Originally Posted by
green horn
well
what would be the good proportion of weigh of the rider
vs. the total weight of bike/panniers/camping equipment / H20 etc
The best percentage is the one with the smallest amount of gear that allows you to be reasonably safe and comfortable. People have different ideas about what it takes to be comfortable, but my experience is that if you plan carefully you can get by nicely with surprisingly little stuff. An the ride is far more comfortable than if you are loaded down with a ton of gear.
Originally Posted by
green horn
I would say that 180# guy, should be able to ride comfortably with 90# if not 120#
with improved / correct gearing .
You probably could ride with a load like that but I definitely wouldn't want to and I would not call it comfortable especially if in the mountains.
There is no reason to even consider what bike and panniers or other baggage you need untill you have worked out what you actually need to carry. Here is my recommended approach:
- Figure out what is the minimal list of items you can safely tour with without being uncomfortable. If you really work at it you will find that is surprisingly little stuff.
- Figure out how much luggage space that requires.
- Figure out if that means 4 panniers, two panniers, a dry sack strapped on, or a big saddle bag.
- Pick a bike and racks that best accomodate that load.
I know that I over packed on my Trans America (my first tour) and had about 50 pounds. I mailed stuff home multiple times on the tour. On subsequent trips I cut the list more and more. Then I started buying lighter replacements for various items. Last tour I had under 13 pounds of gear and even counting the bike was under 36 pounds of stuff. I was still very comfortable.
I realized that even that was not the minimum amount of stuff I could carry and still be comfortable. I have a gear list that gets the gear and bags down to a little over six and a half pounds. It isn't really missing anything that I really needed on my last few tours.
BTW trip length is not a major factor in the amount of gear required. I take the same stuff if it is a multi month tour as I would for a week.
My point is not that you should necessarily strive for travelling with 10 pounds of gear, but that if someone else can, then just about any one can get by with a lot less capacity than you seem to be planning.