Car Less Ohio

Freedom of choice
Is what you got.
Freedom from choice
Is what you want.

-DEVO (1980)

In the two years that I’ve owned my Bike Friday All-Packa folding bicycle, I’ve taken it on several local gravel and pavement rides and a few shakedowns on singletrack. I was excited to try it out this past weekend on its raison d’être, a bikepacking trip.

The term “credit card touring” is used to describe a bike trip where you stay in hotels and eat in restaurants, with the need to pack only clothing on your bicycle. For this trip, I was camping and eating out, so maybe you could call it “reverse credit card touring” since I had to pack camping gear and clothing? There was rain expected in the forecast, plus we did a kayak trip at our destination, so I packed more clothing then I’d typically need for a single-night trip.

I have constantly been adjusting the setup of my All-Packa, trying half a dozen different handlebars and different water/cargo carrying configurations. The beauty of the All-Packa, like most bikepacking-specific bikes, is the versatility of accessory mounting options and the ability to adapt the bike’s setup for the needs of each particular trip. As I often found with my old Salsa Fargo, however, the array of choices can result in “analysis paralysis.” I like to try to find the perfect setup that works well for day rides, but also works well for extended trips, without having to mount and un-mount accessories from one ride to the next. On the Bike Friday, using some of the accessory mounts on the frame can result in interference to the folding operation. For example, a standard water bottle cage on the top tube or bottom of the down tube is a convenient place to carry water, but both prevent the bike from being fully folded.

I’ve been using Surly DugOut feed bags for water bottles lately, but haven’t been 100% satisfied with them (look for more on alternatives I’m going to try to those later). I went with Tailfin cargo cages on the top tube and back of the seat mast for a while, because their low profiles don’t interfere with folding the bike when there’s no cargo attached. I switched to a Revelate Designs Mag Tank Bolt-On for the top tube for easy access to my phone and snacks, and a King Cage Many Things Cage on the seat mast for cargo. This was the setup I stuck with for this weekend’s trip.

I thought I might need three pair of shoes for this trip: cycling shoes, camp shoes, and water shoes. Instead, I dug out an old pair of sandals and switched to platform pedals on the bike. So that freed up a lot of packing space. I skipped taking a headlight and taillight, since all the riding was daytime on dedicated bike trails. Here are the rest of the pack details:

• Top tube bag
  • Wallet
  • Smartphone
  • Bag of gummies for mid-ride snacking
• Frame Bag – Take A Trip All-Packa Frame Bag – This bag stays on the bike full time, and it’s where I keep all the usual every day ride kit:
  • Spare tube
  • Tire levers
  • Mini pump
  • Multi-tool
  • Tubeless plug kit
  • Backup bag of gummies
• Top tube bag
  • Wallet
  • Smartphone
  • Bag of gummies for mid-ride snacking
• Seat bag
  • Camp pillow
  • Tent poles
  • Sleeping bag
  • Sleeping pad
• Tent (Nemo Dragonfly Bikepack 1P) strapped to cargo cage on seat mast
• Swift Industries Zeitgeist Handlebar Bag
  • Spare pants for casual or on-bike use
  • Spare sun hoody
  • Long-sleeve and short-sleeve t-shirt
  • Spare socks
  • Rain jacket
  • Toothbrush kit
  • Stove, fuel can, and pot (for morning instant coffee)
  • Left side pocket: Camp headlamp and lighter
  • Right side pocket: Sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug lotion

I met a couple of riding companions on the northern edge of Akron, and we headed south on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. We made our way on the trail through downtown Akron and further to Canal Fulton, where we set up camp at the Canal Fulton Canoe Livery. We enjoyed a leisurely six-mile paddle on the Tuscarawas River then a delicious dinner in town at the Miller-Doan Tavern followed of course by dessert at the famous Cherry Street Creamery.

Nighttime temperatures were much more comfortable comparted to my last bike trip; I used my summer weight sleeping bag mostly just as a blanket. In the morning after camp coffee, we got an early start to try to beat the forecasted thunderstorms. We made a breakfast stop at Finny’s on the Towpath, and thankfully made it back to our cars well ahead of the rain.

As a bikepacking rig, the All-Packa performed flawlessly. As usual, if I didn’t look down, I wasn’t even aware of the smaller 20-inch wheels. Like all good bikepacking-specific bikes, it rode and handled just as well with a load as without (if not even better). Even with the top-heavy loads of the handlebar bag and seat packs, the bike didn’t feel flexy or noodle-y. With the grippy traction pins on the platform pedals, my sandals worked surprisingly well, so that ended up being a wise choice for this trip.

The only minor issue I had was the handlebar bag slightly pressed against the left brake housing, which made the brake caliper retraction just a tiny bit sluggish; not enough to make the brake pads drag against the rotor, fortunately. This could be easily fixed in the future by adding a couple more of the foam spacer blocks on the bag’s mounting straps to push it out from the handlebar a little further.