‘Kev’s Tips’ - Bike camping with a full-suspension mountain bike (trail/road mix)
/Three of us went bike camping along the Old Chalk Way in late August 2023.
The weather was broadly kind. We were away for 6 camping days, 4 of them wild stops.
I made some MTB set up notes when I got home, just in case anyone might be planning a similar adventure.
I hope they are useful/interesting.
Photo: Resting at the top of Gold Hill.
MTB v Gravel Bike
An age-old dilemma, much debated. For me: well, I had an MTB, I wanted to ride it.
Off road - The MTB with its upright position came into its own off road, I had much better fun than the gravel bikers. I reckon.
In particular deep tractor wheel ruts are a thing. They can have sudden ups and downs. Pedals bottoming out, front wheel clipping mud walls, sand.
Slippery wet chalk is a challenge, taken best on an MTB.
On Road - Uphill it appeared the gravel bike gear ratios worked better than the MTB. There are some very steep hills on this route, in the first few days. On the flat I drafted happily on the tarmac sections.
The best draft of all my days so far: 140k in a day, on the Norfolk section, behind 2 gravel-bikers & a day-tripping domestique roadie. That was a great day 😊, I didn’t want to stop, but I had to.
Photo: off road – slippery chalk is a challenge for all.
Luggage capacity
Limited options on full suspension bikes due to racks needing fixing points.
Front set up - I found a front mount rack for £12 & added panniers £70. Loaded they weighed around 3.5kg each – made the steering quite heavy, but I settled in after 3 days.
I imagined I was Steve McQueen in the Great Escape - it got me through some tough bits! All up I carried about 12kg.
However, payback - the rack brackets on the front forks slipped due to the weight & off road malarky. Luckily, I talk to anyone & a Yamaha Easy Rider was happy to get his brand-new tool kit out & loan a 10mm spanner & screwdriver.
Rear set up - Rear bag was fixed to the seat tube - my MTB has a riser post (raises lowers saddle via lever on handlebars).
The bag weight (approx. 6kg) caused the riser post locking ring to work loose.
I had no pipe grips to tighten it with so it was a pain.
I had fitted an Alpkit “bag-support-bar” as on the previous trip the extended saddle bag had sagged & rubbed on the rear tyre – this trip the set up worked great.
Pump up the rear suspension shock – mine regularly bottomed out on off-road sections – the saddle bag weight had added 6kg.
I pre-weighed my luggage piece by piece. This helped me plan weight distribution across the bags. However, during the second day I had moved some items from the front panniers to the rear bag, as the steering was so heavy.
Navigation – my companions used modern turn by turn satnav with visual maps displayed (i.e. not ‘bread crumb trails’) e.g. Garmin 1000. Essential if you don’t want to keep stopping to check at junctions…. (I have since bought one too). I saved power and turned mine off.
Power packs – carried two USB charger packs for phones and watches (got to have a Strava event recorded haven’t you) & bike lights. My companions had inbuilt wheel hub dynamos.
Photo: Paul invested in a high-quality bike rack & bag system set up. Very smart.
Test ride with bags packed really helps but go for a few hours or overnight. See what happens.
I should have tested my new bits of kit more.
Sleep system – weight v comfort. I adopted a 2season bag + puffer jacket, with a foam mat. Not great but I survived.
Photo: For all the Wild Horses: - Can you get up & packed, in the morning?
Tent system – weight v space – can you use a basher/bivvy tent, maybe just a Gortex bivvy bag? Consider the rain forecast & temperatures & how long your trip is!
Photo: We all took tents.
Catering
Gas camping cooker – used 2/3 bottle over 4-5 nights. Pack a lighter.
Water bottles – carried 3. When wild camping I keep a full bottle for the evening: cooking and breakfast coffee. 1st in a handlebar cage which was really easy to use. 2nd on down tube plus 3rd for evening use which was underslung on downtube (and it gets muddy down there).
Cover the underslung bottle cap if you can (bag it or cap it), or you might be content using an antidote in the evenings (Imodium).
Guinness is a miracle cure. Not everywhere sells it though.
Headtorch - for the evening camp.
Clothing
Hat – needed due to evening midges
Long leggings (e.g. those comfy Ronhills) – protect against those evening midges & get out of those lycra (unwashed!) shorts for a bit.
Wet Wipes – make sure they are wet still. Not last year’s pack.
Sun Protection – P20 worked really well.
Injuries – bramble scratches on arms & ankles (& from coarse grass) – consider your treatment plan (I didn’t bother but it was a bit sting-y at night).
Evening comfy shoes – soft and light (I took an old pair of sketchers)
If you intend to come home on, say, the train, remember you won’t have washed. Are you worried about other passengers’ noses?
Take a luxury item for one-upmanship – this time the 3-legged camping stool was left at home. The coffee press beat my companions’ attempts, but proved so popular that I ran out of coffee.
Postscript – if anyone wants a demo/look at the bits of kit, do ask.
Kev
