Reader’s Rig: Robyn’s Specialized Rockhopper

Words and photos by Robyn Glendinning

Kia ora, I’m Robyn. I’m an illustrator, content creator, and creative based in the Tasman region of the South Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand). I spent my childhood riding bikes just for fun, with the occasional trip along the singletrack road to the closest village to see friends. I didn’t do a lot of overnight biking or even camping trips growing up, so I’ve been learning a lot of these skills as an adult.

It wasn’t until 2019, when I moved to Auckland, that I bought a cheap second-hand bike and started commuting to work, which is also when I discovered bikepacking. Six years later, I now love using my bike for overnighters, big trips, and just buzzing about town. I’m really fortunate that I live somewhere where I can roll out my front door on the bike and be in national parks and up in the mountains in a matter of hours.

New Zealand, much like Scotland, where I’m originally from, is a really challenging but rewarding place to ride. You can get four seasons in one day, including snow at the height of summer, but you’re never really all that far from a town and cute cafes. I’ve taken a holistic approach to setting up my bike. It was a challenge initially to find a luggage-carrying system that would fit my bike, and I’ve always been mindful of budget, opting for cheap, heavy-duty dry bags so I could save up for custom gear to fit my bike’s smaller frame. 

• Frame: Specialized Rockhopper Elite 29
• Fork: RockShox Judy
• Rims: Specialized Alloy, hookless, Tubeless ready, 25mm IW
• Hubs: Shimano HB-RM35 (front) / Shimano FH-RM35 (rear)
• Tires: Vittoria Saguaro 29 x 2.25″
• Handlebars: Specialized
• Headset: Specialized
• Crankset: Shimano Deore FC-M5100
• Pedals: Race Face Ride
• Cassette: Shimano CS-M4100, 11-42, 10-speed
• Derailleur(s): Shimano Deore, Shadow Plus, GS cage, 10-speed
• Brakes: Shimano BR-MT200
• Shifter(s): SRAM Level
• Saddle: Ergon ST
• Front bags: JR Gear Heavy Duty 20L Dry Cylinder
• Frame bags: Paper Roads Aotearoa, custom
• Rear bags: 20L heavy duty dry bag from The Warehouse
• Accessory bags: 2x Paper Roads Aotearoa Yonder Treatbags, 2x ancient Amazon dry bags
• Other accessories: Aeroe Spider Rear Rack and Spider Handlebar Cradle

My bike, Priscilla, is named after the titular bus from the Australian cult classic movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert, in which Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving are drag queens going on a road trip—highly recommended. I got her second-hand from Vanquish Cycles in Tauranga. A guy had bought her during COVID times, ridden for a month, and then traded in for a full-suspension model. So I got a basically brand-new bike and a hefty discount. And now we’ve done close to probably 3,000 kilometres together. Matte black has never been my colour, so she has slowly gotten more colourful and fabulous as the years have gone by. 

This summer, I spent around a month (20 days actively riding) cycling the length of the South Island—in a rather protracted fashion—from Nelson to Bluff. Just shy of 1,500 kilometres and 11,670 metres of elevation. It was a great trip, a real variety of terrain, and I saw many of the Great Southern Brevet riders where our routes overlapped.

You can follow along with Robyn on Instagram.

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