lightweight rack, panniers?
 

Im inheriting a 12-15 yr old cannondale touring bike that was never used and am looking for a lightweight rack and pannier setup. My background is ultra-lightweight long distance hiking, and the thought of 4 lb panniers hurts my brain compared to my 4oz backpack. Any lightweight options, or best to get a rack and just bungee a dry sack to the top?

Try a search for titanium racks and Cuben fiber panniers, but that will likely result in zero to few hits. Generally speaking there are no ultra-lightweight rack/pannier options. Not sure if I have seen any silnylon panniers, but I know some panniers weigh much less than others (e.g., Ortlieb backrollers at 4 lbs 5.5 oz vs. Nashbar waterproof rear panniers that have been modified to make them more robust at 3 lbs 2.5 oz). Often lighter weight panniers won't be as robust and if your bike takes a tumble, panniers will get scraped.

P.S. Maybe you have identified a market niche; are you entrepreneurial?

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Here's an option to reduce weight -- don't use racks:

http://www.carouseldesignworks.com/main.html
http://www.epicdesignsalaska.com

http://www.tubus.com/en/rear-carriers/airy
http://www.tubus.com/en/rear-carriers/carry

For the real minimalist ... http://www.moots.com/store-indivdisp...ium+Components

No matter what you carry on the rack, you have to be able to secure it well. That's why most panniers are heavy, they have supports inside.

http://www.google.com/search?q=light...ient=firefox-a

a light packer could do well with two sets of ortlieb front roller plus panniers, a tubus back rack and a jannd lowrider front.

in my front bags i carry sleep system and shelter, first aid, raincoat and thermarast, TP/trowel, etc.

in back clothes in one, food and cook in other.

Rather than trying to save weight on the rack, get a Tubus Cargo because it's wide on top, and like you say, strap a dry sack to it. Just be certain it's secure. Easy to have one fall off and not miss it for a while.

You might consider a saddlebag. There is no need for a rack at all and the bag weighs a bit over a pound. I use one for commuting with good results.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ca...ag/5360042581/

It should be noted ,carrying weight on a bike is whole lot easier than on your body via a backpack.

If you're really hardcore, you'd use your 4 oz. backpack and ride like that, it can't get any lighter. I've seen people do 500 miles ride wit hjust packpack instead of a rack/panniers. I couldn't do it, but for those who can, great for them!

Most of us..... we're in no particular hurry and not overly concerned with counting grams.. The more the merrier :)

http://aaronteasdale.blogspot.com/20...cle-times.html

www.carouseldesignworks.com

www.adventurecycling.org/ultralight

www.bikepacking.net

Malformed links .....

www.adventurecycling.org/ultralight

www.bikepacking.net

My recommendation would be to worry about strength first and weight second. When you figure all the weight you carry on tour, a few extra ounces aren't much of a concern if you get something strong and durable. I have a Tubus on the back and a Jandd on the front. They're both rock solid - no sway, no worries about breakage. I'd recommend them.

a good light weight option is to not carry much. Panniers make sense once you start carrying more than can fit in a medium sized bag and front bag. If you don't need the volume of panniers don't use them. If you do it's nice to not have to unwrap a tight bundle to get to things.

i would like to see a picture of a four ounce backpack.

here's from one ultralight trip with compression stuffsacks, threaded directly to rack, and side backpack pockets used on top of rack and as handlebar bag. Bike also had 4 and a half liters of water on it, you can see the extra bottles on the fork.

Attachment 150077

I would love to see the pics of any 4 oz. backpack and what you take. How long can you stay out with this setup?

If you're accustomed to carrying a 4-oz backpack and a 4-lb pannier hurts your brain, you'd be best served by one of these:

http://www.bernos.org/blog/images/trash-bag.jpg

Forget the rack. Just ride one-handed and hold on to it by the knot.

roflma :)

Don't give this guy a hard time. I hike the PCT all the time and watch the thru-hikers zoom by, carrying a much smaller pack, a little knapsack really, than ordinary folk use for day-hiking. The whole outfit, pack and all, commonly weighs less than 9 lbs, (without food) and is capable of withstanding much worse weather than we encounter when bike touring. All the more impressive knowing that they will not have any chance of resupply or help for days at a time, whereas the bike tourer is seldom more than a couple hours from civilization, and usually has a credit card. These folk have my highest respect.

Do they ever get a chance to see anything other than the trail in front of them. I can respect that kind of endeavour but when I get out in the backcountry I'd like to slow down and relax not try to see how fast I can get from one point to the next. Just seems like another contest or race to me. Besides I would guess these folks are really slim and trim and young. I hate all three of those. :) Not really good for them but not my cup of tea. I would really like to see what they do carry though and what they carry it in.

I'd recommend the Axiom streamliner and axiom seymour panniers. I've used them on a few overnight trips and they work well w/decent capacity.

For one-night backpacking trips to timberline and above in the Colorado Rockies I've used the REI Flash 18 pack, which weighs 10 ounces, costs $30 (I bought it for less with a 20 percent off coupon) and has a capacity of 18 liters. It holds my sleeping bag and light down coat in a compression sack; Big Agnes air mattress; bivy sack or Black Diamond Mega Light; alcohol stove; cooking pot; hydration bladder; rain/wind shell; and food. I criss-crossed six feet of shock cord through the daisy chain to hold more stuff on the outside if needed.
http://media.rei.com/media/dd/99b5d7...e226334c46.jpg
Don't want to sound like a shill here, but it's a good day or travel pack too that takes up little space when packed inside bigger bags.

Zpacks
 

Thanks for the input. For the lightweight gear that I use, look at Zpacks.com for a sampling. 4 oz packs, 9 oz tents, have a sleeping quilt from another company that weight 10 oz. I regularly hike the Appalachian Trail, staying out for 3-4 days at a time between town stops and resupplies with 10-12lbs TOTAL weight including food, water, cooking gear, tent for summer time, etc. Winter, the weight goes to about 18lbs, this is with a zero degree sleeping bag and clothing to hike in snow at 6k feet elevation at 10-20 degree day time temps. The notion one needs 50 lbs of gear is laughable at best. I realize there is some extra weight with the repair gear I will need for the bike, but I expect that a 15lb weight should be easily doable considering you must pass stores along the way each day.

Panniers ARE heavy. They are probably the single heaviest item we carry. By reducing this area of weight we would really reduce our overall weight. Many of us are always trying to reduce a few ounces here and there. To eliminate 4 pounds would be great. Don't use Arkels, great bags but really really heavy. I really like some of the ides posted, Epic and Carousel Designs seem to offer just what you(and others) need. Probably pricey. I'm sure you have heard of backpackinglight. They have many great ideas about tents, bags, clothes cooking etc. I've gotten many ideas from them.
I don't think light weight travel is only for racers. If I can easily lighten my load I do. I don't need to end my cycling day totally spent, as I often do. Besides if you can reduce the weight a little, might be able to throw in a bottle or 2 of beer.

where do you carry the beer bottles on an ultralite bike rig? bringing a musette to carry groceries really counteracts the brilliance of having luggage & carriers attached to the bicycle.

I hadn't even considered someone was desperate enough to make cuben fiber packs. it reads that these four ounce backpacks self destruct :eek: over a thruhike. I'm not certain if that's a wise fabric strategy for bike luggage.

I found that compression sacks threaded quite nicely onto the back rack and is a packing style i can recommend to anyone trying an alternative to panniers.

the small weight penalty for a set of ortlieb front rollers is worth it IMO.

Tubus Vega rear rack and Lone Peak P-99's. Lightweight and reliable.

Doh -- first titanium rack I have seen:

http://www.tubus.com/en/rear-carriers/airy
http://www.bikebagshop.com/tubus-air...ck-p-1495.html

Claim weight is either 6.88 oz or 8 oz (depending upon which site is referenced) without screws/washers/nuts.

Measured weight with struts is 10.7 oz, see here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/g...-rack-09-34764

Price is about $250.

Seems a good aluminum rack could be similar in weight, or add only a few more oz, and have a lower price.

Now, anyone seen a good carbon kickstand? :P


P.S.

Doh again -- here is another titanium rear rack:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.a...S&currency=USD

Here's another rack designed to save weight and give a streamlined flow (ha ha ):

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=20132

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/pr...l_tortec_l.jpg