Originally Posted by recursive
As for comparing it to hiking, that's not really a fair comparison. I can easily carry 50 lbs or more for hours in a proper hiking pack, but that's standing up with the weight distributed properly between my shoulders, back, chest, and hips. It's not really possible when you're leaned over on a bike.
Please let me clarify. I'm not saying that backpacking and bicycling with a pack are the same. I'm just saying that carrying 25lbs while biking seems like a lot of gear. And for that much weight, I could be carrying enough gear (weight wise) to go backpacking.