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Swift Hinterland Jr. Ranger Panniers: None more black
11 Jul 5 Cass Gilbert / bikepacking-bagsHaving trouble cramming everything into your soft bag setup? Sometimes a small set of panniers can help take up the slack. Out on Bolivia’s backroads, we try a set of Swift’s ninja-black Hinterland Jr. Ranger Panniers for size…
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Death Road & Coca Leaves: Bikepacking the Yungas
6 Jun 13 Cass Gilbert / plogSituated on the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes – between the barren, treeless altiplano and the vast swathes of the Amazon – lies the densely forested Yungas. Its deep, subtropical valleys and steep sided mountains are home to both the Death Road and the coca leaf. Within these crumpled folds are also some of the most challenging riding in the land…
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Salt of the Earth: A Family Adventure in Bolivia
52 May 25 Cass Gilbert / plogCycling atop the salt crust of Bolivia’s iconic Salar de Uyuni – and the more petite but perfectly formed Salar de Coipasa – is an undisputed highlight of many a South American journey. Two years ago, I traversed their high altitude, bleached white canvases. This year, I returned with my family…
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Endura Singletrack II Shorts: 365 days a year
20 May 11 Cass Gilbert / apparelWe take Endura’s Singletrack IIs bikepacking in Bolivia, where they prove their worth as a tough-as-nails pair of shorts with handy bonus features – whether you’re in the saddle pedaling, or pressing your way through a hectic Sunday market.
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Jones Plus Review: A Bike Like No Other
85 Apr 20 Cass Gilbert / bikesWith its unusual frame geometry, eye-catching truss fork, 29+ wheels, and rigid-specific design, the Jones Plus sets out to rewrite the rulebooks. We took this unconventional rig bikepacking, trail riding, and touring, and were more than a little surprised by what we found…
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7 Great Weekend Bikepacking Rides in the Southwest
24 Mar 28 Cass Gilbert / tipsThanks to a fantastic trail network carved by the hard work of volunteers, along with acres of National Forest and BLM land prime for camping, the American Southwest possesses some of the best long distance bikepacking routes in the world. And for the very same reasons, it’s also peppered with the finest long weekend escapes you could wish for, each one a compressed, time-friendly adventure just waiting to be savored.
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A Guide to Desert Bikepacking
38 Mar 14 Cass Gilbert / gear-listsFeeling the itch to head south? Make the most of the American Southwest desert season with our guide to fine tuning your bikepacking rig for a winter adventure. Glean techniques on repairing tubeless tires, helpful tips to get you started, a suggested packlist to get you going, and ideas on where to ride.
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Bear Paw PyraTent 2 Review: minimal shelter, big on space
17 Mar 9 Cass Gilbert / gearBear Paw Wilderness Designs’ PyraTent 2 is an ultralight, two person pyramid-style tarp, that doubles as a solo shelter with palatial space for stashing gear.
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Fast Forward: The Film + Behind the Scenes with Lael Wilcox
8 Feb 26 Cass Gilbert / videoOne of three short films commissioned by outdoor co-op REI, Fast Forward is a beautifully shot account of Divide record holder Lael Wilcox’s attempt to race the Arizona Trail. But more than this, it’s an insight into her philosophy on life, her motivation to ‘ride fast’, and an inspirational story that will doubtless have you reaching for your bike, whether it’s to race, or explore the world.
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61 mi. / 98 km1.5 days
A night on the Caja del Rio, New Mexico
29 Feb 23 Cass Gilbert USASituated 15 miles to the west of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Caja del Rio is a high desert volcanic plateau, ringed by cliffs and escarpments, bordered by the Rio Grande, and flanked by the distant protrusions of the Jemez and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Given that the area is predominantly National Forest and laced with a tangle of dirt roads and cow trails, it makes a compact playground for mini-adventures; one that's just a short ride out of Santa Fe, or a convenient train ride from Albuquerque. -
Bedrock Entrada Review: the strapping handlebar bag
2 Feb 5 Cass Gilbert / bikepacking-bagsBedrock’s Entrada Handlebar Bag with Pocket is a medium sized handlebar rollbag, built to tackle the roughest of backcountry bikepacking…
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Blackburn Wayside Multi-Tool Review: Frustration-free wrenching
15 Feb 1 Cass Gilbert / accessoriesBlackburn’s Wayside Multi-Tool has bikepacking in mind; the 19 function design includes a serrated knife blade for trailside picnics, and detachable hex keys for frustration-free wrenching.