Packing Options on a Bicycle
Whether you’re a road cyclist, a mountain biker, or a gravel grinder, your default setting is usually going to be Minimalist on the packing. A sip of water, an energy bar, your phone, maybe a trail tool if you’re really thinking about it…
Then, you get that first flat or other breakdown you are unprepared for. Or you find halfway thru your ride you should have packed WAY more water. Or your phone battery dies. Or you start circling the drain with 35 miles left to go because you didn’t pack enough food. Any of these will change a biker’s Minimalist setting very quickly.
So you want to be more Prepper than Minimalist, which means you want to bring more stuff than just what will fit in your jersey pockets. Here are some options; feel free to use them in combination as I do.
1. Bottle cages. These for me are a must. They secure your water bottles and keep your center of gravity low (on most bikes), increasing your stability. On a day ride, water is going to be the absolute heaviest item you pack, at least to start with. Thankfully these are cheap and easy to find, and most bikes built after 2000 have fittings for 2-3 of them. You can also throw things like a “cage rocket” (bottle for item storage) or a light jacket if it has a stuff sack into a bottle cage, assuming you don’t need it for water.
2. Rear rack and saddlebags / Front rack and fork bags. If you’re not a bikepacker or commuter, these might be overkill. On the other hand, they are super convenient especially a rear rack with 1-2 saddlebags, and good ones are very durable (but also spendy). I have made the mistake of going cheap on both racks and bags…learn from me and don’t skimp if you go this route. A good brand of bag that stays dry in the rain is Ortlieb.
3. Seatpost-mounted bag. These are widely available in a variety of sizes, and are cheaper than a good rack with good bags, and I have used them successfully a lot. If you only want to pack a few small items away, this is a good option.
4. Backpack. Most cyclists I know despise wearing backpacks. Maybe their shoulders get sore or their chest gets restricted, or maybe they just sweat too much under it. But, if you can tolerate a backpack, a backpack can hold a lot of things and is easily carried while out walking around (saddlebags and even seatpost bags are awkward to carry at best. If you go this route it may be wise to buy both a summer bag that has a breathable back piece and a winter bag that will keep your contents dry.
5. Handlebar basket. Hey, sometimes you just want to throw a six-pack or your snorkel mask or your little dog on the bike and pedal a ways. Handlebar basket to the rescue. These are very much back in vogue and you always have your stuff in easy view. I’ve never had these but people I know swear by them.
6. Frame bag. This is a bag that sits inside of the main triangle making up the frame (top tube, down tube and seat tube) and attaches to the frame, usually with Velcro straps. I’ve never had one and don’t know enough to have formed an opinion.
7. Pockets on clothing. Sometimes the best you can do is shove a bunch of stuff into your pockets…jacket, jersey, shorts, pants etc. Sometimes that’s the perfect solution.
Here endeth the lesson on packing options on a bicycle.
Bike Newbie 