At least you didn’t troll the Touring forum with this.

In any event…Not everyone has the mettle.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7463d0e42.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...54da07fd6.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f178994b6.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a37299a2.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f436c3762.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...255e56f6a.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5569b0445.jpeg

Or maybe it simply isn't appealing to them. You know nothing of their mettle.

Can I interest you in one or more slightly used bridges in Brooklyn?

Memorable quote from another Deason thread- "Y'all know that you're being trolled, right?" :troll:

would suggest finding a better place for your water bottles. After a few miles (forget 'days'...) you will not want to be drinking from them...

MikeDeason -
- if you aren't bike packing offroad, why look at offroad bike packing setups and why post a pic of a bike packing setup?
- you seem hesitant to the point of scared to ride on a road in a different thread, so why are you willing to ride on roads for 6 hours a day 5 days in a row?


This new adventure should provide plenty of baseless biased views from you, so there will be a ton of threads to start!
I wonder if you will ride some Marathon tires? Yeah, that's a good place to start with your equipment questions.

First off, it’s not your place…nor mine… to judge what other people carry nor the reasons for why they carry what they carry. You have no idea what conditions that person is going to encounter nor what route they are taking. For example, I did this route on this bike

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d9258d7a0.jpeg

The route I took had no grocery stores, no convenience stores, no towns except right at the end, no hotels, no B&Bs, etc. If I wanted to eat it, wear it, sleep in it, or just need it for survival, I had to carry it. Even calling for help is impossible for large portions of the ride. I carried a lot of stuff because I had no other choice.

An example of a road ride…25 days on the road…calls for different packing and approach. This route around Lake Michigan didn’t have the same logistical problems because it was through more settled parts of the US. However, I did need to carry clothes and food and ways to prepare food in addition to sleeping gear. It adds up.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ff3b5dfd2.jpeg

Some people like backpacking, some like supported hikes with mules or horses or driving a car. Some like riding a bike or hiking on a trail for the afternoon, some like using an ATV. If you can't believe this is fun for some people, you don't have a very flexible world view or respect for others idea of fun.

I think it's a fair question: how is this fun? Because to me, riding a heavy, loaded bike really isn't that enjoyable. But having the proper gear and setup to be somewhat self sufficient on a >1 day journey brings a certain sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and adventure. It's not unlike how my non-cycling friends wonder why I would choose to suffer long miles and hard climbs on the bike, particularly on a hot day, to which I don't really have a logical answer. For me, a big part is just knowing that I could do it and that I have done it. Or knowing that if I've done x miles and y feet of elevation, that makes me feel as if I've earned that (extra) beer or ice cream afterwards 🤷

2 or 3 times a week I do a 75 mile ride out to the countryside and back. Every time I ride back I have to push into a headwind and struggle to keep up a strong enough pace so I get home in time to meet my daughter’s school bus. It’s hard, I feel maxed out and miserable, but for some reason I enjoy it, and I look forward to these rides.

I plan to ride the Tour Divide next year, which will no doubt be hard and miserable at times, but I am sure I will enjoy it.

1. I once rode 6,000 miles with one of my bottles attached to the bottom of the downtube. It’s not much of an issue when road touring.

2. The red bottle in the photo is not a water bottle. It’s a liquid fuel bottle for a stove.

Twenty-five years ago today on the way to Red Willow Lake Resort in ND. What torture.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7bb5c06d00.jpg

The handlebar bag especially in the original pic looks uncomfortable for limiting hand position and the bags hanging off the wheels appear to make the bike unstable. I suppose they are accurately balanced.

we are just going for the saddle bag and a large frame bag.

More than that I’m taking a Sprinter van with bike rack.

Debating between my Roubaix Apex with tubed 35mm S Works Mondo tires or my Checkpoint SL6 AXS with Marathon 38mm.

the roubaix is definitely easier to pull up inclines but the Checkpoint ride is less harsh and basically puncture proof tires.

Why would you mount your front panniers like this if the fork enables you to run low-riders?

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a20895304.png

Avoid striking things off road.

It sounds like a wonderful trip. You will be spending time with your son and creating an irreplaceable memory.

That’s not a bar bag. It appears to be some of all of a sleep system.

The front bags make the ride more stable, and they are not hanging off the wheels. And did you mean simply balanced?

You should take the van.

van down by the river ?

Correct.

Notice the front bags in my photos are mid-level. Virtually all the “dirt” I ride is not something like single track, so I can get away with that. I’ve never toured with low riders and have never had handling problems.

In mom’s basement.

I would somewhat agree for that bike, especially since it has a front rack that is being underutilized. I carry something similar but on a flat bar bike that doesn’t have a rack nor can it take a rack. Bikepacking bags, especially the heavy load on the bars, does make the bike somewhat unstable. Downhills are tricky off-road since the center of gravity is higher. That said, bikepacking bags for off-road riding are a whole lot better than the alternatives. Trailers are terrible and regular panniers are bulky and tend to fall off on rough roads.

As to the fork leg bags, they don’t make the bike unstable. Those are mounted high due to clearance but a lowrider mounted pannier like the ones in post 32 make the bike more stable. Bicycling Magazine did an article on lowrider racks showing how low riders are better than most other combinations of bag carrying.

Sorry to disagree but your bags are lowridery. Maybe not as low as mine are but they are certainly lower on the fork than the top of the rack and have a lower center of gravity. Compare your load to this one
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1b0c2310f.jpeg

You can actually see the front axle peeking out from under the front pannier.

We all have our own experiences. And you do have quite some touring time under your wheels....
My experiences have me never putting water bottles, for health reasons, under the downtube. If you don;t like to eat off the road, I also wouldn't drink off the road.
After you've cleaned your bike and then ridden some miles, take a look at the underside of your downtube.
Especially the case, after riding on wet roads, rain and most certainly when there's a lot of farm traffic on roads.
A quick look at pics from prior times, one can notice that the preferred position for water bottles was on the bars...
We all have our preferences.
Ride On
Yuri

I have one mounted there as well. Of course full coverage fenders makes it a non-issue.