Am planning to take bikes to remote bothy for several days shortly, on several miles of good track, some of it being tarmac estate road. Not done this before and wondering how best to carry all the gear, given that the last part will be a carry. We'll have axe, crampons etc, so will be heavily laden. I don't want to take panniers (more to carry later), so am looking at lashing a day sac to the rack and carrying the big pack, or lashing the big pack, carrying the day sac. What do others do? I think the big sac could be unstable on the rack, so wonder about securing a bar or two across it, to improve stability? It has a limit of 25kg, but I guess if it's rough in places, we may need to reduce this - or our speed! Thanks.
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 What I do is... experiment. A heavy load on the rack will have it moving around no matter how stable the carrying platform is (the legs will sway from side to side) which plays merry hell with handling so comfort be damned I suspect you'd be better off with the big pack on you. But do try some options and be ready to change. If you wear a helmet make sure a big pack doesn't interface with it and prevent you looking where you're going (better not to bother with it than be limited in what you can see with it IMHO) Pete.
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When we cycle tour I have made 2 pvc waste pipe holsters that are fixed to my pannier rack and bolt to my saddle. I use these for my tent poles, which fix firmly. This allows a large rucksack to sit on the rack vertically fixed to the top of the tent poles with a webbing strap. light bungees go from this webbing down to the rack for location. I used this setup to cycle in to Culra bothy from Dalwhinnie with: front panniers, rear panniers, the aforsaid 70 litre rucksack and then stopped to pick up firewood on the way for cooking for several days on a small woodstove. Then we discovered a narrow bouncy suspension bridge and I nearly fell in rather than unpack my bike. If it is Culra you are going to dont go to the lake take the left hand track. It is better for cycling in every way
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 It might be a rather pricey option, unless you can hire them from anywhere(?), but how about a trailer? Otherwise I think I agree with Pete - if there's a big pack and a small pack and a rack and your back - I'd probably go for wearing the big pack. But I'd also look to split the load as evenly as possible - cram as much as possible into the small pack on the rack, especially dense, heavy stuff, and cinch the big pack down as much as possible.
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Many thanks all. Yes, it is Culra, one of my favourites. Was able to drive to boat house in Geordie Oswald's day! I'll do some experimenting...
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Culra.... chatting with pals who've been there more recently than I have (over a decade ago), I hear that with the improvements it no longer contrives to Colder Than The South Pole! Top place, need to get back...
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 have a look at the set-up used here http://www.alpkit.com/spotlight/arrowhead/ i dont know much about carrying loads on a bike but i'd say that if you were going to be doin mountain biking a trailer would be a major no-no. they really affect your balance and tire you.
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| Edited: 09/02/10 14:49 |
Trailers... the ride in to Clura is on a track so it's rough but it's not really "mountain biking". The point of a trailer is it doesn't affect the bike much, because it's not altering the centre of mass. A single wheel like a BoB Yak would be good, but only worth the cost if you'd use it a lot. And if you worry about getting tired... #1 way of feeling more tired on a bike as far as loads go is wear a heavy pack... Pete.
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 Agree with peter about loads on the bike upsetting the handling. I put a rear rack on my cyclocross bike a few years ago for winter road rides. With a rack pack, sandwiches, and flask on board the handling of the bike is horrible. I'd go with the smaller pack on the bike.
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My bike handles differently with that weight on but I am not comfortable with loads on my back for anything except short rides. As I mentioned above my overloaded bike was hard to lift up steps and wheel across a wobbly suspension bridge it was fine to ride everywhere except in soft sand by the lake
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 A mateand I, have been using bikes to do 3day wild camping trips in Scotland, for thepast 6 years, using mainly tracks. We both carry 35+8 litre rucksacs, but not too full, soas to kep them away from our helmets. We then both have beam racks with a little light stuff on, and I carry my tent strapped to my bars, and all thefood is put into a plastic rubble sack and slung over the cross bar. This means that the majority ofthe weight is on our backs, and therefore more controlable. I also find that by putting someweight on thefront of the bike it stops thefront wheel from lifting. I'll try and dig out some pics.
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As chase says above, some weight on the front is good ideally maybe 25% of what is on the back, but not really on the handlebars, ideally very close to the steering axis, so front panniers not a front rack, but you are improvising for one trip not setting off round the world.
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 sorry forgot to add, pic above is Chasetrailbuilda (thought I'd save you the trouble mate!) a pic of bikes without riders.
It depends what sort of riding you're planning on doing, I'd say if just on the land rover tracks you can afford to put more weight on the bikes. If you're planning on doing any singletrack or rougher ground you need most of the weight on your back to give you the manoeverability of the bike.
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| Edited: 10/02/10 13:30 |
Again, many thanks to all - really helpful. Pete - yes, it was a chilly place! Last there in Feb 2004, I think, with sons as training before an alps trip. It was so cold we were having to go further and further out onto the iced river to get water and wash. But a fantastic spot. I wonder if this block of ground (between roads) has the largest number of Munros - will work it out one day...
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Lucky for Rob I'm going with him and have a trailer I towed 2 kids around in for years. By the time I finished with trailer, kids, family kit etc the whole lot added over 150 pounds to the weight of the bike. I don't know it will handle the section beyond the estate track but it will get us to there perhaps. It does make traction on the rear wheel of the bike an issue when it is heavily laden literally lifting the back wheel off the ground, so you lean back and the front wheel lifts instead! And yes it is knackering.
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