Hi all, I'm just starting out with bike packing, currently riding a GT Grade as my commuting bike but looking for a mountain bike for bikepacking and need some advice!

Budget is around £750 main use will be trails and roads but I'd like to do the odd bit of more adventurous mountain biking too. I'll buy bags separately and I've got tarps bivvy etc already!

Any recommendations welcome but would be really helpful as to why you recommend it too,

Takes a lot to beat the Ramin 3
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-ra ... e-EV264163

Chew wrote:Takes a lot to beat the Ramin 3
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-ra ... e-EV264163

Thanks Chew. It's not one I considered so far. Is lack of front suspension a + or a - for bikepacking? Clearly it keeps cost down but if I just wanted to hit the trails/off road I wonder is suspension might be useful? Obviously its Evans own brand rather than a "name" is that a concern?

The answer to this question is Stooge its always Stooge then anything else.

You don't get very much Stooge for £750...

The Ramin is a good choice (AFAIK designed by Jameso off this forum?), so don't be worried about "own brand" quality. You just get a lot more for you money. Re front suspension, how do you cope off road on your GT? You might be fine without, I prefer rigid for bikepacking as it's less weight and maintenance. With a bike like the Ramin or Alpkit Transmitter you could always put a suss fork on later if you want to upgrade!

Here's a review of the Ramin from not too far away http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... eview.html The person to ask on here about the Ramin is Jameso, he works for Evans.

My wife has a Stooge (no it's not me!) as her bikepacking bike but you might struggle to get even a second hand one within budget.

Until recently my only MTB was rigid, it's not as restricting as you might think, you just have to take different lines, but if you are doing a lot of trail centre type riding then think about a separate bike.

Mariner wrote:The answer to this question is Stooge its always Stooge then anything else.

Oooh they look lovely, not sure it would come in on my budget though!?!? Not heard of these previously but lovely bikes!

The problem with suspension forks on a bike at your budget price point is they won't be much good anyway. I used to have sus forks on my bike but I've gone fully rigid and don't miss them.

The orher thing with sus forks especially better one's, is they need servicing. When I sent my fox's off the info that came back with them said they should be serviced once a year or every 100 hours of use. At my current riding levels they would have to be sent off every 6 weeks or so, even if I let the intervals slip it would be 4 to 6 times a year. That Ramin looks like a great bike for bike-packing.

Apologies if this is a duplicate, thought I'd replied on the laptop but didn't seem to post.

Having looked at pinnacle, Great bike but for me the lack of pannier eyelets is a real shame. I'm planning on LEJOG in 2021 so really will need panniers!

However I discovered the Alpkit Sonder Frontier which is more expensive but looks good and ticks most my boxes. Next question is 29 or 650b?!?

No reason why you'd need panniers for LEJoG if you've got bikepacking bags. It's just more weight on the bike.

I prefer 29er for distance riding - bikepacking or XC.

Another option would be a Genesis Longitude. It is outside your budget but I picked up a 2017 model for just above your budget in the end of season sales. It has eyelets and brazeons for just about everything which was attractive to me as later this summer I'll be using it to tour, set up a base camp (campsite with showers!) Then use it for day trips on local trails (as well of course for regular bikepacking). You do also see them come up for sale second hand. Stu has a review of the 2016 model on his blog, but note that 2017 model and 2018 I think returned to steel frames.

Edit to add:. Just saw your question about wheelsize. Being rather short in stature I went for the smaller wheelsize. I was having to buy unseen and comparing measurements I thought that 29+ might not have given enough clearance for a seatpack of regular size so was happy to go for smaller wheels. Until now I was using an old 26 wheeled bike so 27.5+ certainly feels very different, in a good way, but obviously I can't comment on 29, but in bikepacking people seem to manage on just about every wheel size!

Rigid? Not as much of an issue as you might expect off-road (and I do mean proper off-road)
Pannier rack fittings? As Andy says, do you really want a rack?

The biggest problem I can foresee is gearing. A lot of mountainbikes are 1 x 10 / 11 which could be horrible on a ride like lejog (especially if ridden in the traditional sense).

As an 'all rounder' I'd usually say 29" wheels but all the bikes mentioned can be fitted with either 29" or wide 650b rims so swapping isn't difficult or too costly. As Bob kindly pointed out, I had a Ramin3+ on longterm test but I liked it that much that I bought it - with my own money and everything.

On the wheel point: 29" MTB and road 700c rims are actually the same diameter so a rim that has an internal width of 19mm or so could be used for CX style tyres at say 32c or 37c as well as 2.3" MTB tyres.

I've 37C tyres on my single speed road/commuter and they are surprisingly quick.They are slower than road specific tyres but not by that much and they are much more comfortable because of the extra volume.

Robrichards wrote:Is lack of front suspension a + or a - for bikepacking? Clearly it keeps cost down but if I just wanted to hit the trails/off road I wonder is suspension might be useful?

Depends much on what you intend to do with it and in what manner.

Riding rough off road and single tracks leasurely will work just fine with rigid, also on long back to back days. If you start to try harder and go faster you’ll soon get to the point where the front wheel lacks tracking, cornering and also comfort.

Throw in a sus fork and you get grip and more efficiency on proper mountainbiking terrain. After all you also get more comfort. Useless obviously on smooth gravel stuff and tarmac.
But you also weigh you bike down by 1 to 1.5 kg (29”, burly built sus fork vs. steel rigid or carbon rigid)

I’ve no experience on the Ramin, but it does seem a good way to go. For loads of versatility why not get a Fox Rhythm for 160 Euro to go with it:
https://www.bike-components.de/de/Fox-R ... tt-p61616/

Whilst it’s as cheap as it gets with Fox, it has a good, easy tunable damping system (GRIP). You’ll only find similar dampers on much more expensive forks. You can travel it down by 10 mm increments if you find 130 mm is too much.

Over budget but I wonder whether something very much like a Genesis Vagabond would suit?

Ex-display for £900 https://devoncycles.co.uk/product/genes ... NAEALw_wcB

I know someone who is possibly selling his stooge secondhand and looked after, as long as I don't buy it first that is could be worth a punt now

Bearbonesnorm wrote: (and I do mean proper off-road)

Alpinum wrote:proper mountainbiking terrain

I wonder what image of terrain you have in your head...

Two idiots, one thought (sorry I just assume you're an idiot. surely nothing to worry about though)

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Over budget but I wonder whether something very much like a Genesis Vagabond would suit?

Ex-display for £900 https://devoncycles.co.uk/product/genes ... NAEALw_wcB

you got any experience with them there vagabonds stu ,looking at getting one through c2w when the scheme comes up later in the year , it will work out about £580 with no final payment (the work stand that payment )

I wonder what image of terrain you have in your head...

The kind I can only assume the OP means when he says -

main use will be trails and roads but I'd like to do the odd bit of more adventurous mountain biking too.

Which sounds very much like the kind of terrain that's ridden by 90% of folk 90% of the time.

you got any experience with them there vagabonds stu

No, noises to test / review one fell on deaf ears but I've always liked the look of them. I like the 2017 in blue with skinwalls especially

Thanks for the idea re the Genesis vagabond, I think that's very similar to my existing bike (GT Grade) and I'm looking for a more mountain bike type bike if that makes sense!

Thanks for the idea re the Genesis vagabond, I think that's very similar to my existing bike (GT Grade) and I'm looking for a more mountain bike type bike if that makes sense!

I do see what you mean Rob but don't let the bars fool you. The Vagabond is very much a drop-bar mountain bike, not a 'gravel' / adventure bike ... but saying all that, many people do find drops limiting off-road ... you know, on proper mountain bike terrain

I think it's the legog thing that's perhaps throwing me off the scent.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Which sounds very much like the kind of terrain that's ridden by 90% of folk 90% of the time.

which is?
Bridleways and the likes?
Is Ian's Wales C2C?

Bearbonesnorm wrote:
I think it's the legog thing that's perhaps throwing me off the scent.

There's some good mountain biking from top to bottom (or the other way round) in the UK.
Nothing wrong with mountainbiking lejog. Just because many ride it on the easiest way possible, it doesn't mean there's not some interesting terrain on the way.

which is?
Bridleways and the likes?

Yes, bridleway, forest roads, singletrack - a real mixture of surfaces and gradient but generally anything that can't be ridden rigid (and I use can't with some reserve) is very short lived and would account for a tiny percentage of available riding.

Is Ian's Wales C2C?

Yes, it's probably a good example.

Nothing wrong with mountainbiking lejog. Just because many ride it on the easiest way possible, it doesn't mean there's not some interesting terrain on the way.

No one said there was anything wrong with mountainbiking it but I'm assuming the OP isn't given the rack eyelet comment.

What's up, is it 'National argue with your own arsehole' day in the Alps?

I've read words like trails and mountainbiking... the threadopener may get the hang of biking with little enough gear by 2021 to go sans panniers.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:What's up, is it 'National argue with your own arsehole' day in the Alps?

no, just a regular day stroking teddy bears