Cass Gilbert

Cass heads out for an overnighter with visiting bike travellers and celebrates the rich variety of pedalling machines that are always passing through town. He considers the dubious merits of the fabled Pan-American Highway, and wonders… how many punctures does it take to ride the quietest road?

Bikepackers are often drawn to the challenge of riding from Oaxaca’s rugged sierras to the pounding surf of the Pacific coast. But staying within its more mild-mannered valleys can be just as appealing, especially for family rides. Cass and his son Sage head out into the Valle de Elta, where dirt roads, experiential learning, and culinary delights await…

A custom cargo midtail made for a shepherd called Sean and his sheepdog Werner? Surely these are characters from a children’s book! Trust Pi Manson of Clandestine to bring such a whimsical dogpacking setup to life in his inimitable style. See it here…

Cass tests the Old Man Mountain Divide Rack in both its Taiwanese-made and MUSA forms. Read on for his full review after using it for over a year in several iterations: as a front rack, a rear rack, direct mounted to the frame, with the optional thru-axle kit, and hauling everything from panniers stuffed with gear to a dog in a milk crate…

Cass heads out on a well-loved local overnighter that promises a glorious spot for making coffee outside with a view. This time, however, he also broaches the world of e-bikepacking and wonders when it might have a place, whether it can be as immersive an experience as pure pedal power alone, and where e-bikes may play their most valuable role…

Cass heads out with Chad and his Mexico-bought “26 ain’t deaders,” complete with DIY bags, motorbike handlebars, dollar-fifty brakes, and a Dangle Boot. He ponders the essence of an ATB and wonders if perhaps we should all foster a vintage mountain bike in preparation for our planet’s uncertain future, and even load it up with homemade gear to celebrate the halcyon days of All Terrain Biking. Plus, find out what thrift-store specials have earned a place in Chad’s technicoloured bags…

Coinciding with Jones Bicycles’ 20th Anniversary, Cass knuckles down to write a long-term review of his dream bike, the Jones Titanium Plus LWB Spaceframe. After months of daily use, technical singletrack climbs, enduro trail descents, multi-day bikepacking trips, and trailer pulling, he attempts to explain why the latest iteration of Jones’s iconic mountain bike is as special as it’s always been…

In our latest Rider and Rig, we catch up with Samer Abouhamad on his way down to Patagonia aboard his streamlined Bombtrack EXT. We talk Beirut, Redshift Kitchen Sinks, Crocs, cakes, and we even rescue a little puppy too. Plus, find Samer’s full gear list for his journey across the Americas…

Bicycle trailers can help turn our more off-beat and imaginative bikepacking aspirations into reality, be it by carrying a surfboard across Baja or bringing your dog along for the ride. Mexican callejero Huesos and his humans try out Frances Cycles’ Farfarer over a number of trail rides and multi-day trips into the mountains, reporting in with their respective findings…

The Valles Caldera Preserve is initiating a Wilderness Eligibility Assessment and is seeking public opinion on the matter. Find out more and share you voice here…

As luck would have it, Karl Kroll was recently seen cycling through the neighbourhood, giving us the chance to chat to the long-distance bikepacker as he puts the final pieces down for his mammoth Americas Bike Trip jigsaw. Over a local campout and an ice cream float, we talk about everything from Ecuadorian Dangle Llamas to packing bearings with bananas, bikey family heirlooms to triple-padded bar-ends, along with unfortunate finds in the Copper Canyon and running a YouTube channel. Plus, check out his complete gearlist honed after 31 months on the road…

If you find yourself traveling through Mexico City – perhaps to ride one of the routes we’ve posted on the site – you might be surprised how a few days of cycling around the capital will enrich your visit to this beautiful and diverse country. Cass shares his recent experiences there, from trying out its bike-share program and savouring car-free Sundays to enjoying local dirt road day rides and a sunrise coffee outside…