What's on the bike?
I've had quite a few people ask me what gets packed on the bike, in what bags, where, and how. You can find a lot of this information on the internet (it's mostly how I learned all of this info), but I'm gonna throw all of this out there because it's relevant to pretty much all of the trips we've been taking. Pack lists will change according to the number of days on the bike, weather, ecosystem, etc. But for the most part this will give many newer people a great idea of how "all that stuff gets on the bike".
On our most recent trip, Jackie and I spent two nights in the high desert of New Mexico. We were told to carry all the water we needed, as there were no refill spots. Highs during the day were in the upper 80's and lows were in low 60's.
My bike: Custom painted Van Dessel Country Road Bob set up 1x11, shimano XT di2 with TRP Hylex hyrdo brakes/di2 shifter kit, Vittoria Reaxcion 27.5 wheelset, Vittoria Mezcal 2.1 tubeless tires. Brooks C17 saddle, Garmin 520.
Bags:
Handlebar - Salsa Anything Cradle with Sea to Summit Event Compression Dry bag inside was my Big Agnes Hitchens Ultra Light 20 degree sleeping bag, Big Agnes Q-Core SLX pad, Rapha Pro Team bib shorts, Rapha Pro Team SS jersey, and Patagonia LS merino shirt. Attached to top of Salsa Anything Cradle was a Revelate waterproof Egress Pocket, the perfect bag for my camera gear. Inside I kept car keys, cash, ID, Sony A9 camera with Sony 50mm 1.8 lens and Zeiss 25mm 2.0 lens.
Saddlebag - The Revelate Designs Viscacha stored my Patagonia rain jacket, Patagonia shorts, Patagonia merino t-shirt, battery for Garmin and phone, charging, cords, MSR spork, Sea to Summit collapsable bowl, coffee mug, Jetboil and fuel canister, ziplock with coffee grounds, Nutella, tortillas, ziplock with oatmeal, packets of almond butter, MSR camp towel, lighter, bug spray, first aid kit, toothbrush and paste, water tablets, ibuprofen, knife, Black Diamond Spot headlamp, GSI compact scraper.
Fork bags - 2 Salsa Anything Cages with Salsa Anything Dry Bags inside each bag was a two liter water bladder full of extra water - I needed to carry more weight than Jackie on my bike, so her Salsa bags had food and tent in them, when we used up the water in the bladders I traded bags with her. Extra Rapha LS jersey and Chaco flips.
Frame Bag - for longer trips we use a custom Cedaero full frame bag however on this trip I used a Revelate Designs Tangle half frame bag to carry tent poles, chain lube, rag, cheese, sausage, trail mix, and other on-bike snacks or more accessible tools.
On the backside of the handlebars, I had a Revelate Designs Mountain feedbag that carried an extra water bottle, olive oil (for cooking), cash, and sunscreen.
I also used a Revelate Designs Jerrycan for miscellaneous food items like bars and Sour Patch kids. Oh, and Emergen C packets.
Other items include a bottle underneath the downtube with spare tubes, multitool, chain links, lever, patch kit, spoke wrench, chain breaker, etc. A Crank Brothers Klic HP Pump mounted to left of downtube water bottle mount. Three Nalgene water bottles. Fayettechill baseball cap.
Jackie's set up is very similar to mine: same bike with same components, different saddle. Garmin 510.
She runs the same Salsa Anything Cradle with Sea to Summit 13L Big River Dry Bag inside Big Agnes Hitchens 20 degree Ultra Light bag and Big Agnes AXL Air sleeping pad, extra Rapha bibs.
She runs two Revelate Design Mountain Feedbags on her bars, one full of on-bike food and other with water bottle.
In her right side Salsa Anything Bag she carries a Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 Platinum tent with footprint. Left bag carries Lentil noodles, cheese, sausage, pesto mix, granola, tuna packets, and other misc food items.
Jackies Revelate Designs Viscacha bag she carries Patagonia rain jacket, Patagonia long tights, Patagonia shorts and tank, Icebreaker merino LS shirt, GravityWorks water filter, extra Rapha SS jersey, flip flops, toiletries, wet wipes, toilet paper, extra food items, coffee mug, whiskey.
Three Nalgene water bottles, Patagonia cap.
Besides normal cycling gear - shoes, helmet, glasses, kit, we both carried a Patagonia Nine Trails 14L pack with 2L water bladder inside. I kept gloves and other misc items inside in addition to the bladder. I'm not a huge fan of wearing backpacks while riding, but it was necessary on this trip due to the lack of water availability along the route.
For the record, we still ran out of water and had to veer off our course to filter 11 liters of water in the muddy Rio Grande.
I believe that does it. Let me know if you have any questions about anything else, would be happy to answer them.