I've been pointing the house today and it's one of those jobs where my mind wonders and thinks about all kinds of things, so please accept my sincere apologies.

While at the Adventure Cycle festival earlier in the year, I overheard a comment ... " ooh they're proper bikepackers, they're from Bear Bones". I kid you not. I smiled at the time and forgot about it until swaying on my ladders this afternoon, trowel in hand. I recalled that it's the kind of comment I used to hear a lot at motorbike 'do's' and was usually directed towards members of various backpatch / outlaw clubs. In the main, it was said with a level of respect, a little awe and maybe even a touch of underlying fear.

Then it dawned on me ... somehow and unbeknown to all here, we've obviously become the cycling equivalent of an outlaw patch club

Even though I'm definitely not a "proper" bikepacker, the bearbones kit is definitely the only kit I'd ever consider wearing.

I disagree. Backpatch bikers are often not very nice people coz they think they're hard and mean and different to the rest of us in society. Bikepackers however, well the ones I've met are, well, erm, hard, but in a different sort of way but they're also nice and helpful and accomodating and generous and, well, you know, not like shitty backpatch bikers (funny how most of them wear the same uniform too, shaved head, goatee, camo pants/jacket). Backpatch bikers, I'm not a fan.

My point was simply one of others perception Ray ... I'm in no way serious. Let's be perfectly honest, we're much more ...



Than we are ...

Well we were most of the proper bikepackers there....

I think it's a compliment, people looking at this forum, and the denizens of it, and thinking - that is something to aspire to.

Maybe we should start an advetisement for new members: "Crave the open hillside? Do you want to look like this after a long multi day ride? Unable to straighten your fingers to wipe the 7 day old salt from your eyes? If so... well...ok. ERm...you're a proper bikepacker if you have/do/or at least think about doing it lots."

DSC00943.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

PS, you need to be comfortable with shitting in a bush. Even is there is no bush.

Backpatch club bikers , Hells Angels etc are known as 1%ers in the USA, does that mean we are the 1% ers of bikepacking? Do 4 panniered Dawes riders hide in bus shelters until it`s safe to come out in case a "Bearboneser lets their tyres down??
Thats so cool , I`ve always wanted to live on societies fringe and inhabit the dark side of the street.

I rode past a bikepacker on the Ridgeway today in my BB shirt and he called out "Excellent a Bareboner, respect!"

If it was you sorry I did not stop for a chat but was on a 5pm deadline to get home.

A very catchy slogan there Greg

The 1% thing stems from a quote in a newspaper after a riot / high spirits in the US in the late 40's. It said that 99% of motorcyclists were respectable and law abiding ... hence the patch clubs apopted the 1% to signify that they weren't.

I rode past a bikepacker on the Ridgeway today in my BB shirt and he called out "Excellent a Bareboner, respect!"

See, respect what did I say. Probably gotta be quite careful shouting 'excellent a boner' in public though.

Dave Barter wrote:I rode past a bikepacker on the Ridgeway today in my BB shirt and he called out "Excellent a Bareboner, respect!"
.

I got zero respect on the ridgeway without a bb shirt so you might be on to something.

I am a little fearful of what initiation ceremonies you are contemplating for prospect bikepackers Stu.

To quote Meatloaf:

"I would do anything for mud, but I won't do that!"

"We want YOU for the Bare Bones Winter Bivi".





(One for Reg... )

So that'll be a kudos tax on the next batch of jerseys
Or
Pay me more if you want this one (from the current order)

MuddyPete wrote:"We want YOU for the Bare Bones Winter Bivi".





(One for Reg... )

Unfortunately we're mainly middle age men with a beard and/or limited hair.

Not to generalise though.

ONE for Reg? I didn't realise I had to choose :).

This thread is even more brilliantly bonkers than the touring/bikepacking one. Or maybe I've just been eating too much dried food rehydrated with cold water and am having some sort of hallucination .

Being part of an elite sect sounds quite jolly actually, I think Stu needs to start coming up with some sort of elaborate handshake. We probably have the 'strange garb' well covered already.

It's probably more of a stare than a handshake. You just know.

Or, what's that smell.
It's a bikepacker.

It's going to be a long night

Dagnamit I can't grow a beard, so I'm out

Or will a 'Shaggy' facial growth and a stem cell of Scooby snacks suffice??

Given the number of Bearbones shirts at yesterday's YD200, quite a significant minority. I think it was Burty who said "I thought I'd be the only one wearing one!"

I did get the comment at the pub/cafe in Clapham - "Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat - sounds good to me!"

The creation of this thread has a great potential to be one of those barmy university studies ( does toast always land butter side down ), but instead “ do you have greater philosophical thoughts while pointing your house up a ladder ? “

Ha, unfortunately my, errr, 'physique', beard, tats, facial scarring and general grumpy demeanour is much more likely to get me mistaken for a 1%er than a bikepacker...

beard selfie (#1 clean)

[quote="Moder-dye"]Dagnamit I can't grow a beard, so I'm out

I think false beards will be acceptable but not clip on pony tails.

Just to confirm, are we in the cool gang or the outkast's gang?

are we in the cool gang or the outkast's gang?

This is the interesting bit really ... my understanding is, it's being on the fringes and cast out that makes us appear cool. So both

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

are we in the cool gang or the outkast's gang?

This is the interesting bit really ... my understanding is, it's being on the fringes and cast out that makes us appear cool. So both

Bit like flairs or loon pants eventually they come back into fashion.
Younger members may need to google that.