The Tailfin pannier rack attaches easily and securely to almost any bike. The Tailfin side pannier bags work perfectly with the rack and give greater luggage capacity than is possible with bikepacking bags that strap to the bike. The setup works very well and the bags are well made, but there are some negatives and there are alternatives that might be better options for some people.
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Here are the details of my bike setup and equipment list that I’ll use in the Swiss Ultracycling CHallenge race next week. I’m very picky about everything that I take on an ultra-distance bike race, but I’m not a weight weenie, I prefer practicality and to be adequately prepared for most situations.
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The Tailfin Aeropack bag overcomes most of the disadvantages of a bikepacking-style seatpost-mounted bag and from that perspective I would highly recommend it. It’s well made, uses good quality materials, is lightweight, and attaches to almost any bike. I found the Aeropack far less practical and more awkward to use than a more conventional rear rack and rack-top bag, but such setups are heavier and are not as easy to attach to many bikes.
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There is a major recent trend for gravel bikes to be equipped with non-standard shapes of drop handlebars: flared bars, riser bars, and dual-level bars. I explain why I wouldn’t recommend any of these odd handlebar shapes over using a standard drop handlebar of the preferred width and an appropriate-height stem. I instead give better solutions for how to achieve each of the goals of these oddly-shaped bars while using a standard drop handlebar.
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As always, I focused on products aimed at bikepacking and ultra-distance cycling during my visit to Eurobike 2019. I noticed some promising trends in the industry and in the show itself, plus lots of interesting products to peer at and fondle.
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The effect that different bike equipment and accessories have on the average speed of typical long-distance cyclists is investigated.
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Advice on what types of bags to use for bikepacking and how they can be mounted. Also, whether to use fenders/mudguards for long-distance cycling.
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Advice on how much water to carry to optimize time efficiency in bikepacking races and long-distance cycling and options of where to store water on the bike.
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Time efficiency when off the bike is at least as important as cycling speed in bikepacking and ultra-distance cycling races in which the clock never stops.
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The variety of equipment used in bikepacking races means that the range of equipment costs is large, but estimates for reasonable options are given.
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