I’m preparing for a bikepacking (mountain biking) trip in pretty rugged grueling terrain. I’m using a dual suspension mountain bike with no frame bag. So I only have a front handlebar roll and a rear seat pack. I’ve decided I’ll carry a hydration pack to give me room for 3L of water, a wind or rain jacket, snacks, and any other bits and bobs are lighter in weight. I have an ultralight kit, with a tarp, a 40 degree quilt, etc, with a total gear weight of 7.5lbs. My dilemma is basically where to store my heaviest items, which basically will be food. Should I distribute the food weight evenly between the bars and seat pack and try to keep my handlebars lighter, or should I put more or even all of the food weight in the seat pack? I will likely have about six pounds of food for this three day trip.
What’s your weight distribution look like?
Theory of BikepackingThe trip is in a week so anything I buy is gonna have to be in stock and shipped fast. The frame has a weird shape and while I think I could figure out some top tube setup it’s still at about the same height and location if I’d just put the food in the handlebar bag. I’m leaning towards splitting the food between the tail bag and handlebars. I guess I could split it into three days and carry some in my backpack as well but with water I’m already up to like 6lbs in the backpack. The good news is that weight declines each day and becomes less cumbersome!
Don't forget that weight in your backpack and weight in the seat bag are both essentially weight on the back wheel. Remember that when trying to balance between front and back.
You should look into fork mounts for a couple of gear cages (standard bottle cage mounts) that you should be able to pick up at the LBS. If you dont have time to order a set of "universal" type mounts, you can just build them with hose clamps. Something fancy like this would be neat too: https://www.tailfin.cc/product/cargo-cage-system/suspension-fork-mount/?v=7516fd43adaa
But I just bought much simpler ones similar to these: https://sks-us.com/products/anywhere-adapter
That will push some of the weight forward to distribute it. Definitely do a custom frame bag eventually for more options. Bottom and top tube are good places to put stuff too.
I prefer more weight in the front. My recommendation is to put your entire sleep system and anything else that fits in the front roll. Then put your food in the seat pack. This way it will get lighter as you eat. I like the lighter rear end, it seems to impact handling less.
but it can make it harder to loft your front wheel
i know would would try to get some of the weight off my back maybe under the down tube or maybe one of those water tank things would fit inside the triangle?-
Your best bet is a frame bag and some kind of cargo cage bolted under the downtube to get weight low and centered. But if you are talking about front to rear my preference is putting more weight on the front. For my preference and riding style putting more weight in the rear negatively impacts handling to a greater degree than putting the weight up front does.
i'm all set with the frame bag and downtime load, have been for years thanks
Gèt a frame bag & carry the heaviest stuff at the bottom to help with lower center of gravity while riding. They make them for dual suspension, I use some, but they're not big, or get custom bags made
There’s a bit too much around the middle if I’m honest.
Oh, wait.
Back and middle, but mostly because I don't have a front rack/pack yet.
Heavy stuff in the middle, water is probably the heaviest thing you will carry so try to get as much of it as possible in the frame or on the downtube. The hydration pack is also a good idea but im guessing you will need extra. if you have space on the downtube a tool roll or bottle with your other heavy items works well (make sure its strapped tight).
Basically you want all the weight as close to the middle and as low as possible because it will make things more stable, after that, I would bias the rest of the weight towards the front - if possible on the fork but handlebar is ok too. It will give you more traction on climbs and also stabilises desents.
Okay the title of your question really wants the Dad jokes to come out flying. I am doing everything I can to not lol. Very good question though looking forward to reading the responses.
Heavy
Heaviest stuff as close to the bottom bracket as possible. Also, don’t forget to set sag after it is loaded.
I'd try and pack heaviest stuff in seat pack, close to seat post as possible. I prefer bulk as opposed to weight in handle bar bag for a full sus bike.
You can get frame bags for duel suspension bikes, they're just much smaller. You could also get a large top tube bag, I have one that's 2L in capacity I think.