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I just joined. Thx for creating this resource Matthew! Would love advice: I’ll be cycling, June-August this year, throughout the bottom half of Norway (mostly Oppland to Hordaland and south) staying off main roads as much as possible, doing some wild camping and staying in huts if along routes… I’m a mid-aged woman, used to stability and agility of my Yeti Arc w/bikepacking set up but ready to give gravel biking a shot for the longer distance biking. Please recommend a gravel bike that’s light but strong (can handle heavier loads) versatile (good mounts for all types of bag configurations), comfortable (I’m new to drop bars, want something that’ll somewhat mimic the control I feel with my mountain bike bars but with more comfort), stable (I’ll feel control on gnarly terrain despite the more narrow tires) and efficient (climbing friendly)… and w/universal parts… easier for me to repair in most countries… Also, I want to pack minimally but will I regret not taking more and using panniers? If so, any waterproof pannier recommendations? THANKS!!
Gjermund Gustavsen and Martin Clarke5 Comments-
We have Ortleib panniers on a touring MTB bike set up have never let us down, these can also be used on a Gravel bike they worked well on my Specialized Diverge. good luck with you adventure.
About our bags Ortlieb gravel pack rear bags about 30l of space and fork plus bags on the front about 8l, We also have rack pack at 31 litres each which maybe you do not need.
Martin
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Thanks! Yes, my bikepacking set up is very similar with ortlieb. Was primarily wondering about gravel bikes, but might use my Mtn bike too??
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@Ahne Kristin I use the same set up on my Gravel bike minus the large rack bag. Website says total weight should not exceed 120kg total for my diverge E5 which has a aluminium frame.
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Great plan to go gravel! It’ll surely get you closer to nature and away from traffic, and Cycle Norway really is a great resource for finding routes (which is otherwise a bit hard to find).
Modern gravel bikes are great, so there are surely lots of brands+models that will fit the bill. I don’t have too much experience in the touring space (I saw you got some good answers from Matthew in a different post), but bought a Canyon Grizl for my own bikepacking needs. Looks slick, reasonably priced, comes in a light carbon frame, lots of great accessories available for it (like fork cages), and with the possibility of suspension on the front if you want something that handle the really gnarly parts. But I never bought it specifically for touring, and also wanted the possibility to turn it into a road bike with slicks whenever I needed that.
I wouldn’t worry about the drop bars, you’ll get used to that. And if you go for wide tyres (45-50mm) I think you’ll make do without the suspension, unless you plan to spend days in gnarly terrain.
Something like an Ortlieb Quickrack could also be considered if you wanted to make it into more of a touring bike, but I’m sure other people could give better advice in that department: https://de.ortlieb.com/en/products/quick-rack
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Hjertelig Takk! 😃
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