Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Chad in Durango, Colorado, who shares the custom Sanitas Root he recently took for a six-day bikepacking trip along the Aquarius Trail in Utah. Meet Chad and scope out his Colorado-made titanium hardtail here…

Words and photos by Chad Clewley

Hello, my name’s Chad Clewley. I’m 42, a father of two (six and three), I’m from Durango, Colorado. I’m a Master Electrician and a hobby artist. I guess adventurous would be my bike interests. I don’t like riding the same trails frequently and prefer to mix it up as much as possible. Even when I commuted to work for the better part of 10 years across multiple states, I tried to mix up my routes all the time. Variety is the spice of life!

Chad's Sanitas Root

I had been wanting a custom 29″ hardtail for years when the ultimate match made in heaven happened: Sanitas Cycles moved their shop into the garage next to our electrical shop! And as it turned out, they needed conduits and wires run to their lathes/mills/welders, etc., and we worked out a deal for a frame. They say diamonds are forever, but this titanium will be my forever bike.

  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root

I kind of let the pros do their thing with this build. I let David and John know my riding style and what I wanted to do with the bike (big days in the mountains, fun descents, commutes, town rides, loaded tours). They knew exactly what to build and drew up a template. Boy, did they nail it. I mean, I’ve never had a bike built to my measurements, and after riding it for several months now, I’m probably getting rid of my full-suspension bike, as I am more comfortable on this hardtail. 

Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Frame: Sanitas Root
  • Fork: FOX 36 Factory SL (140mm)
  • Wheels: Astral Outback/White CLD
  • Tires: Vittoria Agarro Trail (29 x 2.6″)
  • Handlebars: Sanitas Titanium Custom Riser
  • Grips: Wolf Tooth Fat Paw
  • Headset: Wolf Tooth Premium
  • Crankset: White Industries M30
  • Cassette: SRAM XX1 Eagle XG-1299 (10-52T)
  • Derailleur(s): SRAM XX1 Mechanical
  • Brakes: SRAM Code Silver Stealth X2
  • Shifter(s): SRAM XX1 Eagle Mechanical
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Flite
  • Seatpost: Wolf Tooth Resolve Rev2
  • Stem: Paul Boxcar
  • Front bags: Bedrock Bags Entrada
  • Frame bags: Freewheel Mission Gear custom
  • Rear bags: Bedrock Bags Coconino
  • Other accessories: Wolf Tooth Morse Cage, Wolf Tooth Seatpost Collar

Recently, I went on the six-day, hut-to-hut Aquarius Trail route from Brian Head to Escalante, Utah. It was a great route with amazing singletrack sections, long dirt road and Jeep road transfers, and plenty of options to extend or shorten the designated path. Fully stocked refrigerators, with beer package, and provisions to charge bits overnight made this trip the right amount of bougie bikepacking for this old dad.

  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root
  • Chad's Sanitas Root

You can follow Chad on Instagram.

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