This past summer I cycled the 183-mile Albany–to–New York City leg of the Empire State Trail along with two friends. Thanks to one pivotal wrong turn and several detours for Dunkin’, we actually did it in 213 miles.
Our goal was never maximum efficiency or peak performance, though. It was to see where the open road might take us. To push ourselves, but mostly to goof off. To drink too much and regret it on the uphill the next day.
To keep the shenanigans high on our four-day trek, I would need to keep my pack weight low.
Your thighs feel every extra ounce as you brave the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, the wind whipping at your face, the mighty Hudson River flowing beneath your feet. So my goal was to keep my pack around 25 pounds, including my bike rack and pannier setup, four days’ worth of sweat-wicking tank tops, protein bars, deodorant, a spare tube, chain links, sunscreen, water bottles, bug spray, and a Bluetooth speaker.
With the help of the Topeak Explorer MTX 2.0, along with the compatible Topeak MTX TrunkBag EXP, I got my setup down to 22 pounds—and didn’t need to compromise on anything else.
Top pick
This bike rack (which comes in a non-disc-brake version too) can carry up to 57 pounds of weight and fits a wide variety of bikes.
The first part of my setup, the Topeak Explorer MTX 2.0, is Wirecutter’s top pick for the best rear bike rack, and buying it was a no-brainer: I needed something lightweight yet extremely stable to keep me supplied for my trek, and this hollow aluminum rack is astonishingly light at just over 1 pound.
Plus, Wirecutter’s reporting assured me that the install would be easy. Should I want to use the rack on a different bike in the future, it has enough wheel clearance to fit most frames. I bought the disc-brake version, but the rack comes in a version for rim brakes, too.
If you’re new to cycling, one of the best things you can do is find a bike shop nearby with friendly, knowledgeable staff. After describing my trip to the staff at my beloved Bicycles NYC, they installed the Topeak Explorer MTX 2.0 right then and there for me, for free. They also helped me pair the rack with the Topeak MTX TrunkBag EXP.
Staff pick
This handy trunk bag with expandable pannier side panels fits more than 16 liters of gear and secures to the compatible Topeak rack with one simple maneuver.
I was more hesitant to embrace the TrunkBag at first. Unlike typical panniers, which sit to one side of your tire and easily transform into a tote bag or backpack, the TrunkBag has an odd, butterfly-like shape with a central compartment and two expandable side panels.
Would the bag be unwieldy to carry? Would my necessities be easily accessible, even while I was pedaling? A handlebar bag might have been great for holding my wallet and keys, but mine was pretty cramped already with my Quad Lock (Wirecutter’s phone mount pick) and my GoPro Hero 12, so they’d have to go on the side.
What ultimately made the TrunkBag my choice, instead of one of Wirecutter’s pannier picks, was its compatibility with my rack. When the rack and bag are paired, you simply slide your bag forward on the track until it secures in place. To remove the bag, you push the release button, and your bag slides right off. For a trip across more than 200 miles of bumpy terrain with plenty of stops in between, being able to quickly attach and detach my stuff was key.
I packed my day-to-day necessities in the divided top compartment and stowed my clothes in the two expandable pannier side panels. Thanks to the one-button system, I didn’t waste any time fiddling or fastening when I needed to get to my pack—just one fluid motion, and I was on my merry way. While cycling, I could easily reach back and unzip the top compartment to grab a protein bar with one hand (though doing so can be dangerous and should only be attempted on a protected path).
Plus, my bag stayed in place throughout the various stages of my trip, impressively, even while gravity worked against it. We started the trip with an Amtrak ride from Manhattan to Albany, and the train’s bike storage requires you to hang your frame by its front wheel. Even suspended, bumping along in the train car, the bag stayed secure on my bike. `
Not thinking about my bike pack on that four-day trek allowed me to spend mile after mile thinking about everything else: the sunlight pouring through the honey locust trees onto the trail, the abandoned railways and trolley lines and the people who once made their livelihoods on them, the first sip of celery soda and the last bite of scrapple at Cafe Mutton. I thought about how adulthood means spending your time with friends who make you feel alive and free. I thought about the next pedal stroke. And the next.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Maxine Builder.
