Visibility

Apart from riding an orange bike and wearing an orange helmet, I have added a few gewgaws to make the bike more visible to distracted drivers, and to make them…

Trailer

After looking at the options, it seemed there were only two worth considering: The BOB Ibex and the Burley Coho. I settled on the Burley. It seems sturdy, and has some nice…

Snack Access

On my scouting rides, I found that whenever I wanted to eat I had to think about stopping and taking off my pack to dig out a snack, and that…

Hydration Pack

While not technically bike gear, hydration is an essential part of riding. A while ago, I purchased a pork chop (small frame bag) for my Ripley, so I had a place to…

Fork Racks

On one particularly remote scouting trip in Nevada, I was concerned that the 2.5 liter Osprey bladder and a 22oz water bottle might still not be enough water. So I…

Brakes

I started off with a perfectly serviceable set of Shimano Deore XT brakes. But after riding some of the downhills on the trail, I felt I'd need something more robust…

Handlebars

The next thing to go were my standard Lizard Skin grips. These are great grips, perfect for mountain biking. But when you ride for hours, and are more in randonneuring…

Tires

For tires, I'm running a 2.6" tire in front, and a 2.35" in the back. I normally run a 2.5" in front, but bike supplies have dried up due to…

Drivetrain

Like most mountain bike setups, I have a single chainring. I started with a 34-tooth chainring and 11-speed drivetrain. As I rode further up into the Sierra Nevadas on my…

Saddle

First thing to go was the saddle. I was riding the stock Ibis saddle, which my friend Rick describes as a "torture device." Rick runs Bicycle Engineering, where he hand-builds…

Starting Setup

My bike is an Ibis Ripley LS (v. 2), which I bought in 2016. I love this bike. But when I started out, it was set up for standard mountain…