# All purpose 29er bikepacking/touring?



## hobogreg (May 16, 2020)

Hi everyone. Right now I ride a Kona WO and really like it, it's great for the desert where I live (lots of sand). Now I wan't something for forest roads, occasional pavement, and general bikepacking/touring, but if I ever wanted to do a long trip on pavement, be able to swap tires instead of buying another bike, if that's possible. About my riding, I've never ridden trails, just dirt roads, jeep roads and washes. I like going for long rides and bikepacking a few nights, or approaching rock climbs. So far, I'm leaning towards the Surly ECR. What else is out there with long chainstays and low bb that rides kinda upright and comfy for long days of plodding around?

My main concerns are: 
1. Can 29+ bikes take narrower tires too? Is there much of a difference between 2.6" and 3" for off pavement? And if I did a long pavement trip, could I use something like 40-50mm tires? I've read the bottom bracket of the ECR might be too low if I opt for sub 2.5" tires, but maybe not a problem because if I have the small tires on, it means I'm riding pavement or good dirt roads and not worried about pedal strike?

2. Max Chainring: does this mean I could use smaller ones? For ex, the ECR says "2x (Mtn): 26/39T" but I'd rather have a 22/36 since I'm weak and need climbing help. I also want 11-42t in the back for the same reason.


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## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

The width of the tire doesn't have that much influence on rolling resistance. Type of tread and material are much more important. a tire optimized for off-road will suck on pavement and vice versa. So if your two tire width are MTB tires, it may not matter enough.

Also note that a MTB geometry isn't great for road riding. a tire doesn't change that.

Your rim internal width determines what tires are the "safe" range.

Changing tires can get old quickly depending on how often you do that. Especially tubeless.


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## Slyham (Jun 24, 2015)

I do not own the bike but I have heard good things about the Kona Sutra.

https://konaworld.com/platform_sutra.cfm

It might be a better option than a 29+. Although I love my Trek Stache.

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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

I almost bought the ECR 5 years ago, but ended up with a Krampus instead, because it can do trail and touring....

I think it would be better in the long run to buy something that can take wider tires, and then go skinnier....you can't go the other way...I ride my 29+ (Knards) on everything, and it is not a problem. The only think they don't work well on is deep, swampy mud, and soft fluffy snow <--- but that is more of the tire width than the tire. Granted, we rarely get deep fluffy snow where I ride, so it doesn't really matter.

I don't think you can go wrong with the ECR if it fits you...


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## NZPeterG (Mar 31, 2008)

Hi there

A Jones LWB 29+ is just the bike

Happy riding 









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## toadmeister (Sep 24, 2017)

Good thread as I am searching for the same.

Tagged.

I too am considering the Surly ECR and Krampus.

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## toadmeister (Sep 24, 2017)

Slyham said:


> I do not own the bike but I have heard good things about the Kona Sutra.
> 
> https://konaworld.com/platform_sutra.cfm
> 
> ...


I test rode and almost bought this last year, the Sutra LTD, it has a 1x11 drivetrain. Great bike! It's a drop bar. I wound up getting a Jamis Renegade instead as I am/was doing more road rides with light gravel and was replacing drop bar road bike at the time. I live/ride in the Midwest currently (NE Iowa). BTW, love 1x drivetrains even for roads. Jamis Renegade fits the bill in all these categories for me.

I have a cheapo Motobecane Fat bike 4.8" tire with an extra 29" wheelset with SRAM NX 1x11 but it's not the best frame for long endurance rides. Fun in the Midwest winter's though and trail rides with my kids who ride slower than me normally. Got the Jones bars on this and really like them.

But now I'm ready for more off-road adventures and multi day Bikepacking with some trips out West and SW. Need wider/bigger tires for suspension and rolling over obstacles with a lower and/or wider gear range, looking at a 1x12 SRAM Eagle drivetrain. Will go flat bars with Moloko or Jones as I prefer the more upright riding as I get older.

Surly seems to have some of the best thought out models for this. The Jones bike also has cought my eye. I need to test ride them for sure but hard to do right now. No big hurry and I'll wait for good deals. Want a steel framed, capable up to 27.5- 3" tires and swappable to 29" wheelset. Lots of mounting zits for Bikepacking.

Jamis Renegade Exploit, Steel Framed drop bar. 700 x 40-44mm tires.

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Motobecane NX Fat Bike with 29" 2.2" tires. It's an Aluminum frame.










So as fate would have it, I want a bike that's between my two current bikes! That's no accident as I'm learning what works over time.


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## toadmeister (Sep 24, 2017)

hobogreg said:


> Hi everyone. Right now I ride a Kona WO and really like it, it's great for the desert where I live (lots of sand). Now I wan't something for forest roads, occasional pavement, and general bikepacking/touring, but if I ever wanted to do a long trip on pavement, be able to swap tires instead of buying another bike, if that's possible. About my riding, I've never ridden trails, just dirt roads, jeep roads and washes. I like going for long rides and bikepacking a few nights, or approaching rock climbs. So far, I'm leaning towards the Surly ECR. What else is out there with long chainstays and low bb that rides kinda upright and comfy for long days of plodding around?
> 
> My main concerns are:
> 1. Can 29+ bikes take narrower tires too? Is there much of a difference between 2.6" and 3" for off pavement? And if I did a long pavement trip, could I use something like 40-50mm tires? I've read the bottom bracket of the ECR might be too low if I opt for sub 2.5" tires, but maybe not a problem because if I have the small tires on, it means I'm riding pavement or good dirt roads and not worried about pedal strike?
> ...


This might be helpful:

https://www.cyclingabout.com/decide-between-surly-troll-ogre-ecr-bridge-club-disc-trucker/

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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

hobogreg said:


> 1. Can 29+ bikes take narrower tires too? Is there much of a difference between 2.6" and 3" for off pavement? And if I did a long pavement trip, could I use something like 40-50mm tires? I've read the bottom bracket of the ECR might be too low if I opt for sub 2.5" tires, but maybe not a problem because if I have the small tires on, it means I'm riding pavement or good dirt roads and not worried about pedal strike?













If you have a fast rolling 3" 29+ tire like the Surly Knard in 120tpi you don't need to change tires from dirt to pavement. I did paved day on a dirt tour where I rode over 100kms of pavement. I was running 120tpi Knards and didn't even bother adjusting the pressure. They rolled nice and fast on dirt and pavement. The big volume tires also handle broken pavement and gravel/road shoulder debris really well.

I wouldn't hesitate to head out the door on a week long paved tour on a 29+ tire like the Knard.

I've got an OG Surly Krampus and it would be a fine choice for the kind of riding you are talking about. It's got a very comfortable steel frame and sized well you can have a nice upright riding position for all day comfort. :thumbsup:


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

vikb said:


> If you have a fast rolling 3" 29+ tire like the Surly Knard in 120tpi you don't need to change tires from dirt to pavement. I did paved day on a dirt tour where I rode over 100kms of pavement. I was running 120tpi Knards and didn't even bother adjusting the pressure. They rolled nice and fast on dirt and pavement. The big volume tires also handle broken pavement and gravel/road shoulder debris really well.
> 
> I wouldn't hesitate to head out the door on a week long paved tour on a 29+ tire like the Knard.
> 
> I've got an OG Surly Krampus and it would be a fine choice for the kind of riding you are talking about. It's got a very comfortable steel frame and sized well you can have a nice upright riding position for all day comfort. :thumbsup:


+1 +1 =1 !!!!

Love the OG!!


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## PierreR (May 17, 2012)

toadmeister said:


> I have a cheapo Motobecane Fat bike 4.8" tire with an extra 29" wheelset with SRAM NX 1x11 but it's not the best frame for long endurance rides. Fun in the Midwest winter's though and trail rides with my kids who ride slower than me normally. Got the Jones bars on this and really like them.


I too have a Motobecane Fat Bike with two sets of wheels. I have the Titanium Night Train Rider. On fat wheels I run Jumbo Jim's 26x4.8 tubeless and on the narrow wheels I run a Schwalbe G One All Around 2.25". You will likely not find tires that roll as easily as either of these tires.

Because I do a lot of snow and sand I went e bike conversion on it with a BBSHD, fast charging and a big ass battery. This bike is my BikePacking bike.

I have a 26" S works Stumpy Carbon FSR that I have three sets of wheels for. The original 26" set, a 27.5" Stans Archer set and a 29" Easton EA 90 M1 set. The original 26" set I am not using. The Stans set has Rocket Ron Front and Maxxis CrossMark on the rear. The 29" is tubeless rim and I am running a 38mm tubeless Panaracer GravelKing SK front and rear.


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## Funoutside (Jul 17, 2019)

I'd take a look at the Salsa Fargo, it can do 29x3.0 tires but many run it as a 29x2.2 tire bike. It has drop bars & can take a 100mm suspension fork. Another option is the Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV. It's another 29+ bike & stock it comes with the Jones Bar & can take a max of 130mm suspension fork. I have the Beyond+, which is the 27.5+ varaint with flat bar & really digging it. Their rep told me both models were designed also to take drop bars too if you want. If you can sped a bit more the BearClaw Beau Jaxson is a 27.5+ drop bar titanium bike packing gravel bike that is worth a look.


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## JoePAz (May 7, 2012)

My current bikepacking bike is Steel frame Vassago Verhauen. I used to ride and race it singlespeed and is quite versatile. I have had it set up 27.5x3.0, 29x2.3, 29x2.6 with 100mm fork, 29x3.0 rigid. My bikepack configuration is 29x2.6 with a 100mm fork and 1x10 drivetrain with 26t chainring and 11-42 cassette. Not much on top end, but good for long climbs and technical single track. The 2.6 allow lower pressures and compare to 2.3 in the rear it feels like 1" of travel. Up front I don't run a 3.0 since that won't fit under my fork. The 2.6 does. The 3.0 Rigid is better when you don't have as much downhill rock. Uphill is not bad as traction is massive. Now this is bike that works on everything from paved roads to black diamond single track. It is not fast on the pavement, but for most of my bikepacking rides pavement is just a connector. On washboard roads the lower tire pressures you can get from bigger tires helps take the edge off. If your bikepacking is pavement and smooth dirt roads this set-up is not idea. However if your bikepacking includes proper single track this works pretty good. I could easily swap the fork for my rigid one if I have route that is mostly smooth stuff and even go 2.0 on my narrower set of wheels. No way to go drop bar without a big redo.


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## ericzamora (Dec 14, 2017)

I just built up a Surly ECR 1x with Shimano 1x12 XT and Maxxis Chronicles. I haven't gone on a bikepacking trip yet, but day gravel rides with some pavement have been fine, and fun. And the Brooks Cambium C17 has been comfortable. 









eric/fresno, ca.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Krampus.


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## Hambone70 (May 8, 2019)

Unless you're planning on smooth tracks or roads, I wouldn't rule out suspension, especially for longer trips. Many full-sus mountain bikes have plenty of room for bags and other stuff. Here's my Salsa Horsethief on the AZT:


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## LBIkid (Mar 16, 2007)

I second the Jones suggestion. It was designed to be a on-bike-to-rule-them-all bikepacking bike. Provides a more upright riding position than most MTBs too.


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## toadmeister (Sep 24, 2017)

ericzamora said:


> I just built up a Surly ECR 1x with Shimano 1x12 XT and Maxxis Chronicles. I haven't gone on a bikepacking trip yet, but day gravel rides with some pavement have been fine, and fun. And the Brooks Cambium C17 has been comfortable.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks awesome.

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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

Rather then buying a new bike, why not just get a set of 29+ wheels for your Wo?


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## dh024 (Dec 11, 2010)

93EXCivic said:


> Rather then buying a new bike, why not just get a set of 29+ wheels for your Wo?


Great suggestion - that would be my first choice.

Also, as much as I love my ECR for touring, it is definitely not a do-it-all bike. It is a bit of a sluggish beast meant to carry lots of weight comfortably for long distances (and it excels at this). But it is the opposite of nimble and is a terrible climber, so if you are hoping to do some trail riding with the bike as well, I would definitely look elsewhere.

If you are looking at a drive-train upgrade anyways, I would strongly suggest the Krampus over the ECR.


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## cboyd01 (Dec 1, 2015)

93EXCivic said:


> Rather then buying a new bike, why not just get a set of 29+ wheels for your Wo?


I'm in the same boat with my Wo and want to do either 27.5 or 29 but I'm having trouble finding references if they'll fit. Anyone know of a good circumference comparison of 29 x 3.0 or 27 x 3.0 against 26 x 4.6? I'm running the latter 45nrth flowbeists and they fit. I've got some wheel options figured but the overall size with tires is failing me.

The investment in the wheels is a bit high to guess it wrong, so 27.5 seems safer based on what I have seen in some older articles.

Looks like 27.5 is falling out of favor as a lot of tires looks to be going discontinued, so if 29x3 fit, I'd love to go that way.


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