Ideal utilitarian bike for long backpacking: 4200 EUR carbon frame, custom carbon crankset, ZIPP wheels, wireless shifting... All of it of course easily repairable in the field... Not that steel frames and mechanical groupsets exist :)
Love the details that GCN viewers are able to spot in the videos. I can't say that I see them at first, but love referring back to the point in the video to look at the details closer.
This might sound really nit-picky, but I see the nozzles on those bottles are open to the elements. When you're doing umpteen miles over farm tracks, mud, puddles, and cowpat-strewn trails, it's a really good investment to get the kind of bottles with a flip-over nozzle-cover. One of the lads at our cycling club got really sick with a stomach bug last winter, and blames it on a contaminated bottle-nozzle after cycling through a manure-strewn farm yard. They only cost a few quid from Decathlon, and when you're out in the back of beyond, the last thing you want is to have to cycle 100Km back to civilisation with a dose of Delhi-belly!
Thus bike is the inspiration for my retro rigid mtb conversion to gravel / bikepacking build. Can fit 2.1" tyres on quite easily, and a 1x gravel groupset with bar will suit the geometry perfectly given a bit of adjustment. Now I'll just need to get some plane tickets to Morocco past the other half now that I've been allowed to get another bike 🙈
love this set up...especially as some of us are trending our rides longer further and of beaten tracks as cycling seems to be going this way for some of us. if i could afford this bike id be ordering this bike today..
I'm wondering if this could be one of the very rare N=1 bikes. Do you think that with skinnier tires you would be happy doing some road riding, then swapping to those 650b wheels for the rougher stuff?
I'll be riding a Carrera Gryphon (on Schwalbe CX Comp's) through the West Highland Way later this year and (if successful with that) afterwards the Route 500. Not quite the Atlas mountains, but still, bikepacking!
What about toe overlap? Could you pay more attention to this when reviewing bikes? I naver see any geometry spec about distance between the pedal mount and the rim or the stock tyre. Would be great to know what shoe size and tyre combination on average would trigger the toe overlap for a certain size of bike.
I have a slight problem with these 3T cranks for bikepaking. Image being just somewhere apart from a big city not to talk about being in the atlas mountains, and having a problem with them there. Finding a replacement chainring etc. is prob even hard if you're only in a smaller city in western Europe.
Something to note, both the bidons are fullfilled only for the amount of water needed to match the orizontal line created by the water when they are in the bottle cages(It is visible at 5:56). Is that a coincidence?
I could have bet on it! However i really appreciate this kind of machines for advetures, and i would like to make you know about our(me and my friends) adventure of yesterday in which we try as best as we can to draw on the map a tapir(www.strava.com/activities/1567762325) and i added the briddles because i departed from home! The only shame is about the bottom that is little unscheduled but it was to avoid a big incoming storm.
From one UltraNerd to another: I never heard the length of the wheel base tho the head angle, BB drop and chain stay length were mentioned. Fill us in, Mates? Cheers!, UltraNerd
I have been looking for a gravel bike last weeks .... the first one I liked and was able to fit 50mm 650b tires whas this one. looks realy good but when the price tag showed up bummer bit above my class :(
You can always go for the "Rival" version, which gives you a complete Exploro bike for 3.990 euro. Same functionality and features with just a bit more of weight: store.3tcycling.com/en/products/frames/exploro/exploro-team-complete-bike-536.html
yeha saw that one to and its on the max end of my price range, only the white color ..... so bad in my opinion. did ask them if its possible to get a black finish with that setup no response yet
Hi Guys at GCN : this is a mouthwatering bikepacking video. You did mention Wolftooth. Perhaps a little off topic: have you heard about their RoadLink? I am looking forward to have one fitted to my Ultegra Di2 (6870) and fit a massive 11-40 cassette to climb the Alps this summer - as I am not as fit a cyclist as you are ;-). So any advice on this RoadLink might be useful, thanks and well done again for this Moroccan trip! It looks great.
Are we going to get an depth look at the gear and equipment used? How gear was packed? Brand of bike packing bags, sleeping bag used(weight of gear) etc. ✌🏽This video was so awesome!
Very nice setup!!!! Hey GCN, can you share more informations about the shorts Si is wearing in this video? Are you planning to sell them on the store? They look super cool!
That's really quite the bike; very different from classic touring bikes. When I've ridden fully loaded, speed really drops, especially on the hills. You seem to have packed most of your weight higher up, what about any speed wobble?
I think with bike packing bags the extra weight is limited by space available and is attached more centrally than panniers (ie. within the hubs) so less likely to get that 'tail wagging the dog' effect. The softer and looser nature of the extra load may also help dampen any speed wobble of the shimmy variety. My cyclocross bike handles fine with bikepacking setup (6-8kg), but takes a few days to tune in to its sketchy handling when 12kg of panniers are put out back.
I enjoyed watching the video from Morocco. Looked like you ate well on the trip . And thanks for this video as I was wondering about the details of the bike you used . Does Continental make tubeless tires that size ?
Hi Josh, sorry two questions. How easy is it to pitch a tent for 1 night in Europe while bikepacking or what accommodation would you recommend? And how do you charge your garmin and phone on longer routes? Cheers Lewis
Hi, great video, did you use protective tape where you attached the bags to protect the frame/seat post from rubbing? Also how many litres was your saddle pack? Cheers
Hey GCN, can you give the specs of the luggage you have here in the video? Looking to use the same exact setup- just stuck between the 10 liter Backloader and the 15 liter Backloader. Thanks!
how does this bike ride with road setup.What would be the ideal gearing in this bike to possibly do both road and gravel riding.I mean the cheapest frame itself costs 3 grand
This could quite possibly the most Batman-ish/MadMax/SEAL-team Six bike I've seen. Rugged and so freakishly cool. This will guaranteed push the 303 650b sales....
Just watched this. Great video of the trip which reminds me of running the MDS in 2015. However, as a lot of comments say, how about doing it on a shop bought under £1K bike set up. If this was your credit card would you really spend that much on the bike.
Could you, in theory, slap a set or standard road wheels and tires on there for a more typical road ride? It would be cool to have a bike you could use for bikepacking/trails and road riding!
I've been thinking of planning a bike packing trip this summer. All this content is coming at a perfect time for me. Keep it coming. 👍 looks like it was a epic ride Simon. Are you planning on doing more rides like this on the channel?
How do you protect the frame against scratches/rubbbing of the bike bags? I used a feed bag for a longer ride on my canyon ultimate cf slx cockpit and the matt carbon got messed up after one (315km) ride.
Traditionally long treks have been done with steel frames, aluminium wheels and brooks saddles so I was intrigued to see the full modern treatment of carbon bikes and carbon wheels. Have we passed a point where carbon is sufficiently reliable for the back of beyond?
Bearing in mind designed/built for intended use...I think it is as reliable/serviceable as anything else for long term travel apart from a 'farm-gate' sturdy steel frame. Accident could wreck any bike/rider. Main worry is perhaps if mixing transport and it gets strapped/chucked inappropriately to bus/boat/train/plane. One could also carry a carbon repair kit to keep them going much easier than find someone with the skills and equipment to weld whatever fancy tubes most non-carbon bikes are made from. Mike Hall (RIP) did his record breaking around the world ride on essentially an open-mould Chinese carbon CX frame so I'd say we passed that point in 2012 :) I would not rule it out personally, but my wallet does.
Why the aero position for bike packing? What's the benefit going long distances in that position? After owning a sports bike for years there is no way I plan to spend money to ride distances in a crouch/tuck position, I'm thinking a proper tourer is in order no? Love your show.
i was scratching my head at that - but Si is an ex-racer, and his body is likely more comfortable with slammed down bars. For the "common" man and woman, higher bars do make more sense.
Hi Si, what brand & ratio of cassette and rear derailleur are you running on the bike? I’ve got a scott Foil 20 (2012) & would like something that would work with my Shimano shifters for a bike ride up Mt agung in Bali. 8.1kms & 950m of climbing.
What a lovely and versatile bike and set-up. Did you notice that the water line across the two bidons is about the same? Did you plan that? I bet you did! ; )
To bikepack or not to bikepack?
If I use a frame bag to carry my gear on every ride is that still bike packing?
To bikepack!!!
Do bikes use wheels and pedals? Does the open road call out to your wanderlust? Are you a breathing human being?
😁
To bike pack of course!
Ideal utilitarian bike for long backpacking:
4200 EUR carbon frame, custom carbon crankset, ZIPP wheels, wireless shifting... All of it of course easily repairable in the field...
Not that steel frames and mechanical groupsets exist :)
Never have I thought that a 55mm tyre on a 650b wheel on an aero frame would look so cool
“Now if we can get a little bit geeky...” Yes, Si. That is why we are here :).
The waterline in the bottles are quite satisfying :)
We'd absolutely love to say that was on purpose! 😂
Love the details that GCN viewers are able to spot in the videos. I can't say that I see them at first, but love referring back to the point in the video to look at the details closer.
I am an avid bike packer and would love to hear a little about the bags you chose and how they worked out for you. Thanks that was a great video.
Stay tuned for more bikepacking content!
I own an Exploro and I love it!
It seems just designed for the strade bianche where I live.
Awesome stuff Max!
This might sound really nit-picky, but I see the nozzles on those bottles are open to the elements. When you're doing umpteen miles over farm tracks, mud, puddles, and cowpat-strewn trails, it's a really good investment to get the kind of bottles with a flip-over nozzle-cover. One of the lads at our cycling club got really sick with a stomach bug last winter, and blames it on a contaminated bottle-nozzle after cycling through a manure-strewn farm yard. They only cost a few quid from Decathlon, and when you're out in the back of beyond, the last thing you want is to have to cycle 100Km back to civilisation with a dose of Delhi-belly!
The hydration level on this bike is spot on! (3:14)
Awesome video - Simon's enthusiasm is infectious!
Might be expensive, but the versatility seems to counter the need or want for having multiple bikes?
Thus bike is the inspiration for my retro rigid mtb conversion to gravel / bikepacking build. Can fit 2.1" tyres on quite easily, and a 1x gravel groupset with bar will suit the geometry perfectly given a bit of adjustment.
Now I'll just need to get some plane tickets to Morocco past the other half now that I've been allowed to get another bike 🙈
wow, now i have something to aim for. Your trip has to be one of the best GCN videos i've seen, and that bike is divine.
Which tire pressure did you run? Did you change between the tarmac and the gravel parts?
Awesome. I have seen the question below and agree that I too would love to hear more about the bags and gear you took with you.
Stay tuned Douglas!
Watching this makes me nostalgic for the times we were allowed to bikepack.
Very nice bike and setup, I would like to see more videos about bike packing. especially about gear luggage ect...
Stay tuned Ben!
The best parts of cycling all wrapped into 1 bike!
That was a fantastic idea to do that segment. Enjoyed it. Great to see new products. After the show I probably need another bike.
Thanks Kevin!
Really appreciate the extra geometry nerdyness!
Did you take a spare chain with you? Great video .
Very nice. I have the Exploro's cousin, the OPEN U.P., and this is making me want to load it with gear and disappear into the woods for a while!
At 0:50 Si channels his inner Thanos and with a snap of his fingers, half of the bike set up disappears.
The biggest question for me (and probably the most depressing one...) how much would all that set you back?
Well, bearing in mind the frame and fork alone are 4500 Euros you can bet that the whole rig is probably around 8000 Euros.
That’s a nice bike si
It sure is Theo!
With smaller tyres there might be room for mudguards? Or maybe not couldn’t see any attachment points? Perhaps this is just a fair weather bike.
Very cool! Inspired now to take this up!
Lorenzo Valla Awesome
love this set up...especially as some of us are trending our rides longer further and of beaten tracks as cycling seems to be going this way for some of us. if i could afford this bike id be ordering this bike today..
I'm wondering if this could be one of the very rare N=1 bikes. Do you think that with skinnier tires you would be happy doing some road riding, then swapping to those 650b wheels for the rougher stuff?
water in the uptube bottle is a couple of ml's down, not level! you only get a nice...
😔 so close
You should look at bikes more in the affordable price range.
Next up, Si and Lasty go touring on Salsa Journeyman! Make it happen!
Be nice to see them on a Carrera from halfords lol
Stephen Moore I am not talking that cheap. Like 1000-3000 mark
I'll be riding a Carrera Gryphon (on Schwalbe CX Comp's) through the West Highland Way later this year and (if successful with that) afterwards the Route 500.
Not quite the Atlas mountains, but still, bikepacking!
TheGamingCucumber I'd like to see them with a Bombtrack Beyond 1.. I'm interested in the bike asides for its weight; 28lbs medium.
What about toe overlap? Could you pay more attention to this when reviewing bikes? I naver see any geometry spec about distance between the pedal mount and the rim or the stock tyre. Would be great to know what shoe size and tyre combination on average would trigger the toe overlap for a certain size of bike.
Now that’s tire clearance! Home run(or Goal! over the pond) build 3T!
Please do a video on the bag setup. What bags used, and what was in them.
Stay tuned!
I have a slight problem with these 3T cranks for bikepaking. Image being just somewhere apart from a big city not to talk about being in the atlas mountains, and having a problem with them there. Finding a replacement chainring etc. is prob even hard if you're only in a smaller city in western Europe.
Something to note, both the bidons are fullfilled only for the amount of water needed to match the orizontal line created by the water when they are in the bottle cages(It is visible at 5:56). Is that a coincidence?
They are off by at least 1 cm.
We'd love to say that was on purpose!
I could have bet on it! However i really appreciate this kind of machines for advetures, and i would like to make you know about our(me and my friends) adventure of yesterday in which we try as best as we can to draw on the map a tapir(www.strava.com/activities/1567762325) and i added the briddles because i departed from home! The only shame is about the bottom that is little unscheduled but it was to avoid a big incoming storm.
That's to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible for better handling.
This one centimeter off is extremely unsatisfying...Bodge of the week ;-p
which shorts were you guys sporting on the gravel ride? they look a bit looser fit than your average lycra!
Would love to know about your bag/packing setup. Future video maybe?
Stay tuned!
Wonder how this would compare to Rondo Ruut. You rode that in one of your previous videos.
From one UltraNerd to another:
I never heard the length of the wheel base tho the head angle, BB drop and chain stay length were mentioned.
Fill us in, Mates? Cheers!, UltraNerd
I have been looking for a gravel bike last weeks .... the first one I liked and was able to fit 50mm 650b tires whas this one. looks realy good but when the price tag showed up bummer bit above my class :(
The LTD is $4,200. For the frame alone!
Have you looked into the Salsa Journeyman? Top Sora Spec is $1100 with clearance for 2.2" 27.5 tires
You can always go for the "Rival" version, which gives you a complete Exploro bike for 3.990 euro. Same functionality and features with just a bit more of weight: store.3tcycling.com/en/products/frames/exploro/exploro-team-complete-bike-536.html
yeha saw that one to and its on the max end of my price range, only the white color ..... so bad in my opinion. did ask them if its possible to get a black finish with that setup no response yet
Yes, a nice white bike for all that dirty bike-packing.
Hi Guys at GCN : this is a mouthwatering bikepacking video. You did mention Wolftooth. Perhaps a little off topic: have you heard about their RoadLink? I am looking forward to have one fitted to my Ultegra Di2 (6870) and fit a massive 11-40 cassette to climb the Alps this summer - as I am not as fit a cyclist as you are ;-). So any advice on this RoadLink might be useful, thanks and well done again for this Moroccan trip! It looks great.
So you were using 55mm tyres! It looked like Josh had thinner tyres than that. What was the width of his tyres?
Are we going to get an depth look at the gear and equipment used? How gear was packed? Brand of bike packing bags, sleeping bag used(weight of gear) etc. ✌🏽This video was so awesome!
Stay tuned!
I have been waiting for this it seems forever. Si bike packing woohoo! Nice bike bro.
rrobotman Hope it didn't disappoint!
How much it weigh?. With and without luggage? Nice bike btw.
Kari Kepala Gajah good question. I would guess he has 8kg of luggage
So what’s more fun to ride, the 3t exploro or the trek Crockett?
Very nice setup!!!!
Hey GCN, can you share more informations about the shorts Si is wearing in this video? Are you planning to sell them on the store? They look super cool!
Davide Sandona' ya watching for that myself
Me also looking forward for the info!
Hey, you can find them on ASSOS' website, they were branded with GCN as a one-off
Davide Sandona' 9
Do you get enough speed on the 1by crank when you need to? By speed I'm not talking race speeds but just enough pick up speed when needed.
That is a very cool bike, Si.
=One Love=
-A
Thanks Simon. Can you give some detail on the handle bars?
Of the triple crown bikepacking events this bike would only work on the tour divide. Colorado & Arizona trail races both need wider tires.
What an awesome bike! 2 questions: how much does it weigh, and how much does it cost?
What are the shorts you are wearing... can't seem to find them on the GCM shop
That would be the dream for our roads here in Finland!
Do you buy your bikes or the manufacturers give them to you as a sort of free advertisement?
Si, could you show us some of the supplies and clothing you took?
Check this out Adrian gcn.eu/bikepackingbags
Shimano PD-M520 SPD Pedals, have 'em myself. Love those things.
They look like older 747s to me.
Nah, the screws on the end-plate are a dead giveaway.
Did you think about fitting tri-bars?
.
What is the biggest tire that would fig the zipps 404 pn this bike?
That's really quite the bike; very different from classic touring bikes. When I've ridden fully loaded, speed really drops, especially on the hills. You seem to have packed most of your weight higher up, what about any speed wobble?
I think with bike packing bags the extra weight is limited by space available and is attached more centrally than panniers (ie. within the hubs) so less likely to get that 'tail wagging the dog' effect. The softer and looser nature of the extra load may also help dampen any speed wobble of the shimmy variety.
My cyclocross bike handles fine with bikepacking setup (6-8kg), but takes a few days to tune in to its sketchy handling when 12kg of panniers are put out back.
Simon, What is that bar tape? It looks awesome for cx.
I like how his water levels on each bottle were level with each other.
I enjoyed watching the video from Morocco. Looked like you ate well on the trip . And thanks for this video as I was wondering about the details of the bike you used .
Does Continental make tubeless tires that size ?
Nice one. Could it compare to Specialized Diverge or GT Grade? Cause I'm interested in one of those ones. Thanks!
Did I miss tyre pressure? What tyre pressure did you use?
Hi Josh, sorry two questions. How easy is it to pitch a tent for 1 night in Europe while bikepacking or what accommodation would you recommend? And how do you charge your garmin and phone on longer routes?
Cheers
Lewis
Thanks Lewis, stay tuned for our special askgcn coming up!
Hi, great video, did you use protective tape where you attached the bags to protect the frame/seat post from rubbing? Also how many litres was your saddle pack? Cheers
Love the casual shorts are the available to buy?
Hey gaza4543, you can buy the shorts on ASSOS' own website. They were a one-off GCN branding 👍
Great bike and great performance. Do you think you can do something like that with a Fully MTB?
Hey Amelie, that's something for our sister channel, Global Mountain Bike Network!
Hey GCN, can you give the specs of the luggage you have here in the video? Looking to use the same exact setup- just stuck between the 10 liter Backloader and the 15 liter Backloader. Thanks!
how does this bike ride with road setup.What would be the ideal gearing in this bike to possibly do both road and gravel riding.I mean the cheapest frame itself costs 3 grand
This could quite possibly the most Batman-ish/MadMax/SEAL-team Six bike I've seen. Rugged and so freakishly cool. This will guaranteed push the 303 650b sales....
Ok, I do have a question: how much does it cost? This marvelous bike, I mean...
Hey guys, how good is this bike as a road bike???
Just watched this. Great video of the trip which reminds me of running the MDS in 2015. However, as a lot of comments say, how about doing it on a shop bought under £1K bike set up. If this was your credit card would you really spend that much on the bike.
Once all the bags are added it seems a bit weird to be discussing aerodynamics. 3 mm thinner cranks? D-shaped seatpost? Sorry.
Bike touring needs no aerodynamic shape since what do you really gain after all your bags attached and with riding at relatively low speed?
Could you, in theory, slap a set or standard road wheels and tires on there for a more typical road ride? It would be cool to have a bike you could use for bikepacking/trails and road riding!
You absolutely can.
Yes but I'm sure it'll look a little silly with "tiny" 28's and wide forks.
Fantastic video. It's like Top Gear for cyclists. Hope to see some more great adventures.
What was Si's riding partner riding? Any key differences? I think I saw the WTB Byway 47s...
What is the biggest chain ring that you run in this bike?
I've been thinking of planning a bike packing trip this summer. All this content is coming at a perfect time for me. Keep it coming. 👍 looks like it was a epic ride Simon. Are you planning on doing more rides like this on the channel?
Cheers Kevin, sounds like you have a great adventure coming up. Stay tuned for more bikepacking content!
Considering all the measurements mentioned in the video, how tall Simon is to fit M-sized frameset?
How do you protect the frame against scratches/rubbbing of the bike bags? I used a feed bag for a longer ride on my canyon ultimate cf slx cockpit and the matt carbon got messed up after one (315km) ride.
Traditionally long treks have been done with steel frames, aluminium wheels and brooks saddles so I was intrigued to see the full modern treatment of carbon bikes and carbon wheels. Have we passed a point where carbon is sufficiently reliable for the back of beyond?
Depends, 6 month trip maybe not. 5 day yes I think so
Bearing in mind designed/built for intended use...I think it is as reliable/serviceable as anything else for long term travel apart from a 'farm-gate' sturdy steel frame. Accident could wreck any bike/rider. Main worry is perhaps if mixing transport and it gets strapped/chucked inappropriately to bus/boat/train/plane. One could also carry a carbon repair kit to keep them going much easier than find someone with the skills and equipment to weld whatever fancy tubes most non-carbon bikes are made from.
Mike Hall (RIP) did his record breaking around the world ride on essentially an open-mould Chinese carbon CX frame so I'd say we passed that point in 2012 :)
I would not rule it out personally, but my wallet does.
Why the aero position for bike packing? What's the benefit going long distances in that position? After owning a sports bike for years there is no way I plan to spend money to ride distances in a crouch/tuck position, I'm thinking a proper tourer is in order no? Love your show.
i was scratching my head at that - but Si is an ex-racer, and his body is likely more comfortable with slammed down bars. For the "common" man and woman, higher bars do make more sense.
Did you have any mechanicals or flats on your Morocco ride?
what was the total weight with bags and kit?
Anything upcoming on the bikepacking kit chosen and why ?
Stay tuned!
Hi gcn, well Si I’m very impressed that was some awesome ride, how many more rides like that are on your bucket list?
Great complimentary video to your bikepacking one, I do hope there's more to come! Tubeless is the way to go though, mate, next time please!
No freehub sound??
Hi Si, what brand & ratio of cassette and rear derailleur are you running on the bike? I’ve got a scott Foil 20 (2012) & would like something that would work with my Shimano shifters for a bike ride up Mt agung in Bali. 8.1kms & 950m of climbing.
What is the price for that particular bike? With the ZIPP wheels, 3T handle bars and all.
Having a stealth bike riding bike pacing is a good way to get run over. I use bright colors on my packs and clothing.
What a lovely and versatile bike and set-up. Did you notice that the water line across the two bidons is about the same? Did you plan that? I bet you did! ; )
You've got it 😉
How are those tyres not tubeless?!
Would love to have the free time to try this!!!
Do my children fit in the saddle bags?
Where could I pick up one of the hi vis triangle you have on the back of your saddle bags ?
any bike shop, or if no bike shop convenient, amazon?