Sklar PBJ Dream Bike Giveaway

Twice a year, we hold fundraising membership drives that coincide with the spring and fall deadlines for our biannually printed publication, The Bikepacking Journal. During each drive, we randomly select winners to receive dozens of prize packages, and Bikepacking Collective members are automatically entered as a small thank-you for making everything we do possible. Member support helps fund the in-depth stories, reviews, guides, and original videos we publish for everyone to enjoy, plus all the 550+ routes within our extensive 150,000-mile network. A bike or frameset is traditionally one of the biggest rewards each season, and this fall, we put together something particularly special.

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For the third time, we’ve gone above and beyond to create a Dream Build that should make one lucky winner very happy. This year, we approached Sklar Bikes, and framebuilder Adam Sklar generously donated a complete Manzanita-colored PBJ! We’ve paired the PBJ with a selection of expedition-ready gear from Rockgeist, Sklar, and Swift Industries, creating a clean, capable setup ready for adventure right out of the box. Read on for a closer look at the bike and everything included, plus details on becoming a member to help support BIKEPACKING.com and the work we’ve done daily for nearly 15 years.

The Sklar PBJ

At its core, the Sklar PBJ is Adam’s take on an all-terrain bicycle (ATB). We love this term, as we humbly helped bring it back to life in 2022 while championing this style of bike as an ideal gateway for new cyclists discovering the sport through bikepacking and alternative cycling. In our view, a good ATB is one of the best bikes for beginners precisely because it can confidently tackle just about anything. In its purest form, it’s a versatile steel mountain bike that’s equally at home on singletrack, dirt doubletrack, gravel roads, and everything that connects them, all while being perfectly suited to multi-day loaded bikepacking trips. The Sklar PBJ is exactly that.

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After a few hundred miles aboard the Sklar PBJ, Neil came away impressed by just how much versatility is packed into such a refreshingly simple bike. Its balanced geometry, subtly compliant steel tubeset, and excellent rigid fork make for a comfortable and capable ride across everything from technical singletrack and dirt roads to commuting and fully loaded bikepacking. He liked it so much that he bought it.

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Rather than chasing speed or aggressive handling, the PBJ excels at riding well, carrying a load, and keeping the rider connected to the trail—a humble reminder that a thoughtfully designed rigid mountain bike doesn’t need to be complicated to be exceptionally capable. As we see it, this is exactly what an ATB should be, and we’re thrilled to offer this PBJ to one lucky winner this go-around.

Sklar PBJ Dream Build

We really wanted to take this Dream Build giveaway a step further, so we outfitted the PBJ with a few core accessories. The result is a rig that can literally be packed with all of your favorite camping gear and ridden away without needing anything else, bags included.

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Of course, we did so in a fashion fitting of the times, collating our collective preferences into one surefire kit. This PBJ features a light, lean setup with a rear rack and a rack-top bag—which has been in the spotlight around here lately—a wedge frame bag with two bottles and cages, and a top-opening handlebar bag.

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Find details on all the main components and the full build below, and read on for the rules and eligibility. Note that the PBJ frame we built and photographed here is a size large, but the winner will receive a new frame (XS, small, medium, large, or XL) with the following components.

Sklar PBJ Bars

What are the perfect handlebars for an ATB? Those designed specifically for it. That’s a pretty unique position for the Sklar PBJ bar. Miles found it to hit a sweet spot between comfort and control, combining a generous 795mm width with 28 degrees of backsweep and 40mm of rise. The result is what he called a “performance comfort” fit: upright and relaxed enough for long days and all-terrain riding, without sacrificing the leverage or forward weight needed when things get rough. While not radically different from some existing alt bars, its thoughtful, mountain-bike-friendly geometry quickly made it a team favorite for everything short of dedicated enduro-level trail riding.

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Sklar Lightweight Rear Rack

As you’ve probably gathered from several recent posts, a few of us are rack/bag converts, myself included. Now that I’ve seen it in person, I can confidently say Sklar’s Lightweight Rear Rack looks like an exceptionally well-designed solution for my packing style: bag on top and overflow gear on the sides. Neil came away impressed after his review. It has a refreshingly simple, practical design with integrated side storage options designed to keep bottles or small bags secure without relying on additional cage mounts or accessories. It has straightforward steel construction and standard hardware, which should make it easy to repair on the road, too.

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The Sklar PBJ Dream Build comes with a Lightweight Rear Rack, which fits it perfectly. After all, the PBJ is the bike that Adam designed it around. There’s really no need for much else, except…

Rockgeist Frame Bag and Rack Pack

We paired the rear rack with one of my favorite rack bag solutions: the venerable Rockgeist Armadillo rack bag harness. The Armadillo is a deceptively simple accessory that makes carrying a dry bag and other gear on a rear rack cleaner and safer. Made from a tough but flexible sheet of Hypalon, it wraps around loads to protect them from mud and tire rub while preventing smaller items from slipping through the rack platform. Its integrated elastic cords add a handy feature, providing an easy way to stash a rain jacket, extra layer, or hat. After using it with a variety of racks and cargo, it’s become my go-to for nearly every rack-and-dry-bag setup. Rockgeist also generously chipped in a black Ultra-400 Ultra-PE Dry Bag. This tough, weather-sealed double-opening bag fits perfectly in the Armadillo.

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One of my all-time favorite bags is the custom Rockgeist frame bag that’s lived on my trusty Nordest dirt-touring hardtail for years. Made from X11 cotton duck X-Pac, it has a timeless look that only gets better with age, and its burly zipper, materials, and construction have proven incredibly durable. Naturally, we wanted to bring some of that same aesthetic to this build, but with a purpose-built wedge bag that leaves the seat tube open for a water bottle—keeping weight low and centered while still providing plenty of useful frame storage and a handhold for bike portage. Rockgeist made this beautiful custom wedge bag specifically for the PBJ, and it looks great. The bike shown here is a size large, but if the winner needs a different frame size, Rockgeist will make a custom bag to match their choice of color, as long as it’s in stock.

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Swift Industries Zeitgeist

We debated what type of front bag would be perfect for the Performance Basket Jammer and decided a lightweight, top-opening bag was more versatile than an actual basket. So, we asked Martina from Swift Industries if they’d help round out the perfect ATB setup with the Zeitgeist. She generously sent the colorful Luminary version, made from recycled polyester fabric that looks sharp and stays lightweight.

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The Swift Zeitgeist is one of my longtime favorites, combining the perfect capacity and easy-to-organize design of a classic top-opening saddlebag with modern materials and a stable mounting system. Ticking all those boxes with ample storage and useful side pockets, the Zeitgeist works extremely well for bikepacking and offers an appealing blend of old-school style and modern functionality—the perfect bag for the PBJ.

Bottles and Cages

To round out the accessories, Sklar included a pair of their new Titanium cages. The Sklar Titanium cages look great and feature 15mm slotted holes for added adjustability. We also tossed in a pair of bottles featuring our newer snake/hawk and snake/hare designs, printed on 95% sugarcane-derived bio-plastic. Members: watch your inboxes, as we’ll have more of these—exclusively for you—on sale soon.

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Components

The Sklar PBJ we’re giving away is built with the brand’s base kit, specced with dependable, high-quality components. It has SRAM’s bombproof S200 drivetrain, paired with excellent DT Swiss wheels, DB8 brakes, 2.6″ Vittoria Mezcals, and a PNW Components Range dropper post. This is a great build. Find the full kit list below.

• Shifter: SRAM S200
• Derailleur: SRAM S200 Mechanical 12sp
• Cassette: SRAM XG-1275 10-52t
• Crankset: SRAM S200
• Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB
• Wheels: DT Swiss XR 1700 SPLINE
• Brakes: SRAM DB8
• Tires: Vittoria Mezcal 2.6″
• Stem: MSW 35mm
• Seatpost: PNW Components Range
• Headset/Spacers: Sklar
• Handlebars: Sklar PBJ
• Saddle: Ergon SMC
• Bottle Cages: Sklar Titanium

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Rules

No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase or Bikepacking Collective membership will not increase your chances of winning.

• This giveaway is a perk for Bikepacking Collective members who are automatically entered to receive this bike when we make the selection sometime after October 18th; it is also open to anyone (see How to Enter below).
• Since we are shipping from the USA, if the recipient lives outside the United States, the winner will be responsible for any duties, shipping costs, and/or related fees incurred based on the delivery location.
• The selected recipient will be responsible for paying taxes based on their local regulations and will have the right to waive this Collective Reward or any particular parts, should they wish.
• The frame color of the Sklar PBJ will be based on availability and the size the winner needs. Note that the PBJ frame we built and photographed here is a size large. The winner will receive the components as specified with a new frame in size XS, small, medium, large, or XL, depending on their size preference.
• HOW TO ENTER: Current members of the Bikepacking Collective are automatically entered in the drawing. Not a member? You can enter for free—without supporting our small team’s work—by mailing a handwritten entry containing your full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number. Mail-in entries must be received by October 17, 2026. Limit one (1). See full rules for address and details.

We’ve been at the forefront of building the bikepacking community since 2012, sharing up-to-the-minute reporting, in-depth reviews and guides, events, and growing a first-of-its-kind bikepacking route network that now spans 150,000 miles. Member support makes all this possible. If you enjoy reading the site, please consider joining the Bikepacking Collective. Membership is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and members are automatically eligible for Collective Rewards (including this incredible bike), receive The Bikepacking Journal in the mail each year, have access to 100+ exclusive industry discounts, and much more.

Further Reading

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