Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Cass Gilbert
Contributing Editor
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Salsa Blackborow ‘Midtail’ 27.5 Fat: 1st Ride & We Like it!
55 Sep 8 Cass Gilbert / Bikepacking BikesPerhaps you’ve noticed Salsa shuffling around some of their models of late, in terms of names and purposes? The latest in their lineup to see such metamorphosis is the Blackborow. Formerly a 26in fat bike, the 2018 Salsa Blackborow GX Eagle announced today has been completely reinvented into a cargo-carrying, 27.5in ‘midtail’, a stretched out fatty that’s likely to set adventure-plotting brains ablaze…
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Andrew the Maker Many Things Sack Review
16 Sep 1 Cass Gilbert / Bikepacking BagsAndrew the Maker’s simple and elegant Many Things Sack tailor-fits around one of our favourite cargo cages on the market – King Cage’s titanium Many Thing Cage. We head off to Peru and see if we can shake the pair loose down its rambunctious Andean backroads…
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Michael Dammer’s Karate Monkey & leather framebag
39 Aug 23 Cass Gilbert / Bikepacking BikesIn the latest Rider and Rig, we check out Michael Dammer’s Surly Karate Monkey bikepacking rig as used on the Colorado Trail, plus its awesome farm-made leather framebag…
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LA-made Road Runner Bags release bikepacking line
7 Aug 11 Cass Gilbert / DispatchRoad Runner Bags are handmade in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, with color and flair. Meet their brand new bikepacking lineup…
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Saddledrive 2017: Introducing the All City Cosmic Stallion, a classy all road bike.
1 Aug 8 Cass Gilbert / DispatchComplete with All City panache, the steel framed Cosmic Stallion joins a burgeoning drove of ‘all road’ bikes – fast but practical steeds, designed to transcend the notions of where a traditional road bike may take you… be it pavement, gravel, or even a swig of singletrack too.
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Saddledrive 2017: Surly ECR goes dual wheel size and it’s Pea Lime Pie Soup for the Troll.
12 Aug 4 Cass Gilbert / DispatchSurly updates the ECR, including a rigid-specific geometry and the choice of 29+ or 27.5+ wheels, depending on frame size. Meanwhile, the Troll goes Pea Lime Pie Soup and there’s a Receptacle for your Moloko.
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Saddledrive 2017: Salsa Beargrease goes 27.5×4 and Mukluk gets Eagle GX.
0 Aug 3 Cass Gilbert / DispatchFresh from Saddledrive 2017, Salsa’s big news – big being the operative word – is the fleet-footed Beargrease’s shift to 27.5x4in rubber. The Mukluk also sees some welcome spec additions, including the expansive range of Sram’s Eagle GX drivetrain.
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Rider and Rig: Zach Shriver’s Trek Stache + CT packlist
44 Jul 28 Cass Gilbert / Bikepacking BikesWe take a look at Zach Shriver’s all carbon, 29+ trail slayer, the Trek Stache 9.8. We also hear about how it was set up for bikepacking the Colorado Trail, as well as exactly what gear Zach carried. It’s a great checklist for anyone planning to undertake this beautiful, challenging journey.
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Big Agnes Q-Core SLX Sleeping Pad: lightweight luxury
12 Jul 20 Cass Gilbert / Bikepacking GearBig Agnes’ Q-Core SLX sleeping pad is one of the company’s lightest insulated pads to date. It’s also luxuriously thick. We take one to the desert Southwest and along the Colorado Trail to see how we sleep…
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794 mi. / 1,278 km 21 daysCaucasus Crossing: Georgia
274 Jul 5 Cass Gilbert EuropeThe Caucasus Crossing is a meandering traverse of the Georgian portion of Europe’s highest range. It offers a blend of classic mountain topography and rolling steppe, punctuated with a 12th Century monastery chiselled into a rockface, a ride around the country’s largest lake, a profusion of fortified towers, a generous handful of rugged passes, the inevitable run-ins with fierce Tushetian sheepdogs, and likely a few shots of chacha, the country's potent homebrew, along the way. -
Swift Campout: bikepacking with family and friends
10 Jun 28 Cass Gilbert / InspirationIn celebration of the Summer Solstice – and the Swift Campout that sees hundreds of bikepackers worldwide spend a night under the stars – Cass reports on his New Mexican camping trip with family and friends.
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A Guide to International Bikepacking Trips
34 Jun 26 Cass Gilbert / Bikepacking GuidesPlanning a big, overseas bikepacking trip can seem like a daunting task. After spending a month riding dirt roads through the Peruvian Andes, Cass returns with advice for putting together a similar journey.
