Lt Stonez

Hi i really want to go touring with my bike this summer, but I have specialized sirrus carbon bike and there aint possible too put racks on it. I dont think it are build for a trailer ider!.
But ive seen people her in this forum talking good about Revelate bags.
And i wonder If I put this bags on it

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...ngle-Frame-Bag
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...-Bags/Viscacha
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...-Bar/Saltyroll

Ill olso will put a jarrycan and gastank for xtra room.
I will take a tent 1,5 kilo and sleepingbag 1 kilo sleepingmath 1 kilo, but no cooking stuff.
We will eat at cafe's on our trip from north Denmark to Amsterdam.
Is this set up possible on a carbon hybrid bike and will i have enough room for clothing and other nessesery stuff?
I am a total neewbee and hope you can help me out If you have doen something like this before?

Many thank ' s and cheer mates

Sorry for bad english and here a pic of the bike

staehpj1

Yes it is definitely possible. There are other options as well...

1. You could use a rack. There are racks that will work on that bike. Some Axiom Streamliner models and some other racks can attach via the QR skewer and either the brake bridge or a special seat post clamp.
2. Some folks just use a big seat bag like one of the Carradice bags.
3. A trailer is also a possibility. Lots of folks have used a BoB on similar bikes.
4. Various schemes for strapping on stuff sacks have been used.

My personal preference would be a rack with either small panniers or just a stuffsack/drybag depending on how minimal of a load you are willing to go with. I managed to camp and cook on the Southern Tier with a similar setup to that.

If you can't manage to pack light and compact enough, a trailer may be the way to go, but I'd recommend just going light and compact enough to not need one.

Tourist in MSN

There are some racks with low weight ratings that clamp onto a seatpost, you might need to change seatposts if yours is carbon.

nun

Yes it's possible to tour with those Relevate bags on your bike. In fact I can see the combination of what's sold as an "adventure bike" with a rackless bag system as becoming a very popular way to tour. Your bike has room for wide tires, disc brakes, a relaxed geometry, works well on and off road and has a nice gear range.....some people might want a smaller chain ring, but that's an easy change if you think it's necessary. Because you have flat bars the sling type front bag arrangement will work. But I have two observations about Revelate type bags.

1) People tend to buy a lot of them and stick them all over the bike. This costs more money and just because there's room for a bag doesn't mean that you should put one there. Gather your gear and see how much volume you really need. Do you need a Jerrycan and a Gastank? Do you need a frame bag?

2) The sling type front bags are not really convenient to put on and take off the bike or for getting to things you need easily and quickly. So if you will be touring and stopping often to do sightseeing you might consider a more traditional handlebar bag like the ones from Ortlieb or Carradice.

You will need to think how you will pack your larger items like the tent. Fly sheets that can be compressed aren't any trouble, but tent poles can be difficult. I could not easily carry the tent pole that came with my Tarptent Contrial tent because each of the 3 sections was just a bit longer than my saddlebag's longest dimension. So I ordered a custom tent pole with 4 sections that fits inside my saddlebag.

If you do a search on "Revelate" or "ultralight" you'll find lots of discussions on this forum and there's lots of information on the web. Personally I don't use Revelvate Designs because I find an Ortlieb handlebar bag and Carradice Camper Longflap saddle bag better suited to my road oriented touring where I might want to take all (I have just two) of my bags off the bike and easily carry them onto public transportation or lock my bike up and quickly take the handlebar bag off and do some shopping or go to a museum. Here is a description of my setup. I'm sure other people will post their excellent interpretations of how to tour with non-traditional setups as well.

https://wheelsofchance.wordpress.com.../25/gear-list/

mdilthey

Not just possible... Also a great deal of fun! The bike rides like a dream!

prathmann

It's certainly possible. But your bike is also well suited for a rear rack and my preference would be to use one. While I've toured with handlebar and saddlebag, I find rear panniers to be more convenient.

rifraf

CURVES 'N' TURNS - Trailer


Carry Freedom Website | a bike trailer revolution

Lt Stonez

Now were talking nice set up Mdilthey. Do you like that more than panniers because of how the bike act?

shibbyman23

He could use a backpacking hammock like the Hennessy Hammock: Ultralite Backpacker Asym Classic: Product Specs -- Hennessy Hammock that way he wouldn't have to worry about tent poles at all.

veganbikes

The Sub7 thats coming out from Eagles Nest Outfitters is a nice light option at 6.5oz. I am unsure if Hennesy is listing their packed weight as with rainfly, tarp, straps and other accessories.

nun

No need for poles, but it's the extra insulation you need for a hammock that is sometimes a weight and volume penalty

Flam24

Last summer I did two trips with my full carbon Cannondale SuperSix Evo. I used an Oxtail trailer that clamp on the seatpost. I changed the original carbon seatpost for an aluminum one. I prefer that kind of trailer to the Bob because it put too much stress on the carbon frame.
First trip: From Vancouver (Canada) to San Diego (California) 3000 km
Second trip: France 1 500 km
I enjoyed both of my trips, and I liked my trailer.

staehpj1

That or a bivy. I typically take either a bivy or a bug bivy either with or without a tarp. My bivy weighs 7 ounces, my bug bivy weighs 5 ounces and my tarp weighs 7.6 ounces. All three pack really tiny. I use a 12 ounce NeoAir pad that I would probably take even if I used a hammock. The whole setup pack smaller and is lighter than a standard Hennessy hammock Cost was less as well.

I have stayed a lot of places where there either was no place to hang a hammock or there was a reason I didn't want to. For example in roadside picnic areas pitching a tent or hanging a hammock is way more likely to get you run off than just throwing a bivy on the ground.

All that said comfort can be a big factor if one or the other is substantially more comfortable for you. I find my NeoAir supremely comfortable so that isn't a good reason to switch, for me at least.

A few times I have backpacked in places where I would have much preferred a hammock. Things like exceedingly rock littered ground or soupy swampy ground make a hammock especially desirable, but I have toured a good bit and have not stayed anywhere on tour that gave me hammock envy. There were a few times when backpacking that I wished for a hammock, but not often enough that I made the switch.

If you are into them, some of the tarptent type tents can be pitched with a single pole or an improvised pole, even using the bike as a support.

Then again just strapping tent poles to the top tube or under a saddle bag should work fine if you prefer a tent.

Sangre

I am leaving for a cross Canada / US east coast tour april 1st. My current load includes a Revelate Harness (with pocket) with a Hennessy Backpacker Classic, a Tangle Frame Bag and a Viscacha. I considered the gas tank and jerry can, but they were unnecessary for me. My Viscacha is not full yet with my gear so far.

I have drop bars, So My Hammock and Hennessy SuperShelter is all I could fit in the Harness. Any more than that and I couldn't fully activate my STI shifters. My Sleeping bag is in a salsa anything cage I have mounted in the Gerry can position. (it packs REALLY small in a 5L air purge compression dry sac, I spared no expense on the sleeping bag)

I made two home made Revelate "feed bags" out of some outdoor research bottle sacs. (because I ran out of money.. lol, see above where I spared no expense on the sleeping bag) My Tangle and My Viscacha are both pretty much empty, and waiting for me to decide how I will pack my food/ clothes/ tools.

Sangre

Everything but Straps. (rainfly and tarp being the same piece of sylnilon). Also the snakeskins (60 grams) are not included in that weight. And you definitely want at least one set of those. I use 2 sets for my custom load out.

staehpj1

Unless I am missing something here...

The Sub7 is a very light piece of gear, but by itself it offers no bug protection, no rain protection, and no insulation under you. If you need bug protection you need to add that. If you want rain protection you still need a tarp or rain fly. If you need insulation under you, then you still need an under-quilt or a pad. On tours of any length I typically find that I need insulation and rain and bug protection, so it seems to me that there would be no weight savings over a light bivy or bug bivy/tarp setup.

Does anyone here do tours that involve bugs, cool/cold temperatures, and/or rain using a hammock like the Sub7? I'd be curious what your complete setup looks like.

etw

I have been told that you can also use these racks by Thule that can be mounted on carbon frames and other bikes that do not have mounts

Thule Pack 'n Pedal - Thule

Review: Thule Pack ?n Pedal | While Out Riding

Thule Pack 'n Pedal Tour Rack Review

nun

There are plenty of racks that can mount without eyelets, but the OP is talking about rackless bag systems. Getting rid of racks makes touring just that bit more convenient (IMHO). You lighten the load and make the bike easier to deal with when not riding; racks always get in the way when trying to pack a bike of get it into a cargo compartment.

nun

Yep, you'll need a lot of extra stuff to make that Sub7 into a comfortable place to sleep on a cold rainy night. I haven't tried a fully featured hammock setup so all I can say about them is that they seem to be just a bit heavier than a bivy or tarp tent setup, but if you like them they look like a good solution. I'm definitely not keen on bivies as condensation has always been an issue in the few times I've used them. So I like a single walled tent, which is just really a bivy with a pole and a lot more room inside. My Tarptent Contrail weighs 1.5lbs, provides total bug protection, has good ventilation and enough head room for me to sit up and get dressed relatively easily. Condensation still forms on the inside of the tent, but it's well away from me and my bag and it's usually gone by the time I get back from the showers if I leave the tent door flaps open.

etw

Thanks for clarification. I was also thinking that the Thule system might offer some options if needed.

nun

Yes, it looks like an interesting option and system. The range of ways to carry stuff on your bike is very varied. I'm happy that we are starting to see things other than massive racks front and back.

MassiveD

I can see the point for single track in the woods, even the wind but the capacity of the bags and the fit are two huge problems. Once you are packing comparable volumes and weights on a rack, most of the perceived problems go away. YOu can buy a light rack that costs next to nothing, and the panniers in comparable materials are cheap. You can toss the rack on the return trip if it gets in the way, they only cost a few bucks to get a new Chinese one.

People get into a consumer mentality where if it is frame luggage, pack cloth and straps, no back boards or quick release are just fine. But start a thread on racks, it has to be heavy and expensive chromo, the bags have to be huge with lots of pockets, or heavy Otlieb, they have to have backboards and be quick release. It's all about fashion, though there are situations where those items are the ticket, but that isn't the only thing behind the purchases.

Thru-Cycling the TransAmerica Trail, Ray Jardine

nun

I can see your point. There are lots of ways to carry gear. I just find racks to be one extra thing to worry about and as Carradice saddlebags bags were designed to work without them they are a good solution for me.

staehpj1

I agree. I have been using inexpensive racks for ultralight touring. I went with 14 pounds of gear on the ST using a light dry bag and that was before I had some of my newer lighter gear. I could go in greater comfort with less weight now.

I also packed for an off road tour in Idaho using a rack and small light panniers. Base gear weight was 10 pounds including bags even with some luxury items (a fly rod and one of my small custom made Appalachian mountain dulcimers). Sadly the trip was cancelled due to a knee injury (not bike related), but I did test ride the bike on some technical single track. All of the gear has been well proven on other trips including bike tours and backpacking trips. There is no reason racks and panniers have to be heavy or expensive, especially with a lighter load.

The rig pictured rode great on single track. Since the gear weight was 10 pounds its location on the bike didn't seem to matter much.

Lt Stonez

I prefer a tent. This is less than 2 kg
Helsport Fjellheimen Superlight 2 Camp blue
this is a tent i can use to other things than touring also. Hopefully it will fit in the framebag?