Bikepacking Colombia’s Coffee Highlands Video + Gear Lists

Photos by Leonardo Brasil and Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa.

Colombia is one of the largest and most prolific producers of coffee in the world. This is mainly due to its plentiful growing season, fertile soil, and high elevations, making it a great candidate for producing some of, if not the, best coffee on the planet. However, Colombia faces a shifting climate. With changing global weather patterns, the “Zona Cafetera,” which loosely translates to “coffee zone,” faces unprecedented challenges. In this video, Leonardo Brasil and Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa, two cyclists and filmmakers, speak to a route of their own creation through this beautiful and challenging region at the heart of the world’s coffee production and break down the gear they’re using to get through 400 miles and just over 60,000 feet of elevation gain.

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With soaring peaks, ripping descents, and the unpredictability of a rainforest climate, this gear breakdown is an in-depth look at everything needed to survive in one of the more challenging places to bikepack. Ample gear usually equates to exciting adventures, so we’ll be excited to see the rest of the video series that takes Leonardo and Adam through this unique region.

The Bikes

• Bike: Salsa Cutthroat
• Wheels: Reynolds TR249
• Tires: Vittoria Barzo 2.35 with Stan’s sealant
• Rear Derailleur: SRAM XO1
• Cassette: 10-52 GX
• Chainring: SRAM 32t
• Saddle: Brooks C17
• Rack: Old Man Mountain Elkhorn Rack
• Fork Cages: 2 x King Cage Iris Ti
• GPS: Wahoo Elemnt Roam V2

Egress Pocket Front Bag

• DJI Mic
• Peak Design Tech Pouch (small) with cables, batteries, SD cards

Feedbags

• Snacks
• Hand sanitizer
• Eye drops
• Pocket knife
• Sunscreen
• Garmin InReach
• Chain lube

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MagTank 2000

• Snacks

Frame Bag

• Wind jacket
• Gloves
• Drone, controller, and charger
• Spare tube
• Pump
• First aid kit
• Repair kit
• Headlamp

Panniers

• Fjallraven Expedition Pack Down Hoodie
• Fjallraven Bergtagen Lite Eco-Shell Jacket
• Fjallraven Bergtagen Eco-Shell rain pants
• Toiletry bag
• Extra clothes
• BERT shoes

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On Body

• Trek helmet
• Roka photochromic sunglasses
• Fjallraven Hoja shirt
• Fjallraven shorts
• Liner bibs
• Specialized Recon 3.0 shoes
• Fjallraven wool socks
• Riding mitts
• Evoc Capture 7l hip pack with Canon R6 II w/ 24-70 f2.8, SD card wallet, passport

For more on Leonardo and Adam’s travels, visit their YouTube channel.

Further Reading

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