When it comes to bikepacking, comfort is king. You can be incredibly fast or have the most aerodynamic setup, but if you don’t have bikepacking comfort when riding, you will not make the progress you want and will have a miserable time on a trip.

Getting comfortable isn’t as easy as you might think. You can’t just cycle on a pillow or wear thick gloves. There’s much more to it. In this article, I am going to be telling you everything you need to know by giving you 13 ways to improve your bikepacking comfort!

My Experience With Bikepacking Comfort

This might be your first time on the Bikepackist, but I’m Robbie. I have been bikepacking for around a decade and have also done it as a full-time athlete. I have worked with some of the biggest brands in cycling, such as Shimano, and not only am I a bike fitter, but I have spent years working in a bike shop and as a cycling personal trainer.

When it comes to improving comfort, that’s one thing I know a huge amount about, and it’s where many great riders make mistakes. When I first started bikepacking, I did it all wrong. I had to go through so much pain and injury to learn lessons. I am hoping to help avoid you having to do that!

13 Ways To Improve Bikepacking Comfort

Okay, now for the exciting part. Let’s discuss ways to improve your bikepacking comfort! Here’s how I heavily improved mine.

1. Bike Fit

Of course, you knew this was going to be the first tip. A bike fit is when an expert adjusts your bike to help you be as comfortable and ride as efficiently as possible. A basic fit might cost as little as $50, and an expert fit will cost around $500. 

A bike fit makes a huge difference in terms of comfort. Alongside that, injury reduction, pedaling efficiency, and much more can be enjoyed. It is important to go to someone who knows what they are doing, not just someone who thinks they do. 

Remember to tell your fitter that you plan to go bikepacking and ride long distances. Otherwise, you might end up with a sporty racing position, which is just going to be awful and not benefit you on your adventures at all. Your fitter should ask questions beforehand. 

2. Get The Right Seat

We all have different behinds and will all need saddles that are different from one another. Having the correct bike seat is so important, and many cyclists choose by weight and look over everything, which is absolutely crazy. 

You can try many different bike seats until you find what works, or you can do some bike seat pressure mapping. This process allows them to recommend bike seats that will work for you by sitting on a special seat cover.

3. Wider Tires

I have always liked using wider tires. Not only do many offer less rolling resistance at the right pressure, but they are grippier and give you a much better ability to ride on different terrains. Another great factor is that they are much more comfortable. 

Having larger tires means lower pressures and the ability to roll over obstacles and reduce vibrations much more. This comfort won’t just be felt in the saddle but also on the hands! You just need to make sure your bike can accommodate a larger tire. Tubeless is great too!

4. Thicker Bar Tape Or Grips

Many bikepackers struggle with their hands feeling awful after a few miles. A lot of this comes down to bike fit and toughening up your hands, but if you want to make it much easier, either double-wrap your bar tape or use more comfortable grips. 

This will widen your grip, which can be a little more challenging to hold, but many bikepackers go down this route to help ease the pressure off their hands and enjoy a little more comfort on their longer rides. 

5. Aero Bars

Aero bars, or clip-on bars, as they are commonly known, give you an extra position on the bike for your hands. This means that on long stretches of road, you can lay forward and take the pressure off your hands and, in some cases, your back. 

They are meant to make you more aerodynamic, but their value when it comes to bikepacking is purely in the fact that they offer another comfortable position for you to ride in. You do have to be careful, as you don’t have a grip on the brakes while riding. 

6. Training Mobility

If you’re looking for a free way to increase your comfort and make yourself stronger, start doing some mobility training. I highly recommend a strength training routine alongside stretching to increase mobility and activate muscles in different positions. 

This could be two 30-minute sessions, and the difference it will make to your riding is huge. You will get fewer injuries, be stronger, have better mobility, and possibly increase metabolism. Find out more about strength training here!

7. Good Clothing

It seems fairly obvious, but having better clothing is going to go a very long way to being more comfortable. Better padding in shorts, jerseys that might be a little looser, and even shoes that could be a little wider. 

I also must mention that bikepacking is not pro racing. You don’t always need to be in full road race lycra. I wear relaxed padded shorts and MTB tops as they are more comfortable and much more fun. Plus, it’s much cheaper. Ever tried an electric down jacket?

8. Regular Breaks And Stretching

A big issue with many bikepackers is every morning or at the start of an adventure. They go in way too strong and then end up suffering for the rest of the day. It’s important to have breaks even when you’re in a rush. 

You might want twenty minutes for every couple of hours riding or even for every hour but taking a short break and having a little stretch goes so far on making you feel much better and just resetting the body a bit.

9. Eating Properly

When you are riding, if you neglect eating and drinking, you are going to get very uncomfortable. Not only will you feel like crap, but your legs will ache, your body will overheat, and you will start getting pain as the body starts to pick and choose where to send its spare calories.

I know for me personally I get back pain if I neglect my eating and drinking, then I know I need food and water asap. After that, my legs ache. I get really tired and then start to flag. An easy way to fix this is to keep eating and drinking when or before you need to.

10. Mentally Accepting It

When it comes to bikepacking, there are going to be times when you feel uncomfortable. Endless hours riding on the bike will do that to you. It’s important to know that when you’re feeling pain, it’s often a warning sign from the body to stop or fix an issue. 

There are times when you are just going to be uncomfortable because you are riding so much. Provided these don’t lead to injury. It’s about distracting yourself and getting into the habit of taking your mind elsewhere unless it’s getting worse. Here’s a guide on mental toughness!

11. A Good Night’s Sleep

If you want to increase your comfort significantly, then getting proper rest is very important. A good night’s sleep on a decent mattress with a sleeping bag in the warmth is going to hugely help recovery and get you feeling much better on the bike the next day.

An awful night’s sleep is going to make you ache and won’t provide much bikepacking comfort. This is why I choose hotels regularly to get some time in to fully recover and get back to normal.

12. Don’t Push Too Hard

If you want to stay comfortable, it’s really good not to give too much to the legs and keep the pace low. Cycling at above your 70% level while bikepacking day after day will just catch you up, and in many ways.

Firstly, you will ache much more, you will be less comfortable, and it might end in injury. It’s important to go easy. I roughly sit around 60% to 70% of my max heart rate when ultra racing and bikepacking because I know I will stay comfortable. 

13. Avoid Lower Cadences

Yes, for many bikepackers, the solution to staying comfortable on the bike and injury-free is to opt for a high cadence. It’s been proven to work for many, and it was a lesson I had to learn the hard way.

I try to keep my cadence above 80 rpm unless I am in a stand. Spinning seems much more effective with climbing than grinding the legs up a climb. It’s worth doing your research on this because it makes such a big difference. 

What Not To Do To Improve Comfort

I originally didn’t want to write this section, but I do believe it’s also good to mention. Here’s what I don’t recommend to improve bike comfort.

Painkiller And Anti Inflammatories 

Obviously, I am not a medical professional, and I cannot give you any advice on this subject. I personally try, if possible, to avoid using painkillers when bikepacking unless you have to and it’s advised by a doctor or professional. 

Many people do turn to this, but it’s only masking your possible problem. The more you use them, the higher the risk of injury, and it’s much better to find the problem at the source.

Again, I’m not a medical professional! Speaking to a doctor is what you need to do if you use painkillers or are considering it!

Buying A New Bike

You would be surprised at how many people, when they get uncomfortable, go straight to a new bike to fix the issue when it’s so rare that will be the solution. Unless you ticked every box above on bikepacking comfort, I would consider a new bike. If not, get back to the list. 

Bike shops are not going to turn away a sale, and unless your bike is incredibly aggressive or the wrong size, there’s probably something you can do to make it easier and more comfortable to ride. 

A Final Note: Bikepacking Comfort

If you’re looking to increase comfort while bikepacking, this article is a great place to start. These tips can really help improve your setup and riding to the point that it’s going to be much easier to push bigger mileage. 

Thanks for taking the time to read our article! If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. Robbie! If you enjoyed this article, you might like Bikepacking Kit Upgrades, Bikepacker To Ultra Cyclist, and Gravel Bikes For Bikepacking!