4 Things I'll NEVER pack for a BIKE TOUR again

Over the last few years of travelling by bicycle, I've weeded out the bikepacking gear that just doesn't work for me. In this video I share 4 pieces of bike touring gear I would never pack again. What about you? Let me know if there's any gear you're done with in the comments!

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CHAPTERS

0:00 The bikepacking gear I'll never bring again
0:21 Why I don't ride clipless anymore
2:37 Battery-powered electronics for bike touring?
3:31 Too many groceries for bikepacking
4:35 Broken bottle cage frustrations

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[SheelaghDaly]

I would love to hear your thoughts! Any bike touring gear you're done with?

[psycholist]

I'm a big believer in rechargeable stuff. I make sure I have plenty of power bricks, cords, and a hub for the overnight stay. I'll even bring a cheap power brick in case someone on my path is broken down and needs one. Always pay it forward.

[FollowThomas]

I totally agree with you about the clip less shoes, they are not practical. I also agree with your other points after 10K miles on a bike last 3 years.👍

[toolaholicsanonymous]

Flat pedal specific cycling shoes make a big difference with flat pedals. Stickier tread compound helps stick to the pedals better and they've got stiffer soles. Last year 5-10's were all too floppy so I went with crank brothers shoes. This year I just picked up the 5-10 DLX. Nice and stiff and 5-10 has the stickiest sole compound out there.

[rangersmith]

One thing I will never bring on a bike tour again: overly chatty friends.

[orangevw]

Studies are showing that clipless pedals and shoes offer VERY minimal increase on uphills and none on flats and downhills. You also burn more oxygen when doing the pushing and puling at the same time… meaning, if you’re racing and your body is in peak condition, they will help you gain milliseconds off your times. If you’re a normal rider like me, there is no gain in speed (which i don’t care about anyway), and my body isn’t anywhere near race conditions. Clipless pedals have become herd mentality and a waste of money if you’re not racing with tons of elevation. I have ridden flats for years and unless I see a true benefit for clipless while ridig for fun, non-race group rides, or touring, I’ll never use clipless again.

[Johann-]

Yup. Went to bmx pedals for touring years ago. Haven't regretted it since. I like to hike on tours sometimes and its nice to just carry one pair of shoes. I don't use a tent anymore. I carry a waterPROOF Sierra designs bivy. Coming from an ultralight Backpacking background, I find most gear crosses over into cycling perfectly. Sleeping pad inflators are not needed for me. Extra carry and extra weight. Multi-tool gadgets are so clunky to use if you have to adjust something. That's about it for me. Thanks for the ideas.

[rollingthunder]

Thank you! I've heard about the clip Less shoe thing before. Thank you for confirming

[psycholist]

I'm not yet to your level of cycle touring so my MTB shoes with the SPD cleats are still great for me. My off-the-bike shoes are Speedo water shoes with thick winter boot insoles inside them. They pack up nice and are VERY comfortable. But you NEED those insoles. As for bottle cages, I've had great luck with inexpensive carbon fiber ones. Bottles slide in and out much more easily.

[ferruccio]

I tend to priviledge small supermarkets but if I go to a bigger one I leave the bicycle right in front of the entrance (you need a kickstand for that) and every 3 minutes I go and check if it is still there. there no way in the world I would leave my bicycle out of sight. as for power, I have a 20, 000 mAh powerbank that recharges from zero to 100% in 100% and that's a big plus.
love your videos
ciao

[fittonbikes]

Great list, I still like clip in to keep my knee movement consistent because I now have setup dialed in and it helps with my various leg issue but I can see what you mean about accidents and over the long haul you want to avoid that.

[iain.wlaird]

I've had a few metal bottle cages break on me, I've found a cage that is both metal and plastic and adjustable, still going strong after 10 years.

[joelhorlen-zkxr]

For me, bicycle touring is about freedom. That includes having my feet free. I wear the most comfortable shoe I own (not cycling-specific) to tour. Sometimes that's a sandal.

[ziptiefighter]

Riding in clipless sandals 'can' work as one's only footwear as long as you're not touring in cold weather. My Keens are meh. But it's nice not needing additional footwear.
That said, I'm on a recumbent. So clipless are essential in keeping one's feet on the pedals without having to maintain pressure on them.
Thanks for the vid 👊

[damianherman]

Hi Sheelagh😊
This is a really helpful video. It's important to learn from our mistakes, and I've found the same thing to be true when packing for bike tours. After finishing a tour, I reflect on what I shouldn't bring on the next one. I completely agree with the idea that running shoes can be convenient for cycling. Additionally, when it comes to food, I prefer to only buy enough for one day, unless I'm going somewhere where supermarkets aren't available. It's better to carry less weight, especially on hilly terrain. Everything you bring on your bike will be heavy, so it's important to keep that in mind. Thank you for sharing this great advice!"😊 Take care.
Looking forward to your next video 😊

[HermannKerr]

I only travel with clipless shoes and flipflops. I had a pair of Keen leather cycling shoes (very sadly they are no longer made) that looked like normal shoes and they were good to walk around in. Most cycling shoes have narrow heels which totally suck for walking. A good pair of touring cycling shoes are hard to find but I wouldn't use anything else as I ride a trike and if my foot comes off my pedals I could break a leg. Two criteria are wide heel and good reset in the SPD mount. I rode with toe clips for many years and once in short succession I fell over twice as I couldn't get my foot out. I have never had a problem getting my foot off my pedals with SPDs. Your traction argument is a good one as I climbed up the trail on the Squamish Chief in my Sidi SPD cycling shoes (these shoes were not made for walking) and they were kind of slippery. There is an efficiency argument for clipless or clips as one can spin the pedals. I now have full blown bone on bone osteoarthritis in my right knee about 70% of my effort comes from my left leg as I need to limit the amount of push from my right leg and I can maintain a very high cadence (90rpm) which would be nearly impossible to do with flats.

On batteries - Yes to never use disposable batteries - I only use high quality AA & AAA Ni-MH batteries and I have a expensive high quality smart charger ($60 when I bought it). Cheap charges will burn out good batteries in short order. I am still using batteries purchased eight years ago. I also have a dynamo hub with a USB which I can use to power my phone and if need be, I can charge my my batteries including camera batteries. I hate devices with built in batteries because when the battery fails what do you do? If I manage things right I never have to plug in anywhere, but there is usually always a place to plug in. Places I use batteries are GPS, front and rear flashers, head lamp, and bike alarm. The GPS is the hardest on batteries as it goes through 2 batteries in 2-3 days. I hosted I young French fellow who used a dynamo hub and I was very impressed with his setup so when given the opportunity I did the same. It is not cheap so I wouldn't recommend it for a novice cycle tourer but definitely for a seasoned tourer having a touring bike built.

Sorry to tell you this but metal bottle cages break.

I don't take a laptop or tablet with me anymore as they take up way too much space and charging them was problematic. My phone does the job. Typing on it is a bit of a pain and the screen is a bit small but I can carry it on my person and my phone even talks to my camera. Functionally, a phone can act as a Camera and a GPS and do a reasonable job of it, like it did for my young French cyclist.

[JRNY]

I just got my new pannier bags! Will be doing a tour in Sept. I’ve already done “test packing” to see how much room is left over for snacks and other items. Bike touring is the ultimate in “pack only what you (truly) need.” 😊

[AndyRides]

I'm with you about clipless. Tried them; not for me.

[thattravellingguy]

I have a few lights from years gone bye which needed batteries. But ever since I exhausted the ones that they came with, i have been using rechargable nimh batteries. I use those and have replaced only 8 sets of 4 in over 10 yrs. And I use them almost every night from a minimum of 2 hours after sunset upto whole night tours. ( Moonlight rides are beautiful).
And yes, your picture with Agneiska was very nice. Thanks to you two, and @slow_spokes (that's the YouTube channel) your videos are helping me to plan my Canada cycle tour in August September.

[Bikeadventure]

Great tips! Everything I have is rechargeable and sometimes ill bring a portable battery pack as a backup between recharging spots.