Reader’s Rig: Jason’s Tempest Bicycles Thunderhorse

Words and photos by Jason Lynch (@jaselynch)

I’m Jason, a wannabe bike nerd from Newcastle, Australia. I started riding just a few years ago when a few mates were on my case to start riding to get fit. A few months of the daily 50km commute and I was hooked. Nowadays, I love nothing more than getting out on the local gravel trails and exploring the less traveled nooks of my hometown. A handful of weekend bike camping trips have left me desperate to explore more, with plans to tour some of the better known Australian routes such as the Hunt 1000 and Attack of the Buns in 2021.

I reached out to Rob Benson at Tempest Bicycles (@tempestbicycles) to discuss building a do-it-all gravel and bikepacking frame in late 2019. I first met Rob a few hours into an ill-fated first attempt at a weekend bike camping trip in 2017, when a few broken spokes led me to his workshop. He made three emergency spokes for me on the spot, saving my weekend. After witnessing his work and seeing a few of his frames that afternoon, I knew I had to have my own Tempest frame one day. Fast forward two years, after many long discussions and a billion questions from me, Rob got to work designing the rig to end all rigs. Silver fillet brazed, internal Di2/dyno/brake/dropper routing (with rear hidden external cable guides), and braze-ons everywhere. All dressed up in a stunning black raven paint job by local painter, Greg Boyce.

The Thunderhorse is the nicest thing I’ve ever owned. It’s just so fun and comfortable to ride, thanks to the custom frame geo that perfectly fits my short legs and stupidly long arms. Being so involved with the design process, the component selection, and “helping” (i.e. watching) the build was an incredible experience and has really made me feel as though this bike is a true extension of myself.

Evan from Terra Rosa Gear built me a beautiful set of custom bags during his COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne: a bolt-on full frame pack, magnetically attached top tube bag (which can be quickly removed by way of Fidlock Snap bolts), and fork bags to fit my cook set and other goodies. These are complemented by a saddlepack / handlebar roll from Revelate and feed bags from Alpkit.

• Frame Custom Tempest Bicycles “Thunderhorse”
• Fork Curve GXR
• Rims DT Swiss GR 531 (700c)
• Hubs Shimano DH-UR700-3D dynamo (front), DT Swiss 350 Classic (rear)
• Tires Teravail Rutland 700 x 47mm
• Handlebars Curve Cycling WALMER Bar (500mm)
• Headset Chris King InSet 7
• Crankset Easton EA90 cranks (30/46T Gravel rings)
• Pedals Crank Brothers Stamp 1 (large)
• Cassette Sunrace 11-42t CSRX8
• Derailleurs Shimano Di2 FD-6870 (front), Shimano Di2 RD-RX805 (rear)
• Brakes TRP HY/RD cable-actuated hydraulic
• Shifter(s) Shimano Di2 ST-6870
• Saddle WTB Volt
• Seatpost Thomson Elite Covert dropper (100mm)
• Stem Redshift ShockStop suspension stem (90mm)
• Front bags Revelate Sweetroll and Egress Pocket
• Frame bags Terra Rosa Gear
• Rear bags Revelate Vole (7L)
• Accessory bags Terra Rosa Gear top tube and fork bags, Alpkit Stem Cell (large and small)
• Other accessories kLite Bikepacker Ultra V2 and Qube lights, Prototipo Works bolts, King Cages

In my minimal free time, I run a website called Rubber Lover, which I built whilst speccing this bike to help me decide which were the right tires for me.

Keep up with Jason on Instagram @jaselynch and at RubberLover.cc.

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