Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Nathan in Bend, Oregon, who shares the custom Mostly Forever titanium hardtail he uses to pursue his main passion of heading out for adventurous rides through remote places. Meet Nathan and read a little about the challenges of finding a well-fitting bike as a 6’8” cyclist here…

Words by Nathan Cain, photos by Julia Sparks

My name is Nathan Cain, and I’m from Flagstaff, Arizona. I’ve worked in the cycling industry for over 20 years and used to manage Absolute Bikes in Flagstaff and Sedona.

  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail
  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail

I’ve lived in Bend, Oregon, for five years now and currently work at Chariot Bike as a lead mechanic. We specialize in custom bike builds, wheel builds, and adventure bike accessories. Mountain biking on my days away from work is my favorite thing to do. I love long adventure rides and using the bike as a tool to take me into remote areas away from all the busyness.

Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail
  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail
  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail
  • Frame: Mostly Forever (MF) custom titanium hardtail
  • Fork: Fox 36SL 140mm
  • Rims: Roval Carbon SL 29”
  • Hubs: DT350
  • Tires: Schwalbe Romy 29×2.4 Trail Radial
  • Handlebars: Mostly Forever Ti (60mm rise, 860mm width, 14 degree backsweep)
  • Headset: Wolf Tooth
  • Crankset: Shimano XT with 36T AbsoluteBlack chainring
  • Pedals: Shimano XT
  • Cassette: Wolf Tooth singlespeed 22T cog
  • Brakes: Hayes Dominion A4
  • Saddle: Specialized Power
  • Seatpost: OneUp 240mm
  • Stem: Thompson X BMX, 50mm
  • Front bags: Old Man Mountain Manzanita
  • Frame bags: Custom-made High Rock Low Canyon
  • Accessory bags: Old Man Mountain Axle Packs with Flip Cages, Specialized Adventure Bags

Max Keegan built me this titanium hardtail with the main focus on fitting me, as I’m 6’8” tall, and it’s very hard to find a factory-produced bike that fits. The frame was designed around 29-inch wheels and a 140mm suspension fork. It has bosses to mount as many accessories and bags as I would like. The complete build comes in at 26 pounds (without gear). It has the perfect geometry to rip technical trail or do a century completely loaded. Max, the frame builder; Terry Richards, the frame bag maker; and Old Man Mountain are all here in Bend, Oregon, and are big contributors to the cycling community.

  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail
  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail
  • Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail

You can keep up with Nathan on Instagram.

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

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Make sure to set your shared image folder to public!

  • *By clicking submit, you're also subscribing to our email list. You'll receive an opt-in email before being added.

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...

FILED IN (CATEGORIES & TAGS)

Dispatch

Reader's Rig

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.