How to set up your road bike for adventure riding and bikepacking

You don’t need a specially-designed bike to head off for multi-day rides or bikepacking trips. A regular road bike is perfect for the job. With a few easy adaptations, your road bike will be ready to carry you off into the sunset.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to prepare your road-ready steed for some more adventurous riding.

Protect the frame

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Purpose-built frame protectors are easier to apply

There’s a risk that strapping bags and gear to your bike might wear down or scratch your paint job, so to protect it, apply helicopter tape to areas that are likely to wear down. Look for areas where cables or straps rub against the frame. Over the course of a few days, and with a bit of dirt and grime mixed in for added abrasion, those friction points can cause some serious damage, so it’s definitely worth taping them up.

If your adventure is going to take you off-road, think about protecting your chainstay from chain slap. As your chain is shaken around on bumps, it'll slap your frame and damage the paint. Cover it either in tape, a purpose built chainstay guard or a strip of inner tube to protect your frame.

Fit the widest tyres possible

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Modern road bikes can fit surprisingly wide tyres

Most modern road bikes can fit tyres of around 30mm, and on a longer trip, it’ll make all the difference. Firstly, since your bike is weighed down with gear, a wider tyre will make it less likely you’ll get a pinch flat. Then there’s the comfort factor. Wider tyres will absorb more road buzz, which will add up to a far smoother ride. Over the course of a few days, that extra cushion is going to make you feel fresher and more comfortable.

Watch: road bike with gravel tyres vs gravel bike

Get lower gears

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A wider cassette will help on steep, loose climbs

When you’re carrying gear with you, it helps to have lower gears than usual. Plus, if you’re riding all day, you’re probably going to be riding at a steadier pace than you would on a normal training ride. Again, easier gears help.

The simplest and cheapest way to get lower gears is to fit a larger cassette with a larger range of gears. Most road bikes come with an 11-28 these days, which you can replace with an 11-32 or even an 11-34. The main thing is to check your rear derailleur. Different models can accommodate different size cassettes, so do some research, see what’s possible, and go from there.

If you already have a big cassette fitted and your gearing is still too high, then you can change your chainrings. This can be quite an expensive exercise, but it might be worth it, especially if your bike is fitted with race-oriented 53-39 chainrings.

Watch: how to fit a bigger cassette

Reduce the reach

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Rearranging the spacers to raise the stem is a surprisingly quick job

For long days in the saddle, a more upright position helps. It’ll take some weight off your hands, shoulders and neck, and make it easier to enjoy the views.

The simplest, easiest and cheapest way to make your position more upright is by changing the arrangement of spacers on your headset. By putting more spacers under the stem, you’ll be able to change the height in just a few minutes and without spending a penny.

If you want to make your position higher still, you might be able to flip the stem. Standard road bike stems can be used with a positive or a negative angle – it’s simply a matter of removing it and refitting it the other way up. Of course, if you have a modern integrated bar and stem, this won’t be possible.

Alternatively, for a more tailored solution, you could replace your stem with a different one that’s either shorter or higher. There are two factors to consider when choosing a stem. Firstly, there’s the length, which will make you more upright or more aero by changing how stretched out you are. Then, there’s the angle, which changes your reach by changing the height of your bars. For example, a -10º stem will put you in a lower position than a -6º stem, and a -17º stem (pretty much the reserve of the pros) will put you even lower than that.

Fit bikepacking bags

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Most bikepacking bags can be fitted without any frame mounting points

Bikepacking bags can be fitted to any bike, and don’t require any special mounting points or modifications. They just strap straight onto the frame with webbing straps.

Generally speaking, most riders use three bags. First off, they use a large saddle bag, which holds about ten litres of light, high-volume gear like warm layers and sleeping gear.

Then there’s the frame bag, which lives in the main triangle of the bike. This bag is perfect for heavy stuff like tools and battery packs, as well as things you might need throughout the day’s riding.

Finally, they use a bar bag, which straps to the handlebars and sits between the drops. Again, this is great for low weight, high volume stuff like sleeping bags or clothing.

If you’re still struggling for space, there are a few extra bags you can squeeze onto your bike. Some riders use a food pouch that straps to the other side of the bars, or an extra bag that mounts in front of the main bar bag. Alternatively, riders use top tube bags for valuables and things that need to be easily accessible.

Test it out

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Test out your setup before you do any big trips

After making all these changes to your bike, it’s wise to test it out before you set off for a proper adventure. Go for a short ride to work out whether your position needs further adjustment, or whether any of those mechanical changes need fine tuning or reconsidering. For example, you might find that the wide tyres rub on your frame when climbing, or that your gears aren’t shifting well on the new cassette.

Most importantly, you need to make sure that the bags don’t obstruct your riding. Often, bags can get in the way of the pedalling motion, or affect the steering range. Make sure that you can ride comfortably and safely with your bags before you head off on an adventure

Adventure ready

With a few adjustments, even the most race-focused road bikes can be used for multi-day adventures or bikepacking trips. You might have to get a few new bits and pieces, but with some lower gears, wider tyres, a reduced reach and some bags, your bike will be transformed. Just remember to protect the frame first, and test everything out before you set off!

Now your bike is prepped, you’re ready to plan the rest of your trip. For tips on where to go and what to take, have a look at our ultimate guide to bikepacking.