North St Bags just announced an entirely new bag catalog featuring a Handlebar Pack, rack-mounted Adventure Micro and Macro panniers, and a Roll-Top Trunk bag. All are made with recycled EcoPak sailcloth, and the five standard color options are the same across all four, so people can mix and match colors. Check out the full drop at North St Bags.
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Bikepacking Roots: Ranchita Rambler – Anza Borrego Bike Touring Route
The Ranchita Rambler covers the high and low deserts in one go, with epic landscapes, the best mom-and-pop resupply shops you could ask for, and camping in a designated Dark Sky community.
This route is perfect for exposing mountain bikers to touring and bicycle camping but also fun and adventurous enough for the seasoned rider—it’s short at 57 miles long, has breathtaking landscapes, offers resupply and camping options with amenities, and supports rural communities via low-impact tourism.
See more at Bikepacking Roots.
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VIDEO: Wheels to Waves – Lombok Island
On 4 September 2023, a band of eight cyclists embarked on a 600-kilometer journey through Lombok, Indonesia; a haven of clear beaches, spicy cuisine, laid-back living, and the formidable Mt. Rinjani.
Spanning 9 days, the Wheels to Waves tour was a deliberate immersion into the island’s charm, curated meticulously by Haetam since August 2020.
The goal? To savor Lombok’s wonders at a deliberately unhurried pace.
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Bikepacking Roots’ Newest Community Route: El Lobo Lupus in Eastern Arizona
El Lobo Lupus is a 412 mile route in Eastern Arizona touts 32,360′ of elevation gain. It crosses subalpine meadows lined with conifers and aspens, through dense ponderosa pine forests. You’ll ride along trout-filled rivers and lakes, and get endless high-elevation views…
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Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness
Flagstaff, Arizona’s Rogue Panda, just announced a sub 9 oz bar-mounted cradle for dry bags called the Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness ($185); let’s check it out!
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VIDEO: Riding Han (한)
“Han” is an inherent, undefinable, and complex part of being Korean.
It is internalized/unresolved collective grief, resentment, and rage created by deep intergenerational trauma and oppression. Han manifests itself in the human experience of adversity through emotion, expression, and creation.
Directed & Edited by: (박) Pak, Eugene
Cinematography by: (영) Young Mazino & (박) Pak, Eugene
www.pakeugene.com
Instagram: @bikepak, @youngmazino
Radar
Tailfin Packing Cubes
Tailfin’s new Packing Cubes system allows you to stay even more organized when it comes to using the brand’s innovative touring collection.
Reportage
Shooting Solo: How To Document Solo Bicycle Tours
What does it mean to create and capture an authentic moment?
Laura Killingbeck is a lifelong adventure cyclist who recently pedaled the Great Divide. Below, she shares her philosophy and practice of shooting solo photography in the field.
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First Ride Review: Tumbleweed Titanium Mini Pannier Rack
Today, Tumbleweed Bicycle Co launched a revamp to its Mini Pannier and T-Racks. The CroMo racks (T-Rack $140 Mini Pannier $150) are lighter and stronger than the previous versions and have improved features. Today, we’re discussing the all-new Mini Pannier Titanium. Weighing in at only 258 grams (confirmed), Tumbleweed’s Titanium Mini Pannier Rack ($400) is a new option, now available, for those looking for an ultralight rear carrier option. John got one ahead of its release and has a First-Look Review below…
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Alexandera Houchin’s Ultra Racing Hacks
If you follow ultra racing, then you have most likely heard of Alexandera Houchin. Today we’re sharing a few hacks she’s tried over the year, from her beginning roots bike touring all the way through bikepacking races. Read on for a bit of self-deprecating humble pie and innovation, rolled in one!
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VIDEO: Highs and Lows in Ecuador’s Volcanic Corridor
Last year, Ryan Wilson met up with fellow bike traveler Joe Sasada to tackle the dirt road version of the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route. In Part one, they got their feet wet on this classic route, but in this chapter, Ryan and Joe visit the heart of Ecuador’s iconic volcano corridor and run into the trials and tribulations that come with any good bike tour. Read on for a slice of the highlights and lowlights of their ride across the Andes.
Radar
A Review and Some Tinkering with Shimano CUES 1×11 Drivetrain
With Shimano releasing CUES to replace Alivio, Acera, and Altus groupsets, is it possible we are getting something better? CUES unites all the parts under its umbrella with the same flat cable pull ratio and chain pitch across 9, 10, and 11-speed drivetrains. Spencer Harding devised his own mix of CUES parts to fit his touring demands at a low price point. Check out what he found and his thoughts on this new parts offering from Shimano below…
Reportage
Bikepacking Iceland: When Things Go Low but Spirits Remain High
After completing the Westfjords Way Challenge in 2023, Werka Szalas and friend Louise Philipovitch decide they want to see more of Iceland. In the course of a week, they attempt to explore Iceland’s rugged and beautiful countryside, but like any bike tour, they find a few challenges along the way…
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VIDEO: Cycling the World
MckenzieBarney‘s Cycling the World video is online, allowing viewers to watch the trailer for free or pay for early access, which you can do right here…
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VIDEO: Cobbles and Comedores: Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route
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This video coincides with today’s Reportage, Cobbles and Comedores: Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route.
After extensive touring through Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, the only remaining “missing link” in Ryan Wilson‘s Andean traverse was Ecuador. Last year, he met up with fellow cyclo-tourist Joe Sasada to share miles on the dirt-road variation of the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route, an 850-mile mountainous traverse through the country’s volcanic corridor. Read on for Ryan’s introduction to Ecuador…
Reportage
Bike Touring Cork in Ireland: Hardtails, Hills, and Horses
Nick McIntyre takes us on a mosey through Ireland’s southernmost county on some choice cuts from the Golden Age of 26-inch MTBs. Sharing company with a small group of friends, Nick writes about rolling past stashed-off coves, winding back roads, and an unexpected day making petty bets at the Ballabuidhe Horse Fair after one of the wettest Irish summers on record. It was a given that there would be some downpours to deal with along the way, but these only made the odd break in the clouds all the sweeter. Read on for Nick’s retelling of bike touring in Cork and don’t miss his 35 mm gallery.
Reportage
A Bikepacking Traverse Connecting the Highest Peaks of the Iberian Peninsula
During a month-long tour, Sònia Colomo and Eloi Miquel trace singletrack and rough roads en route to summiting the highest peaks in the Iberian Peninsula. Come along for the ride through the backcountry of Spain!
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VIDEO: Just to be With You – A Dad, a Daughter and the Divide
On August 4, 2022, Scarlet and her dad set out from Calgary, Canada to ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. 42 days and over 2,900 miles later, they arrived at the US and Mexico border with a deeper understanding of themselves and each other. Along the way a poem was written to help a dad come to terms with the inevitable growing up of his daughter.