Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Ryotaro in Fukuoka, Japan, who offers a quick look at his go-anywhere Surly Grappler. Get to know Ryotaro and check out his lovingly built all-terrain steel bike here…
Words and photos by Ryotaro Yoshida
Hello! My name is Ryotaro. I live in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan. There are many mountains, rice fields, rivers, and fields in my area, and I enjoy riding my bike on such roads on my days off.
I have always loved ultralight hiking, so I load up my bike with gear and go for a ride during the warmer months. I love the Surly Grappler because I can go far anywhere. I first encountered Grappler when I happened to visit a bike builder’s store and was struck by a newly arrived one! From there, my history with that store began. I also bought my stem, crankset, and headset from that store. It’s a small store but very nice! You can find it on Instagram here.
And I love the frame bag by Rogue Panda. It’s a very nice design! I am especially attached to a stem bag with a Union Jack tag that was made by a friend of mine who lives in England and enjoys hiking, too. When I’m not hiking, I really enjoy biking to my favorite places and caring for the little cacti I have at home.
- Frame/Fork: Surly Grappler (Medium)
- Rims: WTB ST i40 TCS
- Tires: Teravail Ehline, 27.5 x 2.5″
- Handlebars: Salsa Cowchipper 31.8mm
- Headset: ChrisKing NoThreadSet
- Crankset: White Industries
- Pedals: SimWorks Bubbly
- Cassette: Shimano Deore
- Derailleur(s): microSHIFT
- Shifter(s): microSHIFT AdventX
- Saddle: Brooks Cambium C17
- Seatpost: Thomson Elite
- Stem: Paul Components Boxcar
- Front bags: Outer Shell Drawcord Handlebar Bag
- Frame bags: Rogue Panda Designs custom
- Accessory bags: Yanco/Matt’s Bag
- Other accessories: Surly 8-Pack Rack
That’s all from me. I also write a column about ultralight hiking in a very small community if anyone is interested in reading more!
You can follow along with Ryotaro 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.
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Further Reading
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