Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Joe in California, who presents the rigid steel Tumbleweed Sunliner he dreams of pedaling down the Baja Divide someday. Get to know Joe, read about how cycling has been a guiding force in his life, and scope out his custom-built Sunliner here…
Words and photos by Joe Gordis
Hi there, my name is Joe, and I live in Monterey, California, where I work at Work Horse Bicycles. My journey into the world of cycling began during the pandemic, when the bike industry was booming and literally everything else wasn’t. Workhorse needed extra staff to help meet demand, and since I had just lost both of my jobs and my school shut down, I had plenty of time on my hands.
Fast forward five years, and bicycles have been one of the few constants in my life. From transferring to a four-year university, being homeless while attending said university, and pretending to be a triathlete, bikes were always there for me.
When it came time to build up a new rig, I basically wanted my existing bike, a Breezer Radar, with better geometry and wider tire clearance. So, I was looking for a steel frame, rigid-specific flat-bar 29er that could hold a massive frame bag. And because my dream bikepacking trip is the Baja Divide, I wanted something that could clear a 3” tire.
- Frame/Fork: Tumbleweed Sunliner (L)
- Rims: Velocity Dually 29” 32h, polished
- Hubs: SON28 (front) / White Industries XMR+ Boost (rear)
- Tires: Schwalbe G-One Allround 29 x 2.25″
- Handlebars: Tumbleweed Persuader Alloy 800mm x 20º
- Grips: Ergon GP1 + TOGS
- Headset: Wolf Tooth Components
- Crankset: Shimano XT 165mm
- Pedals: Wolf Tooth Waveform
- Cassette: Shimano XT 10-51
- Derailleur: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Simworks x Paul Klampers
- Brake levers: Paul Love Levers
- Shifter: Shimano XT
- Saddle: Specialized Power Mimic
- Seatpost: PNW Loam
- Stem: Profile Racing Helm (60mm)
- Front bags: Swift Industries Zeitgeist, Tailfin 5L Fork Pack x2
- Frame bags: Rockgeist
- Rear bags: Random Bontrager pannier given to me by the homie Josh
- Accessory bags: Tailfin Top Tube Pack 1.1 Zip, Oveja Negra Chuckbucket Wackpack x2
- Other accessories: Yellowbird Threadworks top cap, cargo cages made by the homie Jarod Bourdeau
For months, I compared various frames, features, and geometries, but nothing ticked all of the boxes. That is, until Tumbleweed announced the Sunliner. Almost immediately, I knew that it was the bike for me. The classic lines, robust build, and stable, comfy geometry made for a perfect canvas that’s both stylish and functional.
It was not my intention to make the bike silver from the get-go, but around the same time I was planning this build, Josh, my coworker and head mechanic at Work Horse Bicycles, was building up a Soma Rufus mini velo with silver parts. Seeing his polished Velocity Cliffhangers laced to a White Industries hub sold me instantly on the idea of going all-in on the neo-retro aesthetic.
You can see more from Joe on Instagram.
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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.
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Further Reading
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