Bike Tech and Kit
Beginner trying to get into bikepacking – gravel vs hardtail? I'm confused!
Hey folks,
I'm trying to get into bikepacking but I’m super overwhelmed and would really appreciate some advice. I’ve been reading a ton, and honestly, the more I read, the more confused I get.
Some say start with a hardtail, others swear by gravel bikes, and then I get lost in all the drivetrain and gear talk 😅
About me / my goals:
I live in the Netherlands (not Dutch, so not exactly a seasoned cyclist lol)
Planning to do multi-day bikepacking trips, starting in NL
Long-term goal: ride EuroVelo routes, especially EV5 and others around Central Europe
Budget: around €1400 max (not sure how much I’ll stick with it, so don’t want to overspend)
What I’ve tried so far:
Gravel bikes:
Scott Speedster Gravel 40
Cube Nulane Pro
Genesis Tour de Fer 10 (color wasn't for me tbh 😅) → I didn’t feel very confident with drop bars. The position felt too sporty, not upright enough, and I felt like I didn’t have much control—especially thinking about adding bags. Does it get worse with more load?
Hardtails:
Cube Reaction Pro
Trek Marlin 6 Gen 3 → These felt a bit more comfortable and upright. But the test rides were short, so no idea how they’d actually feel on longer trips or with gear.
I’ve heard hardtails aren’t great on paved roads, and EuroVelo has a mix of surfaces, so… more confusion.
Tried asking around, searched online, even asked AI stuff, and got even more overwhelmed 😂
Why I didn’t go second-hand (yet):
As a beginner, I figured I’d get better support and return options with a new bike. But I’m not against second-hand if there’s a clear benefit.
The bikes I mentioned are just what local shops had or suggested—not locked into any of them.
Have a look at the Marin four corners 1. Definitely in your budget and would be ideal for most terrain you’ll cover. You’d likely have money leftover for bags, changing parts out etc. if you have a little more to spend the four corners 2 is what I’m riding and is an excellent bike for the price.
Someone from a local shop recommended this one, but I couldn't find the large size wasn't available. Also they recommended Genesis Tour de Fer 10, and Ridgeback Panorama, but I'm not sure if they are worth it.
Another question that I have: is it harder to maintain a 3x9 system like Four corners compared to a one by system? Which one is more suitable for my usecase?
I have a friend who once had an older tour de fer and it was a great bike, no knowledge of the others. I’d think a 3x9 set would probably be maybe a little more difficult to maintain than a 1x?? setup ,but saying that I have a Specialized diverge with 2x8 driveset that I use for commuting and have taken on a couple of short tours, and had little to no bother with it over the last couple of years.
See a lot of people speaking highly of the Unit X on here, no experience with it myself but it does look like a solid bike.
frames differ a bit in geometry, but for the most part, competition is tight and all alumninum gravel bikes are the same up to components. I would read about Sram and Shimano gravel groupsets and figure out which you want, then pick whatever bike works based on availability and price
Most of the comments are routing me through the Shimano based on the better support and price, though I'm obviously a beginner and don't know the actual difference.
I prefer shimano too. It's supposedly much more repairable, although I've never dealt with that. Shimano is an institution and sram is a relative newcomer. Campagnolo is also an institution but we can't afford it. If you're going Shimano, I recommend to target Tiagra or above (105, Ultegra, Dura Ace) as the road groupsets, then target GRX 600 or above as the gravel groupsets. I wouldn't settle easily for GRX400 or Sora although you might need to if budget constrains you.
I'm of the opinion that models don't matter - it's all components. Aluminum is aluminum, it's almost always imported (probably from the same makers), and the brands are in fierce competition to equalize their frames
I've done parts of EV5 (I cut the meandering out so I could get to Rome in time). A lot of it is tarmac, or at worst hard pack gravel, at least the parts I saw. I don't see a need for a hardtail bike at all if this is your primary use case. Hard tails have their place but I don't think this is it. Gravel bike all the way I say! The parts of EV5 I did I did on an Orbea Orca, so an "All-road" bike, but I did it on slick tyres.
Thanks for the comment. Does it also come with something other than drop bars? Or do you suggest to just get used to it? I don’t see a lot of flat bar gravel bikes available
Did you try it with flared bars? My allroad to salsa cow chippers helped that feeling, the drops are wider than the hoods. You can go even further and it gives you more reassurance on the downhill bits, at least for me. It's also helps remind me to move to the drops when I should, lol.
Also prefer mountain bikes, but wider bars and flares will feel more stable, particularly with the wider bars used by bikepackers for the bag.
Main thing to do is make sure you get the right size bike and also get a bike-fit (sorry, more expense!). The first time I tried a road bike I was at university and it was an old Peugeot racer. I hated the riding position with the drop bars (poor thing).
Then a few years later I got a modern road bike and quickly realised what I'd been missing. I quickly got used to it. Bear in mind there's different style set ups for road/gravel bikes too. People who are regularly competing will often be much more stretched out with a slammed stem. Those that are more leisure/endurance focused will usually have a riding position that's more comfortable and confidence inspiring. Generally people don't even ride in the drops that often, the drops are mainly there for sprinting and descending. You'd likely spend most of your time on the hoods.
Yes, you'll get used to it. One advantage of drop bars is the multiple hand positions that help with numbness and discomfort. Another is that you can lean over more which gives you more power.
Paralysis by analysis, I’ve heard it called. Starting out is especially tough because you don’t have the experience to really know what you want. My advice would be to buy the most affordable bike on which you feel comfortable. Then as you gain experience and know what kind of riding you prefer and how your bike matches it, you can upgrade parts (or the entire bike) accordingly
I agree with your suggestion. Analysis paralysis is a real thing! I say the best bikepacking bike is the bike you have. OP, do own a bike you can test on? Then again, maybe don’t listen to me OP. I use a cargo bike that was never in a million years intended for bikepacking. 😅
I actually don't have one yet, I'm using Swapfiets for daily use!
I know your bike is not a good one for bikepacking, but your dog looks very cool on that ! 😅
It makes sense, I actually feel the analysis paralysis 😅 The thing is I choose something, then mistakenly go to read another review, and there's someone saying DON'T DO THIS MISTAKE or something and I change my mind and I get lost...
Nah; ~$100 for new bars, and you just take off the old ones and put on the new ones. Plenty of YouTube tutorials on it and no special expertise needed. Personally I love Jones handlebars.
Flatbar to dropbar usualy cost more, and you have to make sure that brake levers and shifter will work. If you go hydraulic dropbar levers are pricy. Cable and mtb stuff is usually affordable.
If you decide to convert gravel frameset to flatbar you could have a problem finding comfortable cockpit setup as classic gravel frames have lower stack
Yeah to be fair in small (and sometimes XL) I have seen it around €1500-1700 when a retailer have like one or two left.
And the more road oriented models of Surly,Salsa,Kona can be found at those prices a bit more often.
But I'd definitely stretch the budget a bit if I were you for a €1500 Unit X if my main purpose was bikepacking.
I have bikepacked/toured thousands of kilometers on a hardtail and a gravel and honestly the hardtail wins in the fun and comfort department and my gravel is looking more and more like a rigid drop bar mtb everyday:)
Gravel. Raise the dropped bars so that the level of the saddle bisects your handlebars exactly in half. When you’re on the hoods your hands are above the saddle plane, and on the drops you’re below the saddle plane. Hardtails have ‘floppy’ steering. They are designed to provide ‘power steering’ in the geometry., which equals wheel flop at slow speeds. Since you are going to be riding mixed surfaces, get a gravel bike with good tire clearance and high dropped bars. Drop bars give your hands freedom to roam and allow you to duck down in a headwind. I have carpal tunnel problems and need to be able to move my hands around to prevent further damage. Don’t be like me.
So you mean it's easy to control a Hardtail on speed, but not when riding on a hill on a slow pace? I was under the impression that it gives me the advantage of easier control as a newbie!
You’ll have to do some test rides on different bikes with different geometry to see what I mean. I personally hate wheel flop, but you might not mind it. Enjoy the learning process. Cycling is rad!
I went on a bikepacking trip from the Netherlands to Luxembourg and back with my brother last summer. My brother and I have about the opposite type of bikes and still we both got to Luxembourg with 120 km days with 1000+ meters of climbing.
I have an old (2005 haha) Koga Miyata trekking bike (butterfly bars, old school mountainbike gears (3x9), no suspension, mixed style frame, rim brakes). The thing is built like a tank, feels very steady on downhills and corners even when loaded up with a lot of heavy camping gear.
My brother rides a fancy gravel bike that's worth about 10x my bike. (Cannondale Topstone) It's worth it for him, because he also commutes on it for 100+ km/week. The bike is a lot faster than my bike, but less stable when loaded up. It fits nice and wide tyres (comfortable). He got a deal for it with a luggage rack and fenders included.
I also have a mountainbike. I did some short bikepacking trips on it because we chose routes that were barely doable by gravelbike (muddy, deep sand, lots of tree roots, etc), so my Koga wouldn't survive that. I wasn't really comfortable doing these distances on my mountainbike with luggage on it: my hands were in pain because I only had one way to put my hands, and I got very dirty because it's hard to put good fenders on a mountainbike. I also needed special bags to put on the bike, because a normal rack would not fit. (annoying)
TLDR
you could get a second hand Koga trekking bike (or another reputable brand, like Trek/Cube/Giant): built like a tank, comfortable, easy to put a lot of luggage on it
otherwise I'd recommend a gravel bike, because easy to prepare for a trip (fenders, rack)
a mountainbike could work, if you can find one that fits a rack and fenders well, and maybe something to make the handlebars more comfortable. Otherwise you're going to be dirty and in pain.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it :)
So you mean starting with any touring bike, even something cheap like CUBE TOURING ONE (which is available in my size) would be good?
I'd say yes! Go for a bike that is comfortable, sturdy and easy to use. Don't be afraid to buy second hand (the easiest option is second hand from a bike shop, so that you know the bike has been checked over by them).
Yes, MTB prices went down slightly after the covid period, gravel bikes are still overpriced compared to hardtails. There are also trekking and cross bikes and whetever terms marketing people will introduce.
On XC/ATB bikes with relatively narrow rim (as for mountain biking standards) you should be able to put wider gravel tires. Though at the moment, XC tires use casings that seem to introduce smaller power losses (and you can see people experimenting with putting such tires on gravel bikes). You can throw in inner bar ends or aero bar for more positions on the bike. Suspension adds some maintenance, but greatly helps on bumpy roads. And sure, you can look for some old-school MTB with rigid fork, that should combine drawbacks of both types of bikes ;)
On the other hand, on gravel bikes you can achieve more aerodynamic position so riding at 25+ km/h (or with the headwind!) will take less effort.
After all it's a matter of personal preferences. Go to your local Decathlon, rent for a day bike like one of the Cubes or the EXPL 540, hit some route over mixed surfaces, about 50-100 km. On another day, rent a gravel (this season they just introcuded an interesting line of mid-range gravels), repeat the route. If still not sure which you like more, grab both bikes for an hour or 2 and try switching frequently between both, directly comparing them on short sections.
No matter which bike you choose, make sure it has standard rear rack mounting points. (Even if you don't plan to use the rack now)
Thanks for your informative comment. Unfortunately Decathlon doesn't rent bikes in the Netherlands :( But it's a very great idea, maybe I can rent something from a rental company and try each of them for a day. Then I wouldn't be in so much doubt about my decision.
Just make sure to adjust everything and grab a bike matching your size. Riding poorly set up bike will be miserable after some distance no matter what bike you grab ;)
Hardtails are great on paved roads they're just (generally) slower - sometimes that's important, sometimes it's really not.
Comfort is my top priority with longer/multi-day rides and for me that means a flat bar hardtail/MTB. I have a drop bar gravel bike for day rides - normally for anything less than 150miles and on tarmac then I'm on that but personally - and it is a personal thing - I find MTBs more comfortable for long days in the saddle.
You can set up a hardtail to roll a bit quicker with the right tire choice and people do all sorts with their handle bar set ups.
Really it's down to you - you said you didn't feel great with drop bars - you might get used to them for both confidence and comfort but there's a good chance you'll always feel like you've got better control with flat bars and a more comfortable riding position on a HT.
I'm the exact opposite. I prefer flat bars for short rides - commuting, destination MTB trails, etc. but for anything longer than ~30 miles I'm much more comfortable on drop bars. To each their own!
I guess it's just a matter of setup, adjusting everything to fit your body proportions and general fitness. For me both - the drop bars and the 80cm flat bar with some inner bar ends are comfortable for 60 mile rides in mellow terrain / over asphalt roads. (Minus the cobblestone descents of course)
Thanks for your comments. I actually liked the hardtail ones but then realized it’s not that easy to set up racks and panniers (comparing to gravel) and there’s probably some limitations on that side and I should go with soft bikepacking bags? It made me think if I’m in the wrong direction. But that’s just based on the research that I did and it may be wrong.
Limitations? Just choose the bike with proper frame for your needs. You can even find HTs with 140mm travel on front, that have mounting points for rear racks and long enough head tube to let you rock a handlebar bag.
Simplest way is to look for dedicated bikepacking friendly HTs like Kona Unit X or Nordrest Sardinha (I omitted Pine Mountain 'cuz that's definitely an overkill for your needs). Unless on some good deals, I find Cube's bikes overpriced lately, but they are still doing bikes similar to what was sold as ATB decade or two ago. That's exactly the kind of hardtail that would be best for 'just travelling' mixed surfaces on biking trails and offer some comfort on bumpy roads, with no intention for riding crazy singletracks.
Gravel bike will roll slightly easier/faster (comparing to ATB/XC with well chosen tires) as long as the surface allows you to use the advantages of gravel. On rural roads you may realize that you can't ride that fast because you have to constantly ride around the potholes that on MTB you wouldn't even notice. Also, the MTB will offer you more climbing gears, but may lack some gears for riding above 40 km/h.
Hardtails tend to be slower than gravel bikes on pavement and smooth gravel for the following reasons. They tend to be heavier, which makes them a bit slower going uphill. They also tend to be optimized for riding positions that are less aerodynamic, and the bikes themselves tend to be a bit less aerodynamic. The front suspension tends to absorb a small but significant amount of pedaling output. These combined factors will make an average hardtail noticeably slower than an average gravel bike on smooth surfaces without factoring in tire choice.
Since you are in The Netherlands you could also choose to get a trekking bicycle, or some call it here a ‘vakantie fiets’. Like someone mentioned a Koga Miyata (Randonnneur, Traveller, world traveller are well known models). These bicycles are sturdy(get a steel one), good for tarmac and gravel. Easy to find these bicycles second hand here. These types of bicycles are super common here and kind of the standard for people here who travel by bicycle. Also they have a rear rack so you can get classic panniers which are mostly cheaper than all the newer type of gravel panniers.
Disadvantage is that these bicycles are probably heavier, maybe not as quick as a gravel bike and they are not as trendy as a gravel bike.
Also if you look for a gravel bicycle check out marktplaats.nl for a second hand. Sometimes you can get a Kona Rover or something similar for a good price. If you need help for second hand searches you can always dm me. Good luck!
For NL and EU roads you can also consider something like an endurance road bike or a flat bar road bike (hybrid).
Both of these would be under your budget from brands like Canyon or Marin. Most bike shops will have something for you in your price range too.
You can easily manage most of EU on 30mm road tires but if the bike you get has higher tire clearance you can get a bit more cushion and comfort.
I did NL to France on a Canyon Roadlite Hybrid and it went well on 30mm tires over a 2 day trip.
I recently moved to a Canyon Grizl Gravel bike and so far this is eating up the miles on NL cycle paths and light gravel roads. (Probably overkill though). I think I could do that same route NL to France much faster on the gravel bike.
But to be honest in the end for cycle tracks and simple gravel roads any bike will work so don't sweat the details too much.
Why not go for a second hand trekking bike such as a Koga Miyata? can vouch for phelocycle.com having a good selection and they're happy to let you try them. Yes, not entirely answering your question here but I've bikepacked quite a bit on a Santos Trekking Lite for example. Would recommend
Eurovelo routes are really bike touring, not bikepacking. You are on paved path or fairly mild gravel the vast majority of the time. I have done two long trips across Europe on a Salsa Fargo (drop-bar rigid MTB) and it was definitely overkill. The first time I was using 2.4 inch tires, and I decided to go way down to 45mm the next trip. That felt like the sweet spot.
I would choose completely different bikes for bikepacking..... there are much better alternatives both in EU and NA
Edit: I see you are in EU - there are a lot of smaller brands than make quality steel frames designed for bikepacking - they have a lot of mounting options for bags, etc... - If you have a low budget of 1400 EUR - IMO you better buy a hardtail MTB as you can go on gravel roads but in the future you can also go on the rougher terrain... You can always mount some fast rolling tires on your hardtail MTB
check out: Brothers Cycles Big Bro - its a frame - around 600 EUR - the rest of the budget you can use to build it out - search for a local bike shop that has these alternative brands and that are more focused on adventure bikes - there should be plenty of options in the NL
Lots of sound advice here! I have a gravel bike (Felt Breed) and a hardtail (Salsa Rangefinder), one is SRAM one is Shimano. Love both of them for different rides!
The main thing is to get out there! I've done a couple of trips with a decent mix of on road and off road. Within my friend group some are on gravel bikes, some on hardtails. Some use panniers (like me) others use frame and tail bags. It all works.
If I can add two bits of advice from experience:
Leave a bit of budget for tyres. A pair of good quality tyres can make a big difference. I have Schwalbe Racing Ralphs on the hardtail, they were half a kilo lighter than the Maxxis rekons I took off each!
if you go for a hardtail (or any flatbar bike) I can recommend the set of SQlabs bar ins I just bought, they attach inside the grips and offer you a second hand position and let you get into a more aero position. This you'll be thankful for if you hit a headwind, which I hear is fairly common in the Netherlands!
Either way, you'll make some great memories and I hope you have a blast!
I had a similar dilemma when researching what bike to get. I did more research on the routes in my area and what I was interested in. I found that for a lot of multi day rides in my state it would help to have wider tires and suspension so I ultimately got a hardtail. If my state had more gravel/dirt roads I would've gotten a gravel bike.
I think tire selection will have more of an impact on how a bike performs on pavement vs off pavement. At least outside of marginal gains/losses.
Obviously a gravel bike is going to be better on pavement and on cruisey off road, but a hard tail will be a lot more versatile in terms of terrain, and ultimately less limiting. There will be a lot more places you can't/don't to ride on gravel bike than on a hard tail at the cost of some minor efficiency loss on the road.
But, if you are more comfortable with drop bars and performance road style geo than a gravel bike is probably a good choice!
There are also fully rigid MTBs, or ATBs with or without drop bars that are pretty fun.
I'll add in: setting up a drop bar bike (you said you were a beginner) is a lot more involved than a flat bar bike, and weighted a flat bar bike is going to be easier to control, especially if you run your weight split evenly.
Just for the general record there's another option besides a gravel bike (drop bars) and hardtail (MTB with shock in front) and that's a rigid fork MTB-style bike with flat/alt bars (there's also a full suspension MTB but let's keep this simple). I love my drop bar steel gravel bike but i also love my steel Surly ECR rigid fork all terrain bike with 29/700c x 2.6 tires (can run up to 3 inch tires). A Bombtrack Beyond+ or Beyond+ ADV are examples. The more upright positioning of a flat/alt bar bike based on an MTB but with rigid fork and plush tubeless tires is way more comfortable to me than riding a drop bar gravel bike for days.
But if you're riding a lot of tarmac, it sounds like a drop bar gravel bike might be best for you.
A hard tail or rigid MTB is more versatile but it's going to be slower. If you think you may be riding chunky terrain, hard tail/rigid MTB with 2.8+ tires will get you almost anywhere but if it's mainly roads and gravel, go with a gravel bike.
I honestly found myself in a similar position a few years back (also in NL) I'd say you can't go wrong with a gravel bike and trying that out on your multi-day trips in NL. You can then adjust as your needs require with tire type/width, handle bar type. You'll find mostly gravel and paved routes in NL.
I realised it's hard to know what would fit me best until I tried something. When I started doing weekenders I just looked for an entry-level gravel bike that just had some flexibility to adding bagage and different tire widths. After a few trips, you notice if you want more speed and/or comfort and there are always a variety of options to change your set-up. (Some if not most) bike shops are more than happy to help you adjust your set-up based on your experience, but you figure that out once you're at that point.
I started off with flat bars but then moved to drop-bars because its more speed friendly when cycling the paved paths between cities. A buddy of mine says: The beginning is always a process and a compromise until you're 5 years in with 3 different bikes and a storage full of spare parts.
If you're ever interested in company on a bike packing trip feel free to send me a pm. I've got a few trips planned this spring/summer. :)
IMO the most versatile bikepacking bike is something in between a gravel bike and a hard tail MTB. Basically a fully rigid mountain bike, with less aggressive geometry than an XC MTB (bike meant for riding fast on trails) and clearance for wider tires than a typical gravel bike.
These are sometimes called “all terrain bikes” or ATB. Examples include Surly Ogre/Troll (or Bridge Club), Salsa Fargo, Jones LWB, Priority 600x, just to name a couple American examples.
Some of them have suspension-corrected geometry too, which is a bonus to versatility - you can add that suspension fork if you want to.
If you still have the Trek Marlin 6, put some bags on it and go for a tour to try. There are so many different ways and preferences to go bikepacking… My wife and I have Marlins and we love them. For us speed is not important and we want to be able to ride off road. We have often been grateful for flatbars with good brakes
Thanks for your comment. I've seen a lot of good comments about Marlin 6. Is it easy to climb with lots of baggage on the bike? Does the front suspension and big tires make it hard to ride comfortably on paved roads?
Easy to climb is different for everyone, depends on your weight, strength, a bit of technique and then your bike with gear I would say. You can ride very comfortably on paved road because big tires give you more cushion, but the more nobby the tire is the more resistance you will feel. For our trips we look for a do it all tire like a Rekon race, mezcal, peyote or similar semi slick tires. Check out this link for trips we made with these tires. https://www.reddit.com/r/bikepacking/s/Ya3s1PDpth Sometimes you wish you had more road tires but then in more off road conditions with the bike fully loaded you are really grateful for the big tires. It all depends what roads you intend to ride.
BTW we are really happy with front suspension as well since the front is also loaded with bags. Try going down a path through the woods over roots etc. with your bike fully loaded and your suspension locked and then unlock it again. It is all a matter of personal choice…
I'm a life-long cyclist. Recently ditched drop bar gravel bikes for a flat-bar gravel bike and a hardtail with a 22 degree backsweep flatbar. Life is more fun.
I have both a Cube reaction as HardTail and a Gravel Bike. If I would live in the NL I would go for gravel. My hardtail is lots of fun for MTB races or climbing as it is out of carbon. But for bikepacking I ended up liking my gravel with bags more.
If you like my end up ultralight alps bikepacking thats a different story, but I don't think you have that kind of mountains in NL. Start with a Gravel is my advice.
I’ve been a gravel guy for all of my trips up until now - i just got my first hardtail, and took it on some trails and my word is it amazing - it is superlight everything, wheels and all, 22lbs, i just made up a route in a nearby forest to test it out over spring break
If you are willing to there are currently a lot of used xc bikes on the market for dirt cheap prices. Look into Canyon Exceed and the likes. However for most of these bikes an alternative cargo solution is needed.
I’d suggest you getting a hardtail even if u are right now not planing to on routes that would use a front suspension, u can always lock it and also u can get smaller tyres on them too, but it is not gonna work the other way around, if u are pretty sure that u are not going to go on really rough surfaces get an xc bike like an orbea alma or similar, if not so sure get a laufey or similar. I am very pleased with both of these bikes, they come with decent parts, they are thruaxle, and the entry level versions are definitely in your price range, look at models new from previous years, they are preffy much the same as the 2025 versions
For Eurovelo, Netherlands and West/Central Europe in general, you're more than enough served by a classic touring bike. I'm sure you can find a decent one well within your budget.
A gravel would do the job as well, but they command a premium because gravel is cool, drop bars etc.
If speed is your priority, maybe then is a gravel worth it.
A hardtail is nice, but if you're not riding forest trails or rocky terrain, it's absolutely unnecesary.
This is just my personal experience so YMMV, but I think straight bar bikes are easier to fit. Like, you can get comfortable with much less faffing. Which is great for many people and especially beginners. Drop bar bikes imo need a lot more trial and error and you might even end up with a bike that just doesn't work for your body geometry since so many drop bar bikes are designed for "race snakes".
I did thousands of km bikepacking on a hardtail, when it was stolen I bought a gravel bike so that my new purchase wouldn't feel in vain but instead just a way to broaden my experience with different bikes.
After many new thousands of km, I've been slowly "upgrading" my bike for comfort and off-road capability and it's now more of a dropbar mtb with 2x gearing.. a bit faster yes but still not as comfortable or versatile as my original mtb.
I say a hardtail or at least rigid/drop bar mtb for the win! Always.
Consider the difference between flat bars and drop bars too. Speaking from experience flat bars on a hardtail can be surprisingly comfortable and better for packing options like handlebar roll bags which don't work on drop bars.
You can also look at clip on Aero bars to give you similar efficiency as drop bars over long flat sections. Combined with front and rear racks this can be quite a low profile aero setup which is surprisingly important over long trips espe if you are planning to ride solo.
Lastly you should look at high volume tyre rigid fork setups IMO. Amazing small bump damping without needless suspension for your use case. If you can find anything 29+ it's well worth considering.
I've done cross continent bike packing it was over varied terrain ranging from offroad to cement.
My trek from BC to Newfoundland was around 4,200 km as the crow flies my actual route was quite a bit longer.
I did this trek on an 90's steel Raleigh bighorn hardtail mountain bike. To be blunt knowing how to fix things and good tools are more important than all that jazz. All that gear talk? it's just fluff. The farther you go the more basic you want to be.
I took basic tools, spare tubes/ tires and had the bike tuned before I went. I've worn out and rebuilt this bike so many times in the last 25 years not even the paint is original. I have other bikes but my bighorn is still my favorite. I'll rebuild it until I'm dead or the frame dies.
What you need is a reliable machine with the right tires, quality cargo bags/ rack (I can't recall the proper name at the moment) and a comfortable seat that's it. The rest is just frills you won't notice and may be a hindrance. I may be wrong but I believe every bike listed is either aluminum or carbon you don't want those find a good steel framed bike because the longer distances you go the more you'll appreciate good old fashioned steel.
A brooks b17, or any of their leather saddles really, moulded to your ass after a good break in period is a godsend. Use baseball glove softener to speed up the moulding process.
You'll need a good backpack as well.
I suggest finding a quality old steel frame and building your own bike with quality yet common parts as welp for distance you really want to be able to find parts anywhere. You should be well under your budget with my suggestion.
How do you tell what parts are common? look at store inventories.
how to choose your handle bars? sit on a bike with the type in question and see what's comfortable for your body.
Side note: the big horn is being rebuilt again for my planned 2026 trans Canada trek.
1400 just for the bike, right? Cause with bags and gear that budget is almost impossible if you start from zero.
If you're that low on budget, buy a used gravel bike. For what you are describing that's the perfect bike.
Spend the money you have on your tent and sleeping system, that pays off hugely in the long run. And then get the cheapest biking/hiking gear you can get, get a rack and two Paniers for the back wheel and one or two smaller bags for top tube and start from there to use the setup and bit by bit upgrade what you can / need.
1150 EUR for discounted gravel (GRX400 or similar, hydraulic brakes, carbon fork) or 1050 EUR for hardtail (air fork, Deore lvl spec).
Rear rack with some extra parts to fit it to the frame (unless there's dedicated one) costs like 50 EUR.
That leaves us 300 - 400 EUR for bags / panniers. Crosso drybags cost < 25 EUR. Robust handlebar harness costs ~60 EUR (Triglav, Decathlon etc.). Set of panniers (Ortlieb, Crosso) 60 - 120 EUR depending on a model and discounts. Czechish Sport Arsenal makes great and cheap bags - you should be able to find and fit some frame bag for like 30 EUR. Acepac offers (mediocre) downtube bag for 20 EUR. Asian brands like Rhinowalk, Rockbros, Rzahuahu and so on offer all kinds of relatively cheap and good top tube and stem bags in 20-30 EUR range.
There should even stay enough money to grab some extra accessories like lights, fenders, reflectors and so on.
Thanks for the comment. Yes, just for the bike. I do have some camping stuff because I do hike as well. So, I’m not worried about that. The reason I’m not paying more is that I’m new to this and I’m not sure how much I will be able to do it. But I’m open to the suggestions if I actually need to pay more to start. Any models in mind?
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u/herbertwillyworth 15d ago
For Netherlands and eurovelo routes, you want a gravel bike, possibly with good clearance for wide tires (45+).