Neil Beltchenko

The Old Man Mountain Axle Pack is unlike any cargo mount we’ve seen before. It provides a four-pack of mounts and can be attached to almost any fork without eyelets, including suspension forks. We had the chance to review a pair on a rough trip along the Arizona Trail for this full review…

The Atlas Mountain Race kicks off this evening local time, drawing over 200 racers for its fourth edition. Covering 800 miles from Marrakesh to Essaouira, Morocco, it has become a prominent self-supported ultra-endurance race globally, as evidenced by the 100+ submissions to our race rig roundup. In our latest video, Neil delves into the details of the rigs, unveiling some intriguing insights…

Eating is an essential part of bikepacking, and it should be enjoyable. However, it doesn’t always come easy. In our latest video, Neil shares nine ideas for bikepacking meals and snacks, such as simple one-pot recipes, quick homemade meals, easy additions to spruce up any meal, and more…

Feeling the winter blues? In this mini guide, Neil shares the most popular winter bikepacking destinations around the world, catering to those living in the Northern Hemisphere who are currently in the grip of winter’s chill. Find region and route suggestions from the sun-soaked landscapes of Florida to the majestic culture and riding in Thailand and more here…

The Garmin Edge 1040 Solar is one of Garmin’s new head units with solar charging capabilities, and Neil has been using one for more than a year now. In this review, he shares all the details bikepackers need to know, including some surprising real-world battery run-time findings. Find it all here…

Kicking off the new year, Neil takes a look back at some of 2023’s key moments in our corner of the cycling world, including the state of the bike industry, a recap of some popular events, the status of bikepacking routes, new BIKEPACKING.com features, and more. Plus, he makes some predictions for the year ahead. See it all in our latest video here…

After another big year of trying out newly released gear and using some old products, Neil shares 12 standouts from 2023 in our latest Editor’s Dozen video, including everything from his favorite apparel to cargo-carrying equipment, bike accessories, and more…

The innovative new Tailfin Fork Pack is a modular bag system featuring a low-profile aluminum mount that bolts to a fork or frame and a waterproof bag with an integrated X-Clamp system, allowing it to attach and detach quickly and securely. We had the chance to test the system for a few months before launch. Find our full review here…

How does the slackest bike we’ve ever ridden perform out on the trail? The answer might surprise you. Learn more in our review of the Pipedream Sirius S6, the brand’s latest hardtail that improves on the S5 we reviewed last year with the same unique geometry rolled into a beautiful titanium frame with loads of mounts…

In this piece, Neil recaps the unprecedented 2023 Triple Crown challenge results, highlights the top finishers of the Arizona Trail Race, and sits down with Katya Rakhmatulina, who won the 2023 Arizona Trail Race 800 and set a new Triple Crown Challenge Record.

The Santa Cruz Stigmata, the brand’s longstanding gravel bike, was recently updated with new geometry and some intriguing features that further expand its capabilities. Version four (V4) was marketed for “big races, big distances, or big dumb rides,” and we couldn’t resist putting it to the test. Neil’s been extensively testing the latest Santa Cruz Stigmata for several months for this full review…

Throughout the past decade, our team at BIKEPACKING.com has learned from many mistakes, and we continue to make them from time to time. Here, we discusses these mishaps, reflect on what led to them, and offer some advice for avoiding similar misfortunes…