Bikepacking bike for Moira
These types of adventure, bikepacking, gravel bikes are so fun to bring into the world. They're built ready to go on a long gravel ride and then to pick up some groceries on the way home.
Moira lives in rural Nevada. She wanted a bike to explore the infinite dirt roads in the state and to do some bikepacking with her dog. Since services are limited, we built this bike to be tough and reliable. She prioritized a comfortable, all-day riding position.
We decided to design the bike with the Velo Orange Crazy Bars. They look strange but they offer a nice upright mountain bike style for cruising and extra leverage on rough terrain while loaded with gear. The built-in horns then provide a drop bar style for battling headwinds and changing up body positions on longer rides. It's the perfect bar for the type of riding Moira plans to do.
A Sram GX Eagle 1x12 drivetrain with a 34-tooth chainring and a 10-52-tooth cassette gives a huge gearing range for off-road riding. Sram Eagle 12-speed stuff has been around for years now and has proven to be reliable and hard-wearing.
We chose to go with Paul Klamper mechanical disc brakes instead of hydraulics because they're easy to service with simple tools and nearly indestructible.
The bike runs some custom-built 27.5 wheels with RaceFace Arc rims, Bitex hubs, and Vittoria Mezcal 2.25" tires set up tubeless. The Vittorias are a popular choice for Tour Divide riders for their balance of speed and durability.
To take the edge off the bumpy dirt roads, she added the Cane Creek eeSILK+ suspension seat post. This nifty post doesn't have noticeable bob up and down while pedalling. It's designed to give enough to relieve your butt and lower back from the constant jostling on rough terrain.
Topping it all off is a sharp Illusion Red powder coat by Dark Matter Finishing. I really like the little metallic flake in the Illusion series of powders. It adds a nice dimension to the finish.
This is such a versitile machine. I love this type of bike. Let me know if you'd like me to make you something similar.