ASK MBA: WHAT ARE THE BEST TOOL STORAGE ALTERNATIVES TO WEARING A PACK?
Get that monkey off your back.
PACK ALTERNATIVES
Q: I’ve been riding bikes for a few years now and am starting to realize I hate wearing a backpack or a hip pack. That said, I don’t want to be caught unprepared when something happens on the trail. Are there any suggestions you might have for attaching stuff to my bike without wearing a bag?
Tim Richards
St. Louis, MO
A: This is a great question that often haunts our thoughts on short rides. It’s never a good thing to be caught without the right tool when something happens on the trail. We take some inspiration from enduro and XC racers, as well as bikepackers, for this solution. They’ll oftentimes attach a tube, tire levers, CO2 cartridge, CO2 inflator, and a plug kit to their frame. A few laps of electrical tape will do the trick on the cheap in most cases. There are some products out there specifically designed to carry stuff on the bike instead of in a pack though. Brands like Backcountry Research make an assortment of straps that can hold things on the frame or saddle that makes it easy to store all you may need for most rides. We’ve also seen frame bags attached on the top tube to the head tube, as well as the seat tube. Some friends of ours use Oveja Negra’s Snack Pack attached to the top tube against the seat tube to store phones, keys, tools, etc. Frame bags are typically a lot bulkier, and saddlebags can get in the way of the dropper post, so any bag or strap that can be tucked out of the way is a great way to store those things that just might be needed in an emergency.
Mütherload Mounting Instructions from Richard Clark on Vimeo.
“Ask MBA” peeve of the month:
When you get a flat in the middle of a ride and realize you’ve forgotten to replenish your CO2 cartridge supply from your last flat.
Have a question for the MBA crew? You can send your brain busters to [email protected].
