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Folding & Furious: A 20″ Wheel-Powered Adventure

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Folding & Furious: A 20″ Wheel-Powered Adventure

Karla and I headed to Tijuana when we heard that the local government was giving the covid vaccine to anyone who wanted it. We used a Fabio’s chest as luggage bags because although we didn’t bring our bikes, we had the idea of borrowing some to move around the city and try to fit in an overnighter, so we also brought our sleeping bags and bike touring tool kit. With the Baja Divide being so close the thought of jumping on it crossed our minds but we decided to settle for something that required fewer logistics and that could be started and finished from the place we were staying in.

Singletracks Podcast Interviews Jon from Dzil Ta’ah Adventures

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Singletracks Podcast Interviews Jon from Dzil Ta’ah Adventures

Our friends Nadine and John from Dzil Ta’ah Adventures have been receiving a lot of press lately and the latest in the torrent is the Singletracks podcast. Give it a listen to hear the motivations behind Dzil Ta’ah Adventures, and what they’re doing within the Navajo Nation to enable their community to ride bikes.

Check out our Related archives below for the work we’ve done with Dzil Ta’ah Adventures in the past, including this year’s Yellow Dirt Route Reportage.

 

Photographic Observations While Bicycle Touring Along the Tuscany Trail

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Photographic Observations While Bicycle Touring Along the Tuscany Trail

I don’t consider myself an avid bikepacker. Yet, neither I think nor talk about riding my enduro bike (which I don’t have). Terminology in general has lost meaning for me in the past years in the bike world. I guess at the same time as many of us, I got overwhelmed with all the new kinds of everything, and the speed of development and diversity the market has achieved in such a short time. I tried to back off a little and find a short of safe place from where I can observe it all. And at the same time, the kind of biking I try to practice more is also quite determined by the act of observing.

Serendipity on the TVA: 550 Miles and a Roll of Superia X-tra 400 Film

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Serendipity on the TVA: 550 Miles and a Roll of Superia X-tra 400 Film

I like to shoot the first frame on a roll of film no matter how carefully I load the roll I always end up getting something kinda strange and wonderful out of that first exposure – an effect yielded by the film’s interaction with light coming from two separate moments in time and space – the exposure of the film through the camera’s shutter, but also the light leaked onto the frame during the loading of the roll. One of my favorite photos ever is of my 17-year-old beagle/spaniel mix, Bucky, where he looks like he’s peeking out from behind a cascading sheet of liquid sun. The first exposure on this roll is of my friend, podcast co-host, and riding partner, Sarah rifling through overstuffed bikepacking bags outside of a country store in Damascus, Virginia about 15 miles into our 550-mile bikepacking trip through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. The image of her trying to squeeze a snack bar into a nonexistent empty space in the top tube bag is itself neatly constrained into the 2/3rds of the frame not devoured by light exposure obtained while the roll was being loaded.

The Bike That Flew: Sarah Swallow on the Tour Divide

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The Bike That Flew: Sarah Swallow on the Tour Divide

Over at Rapha, Sarah Swallow shares her story about how her Tour Divide almost ended before it even began:

The journey began with a three-day drive from my home in Colorado to the start line in Montana. My partner Adam and I were wrapping up a long day of driving and looking for a place to camp south of Seeley Lake, Montana when we drove over a large bump in the tarmac at 60 mph. The entire truck bounced like a sea-saw, causing us both to cringe when we heard a snap and saw something in the rearview mirror.

“What was that!?” I yelled.”It was a bike…” Adam answered.”Was it your bike?” I asked desperately.”I think it was your bike…” he responded.We stopped the car, and I got out to confirm that my Tour Divide bike lay one hundred yards down the road. I ran toward it hysterically like it was a loved pet that had just been run over.

Head on over to the Rapha blog to read more!

Seeking Adventure In My Own Backyard: Tour Costa de Hermosillo

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Seeking Adventure In My Own Backyard: Tour Costa de Hermosillo

La Costa de Hermosillo is the name for a vast expanse of land that covers from the west of the city of Hermosillo all the way to the coast of the Gulf of California, 100 km (60 miles) away. Once part of the territory where the Comca’ac Natives thrived, nowadays it’s mainly used for agriculture; during the 19th century, the Comca’ac, most frequently called “Seri” which means “people of the sand” in Yaqui language, were persecuted and almost wiped out completely by the Mexican army and ranchers who had interest in this territory, and the few survivors of the already dispersed Comca’ac Nation were progressively displaced further and further towards the coast till they reached the land they occupy today, where water is scarce and life conditions are harsh. Rain is not often seen around here, and agriculture is only possible via drilling wells and bringing water from other parts. La Costa de Hermosillo is flat as it is possible for land to be, so making long distances by bike in this region is a matter of keeping your bars straight and moving early, because it’s usually around noon that the wind picks up.

The Goat Road to Göğeri: Bikepacking Turkey

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The Goat Road to Göğeri: Bikepacking Turkey

I woke up to the sounds of a struggling motorcycle engine. When I set up my tent the previous night I’d pushed my bike up a tiny double-track offshoot road that steeply climbed to an isolated hilltop. I was perched above the primary road that already gets very little traffic and totally out of sight, but with the sound of that engine, I knew the motorcycle wasn’t simply cruising by on the road below, it was making its way up toward me.

Apidura Innovation Lab: 1.5L Hydration Bladder for Bikepacking Frame Bags

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Apidura Innovation Lab: 1.5L Hydration Bladder for Bikepacking Frame Bags

One of the most difficult problems to solve on extended bicycle tours, particularly in the desert, is carrying enough water. Sure, hydration bladders work, as well as “soft” canteens, bladders, Nalgene bottles, and standard cycling bottles, yet a bladder that is integrated into a framebag would be ideal. A few small companies have toyed with this concept but none have brought it to fruition, until now. Apidura just announced their new roll-top 1.5L bladder, specifically designed for full-frame bags thanks to its tapered design. This puts the water weight as close to the bottom bracket as possible, in an area that is often underutilized.

Apidura has a full compatibility chart on their website but from the looks of things, the bladder will fit just about any full frame pack. Retail for this bladder is $51 and they’re in stock now at Apidura and your local dealer.

See more at Apidura.

Tour Divide Bikes: Arya’s Tour Divide 2021 Crust Bikes Romanceür Tourer

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Tour Divide Bikes: Arya’s Tour Divide 2021 Crust Bikes Romanceür Tourer

This bicycle named Lil Romeo was chosen for my first attempt at the Tour Divide based on trust built over the years of adventuring together. A Reynolds 853 steel Crust Romanceür that I’ve ridden for 4 years in 4 different United Nations recognized countries. The custom frame bag that held food, 3 liters of water, and often a can of nitro coffee has the Tibetan national flag that is not recognized by the United Nations. I love this flag almost as much as I love this bike. Not for the sake of Nationalism, but for the sake of Beauty. Lots of parts on this bike were selected for beauty, practicality, and nostalgia.

Aeroe’s Handlebar Spider Cradle

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Aeroe’s Handlebar Spider Cradle

Aeroe, the New Zealand-based brand most known for their Spider rear-rack that fits on full suspension and rigid bikes alike, with no special braze-ons required, also have a front handlebar harness called the Spider Cradle.

This 479 g (1 lb) harness can support up to 5 kgs (11 lbs) in your favorite 8L to 12L drybag, or you can buy Aeroe’s resilient drybags that have integrated cargo loops for the Spider Cradle’s straps. Check out more information at Aeroe.

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Kōpiko

Deane Parker‘s newest bikepacking film brings you along for a ride on the stunning Kōpiko Aotearoa, a 1,100-kilometer route across New Zealand’s North Island. See the wonderful sights, meet the locals, and share in the physical and mental challenges of this bikepacking adventure.

Presented by:
TRACKME
SALSA CYCLES

Movigo, Human Propelled Freedom: Bike Bags and Accessories From Tijuana, México

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Movigo, Human Propelled Freedom: Bike Bags and Accessories From Tijuana, México

I have been internet friends with Irlanda for so long that I don’t even remember how we started communicating. What I do remember is that she told me she had the dream of making bicycle bags and accessories but at the moment, sewing fancy dresses are what paid her bills. Settled in the México-USA border city of Tijuana, she has been dressing brides and quinceañeras for over twenty years and it was around fourteen years ago that she started riding a bike to get around. As she took part in organizing group rides, she sewed hip bags and gave them away as an incentive to attract more people to ride, and that’s how sewing bike bags became a hobby. Along those two decades, she started growing tired of the high fashion world while at the same time she made more bicycle accessories, but still, the money flowed mainly from the people who came to her from either side of the border to get their dresses made.

Lael Wilcox Bike Setup: Trans Alaska Pipeline Time Trial Gear List and Introduction

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Lael Wilcox Bike Setup: Trans Alaska Pipeline Time Trial Gear List and Introduction

I was born in Anchorage, Alaska, as was my mother. My grandfather was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, as was his father.

Alaska became a state in 1959. It’s a complicated and very beautiful place. It’s home.

In 2017, I rode all of the major roads in the state— about 4,500 miles, a mix of gravel and pavement. By land, Alaska is huge— twice the size of Texas. The road system is very limited, many places are isolated. I wanted to ride my bike to connect as much as I could. I set out in a series of trips— riding for a week or two at a time and hitching back to town to work at The Bicycle Shop to fund the next leg. For the most part, I rode alone. It was a lot of freedom and I had the time of my life.

Reflecting on my rides later, I wanted to go back to share my experience. Both with Rue, the love of my life, and with the public through photos and videos. This is something I have thought about since the fall of 2017.

Jon and Nadine’s Dzil Ta’ah Adventures Are in Condé Nast Travel

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Jon and Nadine’s Dzil Ta’ah Adventures Are in Condé Nast Travel

Our friends Jon and Nadine’s cyclo-tourism company, Dzil Ta’ah Adventures, based in the Navajo Nation town of Kayenta made it to the travel segment of Condé Nast. We’ve done a few stories with Dzil Ta’ah Adventures over the years, so after you check this out, be sure to visit our archives in the Related footer below…

“It’s important for Navajo Nation to be in charge of this story, because more often than not, that story has been told for, not by, Navajo people,” says Navajo Nation member Donovan Hanley, a legislative staff assistant spearheading tourism development for Navajo Nation Council’s Office of the Speaker. “Jon’s push to tell stories on bikes, the push for adventure, responsible tourism, and sustainable tourism—it really aligns with the Navajo way of life.”

Read the full piece at Condé Nast Travel!