Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Alex at Restrap in the UK, who offers a look at the custom Stayer OMG he won as part of the Ultra Distance Scholarship raffle last year. Meet Alex and check out his one-of-a-kind UK-made bike here…
Words and photos by Alex Dyson
My name is Alex, and I’m the brand and marketing manager at Restrap. I’m a graphic designer by trade but have always enjoyed adventure photography. FURTHER Elements was the first race I was asked to document, and as organiser Camille McMillan is a photographer I admire hugely (his book CIRCUS about covering the Tour de France is excellent), the pressure was on.
We would be driving around in the van between sections of the route, and then I’d pull my bike out with a combination of my Canon 5D, 24-70mm lens, 70-200mm lens, and tripod in a Restrap Utility Hip Pack or Small Rolltop Backpack to protect them from the bumpy terrain, wet weather and river crossings, before heading out into the more exposed and hard to get to parts of the route.
When you’re tasked with media duties for a race like FURTHER Elements—a 700-kilometre loop through the Scottish Highlands on broken roads, dead-ends, gravel trails, river crossings, peat bog, hike-a-bike, and unpredictable weather—you need a bike suitable for the job.
My Stayer OMG custom mountain bike was actually won in it’s original form as part of the Ultra Distance Scholarship raffle in 2023, as featured here on BIKEPACKING.com. After using it for a while, I decided to change some things to make it more purposeful for my riding. I got rid of the friction shifter and cantilever brakes, changed out the forks so they could run cages, added a Redshift Endurance Pro Seatpost to make its rigid nature a bit more forgiving, and swapped the bars for less sweep.
- Frame: Stayer OMG Custom
- Fork: SimWorks Doppo MTB
- Rims: Velocity Cliff Hanger 700C/29”
- Hubs: SON 28 (front) / Velo Orange (rear)
- Tires: Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.2”
- Handlebars: SimWorks MowMow Bars
- Headset: Chris King
- Crankset: White Industries ENO 32T
- Pedals: Velo Orange Grand Cru Sabot
- Cassette: Shimano Deore 11-42
- Derailleur(s): Shimano Deore XT M5100 11-speed
- Brakes: Shimano M6100 Deore
- Shifter(s): Shimano M5100 Deore 11-speed
- Saddle: Brooks C17 Carved
- Seatpost: Redshift Pro Endurance
- Stem: Thomson Elite 35mm X4
- Frame bags: Restrap Custom / VX21 / 2-Zip
- Rear bags: Restrap Saddle Bag – 14L
- Accessory bags: Restrap Utility Hip Pack
- Lights: Sinewave Beacon (front) / SON on Fairlight mount (rear)
- Other accessories: Spurcycle Bell
Once it was feeling right, I had a Custom Frame Bag made by Restrap (see my process here to maximise the front triangle and carry all my tools, spare clothes, and other useful bits and pieces.
The Restrap 14L Saddle Bag held my tent, sleeping bag, and inflatable mat and was only used between the chosen sleeping spot and our van. We ended up sleeping outside Corrour Station each night, apart from one night in a hotel in Fort William because of a desperately needed a shower.
You can keep up with Alex on Instagram.
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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Further Reading
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