Technical and Training

Choosing Racks and Packs

by Cary Weitzman

One of the underlying principles of randonneuring is the notion of self sufficiency, you can see this reflected in Article 5 and Article 7 of the Brevets de Randonneurs Mondiaux rules. Accordingly all riders need to consider their and their bike's needs over the course of a ride and arrive at the start of the brevet prepared to deal with potential problems on the road as they arise. Other riders can and will lend a hand when possible but if no one else has the right tool or spare part you need, all the help in the world isn't going to do you any good.

For example; Say there’s a part on your bike that’s prone to more frequent breakage than everything else like a brake or shifter cable, carrying a spare and the tools to change it is a wise precaution. The hassle of carrying a windshell and a pair of full fingered gloves will likely have less of an impact on your ride than the unpleasantness you may experience by not having them if the weather takes more of a turn for the worse than you were expecting. With modern cycling gear weight isn't usually too much of an issue, these examples don’t involve a lot of weight, you just need a place to stash the stuff.

On a warm, sunny, mid-summer 200 or 300 km brevet a rider typically won”t require anything more than what they usually carry on a long training ride with perhaps the addition of early morning arm warmers and a light rain/wind shell. This can be easily accommodated by a small saddlebag and a jersey with a set of triple rear pockets.

On longer brevets or early/late season brevets where the elements are unpredictable and temperature changes throughout the day extreme, you might carry an entire change of clothes as well as wet weather gear. A larger saddlebag, either a wedge or transverse bag, racktop bag, large handlebar bag or small pannier will accommodate this well.

On rides spanning multiple days, riders may choose to truly embrace the spirit of self reliance and carry all necessary supplies and not take advantage of whatever drop bag service may have been arranged for the ride. One advantage to this being that the rider can then choose to stop and sleep anywhere that’s convenient (like a culvert or bus shelter in the grand British tradition) or not at all. For this you may need to combine the use of more than one of these bags to carry the necessities.

Of course there are many strategies to reducing what you need down to the smallest size possible, like dressing intelligently, in layers, choosing tools that combine many functions in a reasonably small lightweight package and of course by ensuring that your bicycle is well maintained, inspected and not likely to suffer a simple mechanical breakdown.

Ultimately however, you’re going to have to carry something.

Racks

Despite what some bike shops would have you believe, nearly all bikes can be fitted with a rear rack of some kind, even racing bikes with little clearance and no eyelets for mounting. Any good bike shop will stock Blackburn P-Clamps and Dropout Adapters, Monostay Adapters , mounting hardware extensions and all manner of things to facilitate this. In extreme cases, there are racks designed to mount by clamping to the seatpost alone. These racks have much lower weight limits than a standard rack but well above what’s needed for a brevet, usually around 20 lbs.

For those who find the esthetics of a large boxy rack unappealing, Tubus makes slim, minimalist racks called the Fly and the Luna that mount to the rear brake bolt rather than the seatstays. These also have weight limitations compared to full sized racks, around 40-44 lbs. and limited top space for mounting a racktop bag, but are perfect for small panniers.

Bags

There are several different types of bags to choose from each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Saddlebag

Saddlebags come in two basic varieties, the ubiquitous wedge pack and the traditional British transverse touring bag.

Saddlebags strengths lay in the fact that they can be used on any bike without needing a rack and that they are directly behind the rider in a position that minimizes their aerodynamic penalty. Their downsides include size and weight limitations, and some of the larger transverse bags may brush against the rear of the legs which some people find bothersome. Larger bags may require that there be a certain minimum amount of space between saddle and the rear wheel to prevent the bag from brushing on the tire (fenders, if your bike has them, will prevent this) and they are generally require a minute of two of time to get on and off the bike.

Wedge packs: up to 3 litres in capacity can be found in local bike shops. Beyond this size there are a number of good choices, but unfortunately almost none are part of the average bike shops’ regular stock and will need to be special ordered or mail ordered. There are several reputable online mail order sources of the larger bags if you can’t find them locally (see list at end of article).

Wedge packs of up to 14L in capacity are available, easiest to find are models made by the Nelson England based company Carradice who are best known for their traditional touring bags.

The traditional touring saddlebag: like the models made by Carradice range in size from 9L, which is spacious enough for tools, spares and a full change of clothes plus lightweight wind/rain shell, up to 23L which is large enough to carry everything necessary for an extended tour. Traditional bags extend side to side behind the rider rather than towards the rear as the larger wedge packs do, this helps keep the weight of the bag as close to the rider as possible and minimizes the impact of the extra weight on handling. The larger bags have external side pockets for easy access to commonly needed items and an extendible top flap for cinching bulky items in place. Touring bags are designed for use with saddles with bags loops built into the frame like the Brooks B17, but simple bolt-on accessories are available to allow their use with any saddle, and more elaborate quick release systems like the Carradice Uplift allow the bag to be attached and removed in seconds.

Halfway between the wedge packs and transverse bags are a few bags that combine aspects of both. The Gilles Berthold saddlebag and The Rivendell Bicycle Works Banana Bag (which is a larger updated version of this traditional design).

Handlebar Bag

Handlebar bags can be extremely convenient and functional. A well designed bag allows you access to the contents of the bag while riding and a good bag will have a waterproof map/que sheet holder on the top which is a major benefit on a brevet. Bags run from 3-7 litres in capacity and may have a quick release system and shoulder strap for easy off bike use.

Handlebar bags can be found in a great number of sizes and designs at a wide range of prices at almost any good bike shop. One of the best of the modern bags comes from the Canadian company Arkel, more traditional bags are available from Carradice and Rivendell.

The drawbacks of these bags are difficulties in fitting them to bikes with certain types of brake and shifter cable arrangements (notably Shimano STI equipped bikes) the difficulties one may encounter positioning handlebar mounted lights so that the beam isn’t blocked by the bag and the fact that significant weight that high over the front wheel can have an adverse effect on how the bike handles.

Most handlebar bag users keep lighter weight items in their bar bags and supplement them with a saddlebag or racktop bag for heavier items.

Panniers

These bags can be found everywhere in a very wide range of sizes, styles and prices. Panniers are great not just for brevet riding but touring, commuting and shopping.

They range in size anywhere from 9L up to 20L and in a come wide variety of materials from lightweight packcloth to waterproof plastics. Many have external pockets for storing commonly used items and mesh pouches which are excellent for carrying waste like used energy bar wrappers. One of the best features of panniers is how simply and easily they can be mounted or removed from racks.

Their main drawback is their aerodynamic inefficiency, hanging out to the side of the bike as they do, making them not the best choice for those intent pushing the limits of their performance.

RackTop bags

The quality and choice of racktop bags has exploded in the last few years and they have become extremely popular. They mount directly to the top of the rear rack either by use of straps or quick release systems (This requires a rack made specifically for the bag as is the case for Topeak Racktop bags).

Ranging in capacity from 6 to 14 litres the larger ones have expandable top pockets and a strap for off bike use, the largest models sometimes convert into backpacks. They usually have external pockets and mesh pouches similar to a well designed pannier and are found in the same range of materials. Racktop bags are big enough for all but the longest rides and since they sit directly behind the rider and over the centre of the bike share none of the potential drawbacks of panniers.

With so many great bags now on the market there’s no reason you shouldn't be able to find the perfect bag.

Online purchasing sources

Mountain Equipment Co-Op

Peter White Cycles

Rivendell Bicycle Products

Wallingford Bicycle Parts

St. John Street Cycles


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