Singletrack/MTB
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Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Katie Strempke’s 2026 Fat Pursuit Rig (Video)
Katie Strempke was the first woman and 10th overall rider to finish the 2026 Fat Pursuit 200-kilometer race earlier this month. Learn more about her Chumba Darksky fat bike, find a video she put together outlining her setup, and dig into her gear list here…
Rig photos by Andrew Strempke, riding photos by Katie Strempke
Organized by Jay Petervary, the Fat Pursuit is an annual 30, 60, or 200-kilometer human-powered winter race on a network of groomed snowmobile trails around Island Park, Idaho. It’s a qualifier for the Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska and serves many participants as a way to prepare for the ITI and test their gear. Winter races require next-level gear management that goes far beyond tossing a lightweight rain jacket inside a hip pack, and it’s eye-opening to see exactly what folks are using in these types of events.
Katie Strempke was the first woman (and 10th overall) to finish the 200-kilometer race at this year’s event, finishing in just 1 day, 2 hours, and 35 minutes. She rode a custom Chumba fat bike decked out with Dispersed Bikepacking bags, which she co-owns with her partner Andrew. Katie put together a detailed rig check video that covers everything she brought along for the ride, including what she wore, the gear she packed, and her bike setup. Watch the video below, and then scroll down for her complete gear list.
Chumba Darksky Fatbike
For those interested in a Chumba fat bike, they will be offering a limited batch of 10 steel fat bikes with an updated geometry this year. Katie has been testing the new geometry for a few years now. To stay in the know or inquire about pre-order details, sign up here. The Darksky Fatbike is being offered as a limited run, and Chumba isn’t sure if they’ll offer it again, so this may be your last chance to score a Chumba Fatbike. Specs include plenty of mounting points, external cable routing customized to your drivetrain, T47 threaded bottom bracket, 26 x 5” tire clearance, internal dropper post routing, and generous framebag space. Here’s the full build kit:
- Frame: Chumba Custom Steel
- Fork: Salsa Kingpin Carbon
- Wheels: 26” DT Swiss BR 2250
- Tires: 4.8” 45NRTH HuskerDu
- Crank: SRAM GX
- Pedals: Shimano XT
- Cassette: 10-52T
- Rear Derailleur: Sram GX 12s
- Brakes: SRAM GX
- Handlebars: SQLabs 3OX 12° Low
- Grips: Wolf Tooth Fat Paw Cam
- Seatpost: PNW Loam dropper
- Saddle: Ergon Women’s SM
Bags
- Dispersed Handlebar Bag
- Dispersed Custom Full Top Tube Bag
- Dispersed Custom Frame Bag
- Custom Prototype Dispersed Panniers
- Custom Size Dispersed Rack Bag
- XL hydration vest (for batteries and maple syrup)
Sleep Kit
- 0-degree sleeping bag
- Insulated inflatable pad
- SOL Escape Bivy
Clothing
- 45NRTH Wolvhammer boots
- Smartwool ski socks (x2)
- Custom Dispersed insulated pogies
- Thin gloves x2
- Puffy gloves
- Hardshell trigger finger mitts
- Wool baselayer
- Extra long sleeve shirt
- Microgrid fleece with hood
- Ultralight rain jacket with hood and pit zips
- Synthetic puffy jacket with hood
- Expedition puffy (or as I like to call it, the oh, s*** puffy)
- Softshell pants
- Light wool shorts
- Fleece pants
- Puffy shorts
- Stratus balaclava (covers nose and mouth)
- Buff
- Headband
- Ski goggles
- Sunglasses
Cook Kit & Water
- MSR Whisperlite stove
- 11oz fuel bottle
- 2L pot
- Lighter
- Backup matches
- 2x 32oz insulated thermoses
- 2x Hydrapak soft flasks for maple syrup (and a third in my drop bag!)
Electronics
- Garmin Edge 1040 Solar
- Garmin inReach Mini
- Fenix HM65R headlamp
- Fenix BC26R handlebar light
- Fenix BC05R blinky light (x2)
- Fenix smart battery charger (cache)
- 2x extra 18650 batteries
- 1x extra 21700 battery
- Charging cables
- GoPro
- Ear buds
Repair Kit
- Tire pump
- Tire plugs and tool
- Tube
- Patch kit
- Tire lever
- Needle and thread
- Valve stem + core
- Valve core
- Multi-tool
- Mini pliers/scissors
- Spare cleat
- Spare bolts
- Quicklinks
- Zip ties
- Electrical tape
- Superglue
First Aid & Misc.
- KT tape
- Gauze
- Aleve
- Benedryl
- Anti-diarrheal
- Nose strips
- Eyedrops
- Chemical hand warmers
- Rescue inhaler
Snacks
- Maple syrup
- Scratch high carb mix
- Mini chocolate donuts
- Sour gummy worms
- Croissants
- Beef sticks
- Hunk of cheese
- Kit kats
- Strawberry cream cheese danishes
- I also ate bacon, a cup of noodles, and cookies at checkpoints
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
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