Bikepacking for Nerds

Category: Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV

  • Fully Loaded Test Ride

    Fully Loaded Test Ride

    I’ve packed and unpacked my bike twice now – I’m feeling confident that I have the tools, padding, etc. that I need to pack safely for the trip to and from BCS. Over the weekend, I put the bike together again, mounted all of my bags, water storage, etc. and headed out for a ride through the neighborhood to see how my bike handles fully loaded. As expected, my Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV is a great platform for riding weighed down with racks, bags, food, water, clothes, and camping gear. Unloaded, the bike weighs ~30#. Fully laden with 5L of water, I estimate the loaded bike is ~70#. (Update: 74 pounds / 33.5 kg on my travel scale… yowza.) That’s a lot of weight to move uphill! My granny gear (30×52, 0.58 gear ratio) is going to get a workout on steep climbs.

    Fully loaded Bombtrack ready to tackle the Cape Loop.

    Over the next two weeks, I’ll be doing a lot of fully loaded hill climbing around my neighborhood. Although North Seattle doesn’t have any long climbs, there are plenty of short, steep climbs, and a few longer sustained climbs such as Golden Gardens Drive, . A few can be strung together for a ride that has very little flat terrain. Too bad the weather in Seattle is likely to be cold and rainy until I depart. The only thing I can’t prepare for is the heat and sun in Baja California Sur. 

  • It fits!

    It fits!

    Last weekend I took some time to try packing my bike in it’s new travel bag, an Evoc Bike Travel Bag XL. Packing my bike taught me a few things. First, use only the tools you plan on bringing with you. If you cannot pack and unpack with those tools, you need more tools. My Crankbrothers M19 tool is sufficient to pack and unpack, it rides in my toolkit on every ride. A set of Wera L keys, Wera bicycle set, and a 15mm wrench are MUCH easier to use and faster, too. The Park Tool ATD1.2 torque wrench is a nice to have. Latex gloves to keep from getting dirty are always a good idea.

    Second, the order of operations is important: Pedals come off first, then wheels. Thru axles are replaced front and rear to protect the fork and frame. Spacers are placed in the hydraulic brake calipers. Handlebars are removed last and strapped to the frame. Rear derailleur is removed (optional, but desirable). Finally, the seat post is lowered. At home I can do this in a repair stand which makes it convenient. On the road I’ll be working on the floor.

    Placing the bike in the bag has a specific order, as well. The rear wheel is placed in the bag (on the side opposite the bike) first. Pedals are placed in an interior pocket along with tools. Next the bike frame gets mounted and strapped in place inside the bag. Any other gear is loaded into the bag and the side is zipped up, allowing the front wheel to be stored. As long as it’s under 70 pounds with everything is secured inside, it’s ready to fly.

    There are a few items I still need to work out. I didn’t expect to have to remove the rear rack given the small size of my frame, but it did not fit as mounted. Next time, I’m going to try to tip the rack forward so that it stays mounted on the frame and only needs to be rotated back into place and secured. I’m still debating whether to remove the disc rotors before travel. They appear well protected in the bag, but a bent rotor could end a trip if I can’t fix it or find a replacement.

  • Taking care of the details…

    Last night, I wrapped the Jones bars and set up the harness with a dry bag.  Everything is starting to come together.  I may replace some Voile straps with hypalon straps and Austere Manufacturing buckles – mostly because I’m a sucker for the really beautiful design.

    I’m not happy with mounting the pump on the fork – I need a better long term solution.

    Next weekend I’m going bike packing in Roslyn with the new Bombtrack. This might be my first and best shakedown ride before heading to Mexico.  I’ve been working on minimizing how much stuff I carry with me on a trip.  At the same time, I’m expanding my carrying capacity for longer journeys like the Cape Loop. Inevitably, if there’s extra space, I’ll probably fill it.  Using a MLD medium dry bag under the Jones bars, and a pair of Revelate Polecat bags on the forks opens up a lot of possibilities to move bulky, light items to the bars, and heavy items, such as a 64 oz Klean Kanteen, low on the bike helps to maintain a low center of gravity.

  • Getting Organized

    Getting Organized

    My new bike arrived from The Pro’s Closet in late August. For months I had been eyeing the Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV. When I saw it on sale for 50% off MSRP, I couldn’t pass it up.

    Since receiving the bike, I’ve built it up with a mix of on-hand and newly purchased parts: 1

    Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV in front of a barbed wire fence and barn in Roslyn, WA.

    I’ve ridden ~50 miles or so, including about 7 miles of trails at Big Finn Hill / St. Edward State Park. The trails were a blast! Riding on 29X3″ tires reminded riding BMX bikes on the dirt trails along Cypress Creek, jumping makeshift jumps, riding up, down, and around dirt berms on the edge of our developing neighborhood. This is going to be fun!

    1. List updated 11/17/2023 based on changes/additions since initially writing this post. ↩︎
  • Bikepacking Baja

    Bikepacking Baja

    In December 2022 my family and I spent a week in Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, Mexico. We stayed at a house near the beach just up the hill from the Baja Divide route. At the time, I had been bikepacking for two years. Through the pandemic I watched a lot of bikepacking videos, including Ryan van Duzer’s series on riding the Baja Divide. On our trip home, I said to my wife, “someday I’m going to ride the Cape Loop of the Baja Divide… maybe next winter!”

    On the beach at Punta Pescadero along the Baja Divide route. (December 2022)

    Fast forward a few months. I got lost in travel, work, and family. I completed a few bikepacking trips over the summer, yet I had made no meaningful progress toward riding the Cape Loop. I didn’t have an appropriate bike or even a plan to tackle anything longer than an overnight trip.

    In late July we returned from our family summer vacation in Europe. I turned 50. Suddenly, I had a lot of time to think about the upcoming year and what I want to do. At the same time, a friend became quite ill, reminding me that you’re never guaranteed tomorrow. This was all the inspiration I needed.

    Sign along the beach road north of Los Barriles, BCS. (December 2022)

    “Steph, I want to buy a new bike, fly to Mexico, and spend 10 days riding and camping across the desert and mountains of Baja California. Alone. What do you think?”

    She said, “Yes!” Over the next four days I purchased a brand new 2022 Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV, and a round trip ticket to San Jose del Cabo for early next year.

    Let’s do this!

    Street sign outside of Los Barriles, BCS. (December 2022)