Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Bikepackid founder Adrián from Zaragoza, Spain, who shares his custom hardtail from BBloque Bikes and a little about his life in an old stone house in rural Spain. Learn more about Adrián, his bike, and his handmade bag brand here…
Words and photos by Adrián
I am Adrián, and I’m originally from Zaragoza, Spain. I’m an artisan manufacturer of bikepacking bags under the brand name Bikepackid. As the name indicates, I am a kid. Well, although I’m 32 years old, I’m still looking for fun riding my best two-wheeled toy in any corner, whether that’s next to home or on the other side of the world.
At 26 years old, I left home to take on the world on a bicycle without a return date with my life partner Marie. The pandemic caught us in Georgia. Bikepackid was born there as a brand of bikepacking bags to generate a livelihood and carry on with the journey. But everything changed after COVID-19. We currently live in a deeply rural area in Northwest Spain in an old stone house surrounded by nature, far from the city, with the new company of our faithful doggy, Juki. Working hard in the workshop and packing the bikes to travel for two or three months a year gives us a good life balance!
My bike was born thanks to a collaboration with Pablo from BBLOQUE Bikes, a frame builder from Madrid. Craftsmanship is my main personal interest, and my bike could not be any other way: a handmade bike sculpted by the talented hands of my friend Pablo. This rigid bike is designed for extreme use, to go well loaded, and to be able to face any kind of road, whether complicated singletrack or gravel trails.
- Frame: BBloque Bikes Custom
- Fork: RockShox Yari RC DebonAir Boost 29+ 140mm
- Rims: Hope Fortus 35 27.5”
- Hubs: Hope Pro 4 silver
- Tires: Maxxis Chronicle 27.5 x 3.0″
- Handlebars: SQlab 30x 16º Low
- Headset: Deda IN-8
- Crankset: SRAM GX
- Pedals: Spank Oozy Reboot Bronze
- Cassette: SRAM GX 12-speed 10-50t
- Derailleur(s): SRAM GX 12-speed
- Brakes: HopeTech 3 e4
- Shifter(s): SRAM GX 12-speed
- Saddle: Brooks B17 Imperial
- Seatpost: THOMSON Elite
- Stem: Spank Split Bronze
- Front bags: Bikepackid Tocho Bag and Camera Bag
- Frame bags: Bikepackid Cantina Bag
- Rear bags: Bikepackid Mini panniers and Saddelbag
- Racks: Jack the Rack (front) / BBloque Mocho (rear)
- Other accessories: MyFixPlus cargo cages, Tailfin suspension fork mount
Pablo built it with a mix of Columbus Zona and LIFE tubing. He used Zona for the rear triangle and Life for the front triangle, giving stiffness on the front. To reduce the stack height, a tapered head tube with integrated bearings was manufactured to minimize the length of the head tube too. It has a 66º headtube angle and lots of trail for comfortable handling feeling. Even though it is a touring bike, by giving it this angle, we also made it fun with no bags but still comfortable thanks to its wheelbase. Less slope on the top tube allows more space for the frame bag, and the bent seat stays give a reasonable wheel gap for mud.
If someone is thinking about getting a custom-made frame and can afford it, my advice is: yes, go for it! Being able to choose every last detail of your bike according to the sensations you are looking for, being part of the creation of your new baby, knowing that you will have something unique and with essence between your legs while you ride is priceless!
You can follow along with Adrián on Instagram.
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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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