Touring. Trailer or racks? Pros and cons please? How far is

[hamster]

Panniers and rack weigh a lot less than a trailer to haul up a hill or two. With decent but not crazily expensive camping gear your stuff should be in the 13-15 kg range.
The load does make the bike handle like a truck, but on an MTB it is fine.

I like to ride around 60 miles daily with camping gear. Much more is a bit of a chore.
Let me know if you want my camping pack list.

 

[Spibblo]

Re:

Racks

 

[barry2017]

Ok. A kiddie trailer is far too big for such a short trip, and will put you off.
If you have modern lightweight kit a pair of pannier bags is plenty. Or even a big saddlebag like a Carradice Camper.

Avoid the temptation to take too much crap. In reality, you only really need a change of clothes, a stove (if you're bothering with hot food, I tend not to if I go in the summer), a flannel(which you can use as a towel, clean in the campsite showers and dry out on the road), warm clothes, waterproof, book, soap, torch and toothbrush. Anything more is a luxury.

 

[The History Man]

I have a 1 man super lightweight tent but think that may be a little tight if I have to cook in it so may upgrade to a two or even three man depending on weight and cost. Also, roll mat? I have the old foam types and air beds but nothing in between.

 

[jimplops]

They're a bit heavier, but the thermarest inflatable type mats pack smaller, and if your going summer time, a good lightweight way is the tent flysheet and just a ground sheet gives a touch more space and less weight, the kimm guys used to use waterproof maps as the groundsheet.

 

[PurleySquire]

As I've mentioned on other threads, you should take a look at European style cycle touring, where your kit is couriered from one night's stop to the next, whilst you enjoy a good long day's ride sans accoutrements. No huge panniers, trailers or tents required.
http://www.radreisen.eu/en/cycling-tours.html
The bike supplied was a sturdy 7 speed tourer, so not exactly sporty. I did Passau (Germany) to Vienna in 5 days, following the Danube, but you could probably do it in less if you really went for it.

 

[barry2017]

Oh, and one more thing. Don't get too hung up on equipment. There isn't a universal list; you need to see what works for you, really.
Do a couple of overnight trips before you set off on the big one, they're worth any amount of bits of advice online.

 

[jaypee]

Re: trailer or panniers

We go to France with the kids on bikes and I take as much of the stuff as I can to keep it as easy as possible for the kids - so trailer and panniers. I also have a singlewheel trailer for llighter trips.

A 2-wheel trailer adds a huge amount of drag and can make hill climbing seriously tough - and you have no choice, pushing isn't an option! . Having said that I do overloadmine . It does make the bike easy to manoeuvre though and if you get one with a hub coupling you can just lie the bike down or lean it against something as if you had no luggage so if you'll be stopping often it can be useful.

I don't see the carry/pull distinction, unless you mean that the weight makes the bike more unstable and wobbly with panniers (which it certainly does).

I have a cheap eBay single-wheel trailer I got second hand which I hoped would be the best of both worlds . In some ways it is but it's not as good as I hoped . Though there's significantly less drag than the 2-wheel tthere's still quite a bit, making it much harder work than the same weight on panniers. The handling is different again because it hitches to both sides of the rear hub to prevent it falling over. So it rocks from one side to gthe other. This isn't too bbad but I found it annoying. It also makes it hard when you stop - pprobably the worst option for regular stopping.

 

[jaypee]

Re: trailer or panniers

...overall I'd recommend panniers unless you don't plan to go too far and want the easeof being able to jump on and off regularly in which case a two-wheeler. The latter also makes packing/unpacking really easy and is generally pretty convenient .

 

[The History Man]

Some great advice and plenty to think about.

I would be unsupported. For me the main issue is a decision on which way to do it. I would then tailor my kit to suit the available room. Off to the shed to see which bikes have rack mounts. Thinking bar ends and guards for the trip. Got city jet 1.9s already. And other fast rolling tyres with a little more tread so I keep coming back to the carriage method............

I've done a lot of self sufficient walking over the years inc the wall walk so reckon I have the kit even if it's all a bit heavy and dated. Still works though.