hnsq

Hey everyone, I am just getting into biking, and am really excited about the prospect of touring. I used to go backpacking pretty often, and so I have a ton of camping gear. I know my clothes, tent, stove, water filter, etc. (everything you need for a week of backpacking) weighs around 35 lbs (including food). How much weight does bike specific gear take up? I have been reading old threads, and I think I have a good idea of what kind of replacement parts I need, but I am trying to figure out the total weight I would have for a trip.

I have a chance to buy an old Bianchi Volpe, and since it isn't a dedicated touring bike I want to make sure I don't load it up more than it can handle.

Thanks for the help, and any more advice anyone can give me to transition from backpacking and biking on weekends to touring is greatly appreciated!

staehpj1

You can pack a very similar amount of gear. You can also pack way less food since usually you can buy it daily. Extra stuff specific to the bike does not have to amount to much.

John Nelson

I've seen pack lists that weigh 15 pounds, and pack lists that weigh 120 pounds (no kidding!). It depends. Some people like to be prepared for everything and have lots of comforts. Others like to take risks and sacrifice some comforts. There's a lot of leeway in how many clothes you take and how many tools and spare parts you take. Some people take books and radios, others don't. Some take electronic gear (e.g., laptops) and others don't. Some people use their credit cards often, some hardly at all. Some do laundry nightly, others weekly. Some like clean clothes all the time, others don't mind wearing dirty clothes. Some ride in poor weather, some wait it out.

I think shooting for about 30-40 pounds (counting everything, including the racks and panniers and camping equipment) for moderate-weather touring with camping and cooking for an extended duration is about right--a reasonable compromise between being prepared and taking risks, and between comfort and minimalism.

Weigh everything. Consider leaving out anything that weighs more than an ounce, and reject anything that weighs more than 8 ounces that isn't absolutely essential. If budget allows, buy a lighter tent and sleeping bag and sleeping pad.

JohnyW

Tools and spareparts, a lock you don't need as a backpacker. This may wheigh a bit.
And you have more space so you can carry more items.

Thomas

Bacciagalupe

I don't think you'll "overload" a Volpe, unless the frame is compromised or wheels are in really bad shape; it's designed as much for touring as just about anything else. Inspect the frame thoroughly; if you do pick it up, then take it to a bike shop, get a tune-up, and make sure they check that the spokes are OK and the wheels are in true.

The only truly bike-specific items you'll need will be for repairs and bike-specific clothing. It's easier to carry gear on a bike than on your back, so you have the ability to carry more gear than if you were hiking. Also, if you're riding on the roads, you will be passing shops and stores, so you don't necessarily need to carry as much food, unless you're going somewhere really remote.

staehpj1

Locks... Depending on where/how you tour this varies. I always take a light cable lock in the $15 range. I don't spend much time in cities and am just extra careful about where I leave my bike the few times I am. In rural/small town America I don't usually lock at all.

Use good judgment and do what seems prudent for the area. In bike friendly cities theft is usually rampant so be super careful there.

rep

The other posters, and I, are assuming you are planning to camp outside campgrounds so you will need your backpacking gear, plus bike tools and U-lock with cable. You will likely need to carry more liquid than you do in backpacking, unless you stay in populated areas all the time. In Europe, I often find myself carrying several liters of wine or pilsner (depending on the country) plus water. Pilsner comes in 6 packs! In the western US, you may find yourself needing to carry a gallon of water. It depends on how far it is to a replenishment point. We usually carry an extra days food or more just in case we change our plans. It is nice to be able to have options. Some people eat in restaurants all of the time; we find that cramps our style, and the bike can carry more than your back. However, we typically "dry camp", since I avoid campgrounds. It is true that weight matters going through the mountains, and the weight also is hard on wheels, but it also can take a heck of a lot of water to cross a mountain range on a hot day, especially if you decide to camp halfway through.

hnsq

Thanks for the advice. Since I am new to this, I don't want to do anything too crazy yet. I am most likely going to start out with the Great Allegheny Passage/C&O Canal (as I live in Pittsburgh). I want to camp as much as possible. I guess I am still wondering what kind of impact weight has. I know with backpacking an extra pound is very significant, but is that the case with touring?

Also (if anyone knows offhand), can the Volpe take a front rack? I know it doesn't have a mid-fork attachment point, but is there any way to rig a rack onto a bike which has that problem?

staehpj1

Not everyone will agree, but I think a pound makes a very noticeable difference. On the C&O there is a pump every 5 miles or so, but some of the water tastes awful, so take a filter.

We crossed the US on the TA, crossing the continental divide 9 times and never stayed anywhere we couldn't get water. We never had to carry more than we would drink in a day of riding and a bit extra for safety. We camped for free more often than not, but didn't need to resort to stealth camping. Camp spots were often city parks, churches, or someone's yard. It was never difficult to get permission and water was always available. There were a few days where we didn't see a place to get water between camps though. I think 80 miles was the longest dry spell.

Machka 

Personally, I find touring uncomfortable if the weight of my bicycle + my gear add up to something over half my body weight. Climbing hills becomes a slog. Walking up hills, when I can't pedal anymore is exhausting. And hauling it around airports, and in and out of trains is painful.

So for me, half my body weight is my max.

nun

The Volpe is a good choice, yes it will take a front rack, it has mount points near the drop outs and if you only want a small rack many just clamp to the forks

How much you feel the weight on you bike really depends on how and where you ride. As the weight goes up you'll feel the bike become more sluggish on flat ground and on hills it will be very obvious.

Your backpacking background will be useful, the cycling specific stuff is mostly some tools, spares and a lock. I go with a good cable lock as U-Locks are heavy and it's often difficult to use them as your bags or panniers get between the bike frame and whatever you want to lock it to.

You seem concerned about weight, I'd be more concerned with volume at the start as that's going to dictate what style and how many bags you'll need. There are 3 main arrangements I've seen.

5 bags; 2 rear panniers, 2 front panniers, 1 handlebar bag
3 bags; 2 rear panniers, 1 handlebar bag
2 bags, saddlebag, handlebar bag (items like tent strapped to rack)

Gear weight categories I'd define would be

Light: below 30lbs
Regular: 30lbs to 50lbs
Heavy: over 50lbs

staehpj1

Good comments, but I differ slightly. Volume quickly becomes less of an issue if you strap bulky stuff on the rack. No reason not to put sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and tent there if need be. Given the ability to do that and assuming it isn't winter camping volume never seemed to be a problem. I can see it being a real issue if going with just a seat and handlebar bag, but to me that is kind of a special case.

I find the weight categories you list interesting. I never really thought about where to draw the line for the various categories. I almost agree, but think under 30 is a bit much for ultralight. I would think maybe the following:
Ultralight: below 20lbs.
Light: 20lbs to 30lbs
Regular: 30lbs to 50lbs
Heavy: over 50lbs

My personal preference is to use 4 panniers and a handlebar bag, but the panniers are small ones. The combined total size for the 4 is a bit less than just a pair of larger rear panniers. With that setup I have always had extra room even when having groceries and being more stocked up than usual.

I put smaller denser stuff in the front and lighter but bulkier stuff in the back.

My rational for not likeing under 30 as ultralight is that it isn't too hard to get below 30 without using expensive/exotic gear.

valygrl

I rode fully loaded with a guy on a Volpe, it was his first fully loaded touring experience - he found the bike to be someone flexible for a full load - he had some shimmying issues. He did manage to get it sorted out enough to be OK for a week long tour (in the mountains, full camping gear), but was not 100% happy with it.

RE: weight - if it's flat it matters less than if it's hilly. The 30-45 pound range is pretty easy to acheive and can easily encompass everything you need and a few extra toys for a fully loaded, solo, camping & cooking, not-winter tour. I'm a smaller person, ride a Trek 520 with front & rear racks, fenders, panniers, my load usually comes in around 40-50 pounds, and I can ride that in the mountains.

Oh, another thought - I'm not sure what the gears are on the Volpe, but if your lower gear is smaller than 30x32 it's a problem, and it would be better if it was even lower - mountain bike gearing at 22x34 is not too low. If it's got a standard road triple, you may be able to put a smaller granny ring on it to get you to a 26 in front, and at least a 30 tooth big cog on the cassette, and that will get you to reasonable touring gearing.

Your backpacking gear will probably be fine, you can carry way less food than backpacking, and you may or may not need the water filter, if you aren't going to do a lot of random camping. I used it one time on my 2 month summer tour - probably better to just take a tiny bottle of iodine tablets.

wheel

The great thing the more you tour the more you know what you want or don't want.

My last 3 day tour was down to 13 pounds of gear and two panniers.
I needed a gallon of water each day and started out with two days worth of food which I didn't include. 90 miles to the nearest reasonable priced items.

hearncst

My wife and I did a tandem tour of the Oregon coast with 50# spread through four panniers. We admitted to not carrying much food as it was abundant. Weather was cold and rainy to 60's. I only wish I had one more heavy polypro layer.

znomit

I had a shimmy on mine. Quite scary on the morning of your first tour! To fix it I put the heavy stuff in the rear bags. Later I replaced the front rack with one that held the bags at axle height (as opposed to above the wheel). Was very stable after that and a great tourer.

Note that some Volpes have front braze ons for racks and some don't so check before you buy.