Cass Gilbert
While Out Riding
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244 mi. / 393 km6 daysSan Jose del Pacifico Grand Dirt Tour, Oaxaca
18 Sep 24 Cass Gilbert Latin AmericaMexico is blessed with dirt roads forever and Oaxaca is a wonderful place to get a feel for them. From rural terracerías to forested two-track to tlayuda pit stops to mushroom foraging, the San José del Pacífico Grand Dirt Tour is a great way of exploring this stunning state, beginning and ending in Oaxaca de Juaréz. This beautiful mountain city is a destination in its own right and we've included three bonus day rides into the surrounding valleys! -
Fantastically Plastic Free
50 Sep 17 Cass Gilbert / plogCass shares his experiences of a bike tour in which the path to less convenience made for a much more enjoyable, enriching ride. Read on to discover the ins and out of attempting a zero-waste bikepacking trip in the UK…
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Friends Reunited
41 Sep 11 Cass Gilbert / plogIt’s been a long six months. As we emerge from our respective cocoons, Cass reflects on the way in which bikepacking can nurture friendships. Sometimes it’s less about the riding itself and more the space that bikepacking creates to spend time with our friends…
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Jones SWB Titanium Review: A Dream Bike and Dream Build
111 Sep 3 Cass Gilbert / bikesWe take Jones’ premium, all titanium SWB—clad in a wardrobe of boutique parts—for an extended test ride. And we ask the question: if money is no object, can one frameset really provide a viable heart (and soul) for a bikepacking rig, a fast gravel machine, and a trail-worthy mountain bike? Read on to find out…
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King Alfred’s Way: A New 350km Bikepacking Route in the UK
8 Aug 28 Cass Gilbert / newsCycling UK just launched a new off-road adventure route that takes cyclists through 10,000 years’ worth of history in the south of England, creating a loop of gravel tracks and off-road trails through the heart of Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire countryside. Find details here…
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Jonathan and his Tomo x On-One x Kona Tall Bike
21 Aug 27 Cass Gilbert / plogIn this Rider and Rig, we chat with UK framebuilder Jonathan Thompson about his Tomo x On-One x Kona Tall Bike. We find out about the tall bike scene, bikepacking on a tall bike, and dive into an alternative world where bicycle design collides with unhindered imagination…
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997 mi. / 1,605 km32 daysPeru Great Divide
36 Aug 21 Cass Gilbert Latin AmericaAs one of South America’s premium dirt road touring routes, the Peru Great Divide is nothing short of a visual extravaganza that showcases the very best in Andean riding - think snow-capped peaks, glaciated lakes, and time lost settlements. Rollercoasting its way for several weeks through the country’s rugged Central Cordillera, it hurdes a succession of 4800m passes via remote, low-traffic dirt roads. -
A Bikepacker’s Take on Preventative Health and Immunity Maintenance
16 Aug 6 Cass Gilbert / tipsCOVID-19 has reminded us of the importance of keeping our bodies healthy and our immune systems as robust as possible. Cass Gilbert looks at a variety of foods we can eat and simple lifestyle choices we can make to help stay healthy both at home and on the road…
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Tailfin Adds Cargo Eyelets to AeroPack Alloy S
34 Jun 22 Cass Gilbert / newsTailfin has added water bottle and cargo cage eyelets to the alloy version of their AeroPack S and S Series Trunk Rack, offering extra versatility and capacity to their excellent, sway-free seatpack. Find out more and read our first impressions here…
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First Ride: New Roval Control SL Team LTD Wheels
3 May 27 Cass Gilbert / gearClearly of more interest to competitive, long-distance racers rather than budget bikepackers, Roval has just launched a $2650, featherweight cross country wheelset that’s claimed to be their lightest ever: the Control SL Team LTD. Not that its minimal weight – just 1248g – comes at the expense of strength, width, or pinch-flat resistance, as Cass Gilbert finds out on the dusty trails of Baja California.
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Reader’s Rig: Yeshe’s Mone El Continente
4 Apr 3 Cass Gilbert / newsOur latest Reader’s Rig features artist Yeshe Parks’ beautiful singlespeed Moné El Continente, which he uses to explore the dirt roads of New Mexico. Check out more details and photos here…
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118 mi. / 190 km3-4 daysOjos de Cuicatlan (TCBR, Sur)
7 Mar 31 Cass Gilbert Latin AmericaThe Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve is located in southeastern Mexico, set within the arid climes of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range. Given that this vast and little-travelled UNESCO heritage site is split between two states - Puebla and Oaxaca - we've put together two distinct loops that can be accessed from each capital, aiming to showcase both the rich biodiversity in the area and its cultural identity. The South Loop centres around the high elevation settlement of Santa María Ixcatlán in Oaxaca. At four days in length, it offers a satisfyingly broad overview of the area, or a week's varied riding in the reserve if coupled with the North Loop.
