Reader’s Rig: Paulo’s Esker Hayduke Titanium

Words and photos by Paulo LaBerge

Hiya folks! My name is Paulo, and my home base is Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The bikepacking bug bit me back in about 2016, and the wonderful combination of off-road biking, backcountry exploration, and camping has been huge passion of mine ever since. In fact, I dedicate almost all of my vacation time to various types of adventure by bike.

While I have only been bikepacking in the modern sense since 2017, my zest for two-wheeled adventures began much earlier in life. I grew up an only child of working parents, so I had a lot of freedom and independence from a young age to pursue my own interests. What interested me the very most were biking and nature. To me, the two were a perfect pair. I was fascinated by different plants, animals, and landscapes and naturally curious about experiencing places I’d never been before. Looking back, I feel very lucky to have grown up with so much freedom to roam and so few technological distractions.

My love affair with the Hayduke platform started back in late 2016 while the bike was being produced under the Advocate Cycles brand. When Advocate rebranded to Esker Cycles in 2018, I was given the opportunity to be in the first group of people to pedal the second-generation steel Hayduke, which saw some noteworthy tweaks to the geometry and the proprietary steel tubing.

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I did many big trips with both of those steel steeds, including to Costa Rica, Tanzania, and in my home province of Ontario. They served me well, and the geometry, especially in the later Esker version, fit me wonderfully. Then, in the fall of 2022, Esker offered me the opportunity to hop onto a titanium version, which I very swiftly accepted!

The Hayduke is now in its third generation, and I couldn’t be happier with the latest tweaks to the geometry and construction of the frame. My titanium Hayduke’s most recent adventure was riding the Cape Loop route in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula with my wife Heather, who did the route on her beloved steel Hayduke. Heather and I are both proud ambassadors for Esker as we appreciate the brand, their support of the adventure cycling scene, and the awesome people who run the company.

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I’m often asked what differences I’ve noticed between my previous steel frame versus my current titanium one. Firstly, the weight difference is an obvious one. That weight savings of a pound and a bit is nice to have. It’s certainly noticeable when the bike is loaded up for a multi-day campout and can help make some long climbs a tad less of a slog. I also find that the titanium Hayduke absorbs ground chatter a bit better with all my bikepacking gear attached. Funnily enough, though, that’s not so much the case when running the bike unloaded and set up for whipping around on singletrack trails, although the rigidity of the titanium lends the bike a fun, racey feel.

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In contrast, the steel frame always felt well-planted and had a tendency to slightly mute the roughest features on rugged trails or road surfaces, which some folks might really appreciate. While I’m very fond of my titanium Hayduke, I still think there something special about steel version, and to be honest, the ride feel isn’t all that much different. I think this is likely due to the proprietary quadruple-butted steel tubing Esker uses, which offers a lot of compliance.

Modern hardtails tend to be outfitted with wide bars and short stems. In the case of the Hayduke, I find that having a +/-60mm stem gives the bike a nice responsive steering feel. Mind you, I run a handlebar with a 12-degree backsweep and pair that with a 70mm stem to optimize my reach. I find that the added backsweep is a wrist-saver, and my go-to grip is an extra chunky silicon foam grip, which helps in absorbing vibration.

Build Kit

• Frame Esker Hayduke Titanium (2022, size S3)
• Suspension Fork Fox 34 SC Factory 120mm
• Rigid Fork Trek 1120 Carbon
• Rims Crankbrothers Synthesis Carbon 29”
• Hubs Industry Nine Hydra
• Tires Teravail Honcho 29 x 2.6
• Handlebars SQ Lab 30X (12deg, 45mm Rise) with ESI Foam Grips
• Headset Wolftooth Premium
• Crankset SRAM XO1 165mm w/ WolfTooth Camo 32t Oval SS (not pictured)
• Pedals Hope F20 or Shimano XTR Trail
• Cassette SRAM 1299 Eagle
• Derailleur SRAM XO1 Eagle
• Brakes SRAM Level Silver Stealth, 180mm rotors (not pictured)
• Shifter(s) SRAM XO1
• Saddle Ergon SMC Sport Gel
• Seatpost Thomson Elite with Engin Dual Bolt Seat Collar
• Stem Easton Haven 70mm
• Front bags Revelate Saltyroll
• Frame bags Revelate Ranger (medium)
• Rear rack Tailfin Alloy Rack
• Rear bags Revelate Splinelock 16L
• Accessory bags Revelate Mountain Feedbags and Mag-Tank, Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag 5L
• Other accessories Rockbros Universal Phone Holder
• Cages Widefoot

Something I never thought I’d do is use wheels with carbon rims for bikepacking. I’ve read and heard horror stories about carbon rims breaking, but I realized many of these occurrences were related to rowdy trail riding or poor-quality rims. After putting a set of high-end carbon rims to the test on my full-squish bike with no issues, I decided to give carbon a try on my dedicated bikepacking rig. My wheel builder suggested the Crankbrothers Synthesis carbon wheels, and they’ve been flawless. Even after some abuse during the Baja Cape Loop and ripping around on technical local trails near home, they still run true as ever. While they aren’t the lightest carbon wheels out there, the rim profile on the Synthesis offers similar compliance properties to some aluminum rims, which makes for a more comfortable ride. I did pay a premium for these, but they have been well worth the investment.

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I’ve almost always run my Haydukes with 29er wheels, even though the bike was originally designed for the 27.5+ platform. I never found the higher BB problematic, and now it is a non-issue since the current Hayduke design is intended to accommodate 29” wheels and up to 2.6” tires. My preference is a 2.5-2.6” tire, and my current favorite is the Teravail Honcho. I usually run a Light and Supple version up front and a Durable on the rear. And I run tubeless, always!

As far as the drivetrain is concerned, I find SRAM 12-speed Eagle very reliable, and the gear range on the 50T cassette is optimal. I’m not ready for AXS just yet. I exclusively use Wolf Tooth elliptical chainrings on all my bikes as I find them the most comfortable to pedal and for traction. I typically use 32T nowadays.

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Not shown in the pictures is a recent change to my bike: shorter crankarms. There seems to be a lot more attention paid to crank length lately, and the science behind it totally makes sense to me, so I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, the switch from 170mm to 165mm cranks was actually quite noticeable. With my 32” inseam, a general guide suggested a 162mm-ish length, but I was a bit nervous to go any shorter than 165mm as I think the extra leverage helps in moving a heavily loaded bike. I haven’t seen any crank length comparisons with bikes that weigh over 50 pounds.

When it comes to my bikepacking luggage, I’ve always been a big fan of Revelate Designs’ products. I’ve put many of their products through lots of use, and they’ve been incredibly reliable. I love the practicality of their Mag-Tank, and I’m quite impressed by the stability of the Splinelock seatpack, although I tend to use it only for overnighters or shorter trips.

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On bigger trips, I now prefer to use a rear rack. Heather was keen for us to try Tailfin Racks after seeing them on Jay Petervary’s Instagram several years ago. As a petite rider, she always has trouble with saddle-mounted seatpacks rubbing on her rear tire, so the rack idea particularly appealed to her. I am naturally skeptical of anything that could shake loose and cause annoying rattling, as many old-school pannier racks tended to, but the Tailfin is a game-changer. Light, flexible, and completely reliable. No more seatpacks bobbing or swaying behind me on rough terrain! While I’ll admit it took a little modifying to get my rack to work on my Hayduke (I’m testing a new UDH dropout that’s soon to be released), it’s been a great accessory for carrying cargo. I especially like the three-pack mounts on each leg of the rack. Having this extra cargo-carrying capacity allows me to take weight off my back (because nobody likes a hot, sweaty back if they can help it).

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On bigger trips, I tend to swap my suspension fork for a rigid one. It shaves some weight and enables more convenient cargo mounting capacity. I also appreciate the peace of mind that leaving the suspension fork at home affords me, as it saves me from worrying about what I would do if I ran into trouble with it in some remote locale.

Over the years, BIKEPACKING.com has inspired many of my gear purchases based on detailed product reviews and personal endorsements from everyday folks like me who swear by it. On that note, I’d like to give a shoutout to Dismount Cycles based in Toronto, Ontario. They’ve been a go-to for a lot of my bikepacking gear needs and have always provided me with exceptional service. If you’re in Canada and are looking for an amazing source for bikepacking gear, I highly recommend checking them out (they offer Bikepacking Collective members a discount too!). Thanks, and happy bikepacking, y’all!

Further Reading

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