Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Florian in Austria, who shares a detailed look at his Surly Bridge Club and a story of healing, adventure, and a 6,000-kilometer bikepacking journey across Japan. Dive in here…
Words and photos by Florian Blatter
Hi, my name’s Florian. I live in the very west of Austria, just a few hundred meters from the Swiss border. I went on my first bikepacking trips back in 2017 on an old Austrian-made KTM diamond-frame steel bike with Mannesmann tubing, before I even knew what “bikepacking” was.
About three years ago, I finally got a grip on my alcohol problem and have been sober ever since. That’s when I really started to unlock my potential. After an 11-year relationship ended, I began therapy, something I’d needed for a long time, and decided to put all my energy into building my dream bike: a Surly Bridge Club, built up from the frame to take me on my dream trip across Japan.
I ended up riding over 6,000 kilometers through Japan, and before that, a little over 1,000 kilometers across South Korea. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. Not only did I fulfill a lifelong dream, but I also rekindled a deep love for both bikepacking and Japan. Halfway through the trip, I picked up a little Pikachu at the Pokémon Center in Tokyo. It lived in my Fairweather stem bag from Blue Lug, at least whenever that spot wasn’t occupied by my bear spray on the forest roads of rural Japan.
Originally, I had a 1x SunRace crankset with a square-taper bottom bracket. It worked great, but halfway through the trip, I wanted to swap my 36-tooth chainring for a 34-tooth. The odd BCD standard of the SunRace crank made it tricky. When the chainring finally arrived, it didn’t fit. I joked with my brother before the trip that I couldn’t go to Japan with a “non-Shimano” crank, and in the end, the bike shop gifted me a “made in Japan” Shimano XT crankset, previously raced on by the owner in mountain bike competitions, which they installed with an Ultegra bottom bracket. Shout out to Cycle Life Shop Hakusei in Kizugawa!
My bike carries a few details from Japan, too. I’ve always run Panaracer tires; one GravelKing lasted well over 8,000 kilometers and still had life left in it. Riding tubed, I had four or five flats along the way, which isn’t too bad for that distance. My MKS Allways pedals now have around 10,000 kilometers on them and still feel as smooth as day one. And my Crane bell actually came in handy in the forests, helping let the bears know I was coming through. In Japan, hikers, cyclists, and anyone spending time in the woods often use bear bells for the same reason. After my trip, a friend and follower sent me two bottles as a gift from Inconvenience Store/Outside Supply: “Noodle Legs” and “Kewpie,” the Japanese mayonnaise. I definitely consumed enough Kewpie on the trip to meet my calorie needs!
Built Kit
- Frame/Fork: Surly Bridge Club (Medium)
- Rims: Remerx RX 2027
- Hubs: Shutter Precision PD-8 (front) / Shimano FH-MT500 (rear)
- Tires: Panaracer GravelKing SK 2.1
- Handlebars: Koga Denham
- Headset: Tange Seiki Technoglide
- Crankset: Shimano XT FC-M8000
- Bottom bracket: Shimano Ultegra SM-BBR60
- Pedals: MKS Allways Platform Pedals
- Cassette: Shimano Deore CS-M6100
- Derailleur(s): Shimano Deore
- Brakes: Avid BB7
- Shifter(s): Shimano XT
- Saddle: Brooks B17
- Seatpost: Ergotec
- Stem: Ritchey Comp 4-Axis
- Front bags: Ortlieb Gravel Pack
- Frame bags: Custom made by Alpkit
- Rear bags: Ortlieb Backroller Classic
- Accessory bags: Fairweather stem bag, Tailfin top tube bag, Ortlieb dry bags
- Lights: SON
- Other accessories: Crane Riten Copper Bell, Cycle2Charge USB Charger, Voile Straps
I swear by flat bars with a good amount of backsweep and inner bar ends. They’re the perfect mix of relaxed ergonomics and a sporty riding position. My Diamond Rack from Allygn is worth every cent, and the custom framebag from Alpkit fits my frame perfectly, using every bit of space. The Surly Bridge Club really lives up to its name. It’s the perfect bridge between bikepacking and traditional touring. Without panniers, I have a light, clean setup for shorter trips, and for longer adventures, I just strap the panniers back on.
My fork setup is kind of asymmetrical—an Ortlieb Gravel Pack on one side and two water bottles on the other. It works perfectly… and honestly, I think it looks pretty cool too. I’m also working on a film project about the whole process, from the preparation and the bike build to the trip itself and what it felt like to come back home.
Lastly, people often say things like “Cycling is my therapy,” but I’ve learned that riding a bike alone isn’t enough. These days, I like to say, “Ride your bike to therapy.”
You can keep up with Florian on Instagram.
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