This one is gonna be a simple write-up. Ally had a really amazing looking custom bike from a builder, Hoefer Cycles, I had never come across before.  I asked Ally about the story behind the bike and she just responded, “I told him I wanted a sweet bikepacking rig that I could ride anywhere.” I reached out to Donald, the man behind Hoefer Cycles, and he corroborated the story and adding that “It’s really fun when someone comes to me with a request as open-ended as hers was and trusts me to deliver.” While handcrafting a detailed and intentional build such as this is nothing simple, the joy it produces is.  Just look at that smile, Donald still remembered seeing Ally’s huge smile as she came back from the first test ride.  After Ally had trouble finding something that truly fit, it seemed Donald had hit the bullseye.

Since Ally works as a travel nurse they decided to go with S&S couplers to make traveling that much easier.  The bike is also equipped with tons of braze-ons for racks, bottle cages, and all manner of bags.  Honestly, I have to give a shout-out to that wishbone seat stay, it’s just lovely y’all. The bike is dripping in quality yet burly components for touring; Thompson stem, Wolf tooth chainring, and dropper lever, Fox Transfer dropper post, Shimano 12 speed drivetrain, White Industry Hub with Velocity Rims, and that leopard print Outer Shell half frame bag to top it all off.  A RockShox Sid keeps that Arizona Chunder from being so harsh and a Sinewave Beacon keeps the trail lit for those late nights searching for the perfect campsite.

Cool bike, wonderful people, and big smiles. That’s all y’all.