Tourist in MSN

I do not have a Trek bike, so I can't go bike trekking.

GadgetGirlIL

Hah! I do have a Trek 700 Multitrack so I'm good to go for this latest trend But does it matter that is has a rear rack??? I'm so confused

cyccommute 

Far too late. It called a "Fiebach" ride courtesy of my local bike club for which I was the mountain bike ride coordinator (among other duties). A Fiebach was a mountain bike ride of no less than 50 miles distance, 10,000 feet of elevation gain, crossing at least 3 passes above 10,500 feet and involved no less than 6 miles of hiking because you couldn't ride those sections. Bonus points if the last pass crossing occurred in the dark.

And, for good measure, the ride had to take less than 12 hours to complete. Here's the very first "Fiebach" (circa 1985 or 1986). There were many others. Kenosha Pass at night without lights is a once in a lifetime experience.

You know, I might just do that one again but take 2 days and avoid the dark

balrog687

for me it's like one word will replace the other, just that.

Old school people will still refer to ciclotouring vs new generations just talking about bikepacking. that's all.

cyccommute 

Yea, like that's going to happen with a bikepacking bike.

I would say that just about any bikepacking experience...the off-road kind, not the trendy load-your-bike-up-and-ride kind...involves some hike-a-bike. I would go so far as saying that you aren't bikepacking if you don't have to push the bike at some point. It's part of the "experience". Even with gears that are stupidly low and way lower than the component manufacturers say is possible (20 tooth chainwheel with a 36 tooth cog or a 14" gear), I still find I have to walk some stuff. There's a point where you run out of muscles and air here in Colorado. A 25% grade at 11,800 feet will do the trick

Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

djb

THATSA SPICEY MEATBALL!
i always remember being taking mtbing at a third of that altitude, and having to push up super steep stuff like that, my heart going like I just did a hard sprint, so can't imagine at 3500+ meters

cyccommute 

Well, it helps to grow up in and live in a state where the lowest elevation (3315 feet on the Arikaree River at the Kansas line) is higher than most states' highest elevation (20 of them) and one that has the highest mean elevation (6800 feet). I haven't been outside of Colorado for longer than 6 weeks at a time and I've only done that a few times. I got lots of blood and rather large lungs from sipping on air all my life. When I do go down low, I bite off chunks of air and chew on it for a while. I can usually go for an hour or 2 on one of those chunks It's like having a turbo charger.

The worst effect I see at high altitudes (11,000 or above) is kind of a slow realization that the air is thin. I feel like I'm out of shape and only slowly realized that I don't have as much oxygen up there. The highest I've ever ridden a bike was 13,800 which was quite an experience even for a Colorado kid like me. The road was an old railroad so it wasn't steep but it felt like a wall at the top. I'd throw myself forward for about 100 yards until my vision started to get too tunnel like, then I'd stop and let my vision come back and throw myself forward another 100 yards. Rinse and repeat. It was a great downhill...but that may have just been the dead brain cells talking!

Happy Feet

Not even bike packing or that high.

When I was in Moab doing Slickrock I made a point to try and crank up as much as I could but still came to some sections that were so stupidly steep that I just said..nah, and hike a biked it.

Still one of my more favorite logging road pics

djb

Certainly can relate to the acclimatization thing. When in central America by the time we were at a bit over 3000 m we had spent so much time at a bit lower that I didn't feel it at all, but an aware that this is still a lot lower than you and others have been at.
if ever I get to South America, slowly working up to the much higher altitudes will be key , although I'm confident at least that I seem to adapt fairly well, touch wood.

MarcusT

I agree, him and Foresty Forest

BigAura

Bikepacking is a subset of Bicycle Touring.

Bikepacking is limited to non-paved surfaces, generally single and/or double track trails. Touring may include paved & non-paved, any trail type, and any road type.

Neither Bikepacking nor Bicycle Touring are limited to any particular type of bicycle or luggage-system.

Happy Feet

I like this definition, or organizational approach. Bikepacking as a sub set of the greater term touring just as hub and spoke or credit card terms apply.

Miele Man

yes. Also it seems to me that a the biggest difference between bikepacking and bike touring on dirt roads is how the gear is attached to the bicycle. My touring on logging/mining roads in Northern Ontario Canada is touring not bikepacking because I use panniers front and rear.

Cheers

Papa Tom

I just coined one, too. From now on, my overnight cycling trips will be called "bikations," or maybe "bikeations." Let's debate it.

Happy Feet

Here's the latest route entry in Bikepacking.com for a region pretty close to my home Western Canada (I've done some of the route).
https://bikepacking.com/routes/cowichan-valley-8/

If you scroll down the route description page to the picture gallery, the first shot shows the two bikes used and one has two rear panniers. They say the route could be done with gravel bikes instead of mountain bikes if geared low enough but no mention of packs.

Why I point this out is that, while these submissions are from members, they are vetted by the web staff to reflect the ethos they want to promote. Along with the other examples I've linked in this thread it seems they are not hung up on the luggage.

From their website page describing that route (their picture not mine):
Note one bike has a drybag on rear rack and the other has panniers.




And myself with a backpack on rack in the same locale.

Steve B.

So Bikepacking is;

Using a flat handlebar bike that is either a 26, 27.5 or 29’er mt. bike.

AND

Not a 700C wheeled touring bike with drop handlebars.

AND

Using bags that are not on front and/or rear racks

AND

Riding on some form of other-than-pavement for part of the ride.

Happy Feet

Just makin stuff up now? Don't forget the bike must be blue.

Russ Roth

Drop bars are fine, watch GCN, they use drop bars as do a lot of bikepacking rigs. It really does seemingly come down more to how you pack both in weight and style that really sets it more apart. More about getting the total load down and into less bags that are easier to store and travel narrow paths with.

Mine is, both the color and the brand, that's why mine is a true bikepacking bike

MarcusT

Bike hiking is more open. The bikes can be any of the primary colours., but clothing must be pastels.
You also get extra points for drop bars because they are more challenging in bike hiking

tyrion

No. You can bikepack with drop bars IF your tires at at least 2 inches wide AND you're carrying at least one bag made from X-Pac OR you're using platform pedals and a 1x drivetrain.

PedalingWalrus

Bikepacking is packing a bike and going on a trip somewhere

djb

get on yer bikes and work on your bike handling skills on all kinds of surfaces
thats my take on all of this really....

mev

Gradual acclimatization does seem to help. I grew up in CO where I lived around 1600m and would then go hiking/cycling in the mountains. Did not have a huge amount of difficulty with elevation, but could notice it more particularly above 4100m (13,500ft) when hiking. The highest point in CO is only 4400m so not a huge issue hiking 14ers.

When I cycled in South America, the highest point I crossed was 4528m (14,855ft) and I spent several weeks in the Altiplano over 4000m. Had a very slight headache first night sleeping at 4450m (14,600ft) and could notice I didn't have quite as much oxygen for short climbs as in thicker air - but otherwise seemed to adjust fairly well to this altitude.

So I noticed for me there is a certain threshold where I notice it a lot more - and below that not much at all. I also notice I can increase that threshold by more gradually going up and when spending extended periods at altitude. I've also noticed threshold differences with others. Clearest example was a friend living in LA at the time who flew in and less than 12 hours later we set off to hike Longs Peak. He did fine until timberline (~11,200ft, 3400m) and then really hit a wall that kept us from going higher than Boulder field (~12,500ft, 3800m). That same friend, a few years later went and hiked up Kilimanjaro (19341ft, 5895m).

djb

Thanks Mr Mev, have always squirreled away in my brain your recommendations from experience, and increasing the threshold by gradually going up is the one thing that I recall the most. About to head out, -14c again but no wind to speak of, and little or hard packed snow, so fine. Have a good Texan day.

john m flores 

A similar phenomenon has happened in hiking. Back in the day, a framed pack loaded up with 30-40 pounds of gear was the norm. But there have been advancements in gear, making tents, bags, kitchen, lights, and everything else lighter and smaller. Along with that, hikers have re-evaluated what they really need to bring, i.e., "Should I bring this 2.5 lb tent with aluminum poles or will this 1.5 lb bivvy sack suffice?"

And there's a trickle down effect. All of a sudden, the gear weighs half as much, so the backpack can be lighter too. And with less weight to carry, the heavy hiking boots can be replace with lighter trail running shoes. I know people that can hike for weeks at a time with trail running shoes, a 1lb frameless backpack, and 10-15 pounds of gear.

Bicycle touring is following a similar evolutionary path. Bikepacking is part of that path.