Field Trips

After living and route building in the north of Thailand for the better part of a year, Sam Rice ventures south to Bangkok to meet three of the city’s most prominent bikepacking brands. Read on for his impressions of Buffalo Bags, Bicycle Boy Clubhouse, and Conquer Bags, featuring immersive photo galleries and a look at what each brand brings to the Thai bikepacking scene…

Located a few minutes north of Nelson, British Columbia, Six Mile Bikes is a new framebuilder offering made-to-order bikes with a refreshingly personal approach inspired by a career as a ski guide. We stopped by the shop to get to know owner Kevin Armstrong, hear about the framebuilding course he took in Spain, and take a closer look at a handful of bikes he’s made…

For nearly two decades, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles has been designing and selling functional steel bicycles fueled by a lifetime of working in the bike industry and an unshakable obsession with drop bars and big tires. We swung by his shop in Point Reyes Station, California, to get to know the Black Mountain story firsthand and take a closer look at a few of his bikes…

Founded in 2015 by Kyle Ng, Outer Shell prides itself on function-forward bag designs, minimalist style, and products that encourage customers to develop a deeper connection with their environment. We stopped by their San Francisco workshop to learn more about the Outer Shell origin story, meet the small team, and take a quick look at three staff bikes. Find it all here…

For nearly 20 years, Sam Alison of Singular Cycles in the UK has been designing forward-thinking bicycles built for adventure. We sent photographer Tom Powell to Sam’s cozy workshop just outside of London to learn more about his trendsetting steel and titanium frames and the inspiration behind them. Find a short video portrait and a look inside Singular Cycles here…

On the heels of Sklar’s 10th anniversary and relocation to California, we recently stopped by Adam Sklar’s new shop to take a deep dive into the last decade of business, explore the Oakland space, and learn more about his transition from US-made custom frames with a two-year waitlist to Taiwan-made production bikes. Find all that, a peek at a few of Adam’s bikes, and loads of photos from Miles’ visit here…

Just beyond the bustle of Victoria, British Columbia, nestled between towering Douglas firs and a flower farm, you’ll find WZRD Bikes. Miles spent two afternoons with owner Emma May to learn the story behind WZRD and the last five years of framebuilding, take a closer look at three of her personal bikes, and hear why she thinks long chainstays are never going out of style. Find that and a barrage of photos from the WZRD Bikes workshop here…

In our latest Field Trip, Sam Rice and Bec Norman take us behind the scenes at Tailfin. Since its Kickstarter launch in 2016, Tailfin has grown from a basement passion project to one of the most innovative brands in bikepacking. Read on as Sam and Bec shed light on Tailfin’s origin story, dive deep into their product design philosophy, and reveal how their innovative fusion of hardware and soft goods sets them apart…

Based on England’s South Coast, Darron Sven is a frame builder who’s been blending timeless designs and modern touches to create rolling works of art for more than 15 years. We sent photographer Tom Powell to spend a couple of days with Darron, and he put together a charming video portrait of Sven Cycles and an inside look at the bespoke builder’s work and guiding philosophy. Find it here…

Specializing in fully custom titanium bicycles and informed by a decade of experience as an engineer, Corvid Cycles has been fabricating bikepacking-centric bikes for more than six years. We stopped by Corvid’s workshop in Colorado to get to know founder Chad Corbin, take a look at five bikes, and learn more about Reroot Outdoors, a custom bikepacking bag company run by Shan Wo under the same roof…

What started as a night owl’s bag-making hobby is now a full-time gig for former carpenter and bikepacking enthusiast Sam Lutz. During a visit to Northwest Arkansas, we caught up with Lutz at his first-ever shop space in Fayetteville. Check out our photo tour of the Buckhorn Bags shop and learn more about the maker behind the brand here…

How do you wrap up a great summer in the UK? Well, you could go camping with newfound friends, ride into darkness, awaken at sunrise, make coffee outside, hang out in a bike shop, join the Sunday ride, drink more coffee, and then pedal home. Cass swings by the UK’s New Forest for the full experience of The Woods Cyclery. Read on for our shop visit, a route, and a dissection of shop owner Tom Farrel’s gorgeous Rivendell Appaloosa…