Bikepacking for Nerds

Tag: Bikepacking

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.

September 9, 2023
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
- ~~Brooks Cambium C17 saddle~~ Ergon SMC Core saddle (updated 12/19/2023)
- Wolftooth Components purple anodized seat post clamp, bar end plugs, and headset spacers
- FSA V Drive +17 degree 70mm stem
- Jones Kraton H-Bar Grips (gray)
- PNW Coast bar tape (teal)
- Corki Out Front Wahoo & GoPro Mount
- Tumbleweed T-Rack
- 3x Wolftooth Components Morse cargo cages
- 2x Revelate Polecat cargo cage bags
- Revelate Ranger Framebag (Small)
- Wolftooth Components B-Rad Teklite Rolltop Dry Bag (repair kit)
- 2x Rockgeist Honeypot feed bags
- Rockgeist Microwave Panniers
- Rockgeist Loop Bar Harness
- Mountain Laurel Designs Ultra X Handlebar double end dry bag
- MKS Allways Pedals
- Fillmore valves w/ purple caps & nuts to facilitate a tubeless tire setup
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. ↩︎
September 8, 2023
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)

August 20, 2023