Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Our special Reader’s Rig of the week showcases an assortment of bikes that will be taking on the 3,000-kilometer Tour Aotearoa across New Zealand, traversing both islands from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff in the south. Find rig and gear details from nearly intrepid 20 riders who’ll begin their ride this weekend here…
To say riding the entire Tour Aotearoa route is a massive undertaking would be an understatement. This odyssey of a bikepacking route travels the full length of New Zealand from top to bottom. It stretches 3,000 kilometers from Cape Reinga to Bluff, following a combination of trails, paths, and lanes connected by scenic country roads and five mandatory boat rides. The route was designed by Jonathan Kennett, a New Zealand cycling guidebook writer, and each February, Jonathan puts on a grand depart. This year, riders will start in waves of 100 between February 18th and 22nd, and their challenge is to finish the route in 45 days.
With help from Jonathan and the riders, we gathered rig details for around 20 folks signed up for this year’s grand depart. As always, we’ve included rider, bike, and bag details for each. Dig into the 2024 Tour Aotearoa Rigs below and then head over to the event page on Sunday to follow along live.
Glen Archer
Age 56 / Mermaid Beach, Queensland (Australia)
BIKE: I’m looking to have fun on a 2023 Trek Checkpoint SL 5. The bike is stock except for new Pirelli Cinturato Mixed Gravel TLR 700c 45mm tyres.
BAGS: Ortleib Front Pannier 9L, Ortleib Saddle Pannier 16.5L, Apidura Expedition Full Frame Pack 7.5L, and an Apidura 3L water bladder. Plus, another bottle mount under frame.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Outdoor Research Helium Bivvy, Big Agnus Zoom UL sleeping mat, and a Nature Hike CW280 sleeping bag. As weather can vary during the ride, I’m packing a Patagonia Down Jacket to keep me warm.
Genevieve Bowers
Age 40 / Vancouver (Canada)
BIKE: I’m riding a 2021 Priority 600x that I got specifically for the Tour Aotearoa with Ninety-Mile Beach in mind. It came with a Pinion C1.12 gearbox, grease-free belt drive, WTB KOM Tough i25 rims, Wren inverted suspension fork (110mm travel), and my beloved WTB Pure saddle. I’ve since converted to tubeless with Fillmore Valves, added Vittoria Mezcal 29×2.25″ tires, installed Profile Design Sonic Ergo 35A aerobars, and invested in a SON 28 Generator hub, which is paired with a borrowed Busch & Müller USB-WERK charger.
BAGS: A custom Field and Forest bolt-on frame bag stores the heavy stuff. Everything else is packed in a Blackburn Universal (Seat Pack) Drybag or using Revelate Designs gear, including a Harness, large Sweet Roll, Egress Pocket, 2x Feedbags, and 2x Polecat bags. I’ve used 2x King Cage Manything Cages, a Tumbleweed T Rack, and a Bingo Components B1 headset spacer for mounting.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I’ll be sleeping snug through wind and rain using an Alpkit Elan bivvy bag, a Hex Rainfly from Hennessy Hammocks, Katabatic Gear Flex 15F (-9C) quilt, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite women’s sleeping pad, and fleecy pillow stuff sack. I’m carrying a small TOAKS Ti pot (1100ml/37.2 oz), MSR PocketRocket 2 stove, and Sawyer filter just in case. I’ll be following bread crumbs on my Garmin Edge 130 Plus but a Mous phone case and mounting system makes smartphone app navigation easy. There’s a well-used Apidura backpack squirreled away somewhere for grocery runs and a Wolf Tooth B-RAD Mount for holding an extra electrolyte drink.
Darren Calder
Age 52 / Lower Hutt, Wellington (New Zealand)
BIKE: I will be riding my trusty Trek Checkpoint SL5 for my first major Brevet. It started off stock but has few changes to ensure comfort that included a decent bike fit, double bar tape and super comfy Profile Design Carbon Aero bars. A set of 45mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Mixed tyres handles the rough stuff and because of the hills a Wolf Tooth RoadLink allows for an 11-40 cassette with the 2x 46/30T standard GRX chainrings.
BAGS: Loving the ease of the Tailfin AeroPack in Aluminum for the extra mounting points, a Blackburn full frame bag with the heavy stuff down low and a couple of Ibera feed backs up front for easy access to food and drink. Two front mounted bottle cages take care of the extra water requirements on the longer sections.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: No need to carry any camping or sleep gear thanks to the credit card, but I love my Garmin 1040 Solar, Sawyer Micro Squeeze water filter, and the lightweight Dynaplug Racer tubeless repair kit.
Adrienne Crowe
Age 63
BIKE: 2021 Specialized Epic Hardtail, Shimano 32T crank and 10-51T cassette and chain all upgraded to XT. Stans Flow with DT Swiss 350 hub, 32 spoke rear wheel, Vittoria Mezcal 2.1″, Standard Shimano 28 spoke rear wheel, Maxxis Ardent Race 2.2″.
BAGS: Revelate Designs Front roll, Egress front pocket, Ripio Frame Bag, Jerry Can, and Gas Tank. Apidura seat bag and tool bag.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I love everything about my bike, but my double downtube bottle cage adapter from Cyclewerks, is great for hydration needs with a full frame bag.
Murray Fountain
Age 47 / Rotorua, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand)
BIKE: I’ll be riding my Zerode Katipo 475 with a Pinion 9-speed Pinion gearbox and Gates carbon belt drive. Aeroe Racks front and rear to carry all my gear. Vittoria Mezcal 2.35″ tires. Profile Design Sonic Ergo 50a aerobars.
BAGS: Aeroe dry bags for most of my gear. Stealth feed bags, top tube bag, and a Front loader bag. Bottles attach to each fork.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: The Aeroe racks that allows me to turn my full suspension bike into a bikepacking bike. My Kiwi ultralight quilt. My bike and most of my gear is designed here in New Zealand. A Garmin Edge 530 for my navigation.
Tony Giblin
Age 55 / Brisbane (Australia)
BIKE: Cannondale Topstone1 Alloy, GRX810 mechanical. Panaracer GK SK+ 43mm tires.
BAGS: Aeroe Rear rack and bag, Apidura Race 4L Frame Bag (2L water bladder inside), Apidura Race 2L top tube bag, 2.5L Aerobar bag. Two Apidura food pouches.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: DD Hammocks Bikepacker Tarp, Aeroe rear bag mounting system and waterproof bag, happy with the Apidura bags as well. Total gear weight with 3.5L of water is 10kg.
John Kelly
Age 50 / Kapiti (New Zealand)
BIKE: My bike is a ‘Muru Mungo Titanium’. Its a 1×11 rigid 29er with a Salsa carbon fork, Jones bars, Profile aerobars, and Mezcal 29×2.6″ tyres at low pressure for a little comfort. I’m riding for fun and fitness.
BAGS: My bags are from Revelate Designs, Salsa, and Tailfin.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I hope to camp as much as I can, my tent is a Zpacks Altaplex with a light down bag and Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite.
Max Milburn
Age 34 / Jackson, Wyoming (USA)
BIKE: Ti Fargo.
BAGS: A mix of Salsa, Bedrock, Rockgeist and Revelate Designs bags.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Excited for bluetooth shifting with three sets of buttons on the aeros, brifters and flats.
Alex Morgan
Age 63 / Sunshine Coast, Queensland (Australia)
BIKE: 2023 Salsa Cutthroat. SRAM AXS Eagle 10-52T drivetrain with a 38T chainring and Quarq power meter. Vittoria Mezcal 2.25” tyres. Dt Swiss alloy rims and DT Swiss 350 rear hub, with a Son 28 dynamo up front paired with a kLite Ultra racing light system connected to a Voltaic V25 cache battery. Profile tri bars for comfort and the hard to miss 3L Cranktank.
BAGS: Ortlieb out front on the bars. Revelate Designs feed bags. Restap Race series on the top tube and main triangle. Tailfin on the back.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Taking the weight penalty for a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1P bikepacking tent (short poles), Nemo Tensor mat, and a Sea to Summit Spark 3 bag, as I feel the cold. Navigating with the Kennett Brothers guidebooks and a Garmin 1040.
Carey Morris
Age 49 / Wellington (New Zealand)
BIKE: I’m riding a titanium Lynskey Pro29. This was specifically acquired for the Tour Aotearoa and built with a Shimano XT/XTR kit. It has a 1×12 drivetrain and Industry Nine Trail S wheels with Vittoria Mezcal tires. I have Surly Moloko bars with areo bars, and a Brooks saddle added for comfort.
BAGS: I am running a full suite of RoboKiwi XP bags, including a custom frame bag and Ortleib fork packs for a bit of extra storage when needed.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Good coffee is a must, so the AeroPress and Snow Peak Ti pot arrangement is great to have with me to whip up a brew in the morning. I’ll be sleeping in a Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p tent with a Nemo Tensor sleep pad. I’ll be navigating with Garmin Fenix7 watch and Edge Explore 2, and helping me see and be seen are Knog Blinders front and rear.
Stephane Perron
Age 50 / Quebec City (Canada)
BIKE: I’ll be riding the Tour Aotearoa on my Kona King Kahuna 2014 hardtail. I’ve added aerobars with 70mm risers for the faster sections of the route. Tires are Vittoria Mezcal 29×2.35″ and the drivetrain is Shimano XT 2×10 (24/38T crank and 12-36T cassette).
BAGS: Seatbag and Handlebar bag are made by Choike, a company based in Chile. Framebag is Ortlieb. Aerobar bag and top tubes bags are Apidura. I also have two water bottle bags on the handlebar.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I’m bringing a Nemo Hornet 2P tent and a Neo Tensor sleeping pad, but no cook kit. I use a Garmin Edge 830 for navigation and I’ll bring a 6000 mAh battery pack for charging my electronics while camping in remote areas. I’ll also bring a two liter water bladder to supplement the water bottles on remote streches. I have an 800 lumen light on my helmet, a 300 lumen rechargeable front light, and a small flashing red tail light.
Leo Pilote
Age 25 / Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
BIKE: 2022 Trek Checkpoint SL5 with a Fox 32 Stepcast 40mm fork and SRAM Force Eagle AXS (42T x 10-52T). Elite Drive 6 wheelset with tubeless Pathfinder Pro 47mm tires. Enve cockpit with Enve aerobars and blips.
BAGS: Tailfin Carbon Aero Rack with 22L x2 panniers and 20L Trunk Top pack. Bontrager integrated framebag, Cadearo bolt-on top tube bag and Apidura racing bar bag.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: To be determined! I love the Trek Checkpoint and those funky-looking wheels as they are absolutely bombproof. However, this will be my first ride on the front fork, but I think it will definitely help with confort. This year’s TA will also be my first solo bikepacking trip, but have plenty of experience hiking on the East coast, which means my camping setup is pretty standard for lightweight hiking. Maybe a unique piece of kit is my Z-packs Triplex tent which I normally share with my girlfriend, but when I looked into getting a 1-person tent or a bivy, I couldn’t find anything lighter than what I already have!
Benjamin Rowe
30 / Chicago, Illinois (USA)
BIKE: I’m riding the Tour Aotearoa on my 2020 Surly Troll. It is a stock build with 26 x 2.5″ Surly Extraterrestrial tires, Surly Moloko bars, and a 3×10 drivetrain.
BAGS: My seat pack, frame bag, and top tube bag are from REI. I put my clothes and cook set in the seat pack, miscellaneous gear in the frame bag, and camera and snacks in the top tube bag. On the handlebars I strapped a Revelate Designs Saltyroll carrying my sleeping bag and pad, down jacket, and rain gear. Moosetreks feed bags for water, snacks, and sunscreen. On the fork I carry my Naturehike Bikepacking tent in a Salsa Anything cage on one side and extra water bottle cages on the other.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I keep all my tools and a spare tube in a “Lunch Storage Tower” from the dollar store in a bottle cage on the down tube. I use lots of Voile straps to keep everything in place, a Garmin Edge 540 for navigation, and a Spot Gen 4 satellite tracker.
Jan Schmidt
Age 20 / Hamburg (Germany)
BIKE: I’ll be riding the Tour Aotearoa on a ’21 Riverside Touring 920, equipped with a pair of reliable 2.25” Mezcals. The rest of the bike is mostly stock, featuring a 1×11 drivetrain with a 32T chainring, 11-42T cassette, and a Shimano Deore XT dynamo hub up front. An upgrade worth mentioning is the set of Profile Design T3+ aerobars mounted on 55mm risers.
BAGS: Rolling out without anything mounted to the front of my handlebars, as I’m rocking a rigid carbon fork instead of shocks, and the geometry of the 920 is already a bit harsh up front. In the back, I’ve got a 16L Spinelock holding the sleeping kit. The Acepac top tube bag keeps tire plugs, multitool, and the remote for the bike alarm (mounted to the front fork) close by. All remaining bags are made by Riverside, making them fit quite naturally. The 8L Framebag stores everything from a puffy, water filter, and electronics to a foldable UL Backpack for town resupplies. Stem bags hold a bottle and GoPro tripod respectively, with snacks stashed in the top tube tank. Two further 750ml bottles are mounted to the seat stays. The Nalgene on the down tube holds the bike repair kit. Last but not least, the stylish bike pump mounted to the front fork.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Hoping to camp as much as possible with an SMD Lunar Solo Tent, Aegismax Twilight Quilt, and NeoAir XLite NXT pad in r/w. All were much-loved during thru-tramping the Te Araroa. Also, I’ve got some cockpit flexibility with the phone, GoPro, Edge 830, and front light, all rocking Garmin mounts to shift them around as needed. Putting my trust in a Spexcel long sleeve jersey and UV leg sleeves to combat the brutal Kiwi sun. See you out there!
Geoff Spencer
Age 70 / Waipu, Northland (New Zealand)
BIKE: I’m riding my 2023 Trek Checkpoint SL5, hoping to complete 3,000Km in 30 days. Tires are Pirelli Cinturato M 45x700mm. Modifications include Profile Design aero Bars, 11-40T cassette with a Wolf Tooth DM derailleur link, and a modified Topeak Super Tourist rack to support my seat bag.
BAGS: It’s a mixed bag, including a Revelate Designs Egress front pocket and a Geosmina handlebar mount with a dry bag, Geosmina top tube bag, Blackburn frame bag, and a Topeak 15L bag.
seat bag
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: An untested Six Moon Lunar Solo tent. The complete setup weighs around 21.4kg.
Warwick Swain
Age 65 / Wellington (New Zealand)
BIKE: 2022 Trek Procalibre 9.6, lockout front shock, Vittoria Mezcal 2.25″ tyres, 1×12 drivetrain with 30T chainring, Pro Design aerobars.
BAGS: Apidura backcountry bags. 1.5L bladder in my frame bag, and a 900L bottle, and tool bottle.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Mont Moondancer 2P tent, Nemo Tensor R mummy airmat. 1 Planet -3 sleeping bag, Garmin Explorer 2 for navigation.
Dave White
Age 62 / Canberra (Australia)
BIKE: For this majestic journey I will be riding the Sonder Broken Road Ti. The bike is equipped with a Shimano XT drivetrain, Vittoria Mezcal 29×2.1″ tires, WTB Pure saddle, Jones H-bar 2.5, and Time ATAC pedals.
BAGS: To carry my gear I invested in an immaculate Framework Design frame bag. It is a perfect fit. It carries a 1.5L bladder and all my daily gear. Food and tools will be stored in the Curve Rocket Pooches. My Mont Moondance 1 tent and wet weather gear is carried in the Sea to Summit dry bag on a Jack the Rack up front. To balance the load, clothing and sleeping gear is carried on a OMM rack utilising the Revelate Designs Nano panniers and another small Sea to Summit dry bag. I’ll be Lighting the way with a Ledlenser front light and Knog taillights. Small Revelate Designs feed bags are fitted for quick access to trail mix and my camera.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: The Jones H-bar 2.5 has been a lifesaver with so many hand positions. The Framework Designs framebag is pivotal to load carrying. I have a lot of faith in my MONT Adventure Equipment Moondance tent, ultra jacket, and Guide Hoodie. Navigation is via a Garmin Edge 1040, NZ Map app, and the fantastic guidebooks from event organisers, the Kennett Brothers.
Ray Whitlock
Age 60 / Seattle, Washington (USA)
BIKE: I’ll be riding the Tour Aotearoa on a 2023 Ritchey Outback 25th year anniversary edition. I like to refer to the drivetrain as a SRAM-mano mullet. It features a 40T Shimano GRX chainring for all business up front and a 12-speed SRAM 9 x 52 for a party in the rear. The shifters are SRAM AXS wireless. The tires are Schwalbe G-One Overlands 700 x 50mm tubeless mounted to Ritchey WCS wheels.
BAGS: My bags consist of a Rogue Panda framebag that was custom made for my 2016 Salsa Cutthroat and which served me well on my 2017 Great Divide ride. I also have a 14L Revelate Designs Terrapin in the back, a Revelate Sweetroll up front with a Revelate pocket attached to it, an original Revelate Gas Tank up front, and a pair of Ortlieb Fork-Pack 5.8L panniers.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: I have a 3L Apidura frame pack hydration bladder that works well in the lower section of the Rogue Panda. I plan to spend about 50% of the time with a roof over my head and the other 50% in my 24oz Tarptent ProTrail.
Matt Williams
Age 34 / Canberra, ACT (Australia)
BIKE: I’ll be riding the 2024 Tour Aotearoa on a Custom Tempest Bicycles Columbus steel frame that has been nicknamed the Kitchen Sink. The frame features plenty of tyre clearance (29×3″), seat and chain stay yokes, geo for a 100mm suspension fork, and almost every braze-on you could imagine. The Kitchen Sink has been built up with a Lauf Trail racer boost fork, Son 28 dynamo, full kLite adventure lighting system including the new micro charger, Rohloff speedhub, Gates carbon belt drive, 29×2.6” Vittoria Mezcals, and Tumbleweed Mini Pannier Rack.
BAGS: I tried to stick with bags that were from Australian and New Zealand makers. Frame and toptube bag are from Terra Rosa Gear, stem bags and accessory pocket/hip pack from Hungry Bags, Mini Panniers from Stealth Bike Bags, a range of Sea to Summit dry bags, and fork bags from DOM.
GEAR HIGHLIGHTS: Sea to Summit Ether Light XT, which is an awesome sleeping mat for side sleepers, and the amazing lights and equipment that my good mate Kerry from kLite designs and manufactures.
Send Us Your Bikepacking Rig
Use the form below to submit your bikepacking rig. We’ll choose one per week to feature in a Reader’s Rig Dispatch and on Instagram. To enter, email us your best photo of the bike (preferably at a 90° angle), your Instagram username (optional), and a short description of you and your rig. If your bike is selected, we’ll need a total of five photos and a little bit more info.
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