Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Max in Germany, who walks through the Stooge Rambler he built up for off-road touring. Get to know a little about Max, see his custom Stooge, and read his story of finding his way to bikepacking here…
Words and photos by Max K.
Hey, I’m Max, a 33-year-old mechanical engineer from Nuernberg, Germany. I got into bicycles by tinkering with old ‘70s folding bikes in my early teens (search “F&S Duomatic,” cool stuff!). After starting my apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic in 2009, I obtained a TIG welder and began welding all sorts of contraptions.
As a logical conclusion, tall bike- and cargo bike-touring were my introductions to multi-day trips. This was followed by a gravity-oriented full-squish phase. Over the last two years, I got back into bike touring, focusing on anything but pavement. I was looking for a frame capable of handling light mountain bike trails and singletrails while loaded for multi-day touring. The Stooge Rambler seemed like the perfect combination of a classic touring bike fused with an XC mountain bike. The classic looks of the frame and fork, in combination with decent brake mounts, were the final selling points for me.
My build is meant to be a fully self-sufficient ATB touring rig with extended off-road capabilities (dropper, proper tires, durable no-bling MTB kit, dynamo hub). While choosing parts, I leaned heavily on the build kit for my enduro bike, relying on proven MTB componentry. Apart from that, I wanted to have a range of options regarding the bike’s ability to carry stuff. I opted for a basket rack, two cargo cages, Ortlieb Gravel Fork Packs, a feed bag, and an optional quick-release rear rack (cargo bike background… one can’t have enough options to carry shit!).
Self-sufficiency is achieved by the integration of a “Forumslader” and a battery bank (three 18650 cells in series, about 35wh of energy), which is situated in the fork’s steerer tube. The whole contraption is topped off with a 3D printed ahead ring that incooperates an USB-C outlet.
- Frame/Fork: Stooge Rambler Large
- Rims: DT Swiss M502
- Hubs: Shimano DH-UR708 (front) / FH-MT510 (rear)
- Tires: Continental Ruban 65-584 (front) / Schwalbe Johnny Watts 65-584 (rear)
- Handlebars: SQ-Lab 30X 16°
- Headset: KCNC Ahead
- Crankset: Shimano SLX M7100 175mm 28T
- Pedals: Crankbrothers Stamp 1
- Cassette: Shimano XT M8100 11-51T
- Derailleur(s): Shimano Deore M6100
- Brakes: Shigura!
- Brake levers: Shimano M6100
- Brake calipers: Magura MT5 (front) / MT4 (rear) with Trickstuff Dächle HD discs (180/180)
- Shifter(s): Shimano Deore M6100 I-Spec EV
- Saddle: SQlab 610
- Seatpost: Kindshock eTen dropper, 120mm travel
- Stem: FSA 80mm 6°
- Front bags: 2x Ortlieb Gravel Pack Large / 1x Velo Orange Transporteur Bag
- Rear bags: 2x Modified Ortlieb Front Roller
- Accessory bags: 1x Small Ortlieb bag on downtube (tools/spares), Velo Orange feed bag
- Racks: Blackburn Grid (front) / Ortlieb Quick Rack (rear)
- Lights: Supernova Mini Pro-45 (front) / busch+müller Toplight Line Small (rear)
The battery bank also powers my front and rear lights. The front light is a ridiculously bright Supernova Mini Pro-45 with an integrated high-beam. With the lights not running, around 15km/h is sufficient to keep my phone topped up. If I travel at a higher pace (valleys, etc.), my battery bank charges simultaneously. The bank also keeps my phone charged if I crawl up any steep slopes/singletrack.
I’m using Bikerouter for route planning and Osmand for navigation; both are pretty cool projects worth noting, given Komoot’s current shift. The rear rack is only attached when doing longer trips. It carries my tent and two old Ortlieb Front Rollers that I upgraded with additional retainer hooks. So far, they´ve been holding up pretty well. Running the bike with a dropper and knobby “plus” tires opens up so many routes. At the same time, you can put on some street tires, and it suddenly becomes a pretty fast tourer. It indeed is a machine for all occasions!
Send Us Your Bikepacking Rig
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.
Readers Rig
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
