Bikes and Gear Archives - Adventure Cycling Association

Where The Buffalo Roam: How Buffalo Bicycles Is Creating Social And Economic Empowerment

Courtney Holden — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:16:19 +0000

In America, whether our bike is a source of adventure (hello, new towns and terrain) or a ticket to a healthier life (goodbye, stress and fatigue), we generally ride them by choice.

In Africa, however, bicycles are also an essential form of transportation, and not just from place to place. Bikes have the power to propel someone into a better life. A bike can cut a student’s two-hour walk to school in half, help a small business owner sell more eggs and milk at markets far from home, and allow a healthcare worker to reach more patients — and save more lives — in rural communities. “A bicycle is not just a bicycle,” says Brian Berkhout, World Bicycle Relief’s (WBR) Zimbabwe managing director. “It’s a tool for someone to achieve their educational dreams, provide for their household, or take care of sick children. It’s the magical enabler.” WBR has worked to get that magical enabler into the hands of more deserving individuals — a lot more. Since its founding in 2005, the nonprofit has distributed roughly 850,000 bicycles across 21 countries (primarily in Africa), providing more than 2 million people with the mobility necessary for education, healthcare, and economic empowerment. Having two reliable wheels at their disposal means these individuals can conquer distance, achieve independence, and thrive. But WBR doesn’t supply just any bikes. “We created a bicycle that is purpose-designed with the voice of those people who need it the most,” says WBR CEO Dave Neiswander, adding that the organization also builds the community infrastructure, including bike shops and a replacement parts pipeline, required to sustain it. “That’s the core value of the organization.” Bicycles first arrived in Africa in the late 19th century, and over the next 100 years, became an important tool for transportation, trade, and daily life. These days, bikes are readily available and, at an average of $90 U.S., relatively inexpensive. But while cost and quantity haven’t been issues, quality has. In many African countries, Berkhout explains, it’s common to see signs in bike shop windows declaring, “No refund, no return.” Once a bike leaves the store, any issues it might have — cheap pedals, a weak fork, faulty brakes — become the buyer’s responsibility. “This created a race to the bottom on price,” Berkhout says. “Stores competed to sell the cheapest bikes possible, regardless of quality. Unfortunately, this sent the wrong message up the supply chain to manufacturers in China and India, reinforcing the belief that African markets only wanted the cheapest bikes. The result was a flood of bicycles that didn’t meet the demands of rural use.” Started by F.K. Day, cofounder of global bicycle component manufacturer SRAM Corporation, and his wife Leah Missbach Day, WBR knows a thing or two about what goes into a good bike. When the nonprofit began working closely with African communities in 2007, its staff quickly recognized the local bike inventory’s limitations. “Africa probes for weaknesses,” Berkhout says. “It’s really, really tough on machinery. If there’s something that’s not going to cope, it will come up.” Luckily, WBR had the resources to address those shortcomings, thanks, in part, to its founders’ decades-long relationships with the cycling industry’s leading product engineers, supply chain vendors, and testing facilities. It wasn’t just a matter of making a quality bike, however. WBR needed to design a bike for the unique challenges and needs of riders in rural Africa. Over the next five years, despite challenges like sourcing reliable components, establishing local manufacturing and assembly operations, and ensuring affordability, that’s precisely what the organization did.

The Buffalo Bicycle Utility S2 can cut students’ commute times by half.

World Bicycle Relief

Testing Grounds

In Africa, dirt and gravel roads are pockmarked with deep ruts. When it rains, mud abounds. When it doesn’t, the sun is relentless. A quality mountain bike, say a Giant Trance X 29, might seem like the answer to these conditions. And sure, the $2,200 steed would perform superbly in this rugged terrain, but who’s going to fix it when its wheel is tacoed by an especially nasty pothole? The closest bike shop with the needed parts is likely in a different country. There’s also the matter of repair costs, Berkhout points out, which are likely far beyond what the owner could afford, even if they received the bike for free. Enter a whole different beast. The Buffalo features a threaded headset and quill stem. Those components may seem outdated to Western cyclists, but they’re simple to adjust and there’s a healthy supply of replacement parts. The frame, which uses a durable, dipping top tube to accommodate both child and adult riders, is made from burly, TIG-welded carbon steel, and the brakes are weather-resistant and reliable. Further down, the wheels have high-grade chromoly steel axles and stiff, 13-gauge spokes that are unlikely to be damaged if a stray branch makes its way in between them. Kenda tires built specifically for Buffalo Bicycles sacrifice low weight for puncture-resistance. The built-in rack is rated for 220 pounds (though it often carries more), and a rear-axle kickstand automatically disengages when the bike rolls forward. Users can tie down their load and simply start pedaling. Front and rear fenders, a UV-resistant seat and grips, and a bell all come standard.

The Buffalo Bicycle Utility S2

World Bicycle Relief

At 50 pounds, the aptly named Buffalo is not built for speed. It is, however, built for longevity and easy maintenance. Every component can be adjusted or repaired using standard, non-bike-specific tools like a wrench or screwdriver, which makes maintenance possible in remote and resource-limited locales. “You would never call it the cheetah,” laughs Neiswander, “but it’s the workhorse you can count on. It’s built to thrive in the toughest conditions where durability and reliability matter more than speed.”

“A bicycle is not just a bicycle … it’s the magical enabler.”

That heft didn’t faze Eurobike Award judges last summer when they honored Buffalo Bicycles’ new model, the Utility S2, with a Gold Award. With an industry-first two-chain, two-speed drivetrain engineered to withstand harsh environments, the S2 can shift between the high and low gears without the need for a fragile derailer or expensive internal gear hub. All sensitive components are housed in the freewheel and the dual chains create redundancy, both of which help prevent ride-ending mechanicals. While WBR is a nonprofit, its Buffalo Bicycles subsidiary is a for-profit social enterprise. The business sells its bikes, including the Utility S2, for $175 to $230 through its own retail shops in several African countries — Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania among them — as well as Colombia in South America. Profits are then reinvested into WBR to open more bike shops in more underserved communities, train local mechanics, and increase inventory to meet growing demand. “Buffalo Bicycles were never built to maximize profit,” Berkhout says. “They were always built to maximize function.” Considering multiple other non-governmental organizations (Oxfam, Plan International, and Save the Children to name a few) have partnered with WBR to purchase and distribute Buffalo Bicycles, Berkhout is confident that the venture is hitting the right mark at the right price. Buffalo Bicycles doesn’t just manufacture bikes, however. In 2023, it sold $1.7 million U.S. worth of spare parts (compared to $2.1 million in bicycles). All those extra headsets, cranks, and wheels kept Buffalo Bicycles up and running, and because the parts are universal, they can be used to upgrade bikes of the $90 variety. WBR also trains one mechanic for every 50 bikes it distributes to create a network of qualified mechanics who’ll earn a living while keeping Utility S2s and other bicycles functional. “We are strengthening the entire bicycle market in the African countries where we operate,” says WBR executive director of programs Sean Granville-Ross, who’s based in Kenya, “fostering economic resilience and opportunity in the process.”

Headwinds and Hope

Selling a bike twice the amount that consumers expect is no easy feat. “We actually had to create a mind shift away from the idea that a bicycle should be $100 or less,” Berkhout says. “What we want to do is get to a point where people don’t think about the bicycle itself. We want them to think about their business, and the bicycle is just a tool for their business.” Research in the global development sector shows that giving items away, whether a bicycle or a farm animal, often leads to unwanted outcomes. Among other issues, it creates dependency. So instead of handing out bikes Oprah-style, WBR asks the questions who could and who should pay. Bikes financed by donors or the government are distributed to community health workers and nurses as an essential piece of equipment. On the other hand, small business owners can buy their bikes outright through a payment plan, and in the future they may even be able to get a micro-loan from WBR. In the education realm, Buffalo Bicycles are donated to rural schools which then own them like desks and chalkboards. The bikes are issued to children based on gender (WBR aims to provide 70 percent of its bikes to women and girls because they face greater obstacles to quality education, employment, and healthcare) and need, such as how far a student lives from the school. The kids then keep the bike until they graduate. Since the Buffalo S2 can carry so much weight, however, these children rarely ride to school alone. One bicycle carries at least one if not two additional passengers, which means 200 bicycles can help more than 400 children get an education.

“All answers are found in the communities that we serve.”

That impact extends far beyond students, too. “The beauty of the bicycle is that when the kids are not in school, it doesn’t sit in the corner,” Granville-Ross says. “It’s going to work, fetching water, going to market, taking somebody in the household who’s sick to the health center.” A 2023 WBR report showed that students were significantly more likely to get to class on time. Late days declined by an average of 81 percent in Kenya, and absenteeism declined by nearly 90 percent in Zambia. Student commutes were nearly halved. In the healthcare sector, access to services improved significantly because travel time decreased by as much as 50 percent, and households with bicycles also reported a whopping 43 percent increase in monthly income on average. Those impacts, however, depend heavily on fundraising. To build support, WBR produces short documentaries about its bikes that are shown at bike shops around the world, and its galas feature live auctions of cycling gear such as a replica race bike handed over personally by pro Swiss mountain biker Nino Schurter. Other fundraisers include Gran Fondos, Zwift challenges, and multiday cycling trips through the countries it supports. (Look for an eight-day adventure through Kenya in May 2025.) Although Buffalo Bicycles has carved out a niche in developing countries, WBR always has new hills to climb. In recent years, for example, unscrupulous enterprises flooded the African cycling market with Buffalo Bicycle impersonators made of cheap materials which tarnished the reputation the organization had worked so hard to build. Environmental factors like floods and droughts, along with weak economies and catastrophic hyperinflation, also complicate its efforts in these regions. While the challenges ahead are big, WBR knows where to find solutions. “We have a motto,” Neiswander says. “All answers are found in the communities that we serve.” Thus, WBR remains committed to keeping its end user — riders in rugged, rural areas with limited resources — at the heart of what it does as it works towards its goal of delivering one million bicycles. “We have the solution to help amplify and accelerate the goals that these countries and organizations are trying to achieve,” Neiswander says. “Bicycles are not just tools for transportation. They are tools for transformation, unlocking potential and creating lasting change for individuals and communities alike.”

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Ask An Adventure Cycling Tour Leader: How to Get Over Trip Abandonment

Brielle Wacker — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 14:00:10 +0000

I had to abandon a long tour that I had been planning for years halfway through it, and I’m still devastated. How do I get over it?

Dear Devastated,

I’m so sorry. It’s understandable that you’re feeling a great sense of loss, given how invested you were in this trip. It is totally okay to take some time to grieve the fact that it didn’t turn out as initially planned. You had intended to make this dream a reality, and circumstances got in the way of that happening. Something like this, that has been in your mind and heart for so long, isn’t something you can get over just like that.

Last year I co-led two cross-country trips, and at each of the orientation meetings, our participants shared why they picked this particular trip. It was truly inspiring to hear so many of them describe the years, and even decades, that they had been thinking and dreaming of riding their bicycle across the country. Many had to wait for the right time, whether it was retirement or kids leaving the house. They had to get the support of their loved ones, since nine to eleven weeks is a really long time to be away from home and household responsibilities. Many had to save up money because even though bicycle travel is pretty darn cost-effective compared to other types of travel, it still costs a chunk of change to go on a multi-week tour. Everyone did so much preparation just to get to the start of the tour — even that was a feat to be celebrated.

Then the actual riding started, and “it got real,” as they say. Both tours dealt up challenging weather, traffic, and road conditions. Even under the best of circumstances, 60-75 days is a long time to ride your bicycle. And honestly, there were times when some riders didn’t think they’d finish. I don’t know your unique circumstances, but a whole list of reasons for ending your tour come to mind: injury, weather, mechanical issues, family emergency, group dynamics. Any of which can lead to fatigue, loneliness, frustration, homesickness, and finally just feeling the need to tap out. You are human.

Robert Stapleton

The need to abandon your tour before it was complete does not diminish what you accomplished. If your initial tour was 3,000 miles and you made it halfway, that means you rode your bicycle 1,500 miles! That is something that 99.9% of people haven’t done and won’t ever do. If you planned to ride for a month and only made it two weeks, you still planned and completed a two-week bicycle tour, which is long, even for the most committed recreational cyclists. I would bet money that if you described your tour to nearly anyone — where it started and where you finished — they would be impressed beyond belief. Please don’t sell yourself short on what you did.

While it’s possible that you’ll always have some regrets about what happened, sometimes as time passes, we’re able to make peace with an unfortunate outcome. Let me share a personal experience.

When I was in my early 20s, there was nothing I wanted more than to join the Peace Corps. After making it through many stages of the process, they ultimately declined my application due to a past medical concern. I also was devastated. I felt really lost, trying to reconcile my reality with what I had been envisioning for many months. Eventually other opportunities and possibilities came, and I took another path in helping others and in satiating my appetite for adventure. I still think about the Peace Corps but no longer feel the deep disappointment from that rejection. Ultimately, I’m glad that life worked out the way it did. I wonder if your future adventures might also someday ease what currently feels so heartbreaking?

In addition to recognizing the validity of your feelings and trusting that time might cast a different light on your trip, I’m wondering what the possibilities are for resuming your tour where you left off? Many, many people tackle epic journeys in smaller pieces for time and logistical reasons. Section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail or section biking the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route are much more common than tackling the whole thing in one go. It doesn’t even have to be right away. When the COVID pandemic started, many epic trips had to stop mid-way through. Even though it took two or three years, some of these groups were so committed to finishing with the same people that they went to great lengths to make that happen.

Rebekah Zook

If this is a possibility, you’d hardly be starting from scratch. It sounds like you’ve done much of the planning, and from the amount of the tour you’ve already completed, you probably have some wisdom that you didn’t have the first time around. If it wasn’t a particular event that caused you to abandon your tour, but rather some more generalized conditions, are there ways to mitigate circumstances that were challenging? If you were previously solo, can you bring a riding buddy? Is this a route that would benefit from some vehicle support? Would it be helpful to break the days into shorter distances or factor in more rest days? It’s okay to adjust expectations for what your dream long tour should look like.

If you decide to start planning a new dream tour, there’s never been a better time for bike touring! The options for off road adventures utilizing bike paths and gravel roads keep expanding. Many small towns welcome bicycle tourism. Digital routes are easily searchable and accessible via RidewithGPS. And if the planning seems like a lot, Adventure Cycling offers several epic guided tours each year. Not only are the logistics taken care of, but as tour leaders we are there to support and empower you on your journey.

Your feelings about your discontinued tour are totally valid, and I feel for you. No one wants to keep mulling the “what ifs” of plans that didn’t go how we were expecting. Ultimately though, you had an adventure. If there were things you could have done differently, I’m guessing you learned from them. If you ended your tour due to circumstances beyond your control, even the best laid plans go awry. My wish for you is that you are able to both find pride in what you accomplished and start dreaming about your next big adventure. Happy pedaling!

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Ask An Adventure Cycling Tour Leader: How To Stop Overpacking

Brielle Wacker — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:04:26 +0000

Heavy in Houston asks: I always overpack because I’m nervous I’ll need something I don’t have. How can I lighten my load both mentally and physically?

Dear Heavy in Houston,

You’re not alone. While I have been on tours with a few fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants folks, in my experience, the majority of pannier-toting bike tourists like to be prepared for anything. There’s nothing wrong with that, and it’s probably served you well in many aspects of your life. I get it; I’m a detail-loving planner, too! At the same time, one of the joys of bike touring and bikepacking is the freedom they give us from our day-to-day lives. And the last thing you want is to lose any of that joy by being weighed down both physically and metaphorically.

As cyclists, we’re fortunate that by distributing the weight on our bikes, a few extra pounds might not matter as much as it would for a backpacker. But even so, a lighter load makes it easier to get down the road and up those hills. More than that, being on the move involves a lot of packing and unpacking. The more stuff you have, the more stuff you need to keep track of and the less time you have for enjoying those quiet sunsets and hilltop vistas — or simply getting a solid night of sleep!

You’ve said that you always overpack, which makes me think that you’ve gone on bicycle tours before. That knowledge base is to your advantage. Have you considered making a personalized list of every item you brought on tour in the past? It may sound simple, but this is the time to catalog everything, down to the clothes and tools you’ve packed. In preparing for a recent cross-country trip with Adventure Cycling, several participants asked my co-leader and I what we were planning to bring. They were thrilled when we provided a very detailed list, right down to the number of charging cords and socks. (This is when I learned that my co-leader rides in sandals!)

A dialed-in packing system is one of the subtle joys of bike touring.

Jonathan Carson

For those who haven’t been on tour before, never fear. If you’re planning your own tour, Adventure Cycling has plenty of packing guides to get you started. And if you’re taking one of our guided tours, Adventure Cycling provides a detailed packing list when you sign up.

Once you have your list, carry it forward, modify it, and pare it down rather than starting from scratch each time you plan a new trip. To help me do this, I resist the urge to immediately get my gear and clothes clean and put away when I return from a tour. Instead, I dump everything out from my panniers (or duffles) and inventory what I packed and what I used. Do the same, and if you see something in your pile that you didn’t touch, take note. You probably won’t need to pack it next time. (The only exceptions I would make for this are rain gear and bike repair items. When I return from a tour and realize I didn’t need to use them, I count myself lucky and pack them again next time.)

As far as clothing, less is more. And honestly, there are only a few items that you really need more than one of, such as riding shorts. You can get by with two shorts and do some hand laundering each night. For these purposes, I always pack a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and a travel-sized bottle of liquid laundry detergent — instant washing machine! If you’re fortunate enough to have access to an actual laundry, those rain pants you hopefully don’t need can be worn while you’re cleaning all of your other well-used items.

The hardest part may be holding yourself to your packing list and not throwing in those “just in case” items before you head out the door. If you do discover you truly need something you didn’t pack, there will be stores along most routes. (Though it is a good idea to check your route first before you rely on this option.) If you could really use a warmer layer, buy a logoed fleece or beanie at the camp store. It will be a nice souvenir that you’ll treasure when you get home.

E-commerce is also an option. My air mattress developed a leaky valve while I was on the Southern Tier in East Texas. I was hundreds of miles from an REI or other sporting goods store, and it didn’t appear that I could fix it. After a couple of nights of suboptimal sleep, I was able to have a replacement delivered to a RV park a few days up the road. For some items, you might also rely on the kindness of others, whether it’s your riding buddy letting you use an extra light or a stranger giving you some snacks.

While most of your gear will apply to all your adventures, your packing list will vary a bit from trip to trip. Funny story: On a four-week ride through Alaska and the Yukon, I packed all of my usual camping necessities. Including a headlamp. In June. It never approached darkness on that trip and my headlamp stayed in a stuff sack the whole time. While I didn’t need the light, I was grateful that I thought to pack a headnet to fend off the blood-thirsty mosquitoes, something that I wouldn’t need on a jaunt from home in Southern California.

Here’s another tip: don’t just write down your list. Lay your gear out all together before packing it away and take a photo or two. It may be several months before your next big trip, and those quick images can ease the packing anxiety next time around. For instance, you’ll clearly see exactly which long-sleeve shirt you brought along, and then remember that you liked the sun protection it provided and that your riding partner remarked on how visible it made you on the road. That one’s a keeper.

One of the joys of bike touring is stripping life back to the basics. We need to feed ourselves, regulate temperature, and get some rest each night, and when it comes down to it, that’s really it. I’ve been amazed at how little “stuff” I need, even for an 11-week trip across the continent. It’s almost a shock getting home and seeing how many things I own and definitely didn’t miss. When I’m on a self-contained bike tour, I truly have everything I need, literally within reach. If there is something I don’t have, I’ll make it work anyway.

Remember: It’s supposed to be an adventure. Trust that you’re a resourceful person and that even if you find yourself in a bit of a pickle, you’ll figure it out and it will make for a good story later.

Wishing you a wonderful tour, as well as some newfound levity both on the bike and in spirit.

Brielle Wacker led two epic cross-country tours with Adventure Cycling last year and is eagerly looking forward to many weeks on the road again this year. When not sleeping in her tent, she resides in Solana Beach, California.

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The Mother Lode: A Long-term Review of the ENVE MOG

Berne Broudy — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 21:26:48 +0000

This review originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2024 issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine. Click here to learn more. After years of producing high-end carbon bike components, ENVE finally decided to try its hand at full bike builds in 2021. The result was the Custom Road, whose geometry, paint, and components are tailored to each rider. The Melee and all-road Fray soon followed, and last year the firm finally released a gravel rig: the MOG (Mother of Gravel) reviewed here. Although it’s only available as a chassis, meaning it’s sold as a frame plus the fork, headset, stem, spacers, handlebar, and seatpost, the MOG’s sleek design is a testament to ENVE’s rise as a bike builder. It’s also a joy to ride. Built on 700c wheels with clearance for tires up to 50mm, it’s comfortable and forgiving enough for long tours but still fast enough to race. “The average consumer doesn’t need a dedicated bikepacking bike and a separate dedicated race bike,” said Jake Pantone, ENVE’s vice president of product and consumer experience. “This is a bike that can do everything you want a gravel bike to do, and it can do it well.”

To craft the MOG’s personality, ENVE fabricated a fleet of demos with different geometries ranging from slacked out and “mountain-bikey” to road-focused. Then they sent their staff out for test rides on the river-bottom singletrack and mountain roads that snake around their Ogden, Utah, office. The version they settled on is in the middle of those two extremes. It’s efficient on climbs and notably stable on descents. It does well on open roads, tracking straight and holding your line with minimal vibration, and when I turned the wheels toward my local mountain bike trails and forest tracks, it handled just as well. In fact, the slack headtube angle inspired so much confidence that I blasted down gravel hills faster than I ever have before. There are some interesting design choices. First, the frame is only made for 700c wheels with no option for swapping in 650b hoops, a growing trend in gravel design. Then there is the storage. Plenty of mountain bikes now have compartments built into their down tubes, but the MOG is one of the first gravel bikes to follow suit. It’s about time. As droppers become more prolific in the gravel space, seatbags have become less practical because they can abrade the posts’ slick, protective coatings or even hit your tire when your seat is down. In-tube storage not only doesn’t impact your bike, but it also gets gear out of your jersey pockets. With six liters of space, the cargo bay is large enough to stow a lightweight windbreaker as well as the two neoprene gear bags that come with the MOG. Better yet, the compartment provides quick access to the internal cable routing and an adjustable retention strap to prevent rattling. While ENVE opted for a standard seat tube to ensure the bike is compatible with most droppers, the rest of the frame is aero, and the wires and cables are routed through the bars and stem to keep the cockpit streamlined. The version I tested had the company’s Aero Integrated Stem. Its drop looks aggressive, but I found it comfortable thanks to the rise from the spacers. If you need more rise, though, ENVE also offers the In-Route Highrise Stem, and you could keep the fork’s steerer tube long and increase the stack height with either stem. Another notable part of my MOG’s build-out was its G-Series wheels, which came with ENVE’s Innerdrive Premium hubs. To protect the bearings from dirt and debris without slowing them down, the company paired a full-contact external seal with a fast-rolling, non-contact internal seal. They were the lowest-resistance wheels I’ve ever ridden, and I could coast forever while my riding companions had to pedal. I also loved the 40mm G-Series Dropper Post, which features an inverted design, meaning the sleeve is integrated into the saddle clamp instead of resting inside the seat tube. This not only allows you to attach a seatbag without wearing down the dropper’s coating, but you can also trim the dropper’s alloy post like a normal seatpost. The additional stability it gave me was noticeable, but the drop was small enough that I could still pedal effectively. Sometimes on steep climbs, I’d even lower it a skosh to maximize my traction. If this sounds like your kind of ride, you can find a dealer on ENVE’s website. Because it’s sold chassis-only, however, you may not be able to see and touch a fully built MOG, but the shop will help you build a bike to fit your body and suit your tastes. That starts by determining your frame size, then they’ll help you pick an ENVE headset, stem, seatpost, and handlebar — all of which are included. After that, it’s up to you and your shop to finish kitting out the bike à la carte. (ENVE won’t let you leave the dealer with only the chassis.) Just don’t set your sights on a Campagnolo groupset. While my tester came with the Italian brand’s 13-speed Ekar drivetrain, ENVE now only offers SRAM and Shimano. The in-frame storage aside, there’s something to be said of designing a high- end carbon frame while resisting the urge to overload it with “innovations.” There are no flip chips, no options for alternate wheel sizes, no disc brake fairings, and no suspension. Instead, the MOG is what a gravel bike should be: fast and comfortable. After a couple of months in the saddle, I’ve fallen in love with its lightweight, responsive handling, and best of all, its stability has redefined the speeds I am willing to ride.

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Bikepacking Gear: What to Take & How to Pack It

Alissa Bell — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:19:02 +0000

If bike touring with panniers is like traveling with a big roller suitcase, bikepacking is like traveling with only a carry-on backpack. The goal is to have everything you need and also to need everything you have.

Here are some tips for packing lighter:

Bring less stuff! Ask yourself “What would happen if I didn’t bring this?” If the answer is unremarkable, then leave it at home.
Repackage consumables like toiletries, food, and chain lube into smaller containers and remove extra packaging.
Don’t sweat personal hygiene. Though it’s smart to keep saddle-related areas clean to avoid chafing or infection, it’s normal to let other standards slip a bit.
Use gear for multiple purposes: eat directly out of your pot, sleep with your head on a stuff sack full of clothes, use a spare sock as a camp towel, and dig your bathroom cathole with a tent stake.
Look to the lightweight (or even ultralight) backpacking community for more ideas.

Clothing for Bikepacking

You don’t need a whole new wardrobe for bikepacking, but there are a few important points to consider when planning a clothing system that’s both effective and lightweight.

Base layers: this is what you’ll be riding in when the weather is warm. Choose fabrics that dry fast and pull moisture away from your skin. Avoid cotton in favor of synthetics or merino wool.
Mid layers: long sleeve shirt and tights for extra warmth and/or sleeping.
Insulated jacket: for evenings and chilly mornings, or to sleep in on cold nights. High quality down is the warmest and lightest, but synthetic or fleece can also work.
Rain protection: waterproof breathable rain jacket and pants, and perhaps waterproof shoe covers. Rain gear also takes the edge off wind-chill on cold descents.
Extras: gloves, warm hat or hood, and warm socks for sleeping.

You won’t always need all this clothing. Everyone has a different threshold, but daily lows below 50 degrees Fahrenheit signal a need to think carefully about warmth, and any chance of rain becomes more serious when temperatures are cold.

Camping Gear

Camping gear can seem like a big topic, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you already have backpacking gear in your garage you’re most of the way there, and if not, just a few essentials will get you started.

As with bikepacking bags, eBay and Craigslist are good places to find deals on quality used backpacking gear. You could also try borrowing from friends who may have a tent or sleeping bag sitting in their garage, or asking your riding partners if they have any extra gear to share.
Tent or other shelter: A lightweight tent that is freestanding is ideal for bikepacking because it can be pitched anywhere, even on rocky ground or concrete. Tarps are lighter but limit potential camping locations, as do hammocks. Bivvy sacks are lightest but offer less privacy and space and tend to collect condensation.
Sleeping bag or quilt: A quality down sleeping bag — or even better, its lightweight cousin the sleeping quilt — will serve you well on outdoor adventures of all kinds. Synthetic insulation is cheaper than down, but heavier and less compact for the same warmth.
Sleeping pad: Accordion-fold backpacking pads work better than you might expect for bikepacking. They’re cheap and lightweight, and while they definitely won’t fit in your saddle bag, they strap easily to its top, or to your handlebars. If you need more comfort and/or warmth, look to lightweight inflatable pads.
Cooking system: Check resupply options carefully before packing a bulky cook system. If you’ll be passing a town once every day or two it’s easy to fuel with grab-and-go town food and no-cook staples like cold ramen or cheese and salami. If you can’t resupply often or require hot coffee in the morning, consider a compact alcohol stove which doesn’t require a bulky fuel canister.

Water: Carrying and Purifying

Water is important and heavy, so consider it carefully when planning your gear setup. The amount of water capacity you’ll need depends on weather, route, riding speed, and whether you’ll be sleeping near water sources or dry camping. A good rule of thumb for routes with plentiful water is to carry about two liters at a time and refill as needed. On hot days or with no refill opportunities, carry at least four liters. If you can’t count on water at camp, five to six liters will last most people through a day of riding and night of dry camping, but you won’t have much extra for washing your body or dishes at camp. In very hot weather or dry landscapes, it’s not unheard of to carry 10 liters or more! At 2.2 pounds per liter, it’s the heaviest thing you’ll be carrying. Common places include a hydration bladder in a frame bag or backpack, and bottles mounted to the front fork or down tube. In dry areas you might need to use several methods at once. Always filter or purify water from natural sources to avoid getting sick from waterborne pathogens. A lightweight backpacking filter like the Sawyer Squeeze catches bacteria and parasites, which is sufficient in the US and other infrastructure-rich countries. In places where sanitation infrastructure is lacking, you’ll want a purification method — like UV radiation or chlorine dioxide drops — that deactivates viruses too.

Electronics and Charging

If you’re using a smartphone as a navigation device, route notes, camera, journal, and occasional music player, it’s going to run through batteries like there’s no tomorrow. And that doesn’t include your satellite messenger, bike lights, and headlamp! If your route includes plentiful wild camping and few town stops, keeping all these devices charged is a challenge. Fortunately portable USB power banks keep getting smaller, lighter, and cheaper. One 10,000mAh power bank can charge a smartphone several times. To stretch your power supply further, keep smartphones in airplane mode and the screen dimmed or off as much as possible. For very remote trips with no resupply options, on-the-go charging might be necessary. Dynamo hubs, the best but priciest option, generate power from the front wheel. Portable solar chargers are far cheaper and getting more efficient but can be awkward to attach to a bikepacking bag setup. One thing you may not be using your smartphone for while bikepacking: communication. Especially in the western US, it’s common to be out of cell service range for most or all of a trip. Many people carry a satellite messaging device like a SPOT or Garmin InReach, which can contact emergency services even from remote places.

Gear Essentials Checklist

With experience you’ll develop your own packing list, but here’s a basic one to get you started. Expect to make adaptations for your trip’s climate, style, length, and your own preferences. Most people have a luxury item or two that are worth the weight but we suggest packing all the essentials first before deciding how much luxury to indulge in.

Clothing for Riding

Bike shorts (1-2 pair)
Shirt (1-2, lightweight merino wool is smell-resistant)
Underwear (1-2)
Socks (2 pairs)
Buff or bandana
Sun sleeves or long-sleeve shirt for sun protection
Clothing for Cold, Rain, and Sleeping
Tights or long underwear
Long sleeve midlayer shirt
Puffy jacket
Waterproof breathable rain jacket
Rain pants
Waterproof shoe covers
Warm gloves
Waterproof mittens
Warm hat or hood

Cycling Accessories

Shoes to bike and walk in
Bike gloves
Helmet
Helmet mirror (helpful if route includes any busy roads)
Tail light
Head light (even if you don’t plan to ride at night)
High visibility flag or vest (for routes with busy roads)
Lightweight bike lock (depending on route)

Electronics

Navigation device
Charging cables and wall charger
Power bank(s)
Satellite emergency messenger like SPOT or Garmin InReach (if desired)
Spare batteries

Water and Food

Hydration bladder(s) and/or bottle(s)
Water filter or purification method
Bowl and spoon or spork
Stove, fuel, and pot (optional, depends on route)
Bag and cord for animal-safe food storage (where needed)

Camping

Shelter
Sleeping bag or quilt
Sleeping pad
Headlamp

Miscellaneous

Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Chapstick with sunblock
Chamois cream (as needed)
Bug repellent (as needed)
Toiletries (minimal and repackaged into small containers)
Toilet paper, and plastic bag to pack out used
Hand sanitizer
Biodegradable soap in small bottle and/or hygiene wipes
Ziplock bags or dry sacks in various sizes
Lightweight sandals
Maps and route notes
Wallet with ID, and cash in small denominations for campgrounds if needed

Safety

Small first aid kit
Metallic space blanket (for emergencies or to supplement sleeping bag in cold weather)
Lighter and fire starter (for cooking or emergencies)
Bear spray (only in grizzly areas)

Tools and Spare Parts

For basic bike malfunctions.

Chain lube (in small bottle) and rag
Bike multitool with chain breaker
Tire levers
Spare tube(s)
Patch kit
Tire boot
Extra sealant (if tubeless)
Tire repair plugs (if tubeless)
Blue Loctite for loose bolts
Spare cleat and blots (if using SPD shoes)
Chain masterlinks and masterlink pliers
Leatherman with pliers and knife
Zip ties
Tape (duct, gorilla, electrical) — wrap a few turns around a lighter or part of frame
Depending on trip length, bike, remoteness, etc:
- Spare brake and shift cables
- Spare brake pads
- Spare section of chain
- Spare spokes
- Extra straps for gear failure or on-the-fly luggage rearranging
- Needle and strong thread or dental floss for tire repair (if tubeless)

The Packing Puzzle

It’s finally time! You’re staring at a bicycle, a collection of bags, and a pile of gear and wondering how on earth it’s all going to fit together.

Do a practice pack well in advance. The night before your trip is a bad time to realize your sleeping quilt doesn’t fit in your handlebar bag without blocking your shift levers.
After your practice pack, take a practice ride. Notice how your loaded bike handles and whether that overstuffed frame bag grazes your knees. Even better, practice your packing and camping setup too: ride to a friend’s house and camp in their backyard.
Pack heavy things low and close to the middle of the bike to keep it handling nimbly. The frame bag, down tube, and front fork are best for heavy things like water, tools, and electronics.
Pack items you’ll need during the day in easy-to-reach places, and bury things you won’t need until camp.
Remove stuff sacks and compress soft gear and clothing directly into every nook and cranny of your bikepacking bags.
Waterproof key gear like electronics, warm layers, and your sleeping bag. Many bikepacking bags are supposedly waterproof, but if in doubt, line them with a kitchen trash bag and enclose electronics in ziplock baggies.
Can’t find the right place for a bulky tent? Split it into pieces, strapping poles to your downtube and stuffing the rest into a seat bag or handlebar bag.
Arrange your “cockpit” for convenience, including easy access to on-the-go snacks. If your handlebar bag leaves no space for a bike computer, light, or other handlebar-mounted gizmos, consider a bar extender.
Rough trails have a way of separating gear from bikes. If you attach items like stuff sacks, camp shoes, or a jacket to the outside of your bags, be sure to tether them securely if you want to see them again. And secure all buckles or straps.

Next up: Training for Your Bikepacking Trip

The post Bikepacking Gear: What to Take & How to Pack It appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.

Road Test: Tumbleweed Stargazer

Ally Mabry — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 21:41:47 +0000

Immediately after unboxing and building up the Tumbleweed Stargazer, I took it out for a neighborhood shakedown to make sure everything was tight and straight. I had first-date jitters and … I crashed. It didn’t even make sense: I was going ever so slightly uphill very slowly on pavement. No, there were no stars out to divert my attention. It was 5:00 pm in the middle of summer in Montana, when the sun doesn’t set until five hours later. But if there had been stars to gaze at … well, I would have loved to make that corny joke. My distraction, unfortunately, can’t be blamed on an errant driver or a gaggle of baby ducks crossing the road — my eyes were too busy looking all around me, everywhere but straight ahead, trying to take in the views. In time, I found that pretty much sums up the ethos of the Stargazer. Not the being-dangerously-distracted-from-the-road part, but rather the soaking-in-your-surroundings part. In my extended time with the bike, I kept noting how the geometry is so upright that it almost feels like running instead of pedaling. The Stargazer essentially feels like a snug, overstuffed armchair that you can sink into to watch the world unfold ahead.

Fun fact: during a long stint of bikepacking in 2017 during which I had no permanent address, a close friend christened me with the trail name Tumbleweed. It’s only natural that I’ve been crushing hard on Tumbleweed as a brand for those six years since the release of their flagship bike, the Prospector, Tumbleweed’s all-rounder expedition bike for world travels — built to last a lifetime. I hung out with Daniel Molloy, founder of Tumbleweed, when he visited Missoula in 2018 to screen his film El Silencio: Cycling the Peruvian Andes at our local community cinema. Even though the Prospector was a distant dream and financially out of reach for me at the time, Daniel was warm and approachable, certainly an accessible frontman for the coolest new brand in the bikepacking scene. Daniel, a longtime bicycle mechanic with an impressive touring résumé, founded Boise, Idaho–based Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. in 2014. Frustrated with the bicycle market’s propensity to compromise function in the never-ending pursuit of following industry trends or add to the bottom line, Tumbleweed became the antidote for those seeking bombproof touring mountain bikes that compromise nothing. I remember being really impressed in 2018 when Daniel told me that he didn’t design his frames to be suspension-corrected, which meant nothing was sacrificed by riding a rigid fork. That was something I’d never even considered a possibility at the time. Since around 2017, Tumbleweed riders have piloted their Prospectors to rugged, remote parts of the world in harsh conditions with confidence. Daniel designs his bikes to be field serviceable with oversized steel tubing, threaded bottom brackets, internal dynamo wire routing, and mechanical disc brakes. In 2022, the Stargazer hit the market, which is billed as the companion bike to the Prospector, enabling riders to fill their whole quiver with two perfect adventure bikes instead of seven (guilty). Between these two, they do it all. The Stargazer shares a lot of the same tubing and mountain bike geometry as the Prospector, but it’s optimized for dropbars and an overall lighter-weight bicycle. A blend of dropbar and mountain bike feel makes for a super comfortable riding position, like a gravel bike but with all the tire clearance and gear range of a mountain bike. Paired with Tumbleweed’s new Big Dipper drop handlebar, whew — it’s a thing of beauty. The Stargazer shares a lot of the same tubing and mountain bike geometry as the Prospector, but it’s optimized for dropbars and an overall lighter-weight bicycle. A blend of dropbar and mountain bike feel makes for a super comfortable riding position, like a gravel bike but with all the tire clearance and gear range of a mountain bike. Paired with Tumbleweed’s new Big Dipper drop handlebar, whew — it’s a thing of beauty. In true Molloy fashion, he couldn’t find the perfect match for the Stargazer on the market to complete his vision, so he set out to make one. Developed specifically for the Stargazer, the Big Dipper boasts width options of 510mm, 540mm, and a colossal 570mm (if you’re wild). Remember earlier how I said this bike felt like an armchair? The Big Dipper can mostly be held responsible for that. With minimal reach (50mm) and flare (20°), these bars are solidly on the comfort end of the comfort-to-aero spectrum, which is why I converted to a wide-bar lover while traipsing through the North Cascades. So far, my wide-bar love is reserved for the Big Dipper alone. In addition to a handlebar that sings, the Stargazer I tested was adorned with 29 x 2.35in. Maxxis Ikon tires that ate up bumps on lightly chunky descents. I never felt sketched out or lacking in confidence speeding down unfamiliar roads. It’s obvious this bike was meant to be versatile and fancy with DT Swiss 350 hubs, a 32T RaceFace chainring, and a 10–52T SRAM GX Eagle cassette. The Boost hub spacing, thru-axles, dropper post, and 1x drivetrain are welcome specs borrowed from mountain bike standards. Speaking of dropper posts, I’ve been running the PNW Rainier dropper that comes spec’d with the Stargazer on my personal adventure gravel rig for a few years, and I think it’s a great choice for this bike. The Stargazer comes built with SRAM Rival road shifters modified with a Ratio Technology 1×12 Wide Upgrade Kit to shift the GX Eagle derailer — even more special, the left lever that would be used to shift between front chainrings has been modified to actuate the dropper, which is brilliant. I had to get used to how seamless that was, but once I did, I appreciated it far more than the typical thumb-actuated dropper lever that tends to be a bit awkward on dropbars. I’d be negligent if I didn’t shine a light on the biggest opportunity for this bike to polarize: the price. At just shy of four grand, the Stargazer isn’t a viable impulse purchase for most, and there are plenty of other comparable bikes out there for a fraction of the cost. So what makes those dollars add up? For one, Tumbleweed’s bikes are made in limited runs, so they don’t realize the benefits of making thousands and thousands at once like the big brands. Each size of each frame is made with slightly different sized triple- and quadruple-butted tubing with internal gussets, which adds a lot of complication to production but also adds strength to the frame. The Ratio Technology kit adds time to the build because each bike has a modified drivetrain, and Tumbleweed hand-builds the wheels in-house. The only components that appear to be cost-saving measures are the Aeffect crank and Tektro brake calipers, which are still great choices. (Tumbleweed also offers a Shimano GRX build with a dropper post and hydraulic disc brakes for $4,225.) This bike — this brand — is special. I value the time any individual takes to solve problems in the bicycle industry with grace and wit. It’s no small task to design a bicycle to match a dream, down to the small details of millimeters and degrees. Every decision of the Stargazer feels not just intentional but well-researched; there’s a reason this bike came five years after its predecessor. Endeavors like Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. take time, heart, and dedication to the product. There’s no detail that I don’t like about the company, from the ethos to the names of the products to the clever design. The Stargazer loves to be ridden on dirt roads and swoopy singletrack sporting a couple bikepacking bags. On both climbs and descents it feels supple, stable, and, above all, comfortable. Fully loaded, it feels relatively the same. I’d even venture to say it would be comfortable as a long-haul touring bike for routes that bounce between pavement and dirt roads. You’ve got plenty of ways to attach racks and bags that add up to an impressive carry capacity: a huge inner triangle for a framebag, upper and lower rack mounts, fender mounts, triple mounts on each side of the fork, and three sets of triple mounts on the frame, including one set on the underside of the downtube (my personal favorite). Plus, the massively wide bars would accommodate an extra-large handlebar bag. If you want to dress the bike up in slick tires, it plays nicely as a commuter, too. Even though it’s designed with durability and resiliency at the forefront of priorities, the Stargazer never comes off as being overkill for a shorter adventure. A lot of folks I met through Cascade Bicycle Club that weekend remarked that I had brought the absolute perfect bike for the adventure at hand, which I didn’t need to carry a ton of gear for. In addition to my three-day Winthrop adventure, I rode the Stargazer around Missoula’s old logging roads plenty. The group ride reviews are in: “The prettiest gray bike I’ve ever seen!” said someone (I don’t disagree). “Looks big, feels small!” puzzled a very tall person after dismounting. “Those bars are massive, they’re crazy!” It’s true, they are massive! I also chose this bike for a fully loaded, two-day, rugged-as-all-heck weekend loop with a couple of Adventure Cycling colleagues, David Barth and Daniel Mrgan. During one final chunky descent down Brewster Creek Road, we went from 7,200 to 3,800 feet in about nine miles. My tires were about as low pressure as they could have possibly been (a risk I’m probably too comfortable taking) and the bike was easy to maneuver down the complicated terrain. It felt appropriate that one day I set off for an afternoon ride and budgeted only an hour and a half — I ended up returning home three hours later. Maybe if I’d been riding the two-pound-lighter titanium version ($2,850 for a frameset), I would have made it home earlier, but deep down I know I would have spent the extra time getting distracted by a gorgeous vista or a unique ponderosa pine tree. The Stargazer inspires wonder and curiosity, and you’d be hard pressed to find a bike more likely to make you late for dinner.

Tumbleweed Stargazer

Best uses: Trails, singletrack, and gravel roads, loaded or unloaded Price: $3,875 (complete), $1,350 (frame) Weight: 28.3 lbs. (without pedals) Available sizes: Small, Medium, Extra Medium, Large, Extra Large Size tested: Medium Contact: tumbleweed.cc

Components

Frame: Heat-treated, size-specific chromoly tubing, oversized triple- and quad-butted front triangle with integrated gussets Fork: Unicrown chromoly steel with rack/fender/bottle cage mounts aplenty, internal dynamo wire routing Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle 12spd Brifters: SRAM Rival 22 Cassette: SRAM GX Eagle 12spd, 10–52T Brakes: Tektro MD-c550 Handlebar: Tumbleweed Big Dipper, 510mm Bar tape: Camp and Go Slow Rattler, extra long Seatpost: PNW Rainier, 27.2mm diameter, 125mm travel Hubs: DT Swiss 350, thru-axles, 110 x 15mm front, 148 x 12mm rear Tires: Maxxis Ikon EXO 3C TR, 29 x 2.35in.

Notable Geometry

Head tube angle: 69° Reach: 372mm Stack: 597mm Seat tube length: 430mm BB drop: 63.5mm Head tube length: 140mm Standover: 784mm

The post Road Test: Tumbleweed Stargazer appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.

Who Needs Fenders?

Sheldon Brown — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 09:00:00 +0000

This article first appeared in the July 1999 issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine. It has been updated to reflect changes in technology and product quality by Paul Buchanan (@thecasualroadie).

If you are a fair-weather, day-tripping cyclist, you don’t need fenders, but if you are a touring cyclist, and you’re not traveling exclusively in a desert climate, you really should have fenders on your touring bike. Fenders by themselves won’t keep you dry in a pounding rain, but they make a tremendous difference when you are riding roads that are wet from drizzle, recent rain, or snowmelt.

Even in hard rain, you will become wet with clean rain from above, but your body and bicycle will be protected from the mud and sand kicked up from dirty puddles and rivulets.

Fenders Protect Your Bicycle

Many cyclists protect themselves from rain by wearing rain gear, but they forget that their bicycles don’t like dirty water any better than their bodies do.

This bike chain has seen better days, but at least it’s protected by a fender!

Daniel Mrgan

The water kicked up by your wheels is much worse for your bicycle than the clean rain falling from the sky. If you ride in wet conditions without fenders, your chain, derailers, and brakes will all get sprayed with sandy, muddy, scummy water, often mixed with gasoline residue. This is very bad for these parts. Your derailers will work better and longer, and your chain will last considerably longer, if you protect them from this filthy spray.

Even more vulnerable is the lower section of your headset. Headsets are designed to shed water like the shingles of a roof, and are basically rainproof, but the gritty spray from below has easy entry to the bearing surfaces of the heavily loaded lower races. All-weather cyclists who don’t use fenders need to service or replace their headsets on a regular basis, but those who use fenders hardly ever need to deal with headset problems.

Types of Fenders

Utility bikes generally have steel fenders, but most fenders intended for high-performance bikes are made of plastic, very thin aluminum laminated with plastic, or an aluminum alloy.

At one time, some of these, specifically the brand SKS, permitted the embedded aluminum foil to be used as conductors for lighting systems, permitting “wireless” taillights to run off a centrally mounted generator, but the hardware for this isn’t always available at bike shops in the U.S.

Full-length Fenders

There is no substitute for full-length fenders, such as those from brands like SKS, Portland Design Works, SimWorks by Honjo, Velo Orange, and Planet Bike. The rears run from the chainstays all around the rear tire until they are pointing almost straight down at the back. The good ones have two pairs of stays (wire struts) to hold the rear part in position, and also attach to the seatstay and chainstay bridges. Some riders opt for a ‘buddy’ or mud flap on the rear fender as a courtesy to fellow riders and some fenders will even come with these standard.

Mud flap on a full-length fender.

Daniel Mrgan

The corresponding front fenders extend from about six inches in front of the fork, down well below the “equator” of the front wheel, again with stays. Ideally, the front should also be equipped with a mud flap to protect your feet from spray. This traditional fender design really works to protect you, your bicycle, and your baggage from spray kicked up by wet roads.

Clip-Ons

Since people find full fenders to be a bit of a hassle to install, a number of companies make “clip-on” fenders that snap on to the frame. Without stays to support the ends, clip-on fenders are necessarily much shorter than full fenders, which means that they offer much less coverage than full fenders. The clip-ons are slightly better than nothing, but very much worse than real fenders.

A clip-on fender from Portland Design Works.

Daniel Mrgan

Unfortunately, some bikes are designed so that it is difficult or impossible to install real fenders. These bikes are designed for fair-weather use and are not intended for year-round cyclists. This is particularly true of racing or racing-style bikes, which often are made without frame eyelets to attach the fender stays to, and with insufficient clearance under the brake bridges and calipers to allow fenders to clear the tires. If you are stuck with such a bike, clip-ons may be your only option.

Shorties

A number of folks are making new shortie-style fenders for front and back. Muck-off, A$$ Savers, SKS, MSW, RockShox, Fox, WTB, and Topeak all make shorties, each about eight inches long and all variations on a theme. These were popular a few years back and are making a comeback, but they’re really next to useless. A front “shorty” will protect the headset, but that’s about all the benefit they have to offer.

Clip-on short fender from Portland Design Works.

Daniel Mrgan

Flat-top Pannier Racks

Many newer “mountain”-style pannier racks include a wide flat center section, which is sometimes represented as being a fender. This does help somewhat to keep you from getting your back sprayed by the rooster tail from your rear tire, but does nothing to protect your feet and legs, as a real fender does.

Installing Fenders

Proper fenders attach to the fork crown (front) and the chainstay and seatstay bridges (rear). On bikes with caliper brakes, they attach with the brake bolts; on bikes with cantilever or drum brakes, you need extra 6mm bolts to attach them (though you may already have these holding reflector brackets onto your bike.) If installing onto a bike with disc brakes, you may need a spacer to hold the stays away from the disc caliper.

The stays attach to the fork ends with (usually) 5mm bolts. I’d recommend using stainless-steel Allen-head bolts for this. The threads should be lubricated with grease or oil so that you can get them nice and tight. There are special large-diameter stainless-steel washers available at bike shops, which provide a better match between the bolt head and the loop of the fender stay, so that the loop doesn’t get deformed when you tighten the bolt.

The stays attach to the fenders with small eyebolts and nuts that use an 8mm or 10mm wrench. These allow you to adjust the fenders to follow the shape of your wheel. Make sure to lubricate these threads and tighten the nuts REALLY tight. I use a 14mm open-end wrench to hold the tab of the fender so that it won’t rotate/bend while I am tightening these nuts.

On fenders with stays that have ends pointing up, especially on the front fender, the stays should be trimmed off so that they don’t protrude far past the hardware of the fender, and be sure to sand the sharp end of the stay after trimming.

The first time you install a set of full fenders on a bike, it is a fairly time-consuming task, but after that, it isn’t that big a deal to take them on and off. Follow the installation instructions that come with whatever fenders you have.

If you have any questions or misgivings or have a single worry at all about your fender install, take it to a shop. Most shop folk are happier that you try and admit you aren’t 100 percent confident than for you to come in with a fender wrapped around your wheel and frame after a bolt came loose on the first ride.

Safety Issues

There is a potential hazard with fenders: it is possible to get debris caught between the fender and the tire, or between the moving spokes and the fender stays, which can cause some fenders to crumple up and lock the front wheel.

A lot of new fenders come with a snap-away fitting that connects the front fender stays to the fork ends. This is a very worthwhile feature, and these fenders are generally considered the best.

Toe Overlap

It is quite common for bikes with fenders to have some overlap between the rider’s toe and the front fender. Cyclists encountering this for the first time sometimes freak out a bit, and the unwary may have a low-speed fall or two before adjusting. Toe overlap tends to not be a problem at normal cycling speeds, because you only turn the handlebars far enough to cause a problem when you’re maneuvering around at a walking pace. With a bit of practice, it becomes automatic to avoid this sort of interference.

Mud Flaps

Fenders don’t extend down as far as they might for maximum protection, because the ends would be vulnerable to damage from curbs and the like. Instead, flexible extensions called “mud flaps” are a valuable addition. A suitable mud flap will extend spray protection all the way down to your feet.

Planet Bike mud flap.

Daniel Mrgan

Triangular rubber mud flaps were formerly a standard accessory item, became hard/impossible to find for a while, but are back in resurgence! These flaps used to be a bit heavy and stiff for mounting on plastic fenders, but their modern counterparts are much easier to install on all fender types.

Many rain-savvy cyclists make their own mud flaps for plastic fenders out of plastic milk/cider jugs, commonly secured by “pop” rivets or small screws and nuts.

If you mainly ride alone, you only need a front mud flap, but for touring with a group or riding in the city, it’s nice to have one on the back as well, for the benefit of whoever is riding behind you.

The Unbearable Lightness of Cleaning

The post Who Needs Fenders? appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.

Pee in Style

Hollie Ernest — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:07:00 +0000

Twelve years ago, I worked in a bike shop with all men and raced mountain bikes on a team with only three other females. My fellow women racers were wonderful riding partners, but my work schedule usually matched the boys’, so I rode with them. Morning rides before work and weekend trips to races were my life. Bikes, bikes, bikes, all day every day. Me and the boys. They were a great group for the most part, cheering me on at races, helping me get tougher and faster on the mountain bike. When they jokingly told me about a funnel type thing made for women to be able to pee standing up, I was offended. I didn’t even look into it. “I’ll pee how I pee, thank you very much.” I thought, Just because I’m ‘one of the guys’ doesn’t mean I want to pee like a guy.

Fast forward to November 2021, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. It was 20°F, and the sun was setting fast, the cold sinking into my bones, slithering between my skin and my clothes. My all-female work crew was camping for 10 days, working on a forestry project measuring trees. The weather forecast called for more freezing temperatures, rain, and possibly snow. As we were considering starting a fire, my coworker and longtime friend Claire handed me a ‘present’ wrapped in cloth. It wasn’t Christmas or my birthday. I hesitantly unraveled the cloth to find an odd-shaped plastic thing.

“What is this?” I asked.

“It’s a pStyle! So you can pee without having to take off all your warm clothes and rain gear! Because you are so cold-natured! I got myself one too.”

Skeptical, I tucked it away while smiling politely, wondering if it would fit in my vest pocket along with a thermos of tea.

The next day, I used my pStyle for the first time, wearing long underwear, bib overalls, bib rain gear, wool sweater, thick rain jacket, and forestry vest. I peed standing up, it was smooth and easy, and my worries that I would get urine everywhere proved to be unfounded. Best of all, I didn’t have to freeze my butt off, huddled behind a huckleberry bush, getting rained on. It doesn’t have to be about peeing like a guy unless you want it to be. For me, it was about peeing standing up and remaining comfortable. I yelled out, “Claire! This thing is awesome!”

No undressing and freezing with the pStyle.

Hollie Ernest

According to their website, the pStyle is a Personal Urination Device (PUD) that “allows women, nonbinary folks, and trans men to stand and pee while fully clothed.” The design is simple: it’s about the size of a stapler and weighs only 0.8 ounces. It’s made of rigid plastic, and now there’s one made of recycled ocean plastic! Even with my stiff, thick rain gear, it was easy to move it into position, and the funnel is shaped so it’s easy to direct the pee away from you. The rounded edge acts like a squeegee, meaning that there are no drips. This was impressive to me; after 10 days in the backcountry, there were no mild pee-like smells on leggings or underwear.

I used it that whole winter on all our work trips, without having to remove my double layers of overalls or any other layers. I then started taking it on camping trips and cycling trips. When it fell out of my pocket somewhere in a swath of steep creek drainages, I immediately ordered a new one from my phone, right there in the woods. I knew it was now a crucial piece of gear for me.

Just for fun, I looked into who else uses pStyles. The list is long. Not only people in the woods with a ridiculous amount of clothes on like me, but people anywhere who want to pee without removing a backpack, a climbing harness, chaps, or waders. A researcher in Antarctica, people on a salmon fishing boat, a rope-access welder, and those with physical restrictions that make squatting difficult. And now I’ll add traveling cyclists to the list.

pStyle is fairly small and compact.

Hollie Ernest

They are easy to clean, and with a good shake, most of the urine simply comes off. You can rinse it with water and wait to wash it with soap and water when convenient. They are also dishwasher safe. There are custom carrying cases sold from the website, but you can carry yours in any small bag, preferably with Velcro.

Now pStyles come in a rainbow of colors, and a range of skin tone shades too. At only $12 each, I highly recommend adding this to your packing list for your next bike tour. With the holidays around the corner, go ahead and get one for a friend too.

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Stocking Stuffers Gift Guide for 2022: $50 and under

Adventure Cycling Staff — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:37:02 +0000

We put together a list of small items $50 and under that you can get straight from our online store, Cyclosource. Some of these are gift ideas you may have thought of yourself (like awesome socks) and others will be complete surprises, but we recommend them all based on our years and years of collective bike travel experience.

Important: The holiday shipping cutoff is Dec. 16 for standard-rate mail!

BruTrek Ovrlndr Travel Press, $50

BruTrek Ovrlndr Travel Press

Daniel Mrgan

Few adventures take you right by a coffee shop, so it’s crucial to be able to brew your morning cup at camp. The BruTrek Ovrlndr Travel Press is a truly easy-to-clean French press perfect for tours, bikepacking adventures, road-trips or just brewing in the kitchen. The patented removable bottom makes cleanup a breeze, and the patented Bru Stop press makes for a smooth, never-bitter tasting cup that won’t leave grounds in your smile.

Quad Lock Handlebar/Stem Mount, $30

Quad Lock Handlebar/Stem Mount

Daniel Mrgan

If you’re always digging through your pockets or bags for your phone to check directions, you know why you need a mount. And this mount is particularly rad! The Quad Lock® Bike Mount is the lightest, strongest and most secure smartphone bike mount on the market. The patented dual-stage lock is strong enough to lift up to 80 kg (176 lbs). Yep, we tested it. So you can ride with confidence over bumps and jumps knowing that your fancy phone won’t fly away.

BruTrek Bottle, $30

BruTrek Bottle

Daniel Mrgan

No more scalding yourself with your extremely hot beverage of choice. The BruTrek 18fl oz. Bottle has a dual lid system that keeps liquid in while making sipping and pouring easy.

Defeet Four Season Socks, $17

Defeet Four Season Socks

Daniel Mrgan

Give the gift of comfy feet. The cyclist in your life will love the Defeet Four Seasons Socks in spring, fall, and summer, as well as this winter season. Wooleator Comp is Defeet’s proprietary fiber combining equal parts USA merino and Repreve Fiber made from used, recycled plastic bottles. These come with our snazzy logo in yellow on blue to show your love for bike adventures.

Salsa EXP Series Anything Cage HD with EXP Rubber Straps, $35

Salsa EXP Series Anything Cage

Daniel Mrgan

This is the least intuitive item we have in our gift guide. Why would someone want a water bottle cage for the holidays? Hear us out! It’s not just for water bottles. The Salsa EXP Series Anything Cage HD is a unique cargo mounting system that allows you to carry lightweight gear or large bottles on forks and down tubes that have Three-Pack mounts. You can carry up to 3kg (6.6 lbs) with one of these. That’s a big deal if you are bikepacking (rather than touring with big panniers) and have limited storage space. If you want a bag that fits this system perfectly, here’s the cage bag, but you can also strap in a secured bundle (like your sleeping bag). Want to check out another option? We also carry the Topeak Versa Cage Rack, a similar product at a similar price.

Maps

Finally, you can always give the gift of inspiration. We’re well known for our long distance cycling maps all around the country. Gift a cyclist a section of a great route and watch the wheels start turning in their head. It’s an inexpensive, low commitment way to get an adventure in motion.

When you buy holiday gifts from Cyclosource you support our mission of creating better bicycling adventures for all and get great gear that we stand behind. So you’ll be able to tell the recipient that their present is both recommended by us and will help Adventure Cycling Association pedal onward.

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Solar-Powered Bikepacking

Rebecca Saulsberry — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 12:39:58 +0000

When planning to solo bikepack the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, I romanticized that I would finish preparations with a healthy cushion of time before embarking on my journey. In reality, I learned that I would never feel completely ready to take on an adventure of that scale and that I simply had to start anyway. One thing that provided peace of mind, however, was carrying solar panels. By doing so, I knew I could charge my navigation tools almost anywhere and continue planning on-the-go as needed.

The 10W PWR Solar Panel by Knog fits easily at the bottom of my framebag. I mostly needed juice for my smartphone and for my satellite phone, to update my apprehensive family. Although I could charge these devices when I resupplied in towns, I was reassured to know I would not find myself in a desperate situation if cold nighttime temps drained my batteries. Additionally, having the Knog Solar Panel gave me the rejuvenating option of taking a rest, or “zero,” day in the beautiful backcountry (as long as I had enough food and water) rather than in a costly or damp motel room.

The Pros

The panels worked very effectively in unobstructed sunlight. I would charge my phones directly if hanging out or, more often, I would charge an external power bank that I could use much more conveniently later, even while riding, if I needed to. I also discovered, when my framebag filled with rain one night, that the panels are as water-resistant as advertised (as long as the cable port protector is closed).

The Stuff to Consider

First, the technology has “solar” in the name for a reason. Without direct sunlight, like on an overcast day, the panels can maintain a device’s existing charge, but they hardly add any power, if at all. On a trip like mine, at altitude in the summer, finding sunshine was hardly a problem. But the panels might not be so helpful on a route like the Arctic Postal Road …

Secondly, I realized a tiny bit of strategy is involved to charge a device in the sun without overheating it. My favorite method was to use a fairly long cable so I could place the panels in the sun and still have my plugged-in phone tucked away in the shade.

Knog 10W PWR Solar Panel

Rebecca Saulsberry

Lastly, the Knog solar panel price ($99.95) matches that of all the comparable products I’ve seen. But I really appreciated investing in an external battery ($55–$120 from Knog), too, for the convenience. My power bank held 36 Wh (about three phone charges), so I usually only charged it once while resupplying in town and once more in between stops on longer stretches.

All of that said, the solar panel and external battery were super worth the price and weight (roughly 16 oz and 7 oz, respectively) for me because they allowed me to feel safer on my ride and spend more time outside, protecting and enhancing my bikepacking experience!

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