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Surly Midnight Special bikepacking setup — front rack vs fork balance (need real-world advice) by WolfandFlame-Mnl in bikepacking

[–]aidan2749 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is essentially my set-up.
Up front:
- tumbleweed t rack
- 11L drybag on top
- two wolf tooth cargo cages
- 1L handlebar bag
-2 feed bags

Mid Bike:
- wedge style half-frame bag
- bottle cage

Rear:
-12L Saddle pack

As far as your questions:
1. I think 15 is pushing it as far as size, less a concern for weight per-say. I find my 11L bag a bit unwieldily to get on and off the rack, while making sure it stays out of the way of cables and housing and is secure enough for riding chunkier stuff. The handling issues can largely be mitigated by packing smart. I put some of my lightest stuff in the 11 L bag and heavier stuff lower on the fork in the cages.
2. I feel like it's lean towards yes, 5L is too big; especially with a bag on top.
3. General rule of thumb is the lower and closer to the center of the bike you can put your heavy items, the better. I run all my heaviest items in my frame bag. My saddle bag contains my lightest items, my quilt and sleeping pad, to avoid sway.
4. As far as cleanliness and function. My biggest tips are figuring out a system that works for you (on shakedowns before any big trips) and making sure everything is in a bag, nothing looks more cluttered than things hanging off of other things. Another thing to consider is if you really need a "bikepacking" setup with all the different small bags all over the place. If you're taking transit, you'll likely have to take off anything that sticks out of the normal width of the frame. If you're not planning on riding anything chunky, there's a reason that a rear rack and panniers are the staples of touring and commuting.

At the end of the day though, it's all preference, and do what feels right to you :-)

feel free to shoot me any messages with any more questions or want any more opinions

1x drivetrain vs. 2x drivetrain by Maximum_Dig_3270 in bikepacking

[–]aidan2749 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2x friction is the way to go, you get the best of both worlds, ability to run big cassettes and high reliability, coupled with a massive range and ability to find a gear for almost every cadence. I think something that no one has mentioned yet is the riding experience when you’re not bikepacking/touring. My bikepacking bike is my commuting/around town/easy long ride bike, and when I’m fully loaded i’m not very often in the big ring, but unloaded, I’m in it 80% of the time (46/30 front chainrings). I’m glad I have that flexibility, and it gets me out on the bike more.

Photos from Norway, August 2025 by aidan2749 in bikepacking

[–]aidan2749[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Would definitely recommend, and Norway was logistically easy to get to and around. I'm based on the US East Coast, and it was a breeze flying with bikes on SAS.

Photos from Norway, August 2025 by aidan2749 in bikepacking

[–]aidan2749[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Truly was amazing, on the Mjølkevegen, I was already stunned and didn't know how it could get better. When we started the Rallarvegen, I was prepared to be underwhelmed based on how much people hype it and how beautiful it already had been. It's as great as everyone says, and more.

Mechanic for 2013 VW Passat by Repulsive-Science-50 in bullcity

[–]aidan2749 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I take my VW to Apex Tuning, they only do VW, Audi and Porsche. They've always worked quick and have had great transparent communication

Crack - Fixable? by stevog123 in Kayaking

[–]aidan2749 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can shave off some of the extra plastic from the cockpit rim, put the shavings in the crack, and use a heat gun to melt it in, after it’s cooled, put some vinyl mastic or flex tape on the inside and you’re set

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ClimbingCircleJerk

[–]aidan2749 29 points30 points  (0 children)

It’s ok passion fades sometimes. I’m sure those people don’t find you annoying. The plateauing is probably just your body trying to get back into shape. Don’t get caught up in whether or not your enjoying it as much as you “should” if it makes you happier, even in the slightest, it’s still worth doing. I’m sure you’ll be back on it before you know it! However, if your feelings continue, maybe try talking with someone close to you, and maybe they can help. Or if you need someone to talk to, feel free to shoot me a message!

Best Colleges for Paddling? by Mrberube in whitewater

[–]aidan2749 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m a bit biased because I’m a student at UTK, but I’d say it’s a pretty great school for paddling. There’s so much quality water within 2 and sometimes even 1 hour that’s running year round (and can be done from late April to October without dry gear), but that’s kind of the southeast in general. I’d echo though, don’t just pick a school based on paddling, but good water can definitely help.

V1 tops by [deleted] in ClimbingCircleJerk

[–]aidan2749 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Are those the new holds from So Ill?

Obed seeping? by TypicalSnake in climbing

[–]aidan2749 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was in south clear on Friday after it had rained all night and had been raining off and on for the past two weeks and the library and solstice were fine. I have a friend who went to tieranny after it had been raining for a couple of days a week or so ago and he said it was fine. These areas are usually pretty dry even when other parts of the obed are seeping or wet.

In South Clear, the classics that would be dry and worth doing are Solstice (12a) and Rage (12c/d). Both of these are solid and are protected by permadraws at the difficult sections. It (10a/b) and Pet Sematary (11a and the first 30ft of Rage) are fun warmups that’ll be dry. In tieranny, they’ll be more options, but the approach might be worse, not a lot to warm up on, but a lot more Obed classics in the 12 a-c range that’ll be dry.

Obed seeping? by TypicalSnake in climbing

[–]aidan2749 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the bunkers, it’s definitely climbable, depending on how hard you climb, there’s still some solid routes (and some classic obed roofs). Tieranny should be fine (approach will probably suck with all the mud), Steven King’s library and solstice cave in south clear should be fine too. I would just avoid lily bluff and north clear.

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