Just curious.. backpack question
 

I ride a gravel bike and usually bring a small backpack with me with water and food on my long rides. Why is it that almost no road cyclists wear a small backpack? Just wondering..

Personally, I hate both a sweaty back and any weight high up on my body when cycling. I can avoid both of those and carry what I need in 1 or 2 small bags that go on my bike.

Others wear cycling jerseys and stuff everything in the pockets of the jersey.

I can fit everything i need for a 200km ride in my jersey (and that includes some money for a short pit stop to buy something to eat). Dont see the need to burden myself with a backpack. I dont like wearing or carrying backpacks and more so in my riding position - which is fairly aggressive.

If I was doing "epic gravel rides", I would probably stuff food, etc into a larger seat bag or bento box or something. Still wouldnt wear a backpack. YMMV.

Have a look at an Assos Spider Bag. Not easy to find, but they're perfect if you need a small pack for extras.

Why, when there are bottle cages and jersey pockets for those things? And, BTW, there are also hydration packs. I use one when I tour. They are essentially backpacks.

It's the whole sweaty back thing. Down here in Texas a backpack is no fun in the summer, when you want all the wind you can get. I have packed a 'picnic' into a little Timbuk2 in winter occasionally for a longer mountain bike ride, but otherwise it seems to go against the grain on a road bike, when fast is fun.

My CamelBack really annoys the hell out of me on my road and gravel bikes, but I hardly notice when on my mt. bike. Likely as I'm leaning over on the road/gravel so notice it more. Plus and as other have stated, and for where I ride (wooded eastern seaboard) I'm in the sun more on the road, thus a backpack is hotter, not an issue as much in the shaded woods.

When I rode the Bike Tour of Colorado, I wore a small CamelBack that only carried energy bars and rain gear. I had stuffed my extra water bottle with required clothing, had one full water bottle (the rest stops were an hour apart). I didn't want to add a rack and trunk bag as it was heavy.

I wear a backpack to commute, to carry office clothes and lunch, occasionally my laptop. I can’t imagine why I would want to wear it, if I was just going for a ride.

Same here. Worst aspect of my former commute, especially when it was hot and humid. Didn’t have a touring bike with a rack and panniers like I do now.

The right backpack can make you faster by smoothing the turbulent flow behind your head.

A good hydration pack is a gift from the gods. I've had a few cheap ones and wrote the entire concept off. Won a nice one at a PCT work party last year. It's a revelation.

I think it just comes down to what the plan is for the ride. I think for most roadies, the plan is to go explore and get a workout, maybe stop for a quick coffee, but mostly it's on the go. So most food is in a form that easily stuffs in a jersey pocket or dissolves in a bottle of water.The rides can tend to be longer and faster, and a backpack really makes one feel slower and less nimble on the bike.

Back in the day I used to do trail runs - 10 to 12 miles with nothing but a bottle of water in each hand and a hip belt with my phone and a few calories. Then when friends would plan a "hike" they always wondered why I wasn't carrying water or a backpack for a 5 mile stroll on a trail. More recently I've been getting into hiking more with my wife, as kind of a way to slow down and not be super intense/competitive all the time. We always carry a backpack now because it's really pleasant to have a sandwich, a couple beers, and perhaps a joint at some gorgeous secluded creek or mountaintop. The trail run was to be fast, a workout, get in and out kind of thing. The long chill hikes are an all day, hang out, sometimes stop and relax kind of thing.

It's a similar deal on the bike. Often times I kit up with nothing but gels, water, and my usual pocket stuff for a "workout" or "quick" ride. "Quick" doesn't necessarily mean only a couple hours - it could be a 4+ hour ride, but still the point of these rides is to ride, mostly nonstop, often never even clipping out of my pedals door to door. Other days I meet up with friends, explore some random trails, climb hills and chill out for a bit, go to the beach and hang out while the sun sets, etc. The point is more relaxing, hanging out, less about the bike itself and more about the rest of the experience. I'll bring a backpack with a spare jacket, a few beers, snacks, etc. I'll wear street clothes. It's like going to hang out when you're a kid and you ride bikes to get to the places you're hanging out but also just ride around.

Having ridden with backpacks I thought I would hate one. Then I went touring in Andalucia and had to go many miles without ready water sources in full sun. As soon as I got to a major city (Córdoba) I found a good bike shop. Tried to explain to a worker what I wanted and he smiled and said “CamelBak.” He also showed me some alternative brands. I went with the name I knew.

I had the same question when I first got into road biking, and kept using my camelbak for the first year or so. It was highly convenient for storage and all the hydration I could ever want to carry, and didn't seem like that big a deal (do all the people talking about back sweat not come back from long summer rides completely covered in sweat, regardless of what they had on their back?)

Then one week I finally tried switching to bottles and a top-tube bag, and immediately saw a notable difference in my Strava hill climbing segment times.I think mostly the backpack was restricting my upper body positioning in ways I didn't realize until I ditched it. It could be bogus, but I think I use my upper body more effectively when I'm pack-free.

​​​​​​The feeling of wet athletic clothing in the air where the sweat can do its job vs a big, non breathable thing pressing into your sweaty back is what everyone is talking about. Plus it makes you sweat more.

I have a small light backpack that I use for particular rides. They are particularly useful for a ride that is going to see a significant change in weather, like a cold morning that's going to turn into a warm afternoon. There's a limit to how much outer clothes (or gloves, etc.) that I can stick into my jersey pockets

On the OP's backpack question: https://www.bikeforums.net/21473776-post43.html

I used a Rogue CamelBak for years but the bladder finally gave out. Much to my irritation the new 1.5L bladder wasn't really compatible with my older Rogue. I asked CamelBak and they were happy to sell me a new Rogue! No thanks at that price.

The USWE brand came to my attention after watching a video by Christie Brinker, a road/gravel/MTB competitor. Good review and I gave it a try. Very happy with the construction and design as well as the customer service (I ordered direct from the site, sent from Sweden). Mine has 1.5L bladder plus all the room I need for solo long rides. For shorter rides, bottles and pockets.

I agree with Carbonfiberboy above about the utility, safety and comfort of packs for longer rides (and the indifference to the velominati style dorks).

Unless you need to carry a lot of water, I prefer a small fanny pack. They may not be considered "cool" but it's not as sweat-inducing and any weight is around your hips. I don't even notice it.

I've gone back and forth on backpacks. Currently I am in the pro-backpack camp. Lately I've been using a small Camelbak plus a bottle for my rides, and just got a bigger Camelbak (particularly so I don't need to stop anywhere on a longer ride during the pandemic). I switched from commuting with a pannier to commuting with a backpack.

If you feel hotter wearing something on your back, well, I can't say your feeling is wrong, but the temperature gets north of 105°F out on the road here, and I don't think the Camelbak makes that any worse. I've noticed I do drink more frequently with a Camelbak.

What's a long ride? Two water bottles in the cages, a banana and a granola bar in the jersey pocket is about all I need or want on a ride of 70 miles or less. If it's hot and/or I go farther, I'd rather stop off at a convenience store to see what kind of snacks they have and to get a cold drink to refill my bottles.

On some rides I bring a water filter. Sawyer Mini fits in a jersey pocket with room to spare.

I use a small hydration pack with the bladder removed to carry my tubes and repair kit. The pack is designed so there is space between your back and the pack. A lot of the newer jerseys pockets are designed to hold gel but not much else.

"A lot"? :foo:

Can't say that I've run in to this, but I usually only buy one or two new jerseys per year. What manufacturers are making tiny pockets?

If I have to carry something that I can't put in a jersey pocket or a tool bag, I would rather have it in something strapped to a rear rack. Of course, you have to have a rear rack to make that work. Some of my older bikes only have cage bosses on the DT. I think they started putting them on the ST around 1985 or 1986. Anyway for the rides that might need more than one in the cage and some in a jersey pocket, I have one of these that can add some more capacity.

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...cessory-device