It's time for my take on the best bike packing bikes for 2021.
In this super in-depth video, I'll first explain how I went about selecting these bikes. I'll then
discuss the different bike categories, and finally, we will look at all of the bikes that stand out to me.
I've made this video particularly informative so that you can learn some cool stuff and apply
my knowledge to any bike - new or old, expensive or cheap. I'm using my Bikepacking Bike Buyers Guide
to compare and select all of these bikes. The book goes into every detail about bikepacking bikes
before allowing you to compare over 220 current models at the back of the book.
Don't worry about it going out of date, it's updated yearly for free. So, how did I select
the best bikepacking bikes? I first assessed the frame geometries for each of these bikes
to see whether they are suitable for the bike's intended use. I was looking for bikes that are
stable to ride, more upright than typical, and with the appropriate steering characteristics
for the expected terrain. I next looked at the lowest climbing gear on each of these bikes.
If you don't have a low enough climbing gear, you simply struggle more than necessary. We will
use "gear inches" to compare the climbing gears on different bikes. This is the diameter of the wheel,
times the size of the front chainring, and divided by the size of the rear cog.
With this information, we can compare bikes with different wheel sizes and drivetrain setups.
Don't worry about the fact that we're talking in inches - I just prefer the double or triple-digit numbers
that it spits out. All you really need to know is that lower is always better, and the benchmark for
off-road is less than 20 gear inches, and for gravel, it's less than 24 gear inches.
Gear inches are also relative: a bike with a 10% smaller number will climb 10% slower
using the same RPM. Next was tyre clearance. There are very few downsides to having a bike that can
clear wide tires, so I have prioritized any models with more generous clearances within
their bike category. And lastly, I have narrowed the options down to the point where you get the
most performance for your money. If these prices are too high for your budget, you should look for
an older version of these bikes second-hand. Let's discuss the different categories that I'm using
to select these bikes. 29+ bikes use the largest diameter rim, and wide three-inch tires.
27.5+ bikes have the same tyre footprint but the wheel diameter is smaller.
Plus Hardtail bikes again have three-inch tyres but are designed to be more fun on trails, using suspension forks
and dropper seat posts. Full Suspension bikes employ front and rear suspension to maintain
excellent traction, and make rough trails a breeze. Fat Bikes are sand and snow specialists, with the
ability to fit five-inch wide tyres. Mid Fat bikes are the middle ground between a Plus and
a Fat Bike. 29-inch Flat Bar bikes employ a more agile mountain bike frame geometry and mountain
bike tires wider than 2.1 inches. 29-inch Drop Bar bikes use big wheels and tires wider than 2.1 inches.
27.5 inch Gravel Bikes use smaller mountain bike wheels but with 50mm or wider tires on
a drop bar frame. 27.5 Gravel Ultralight is the weight-optimized version. 700C Gravel Bikes are
the fastest on smooth surfaces, using 40 to 50mm wide tyres. 700C Gravel Ultralight is
the weight-optimized version. And 700C Gravel All-round is both weight and tire clearance optimized.
Okay, let's start with the Jones Plus LWB, which is a unique bike
even within the 29+ bike category. Jones take a regular plus bike, but stretch out both the front
and rear centres. As both ends of the bike are longer, you end up with a similar weight
distribution on the tyres. There are two big advantages to this design. Number one: the longer
wheelbase provides more stability at speed, which keeps your bike more composed on rougher terrain.
And number two: you can more comfortably climb steeper gradients with the longer chainstays.
This is because the "looping angle" at the back of the bike increases, meaning your front wheel will
stay planted even on the steepest ascents. The disadvantages to long chainstay bikes is that
it's harder to lift the front wheel over obstacles, and the bike is a little bit less agile on tight,
twisty trails. The way I see it, tight twisty trails usually make up a small percentage
of a bikepacking route, so optimizing around stability is probably the way to go.
The Jones is my pick because it's priced well, it has low gear ratios for climbing, and it's
running appropriately wide rims for its three-inch tyres. The steering is quicker than most Plus bikes,
which will help change direction with a moderate front load. It also has more than enough mounts for
cargo cages and even racks and fenders. And some quick stats compared to the average plus bike.
It's 9% heavier, it's a quick steerer and the climbing gear is better than average.
The Sonder Frontier is an excellent value plus bike. According to Sonder, this bike tips the
scales at 12.2kg, which is substantially lighter than almost all other plus bike offerings.
This low weight and great value are thanks to the unrivaled price to weight ratio of an aluminium
frame and fork, which usually saves between 1 and 1.5kg over the equivalent steel offering. The
Frontier is using a SRAM 1X drivetrain with the same 18-inch climbing gear as the
Jones. Unlike the Jones, the frame geometry is more on the playful end of things so you can expect it
to ride with more agility. It's worth noting that you can get the frame set for £299
and the wheels for £179 pound, which would be a great place to start on a custom build. You can
also get the complete bike with 29-inch wheels and a suspension fork if you're after something that
is more optimized around recreational mountain biking. Quick stats compared to the average plus
bike. It's 13% lighter, it has a typical steering speed and the climbing gear is better than average.
If you'd prefer to have a more multi-purpose mountain bike, for the money, I don't think you
can beat the Salsa Timberjack XT. This bike offers a suspension fork with 130 millimeters of travel
along with a dropper seatpost. These two components alone will transform any Plus Bike into a trail
shredding machine, allowing you to take on much rougher, steeper and more technical terrain than
usual. The downside to these components is that you need to service them. Rockshox forks call for
a 50-hour service interval on the lower legs and 200 hours for a full strip and rebuild.
The climbing gear is 18 gear inches which is great for backpacking, and shifting will
be sublime given the bike has been spec'd with a Shimano XT shifter and derailleur.
One of the nicest things about Salsa bikes is that many models have perfectly-fitting
frame packs available, and the Timberjack is no exception. Quick stats compared to the average plus
bike. It's a typical weight, it's a slow steerer and the climbing gear is better than average.
For rough terrain and all-round mountain bike fun, it's hard to beat a full suspension bike.
The suspension allows you to tackle the same technical terrain as a plus bike, but with
lighter, narrower and faster rolling tyres. It's also the fun-est to ride on singletrack, in my
opinion. The model that stands out most to me this year is the Kona Hei Hei. It has decent
space for a custom frame pack along with the new Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain, a long dropper
seat post, and 29x2.5 inch tyre clearance. Quick stats compared to the average full-size bike: it's
a touch heavier, it has a quicker steering response and the climbing gear is average.
For loose surfaces like sand or snow, you need maximum tyre floatation, and that's where the wider
26 inch fat bike tyres still hold the advantage when compared to narrower 27.5 inch fat bikes.
The best value 26 inch fat bike this year is the aluminium Salsa Mukluk. It comes stock with 4.6
inch tyres, but will squeeze in a 4.8 if you need. The drivetrain is the new Shimano Deore 11-speed
with an 18 inch climbing gear. As usual, you can order the bike with a perfectly-fitting frame pack
and the Mukluk has all the provisions to carry a bikepacking bag ensemble, or rear panniers if you
need the volume. If you do not need the massive tyre float of the Mukluk, you can use a Mid Fat
bike that's a bit more well-rounded on different surfaces. The full-carbon Otso Voytek may be the
most expensive bike on this list, but at 11.5kg, it's light and it comes with some
unique features. While most fat bikes have a very wide crank distance between the pedals, the Otso is
just 10mm wider than normal. This reduces knee strain by bringing the pedals closer together,
and it provides extra cornering clearance too. The Voytek is able to adapt to different wheel sizes
using special sliding dropouts which change both the chainstay length and the bottom bracket height.
This means you compromise much less than normal when choosing between regular mountain bike tyres,
3 inch plus tires, 4-inch mid-fat tires or a full fat setup like you see pictured. The entry-level
Voytek comes with Shimano SLX gearing, but you can configure the bike from the ground up in
the Otso configurator. Quick stats compared to the average fat bike, it's substantially
lighter, it's a marginally quicker steerer and the climbing gear is a bit higher than average.
Let's move on to something quicker on smoother surfaces. I'm all about the Marin DSX2. It's insane
value at $1149 with the latest 12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain, a full carbon fork, hydraulic
brakes and a lightweight aluminium frame. There is clearance for a 2.1-inch tyre, so this is not quite
as versatile as other bikes in this category, which will fit up to 2.5 inches, but you'll find that 2.1
inch is ample width for most gravel surfaces. You can expect the DSX2 to tip the scales at about
11kg, making it particularly light for its price. Quick stats compared with the average
29 inch bike. It's substantially lighter, but it has a typical steering response and climbing gear.
If you've decided that dropbars are what your 29er requires, the Riverside 920 is where
the value is at. This aluminium bike is 12.7kg and has been designed for moderate
off-road terrain. It has a lower climbing gear than the average bike in this category, it will squeeze
in wide 2.4 inch tubeless tires and it's running a SRAM 1X11 drivetrain and hydraulic brakes.
This is also the only bike on this list that comes with the dynamo hub and USB charger. You will find
the Cycle2Charge USB plug integrated neatly in the steerer tube. This unit is actually a pretty
effective charger after 16KPH, and it makes excellent power after 20KPH.
I definitely recommend a pass-through battery for bikepacking, as you will probably drop below
15KPH regularly, and your device won't like losing its charge. Please check out my
in-depth battery article linked in the description. The only downside to the 920 is that the geometry
is a bit quirky, the bike would benefit from a slacker head tube angle, longer fork offset
and lower bottom bracket, in particular. Quick stats compared to the average 29 inch bike.
It's a bit heavier, it has a quicker steering response and lower climbing gear than average.
Amongst 27.5" gravel bikes, the Poseidon Redwood honestly seems too good to be true.
This is a ridiculously good value bike at just $899, and it has a more generous 2.5 inch tire
clearance than any bike in this category. It's running a 1X10 Microshift group
set, which is generally well-received. It has modern frame features and lots of bikepacking
mounts. The 22-inch climbing gear is great and it's tubeless-ready too. My only criticism is
that the handlebar will be very low for riders above 180cm, especially if you have
long legs for your height. Quick stats compared to the average 27.5 gravel bike. It's quite a bit
heavier, it has a slower steering response and it has a much lower climbing gear than average.
I've recommended the Diamondback Haanjo ever since it came out, and the 2021 version is no
exception. This full-carbon 27.5 gravel bike tips the scales at 9.7kg,
it has a mid-range SRAM Rival 1X group set paired with some rather nice Praxis cranks. The
wheels are relatively lightweight and the bike is set up tubeless from the factory.
While the tyre clearance is not at the same level as the Redwood, the 50mm wide rubber
will be great for the majority of gravel rides. Quick stats compared to the average 27.5 bike.
It's 10% lighter and it has a slower steering response. The climbing gear is better than average.
In the 700C gravel category, I really like the Jamis Renegade steel. For starters, it has
one of the most thought-out frame geometries. The two smaller sizes come with 650B wheels,
which are a better fit for a smaller rider. They help reduce the frame standover and decrease the
toe overlap. In the middle frame sizes, the fork offset is longer, which aids in reducing toe
overlap for average height riders. You'll notice the chainstays get longer as the bikes get bigger.
This is how all gravel bikes should be sized as the long chainstays help to correct the front
and rear weight distribution of a tall cyclist. The Renegade is using a Shimano GRS 2X drivetrain
to give it the holy trinity: a wide gear range, small gear jumps when you change gears, and a
lower climbing gear than almost all gravel bikes. This will make the drivetrain equally as nice to
use on-road and off-road. Learn more about 1X and 2X drivetrain setups up here. The frame
uses smaller diameter steel tubing to increase the side-to-side flex of the bike when compared
to other gravel bikes, which should give it a more lively ride underneath you. Even though the
frame is made out of steel, the full carbon fork helps to save lots of weight, resulting in an 11kg bike.
Quick stats compared to the average 700C gravel bike. It's 8% heavier and has
a rather quick steering response. The climbing gear is the gold standard amongst gravel bikes.
Have you noticed that this is the fifth green bike in a row? This colour is clearly on trend.
If you're after something ultra light and good value, it's hard to go past the Canyon Grail 7.
This aluminium bike with a carbon fork tips the scales at just 9.4kg. It has been
spec'd with a 2X11 Shimano GRX group set, which offers a better than usual 24-inch climbing gear,
and hydraulic brakes. Other notable components on the Canyon include some nice DT Swiss wheels,
and a carbon seat post which has been tuned to flex 5 to 10mm up and down, providing
a silky smooth ride on bumpy roads. Quick stats compared with the average 700c bike. It's 8%
lighter, with a typical steering response. The climbing gear is 8% lower than most.
My "all-round" gravel category favors bikes that can squeeze in a little bit more rubber than typical.
In the case of the Trek Checkpoint, you can squeeze in up to 50mm sometimes. The Checkpoint
uses the highest-tier of Trek's aluminium tubing, to create a frame that's only 1.5kg.
It's using the same Shimano GRX groupset as the Canyon, so the climbing gear is also appropriately
low, and the hydro brakes are nice and powerful. This bike has an adjustable chainstay length,
which means that taller riders can select the longer chainstay length, while smaller riders
can go shorter. It's also available in three different colours, which is unusual on higher-end
bikes. Quick stats compared to the average 700c bike. It's a typical weight with a fast
steering response. The climbing gear is 8% lower than most. Okay, that's it guys! Let
me know in the comments whether you like my picks. I'd recommend watching last year's video for even
more recommendations up here, and also my video comparing touring and bikepacking bikes down here.