Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Our last Reader’s Rig of the year comes from Louis in France, who we happened to meet on a recent ride through the Voges Mountains. Meet Louis and check out the Tumbleweed Prospector he recently built for an upcoming solo bikepacking journey to Japan here…
Words by Louis Schnoeb
Hello, my name is Louis, and I’m a 24-year-young French guy and the creator of Louis Bikeworld, a YouTube channel showcasing custom bike builds. I work full-time as a mechanic to get you guys nice bikes to ride on at Tout Terrain in Freiburg, Germany.
As long as I can remember, bikes have always played a major role in my life. As a kid, my dad introduced me to mountain biking, drove me to social rides on Saturdays, and taught me to fix my ride. During my free time, I would always take my bike to discover the neighborhood, never really listening to my parents and often heading way too far away from home. Cycling was my way to meet with friends and enjoy nature. At that time, enduro biking was a big thing for me. I would hit the trails with my buddies every Saturday.
Fast-forward to 2019, after two years of not exercising, I decided to get into ultra-cycling. Lael Wilcox’s movie I Just Want to Ride was the ignitor, and I was determined to achieve something big. So, I bought myself a cheap Scott Speedster Gravel with the idea of one day riding the French Divide. In August 2021, I was standing at the start of my biggest journey ever. At least that’s what I thought. During the race I severely injured my knees, leading to one and a half years off the bike. Maybe you know that frustrating feeling, when you want to ride but you just can’t. I was not gonna let this happen.
While recovering, I planned a trip, built myself a rando bike, and in September 2023, I cycled for two months through Japan. I discovered the joy of riding slowly, meeting new people, getting to know them, stopping to take pictures, and developing deep, loving relationships. I thought, “I want more of this. I want to experience the world by bike,” which initiated the idea of building Koha, my Tumbleweed Prospector. On April 27th, 2025, I will head off solo from the French border toward Japan.
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On this journey, my plan is to tackle as many dirt roads and singletrack trails as possible. Without a doubt, I need a reliable and capable mountain bike. The Prospector seems to be the perfect match since it has amazing tire clearance, versatile geometry, numerous mounting options, a repairable steel frame, and most importantly, Rohloff Speedhub compatibility.
I equipped my bike with carbon rims and a carbon seatpost for added comfort. For the same purpose, I’m running loop bars from BLB, allowing multiple hand positions. The sturdy Tumbleweed and Tubus racks will support all my gear—basically, my new home—and the Wald 139 basket will get a custom three-in-one bag.
- Frame/Fork: Tumbleweed Prospector
- Rims: Newmen Advanced SL A.30
- Hubs: SON 28 (front) / Rohloff 14s (rear)
- Tires: Vittoria Mezcal 29 x 2.35
- Handlebars: BLB Hobo Loop 2
- Grips: Ergon GP1 Evo BioKork
- Headset: Reset Racing Flatstack
- Crankset: Shimano SLX FC-M7130-1 w/ Garbaruk 32T chainring
- Pedals: Look Trail Roc
- Cog: Rohloff 16t
- Brakes: TRP Spyre
- Shifter(s): Rohloff twist shifter
- Saddle: Brooks B17
- Seatpost: Newmen Advanced
- Stem: Newmen Evolution SL 318.4
- Front rack: Tumbleweed T-Rack
- Rear rack: Tubus Logo
- Basket: Wald 139
- Lights: SON Edelux (front) / SON K920 (rear)
- Other accessories: Cinq Plug 5 Pure
As I’ll need to charge my devices on the go, I installed a USB Charger coupled to a SON dynamo hub. I’ve already used one in the past, and it comes very handy when your Garmin goes empty. At the same time, using the bright SON dynamo light, I’ll be able to do some night riding. I decided to go with full mechanical brakes, reliability being important on such a big adventure.
So far, I’ve tested the bike during a four-day glampacking trip, and I have to say I am really impressed with its capability. Riding downhill, I’m not being gentle, and it literally crunches everything it rolls over. Overall, I really love Koha, my very own adventure bike!
I hope to see you on the road someday. And if you want to see more of my work and follow my journey, you can check my YouTube channel.
You can follow Louis and his upcoming adventure 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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