Not really. You will also get a lot more positive responses due to the fact that people absolutely not interested in these types of video won't click on it and will therefore not be able to respond to you directly.
Did a couple of long bike packing trips in '91~'92. Still have fond memories and great stories. It's about the cheapest way to travel and see a country close-up.
For me this is one of your best videos and I am buying your book. Also the terrain you ride fully loaded with full bags front and rear is impressive. Keep up the great work and content.
I just acquired a 2020 Kona Unit X and I'm really enjoying all the mounts, 1x12 drivetrain, and the 29x2.6" tires. The slack headtube angle also makes the bike very comfortable to ride.
I'm with 29x3 since few years and love it. I'm totally not into competition so don't expect faster speeds with this tiers, but they climb mountains amazingly and have nice rolling speed on tarmac. I would not go less than 3" for tiers.
I know your website for years , tons of great tech info. Great to see, your UA-cam channel, I think bike packing, gravel bikes, electric bikes ( surly cargo electric!!) and generally new trends in cycling needs a good, in-depth independent reviews and you are great for it👍
I'm intrigued by the discovery that my 700 x 23c road bike wheels are very close in outside diameter to my 26” x 2” MTB wheels - I'd always felt that the road bike had significantly larger wheels, due to the difficulty negotiating very tight turns, compared with the MTB. It MUST be due to the geometry, and not the wheel size.
Just when I thought I was narrowing down my idea of a dream bike now I'm re- overwhelmed. I guess the only upside is its a dream bike... I dont have the money yet so no realistic opportunity to pick the wrong bike haha!
By the way, I received My TailFin X-series kit (incl. an AeroPack, 2 lightweight panniers, the carbon X-One rack (rated to 27kg load - roughly the same as most tubus racks!) and all the bits and pieces) pre-order yesterday. Opened the package to get the feel of the components (I'm yet to assemble them. Unfortunately, none of My allroad bikes is at My disposal at the moment) - I must say, I'm impressed with the quality! Akin to Arca Swiss ball heads - beautifully narrow tolerances, quality materials and machining, very tactile, quality bits. Very impressive - trumps Ortlieb, Vaude, Tubus - and everything else with the attention to detail and choice of materials! At €600+ (and another €150,- for some extras), it's damn expensive, but the craftsmanship appears to be immaculate! Nick stated they do plan to launch a front rack and pannier set, too, sooner or later. Very encouraging - ridiculously expensive - yes, but does appear to be worth it. These will enable (especially, combined with snap-on /-off direct mount frame bags) users to embark on proper, multi-month tours on beautiful carbon [gravel / adventure / allroad - and even road, with a few catches) bikes, and usher, thus, the era of cycle touring on bikes that don't look like upright heavy shitbikes with ugly welds and all that (that have traditionally represented the touring section for way too long).
I use a "Tripoding" touring set -up it's a bikepacking kit with two Panniers on the front wheel...this let's a rider use a shorter chainstay bicycle...I have two Carridice Saddlebags a Carridice Super C on my Butterfly handlebars and a Carridice Camper Longflap...I also have a Rogue Panda roll-top closure frame bag... Rogue Panda makes the best bikepacking bags in the world...and I carry two large Carridice Super C Panniers on my front wheel...on a Surly Troll...I like 26 inch wheels, they give you a lower climbing gear...I was using a Carridice Bagman rack with my Carridice Camper Longflap Saddlebag...but I didn't like the way the rack cause the Saddlebag to fold in the middle, so after using the Saddlebag, I took the rack off and mounted the bag without it...I like carrying this bag without the rack...the panniers are large on my front wheel, but I don't always carry them full...but alway have the room if I need it. I recommend buying your bicycle one size smaller then what you would normally ride...but use a stem riser and a longer seat post...this will give you a lighter bike...the taller stemriser will let you use a Carridice style bag as your roller stem bag without it rubbing against the front tire ...I always use light fenders...I like a 26×1.75 wheel this size let's me ride All Terrain, with out much hassles...I use Marathon plus touring tires... "Tripoding" is a great way to tour... And a shorter chainstay gives you a lighter bike... and the ability of using other Bicycle that you might have not been able to use with a four Pannier set-up...
Carbon is nice for a racing gravel bike but still slightly overkill for a bikepacking bike. Like I’m going to really notice that missing 600 grams when I’m carrying an extra 13 kilos on the bike. Otherwise I think you’re predictions are spot on.
Great shots & very well presented video my friend, awesome tech too ;) For me It's down to finding a bike that is suited for myself in comfort & durability, which is why I would never go for a tech bike like these, you simply don't need these features & even though it is a good idea to change the fork rake, I just wouldn't use it, neither would I ever have a short stem as bar leverage is compromised, which is the thing you need most when you have weight on the bike. great video though dude keep it up, peace
A #SalsaWarBird2019 equipped with a Shimano GRX spotted at 1:33. I own one - it's fast, it's beautiful and has ample rack, bento box and mudguard mounts. …ans #SalsaCutThroat2020 in different sizes at 2:44. They look much better than their predecessors did - much prettier rear triangles for size 54 and larger.
I ride a carbon travel bike at this moment (Ridley Kanzo Adventure) and I added Tubus racks on the back with fenders and I will go on a trip with 20kg of luggage in that bags. I don't like framebags, steerbags en saddlebags...
I'm a big fan! It's got every bikepacking mount you could want (ok, I wouldn't mind fender mounts too), it's hella light (2.32kg frameset is literally 50% of a Surly), a longer wheelbase for more stability and it looks MUCH neater than the V1. Plus it's available with the Shimano GRX drivetrain. 🤘🏼
@@Cyclingabout Agreed! The omission of mudguard mounts is an unforgivable oversight on Salsa's part. For anyone except for lucky souls who live in California and never plan to tour, mudguard mounts are absolutely crucial.
I like tech videos, they are interesting but often I get lost in subtle details. I am transitioning from 4-week ultralight bikepacking into multi-month adventure cycling. My Synapse compact with a T40 rear cassette with 35 CC can do the job on service roads and light gravel. I am looking for a new bike that can manage all surfaces (38, 40 or 42 CC?), cover good mileage between spots (x1 or x2?) and carry 10-12 Kg of gear (rear and back racks, or back only?). As a newbie, these are the 3 existential questions. The Trek 520 seems to tick the boxes. Glad to hear better suggestions? Thank you.
- These days, 100% of the bikes in my Touring Bicycle Buyer's Guide come with the ability to clear 38-40mm tyres. So I'd suggest starting with whatever tyres come stock on a bike and you can always upsize or downsize later. If you're planning on riding lots of dirt roads, I'd suggest 45mm as a minimum, but even wider is preferred. - I think 3X drivetrains are the best as there are both really small climbing gears and big downhill gears. There are also smaller jumps between each of the cogs, a longer drivetrain wear life and straighter chain lines. But really your main priority is getting a small 20 gear inch climbing gear for anything steep (I actually use 17 gear inches on my bike - and I'm a very strong cyclist). www.cyclingabout.com/gear-ratios-how-to-select-touring-bike-gearing/ - If you're only carrying 10-12kg, you can get away with two panniers. I generally recommend loading them at the rear, but some folks like using them just on the front. www.cyclingabout.com/best-carry-load-bicycle-touring-front-rear-panniers/ Along with the 520, I'd suggest looking at the Kona Sutra (bar end shifters) and Salsa Marrakesh (STI or bar end shifters).
Thank you Alex, I wasn't expecting such a detailed answer. Appreciate your suggestions, the Salsa looks interesting, but it weighs 14.5 Kg... I ride 11 to 12,000 per year and climbing is on the menu of each ride. However it's indeed important to have one or 2 extra gears at the end of a day in the mountains. Next I'll get your Guide.
@@gauloisrefractaireenexilvo4366 If you're wanting a bike that's optimised around weight, you can cross the Trek 520 off the list. Here are my favourites in the gravel / all-road category: Cannondale Topstone Al, Fuji Jari 1.1, Kona Rove NRB DL, Specialized Sequoia and Diamondback Haanjo EXP. I've got the weights, gear ratios and pricing for most bikes in my guide!
Forgive me for pointing this out but I believe you have it backwards. Increasing the rake means moving the front axle forward of the steering axis, and that slows steering. Less rake (also referred to as offset) speeds it up.
No, he had it right. Slackening the head angle slows down steering, but adding fork rake reduces trail and speeds up steering. It is very counterintuitive. This is why many gravel bikes have rakes of 50mm. The designers want to regain some of the responsiveness lost when they slackened their head angle more than a road bike. Plus it reduces toe overlap.
@@visualpun650 - Okay, we may have a terminology problem so let me use an extreme example to illustrate -- a sport bike (motorcycle/crotch rocket) vs a chopper. The chopper has a much greater rake and will therefore steer far slower (less responsively) than the sport bike. Bicycles are the same. A race bike has less rake than a touring bike. A race bike's steering is far more responsive than a touring bike, for the obvious reason of maneuverability.
Mark - The chopper also has a lot slacker head angle (steering axis). That makes a more signifcant difference than fork offset. A road bike has an average rake of 43mm. An 90's mountain bike has a rake of 39mm. But the mountain bike is still slower steering than the road bike because the road bike has a steeper headtube angle.
@@visualpun650 - Okay, before I try and figure this out, let me make sure we're on the same page. Steering axis is the same as head tube angle. The greater the angle toward horizontal, the slower the steering. Trail is the distance between the steering axis and a vertical line down from the axle, measured at pavement level. And rake is how far forward (could be rearward too but not normally) of the steering axis the axle is. My touring bike and my race bike have nearly the same head tube angle, but the rake on the touring bike is significantly greater than the race bike. That said, my touring bike definitely has slower steering than my race bike. I'm going to have to read your post again because all I think you said is axis has a much greater effect than rake, to which I would agree.
Mark - pls dont just take my word for it. There have been a few bike geometry articles from frame builders and videos from media recently. (The Path Less Pedaled) But yes for fork rake i am referring to offset from the head angle. Rake in the motorcycle world could be a different measure. Not sure.
Can you, or anyone for that matter, give me a rundown on the differences, pros and cons, and adoption percentages of packing everything on your bike as opposed to a one wheeled bike trailer? The trailer option is by far more appealing to me, but it appears far less common theses days. I would like to know why.
I like trailers! I've done a lot of tours on them. But they add weight, they add rolling resistance, they are harder to bring inside, they are less manoeuvrable in cities and on trails, and they have additional parts that can fail (rear hub bearings, spokes, tyre and tube). The main upside is that they allow you to use any bike for a bike trip, without having your gear weight put any stresses into your frame and parts. I've been able to do big journeys on 9kg road bikes with a trailer. I also like that I can unhitch my road or mountain bike and have a bike that is capable of a long road loop or a day on mountain bike trails.
I think you are probably the most qualified to talk about bike packing/touring than probably anyone else publishing on the internet today. You have a very good understanding of the technical aspects of bikes and most importantly having practical experience. I think you should try new equipment and report back on the trip as you normally do with talk about the review of the equipment. Maybe take some cues from Darren Alf the "bike touring pro" - his tours are rather pedestrian compared to yours but you can be a more technical version, more analytical about the equipment and add in some Rick Steves history of the places you cycle. It's a lot of work however. Compare two adventure bikes, one with giant tires and another like your Koga - is one just a fad, or does it function as well as your pure touring bike? How did you get away with using 2" wide tires when so many manufactures are pushing 2.6 or 3 in tires? Just throwing out idea's.
A lovely presentation, Alee. I'd like to chime in with My take on these developments in the hope that manufacturers will take My stance on these into account. 1. I do like, but can live without reversible fork offset bits. 2. The longer reach is fine, although I can live without - as long as it does not affect performance (i.e., hamper speed) and does not look stupid. 3. I can't stand modern MTB-style granny chainring -only setups! I don't mind 1x compacts or subcompacts, but a chainring smaller than 46T (combined with 10T or, better yet - 9T - smallest, and 42T or larger - largest cassette cogs). I do not buy an adventure / allroad bike to do singletrack downhill rides - I buy one for use mainly as a road bike, but better - a tad more comfy, much more versatile (mudguard & rack -compatible, etc.), but otherwise very similar. To paraphrase - I am allergic to the idea of outfitting gravel bikes with a granny- only gear setup that's as useless for proper road rides as BMXes and jump bikes are. 4. I very much applaud Direct Mount frame pack mounts! Indeed, they aren't quite as beautiful as more minimalist designs, but are instead damn handy! One example is the #Marin #HeadLands - a very handsome carbon bike with direct mount backpacking eyelets all over the frame. Very utilitarian: I don't see Myself ever buying bikepacking kit with velcro (or snap-on) hardware, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy the sort that magnetically clicks onto the bike and is detached just as easily. A godsend for tours! 5. I HATE wide, heavy, non-aerodynamic #tractor wheels!!! I'm worried by adoption of this fad by many gravel cycle manufacturers. For Me - a gravel / adventure / allroad bike is a hardier, comfier and - importantly - more versatile version of a road bike - a bike that's essentially as fast as a road bike on tarmac, but better suited for multiday long rides, for tours, etc. Bikes that take racks and mudguards by default, as well as somewhat wider tyres than road bikes (say, up to 40mm), but NOT fat bikes or even mountain bikes with drop bars!
The day I got discs on my road bike was the best day of my life! I love not grinding through rims, having consistent braking in the wet and being able to brake later into corners. I'll definitely never go back to rim brakes.
FINALLY! I've been talkin about why bikes do not and should have adjustable Fork rake for a decade. 🤦♂️ bicycle design takes nearly all of its cues from the Moto world and yet they seem so far behind on certain things.
Great video, I like How far your face is from the camera in this video. Most videos your face is WAY too close to the camera and creeps me out a little. but this one is perfect!
While Carbon is of course the best material for a fast or performance bike, that is not what bike packing is about, at least long distance bike packing; of course if you are going for a 3-5 day trip go with carbon, you are never to far from civilisation if the frame breaks from a fall, and it will be a fall because it will be stronger in the angles it was designed to be, however that is not on its side hitting a rock. What you want is rugginess, or durability, and on the ultimate trips repair-ability, and if you are in the back end of nowhere, that is where an unengineered basic steel frame comes in; I say unengineered because a lot of the modern technologically advanced steel tubing is technically advanced to repair, that isn't happening in a work shop in the back end of nowhere. You want a frame where you can walk into any car repair garage and go "Weld my bike" and they can, with aluminium and carbon that is not the case. It really is one of the areas where steel comes into its own, becaus you are going slow with a lot of luggage i.e weight, 2KG extra doesn't matter, aerodynamics doesn't matter, durability does.
Carbon is at least the best material for bike packing if you are running a bike company. You don't need "that bloody bike builder" anymore. You just CAD your frame, send it over to China or Taiwan and you get the frames you like for much less money. Now you will ask more money for "your" frames, because it's made of carbon and therefore "much more better".
I have done up to 1000km loaded tours on carbon bikes and up to 40-day long rides on aluminium bikes - and I'll admit, I beg to differ. You can do proper tours with carbon bikes and #TailFin (or similar) already. Within a few years, when they release a front rack & pannier set, as well - the carbon will not be an issue anymore. Combine that with direct mount frame packs - and you get a carbon bike that will fare just as well on proper tours as an ugly 20kg (plus 40kg worth of luggage) metal one. I've toured through Europe quite extensively - never needed My bike welded.
That's not adjustable fork rake. That's adjustable trail. Fork rake is the angle of the steering axis. Since the headstock is fixed in place the angle of the steering axis is fixed thus the rake is fixed. What the adjustable offsets on the fork do is to vary the 'trail'. This has an effect on how much the steering wants to remain pointed in the same direction.
In the bike industry, the "fork rake" is the offset of the fork dropout from the straight line of the steering axis (centreline of the fork’s steerer tube). By making the fork rake longer or shorter using adjustable dropouts, this results in a change in trail.
@@Cyclingabout any technical industry has staff of various abilities. Whoever has said this, the way that you describe is wrong. Do some independent research on the literature in the engineering of the steering dynamics of two wheeled vehicles and you'll see.
@@thorick590 Perhaps wrong in other industries, but this is the way ALL bike manufacturers, cycling websites and bicycle blogs/videos/podcasts document it.
@@Cyclingabout a group of people all parroting the same thing to each other in an echo chamber doesn't make it right and engineering has an objective aspect to it and thus there is a measure. This is your chance to get it right and educate them all in their closed chamber. :-). Look into it and you'll see ..
I find this rather intriguing.. Someone else does and put up a wikipedia page on it, that seems correct: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_geometry S/he sums up the factors that determine handling up succinctly at the beginning of the article: "Primary among these are wheelbase, steering axis angle, fork offset, and trail. These parameters have a major influence on how a bike handles. " There is also a diagram of a bicycle showing the 'rake' as the offset of the axle from the the head angle. The key thing is later in which it is clearly stated that: "In bicycles, fork offset is also called fork rake." AH HA ! So 'Fork Rake' is a different thing from the 'Rake' which refers to the steering axis angle. The omission of the qualifier 'Fork Rake' to just 'Rake' leads to much confusion. Note just setting that Fork Rake is not enough to determine the handling. Why ? you can see this by just keeping the same 'Fork Rake' curve of the bicycle fork and swapping in a smaller wheel. Suddenly the handling is changed ! This means that there is more to the handling than just the offset of the fork, the 'Fork Rake'. What has happened is that by changing only the wheel size you have changed the trail. To determine the trail you need to consider the Steering Axis Angle (Rake !) and where the axle is relative to that. This calculation true no matter what the wheel size is. So the 'Steering Axis Angle' is a fundamental thing in the determination of handling because that is part of determining the trail. So we could say 'Rake' 'Fork Rake' what's the big deal, it's only a name. Recall that some important space mission failed because 2 teams used different units in their calculations and they weren't aware of it so control systems failed. If you are a bike manufacturer and you say to some production factory: we want a 'Rake' changed by N%, and they think that you mean 'Rake' as in Steering Axis Angle instead of 'Fork Rake' as in Axle Offset, you may be in for a costly surprise...
A proper bikepacking bike should have both front and rear rack mounting points. I don't want a bike unless I see it can accept a rear rack and rear panniers. Most of those frames don't have mounts for a rear rack. How can they even be considered bikepacking bikes?
Odd video, you are talking about bikepacking, yet you show some competitive guys jumping hops without any cargo. What does one have to do with the other? The second phrase in "bikepacking" indicates taking something more substantial than bottle with water.
Sorry your idea of reasonable prices doesn't cut it with 90% of the population most people can't afford these bikes I have a real problem with the electric bike community and longtail bike community you can get a three-wheeled bike tricycle 5.9 lb of extra steel more chain more gearing an extra wheel and it's less than a lot of the lowest priced Mongoose longtail bike you'll pay $300 AR Lower for a three-wheeled tricycle bike then you would a long tail cargo bike just cuz it's fashionable it's crazy not understand electric bikes having batteries and more expensive that's fine but most people that CD videos cannot afford these bikes or the components you're suggesting a $90 cassette is outrageous to somebody that only makes less $2,000 a month we got to feed ourselves and still put an apartment together and there is the main problem reasonable price is not reasonable price you're making 200k or more a month
Why would you put that silly music noise at the back? it competes against your voice and adds nothing at all..! If I would be looking for music it wouldnt be here, it is nonsense
This is my first bike tech video! Do you think I should make more? 🤔
More!
Agreed. Enjoyed your reviews and obvious expertise.
Yes!!
The more the merrier.
Not really.
You will also get a lot more positive responses due to the fact that people absolutely not interested in these types of video won't click on it and will therefore not be able to respond to you directly.
My favorite bikepacking trend is reminding yourself that "this was your idea of a vacation".
😅
And vacations always go by so quickly.
Did a couple of long bike packing trips in '91~'92. Still have fond memories and great stories. It's about the cheapest way to travel and see a country close-up.
For me this is one of your best videos and I am buying your book. Also the terrain you ride fully loaded with full bags front and rear is impressive. Keep up the great work and content.
Thanks for the kind words! 😎
I like your straight up style, no marketing BS or being over opinionated.
Cheers! I'm definitely over-opinionated though... but only if I have the data to back me up. 😎
Excellent video, lots of information! Thanks for spending all that time out in the jungle to explain all that!
Thanks Tristan! Reporting in from the Nicaraguan jungle. 😅
I just acquired a 2020 Kona Unit X and I'm really enjoying all the mounts, 1x12 drivetrain, and the 29x2.6" tires. The slack headtube angle also makes the bike very comfortable to ride.
Great to hear! I'm really impressed with the Kona Unit this year. 👍🏻
Love the look of that Cervelo Aspero.
I'm with 29x3 since few years and love it. I'm totally not into competition so don't expect faster speeds with this tiers, but they climb mountains amazingly and have nice rolling speed on tarmac. I would not go less than 3" for tiers.
29x3 is a great wheel size format. 👍🏻
good one! I think hardtail mtb is best for touring :)
I know your website for years , tons of great tech info. Great to see, your UA-cam channel, I think bike packing, gravel bikes, electric bikes ( surly cargo electric!!) and generally new trends in cycling needs a good, in-depth independent reviews and you are great for it👍
Cheers Patryk!
I'm intrigued by the discovery that my 700 x 23c road bike wheels are very close in outside diameter to my 26” x 2” MTB wheels - I'd always felt that the road bike had significantly larger wheels, due to the difficulty negotiating very tight turns, compared with the MTB. It MUST be due to the geometry, and not the wheel size.
Frame geometry plays a big role!
Just when I thought I was narrowing down my idea of a dream bike now I'm re- overwhelmed. I guess the only upside is its a dream bike... I dont have the money yet so no realistic opportunity to pick the wrong bike haha!
When are we going to get suspension fork with mounting eyelets. That’s what I really want.
Those 29 plus don’t leave much room for mud and guards.
@@whatthe6532 why are people so anti mudguard now? The adventure bike set up is. Weird wanting to get ur kit all wet and muddy
By the way, I received My TailFin X-series kit (incl. an AeroPack, 2 lightweight panniers, the carbon X-One rack (rated to 27kg load - roughly the same as most tubus racks!) and all the bits and pieces) pre-order yesterday. Opened the package to get the feel of the components (I'm yet to assemble them. Unfortunately, none of My allroad bikes is at My disposal at the moment) - I must say, I'm impressed with the quality! Akin to Arca Swiss ball heads - beautifully narrow tolerances, quality materials and machining, very tactile, quality bits. Very impressive - trumps Ortlieb, Vaude, Tubus - and everything else with the attention to detail and choice of materials! At €600+ (and another €150,- for some extras), it's damn expensive, but the craftsmanship appears to be immaculate! Nick stated they do plan to launch a front rack and pannier set, too, sooner or later. Very encouraging - ridiculously expensive - yes, but does appear to be worth it. These will enable (especially, combined with snap-on /-off direct mount frame bags) users to embark on proper, multi-month tours on beautiful carbon [gravel / adventure / allroad - and even road, with a few catches) bikes, and usher, thus, the era of cycle touring on bikes that don't look like upright heavy shitbikes with ugly welds and all that (that have traditionally represented the touring section for way too long).
well explained. Good work and keep it up!
I use a "Tripoding" touring set -up it's a bikepacking kit with two Panniers on the front wheel...this let's a rider use a shorter chainstay bicycle...I have two Carridice Saddlebags a Carridice Super C on my Butterfly handlebars and a Carridice Camper Longflap...I also have a Rogue Panda roll-top closure frame bag... Rogue Panda makes the best bikepacking bags in the world...and I carry two large Carridice Super C Panniers on my front wheel...on a Surly Troll...I like 26 inch wheels, they give you a lower climbing gear...I was using a Carridice Bagman rack with my Carridice Camper Longflap Saddlebag...but I didn't like the way the rack cause the Saddlebag to fold in the middle, so after using the Saddlebag, I took the rack off and mounted the bag without it...I like carrying this bag without the rack...the panniers are large on my front wheel, but I don't always carry them full...but alway have the room if I need it. I recommend buying your bicycle one size smaller then what you would normally ride...but use a stem riser and a longer seat post...this will give you a lighter bike...the taller stemriser will let you use a Carridice style bag as your roller stem bag without it rubbing against the front tire ...I always use light fenders...I like a 26×1.75 wheel this size let's me ride All Terrain, with out much hassles...I use Marathon plus touring tires...
"Tripoding" is a great way to tour... And a shorter chainstay gives you a lighter bike... and the ability of using other Bicycle that you might have not been able to use with a four Pannier set-up...
+1 for sub-compact groupsets.
About time 😃
Buying your book. Excellent vid!
Awesome, thank you!
Carbon is nice for a racing gravel bike but still slightly overkill for a bikepacking bike. Like I’m going to really notice that missing 600 grams when I’m carrying an extra 13 kilos on the bike.
Otherwise I think you’re predictions are spot on.
Would like to see some fs bikes with 29x2.6 and upwards, suitable for bikepacking,
This is a great video! Keep doing more.
Thanks to COVID-19, there will be more!
Very interesting and informative
Great shots & very well presented video my friend, awesome tech too ;) For me It's down to finding a bike that is suited for myself in comfort & durability, which is why I would never go for a tech bike like these, you simply don't need these features & even though it is a good idea to change the fork rake, I just wouldn't use it, neither would I ever have a short stem as bar leverage is compromised, which is the thing you need most when you have weight on the bike. great video though dude keep it up, peace
A #SalsaWarBird2019 equipped with a Shimano GRX spotted at 1:33. I own one - it's fast, it's beautiful and has ample rack, bento box and mudguard mounts.
…ans #SalsaCutThroat2020 in different sizes at 2:44. They look much better than their predecessors did - much prettier rear triangles for size 54 and larger.
Nice vid, I’ll be ordering your book shortly
Cheers Richard!
Excuse me kind sir. Is a Bombtrack Hook2 recommenced?
I ride a carbon travel bike at this moment (Ridley Kanzo Adventure) and I added Tubus racks on the back with fenders and I will go on a trip with 20kg of luggage in that bags. I don't like framebags, steerbags en saddlebags...
What do you think about the Cutthroat v2?
I'm a big fan! It's got every bikepacking mount you could want (ok, I wouldn't mind fender mounts too), it's hella light (2.32kg frameset is literally 50% of a Surly), a longer wheelbase for more stability and it looks MUCH neater than the V1. Plus it's available with the Shimano GRX drivetrain. 🤘🏼
@@Cyclingabout Agreed! The omission of mudguard mounts is an unforgivable oversight on Salsa's part. For anyone except for lucky souls who live in California and never plan to tour, mudguard mounts are absolutely crucial.
Want to see more options with short travel (30-50mm) dual suspension.
I like tech videos, they are interesting but often I get lost in subtle details. I am transitioning from 4-week ultralight bikepacking into multi-month adventure cycling. My Synapse compact with a T40 rear cassette with 35 CC can do the job on service roads and light gravel. I am looking for a new bike that can manage all surfaces (38, 40 or 42 CC?), cover good mileage between spots (x1 or x2?) and carry 10-12 Kg of gear (rear and back racks, or back only?). As a newbie, these are the 3 existential questions. The Trek 520 seems to tick the boxes. Glad to hear better suggestions? Thank you.
- These days, 100% of the bikes in my Touring Bicycle Buyer's Guide come with the ability to clear 38-40mm tyres. So I'd suggest starting with whatever tyres come stock on a bike and you can always upsize or downsize later. If you're planning on riding lots of dirt roads, I'd suggest 45mm as a minimum, but even wider is preferred.
- I think 3X drivetrains are the best as there are both really small climbing gears and big downhill gears. There are also smaller jumps between each of the cogs, a longer drivetrain wear life and straighter chain lines. But really your main priority is getting a small 20 gear inch climbing gear for anything steep (I actually use 17 gear inches on my bike - and I'm a very strong cyclist). www.cyclingabout.com/gear-ratios-how-to-select-touring-bike-gearing/
- If you're only carrying 10-12kg, you can get away with two panniers. I generally recommend loading them at the rear, but some folks like using them just on the front. www.cyclingabout.com/best-carry-load-bicycle-touring-front-rear-panniers/
Along with the 520, I'd suggest looking at the Kona Sutra (bar end shifters) and Salsa Marrakesh (STI or bar end shifters).
Thank you Alex, I wasn't expecting such a detailed answer. Appreciate your suggestions, the Salsa looks interesting, but it weighs 14.5 Kg... I ride 11 to 12,000 per year and climbing is on the menu of each ride. However it's indeed important to have one or 2 extra gears at the end of a day in the mountains. Next I'll get your Guide.
@@gauloisrefractaireenexilvo4366 If you're wanting a bike that's optimised around weight, you can cross the Trek 520 off the list. Here are my favourites in the gravel / all-road category: Cannondale Topstone Al, Fuji Jari 1.1, Kona Rove NRB DL, Specialized Sequoia and Diamondback Haanjo EXP. I've got the weights, gear ratios and pricing for most bikes in my guide!
hi-quality content. it`s unable to not to press like button
Forgive me for pointing this out but I believe you have it backwards. Increasing the rake means moving the front axle forward of the steering axis, and that slows steering. Less rake (also referred to as offset) speeds it up.
No, he had it right. Slackening the head angle slows down steering, but adding fork rake reduces trail and speeds up steering. It is very counterintuitive. This is why many gravel bikes have rakes of 50mm. The designers want to regain some of the responsiveness lost when they slackened their head angle more than a road bike. Plus it reduces toe overlap.
@@visualpun650 - Okay, we may have a terminology problem so let me use an extreme example to illustrate -- a sport bike (motorcycle/crotch rocket) vs a chopper. The chopper has a much greater rake and will therefore steer far slower (less responsively) than the sport bike. Bicycles are the same. A race bike has less rake than a touring bike. A race bike's steering is far more responsive than a touring bike, for the obvious reason of maneuverability.
Mark - The chopper also has a lot slacker head angle (steering axis). That makes a more signifcant difference than fork offset. A road bike has an average rake of 43mm. An 90's mountain bike has a rake of 39mm. But the mountain bike is still slower steering than the road bike because the road bike has a steeper headtube angle.
@@visualpun650 - Okay, before I try and figure this out, let me make sure we're on the same page. Steering axis is the same as head tube angle. The greater the angle toward horizontal, the slower the steering. Trail is the distance between the steering axis and a vertical line down from the axle, measured at pavement level. And rake is how far forward (could be rearward too but not normally) of the steering axis the axle is.
My touring bike and my race bike have nearly the same head tube angle, but the rake on the touring bike is significantly greater than the race bike. That said, my touring bike definitely has slower steering than my race bike.
I'm going to have to read your post again because all I think you said is axis has a much greater effect than rake, to which I would agree.
Mark - pls dont just take my word for it. There have been a few bike geometry articles from frame builders and videos from media recently. (The Path Less Pedaled) But yes for fork rake i am referring to offset from the head angle. Rake in the motorcycle world could be a different measure. Not sure.
Can you, or anyone for that matter, give me a rundown on the differences, pros and cons, and adoption percentages of packing everything on your bike as opposed to a one wheeled bike trailer? The trailer option is by far more appealing to me, but it appears far less common theses days. I would like to know why.
I like trailers! I've done a lot of tours on them. But they add weight, they add rolling resistance, they are harder to bring inside, they are less manoeuvrable in cities and on trails, and they have additional parts that can fail (rear hub bearings, spokes, tyre and tube).
The main upside is that they allow you to use any bike for a bike trip, without having your gear weight put any stresses into your frame and parts. I've been able to do big journeys on 9kg road bikes with a trailer. I also like that I can unhitch my road or mountain bike and have a bike that is capable of a long road loop or a day on mountain bike trails.
I’m off to find a 3rd job
I think you are probably the most qualified to talk about bike packing/touring than probably anyone else publishing on the internet today. You have a very good understanding of the technical aspects of bikes and most importantly having practical experience. I think you should try new equipment and report back on the trip as you normally do with talk about the review of the equipment.
Maybe take some cues from Darren Alf the "bike touring pro" - his tours are rather pedestrian compared to yours but you can be a more technical version, more analytical about the equipment and add in some Rick Steves history of the places you cycle. It's a lot of work however.
Compare two adventure bikes, one with giant tires and another like your Koga - is one just a fad, or does it function as well as your pure touring bike? How did you get away with using 2" wide tires when so many manufactures are pushing 2.6 or 3 in tires? Just throwing out idea's.
Thanks Jay. Great to get some constructive feedback and ideas from you!
As far as I'm concerned, the 2"+ tractor tyre use in allroad bikes is just an ugly fad.
keep it up b love from Indonesia
Thank you. Please leave out the background music for the next vids - me no need that. I‘m here for the unspoiled info ;-).
Good video bro
How come there is no full suspension bikepacking bike? You will need the comfort for Sitting for long hours
interesting points
A lovely presentation, Alee.
I'd like to chime in with My take on these developments in the hope that manufacturers will take My stance on these into account.
1. I do like, but can live without reversible fork offset bits.
2. The longer reach is fine, although I can live without - as long as it does not affect performance (i.e., hamper speed) and does not look stupid.
3. I can't stand modern MTB-style granny chainring -only setups! I don't mind 1x compacts or subcompacts, but a chainring smaller than 46T (combined with 10T or, better yet - 9T - smallest, and 42T or larger - largest cassette cogs). I do not buy an adventure / allroad bike to do singletrack downhill rides - I buy one for use mainly as a road bike, but better - a tad more comfy, much more versatile (mudguard & rack -compatible, etc.), but otherwise very similar. To paraphrase - I am allergic to the idea of outfitting gravel bikes with a granny- only gear setup that's as useless for proper road rides as BMXes and jump bikes are.
4. I very much applaud Direct Mount frame pack mounts! Indeed, they aren't quite as beautiful as more minimalist designs, but are instead damn handy! One example is the #Marin #HeadLands - a very handsome carbon bike with direct mount backpacking eyelets all over the frame. Very utilitarian: I don't see Myself ever buying bikepacking kit with velcro (or snap-on) hardware, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy the sort that magnetically clicks onto the bike and is detached just as easily. A godsend for tours!
5. I HATE wide, heavy, non-aerodynamic #tractor wheels!!! I'm worried by adoption of this fad by many gravel cycle manufacturers. For Me - a gravel / adventure / allroad bike is a hardier, comfier and - importantly - more versatile version of a road bike - a bike that's essentially as fast as a road bike on tarmac, but better suited for multiday long rides, for tours, etc. Bikes that take racks and mudguards by default, as well as somewhat wider tyres than road bikes (say, up to 40mm), but NOT fat bikes or even mountain bikes with drop bars!
Disc brakes really spoilt the good look of the bicycles. it truly is the biggest gimmick in the history of bicycles.
The day I got discs on my road bike was the best day of my life! I love not grinding through rims, having consistent braking in the wet and being able to brake later into corners. I'll definitely never go back to rim brakes.
Dude, are you in Central America? I see a few banana plants in the background.
Nicaragua when I made this vid!
Yes, please do more of those Videos. But change the music please.
FINALLY! I've been talkin about why bikes do not and should have adjustable Fork rake for a decade. 🤦♂️ bicycle design takes nearly all of its cues from the Moto world and yet they seem so far behind on certain things.
Sure
Great video, I like How far your face is from the camera in this video. Most videos your face is WAY too close to the camera and creeps me out a little. but this one is perfect!
Yeah, still trying to work out all the camera and sound stuff. Thanks for the feedback!
While Carbon is of course the best material for a fast or performance bike, that is not what bike packing is about, at least long distance bike packing; of course if you are going for a 3-5 day trip go with carbon, you are never to far from civilisation if the frame breaks from a fall, and it will be a fall because it will be stronger in the angles it was designed to be, however that is not on its side hitting a rock. What you want is rugginess, or durability, and on the ultimate trips repair-ability, and if you are in the back end of nowhere, that is where an unengineered basic steel frame comes in; I say unengineered because a lot of the modern technologically advanced steel tubing is technically advanced to repair, that isn't happening in a work shop in the back end of nowhere.
You want a frame where you can walk into any car repair garage and go "Weld my bike" and they can, with aluminium and carbon that is not the case. It really is one of the areas where steel comes into its own, becaus you are going slow with a lot of luggage i.e weight, 2KG extra doesn't matter, aerodynamics doesn't matter, durability does.
Carbon is at least the best material for bike packing if you are running a bike company. You don't need "that bloody bike builder" anymore. You just CAD your frame, send it over to China or Taiwan and you get the frames you like for much less money. Now you will ask more money for "your" frames, because it's made of carbon and therefore "much more better".
I have done up to 1000km loaded tours on carbon bikes and up to 40-day long rides on aluminium bikes - and I'll admit, I beg to differ. You can do proper tours with carbon bikes and #TailFin (or similar) already. Within a few years, when they release a front rack & pannier set, as well - the carbon will not be an issue anymore. Combine that with direct mount frame packs - and you get a carbon bike that will fare just as well on proper tours as an ugly 20kg (plus 40kg worth of luggage) metal one.
I've toured through Europe quite extensively - never needed My bike welded.
Definitely
People seem to be overwhelmed by bike prices. Durianrider has the best carbon frames for $800. Build your own state the art bike.
“More please”
Make more bike tech videos and even reviews
That's not adjustable fork rake. That's adjustable trail.
Fork rake is the angle of the steering axis. Since the headstock is fixed in place the angle of the steering axis is fixed thus the rake is fixed. What the adjustable offsets on the fork do is to vary the 'trail'. This has an effect on how much the steering wants to remain pointed in the same direction.
In the bike industry, the "fork rake" is the offset of the fork dropout from the straight line of the steering axis (centreline of the fork’s steerer tube). By making the fork rake longer or shorter using adjustable dropouts, this results in a change in trail.
@@Cyclingabout any technical industry has staff of various abilities. Whoever has said this, the way that you describe is wrong. Do some independent research on the literature in the engineering of the steering dynamics of two wheeled vehicles and you'll see.
@@thorick590 Perhaps wrong in other industries, but this is the way ALL bike manufacturers, cycling websites and bicycle blogs/videos/podcasts document it.
@@Cyclingabout a group of people all parroting the same thing to each other in an echo chamber doesn't make it right and engineering has an objective aspect to it and thus there is a measure. This is your chance to get it right and educate them all in their closed chamber. :-). Look into it and you'll see ..
I find this rather intriguing.. Someone else does and put up a wikipedia page on it, that seems correct: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_geometry
S/he sums up the factors that determine handling up succinctly at the beginning of the article:
"Primary among these are wheelbase, steering axis angle, fork offset, and trail. These parameters have a major influence on how a bike handles. "
There is also a diagram of a bicycle showing the 'rake' as the offset of the axle from the the head angle.
The key thing is later in which it is clearly stated that:
"In bicycles, fork offset is also called fork rake."
AH HA !
So 'Fork Rake' is a different thing from the 'Rake' which refers to the steering axis angle. The omission of the qualifier 'Fork Rake' to just 'Rake' leads to much confusion. Note just setting that Fork Rake is not enough to determine the handling. Why ? you can see this by just keeping the same 'Fork Rake' curve of the bicycle fork and swapping in a smaller wheel. Suddenly the handling is changed ! This means that there is more to the handling than just the offset of the fork, the 'Fork Rake'. What has happened is that by changing only the wheel size you have changed the trail. To determine the trail you need to consider the Steering Axis Angle (Rake !) and where the axle is relative to that. This calculation true no matter what the wheel size is.
So the 'Steering Axis Angle' is a fundamental thing in the determination of handling because that is part of determining the trail.
So we could say 'Rake' 'Fork Rake' what's the big deal, it's only a name. Recall that some important space mission failed because 2 teams used different units in their calculations and they weren't aware of it so control systems failed.
If you are a bike manufacturer and you say to some production factory: we want a 'Rake' changed by N%, and they think that you mean 'Rake' as in Steering Axis Angle instead of 'Fork Rake' as in Axle Offset, you may be in for a costly surprise...
A proper bikepacking bike should have both front and rear rack mounting points. I don't want a bike unless I see it can accept a rear rack and rear panniers. Most of those frames don't have mounts for a rear rack. How can they even be considered bikepacking bikes?
Bikepacking bags don't need racks to fit to a bike!
Trend #7: More expensive.
A handful of bikes went up in price (some by 25%+), some went down by 10%... but they largely stayed the same.
i dont like the saddle bag. i prefer the aeroe pack rear bike rack..
My dream bike😔
Odd video, you are talking about bikepacking, yet you show some competitive guys jumping hops without any cargo. What does one have to do with the other? The second phrase in "bikepacking" indicates taking something more substantial than bottle with water.
The footage uses bike examples with the exact features I’m discussing. It is 100% relevant, even if the bikes don't have bags.
There's a reason I'm a roadie and not a bikepacker. I'm afraid of wild animals but not cars and trucks. I know it doesn't make sense right?
bikepacking trend for the next years should be that we dont shove enormous mounts of money down they throat of the bike industry.
🤩💯👍🏻
The bottle under the bb was the most stupid idea.
Dude, get a tripod.
Sorry your idea of reasonable prices doesn't cut it with 90% of the population most people can't afford these bikes I have a real problem with the electric bike community and longtail bike community you can get a three-wheeled bike tricycle 5.9 lb of extra steel more chain more gearing an extra wheel and it's less than a lot of the lowest priced Mongoose longtail bike you'll pay $300 AR Lower for a three-wheeled tricycle bike then you would a long tail cargo bike just cuz it's fashionable it's crazy not understand electric bikes having batteries and more expensive that's fine but most people that CD videos cannot afford these bikes or the components you're suggesting a $90 cassette is outrageous to somebody that only makes less $2,000 a month we got to feed ourselves and still put an apartment together and there is the main problem reasonable price is not reasonable price you're making 200k or more a month
Why would you put that silly music noise at the back? it competes against your voice and adds nothing at all..! If I would be looking for music it wouldnt be here, it is nonsense
Oh well, I like it.
i like ur face :)
Got nothin' on yours tho.
More fat ebike stuff
"bikepacking" or what used used to called touring SUCKS
Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed today 😅
A nasty aberration.
Sorry but I don’t like this video, your book will be outdated way to soon, therefore I’m going to give you a thumbs down.
The book is updated every year for free to anyone who gets a copy. 🔥
Sorry Gary but your comment is already outdated. I'm giving it a thumbs down.