Flagstaff, Arizona-based Rogue Panda announced its new Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness ($185) earlier this year, and John has found it to be the most stable handlebar harness yet. Read on for his in-depth review of this lightweight and secure system that eliminates both head tube rub and cable interference.
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Reportage
Gas Station Fueling Tips: When Cycling Nutrition Goes Rogue
Even if you’ve never given the phrase “carbs per hour” a second thought (or a first), Hailey Moore would bet that all cyclists have a shared performance goal: we want to feel good while riding. And while performance-focused sports nutrition brands like Skratch Labs have largely catered to the carb-counting crowds, the science of nutrition underpinning their products can still be applied outside of the controlled confines of racing—to bikepacking, randonneuring and other unsupported adventure riding—when nutrition goes rogue. Hailey sat down with Skratch Labs dietitian, Colette Vartanian, to talk about gas-station fueling strategies, the magic of chocolate milk and if drinking ‘Trash Juice’ is actually ok. Read on for an unconventional conversation about cycling nutrition.
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Switchback Nostalgia: Tracing Old Tracks in the Cordillera Blanca
After seven years, Ryan Wilson returns to the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca to re-ride some of the roads that inspired him to take up bike touring in the first place and explore some new roads around the tourist hub of Huaraz. Come along for a ride in one of the most spectacular regions of the world.
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Hunting Double Track in Peru’s Sunchubamba Reserve: The Road to Nowhere
With a seemingly endless array of dirt roads scattered throughout the Peruvian Andes, it’s easy to see why it has become a favorite destination for bike travelers like Ryan Wilson. During his latest trip to the country, Ryan looks to connect the northern city of Cajamarca to the Ancash region along some rarely traveled dirt tracks through the Sunchubamba Game Reserve. With little information about this zone to be found online, read on to find out how it went.
Radar
Dropper Post Seat Bag Review Roundup
The most fun addition to any bike? Ask Colt Fetters and the answer is unquestionably a dropper post. He’d argue that droppers are more fun than suspension, fancy wheels, and wireless shifting, because getting the saddle out of the way is key to maneuvering a mountain bike to its fullest potential. But for multi-day riding, running a dropper can present logistical challenges. In the following roundup, Colt reviews seven dropper-post compatible seat bags to ensure that you don’t have to compromise carrying capacity in exchange for confident descending on multi-day mountain biking missions.
Radar
VIDEO: The Slow Lane
Dedicated to slowly exploring the world on two wheels, Pierre Bouchard and Janick Lemieux have covered more than 250,000 KM by bike and spent 14 years in the saddle since 1990…
Radar
North St Bags Launches Full Touring Line
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.
Reportage
Examining Purpose During 126 Hours Racing the 2023 Across Andes
After thirty-five days spent bikepacking from Bolivia to Peru across three sub mountain ranges of the Cordillera de los Andes, Leo Brasil finds himself with the unique opportunity to explore a completely different part of South America with a much lighter bike. Read on for his race reflections from the 2023 Across Andes
Reportage
Workpacking: When an e-Cargo Bike Becomes a Mobile Home
A longtime “velopreneur” who has worked across the cycling media industry, Gunnar Fehlau decided to take on a new experiential project in 2023: He loaded his household onto his e-cargo bike and has been living and working from the road for one year. This is his report from the first 333 days of life while workpacking.
Radar
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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The Moor, the Forest and the Sea: Two Days Bikepacking Yorkshire’s YC Adventure Route
In the North East of England, between vast swathes of exposed moorland and the storm-battered cliffs of the North Sea, a sprinkling of Victorian seaside resorts and ancient fishing villages line the coast. Designed off the back of the already famous road trip, complete with twelve variations, Route YC is the latest addition to journeys by bike in England. It explores some of the best of the Yorkshire Coast.
Starting and finishing in Scarborough, the Adventure Weekender takes in Roman-built upland roads, winding forest singletrack and the sands of wide open beaches. At the tail end of January, in the thick of one of the wettest winters of recent years, Chris Hunt joined the inaugural group ride of the 150-kilometer loop, with the hope of filling-in the blanks for what could only be described as a blind-spot in his geography of the motherland.
Radar
As Advertised: A Flextail Zero Pump Review
Weighing less than 57 grams, the Flextail Zero Pump is the sort of bike camping luxury that’s easy to live with. It cuts the hyperventilation out of sleeping-pad inflation, though a temperamental deflation function had Travis leaving it at home on trips where every ounce counts.
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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.
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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.
Radar
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!
Reportage
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…