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Towering over Flagstaff and the surrounding area, the series of mountain summits comprising what are contemporarily referred to as “San Francisco Peaks,” or just “The Peaks,” have held spiritual and cultural significance since long before Spanish colonists arrived and began assigning names to geologic formations.
Colt takes us to the Valles Caldera, a magical place outside of Los Alamos, NM for some bike fishing and camping vibes. Give Colt a follow on Instagram, he does some great work!
Bikepacking Roots is releasing the long-awaited Bears Ears Loops bikepacking route network – 700 miles of riding options through the high deserts and subalpine wilds of central and southeastern Utah. Their goal with these routes are to empower riders to confidently and safely immerse themselves in the remarkable but intimidating landscape, develop an informed sense of place, and experience some of all that is at risk to be lost if the Bears Ears region is not protected.
The journal entry following my first bike trip reads: “Why does recording life events feel so vital? Because memories can’t be trusted to stay in place. Because in their wake remains the shadowy outlines of phantom feelings—forms so great and vague that we long to recall the experiences that gave them flesh and weight. Okay. Bike trip.” On the next page I taped five sheets of 3×5 pages, carefully ripped from the pocket journal that I carried with me on the bike. I did this for the sake of chronology in my journaling, so that all of my day-to-day reflections remained bound together, in order, but in leafing through the past, I enjoy the three-dimensional quality that my inserted notes lend to the entry.
The latest story from Salsa is not to be missed:
“For years now, I have had an idea percolating in the deep recesses of my adventure mind. Living in the picturesque mountain town of Durango, Colorado, I am lucky to have access to one of the world’s most stunning mountain ranges, the San Juans. Encompassing more than 17,000 square miles, the range is a playground for all mountain enthusiasts. I have hiked, climbed, skied, kayaked, and biked much of the range. For most, an exploration of the range begins in the towns of Durango, Pagosa Springs, Telluride, Ouray, or Silverton. The scenic byways of 550 and 160 provide quick and easy access to high alpine lakes, trout streams, rocky summits, and deep gorges. Additionally, because of the bisection of the range from the Durango-Silverton railway and the presence of the famed Colorado Trail, a north-to-south (or vice versa) traverse of the area is common. Few ever think of crossing the range from the other cardinal points of east and west.”
Check out the full story at Salsa!
I had been holding back on these notes for about a year now because I felt that calling it a “review” sounded like too much. The audience here is used to deep comprehension reviews and it’s very intimidating to put it in the same category when my experience with bicycles is reduced to the five I’ve owned in my adult life, this one included. So instead this is more of a short story about a bicycle, with hints of technical information where it feels required.
Ever since bikepacking really took off a few years ago, brands have been trying to design the perfect saddle pack for dropper posts. All the while, what we really needed was a new dropper post design. Then came along the DT Swiss D 232 dropper post. Its inverted design allows for you to use ANY saddle pack. There’s no need for brackets or anything special. Use your normal bikepacking saddle pack and the D 232’s inverted topper provides enough space to strap it with no issue.
It weighs a mere 369g, offers 60mm of travel, and yes, it comes in 27.2mm clamp. See more at DT Swiss.
Touring from Moab to Loma, Colorado along the Kokopelli Trail is something just about every off-road cycle tourist dreams of. The route usually takes 3 days yet EF Pro Cycling’s Lachlan Morton did it in one!
In 2019 Jonny Moses biked the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. The GDMBR is a 2700 mile off-road bike tour that follows the continental divide along the spine of the Rockies from Banff Canada to Antelope Wells New Mexico. He rode this route in order to both challenge himself and to challenge the narrative of who does or doesn’t belong in the outdoors. His aim is to encourage kids of color that the outdoors and outdoor recreation IS for them.
For those wanting a secure and dry spot to keep extra items for your next backcountry loop or bikepacking trip, check out the new Apidura Expedition Downtube Pack. This 1.5L bag attaches to your bike’s downtube and utilizes a rolltop construction for secure packing. There’s enough space to hold a 710ml water bottle or camp fuel and is not recommended for fork legs or tubes smaller than 30mm in diameter. Check out more at Apidura.
Kona-rider Chris Hornbecker made good use of his quarantine time with this fun video:
“A quick bikepacking trip with the goal of getting back to and reconnecting with nature. Making the best use of my time during lockdown. I decided to embark on this journey with some old school movie magic. Well, not quite magic – more of a projector and some complimentary lighting. With those ingredients in place I just needed to add some stock footage to complete the journey. Now that we can actually venture out again, let’s go reconnect with nature and slow down.”
The Kenai 250 is a 257-mile, self-supported mountain bike race in the Kenai peninsula, the only area in Alaska with a large network of singletrack trails maintained by the forest service. The race organizer, Michael Braun, stitched together a route that connects the trails with highway miles. It’s 60% singletrack and 40% pavement. The race has been going on since at least 2013. This year, with 36 starters, it’s a record setting year for participation. This will be my first time racing it. I grew up in Alaska. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to ride and race in my home state. A couple weeks ago, Rue and I went out to tour the trails– several of which I’d never ridden. In a single day, from my bike seat, I saw a moose cooling off in a pond and both a lynx and a grizzly bear crossed my path. Alaska is still very wild. I’m really looking forward to riding through the night and experiencing this full route in one go. It would make a great multi-day tour as well.
Fede Cabrera has an interesting story:
“During the last 6 years I rode more than 30.000 km through remote areas in South America, where I donated 500 printed portraits as well as 350 solar lights, water-turbines and filters. And I won’t stop.”
See the full story at Bombtrack!
Colt Fetters takes us through his gear list for bikepacking trips in the desert. As you can imagine, the desert is one of the harshest environments to tour through, so check out Colt’s recommendations here.
The current worldwide situation has forced Kyle and I, along with everyone else, to rethink our spring activities. With mountain bike races cancelled and out-of-state trips a no-go, we were suddenly left with a lot of empty weekends and an excuse to explore more of New Mexico. We finally had the time and motivation to give this bikepacking thing a try, something that had been at the back of our minds for quite some time. Despite both of us having spent thousands of miles backpacking the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Mountains, and the canyons of Southeast Utah, we still were new to the world of bikepacking.
Yann Gobert shares with us his video diary from the Atlas Mountain Race, which should need no introduction here!
The doorbell of the Alaska bike shop jingled shut as another khaki shorts cruise ship goer left, leaving me alone at the counter for a brief moment to contemplate my future. My job at the bike shop would end in mid-September, and I wanted to be riding the Baja Divide in mid-January. These things were clear, what lay between them was not.
Colt Fetters takes us along on his recent bikepacking outing in the Canyons of the Ancients, Colorado.
