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General Discussion / Tme to revive the term SPORT TOURING for bikes plus gear less than 20 kg?
« on: November 19, 2022, 12:03:22 pm »
The term bikepacking seems too loose, and refers to soft packs preferred by light-weight multi-day racers, that are often overloaded by more leisurely tourers, who often end up frustrated by the floppiness and lack of stability.
Let's clean up the terms - we're all bikepackers.
It's all semantics and the arguments sound familiar to those of us who backpacked heavy loads on stable frame packs (think racks on the bike) or climbed with softer and usually lighter packs for climbing (think soft packs mounted directly to the frame). Comments elsewhere in the forum reflect the fact that bikepacking with soft packs, in-line with the bike, and relatively aerodynamic, fit more with multi-day self-supported racing and less with long comfortable touring. Soft, light packs used for touring limit the weight one can carry.
I suggest, to borrow a motorcycling term, we refer to lighter, faster tourers as "sport tourers" - no matter how they carry the load. Any bike plus gear under 45 pounds (20 kg) would likley fit this definition, and would be ridden by those who prefer performance and speed to creature comforts. (My first cross-country tour in 1979 had me on a Jackson criterium racing frame with rear rack, small pannierts, a handlebar bag, and generally under 35 pounds for bike, bags, tools, parts, sleeping bag and bivy.)
Although the term bikepacking will continue to be with us for a while for marketing purposes, it will likely become more generalized, while classes of packs will resemble backpacking terms - soft packs, internal frame packs, or rack-mounted packs.
Let's clean up the terms - we're all bikepackers.
It's all semantics and the arguments sound familiar to those of us who backpacked heavy loads on stable frame packs (think racks on the bike) or climbed with softer and usually lighter packs for climbing (think soft packs mounted directly to the frame). Comments elsewhere in the forum reflect the fact that bikepacking with soft packs, in-line with the bike, and relatively aerodynamic, fit more with multi-day self-supported racing and less with long comfortable touring. Soft, light packs used for touring limit the weight one can carry.
I suggest, to borrow a motorcycling term, we refer to lighter, faster tourers as "sport tourers" - no matter how they carry the load. Any bike plus gear under 45 pounds (20 kg) would likley fit this definition, and would be ridden by those who prefer performance and speed to creature comforts. (My first cross-country tour in 1979 had me on a Jackson criterium racing frame with rear rack, small pannierts, a handlebar bag, and generally under 35 pounds for bike, bags, tools, parts, sleeping bag and bivy.)
Although the term bikepacking will continue to be with us for a while for marketing purposes, it will likely become more generalized, while classes of packs will resemble backpacking terms - soft packs, internal frame packs, or rack-mounted packs.