Rider & Rig

As the writer and photographer behind Tales on Tyres, Franzi Wernsing has spent the last few years wandering the world on two wheels. After following her popular Instagram feed, Cass Gilbert finally got the chance to catch up with her in person on the Trans Alp bikepacking route, to get the full lowdown on her Bombtrack Beyond+, dig deeper into her passion for photography, and find out how she and her partner Jona juggle life on the road…

In this edition of Rider and Rig, we spend a few days bikepacking with Ryan Carruth after bumping into him in Bend, Oregon. Ryan has been pedaling throughout California and Oregon for the last three months, and he shares some of the routes he’s ridden, thoughts on traveling with purpose, and surprisingly little about his trusty Surly Pugsley…

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…

In today’s Rider and Rig, we chat with Ryan Santoski at Totem Cyclery, his small, service-oriented bike shop in Denver, and check out his dreamy Kona Rove commuter/light tourer. He walks us through the build, describes what it means to run a Bonsai-Style shop, and offers some thoughts on the importance of trimming away the unessential things in life…

The Trans North Georgia (TNGA) is one of the premier ultra-endurance bikepacking events in the southeastern United States. With the race kicking off this weekend, here are the Rigs of The 2018 TNGA, featuring 47 bikes along with kit details and information about the riders…

Miles and Ben completed the Oregon Timber Trail earlier this month, and by the looks of it they both had their rigs dialed in for plenty of singletrack riding and the challenging hike-a-bike sections along the route. Read on to learn more about Ben’s Why Cycles S7, Miles’ Surly Karate Monkey, and their two-person Oregon Timber Trail packing list…

In our latest Rider and Rig, Skyler shows off his DaamBuilt No. 5 custom hardtail and digs deep into the nitty gritty of its angles, measurements, cable routing placement, and other intricate details that make it his near-perfect backcountry trail bikepacking rig…

The third annual BC Epic 1000 grand depart took off Saturday morning from Merritt, British Columbia. With the help of the riders, we’ve put together a list of over 60 rigs for you to drool over, plus a sneak peek behind the event and some thoughts on why it’s attracting so many riders from all over Canada and the US…

Continuing our 2018 Tour Divide week, here are the Rigs of The 2018 Tour Divide, featuring over 80 bikes with kit details and information about the riders…

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…

In this edition of Rider and Rig, we check out Nancy’s Surly ECR and her five-year-old son Sage’s Tout Terrain Streamliner, used on a two-week tour around the Baja Divide’s Cape Loop. Find out the differences between the previous 29+ model and the new 27.5+ version, and check out Sage’s awesome suspended trailer bike, complete with its own seatpack.

In our latest Rider and Rig, we caught up with Nate Shearer as he rode the New Mexico Off Road Runner and the Monumental Loop. Along the way, we talked front loading on his B+ Trek Sawyer, racing in the BMX Nationals, using bikes as a form of escape and identity, and abstract storytelling…