# Enduropacking: post your rigs.



## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

Hello all,

I want to start bikepacking (next summer) but I only have full suspension bikes. Plus most of my adventures will be planned to include as much single trail as possible. A rigid fatbike may be in my future which can convert to 29+ for backpacking adventures and that would be perfect however I don't have it yet. Sooooo, I'm looking for ideas on how to set up my YT Capra for bikepacking adventures and thought this thread would be a good place to share creative solutions on how to pack up a full squish bike. As you can see there is hardly any room for a frame bag. Plus a seat bag might hit the tire, with a dropper, back seat riding, etc, etc.
This might be more complicated than I thought.
Help!


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## riiz (Jul 8, 2010)

Dial your Ride | Revelate Designs LLC

Choose the singletrack option on that page. You could probably fit a seatbag but pack it not quite so full.


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## RiverDuck (Jun 10, 2005)

*Tallboy Adventure Bike*

Here is my Tallboy setup for 4 days of single track.
The seat pack had a little rub, so I'll probably use a Revelate Pika in the future.


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

RiverDuck said:


> Here is my Tallboy setup for 4 days of single track.
> The seat pack had a little rub, so I'll probably use a Revelate Pika in the future.
> View attachment 1018526


Nice! I'm wondering if two gas tanks might work. One on top and the other upside down but not so full it rubs on the shock. 
How did the bike handle fully loaded? I'm sure you had to add a few more psi to get the sag correct.


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

Like the thinking. I've run a Pivot 429 and Santa Cruz Bronson as bikepackers. I used a small frame bag, same one for both (that was custom for yet another bike, hehe). Some thoughts...

Using a shock without an external reservoir creates space for a frame bag.
May be possible to re-orient existing shock to create more room; I rotated my Fox CTD 180 degrees so I could access the damper switch. Lengthwise flip might be possible.
Fork leg bags, massive (Viscacha, etc.) seat bag, XL dry bag/pocket up front and backpack can easily make up for lack of space for a frame bag.
Keep trips shorter so you have a reasonably sure weather forecast and can skip some contingency items, stay light and small.
Dropper post limiter for Reverb/seat bag use and in case of dropper failure. Consider trying to eliminate seat bag; I did for a 4-day run and loved it.
Set sag appropriately for loaded bike and body (err on the side of too much air); carry a shock pump.
Packing or other tape to protect frame.

http://forums.mtbr.com/passion/mining-bliss-socal-960633.html
Passed out in CO

I'm happy with my setup, and would run it again for anything short of a weeks-long gravel grind. Evdog and Vic have a lot of singletrack miles, no doubt have valuable input.


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## stremf (Dec 7, 2012)

Man, all you need is a bike, backpack and the desire. No need to get it more complicated than that.

Matt Hunter - Lone Wolf Video - Pinkbike


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## riiz (Jul 8, 2010)

stremf said:


> Man, all you need is a bike, backpack and the desire. No need to get it more complicated than that.
> 
> Matt Hunter - Lone Wolf Video - Pinkbike


That really depends on where you intend to camp, I need a sleeping bag and pad because I live more near chaparral mix with a little bit of pine forest in SoCal and the ground is rocky and dry. I wish we had lush forests with plenty of soft needles to sleep on, haha. But definitly its doable with a large pack if you know the weather will be warm and dry,


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## stremf (Dec 7, 2012)

riiz said:


> That really depends on where you intend to camp, I need a sleeping bag and pad because I live more near chaparral mix with a little bit of pine forest in SoCal and the ground is rocky and dry. I wish we had lush forests with plenty of soft needles to sleep on, haha. But definitly its doable with a large pack if you know the weather will be warm and dry,


You don't need a large pack. I've fast packed with a 35l pack for a 5 day outing and will be picking up a 20l pack for 2-3 day jaunts. That includes sleeping bag, pad, shelter, clothes and food. And cooking gear.

I definitely appreciate my Revelate frame pack, saddle bag, etc. but if I were just starting out, I wouldn't hesitate to grab my pack and go.


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

I won't like, the term "Enduro-Bikepacking" got me to half mast.


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## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

stremf said:


> Man, all you need is a bike, backpack and the desire. No need to get it more complicated than that.
> 
> Matt Hunter - Lone Wolf Video - Pinkbike


Seriously one of my favorite bikepacking videos.

I think people hate on backpacks a little too much. I won't lie, I tried one at first (because I thought I needed the space) and had a bad experience because I over stuffed it, so I understand. I didn't use one for a few years but retried it recently and if packed and fit right they are fine. I will not, and have not, hesitate to use one now, especially if I wanna really shred the trails.

I use a Talon 22 and can fit everything but food in it for short trips, including a tent, bag, and pad. I think with a small bar roll, small seat bag, and small day pack you could set up just about any bike to still rip some trails and be comfy at the end of the day, given that water is available and you own some decent gear.


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## inch (Feb 6, 2014)

A bar bag is all you want to attach to your bike, optimize your gear (down, inflatable pad, Tarp) an you can get away with a light backpack.

Framebags aren't worth it, especially on a fully and you don't want your bags to move if you ride trails.


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## RiverDuck (Jun 10, 2005)

Swissam said:


> Nice! I'm wondering if two gas tanks might work. One on top and the other upside down but not so full it rubs on the shock.
> How did the bike handle fully loaded? I'm sure you had to add a few more psi to get the sag correct.


I would not bother with 2 Gas Tanks, but 2 Feed Bags might be nice. My pic did not show my Camelback. I pack fairly lite. I find that with 10lbs on the bike and 6 lbs on my back the bike handles really well on single track.


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## Smithhammer (Jul 18, 2015)

stremf said:


> I definitely appreciate my Revelate frame pack, saddle bag, etc. but if I were just starting out, I wouldn't hesitate to grab my pack and go.


This ^.

Assuming the weather is mild, you don't need much for an overnighter (just take a look at the video posted above), and you'll learn a lot about what you actually need and don't need in the process. One easy and inexpensive way to increase your capacity beyond a day pack is a simple dry bag, strapped to your handlebars. While there are a number of fancy handlebar harness systems available now, I just use a pair of Voile rubber ski straps. I've done several trips with a 5-10L dry bag strapped to the bars this way, carrying my sleeping pad, tarp, puffy jacket, etc. It works great and is secure.

If you want to invest more, I would recommend getting a feed bag (or two), a gas tank and the largest seat bag that gives you sufficient clearance. If you stick to what you truly need, you'll be amazed at how much you can carry with such a system.


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

All interesting tips, thanks. I checked my shock to see if I can reverse it but can't as it will hit the frame. So it looks like handlebar bags, seat bag and backpack. That should be enough for a 1-3 day adventure. Rain gear in the alps is always a must as the mountains create their own weather with little to no regard for weather forecasts. Learned that, again, last weekend when I went to Lenzerheide bike park. Forcast was sunny for the next three days. And it was sunny the whole way from my house to one bend before lenzerheide, pissing rain and I left my rain gear at home. Grrrr.


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## inch (Feb 6, 2014)

Seatbags will always whip.


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## Welnic (Feb 6, 2013)

I have a couple of rigid bikes that I can use for bikepacking and I have frame bags for both of those. But if I want to take my full suspension bike it's not a problem. I don't have any problem with the seatbag fitting on the bike and a handlebar roll will fit on anything. My harness that holds the handlebar roll has a pocket, which is nice because neither a handlebar roll or seatbag are easy to get into during the day. I use the 20L backpack that I regularly use on day rides, I just put quite a bit more in it. You should probably let all of the air out of your shock and compress the suspension and see how much room you have under the seat. I have a Revelate Pika seatbag that my 9 year uses, it's a nice bag that is just a little smaller than most seatbags, if you don't have much room. If you do get a bikepacking specific rig then you can use the handlebar roll and seatbag on it also. This trip was so casual I didn't even put on a lower water bottle cage.


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## BiciMapas (Sep 18, 2010)

Hi,

Give this website a look

Gletschersau.de | Alpencross, Bikepacking, Mountainbiking

The author has ridden the Alps for several years using an Enduro Bike and going through technical singletrack and I think it fits what you are looking for. His videos are worth watching.

Greetings


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## stremf (Dec 7, 2012)

One more note on backpacks. Make sure to pick it well. I've not been impressed with any of the Camelbak offerings. I've got one that I'm keeping around, since it's been with me for close to 20 years now. But they all jostle around and ride up too much. Maybe I've got a weird body shape, but a running pack (or fastpacking pack) with the extra chest straps do the job. (look up Ultimate Direction, Salomon or Nathan packs). Most of the time, I don't even know they're there, except on really hot days.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

Would my ol' Ibis Mojo count?









You can see the trip report this was from here. Unfortunately we have some family health things going on that killed off bikepacking for pretty much the entire season this year, but we've got the gear and we'll be ready to go when fate once again allows. I've upgraded to a Revelate sling + pocket for the front since these pics were taken.

I can't really think of any compelling reason to get another 'niche' bike when this one performs so very well on the trail. I have a big camelbak w/ survival gear and tools with me on every ride anyway, so not a big deal to smash a bit more clothing or food in there.


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## lentamentalisk (Jul 21, 2015)

Not necessarily the right place to ask, but what sleeping bags are you using that can fit in any of those bags. Maybe I'm just behind on the times, but my sleeping bag alone can fill up a full pannier or bar bag, leaving no space for anything else. The only time I can fit everything is when it is warm enough to just bring a SOL bivvy.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

lentamentalisk said:


> Not necessarily the right place to ask, but what sleeping bags are you using that can fit in any of those bags.


Legit question! From my trip report: _Sleeping bag + cook set + a few bits of clothing in the Revelate seat pack, hammock/tarp + sleeping pad + some more odds and sods in the front dry bag lashed on w/ a Bedrock Pags Molle panel, food + water + tools + water shoes in the Octane 14+ "camelbak of doom". There's a mountain feed bag w/ phone and snacks on the right hand side of the stem also._

The sleeping bag is a Marmot Helium, because it can freeze any night out of the year in the mountains here, I sleep cold, and forget laying around shivering when you can drift off with a smile in a cozy warm cloud of down. It takes up most of that seat bag.

I find it revealing that most of the bikepacking pics I see from the Chilcotins show people using pretty good sized packs. No resupply opportunities + no quick bail-outs for bad weather + cold nights = bigger kit.


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## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

In that video, did anyone notice he cooked fish literally next to where he sleeps and later drinks a cup of water out of a stream? I would imagine he would have gotten mauled or deathly ill. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Does saying 'bro' and 'bru' and 'rad' make it enduropacking instead of bikepacking?

Not sure I'm that hip.









LenzSport Behemoth. 150 front, 130 rear, 16.7" chainstays. Really sporty, really confident, and really (with the right amount of kit!) light.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Enduro? I thought bikepacking was anything with a bike and dirt or dirt trails?


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

kikoraa said:


> In that video, did anyone notice he cooked fish literally next to where he sleeps and later drinks a cup of water out of a stream? I would imagine he would have gotten mauled or deathly ill.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The fish and cooking would have been far away from my sleeping area. Giardia anyone?


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## kikoraa (Jul 25, 2011)

Right?!?!


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## dfishdesign (Apr 15, 2015)

Jefe Branham Talks Bikepacking - Bikepackers Magazine

Jeffe Branhams ibis Ripley seems pretty dialed, custom bags. Thinking about making myself a similar setup this winter.


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## Wild Wassa (Jun 4, 2009)

Enduropacking. That sounds like an awesome word, that I've not heard before, now.

Is that like hauling enough food to trail ride for more than eight weeks at a time, without the need to resupply? If that's the case, then I enduropack ... regularly.

It takes me about four weeks to prepare enough food for enduropacking ... on Australia's Bicentennial National Trail.

Still more food to come than this lot.










I used to bikepack, but I didn't find it very satisfying because of the need to resupply, so often, ... whereas enduropacking ticks more boxes.

Plus the views are more pleasant ... in more remote places.



















Warren.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

kikoraa said:


> In that video, did anyone notice he cooked fish literally next to where he sleeps and later drinks a cup of water out of a stream? I would imagine he would have gotten mauled or deathly ill.


Getting sick from drinking from a high mountain stream is not likely. I was in that area the last two summers and my buddy didn't treat the water at all. I didn't treat the water some of the time. Nobody got sick.

Picking high quality sources is key.

I agree cooking and eating fish in camp is not smart, but it's a movie and I would not take anything in it to be recommended.



verslowrdr said:


> I find it revealing that most of the bikepacking pics I see from the Chilcotins show people using pretty good sized packs. No resupply opportunities + no quick bail-outs for bad weather + cold nights = bigger kit.


No I would say that's just a lack of gear and knowledge.

Most outdoors people have a big pack in the closet, but not that many have UL bikepacking bags and UL gear to pack in them....nor the experience to know what to bring and what to leave.

A huge pack compromises the ride so much I think it's a terrible idea in the Chilcotins.

You can see a couple lightweight setups used in the Chilcotins at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/albums/72157656341349258

I've been there 4 times in the last 3 years and I am carrying less every time I go.

Summer weather is not that outrageous or poorly forecasted that you can't spend a week bikepacking there with UL gear.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

vikb said:


> A huge pack compromises the ride so much I think it's a terrible idea in the Chilcotins.
> 
> Summer weather is not that outrageous or poorly forecasted that you can't spend a week bikepacking there with UL gear.


Conversely too much weight on the bike renders it a heavy tank making it difficult to push. Balance is the key Daniel Son. With enough trips and experimentation people will eventually find theirs.

A few pics from a 5 day solo mish in the Chilcotins in July. Been going up there with bikepacking kit since 2011. The whole expedition pack thing never made any sense to me. Tried all different types of set ups, gear, drivetrains, weight distributions etc. Less is more, always. This year with full dropper post capabilities 'so enduro bro'.

Can we please end this 'enduropacking' right here at this thread before some industry heads catch on and force it down our throats. I thought bikepacking was the new enduro anyways


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

Addy Marx said:


> Conversely too much weight on the bike renders it a heavy tank making it difficult to push. Balance is the key Daniel Son. With enough trips and experimentation people will eventually find theirs....


Just curious, what pack are you using there?

And yeah, every trip we dial it down a little more. Our kit is pretty tight these days. But everyone makes trade-offs... I like a good night's sleep, morning coffee, and camp/water shoes. More than willing to eat freeze dried/robot food, hum my own tunes, and put on the same stinky clothes day after day.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

verslowrdr said:


> Just curious, what pack are you using there?
> 
> And yeah, every trip we dial it down a little more. Our kit is pretty tight these days. But everyone makes trade-offs... I like a good night's sleep, morning coffee, and camp/water shoes. More than willing to eat freeze dried/robot food, hum my own tunes, and put on the same stinky clothes day after day.


The bikepackers back pack, Talon 22. 
I agree, I really like a warm cup of tea in the morning before getting started on trips where speed isn't paramount.


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

dfishdesign said:


> Jefe Branham Talks Bikepacking - Bikepackers Magazine
> 
> Jeffe Branhams ibis Ripley seems pretty dialed, custom bags. Thinking about making myself a similar setup this winter.


Awesome. Some really cool tips in that video, like stuffing zip ties and spokes in your seat tube, although that won't work with a dropper, still some good info.



Addy Marx said:


> Can we please end this 'enduropacking' right here at this thread before some industry heads catch on and force it down our throats. I thought bikepacking was the new enduro anyways


No way my fellow EndurBro, I'm still waiting for an "Enduro specific" Jones bar. That would be sweet. 
In all honesty I didn't start this thread to start another "niche", I just want to go bikepacking with the bike I have now, which happens to be an enduro because no way am I going with my DH bike and my XC/trail bike will soon be up for sale. So far this thread is gold for people who also want to go bikepacking with a full suspension. Lots of useful tips, keep them coming and thanks to everyone.


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

Addy Marx said:


> The bikepackers back pack, Talon 22.
> I agree, I really like a warm cup of *COFFEE* in the morning before getting started on trips where speed isn't paramount.


Having the right equipment is paramount to success.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

Swissam said:


> Having the right equipment is paramount to success.
> View attachment 1020737


I think you may have misquoted me. I wrote tea, not coffee in all caps bold. A tea bag weighs 2 or 3 grams and takes up very little space. A handpresso weighs over a pound and takes up a tonne of space. Don't get me wrong, I like a good espresso or macchiato as much as anyone but not at that weight/volume for a bike trip, I'll get one or three when I hit town if feasible. Each their own though.



Swissam said:


> .....No way my fellow EndurBro, I'm still waiting for an "Enduro specific" Jones bar. That would be sweet.
> In all honesty I didn't start this thread to start another "niche", I just want to go bikepacking with the bike I have now, which happens to be an enduro because no way am I going with my DH bike and my XC/trail bike will soon be up for sale. So far this thread is gold for people who also want to go bikepacking with a full suspension. Lots of useful tips, keep them coming and thanks to everyone.


Last months issue of BIKE was dedicated to bikepacking. It had some good stuff in there for full suspension specific setups; gear lists and trip reports where people were on full suspension bikes. Worth a check if you're new to bikepacking and/or looking for ideas. Mikesee is the guy you want to check in on for full sus set ups, dialled.


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

I'm a little bit late but here's my .02. FS bikes work great for bikepacking. A frame bag is nice if you can fit one in but it is no big deal if you can't. On my Mojo SL I can only fit a gas tank in the frame. I do like the ride of the FS when loaded but given the lower speeds I tend to ride at when bikepacking, a hardtail works great too. The rear wheel does contact the seat bag sometimes in G-outs, so I have a strap I use to tighten the pack into the seat rails.

For my first couple trips my setup was sleeping gear in a compression sack on the bars (same as top pic), gas tank, and everything else in my hiking pack. This got me out there without having to buy any new gear, but having that much weight on my back was hard on the shoulders especially when hike a biking. Hence purchase of seat bag and feed bags. I'd definitely use a frame bag if I could. Some people cite poor handling as a reason not to carry gear on the bike but I haven't found that to be much of a problem. Maybe with a lot of weight on the bars, but generally the bike handles great loaded. The bigger limitation is not being able to lower the seat because of the seat bag. If you will be doing lots of steep/technical singletrack descending you might want to use a smaller seat bag or none at all so you can lower the seat freely.

I would not use fork leg mounted bottles or bags based on the amount of carnage my fork legs seem to incur.

You can probably get away with less gear than you think, so pay attention to what you actually use, what you could get away without, and pack accordingly next time. Have fun out there! Alps are on my trip list for sure....

Load for normal 3 day trip










Load for 7 day Chilcotins tour - 2 gas tanks, 2 feed bags, large size sweetroll, viscacha and 25L pack


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

evdog said:


> I'm a little bit late but here's my .02. FS bikes work great for bikepacking. A frame bag is nice if you can fit one in but it is no big deal if you can't. On my Mojo SL I can only fit a gas tank in the frame...


Glad to see someone else Doing It Wrong with an Ibis. :thumbsup:


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

evdog said:


> I'm a little bit late but here's my .02. FS bikes work great for bikepacking. A frame bag is nice if you can fit one in but it is no big deal if you can't. On my Mojo SL I can only fit a gas tank in the frame. I do like the ride of the FS when loaded but given the lower speeds I tend to ride at when bikepacking, a hardtail works great too. The rear wheel does contact the seat bag sometimes in G-outs, so I have a strap I use to tighten the pack into the seat rails.
> 
> For my first couple trips my setup was sleeping gear in a compression sack on the bars (same as top pic), gas tank, and everything else in my hiking pack. This got me out there without having to buy any new gear, but having that much weight on my back was hard on the shoulders especially when hike a biking. Hence purchase of seat bag and feed bags. I'd definitely use a frame bag if I could. Some people cite poor handling as a reason not to carry gear on the bike but I haven't found that to be much of a problem. Maybe with a lot of weight on the bars, but generally the bike handles great loaded. The bigger limitation is not being able to lower the seat because of the seat bag. If you will be doing lots of steep/technical singletrack descending you might want to use a smaller seat bag or none at all so you can lower the seat freely.
> 
> ...


Thats awesome! Anyone try a Jones bar on their bike yet? Looks great for extended periods of pedalling but how is it on technical/high speed desscents?


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## Welnic (Feb 6, 2013)

I have a loop bar on one of my bikes and I think it does okay for descents. I wouldn't hesitate to put one on a 29+ rigid bike for dirt road and anything else I could do on a rigid bike. But if I was doing serious descending on a full suspension bike I would feel more comfortable with more normal handlebars. But there are plenty of people that do highly technical stuff with bars that have a lot of sweep, and that is really the only different part about the loop bar when you are doing technical stuff.

This guy does okay with those bars:


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