Reader’s Rig: Andrew the Maker’s Custom Ti MTB

Words and photos by Andrew Wiloid (@andrewthemaker)

Hi! My name is Andrew Wiloid and I’m often referred to as Andrew the Maker (or ATM) because of my Instagram handle and handmade bag brand. I live in Kansas City, Missouri, with my wife and two kids. For a day job I’m a stay at home dad, and my part-time+ gig is making some of the finest bike bags this side of the Mississippi. Before having kids I was a Master Toyota/ASE mechanic at a local dealership, but quit to chase a dream.

Here in Kansas City we have miles and miles of chunky singletrack that is 100% built by volunteers. Lucky for me, I live just a few miles from a big trail system, Blue River Trails, that is one of most locals’ favorites. This is a huge plus for me since there isn’t much time to ride these days. Typically I go out for 3-4 short rides a week and ramp it up before going on a bikepacking trip. I’ve currently been getting ready for a second ride on the Vapor Trail route and have been riding over 30 days straight. If you haven’t done the Vapor Trail yet, it’s a good one, and highly recommended!

I’ve used several different bikes for bikepacking over the years, including three hardtails and a full suspension. My taste for longer, lower, slacker geometry has grown and I couldn’t find anything that filled those desires while also allowing for a jumbo frame bag. So, I designed a frame on BikeCAD and inquired with my friends over at One Star Bikes in Kansas City about the custom Ti frames that they have made by a company in China. A few quick emails later and the design was finalized. After a few months of waiting, the frame was here and built up with a mix of parts from my previous bikes.

So, what makes this bike unique and different from what’s available on the market? To start, I’m 6’3″ and am perfectly comfortable on my XL full-suspension, which is my daily driver. I wanted to go with the largest frame possible and knew I’d be using bars with more sweep, allowing for a few more mms on the TT length. The basic specs on the bike are a 666mm ett, 75.5 deg sta, 65(unsagged) hta, 420mm CSs, 510mm seat tube, and a 69mm BB drop. I had the frame built with a double bent DT to increase the volume of my four-compartment frame bag. It has mounts for three bottles inside the triangle while also allowing for a partially bolted frame bag. You might be asking why I didn’t add bolts under the TT for a full bolt-on bag, and the answer is I don’t believe that’s a great option since it doesn’t allow the bag to balloon out when stuffed. It does look great, though! I like to ride trails when I go on trips, so the bike was built around a 130mm fork. Since I was using a fork I already had, I kept the headtube length short and had my friend over at Moonmen craft me some Ti risers with a comfy sweep. The rear end is short and snappy and will still fit 29 x 2.8-3″ tires with the sliders adjusted back. Since the frame uses sliding dropouts it’s easily set up single speed if there is a problem.

• Frame Custom Ti
• Fork Rockshox Pike RCT3 130mm
• Rims I9 Enduro S
• Hubs I9
• Tires Specialized Purgatory Grid (front) / Maxxis Rekon (rear)
• Handlebars Pure Sex 3″ riserz from Moonmen Bikes
• Headset Chris King
• Crankset Shimano XT with a Wolf Tooth 30T ring
• Cassette Shimano XT 11-46
• Derailleur Shimano XT
• Brakes Shimano XT
• Shifter(s) Shimano XT
• Saddle WTB Pure
• Seatpost Fox Transfer external
• Stem PNW (35mm)
• Front bags Prototype ATM hybrid rando tourism
• Frame bags ATM Handmade Goods four-compartment, lace-up, bolt-on
• Rear bags Prototype ATM rack top bag
• Accessory bags Pair of ATM Feedbags
• Other accessories Handmade Fender and custom Campandgoslow graphics

I’m a big fan of what my friends Jarrod and Casey are doing with their Campandgoslow stuff, so I reached out about getting a custom graphic made for the downtube. Lucky for me, they already had a Tie Dye prototype for me to try out. The front fender I made out of PETG plastic and put a few stickers on for flare. The frame bag is the only four-compartment one I’ve made or seen. It has two drive side compartments for the larger items. I like to carry a 2 or 3L bladder in the top section. The non-drive side has two map/snack pockets. I do wish I would have added rear rack mounts to the frame, but luckily Old Man Mountain had a solution for me. That pretty much sums up the build!

Find out more about Andrew and his beautiful handmade bikepacking bags on Instagram @andrewthemaker or via his website, AndrewTheMaker.com.

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