brakes, and a fork barnacled with braze-ons for any kind of rack or cages. My Timberjack's frame is not as adaptable but can still take a rack, and it's available frame-only and would take a Karate Monkey fork quite nicely.

Most full suspension mountain bikes provide little room within the triangle for more than a water bottle - if even that! There are a few exceptions. The newest generation of Salsa bikes for example has a down tube that juts forward from the bottom bracket and makes room for two bottles, and they sell a frame bag to fit that space. But you still couldn't carry anything on the rear end or the fork, so that means bar bag, tail bag, backpack, maybe some little bags around the stem and seat post areas.

DeadGrandpa

Many bikepackers would object to the price or other details, but I love my Trek 1120. Aluminum frame. I added carbon Whiskey 9 rims and a carbon Jones H-bar, and I love it on gravel or dirt. 29x3 tires. Rigid carbon fork, there are mounting points for Salsa Anything Cages or the like. The frame bag I bought fits perfectly. The orange racks, front and rear, enhance the cargo ability at little cost of excess weight. It's not a technical single track machine. I have a FS bike for that.

2cam16

Check the GMBN Youtube channel if you haven't already. They've done a couple of bikepacking trips on mtb's.

mtnbud

Thanks guys -





At first I was thinking having a FS bike might be pretty nice. The more I think about it though, the more I am realizing a hardtail would be better suited for my intended purpose especially given cost and weight factors.





My current mountain bike is an ancient 8 speed hardtail with a triple ring up front. I see many 29ers are going FS with a 1x gearing system. I also noticed some bikes can use both 29 and 27.5 rims. The widest tire I can fit on my bike is a 2.1. I would like to be able to use fairly wide tires. Maybe 3.0? I also think it'd be smart for me to go with disk brakes for the versatility it would allow in switching wheel sizes and widths.





I like riding trails, but more as a cross country rider than a free rider. My current bike is fine under most of the conditions I like to ride so having front suspension is probably a good idea. I hear running wider tires at low pressures help smooth out bumps almost as well as suspension?





Given what I'm looking for, I was thinking I may even be able to find a used bike on CL to fit my needs. I'd like to believe I can buy a mountain bike that I can be happy with for as many years as I've enjoyed my 23 year old mountain bike. I may be being a bit unrealistic...

chrisx

27.5+ and 29 inch tires are about the same height. 27.5 x 3 is about the same height as a 29 x 2.1. You want the bottom bracket to remain the same distance from the ground when you change tires.

I am takeing a long hard look at this one.
FLX-FR-703 ( 27.5er boost)
$300 delivered to your door.
Buy the best parts you can afford.

Modern geometry, say that out loud, modern geometry.

Maybe go to universal cycles in Portland and test ride a 27.5 + bike. + means 2.8 or 3.o inch wide tire.
They can help you find the correct size. Which is the most important part of a bicycle.

Remember, by the end of january, many bikes will be half off.

modern geometry. Bikes have improved over the last 10 years.

MarcusT

3X8 is not insufficient, so don't base your purchase on how many speeds there are, but like mentioned above; geometry has changed. You want a more relaxed frame, where older geometry was more aggressive. Stability under loads is important, plus comfort for you.
FS is definitely a handicap, not only for less cargo space, but the additional weight will reduce suspension effect.
If you're not planning on doing gnarley downhills or 3 meter jumps, a moderate hardtail should offer more than enough. Today's market offers bikes leaning towards bikepacking, so do your research.

cyccommute 

Just because your bike is old doesn’t mean that it’s bad for what you want to do. If the size isn’t right, by all means change to a different bike but don’t change just because it’s not what the cool kids are riding. The bikes I posted above are from 1998, 2000 and 2003. They are still very good bikes. No, they can’t take a 3” tire but I don’t want to use 3” tires, especially not 622mm or 584mm rim size. Those get real weighty in a narrower tire. Add another inch of rubber and they become behemoths. Add 20 to 40 lbs of gear and the ride becomes much more difficult.

Happy Feet

This was my 1992 rigid mtb just before I bought my fat bike. I swapped out a suspension fork and added an 11-40 cassette and 42/32/22 crankset. Old and basic but a real workhorse of a platform.




Now I am using a fatbike set up for touring, in this pic with all possible bags added. From this point I can subtract or flex bag choices depending on the trip needs. Missing is the down tube cargo cage with 1.5L water bottle. Since this pic I have added a dropper post. Next tire change I will go tubeless and maybe even a suspension fork.




One work around for no front rack because of suspension forks is to use oversized bottle cages like the Salsa Anything or Blackburn cargo cage. You can fix them to the fork with hose clamps.

Leebo

Just built up a Surly Krampus, 2x 11 drivetrain, 29 x 3" tires, rigid, works well. OP, what kind of trails are you riding, and how are you going to carry your stuff? Bigger questions.

mtnbud

Here's a video (Not of me) of a typical type of trail I ride. If you know Oregon, I spend a lot of time on the trails around Sisters and Bend. Once I've done some shorter trips to get the hang of bikepacking, I'd eventually like to do a trip from Sisters to Century Drive on the Windigo Trail and over to the Bunchgrass Trail down to Oakridge.

I expect I'll use bikepacking bags. I remember having a rear rack fail on me from metal fatigue on one of my older mountian bikes. If I used a rear rack, I'd want to make sure it didn't fail on me...

My current mountain bike is a 17 inch framed Klein Pulse. I'm 5'11" so I have a real long seat post on it to make it fit me. Now that I'm getting older, I'd like to be able to ride in a more upright position..

I have a vintage rigid Diamondback I converted to touring that's fine on gravel and simple single track. This bike would do double duty as my go-to mountain bike and for bikepacking.

mtnbud

I did notice the Trek 1120 in a websearch. I really like the integrated racks.

cyccommute 

First, don’t let excuses get in the way. I had a couple of conversations on a recent bike packing trip I took. Both were about my bike and equipment. One was with a young man how has plans but regrets that he can’t make them come true. The other was with an older man...my age...who has regrets about his health and why he couldn’t make his dreams come true. One should start now and one should have started 40 years ago. I’m glad I did the former so that I can still do it while I’m the latter.

I was about 2 weeks away from being the age Sir Paul asked about so long ago. I’m old and I’m fat...what’s your (or their) excuse? I started on this odyssey nearly 40 years ago. I’ve been hit by a pedestrian. I’ve been hit by a car. I’ve crashed on dirt, on ice, on pavement. I’ve smacked my head hard enough to see double. I’ve seen sunrises along the Missouri River. I’ve seen calves being born with my daughter. I’ve saved baby snapping turtles in Kansas. I’ve eaten bad food and good food. I’ve been blown down the coast of Scotland with the love of my life. I’ve spent a freezing night on the edge of Lake Erie without her. I’ve even considered pitching it all, catching the nearest bus and going home after 3 weeks without her.

But I don’t regret any of it. I’m getting older. Hopefully I won’t be getting any fatter but I have no excuses nor regrets. Try not to make excuses or put off adventures until you find that you have run out of time and are looking back with regret.

Choose a good rack. Tubus may just be about the best ones around. They are not cheap but they are extremely sturdy.

That’s probably too small for you. I’m the same height and ride a 19”. I think you will find that you aren’t sitting up more on a taller bike. The top tube will be longer.

So get out and ride it. If you want front suspension, you can always add it. It’s harder to find 26” forks but not impossible. eBay is your friend.

rifraf

Buy once and buy right.
Best advice anyone gave me - I went with Tubus.

I see the OP has been offered one link for bike packing info so I'll add to the mix https://bikepacking.com

mtnbud

Thanks! I appreciate the nudge.

My last week+ trip was years ago. I've been doing 3-4 days road trips quite frequently. I haven't bit the bullet on an off-road tour yet.

A couple of bikes I found on CL recently were an aluminum 2014 Specialized Stumpjumper for $850 and a 2017 Santa Cruz Chameleon for $1100. The Chameleon looks like it might be a good choice for me if it's still there and is in good shape. It looks like I might be able to get a brand new aluminum Chameleon for $1800. If I do buy another bike, I was hoping to spend under 2k.

It seems the used bikes I am finding on CL are priced too high...

katsup

I've always liked the Jamis Dragonslayer, which I think would make a good off road backpacking bike with it's Reynolds 520 frame.

However, I have no experience bikepacking or with the dragonslayer, I just think it's a cool bike.

Tourist in MSN

I have two touring bikes and a rando bike with a triple up front and eight speed cassette in back. One of those touring bikes is one I built up new two years ago, so it is not a case of keeping an antique bike alive, I chose to use an eight speed with triple on a new build because I like the gearing. I also have a folding bike that uses the same eight speed cassette in back mated with a Sram Dual Drive.

I often find that I prefer the eight speed with triple for gearing on my rando bike over my new road bike that has a compact double and 10 speed cassette in back.

If it gives you the range you need, there is nothing wrong with an eight speed cassette and triple crank.