What bags for gravel season?

It's rapidly approaching gravel event season in the UK and much of the northern hemisphere and whether you are squeezing into the most aero skin suit possible, or digging out your best flannel shirt, you are probably at least thinking about getting a bit of training in. 

Body – tick. How’s your bike looking though? We aren’t talking mechanically speaking (although it’s probably worth fixing that flat, eh?). We mean luggage. It ain’t just for bikepacking. 

There's obviously many different flavours of gravel events; from social low-key rides with no more than a GPX file and a pat on the back at the end to UCI level races with pits, pack racing and podiums. And then the majority probably sit somewhere in the middle (at least for the average rider)... the opportunity to push yourself a little harder than a normal ride with a couple of feedstops along the route to let you top up water bottles and jelly baby supplies. 

Regardless of the event or your approach, there's a few things that you can carry with you that have the potential to massively improve the quality of your day. Gone are the days of having to gaffer tape gels to your top tube and a spare tube under your saddle. In this blog we take a look at the extras you'll want with you and the best way to carry them.

NUTRITION

Whether you prefer bars and gels or pork pies and Haribo, perhaps the most important thing to consider when carrying your nutrition is making sure that it is to hand when you are riding. If it isn’t easy to reach, you are less likely to eat regularly and before you know it, you are bonking harder than you knew was possible and crying while pushing your bike up a mild incline and being overtaken a passing kid on a balance bike cheering you on. There’s no amount of Tangfastics at the next feedzone that’s going to dig you out of this hole, my child. 

If you've got a particularly fussy stomach, it's always worth bringing more of your own food too. The last thing you want is to be left dependent on the brand of gels that sponsors the event and coincidentally has you hogging the portaloos every time you try them.

While we can’t guarantee the nutritional qualities of what you choose to fill our luggage with, we recommend either a top tube bag or stem bag – both are easy to open when on the move. Restrap offers a number of sizes to best fit your bike and snackage requirements.

TOOLS

You’ve trained for months to crush the competition/put in the bare minimum of preparation to drag your sorry behind around the course. The last thing you want to happen is for a mechanical to put paid to your glory/make you late for the bar. A degree of self-sufficiency will help make sure you are back for the podiums/safely tucked up in bed instead of cuddling up next to a sheep next to your broken bike and trying to remember tips from Bear Grylls as the sun sets and a rainstorm blows in. 

A big day out isn’t the time to scrimp on your tools and spares. Where and how you store them might depend on what else you choose to bring, but again, Restrap offers a few options. Our Tool Pouch and/or a Downtube bag were specifically designed for this kind of stuff.

SPARE CLOTHING

Even the driest regions always seemed doomed to unseasonal conditions the second a race is on. Unless you are guaranteed wall-to-wall sunshine and 30ºc heat, it's probably wise to carry a waterproof jacket and maybe a warm layer. Many event organisers have a minimum kit list, so even if you think you won't need it, beware of an expected DQ. It's also worth remembering that lots of events start early in the morning, so you could well want some space to stuff that gilet or insulated jacket once the heat of the day kicks in.

We recommend using either a framebag (again, there are lots of size options), a canister bag, or a saddle pack. 

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

Prefer not to have bags on your bike? Want to carry an entire picnic and 2L of wine with you? Or maybe you want to look like all the pro-racers at Unbound and the like. 

A hydration vest is an increasingly popular method of combining extra carrying capacity with easy to access hydration and fueling. Restrap’s Race Hydration Vest comes with a 2L bladder (maybe swap out the wine for something a little more isotonic though?) and plenty of handy pockets for nutrition. You will also have room for a picnic blanket or some spare clothing in its 7.5L total capacity. 

A WORD FROM A PROFESSIONAL

Don't just take our word for it, Restrap ambassador and Ribble Outliers rider, Ben Thomas recently filmed this video for us (with a bit of help from teammate Metheven Bond). You might not be able to match his speed, but you can definitely mirror his set up. 

Photo credits:

Ribble Outliers and Ariel Wojciechowski for Gravel Rally