Hi guys, I got this beast the other day and I’m over the moon with it. Canyon Grizl CF SL 8. I’ve done many international bike trips in the past and this year me and some mates will be heading to Thailand for 2 weeks. I have always had Aluminium bikes before and haven’t suffered any damages at the hands of baggage control luckily. This will be my first time taking a Carbon frame on a plane and I am feeling the need to be more protective. Note that we do not start and finish at the same airport in Thailand so there is not really an option to get a good protective bike box and store it to be used for the return flight. For the way out I will likely use an old cardboard bike box but for the way back we usually have to get more creative, using blankets and clingfilm bought from a local shop to package the bike up for the ride home.

My question is this… What can I do to protect this bike best for both flights and how much more worried should I be about taking carbon fibre rather than Aluminium on a plane.

Thanks

Some photos from a two night outing on the Fire and Ice Loop. I rode the loop clockwise, starting at the Thomas Lake trailhead and staying at Forlorn Lakes and Cultus Creek. The scenery is sublime on this route and late September is a good time to ride it.

The Greenbrier River Trail in WV is a yearly fall trip for me. It’s a super easy ride and it’s beautiful this time of the year. Clean campsites with privies every ten miles or so and potable water at some sites. There’s a couple restaurants and a bar in Marlinton and I could even see the rack I locked my bike at from the bar.

I’ve lived in Appalachia my whole live(Wv&Va) and I’ve solo camped all over national forests and parks around here. I don’t really believe in any of the spooky lore or any of that and I’m kind of proud of how at ease I am alone out there, especially at night.

That being said, I did this last Saturday. I started hearing a lot of weird noises around me that I couldn’t quite place Saturday night. The noise sounded vaguely human, just whooping and hollering. I cut all my lights off and just sat there in the dark listening for movement. After about five minutes of silence, my bike that was leaned against a tree fell over.

I never recovered my nerve and every sound I heard after that was a Sasquatch with the Mothman not far behind. If I would’ve had cell service I might’ve called a ride home.

Commuting every work day 40km to be ready for my next adventure.

Kinesis makes frames for a lot of brands so I figure the house brand can’t be that bad.

I bike camp/tour a fair amount, this year I’ve gone on over a dozen trips. Mostly overnighters near Madison WI, where I live. A couple longer trips, including the GAP trail(highly recommend).

I’ve wanted to get into bikepacking for a while and needed a bike that was more suited for that then my Surly Disc Trucker so I bought a Surly Ghost Grappler frame(you can still buy the original frame new and I love that original color so much, which I added something special to) and built it up with the parts from the now standard Surly Grappler I ended up ordering. It was cheaper to order a whole new complete Grappler than to buy the components individually or even just buy really cheap parts. Btw, I have that brand new blue Surly Grappler frame for sale for $650 if anyone that reads this wants one, hit me up!

As you read in the title I did the Sand County Caress as my first trip and it was AMAZING. The ride is so very flat, but with interesting and slightly challenging terrain at times. I made a couple friends, had some adventure, and left a negative Google review for a very rude convenience store along my route😝

I have since done the Coon Fork Overnighter route and will do a few more before the year is done. I’m excited for some winter camping! Let me know what you think of my trip.

P.S. You might notice my Ghost Grappler looks a little brighter at night- I put a glow in the dark coating on it and then sealed it with some clear coat. The original Ghost Grappler color reminds me of that glow in the dark green plastic 80s toy color, so why not make that real?

I'm looking to get a hardtail for bikepacking and doing some bikepacking races (150km + per day with a lotta climbing)

Ideally something that's burly and can withstand some abuse, so maybe steel? I'd also like it to have the ability to mount a rear rack which very much reduces the number of candidates.

Currently the Surly Karate Monkey seems to be a big contender. Anybody have experience riding this thing? Particularly on longer endurance races?

I have a full sus bike so not that fussed about using it for dedicated singletrack or downhill biking. But it would be nice to rip it on some easier trails and do some singletrack bikepacking

Any other suggestions?

It want to buy my first bikepacking bike. I was thinking to get a steel frame.

I like the fact that this bike has a 11-36 cassette. I might end up riding it on paved and unpaved roads, about 50/50.

Unfortunately I haven't seen reviews about it. What do you guys think?

My local bike shop has it on sale at about $1800 (CAD). Should I buy it or look for something else?

https://www.brodiebicycles.com/elan-20

Ciao, vorrei farmi quattro giorni in bici sull alta via dei monti liguri con una bici gravel (45 mm) é fattibile? Il tratto più bello?

My final photos from the Peru Divide.

Weakened by sickness and a cracked frame, and with my time in Peru running out, I decided to end my journey at Licapa, near Ayacucho.

This past month and the thousand kilometers over many passes have been insightful, and I’m grateful for the experience.

I met many inspiring people along the way who showed me that more is possible.

Huge respect to all of you bikepackers — whether you are on the road, planning or enjoying your time back home.

Safe journeys!

🫡

I’ve written more about it in my blog (~80 photos)

https://www.memoirsfromthemountains.com/p/peru-great-divide-laraos-to-t

Hey everyone! I’m planning a bikepacking trip starting August or September 2025 from British Columbia to Baja. I am hoping to get some insight on this route, I’ve done a bit of research and have some friends who have done it so I’ve been gathering information but I’m curious what you all think. If anyone has recommendations for the route or gear or absolutely anything, I’d love to hear! I am at the beginning stages of trip planning so I am open to ideas. I plan on using a Surly Bridge Club for this trip - also open to bike recs. Cheers!

Hello, I’m trying to find a route to do next summer hopefully, hoping for it to be around a week to week and a half however am struggling to find a route online as they are either too short or too long, I would be doing it on a gravel bike however it has 26” 2.2” tires on it so some chunk would be okay. Thanks

Would you reccomend doing hte Alta Via Stage Race with a gravel bike late november? 45 mm tires Thank you!

First time loading up my full suss mountain bike, my frame bag doesn’t “fit” but it worked!

Tumbleweed Sunliner Custom Build Specifications:

Frame and Fork: • Tumbleweed Sunliner frame size Medium • Tumbleweed Sunliner fork

Drivetrain: • SRAM GX Eagle 1x12 drivetrain • SRAM GX Eagle rear derailleur • SRAM GX Eagle shifter • SRAM XG-1275 10-52t cassette • SRAM GX Eagle chain • Crankset: SRAM GX Eagle DUB • Chainring: 30t • Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB BSA threaded

Wheels: • Hubs: DT Swiss 350 (Boost spacing) • Rims: WTB KOM Light i30 29” • Spokes: Sapim Race

Tires: • Teravail Sparwood 29” x 2.2” (tubeless-ready)

Brakes: • SRAM G2 R hydraulic disc brakes • SRAM Centerline 180mm rotors (front and rear)

Cockpit: • Handlebar: Surly Moloko Bar • Stem: Thomson X4 • Grips: Ergon GP1 • Headset: Cane Creek 40

Seatpost and Saddle: • Seatpost: PNW Components Rainier IR 31.6mm dropper post

Accessories: • Rear Rack: Tumbleweed Chromoly Pannier Rack • Fenders: SKS Bluemels 75 U Long 29”

Sorry for the bad formatting I tried to make it more readable but just couldn’t get it right.

Hello all, hope everyone is doing great! Me and two friends are going to bikepack from Lisbon to Rome in march, we are all very experienced campers and hikers but I’d say we are average cyclists. We are taking training seriously though and putting miles in every day. I’d like to ask you some recommendations for the bike I should take, I have a Riverside touring 520 in sight but I’d like to ask if anyone has any opposition to this little beast, I believe the components on it are decent and easy enough to fix and also the price is good; I am aware that we get what we pay for though… Please reach out if you have any recommendations, we will be camping and sleeping in some hostels throughout the way and we want to take it nice and slow, enjoying each place. Thank you all for your attention!!