Hello, Otaka here!
When you head out camping or touring by bike, how do you carry your gear?
I'm a front rack and frame bag person.
This time, some dependable new products for carrying that gear have arrived.
I hope this helps those of you getting ready for RIDEALIVE, which is coming up in November, and anyone thinking about touring in the future.
Right, let's get straight to it~
Cargo cages, the bikepacker's companion
These days the mainstream style is to mount bike bags in three places: the handlebar, the frame and the saddle.
It looks seriously stylish, and it's a style dedicated to keeping gear as light and minimal as possible and getting to your destination fast.
The other style, the one touring is known for, is to fit racks and carriers and carry your gear on those.
The bike itself tends to end up a little heavier this way, and it's a style you often see on long-distance tours ridden at a leisurely pace.
Where to put the tent, sleeping mat, cookware, chair and so on. The fun of packing based on experience is part of the appeal, but it's also true that sometimes there just isn't enough capacity.
That's where the cargo cage comes in.
Now standard on gravel bikes, it's a clever piece of kit that bolts onto fork eyelets and the like to increase your carrying capacity.
For anyone torn between the many options, here are three of my recommendations.
FAUNA COMPONENTS Cargo Cage
New to our lineup this time: FAUNA COMPONENTS.
Produced in Canada, this cage is made of stainless steel, yet bold cutouts make it both light and durable.
It's a rugged cage, laser-cut for the cutouts and CNC-bent one at a time, but its design blends into the look of the bike, so I recommend it to anyone who thinks, “I don't want my cargo cage to stand out,” or “I don't like the bolted-on look once it's fitted.”
WIDEFOOT Cargo Mount
In complete contrast to the Fauna, this eye-catchingly burly piece is the WIDEFOOT Cargo Mount, another newcomer to our lineup.
Made in Colorado, USA, it's a cargo cage tough enough to withstand hard touring, yet also light thanks to its 5052 aluminum.
If long tours are your main thing, or you want to mount larger bags and the like, this is the one you'll find easy to use.
We also stock a large bottle cage for Nalgene bottles, so if a Nalgene is all you carry, the Liter Cage is the easy choice.
VELO ORANGE There and Back Rack
That said, not every bike can take a cargo cage.
This is where the “There and Back Rack” comes into its own.
It has no fewer than four bottle bosses on each side, so you can mount a Nalgene, a sleeping bag, dry bags and more on the sides.
The top platform isn't all that big, but being able to load a tent on it or fit a WALD basket, comfortably carrying the gear that bike bags alone can't hold, is something only a rack can offer.
(Load it up too much and you'll be stuck on the hills, so go easy.)
It's also designed to work at either the front or the rear, so another welcome point is that you can choose to suit your style and your bike.
And of course it takes not just cages but panniers as well.
BROOKS Half Haul & Isle of Wight
And panniers, essential to the rack style, have also newly arrived, though in very small numbers.
Made from waxed cotton, they're durable enough to use in the rain or caked in mud.
And they're more than just classic panniers: strong nylon straps and an aluminum stabilizing bar give them a construction that prevents the rattling and unpleasant vibration caused by swaying and shaking.
Bags shifting as you ride, vibration, the handlebar being tugged about by a bag that's thrashing around: when small stresses like these pile up over 100 kilometers, the toll on your stamina is surprisingly hard to ignore.
We also have a saddle bag made from the same waxed cotton.
The Isle of Wight opens wide at the back, giving you easy access to what's inside.
Like the Half Haul, it holds rock-solid, so it should serve you well for day-ride luggage or as a tool bag on tour.
There's more than one right answer
The products I've introduced here all make packing more fun and more convenient, but what style you ride in is up to you.
That you can't know until you try is both what makes bikepacking interesting and what makes it hard.
When that happens, feel free to ask any of us on the staff!
Let's work out together the style that suits each person's bike and way of riding!
We'll be waiting for you in the shop!
Otaka
