I looked in to the Jones bars too. It was a tough call between those and butterfly bars; for snow, I'd rather have the Jones bars too.
I've found that this type of setup makes me sit more on my sit bones; did you do anything to alleviate butt soreness on this rig? (I change my technique a little to stand up off the pedals more but other than that haven't found a seat I like)
Interestingly i have not changed much up on the BG initial build other then handlebar and rear brake and must say the seat that came with the bike is very comfortable. I have been riding since first week of November and have yet to have any tingling or numbness due to seat/bar position. Very happy with set-up to date
After first testride. My touring bike for easy trails and forest roads. Frame Retro marin MTB. Fork from surly troll. 8-speed drivetrain. A budget build from parts found in garage.
If you are having discomfort i would highly recomend the adamo ism seats their mountain specific model is the peak i will never go back to a different saddle Adamo Peak | Ideal Saddle Modification
Originally Posted by Derek.Endress
Interestingly i have not changed much up on the BG initial build other then handlebar and rear brake and must say the seat that came with the bike is very comfortable. I have been riding since first week of November and have yet to have any tingling or numbness due to seat/bar position. Very happy with set-up to date
very cool bike and setup Derek. last time we saw you was '99 when we came up and did the Atlin lake trip. good luck and looking forward to seeing pics of the trip.
very cool bike and setup Derek. last time we saw you was '99 when we came up and did the Atlin lake trip. good luck and looking forward to seeing pics of the trip.
henric
Thanks Henric! Had to think it thru as to who you were, not too much though Good to hear from you and will post pics as they come. Weather has taken a dive up here so may have to do something a little different now, oh well!!
using the MT1800 as the guinea pig for my touring/bikepacking rigs, with my home made lashing straps holding the compression bag (which has my tent, sleep bag, sleep pad, stakes, rope, poles); and redid the pannier bags' interior layouts, I was able to get 2 days worth of clothes, 2x 2 quart canteens, 1 canteen stove and canteen cup, a couple ramen noodle packages, some jerky, a can of soup, and for the snacks, I put granola bars into the first aid kit pouch behind the seat, along with lighter and waterproof matches in a watertight container, as well as the fuel tabs for the canteen stove; I believe I do not need much anything else right now for 2-3 days of riding/camping..... I plan on getting a water bottle and maybe lash two nalgene bottle carriers if I can find them to the fork blades, or rig up a way to use the MOLLE nalgene bottle carriers that I can get locally...
my home made lashing straps; material was free from a previous sewing project lol
for touring/getting to hotel/friends houses/overnighters, I would have no food and less clothes, and no tent set up; a much lighter set up with less stuff to worry about;
How I rolled last weekend for a 2 day trip, tent, fly, summer bag, fleece blanket, clothes, water filter, cook kit, and one bottle on the bike. Food, 100oz of water, snacks, phone/wallet/keys/tools, and a rain jacket in a Camelbak Hawg NV
waiting on a bracket for the old schwinn rack...(if I don't get it soon enough, I might break down and get one of those seat post clamps with rack eyelets for my Topeak rack...)
here is the set up I currently am using as a day-rider.... on an 80s Huffy.
some army bag up front; it holds a blanket, a canteen cup, some food, compact grill( a meatloaf pan with charcoal bricks and a small grill top), compact rain coat, and then two 2 qt canteens on the frame.
Is that an Ogre, LostBoyScout? Excellent bike. That was my touring cycle of choice last summer. I loved how solid it always felt.
I'm in Illinois, and we're supposed to get 6-10 inches of wintery mix tonight.
"Wintery mix" indeed.
That flippin' groundhog lied.
Camo — did you paint that bike desert storm tan? And you're wearing an army helmet? Probably scaring the crap out of the locals somewhere!
no........ the paint is technically called " Satin Nutmeg Brown", but it is a close match to the Coyote Tan paint used on newer vehicles, which is a darker shade than the khaki sand tan used on desert storm vehicles... and the helmet is not an army helmet, it's a replica that has a sticker inside it saying it's rated for SNELL, and from what I could find out, it's basically a BMX helmet that just happens to be shaped like an army helmet, popular with airsofters....it will get replaced with something more like a Pro-Tec or Giro helmet.. and I got a different rack on it; so pretty soon I will be camping and seeing how this work
the large panniers holds my clothes and food, the front bag holds a light rain jacket and small foods and canteen stove and fuel, the smaller rack bags holds misc things
close up of the rear area; I realize it looks like the stuff will impact the brakes, but I made sure it doesn't, and so far it hasn't put any stress on the brake caliper arms.
the tool/goggle bag, it holds my army goggles, and tools, bandana, and a couple rags
the top front of the rack showing weight limit and two center screws holding the mount strut which is not of high quality..it'll get replaced by something much more sturdier
The Topeak rack stays solid, I've used it a dozen times now and have not had a problem with it slipping or spinning. It comes with rubber grommets to match your seatpost size and just clamp the ever living piss outa the q/r and it won't move. I use it on two different bikes with two different diameter seatposts and it stays put.
That being said, its heavy as all hell. Still, I like it.
Goodluck with yours, I recommend them if you don't want to go with a full rack or seatbag!
Edit: Forgot... photo was taken in Apalachicola National Forest.
The Topeak rack stays solid, I've used it a dozen times now and have not had a problem with it slipping or spinning. It comes with rubber grommets to match your seatpost size and just clamp the ever living piss outa the q/r and it won't move. I use it on two different bikes with two different diameter seatposts and it stays put.
That being said, its heavy as all hell. Still, I like it.
Goodluck with yours, I recommend them if you don't want to go with a full rack or seatbag!
Edit: Forgot... photo was taken in Apalachicola National Forest.
I usually carry two folding knives, an older Gerber Gator (for batoning and general abuse), and my trusty Opinel #6 for food and smaller general purpose use.
I notice a lot of you do not use panniers and instead choose a good sized seat bag for gear at the rear of the bike. Is this mostly to reduce weight? I understand the rack is some weight... What say you?
I notice a lot of you do not use panniers and instead choose a good sized seat bag for gear at the rear of the bike. Is this mostly to reduce weight? I understand the rack is some weight... What say you?
I am a rack person myself, but just because I got a good deal on an Old Man Mountain rack. Seatbags are indeed lighter and I think folks like that it sits above the wheel, keeping the weight in line with the rest of the bike. For people with FS bikes, it is also harder to find compatible racks. Lastly, I will say that strapping the bag to your seatpost and rails is a lot easier for attaching/detaching than doing the same for a rack. I don't have a dedicated bikepacking rig, so this is the biggest inconvenience to me as far as having a rack. But I love my OMM Cold Springs. A very solid piece of equipment.
I have panniers but try to strap things directly to the top of the rack instead for the same stability reasons. But for recreational use (I'm not racing) either arrangement works fine.
I notice a lot of you do not use panniers and instead choose a good sized seat bag for gear at the rear of the bike. Is this mostly to reduce weight? I understand the rack is some weight... What say you?
I use panniers every day on my commuter, but for bikepacking I never use them. They are low and stick out, so they can have a clearance issue on most trails. I find a nice frame pack, stuff strapped to the handle bars, and a bit under the seat works just fine for me
I notice a lot of you do not use panniers and instead choose a good sized seat bag for gear at the rear of the bike. Is this mostly to reduce weight? I understand the rack is some weight... What say you?
I'm just now getting into trail riding and specifically to do some bikepacking, but I'm approaching it from years of bike touring. I've already got different types of panniers and racks that would work fine on my trail bike (Troll), but from my somewhat limited experience so far with trail riding, I wouldn't want low-hanging bags sticking out from the sides of my front or back wheels due to clearance alone... on the trail, there are so many opportunities for a stump, root or rock to catch those sorts of things, and cause damage to your gear or yourself... that's why I invested in a full bikepacking rig so I can keep everything light and in-line with the bike as much as possible.
I second what Brokebike said. And I would add that in my experience panniers can bounce off even on moderate singletrack. I've not had a problem with seat and handlebar bags.
I don't do much bikepacking, but for longer bike rides or adventure rides I like to carry my hiking/outdoors knife. I went on the cheap and bought a Remington FAST fixed blade knife. It has really good reviews and I like it a lot, it stays sharp and handles everything from prepping food to splitting firewood. I didn't like the stock handle, so I took it off and wrapped the knife in paracord and gave it a lanyard. I recently attached a flint/magnesium fire starter to the sheath (with a broccoli rubber band until I find a better solution lol) and filed an area on the spine of the knife to strike the flint. This is my first serious knife. I carry a Kershaw folder as an EDC, but that won't cut it for some of the hikes I've been getting into lately.
Flint striking area. I got this tip from a review of this knife on YouTube. Works better than the supplied jigsaw blade thing that came with the magnesium block.
Good for breaking stuff (when needed)
It's pretty awful looking, but when hiking I wear it on my belt loop and in my pant pocket too so I won't lose anything.
I also really like this sharpener. It seems to do very well so far and sharpens the serrations nicely, too.
I've got about a year's worth of light use with this combo and it hasn't let me down yet. I got the knife for $16 and the starter for $1 and had the paracord and sharpener already, so it's a pretty cheap setup.
Thank you! I was surprised that more bikepackers don't use survival-type knives. I guess they're probably a bit overkill, though. For my fishing trips where I have a small frame bag with tackle and strap my fishing pole to my toptube I usually bring my Leatherman multi tool. For something like fishing it's nice to have more than just a knife.
On another note got my jones loop bar today I don't see to many people post pics of the silver aluminum model. I wanted something different it is not at all what I expected but still like it
I notice a lot of you do not use panniers and instead choose a good sized seat bag for gear at the rear of the bike. Is this mostly to reduce weight? I understand the rack is some weight... What say you?
Thanks for all the replies. It does make since to keep your gear inline with your bike. I'll have to experiment with my gear.
My current untested setup. Trial run is this weekend. 10 miles of singletrack to the campground and if all goes as planned the next day will be 30+ miles back home. Should be a great equipment test for us. Current bike is a Trek Fuel EX8. I did end up moving my tent hammock into the sleeping bag stuff sack with the sleeping bag instead of on top of it.
Both run Porcelain Rocket bags. I've got OMM racks and Ortlieb panniers for the Pugsley as well should I need to haul some crazy load.
I debated just building 29+ Krampus wheels for the Pugs, but I had a 29er MTB I wasn't in love with so I just moved the parts over to the Krampus frame.
So far the Krampus has proven itself to be a good bikepacking ride. It will see the majority of my bike camping missions this year. Hopefully it will continue to impress...
Looking forward to more bike packing centric reviews of the krampus.
That's most of what my Krampus riding will be. I will do some straight up MTBing, but I have a dedicated FS bike for that.
Some quick observations so far:
- wide tires are good for absorbing small hits
- they meet their limit at higher speeds and/or larger obstacles [this is a rigid bike!]
- 3" tires on Flows are fine, but at higher speeds on gravel there was some vagueness - not a problem, but I can see how Rabbit Hole rims would be nice
- 3" tires provide great traction and felt very stable/secure at high speed on gravel/dirt
- Krampus steering geo is very nice for slow and high speed riding....not nervous...made for relaxed riding
- ride position feels very balanced when tackling techy spots...I feel like I am in the bike vs. sitting on top of those huge wheels
- bike climbs well given weight + gear...responds well to pedalling input for me
- fork wasn't overly stiff
- frame comfort was good, but I can't differentiate what is high volume tires vs. steel frame/fork
- bike carries well for fording creeks [hooked saddle on my shoulder]
- I'm running IGH so I like horizontal dropouts
My only criticism is the tiny main frame triangle limits frame bag space. My Pugsley takes a much bigger frame bag and I have never injured my "boys" in years of riding the Pugs. So I don't need a super low TT.
I have no plans to run skinny 29er rubber on the Krampus. I'll probably get some Rabbit Hole rims later this year. I can see they'd be nice, but the Flows are working fine so I am not going to rush to make a change.
Last year I rode a lightweight XC oriented 29er HT with light tires. I've also bikepacking with the Pugs. The Krampus feels like their love child....most of the best of both bikes.
Having said all this we are at the early stages yet. I'll see how I feel about the big K at the end of the summer and then the start of next year once the new bike glow is gone...
I've done just under 50 days of bike touring (on-road) and several hundred days of backpacking. This was my first Bikepacking trip, combining the two other sports into one. I only did around 35 miles on an overnighter, but I had to carry my bike over or through so many downed trees, it felt like double the miles. I thought that carrying so much weight on my back would be bad, but if my bike were heavier from using a frame bag, I would have had a lot of trouble getting it over some of the trees blocking the trail. I also don't think I'll do anything with such aggressive downhills if I can't get behind my seat. I think I'll switch to a rear rack so I can achieve this. the giant seatbag was also a pain to pack and unpack and it would hit the tire it if I didn't understuff it and then use cinch straps to pull it out of the way.
Day 2 of my first bikepacking trip: the climb! the top half is all gnarly singletrack. The descent down the other side is a ridiculous signletrack trail on a ridge/spur which hits four or 5 little peaks on the way down. It's really cool seeing where you're going from the top and how it stretches out across the landscape. didn't think to take that picture...
<IMG SRC="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TtSR54yUVm0/UWwaHaTwEEI/AAAAAAAAAf8/8QdC3rPMZYY/s1526/elevation+rabun+bald.jpg" size=33%>
Last edited by PretendGentleman; 04-17-2013 at 07:55 PM.
I've done just under 50 days of bike touring (on-road) and several hundred days of backpacking. This was my first Bikepacking trip, combining the two other sports into one. I only did around 35 miles on an overnighter, but I had to carry my bike over or through so many downed trees, it felt like double the miles. I thought that carrying so much weight on my back would be bad, but if my bike were heavier from using a frame bag, I would have had a lot of trouble getting it over some of the trees blocking the trail. I also don't think I'll do anything with such aggressive downhills if I can't get behind my seat. I think I'll switch to a rear rack so I can achieve this. the giant seatbag was also a pain to pack and unpack and it would hit the tire it if I didn't understuff it and then use cinch straps to pull it out of the way.
My setup:
<IMG SRC="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-249ZWcpma-c/UWwMqoVUJHI/AAAAAAAAAfk/Z4Y42XGlraA/s1148/DSCN4861.JPG" size=25%>
<IMG SRC="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-spDrUMDKO9g/UWwMnAn1ajI/AAAAAAAAAfU/YIVFHYmCxfI/s1148/DSCN4863.JPG" size=25%>
<IMG SRC="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EQE1-TYF6xY/UWwMo0qnWfI/AAAAAAAAAfc/MMMkgsUsa5U/s1148/DSCN4862.JPG" *size=25%>
Day 2 of my first bikepacking trip: the climb! the top half is all gnarly singletrack. The descent down the other side is a ridiculous signletrack trail on a ridge/spur which hits four or 5 little peaks on the way down. It's really cool seeing where you're going from the top and how it stretches out across the landscape. didn't think to take that picture...
<IMG SRC="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TtSR54yUVm0/UWwaHaTwEEI/AAAAAAAAAf8/8QdC3rPMZYY/s1526/elevation+rabun+bald.jpg" size=33%>
Ya I would get a rack and top load it, that way you could get behind the seat if needed and wouldn't have to deal with panniers sticking out
how'd ya attach the bottle cage(s) to the lower(s)?
Not sure what he is using, but this is what I use, they're quite light, and can attach securely pretty much anywhere. Used them on a couple trips and they work great. http://www.twofish.biz/pdf/StainlessCages.pdf
Here's my Troll on its maiden bikepacking voyage. I was pretty happy with my setup, but extremely happy with how well the bike handled the weekend:
My first trip was an overnight in the Daniel Boone National Forest, specifically along the Sheltowee Trace near Cave Run Lake.
20 miles on day one, and 7 miles on day two. Here's my gear list:
Surly Troll 18", with 2.5" tires (22-25 psi) RD Viscacha seat bag
shelter: Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 rain fly + groundcloth
cookware + stove (snowpeak giga)
Patagucci Nanopuff jacket
rain jacket
wool socks, underwear
wool beanie
sleeping bag liner
RD Tangle frame bag
tent fly poles + stakes
pump
spare tube and tire boot
stan's goop
assorted Clif bars
bike lighting
Tools were carried in the container below the frame pack
Sunlite front rack
Big Agnes 30º bag + thermarest pillow
Osprey Raptor 18
backpacking french press + coffee grounds
big agnes sleeping pad
headlamp
toiletries
gloves
wool shirt
wallet, iPhone
food, snacks
knife
I carried a total of 5L of water on me at all times, 3L in the hydration pack, and 2L on the fork with a jerry-rigged cage system.
sweet setup brother i have always liked the Troll's
Originally Posted by brokebike
Here's my Troll on its maiden bikepacking voyage. I was pretty happy with my setup, but extremely happy with how well the bike handled the weekend:
My first trip was an overnight in the Daniel Boone National Forest, specifically along the Sheltowee Trace near Cave Run Lake.
20 miles on day one, and 7 miles on day two. Here's my gear list:
Surly Troll 18", with 2.5" tires (22-25 psi) RD Viscacha seat bag
shelter: Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 rain fly + groundcloth
cookware + stove (snowpeak giga)
Patagucci Nanopuff jacket
rain jacket
wool socks, underwear
wool beanie
sleeping bag liner
RD Tangle frame bag
tent fly poles + stakes
pump
spare tube and tire boot
stan's goop
assorted Clif bars
bike lighting
Tools were carried in the container below the frame pack
Sunlite front rack
Big Agnes 30º bag + thermarest pillow
Osprey Raptor 18
backpacking french press + coffee grounds
big agnes sleeping pad
headlamp
toiletries
gloves
wool shirt
wallet, iPhone
food, snacks
knife
I carried a total of 5L of water on me at all times, 3L in the hydration pack, and 2L on the fork with a jerry-rigged cage system.
Handlebar sling/pocket is Revelate; all the framepacks are by Greg Wheelwright of Bolder Bikepacking. No backpack required on this setup, which is a big deal for me - I hate having something on my back while I ride.
In the Sling is:
Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 tent
HammockGear 20 degree down quilt
Thermarest Prolite
Montbell ExLite jacket
inflatable pillow
camp towel
wool cap
hiking pants
spare shirt
In the pocket:
Wallet, keys, etc
Kindle
Headlamp
Camera (Panasonic Powershot G12)
Garmin ETrex 20 (I somehow lost the holder to keep it on my handlebars...awkward)
First aid kit
Trowel and T.P.
MP3 player
phone
In the front gas tank:
Clif bars and trail mix
In the rear gas tank:
Contact solution, soap, personal hygiene stuff
In the main frame pack, large pocket:
MSR Pocket Rocket stove, gas can
Snow Peak 700 ml pot/mug
Food
REI Fleet jacket
In the main frame pack, small pocket:
Tools, maps, cue sheets
Plus a total of 74oz of water in the 3 bottles; on a mild-weather day like this, that's all the capacity I needed. The bottle cages are Two Fish, and I'm still having issues with getting them to stay in place without listing toward the back of the fork and, on singletrack, into the tires.
Derp. Forgot that key ingredient somehow...original post edited.
@ridemtn: I took the commuter train out from Philadelphia to Downingtown, PA, then rode about 20 miles up to French Creek State Park, stealth camped there, and then rode back to Malvern, PA to catch the train back to Philly. Probably just around 50 miles of riding all in all, but there were some hills that got my legs working pretty good!
My bikepacking setup is finally complete. This is the setup for my next 2-month Kyrgyzstan trip.
The trip is going to be a offroad most of the time, including a lot of unrideable stuff. My intension is to carry a setup as light as possible. I need a hobo stove , and a lot of space to carry food for many days on that trip though. I also need a big sleeping bag, since temperatures at nights can be below 0 degree Celsius.
In the front are my jacket, the sleeping pad and the tarptent. They are mounted on my front bar rack.
On top, there is a light waterproof bag, originally made as a seatbag. It's this one.
On the frame is my waterbottle, the hobo stove, a framebag for my tools, and a tennis ball container. The container will carry my precooked food for the day. It might also carry additional water on the end of the day, since I always consume a lot over the night. On the rear rack, there is a light backpack, which I am going to carry on my back when descending on trails. Depending on the steepness, I will move the stuff from the front to the rear rack.
This is my front rack:
It weights about 250gram, is made some brake levers, aluminium and pvc pipes, fiberglass and resin. The joints of all pipes are filled with resin, to prevent the screws from getting loose.
I am not sure about the weight of the bike and the gear yet, but the combined weight it will be definitely under 20kg.
Nice job on that rack, Estate. Does it have a leg or something to hold it up? Doesn`t seem to me like the brake lever clamps by themselves would resist much torque with a load, but I might be wrong.
Nice job on that rack, Estate. Does it have a leg or something to hold it up? Doesn`t seem to me like the brake lever clamps by themselves would resist much torque with a load, but I might be wrong.
Thx. This is actually a valid concern. I have no doubt that it would resist the torque. I can put my whole body weight on the rack. However on long terms, it might fail because of the changing stress. I am not that concerned though, because the weight on the front is very low. (below 4lbs)
Qs for estate: What sort of bike and fork/travel is that? 26", yes?
And also, it looks to me as though the front bag arrangement might obscure vision of the front wheel - I find this disconcerting when trying to avoid holes or similar at low speed, or on rough descents.
Qs for estate: What sort of bike and fork/travel is that? 26", yes?
Manitou Black 85-120mm fork. The frame is a Chakha Pele frame which is not produced anymore. The frameshifting mounts and the lower bottlecage holders are brazed to the frame.
Originally Posted by satanas
And also, it looks to me as though the front bag arrangement might obscure vision of the front wheel - I find this disconcerting when trying to avoid holes or similar at low speed, or on rough descents.
It does, and in fact barely rideable decents are my favourite. However, I don't ever look at my front wheel, because it would be to late anyway to take action. Also, depending on the trail and load, I will have my backpack on my back and the front luggage on the rear rack.
However, I don't ever look at my front wheel, because it would be to late anyway to take action.
Understood, but I find it helpful to be able to see just in front of the wheel, especially when trying to "lift" it onto things on slow climbs. (I also like to be able to see the front edge of the wheel when drafting or riding in a paceline.)
Thanks for the response. It's possible I might end up riding the Annapurna Circuit later this year, and part of that will require a backpack, which would be handy for side trips on foot in any case. Does the pack have any significant stiffeners, or does the top of the rack have a wider-than-normal platform to prevent bag movement (like the front rack)???
PS: Should have said it before: Thanks to Troll owners for posting setups! :-) I'm about to get one so it's handy for me to see who fits what where.
No problem! I'm biased of course, but I think the Troll / Ogre is the perfect (non fatbike) choice for bikepacking, considering how versatile they are. Krampus would get higher marks with me if it just had a few more cleverly placed braze-ons to give you more options.
After my first trip, here's what I'm changing for next time: First, I updated my Troll's fork for the new Troll fork, which will allow me to take advantage of Salsa Anything Cages for lighter, bulky gear that can be stowed on the fork blades (I'm just not a fan of zip-ties or hose clamps for this purpose). Secondly, I'm getting a full frame bag instead of the Tangle half-frame bag. This will allow me to store a 4L Dromedary bag along with all the other stuff I kept in the Tangle bag. I've found that I pretty much need 7L of water with me for an all-day ride, and coupled with the hydration pack, this should do the trick.
No problem! I'm biased of course, but I think the Troll / Ogre is the perfect (non fatbike) choice for bikepacking, considering how versatile they are. Krampus would get higher marks with me if it just had a few more cleverly placed braze-ons to give you more options.
^ Totally agree with all this!
Re water: The only time I've ever needed to carry 7 litres of water was on Cape York, where water could only be had once per day, at river crossings. I usually find 2-3 litres is enough to carry at one time, but of course this depends on what sources there are along the way and how hot it is. I expect my packing plan will mostly end up being very similar to yours, except I'll probably have a Revelate or similar "handlebar bag" rather than a front rack.
Krampus would get higher marks with me if it just had a few more cleverly placed braze-ons to give you more options.
You can run the Krampus with:
- soft bags [no mods]
- rear rack [no mods]
- front rack [OMM works with no mods]
- waterbottle or anything cages on fork [with hose clamps]
- many types of trailers [no mods]
- if you go with OMM racks you can even run fenders
The only real hack is using hose clamps to secure stuff to the forks, but I think that's a good trade of for a lively fork. One of the complaints MTBers have had with the Ogre and Troll is the dead overbuilt forks. Surly addressed that with the KM and Krampus. The cost was not festooning them with braze-ons.
If you are looking for a touring bike that can fit MTB tires the Krampus is not your rig, but if you want a mountain bike you can tour with it's a great choice and very versatile.
^ I think the Enduro fork linked to my just be the Ogre fork, but we need to know the axle to crown distance and/or offset to have any way of telling if it's really another version of the Krampus fork.
^ Useful info, thanks! Pity Surly haven't got around to mentioning it on their site, but I've noticed it ofetn takes them months to update things. I wonder if it's using the lighter tubing as per the Krampus fork and KM (according to vikb) or heavier as per the Ogre/Troll?
I like the idea of Anything Cages on the forks because there are a few lightweight, but bulky items that I'd rather not have taking up so much volume in my frame bags or backpack. I'm thinking of stuff like my sleeping pad, all of my stove/cookset gear... even my little backpacking coffee press. I'm guessing I'd barely feel the weight of these things on the fork, whereas when I strapped water bottles to my fork blades via zip ties, I definitely felt it, and the zip ties kept popping off due to the shifting weight in the bottles.
If you are going to mount bottle cages to your fork that doesn't have braze-ons use hose clamps. They are 100% solid.
Anything Cages are fragile and one of the reasons I decided to ditch my fork mounted cages was they ended up being banged up and got in the way when I laid the bike down or leaned it up against something or had to hike-a-bike through vegetation.
Salsa has said they'll be coming out with a more robust Anything Cage. Not sure when that will be.
It wasn't a total failure, but I didn't like it much.
I replaced them with a stem mounted bottle cage which I love. Makes getting water super easy and has stayed put even on rough high speed descents.
I'm trying out a 1.5L bottle/cage on the DT. That will give me over 2L of water which is plenty for my part of BC.
If I need a ton of water for a specific trip I'll throw 1-2L in my backpack and add fork mounted water bottles to the Krampus for that trip.
Got everything set for a S24O. I originally ran a Salsa Down Under rack on the front, and carried the excess on my back in an Osprey Talon. Now, with the frame bag, and the bungee held dry bag on the bars, I have nothing on my back. Not perfect, but works.
Pt. Reyes is a challenging climb to get to the bike accessable camps but the reward is worth it. I set up camp then made morning and evening runs (15miles roundtrip )to the truck for fresh food and cold beers which i kept in the cooler on dry ice.
rocking the beamrack nice I ended up getting a revelate seat bag.
Originally Posted by 3rdrail9er
Pt. Reyes is a challenging climb to get to the bike accessable camps but the reward is worth it. I set up camp then made morning and evening runs (15miles roundtrip )to the truck for fresh food and cold beers which i kept in the cooler on dry ice.
What's the proper term for the handlebar harness/bedroll thing? I'd like to mount one up on my Cross Check to hold my sleeping bag and misc stuff like cell phone for quick access. Can anyone recommend something?
Several vendors make handle bar bags/harnesses. Here's Revelate's offerings: https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...g&CategoryID=3. I have the Harness and prefer it over the Sweet Roll. The Harness allows you to use whatever size dry bag/compression sack you want.
What's the proper term for the handlebar harness/bedroll thing? I'd like to mount one up on my Cross Check to hold my sleeping bag and misc stuff like cell phone for quick access. Can anyone recommend something?
how do you like the 650 b with a dual suspension light touring. I have a specialized epic that should be compatible for a 650b conversion and I have been debating it.
Several vendors make handle bar bags/harnesses. Here's Revelate's offerings: https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...g&CategoryID=3. I have the Harness and prefer it over the Sweet Roll. The Harness allows you to use whatever size dry bag/compression sack you want.