MTB Touring?

Doki said:

I've been thinking that it would be entertaining to
actually go up some mountains and so on on my bike. Has
anyone any experience of how practical it is to rig up a
mountain bike with a tent and various camping gear then
actually use it for off road riding?

As always, there's off road and there's off road. Obviously
you won't be able to do the same degree of dare-devilry
while loaded up as not, but that hardly means you can't go
anywhere worthwhile. If there's a half decent track that
should be fine.

Loading it up is the same as anything else: try and
distribute the load evenly across the bike, use front
lowriders if it's a big load, hang panniers on a rear rack
(make sure the mounting has locking hooks if you're on bumpy
terrain), possibly augment with saddle and/or bar bags,
though a gotcha with a bar bag might be restricted view of
where the front wheel is going on an immediate basis.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Doki said:

I've been thinking that it would be entertaining to
actually go up some mountains and so on on my bike. Has
anyone any experience of how practical it is to rig up a
mountain bike with a tent and various camping gear then
actually use it for off road riding? Obviously it'll be
heavy, but that only means I'll be able to ride faster
when I get back and take the luggage off
🙂.

I think that as a general rule, proper MTBing is best done
with the load in a rucksac. Pushing/lifting a heavily loaded
bike on narrow, bumpy and steep tracks is no fun at all, and
riding it won't be that great either!

Of course, the answer is to take as little as possible. Some
people say that a Bob trailer is a good solution. Depends on
how far and where you intend going, I suppose.

James

Peter Clinch said:

Doki said:

I've been thinking that it would be entertaining to
actually go up some mountains and so on on my bike. Has
anyone any experience of how practical it is to rig up a
mountain bike with a tent and various camping gear then
actually use it for off road riding?

As always, there's off road and there's off road.
Obviously you won't be able to do the same degree of dare-
devilry while loaded up as not, but that hardly means you
can't go anywhere worthwhile. If there's a half decent
track that should be fine.

I have ridden an MTB over somewhat rough stuff fully loaded.
As the front sus has quietly seized and it is a hardtail, it
wasn't terribly pleased with me for doing that fully loaded.

For those that know it, I rode about half of the track in to
the carmasunary bothy (my innate instincts for self
preservation [*] precluded trying to ride more). Interesting
going downhill, and a lot of work walking up hill with it.

I have since replaced the rear rack.

..d

[*] its one of the situations where a h****t would have been
a good idea had I had it with me.

On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 15:02:31 +0100, "Doki" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I expect bare minimum would be a tent or bivvy,
sleeping bag and a change of clothes, along with some
snap and drinks.

No, no, no, no. The bare minimum is a VISA card and a
book of B&B's
:-)
--
"We take these risks, not to escape from life, but to
prevent life escaping from us." bensales.combensales.comOpen ↗

Doki posted ...

Quoted message said:

Obviously it'll be heavy, but that only means I'll be
able to ride faster when I get back and take the
luggage off 🙂.

Heheheh ... that's the theory ... 😉

Quoted message said:

What should my bike have for luggage to be fixed onto it?
I can see a couple of allen bolts below the seatpost which
seem to serve no purpose at the minute.

I tried with front (and rear) mounted rack and small
panniers, but wouldn't recommend it other than to olympic
status athletes or st00pid gits ...

A decent, stable, well-mounted rear rack is very handy, and
a small backpack is pretty useful, more so than I thought. I
generally carry the tent and stove etc (small but relatively
heavy items) on the rack and the soft lighter items like
spare clothing on my back.

If I can, depending upon the trip, I try to do without
mounting a rack, preferring to keep the weight off the
bike itself.

Of course, the absolutely bare minimum of mobile phone,
credit card and toothbrush, means no problem with where and
how to mount any luggage carrying capacity ... 😉

--
Paul

(8(|) Homer rocks .. 😉

BenS said:

Doki said:

I expect bare minimum would be a tent or bivvy,
sleeping bag and a change of clothes, along with some
snap and drinks.

No, no, no, no. The bare minimum is a VISA card and a book
of B&B's
:-)

Surely that's a Visa card and a mobile 'phone.. 🙂

Pete

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Doki said:

I've been thinking that it would be entertaining to
actually go up some mountains and so on on my bike. Has
anyone any experience of how practical it is to rig up a
mountain bike with a tent and various camping gear then
actually use it for off road riding?

As always, there's off road and there's off road.

I saw a photo recently of a friend abseiling off the
Inaccessible Pinnicle in Skye with his bike over his
shoulder. Part of a charity round involving every Munro by
mountain bike. Iain C

Doki said:

I expect bare minimum would be a tent or bivvy, sleeping
bag and a change of clothes, along with some snap and
drinks. I'll find out what a mate puts in his bergen, I've
carried that and can tell you now I wouldn't fancy riding
with something that heavy on my back.

All the serious Polaris riders carry that on their backs. We
put the tent and mats on a seatpost rack, it was ok but a
bit awkward at times (the rack slipped about). That was on a
tandem where the captain's rucksac space is a bit limited.
YMMV, it depends on what sort of riding you intend doing. If
you don't have a FS bike then the rack and luggage may take
quite a beating too (and rear wheel).

James

"James Annan" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I expect bare minimum would be a tent or bivvy, sleeping
bag and a

change of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

clothes, along with some snap and drinks. I'll find out
what a mate puts

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

his bergen, I've carried that and can tell you now I
wouldn't fancy

riding

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with something that heavy on my back.

Quoted message said:

All the serious Polaris riders carry that on their backs.
We put the tent and mats on a seatpost rack,

If you've got a small enough tent, sleeping bag and
thermarest and don't need to carry several days food and
cooking stuff it's quite possible to fit everything you need
in a 25 litre rucksack.

AndyP said:

If you've got a small enough tent, sleeping bag and
thermarest and don't need to carry several days food and
cooking stuff it's quite possible to fit everything you
need in a 25 litre rucksack.

Indeed, but our tent (although small, light and very
convenient) doesn't pack very well. For some reason the
Polaris makes competitors carry cooking equipment which for
a single night out is hardly necessary. But I suppose it
makes people feel like they are out on a big adventure, and
if carefully arranged doesn't add too much weight and bulk.

James

AndyP said:

"James Annan" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

All the serious Polaris riders carry that on their backs.
We put the tent and mats on a seatpost rack,

If you've got a small enough tent, sleeping bag and
thermarest and don't need to carry several days food and
cooking stuff it's quite possible to fit everything you
need in a 25 litre rucksack.

Extremely easy, especially if you are in pairs (as you are
in MMs and I assume the Polaris) so you can share tent and
cooking stuff. Though I wouldn't bother with a thermarest,
way too heavy. Bubble wrap is just as good (for one night.)

Colin
--

James Annan said:

AndyP said:

If you've got a small enough tent, sleeping bag and
thermarest and don't need to carry several days food and
cooking stuff it's quite possible to fit everything you
need in a 25 litre rucksack.

Indeed, but our tent (although small, light and very
convenient) doesn't pack very well. For some reason the
Polaris makes competitors carry cooking equipment which
for a single night out is hardly necessary. But I suppose
it makes people feel like they are out on a big
adventure, and if carefully arranged doesn't add too much
weight and bulk.

Cooking equipment is a few of those hexamine (-type) things,
a bit of bent aluminium, a small titanium pot and an old
plastic noodle pot to eat from. Weighs bugger all. An MSR
pocket rocket and gas cyclinder is a bit heavier as a stove
but very convenient. A Sup-air tent at 900g and a Rab top
sleeping bag at 400g,... can you tell I'm a mountain
marathon bore?

Colin
--

Colin Blackburn said:

Cooking equipment is a few of those hexamine (-type)
things, a bit of bent aluminium, a small titanium pot and
an old plastic noodle pot to eat from.

What? No Trangia stoves?

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

Colin Blackburn said:

Cooking equipment is a few of those hexamine (-type)
things, a bit of bent aluminium, a small titanium pot and
an old plastic noodle pot to eat from. Weighs bugger all.
An MSR pocket rocket and gas cyclinder is a bit heavier as
a stove but very convenient.

Yebbut when I were a lad and went bivvying in real mountains
(well, Scottish ones at least, but we were generally
sleeping in/on survival bags at about 3000ft rather than a
tent in some sheltered farmers' field) I carried a few
sandwiches and a chunk of cheese. Except the time when we
dug a snowhole when I was glad of some lukewarm porridge in
the morning!

James

Colin Blackburn said:

aluminium, a small titanium pot and an old plastic noodle
pot to eat from. Weighs bugger all.

That's one for the 'Top Tips' thread. I never thought of
that one (*)

And by the way Doki, what you REALLY want is:
robertscycles.comtour2.htmlOpen ↗ Sigh. One
can dream.

Seriously though, sling your panniers on your existing bike,
and tell us where you went and how you got on.

(*) Anyone for starting another thread? On the wastefulness
of modern society - eg. every time you buy cleaning spray
you throw away a perfectly good plasti cbottle complete with
spray mechanism? To make the thread useful, how about making
the topic useful things for cycling/camping/sailing from
discardrd items?

John Hearns said:

Colin Blackburn said:

aluminium, a small titanium pot and an old plastic noodle
pot to eat from. Weighs bugger all.

That's one for the 'Top Tips' thread. I never thought of
that one (*)

If there's just one of you you don't need the plastic pot
of course.

Colin
--

Colin Blackburn said:

Cooking equipment is a few of those hexamine (-type)
things, a bit of bent aluminium,

Can you really cook over hexamine?

I've got a hexamine cooker and army type mess tins in the
cupboard. I tried making packet soup on the hill years ago,
and found them not good at all. The heat from the blocks
just seems to escape. I wonder how soldiers really cope
cooking over these.

When I did go bothying etc. the Trangia was the thing.

John Hearns said:

Colin Blackburn said:

Cooking equipment is a few of those hexamine (-type)
things, a bit of bent aluminium,

Can you really cook over hexamine?

Yes but for a limited definition of cooking. Bring water to
boil, pour over dried stuff (cous-cous usually)

Quoted message said:

I've got a hexamine cooker and army type mess tins in the
cupboard. I tried making packet soup on the hill years
ago, and found them not good at all. The heat from the
blocks just seems to escape.

I have a little aluminium 'stove' taken from a French army
ration pack. It folds to form a stand and wind break and
weighs next to nothing.

Quoted message said:

I wonder how soldiers really cope cooking over these.

They have a little stand :-)

Quoted message said:

When I did go bothying etc. the Trangia was the thing.

Trangias are great but way too heavy for
running/polaris events.

Colin
--

Doki said:

I've been thinking that it would be entertaining to
actually go up some mountains and so on on my bike. Has
anyone any experience of how practical it is to rig up a
mountain bike with a tent and various camping gear then
actually use it for off road riding? Obviously it'll be
heavy, but that only means I'll be able to ride faster
when I get back and take the luggage off
🙂.

What should my bike have for luggage to be fixed onto it?
I can see a couple of allen bolts below the seatpost which
seem to serve no purpose at the minute.

I did the West Highland Way with a pal and we split the tent
and common gear. I carried half on my back and half on rear
panniers and it wasn't too bad. The run down Kinlochleven is
long and steep in places and was a lot of fun, but a push up
the Devils Staircase. Try it locally before embarking on an
epic !! Cheers Graham