Cass Gilbert

In this edition of Rider and Rig, we chat with Mike Hayes from Cornwall, UK. As a former road racer and seasoned long-distance bikepacker, Mike talks us through his distinct Brother Cycles Big Bro build, and shares some insight into his experiences with cycling as a form of therapy for depression…

Firepot dehydrated meals promise tasty, wholesome, locally sourced, and ultralight meals to bookend your days in the saddle. We try out a couple of their meals in the woodlands of Dorset…

Thanks to their inbuilt GPS, intuitive operating systems, and power navigation apps, smartphones make increasingly capable navigation tools. We try out the Quad Lock Bike Mount and see if it’s strong and secure enough to trust your hallowed smartphone for bikepacking…

Hailing from New Mexico, USA, Tribulus’ Endover is a front rolltop bag that promises minimal weight and maximum functionality. After a few months of use, we share our thoughts on how it has fared…

The best clothes are those you can ride in, wear to your local coffee shop, and maybe even use as a pillow, reckons Cass Gilbert. Adding a sense of style to his bikepacking wardrobe, he comes to the conclusion that the technically cut, Kitsbow Icon V2 flannel shirt is here to stay, patches and all…

After completing a trip through Bolivia and Northern Chile, Cass Gilbert talks us through his setup choices for touring on the South American Altiplano, including thoughts on weight versus practicality, the benefits of running a modular setup over a long trip, a core packlist, what survived and what didn’t, and a couple of nutritious, high plain recipes.

Well loved by long distance through-hikers, California-based Tarptent is known for its broad range of minimal and lightweight shelters and tents. We take the freestanding Bowfin 1 on our travels and see how it fares for bikepacking, testing it in a range of locations, from balmy Lake Tahoe and blisteringly hot Baja California, to Bolivia’s blustery Altiplano…

Ruta Toro Toro connects two of Bolivia's most appealing cities, Cochabamba and Sucre. It does so via Toro Toro National Park, Bolivia's labyrinth of ink black caves and startling rock formations, where visitors can follow dinosaur prints, marvel at stalagmites, and hike amongst lush canyons. Although lower in altitude than the country's typical Altiplano riding, a relentless barrage of steep grades and washed out roads make this ride more challenging than almost anything found on the high plateaux. Thankfully, this backcountry route is warmer and more populated too, with the welcome reward of Sucre, Bolivia's UNESCO city, in which to rest up and enjoy its fine food and cafe culture.

Long before the advent of modern bikepacking seatpacks, there were saddlebags. This style of luggage continues to hold favour amongst many dirt road and gravel tourers, largely because of its top-loading practicality. In this edition of The Low Down, we take a look at what kind of saddlebags are on the market, discuss their pros and cons, and suggest accessories to help run them securely. Given that they’re also loaded from the top, we’ve included a number of front rolltop bags, too.

Made from waxed canvas and wool felt, Makeshifter’s Snackhole is guaranteed to add a little colour and flair to your rig. We take one bikepacking in Baja California and report back on how it weathered the ride and fared in the sea air…

We share a ride with Mathias Dammer, father, farmer, guide, and co-creator of both the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route and Bolivia’s Mama Coca, a 500km traverse of the Cordillera Real. Mathias tells us how a successful outdoor career almost came to end after a terrifying climbing accident, reminisces over a MTB racing career that started at the age of seven, and shares his enthusiasm for his simple, reliable, and affordable steed, a Surly Krampus…