Light Touring definition
 

Hi all,
What a light touring bike as far as weight and loading? Is their a spoke count consideration- no lightweight specialty wheels, normal box section aluminum, 32-36 spokes for a 210 pounder? Not long term touring or international/third world considerations either. I am doing a S36O later in the week and have not decided which bike to take, going about 45 miles each way.
thanks for any experience.
Tom Palmer
Twin Lake, MI

Tom, I consider ~20 lb. to be lightweight touring at my usual 180 lb. body. I can use any bike I want for this weight and have used a road bike with the luggage attached to the aero bars. I've also used my touring bike and mountain bike at this level without regret.

Brad

I don't know what a S360 ride is. In terms of packing stuff on for a light tour, pretty much any bike can work.

The biggest limiting factors are gearing (the extra weight will make a difference going up hills) and wheels.

Personally I'm conservative when it comes to wheels and I'd go for 36 spoke wheels and a little fatter tire (say a 28c or a 32c) for "light" touring. You're not racing so why not get sturdy wheels. Plus you're talking about a combined weight (rider and gear) well north of 210 pounds which is another reason to opt for sturdy wheels.

S360? A day and a 1/2?

Its touring without bringing So Much with you.. You bring more money and pay for services along the way.

my guess is that S360 = Short 360degree ride, out and back, or around a lake or valley or mountain. He said it was 45 miles each way, or 90 mile ride in total.

For some that is a day trip, for others it could be a 2-4 days adventure. Not know what bikes you have, and not knowing if you plan to sleep overnight someplace, I'd suggest using whichever bike that is currently in good tune and that you're comfortable on. If the ride is part or all gravel or dirt, or is in conjunction with a group ride of some sort then that may change things. But if this is just a personal round trip ride and isn't a test ride for a planned longer trip, then I'd say just use whichever bike that is in the best condition and that will carry whatever it is that you want to bring along.

How about giving some options on the ride and what bikes you have to choose from to garner a better reply. In any case, have a good ride.

S24O = sub 24 hour overnight
S36O = sub 36 hour overnight

https://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=36

S24O = sub 24 hour overnight. Riding, camping and returning within 24 hours.
S36O = sub 36 hour overnight
We plan on going a little farther than an S24O would allow.
Also we are bike camping this time, and using ultralight backpacking equipment so 20 lb will not be a problem.
This was more of an empirical question about what "light" is in the touring world.
Thanks for the responses,
Tom

I think of "light" touring not so much about a specific weight but as the general idea that you will be carrying less than a "fully loaded" touring load because you will likely not be camping and/or not be cooking.

But I could be wrong about that.

Perhaps in contradiction with definition, I consider "ultra-light" touring to be a minimalist form of touring where it's not so much about where you will or won't be sleeping and where your food comes from so much as it's about trimming your gear down to the minimum.

When it comes to overnight camping trips, I tend to take more than I would on a multi-day tour simply because know that it won't be day after day of lugging this or that piece of gear. The amount of time spent at a campsite has more impact on my packing than gear weight. If I know that every camp is just a temporary stop for the night, I try to streamline my gear to the essentials. If I plan to spend a fair amount of time at camp, extras start to creep in: Cooler, chair, frisbee, etc.

If your base packed weight is under 20 pounds, I agree you can pretty much take any bike you want and pack it however you want, even carry it on your back. If you stay on pavement, wheels and tires can be anything, too. Same with gear ratios--it just doesn't matter much with greatly reduced loads.

My definition of light touring encompasses self-contained touring and mostly camping, just with a lot less and lighter stuff than traditional five-pack tourers. The mindset includes packing for a cycling trip, not a camping trip, and spending a lot more time on the bike and touring than camping.

I weigh 150 and my base load (no food or water) is under 15 pounds in two panniers, no handlebar bag. My last long XC tour (4500 miles on pavement) was on 32 spoke wheels and 25 mm tires which were a little too heavy for the ride, I thought. Next big ride the bike and tires will be lighter.

Enjoy your ride. Overnighters like that are a great way to shake down for longer rides.

It is basically meaningless. And there isn't any glory involved.

Is this lightweight touring? I would imagine it was if one bagged everest in the loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9x1Jkl_680

This is certainly lightweight touring, but since he carries the same gear when he is walking and weeks from re-supply, and he is hauling it on a bike in this case, and is rarely a few hours away from groceries, what's the big deal.

Thru-Cycling the TransAmerica Trail, Ray Jardine

I do run into people who carry junk I never would, but for me the difference between loaded or credit card, or lightweight is all a mater of what I can get away with in a particular terrain, and what my body will take.

Just me, but I think of 20 pounds of gear or less for fully self supported touring to be light touring. At 15 pounds or less of gear, again self supported, I consider it ultralight.

I personally don't apply the terms light or ultralight to supported tours or credit card tours which by their nature generally don't involve carrying much.

There are no rules and no general agreement so feel free to draw those lines where ever you want, but I think that the weights I mentioned are reasonable.