When it comes to bikepacking, there will always be ways to improve. You might want to go faster, help navigating, or you might want to be more comfortable. Many bikepackers ask us, “What are the best bikepacking kit upgrades?”

Bikepacking is a huge amount of fun. You get to go into the wilderness on your own pedal power and embrace adventuring on two wheels. There’s nothing like a cycling adventure, and they are becoming increasingly popular, with more riders hitting trails each year. 

Bikepacking Kit Upgrades!

Well, as a very experienced bikepacker and a cyclist who has been lucky enough to use a lot of different gear over the past decade, I will be telling you about some of the best upgrades you can make to improve your experience. Here’s our gear of the year!

1. Tubeless Tires

The first upgrade I highly recommend for bikepacking is tubeless tires. Not only do these mean you can run lower pressures and avoid pinch flats, but also carry fewer spares. Small holes fix themselves, if not plugs, and in the worst-case scenario, chuck a tube in.

 If I am ever personally bikepacking, I always do my best to be tubeless as it makes life a little easier. I appreciate it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it for someone who has been using Tubeless for a while. 

2. Carbon Wheelset

Although not the cheapest upgrade you will find available, it’s one for me that I feel made a huge difference to my bikepacking. The wheels are not only lighter and make the work easier uphill, but they are also very strong, and you can achieve better aerodynamics. 

I have been bikepacking on both aluminum wheels and carbon wheels. In my experience, the carbon wheels have been much easier. Not only do I need to work a little less, but I have never needed to true one or had one crack. 

3. Bike Fit

I’m sure many of you reading this knew it was coming up. A bike fit is a process where an expert adjusts your bike for your body and the goals you may have. It reduces injuries, increases pedaling efficiency, and adds great comfort to your cycling. 

A cheap fit will cost roughly $50 and probably won’t do much. An expensive $300 will completely change your cycling, and I appreciate it’s not cheap, but it changes everything and will keep you riding pain-free day after day. 

4. Aero Bars

Next, we have aero bars. You will typically see time trialists, triathletes, and many ultra cyclists use these. They are the clip-on bars that let you lean down and become more aerodynamic. These are a bike packer’s best friend, and they offer so much for such a cheap cost.

They offer another position to ride in, can take the pressure off your back, help you hang handlebar bags, and are perfect for mounting a cycling computer on. They can be bought for as little as $30 and, once dialed in nicely, will be your best friend on an adventure. 

5. Low Range Groupset

After many years of bikepacking and adventure cycling, I have found that you will never have enough low gears. Once the fatigue sets in and the hills get steep, the key to success is spinning up and not putting too much pressure on you. 

Swapping your groupset out or changing components such as cassettes or chainrings for lower ratios goes a long way. It helps so much, and when you can spin up at higher cadences on the tougher sections, it makes the work much easier and can stop you from suffering. It doesn’t have to be the most recent bikes best new components, just good for climbing.

6. Decent Tools

I have seen it many times with other people’s adventures. If you take bad tools, they don’t work. Multi-tools that the Allen keys round off, chain breakers that snap, and spoke keys that round off the nipples should just be avoided. Bikepacking kit upgrades, don’t get much better than decent tools.

Yes, they are cheaper than top brands, but they will bite you one day and cause many issues. Go for a decent brand such as Lezyne, Topeak, or even Crank Brothers for the tools that will last years without letting you down. They don’t have to be the best tools gadgets, just work.

7. Extra Storage Solutions

When bikepacking, you will always face times when you need more space. I have done every trip and always looked for solutions. Bike straps are a fantastic way to strap food and spares to your bike, making them easily accessible and out of the way.

Another great way to carry extra is a small packable bag. I use a drawstring bag as these are very cheap, easily replaceable, and pack away into a tiny space. They are great if you go into the night and need lots of extra food and water. 

8. High-End Waterproof Bikepacking Bags

You would be surprised how many bikepacking bags are not waterproof and are complete crap. I have used many Amazon and eBay specials and had so much go wrong, get wet, and break while away on trips. One of the best bikepacking kit upgrades are better bags.

They are so much better if you use high-end brands like Apidura, Craft Cadence, and Restrap for your bikepacking goods. They not only keep your kit dry, but they last ten times longer than the cheap stuff, in my opinion, and you save so much money not needing to replace the kit every year or two. 

9. Extra Lighting

One of my personal biggest fears when bikepacking is having your lights break on you at night. Not only would it be incredibly dangerous, but it also would leave you with very little ability to bodge your way out. 

I personally like to always take two rear lights, one battery, and one USB. I also like to take two forms of front light. It could be a small keychain light or a small head torch. This means I always have a backup and can escape a messy situation even with limited light.

10. Pro Power Bank

When it comes to power banks, it’s easy just to hit up Amazon and go for the cheapest with the biggest memory and lightest weight. This, unfortunately, has caught me out more than once, and I have had to learn the hard way when I should have just bought a decent one.

Cheap power banks tend not to hold the charge they state. They don’t hold cables well, charge very slowly, continue losing power when the item is charged, and break easily. I highly recommend investing more money into something excellent, and there’s so much crap on the market. 

Bikepacking Kit Upgrades: A Final Note

In my experience, I have always improved my bikepacking setup after each trip, which has been a big element of my success while ultra cycling. It’s good to keep looking back and thinking about where I can improve, even when successful on an adventure.

If you enjoyed this article, you will also like 20 Top Tips For Beginner Bikepackers, 10 Budget Bikepacking Tips, and What Is The Best Mixed Terrain Bikepacking Bike?

Author

Authored by Robbie Ferri, a distinguished Ultra Cyclist hailing from the United Kingdom. With profound expertise not only in cycling but also in the art of bike construction and collaboration with prominent industry-leading brands.

www.ridingwithrobbie.com
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