The Tailfin Aeropack bag overcomes most of the disadvantages of a bikepacking-style seatpost-mounted bag and from that perspective I would highly recommend it. It’s well made, uses good quality materials, is lightweight, and attaches to almost any bike. I found the Aeropack far less practical and more awkward to use than a more conventional rear rack and rack-top bag, but such setups are heavier and are not as easy to attach to many bikes.
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Garmin’s previous top-end cycling computer, the Edge 1030, was released in late 2017, so it’s no surprise that they announced an updated version in June 2020, the Edge 1030 Plus. I was expecting more from the new model including a better screen, but this suggests that the real update, possibly called the Edge 1040 or 1200, should arrive in 2021, so I recommend waiting if you don’t have an immediate need for a top-end unit with an extra-large screen.
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There is a major recent trend for gravel bikes to be equipped with non-standard shapes of drop handlebars: flared bars, riser bars, and dual-level bars. I explain why I wouldn’t recommend any of these odd handlebar shapes over using a standard drop handlebar of the preferred width and an appropriate-height stem. I instead give better solutions for how to achieve each of the goals of these oddly-shaped bars while using a standard drop handlebar.
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Over two-thirds of cyclists are using cranks that are longer than recommended. Using cranks that are too long can cause cycling discomfort and injuries, especially when riding longer distances, due to excessive articulation of the knee and hip at the top of the pedal stroke; using cranks that are too short is far less likely to cause problems. I give general recommendations on what crank lengths are suitable for people in various height ranges.
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The RedShift ShockStop suspension seatpost makes a massive improvement in riding comfort and reduces fatigue when gravel biking and doing long-distance cycling. I found that it outperformed the similar Cirrus Kinekt seatpost on almost every criterion: comfort/function, aesthetics, price and weight.
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We had a great time at the Lausanne screening of the Onboard The Transcontinental Race film last night. The film was excellent – making us laugh, cry and be inspired.
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The 2017 Indian Pacific Wheel Race IPWR or Indy-Pac was a self-supported, ultra-distance bikepacking race across Australia. It has been held in subsequent years as a Ride instead of a Race. The fixed route is about 5,500 km long and goes from the shore of the Indian Ocean near Perth to the Pacific Ocean in Sydney. The race attracted a lot of attention partly due to the big names in the sport all racing against each other, but ended with the tragic death of Mike Hall.
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The Trans Am Bike Race is a self-supported, ultra-distance bikepacking race across the USA. The fixed route is about 4,300 miles (6,900 km) long and goes from Oregon to Virginia. This article includes reports of the first 3 editions of the race in 2014, ’15 and ’16, including details of how Lael Wilcox became the first woman to win it overall in 2016.
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Many gearing options have become available since the Gear Ratios page was written in 2016 that make it easier to get lower gearing on road bikes. This includes super-compact gravel cranksets, 12-speed systems, and single-chainring setups. I therefore re-wrote the page to be clearer and include all of the latest options including extensive tables of all useful cassettes.
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The Cirrus Kinekt 2.1 Suspension Seatpost adds minor suspension to road, gravel and urban bikes. It not only to improve comfort and performance when venturing off-road, but may also be useful for people who stay primarily on paved roads but want to maximize their ability to ride further by improving comfort.
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As always, I focused on products aimed at bikepacking and ultra-distance cycling during my visit to Eurobike 2019. I noticed some promising trends in the industry and in the show itself, plus lots of interesting products to peer at and fondle.
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Route overview, race summary & results, links to media coverage and rider reports from the 2019 Transcontinental Race, No. 7.
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The 2018 Transcontinental Race (TCR No. 6) starts Sunday evening, July 29th! Above anything else, I’m hoping that this year’s event passes without any serious injuries to any riders, because we’ve seen far too many tragic events in this and similar events in the past couple of years.
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I’m heading to Ireland next week to take part in the TransAtlantic Way race. I’m looking forward to ocean views, small lanes, lots of short, sharp climbs, maybe some wind and rain, and some pretty long daylight hours. I’m using a different bike than the two that I used for the TransContinental Race in 2014-16. As always, I’ve modified and customized most of the components and accessories to make this a very unique and personalized machine.
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I look at ways to have front suspension on a road or gravel bike. I review the Specialized FutureShock fork found on the Roubaix and Diverge bikes and the RedShift ShockStop stem that can be put on any bike. I also list aftermarket gravel bike suspension forks and the effect of lower tire pressure.
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