nun

For anyone who wants to shed a few pounds by reducing the size and number of racks
in your touring setup I thought I'd post a picture of how my loaded touring setup looks
with the Carradice Expedition Bagman. The neat thing is that you can't even see the Bagman
rack. I've managed to get rid of my small front rack by packing my cooking equipment in the saddlebag and strapping the sleeping pad to the saddlebag, so now all I have is a single 11oz
rack to carry my gear. This isn't as light as some folks go, but it's a good compromise between
comfort and true ultralight

https://www.wheelsofchance.org

nwmtnbkr

Nice clean set up; you've got a beautiful bike there. I'm enjoying reading your blog. Have a happy and safe new year.

Cyclebum

Great job. Very elegant.

I've lately been questioning the added weight of standard panniers and racks. Now even more so. Not sure how I'd ever get rid of the racks, but compression bags would sure let me get rid of the panniers, knocking off 5 or more pounds. 'Course, I could just lose that much weight too. Nah.

BLUMEANIE

Great lookin rig!

neilfein

Sweet-looking setup. Is that a single chainring I spy? How many gears do you have?

I'd love to see a closeup of the handlebars if you a have a picture- that dash looks particularly comfortable.

SweetLou

Very nice nun. I wish I could do something like that. I have wanted a saddle bag like a Carradice or an Acorn for a long time, but I can't use them because of my height. There just isn't enough room between the wheel and my saddle. I did rig something up to move the saddle bag back and up some. With this set up, I could use some of the smallest saddle bags, but this put the bag way above my saddle and I don't like that. Too hard to get my leg over it when getting on or off.

I'm kind of stuck with a rear rack.

nun

I have a double chainring 42/26 and a 9 speed 11/34 cassette. Most of the time I find the 42t ring
is just right and I oly use the 26 for steep stuff.

There is a front view of my bike on my website
https://www.wheelsofchance.org
The handle bar setup is pretty standard. I use leather wrapped Nitto Noodles
and have mounts for a light and my bike computer. The Rivendell bag has a
convenient map case

nun

I ride a 56cm bike and have a few inches between the bottom of the Bagman and my rear wheel. Without the bagman the Nelson Longflap would rub on the wheel. If you have smaller bike with
700c wheels I can see that would be come a big problem

SweetLou

Yeah, I ride 50cm bikes.

foamy

Nice change-up. I used your last set-up as a high-end benchmark. Something to aspire to. I'm not quite as radical, but I employed some of your ideas on equipment. Very nice looking rig. Folks can say what they want—Riv makes a great looking bike and your idea of packing for a tour compliments it.

tarwheel 

Nice. I've got a similar set up on my commuter bike, a Bob Jackson World Tour. However, I recently replaced the Bagman rack with a Tubus Cargo rear rack. It is slightly heavier than the Bagman but I was able to shave some other weight because my tail-light is easier to mount on the rack, requiring no added fixtures. I also have a Nitto M-12 front rack. I don't use the front rack much, but have a Rivendell Lil' Loafer bag when I needed the extra capacity. It keeps the weight lower than a handlebar bag, so doesn't affect handling as much.

BigBlueToe

I'm jealous! I've never been able to limit myself to such a small load on tour. My most unpleasant riding on tour was climbing over the North Cascades highway in Washington. I was pulling a loaded Bob trailer, I had a plastic rack trunk, and had front panniers with my cooking stuff. I also needed a lower granny gear. I remember some guy passing me during the worst of my suffering. He had a rig like yours and passed my like I was standing still. All of those comforts and "necessaries" I carry have a price.

I, for one, would appreciate a picture without the bags, so I could see the rack. I'm curious what it looks like.

Speedo

I think that this is it.

Speedo

tarwheel 

Here is a photo of the deluxe version of the Bagman rack with quick release tabs.

nun

Here are a few pictures and a write up

https://wheelsofchance.org/2009/08/23...bagman-review/

nun

Nice Bob Jackson. I toured with "Mark's Nitto" racks front and back for a while. One supported the saddlebag and I strapped my sleeping pad and cooking stuff to the front one. When I got the Bagman I wondered if I could get away without the front rack and found room in the saddlebag for my cooking set and strapped the sleeping pad to the top of my saddlebag. Of course I then realized that I needed a slightly larger front bag to compensate for the room my cooking set was occupying in the saddlebag. I'd like to go truly ultralight, but i think I've found my sweet spot and I don't want to alter my gear list much. I was tempted by one of the new lightweight Neotherm Thermarest pads, but they are really expensive and I'm going to wait until a couple of companies bring out competing products before I replace the Big Agnes pad.

tarwheel 

I definitely like your ultralight approach. I see many touring bikes loaded down with so much gear that it must a chore riding them. I used to backpack a lot, and learned to appreciate the benefits of shaving weight whenever possible. I'm debating now whether to get another larger Carradice bag or panniers. I love my Barley but not sure if I would feel the same about their larger models.

I would consider fenders a must for touring, but I live in an area that gets plenty of rain. I don't ride much in the rain, if I can help it, but you don't have much choice on a tour.

nun

I will fit fenders for a tour, there's just enough clearance for my 28mm tyres using the standard (or is that long reach) calipers now. I like the Barley for everyday use and I don't need any support with it. The larger bags definitely need support on all but the biggest of bikes to avoid rear wheel rub