Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Ben on the south coast of England, who offers a look at the 2014 Specialized AWOL Deluxe he uses for everything from jaunts around town for pastries to loaded tours abroad. Get to know Ben and his bike here…
Words and photos by Ben Gray
Hello! I’m Ben, and I currently live on the south coast of England. I’m lucky enough to have the South Downs National Park near me, as well as the sea and coast, so I can really mix up the riding. I have a long history of riding, from competing at a young age to recently spending 10 years working in the industry, making great friends and fantastic opportunities to get involved in the sport, such as being at the first Ride London and the original Red Bull Timelapse.
I love touring around Europe and day-tripping around the UK on my bike. These are the real joys of cycling: long hours in the saddle exploring new areas, meeting amazing locals, riding at a steady pace and enjoying the scenery, dipping your feet in a river, and stopping for coffees and pastries. Pastries are especially important. Pastries are life. France is my favourite country to ride in. Guess why. My French language skills revolve almost entirely around ordering in boulangeries.
I picked up my Specialized AWOL, which I call Wolly, about three years ago second-hand, and it’s barely left my side since. It’s done everything from tours and long day trips to morning coffee rides. It’s changed a bit over the years, but its soul has always been the same. Adventure. Cliche much?. It’s such a great bike that even mundane rides to the shops feel great. It’s steady, stable, and at home as much on the road as off it, which is lucky as there is an incredible network of bridleways here, including the New Forest just down the road (Shout out to The Woods Cyclery, one of the best shops going).
- Frame/Fork: Specialized AWOL Deluxe, 2014
- Rims: Can’t remember, took the stickers off!
- Hubs: Hope Pro 5, lovely Orange colourway
- Tires: Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 42mm
- Handlebars: Ritchey Corralitos
- Headset: Internal, FSA something or other
- Crankset: GRX 810 Chainset w/ Garbaruk 38T chainring
- Pedals: Hope F22 Black. I’m a real flat pedal convert.
- Cassette: 11-46T, Deore I think it is!
- Derailleur(s): Microshift Advent X
- Brakes: TRP Hylex
- Shifter(s): UNO Friction
- Saddle: Specialized Bridge with Mimic
- Seatpost: Ritchey
- Stem: Ritchey
- Front bags: Wizard Works Lil’Presto
- Rear bags: Swift Industries Zeitgeist with added bungee
- Accessory bags: A custom made stem bag thats a bit bigger to accept my camera
- Other accessories: Silca Frame Pump, PDW Light Nugs for lights
My AWOL is a simple bike. It doesn’t have many modern standards, but it doesn’t feel like it needs them as everything just works going about its business without complaint. I always feel the AWOL is from the golden age of bike design, with everything you need and nothing you don’t, everything considered. There are faster bikes and lighter bikes, but what I find I really need is a bike that aligns with me, and the AWOL just does this. I’ve stuck my favourite bag on the back, a Zeitgeist brought over from USA by a family member as a wedding present to carry all my goodies. This could be coffee brewing kit, a towel for after a swim in the sea, but most likely a selection of pastries, cakes, and sweet treats.
Wolly has been on quite a lot of wonderful trips and amazing places, but up there was the chance to ride it around the famous Roubaix Velodrome on a tour that happened to go past earlier this year. It was fantastic to ride around with all the storied history of cycling in the area! The cobbles were less fun, particularly up the Kemmelberg, not too far away! As a lover of the Classics, it was amazing and such a great experience. I think I ended up doing about 15 laps, not one of them troubling the top 90% of the Strava record, I expect.
You can find Ben 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.
Readers Rig
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
