Two full-size folding bikes that are great for packrafting

Since we last wrote about bikerafting a year ago, several folks have e-mailed for an update, so here it is, from Ron, the Flatbike customer new to bikerafting who had just purchased a CHANGE 611 folding rugged hybrid. This model has since been replaced by the CHANGE 811 rugged folding hybrid with internal cabling (making it even better for bikerafting).

But first… the basic concept about bikerafting, sometimes called bike packing or packrafting, although technically you can carry a packraft without a bike. (You just start wishing you had a bike).

The goal: Remote adventures on land and water.

Combine the freedom of a mountain bike with the freedom of an inflatable raft, and you can have all kinds of adventures.

bikerafting on a river — Bikerafting the Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia. [Photo credit, Pinkbike.com]

All you need is:

A rugged, reliable backcountry bike
A rugged, sturdy packraft kit that (boat, paddles, bag) folds down small
A lot of patience during the transitions to/from the water

Why patience? Well…this isn’t like an amphibious craft, where you head for the water’s edge and keep on going. Look at this idyllic scene of a guide-led bikepacking trip at the transition zone, and one thing becomes very clear. They’re taking off both wheels.

bikerafting transition — Transitioning from remote biking to remote paddling. [Photo credit: Instruments of Adventure]

With today’s quick-release or thru-axle setups, removing both wheels is not inherently a complex endeavor. But it does increase the number of moving parts. Accidentally leave an axle on the beach and the fun part of your trip is automatically over.

disassembling a bike — After all, you’re already getting a watercraft inflated and flotation-ready. How much more time do you want to spend doing and redoing this? [Photo credit: Pinkbike]

What makes a good bikepacking bike?

“Ruggedness” is a major trade-off word. You want your bike to be sturdy enough to handle whatever terrain you throw at it, with gearing to make any climb easy. And yet, the features that help most with those challenges, such as shocks and extra gears, are also complexities and potential risks in a remote, perpetually sandy, muddy, or wet environment.

Exactly how wet are we talking about? Well… it depends on where you’re going.

whitewater packrafting — This bike will need some TLC and drying out when it gets back. [Photo credit: Pinkbike.com]

Depending upon where they like to go, bikepackers sometimes choose to dial back on shocks, or gearing, or just assume that everything is going to need a thorough cleaning and drying post-trip. With that in mind, here are two options for bikepacking with two transition-area advantages over more commonly used bikepacking bikes: (1) they fold in half, and (2) with pop-off pedals, there’s no need for a pedal wrench.

CHANGE 812 folding MTB — The CHANGE 812 is an ISO 4210-certified rugged, performance hardtail MTB, with FOX air shocks, hydraulic brakes, and internal cabling.

CHANGE 812 folded — One minute later, the CHANGE 812 folding MTB is raft-sized, with no dangling chain or derailleur.

One thing you don’t see here is how pop-off pedals come off without a wrench.

Bike-packing advantages of the CHANGE 812 folding MTB:

Folding frame, pop-off pedals, internal cabling
Less gearing complexity: 2 * 10 speeds
Knobby 2.2″ tires for loose soil and mud
Hydraulic brakes with no cables to rust
Front air shocks for rough terrain (and no spring rusting)

Another approach is the CHANGE 811 folding rugged hybrid. It’s passed the same ISO 4210 ruggedness certification as the CHANGE 812, but features a rugged carbon monocoque solid fork instead of air shocks.

CHANGE 811 (riding) — The carbon fork and smaller, 1.5″ tires on the CHANGE 811 make it about 5 lbs lighter than the CHANGE 812.

CHANGE 811 rugged folding hybrid (folded) — And yet, it still folds up just as small, to 30″ x 15″ x 37″ (mostly handlebar)

Bike-packing advantages of the CHANGE 811 rugged folding hybrid:

Folding frame, pop-off pedals, internal cabling
More gearing range: 3 * 9 speeds
Smooth 1.5″ tires for efficient road and trail riding
Disc brakes with cables that are field-serviceable
No shocks to get wet inside

Ron’s bikepacking experience with a folding bike

A lot of features separate full-size CHANGE bikes from other folding bikes, including 27.5″ wheels and the ability to select from a whole industry of add-on components for “normal” bikes. In this case, Ron added a shorter-reach downhill stem and some add-on grips for a more relaxed back position, and a Blackburn frame bag that fits perfectly in the bike frame.

That leaves the bars free for an Alpaca packraft kit. Here it is fully loaded, and it gets to the trailhead folded in the trunk of a Toyota Prius. That’s an advantage whether or not you’re bikepacking!

CHANGE bike with packraft — CHANGE bike fully loaded and ready for packrafting

In the first fit test on the Alpaca raft, side-to-side distance is fine with the rear wheel still on, but the bars hang down. That’s an adjustment for later.

One nice feature is that the pedals don’t need wrench work before each raft use. They’re in the seat bag above.

pop-off pedal latch — pop-off pedals are a perfect combo with a packraft.

And finally, out on the water…

…social distancing in the most relaxing way possible…

Seeing the sights along the way…

And enjoying beauty form a different perspective. In Ron’s own words…

bridge over still water — Oakwood Park Bridge over the Huron River, as seen from the river.

“Hi Bob, hope all is well with you. Sunrise found me on the Huron River near Lake Erie this morning. I paddled for 2‘ 20” going 6 river miles downstream. I pedaled for 35” on 3.7 pavement miles on a packed Flatbike back to my car. I passed under the major highway I-75, see pic. Having a blast…”

“I’ve paddled 30 river miles on the Huron River in five separate day trips and pedaled back on the Flatbike – the urban bikerafter, a legend in my own mind. I am going up north (northern Michigan) on Sunday, spending a lot of time on the raft and bike. I’ll try and get some good pictures to share. The Flatbike and Alpacka Raft are a perfect match. Also, the weight of the bike on the bow helps one to paddle straighter. The hard-core wilderness guys would prefer the mountain bike, or even if they had the frame, they could build their own.

“Besides its durability it’s the quick breakdown and reboot of the Flatbike which would be attractive to bikerafters. When you are outdoors time is very precious especially when you are on the move…”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Now that sounds like a great summer! For anyone else interested in bikerafting, Ron has shared some more guidance: