Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Ravi Almeter in Texas, who shares his 2021 Specialized Diverge and a video he put together from his ride of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route last summer. Get to know Ravi and watch “The Sabbatical” here…
Words and photos by Ravi Almeter
My name is Ravi, and I’m from East Texas. I live in Bend now with my wife and am a mental health therapist by trade. Riding bikes is part of my own mental health, and I love just getting out away from the noise and pushing my body to its limits in nature.
I bought my first road bike while living in Thailand in 2018 and took off when I realized the distances I could cover and the things I could see. I did the GDMBR last summer after I finished grad school, and it was my first time camping by bike in Banff, Canada. Talk about a learning curve.
My current bike is a 2021 Specialized Diverge with the GRX build. I purchased it while working at River City Bicycles in Portland, Oregon. This 64cm size frame was the first bike that had ever left me with any feeling/blood flow left in my hands and neck as it was finally the right size for my 6’6″ frame. I purchased it while hustling through grad school as it had to serve as my one steed to do it all with that student budget.
- Frame/Fork 2021 Specialized Diverge
- Rims Terra CL
- Hubs DT Swiss 350
- Tires Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge 700×42
- Handlebars Stock Specialized Adventure Gear Hover
- Crankset Shimano GRX RX600
- Pedals Shimano XT PD-M8100
- Cassette Shimano 11-40
- Derailleur Shimano GRX RX810
- Brakes Shimano GRX 400 Hydraulic
- Shifter(s) Shimano GRX 600
- Saddle 155 Specialized Power Comp
- Seatpost Carbon, single-bolt, 27.2mm
- Stem 80mm random stem from a parts bin
- Front bags Oveja Negra Front End Loader
- Frame bags Dot Five 1/2 frame bag from Dirtbag
- Rear bags Revelate Designs Spinelock 16L
- Accessory bags Revelate Mag-Tank, Mountain Feedbag, and Jerry Can
- Other accessories Salsa Anything Cages HD, Profile Designs aero bars
I made a fairly amateur video documenting my time on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and it now has over 30,000 views on YouTube! You can watch the 30-minute video in full below:
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
Related Content
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.
