Our latest addition to the bike park, The Mason InSearchOf has quickly proven to become the talk of the town. And the trails! This rigid steel drop bar mountain bike made for bikepacking catches everyone’s eye with its oversized tires and sleek look. 

But why a new bike? Well, why not! Simply following the rule of N+1, the correct number of bikes to own is N+1. But there were a few other good reasons for purchasing a brand-new workhorse. Or better said, I self-designed a few good reasons.

Drop bar mountain bike versus a gravel bike

After 10,000+ kilometers on my 3T Exploro aero gravel bike, I’ve come to a realization. The Exploro might not be the right bike for off the grid-bikepacking adventures. The racey geometry, the limitation of max. 42 mm tire clearance (with 700c wheels) and no mounts on down tube and fork made me long for a new companion. And there was one candidate who checked all my boxes: The Mason InSearchOf bikepacking bike.

The Mason InSearchOf bikepacking rig

It is obvious why the Mason ISO triggers responses. It’s safe to say that the bend on the frontside, exorbitant tire clearance, radical full carbon ‘HotShoe Fork’ and mega dropbar can be called pretty unusual. But what kind of bike is it, and why do I like it so much? The bike – made of steel – is a bikepacker’s dream, it rides stable and comfortably in rough terrain.

’I am a huge fan of steel bikes. I personally love the look of the frames and the shapes of the tubes. The distinctive kink in the frame reminds me of my good old Avaghon X29, which escorted me from Georgia to India’.

The frame is made of Dedacciai ZERO tubes. To add a little extra strength the seat tube is made of Reynolds 853 tubes. One of my favorite qualities is the boost spacing. With just 6 mm extra, boost spacing allows for much bigger tire clearance than the standard 142 mm spacing. With a max clearance of 29 x 2.4” or 650b x 2.8” the bike tackles those rough and rocky Moroccan singletrails without any problem.

Besides these obvious features, there are innumerable little details to be found. An abundance of lugs and mounting points and internal cable routing through the fork for a dynamo powered light to name a few.

Bikepacking build

The frame is finished off with a Sram Rival 1X group set. Simple, solid and easy to fix, so perfect for adventures in remote places. The 34T crank set combined with a 10-42T cassette allows me to spin fast enough to get over steep hills. Also when fully loaded with bikepacking bags.

The Mason x Hunt The Search Son Dynamo wheel set paired with Teravail Sparwood tires rolls pretty nicely. Both on gravel and pavement. The Son dynamo is connected to a Sinewave Cycles Beacon front light, which also works as a USB-charger. Equipped with Revelate Designs bags and some other attachments like the Profile Design aero bars and King Cage bottle cages, and the bike is ready for ultra racing and bikepacking adventures. Ready for the Trans Balkan Race, L’Esperit de Girona and Atlas Mountain Race.

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All cyclists know, that nothing beats #newbikeday. You could combine all the wonderful gifts on Christmas and your birthday, and it wouldn’t even come close to the feeling of cycling on a fresh new gravel racer. So you can imagine how thrilled we were when DHL had a very special delivery for us from 3T bikes, all the way from Bergamo, Italy.

After dragging our heavy loaded steel touring bikes over the roughest roads and toughest single trails, we wanted something completely different. Gravel is the way we roll these days, and we absolutely enjoy picking up some speed. A quick and light ride had been on our wish list for a long time, so we teamed up with 3T to find our new dream bicycle.

Pioneers

3T is a brand well known for their bicycle components. The real bike freaks know they produce top of the notch rides too. A short history lesson tells us that Turin Tube Technology (that’s what those 3 T’s actually stand for) originally focused on the manufacturing of steel tubing. The brand really made name for itself in 1981 with the release of the Superleggero drop bar. At that time one of the lightest drop bars available on the market. 

3T has a track record of being first: first to introduce modern aluminium to cycling, first to produce an aero handlebar and first to design gravel specific wheels. Since 2008, 3T added the production of carbon-fibre composite materials to their production line. Another first-timer was the release of the first aero-carbon-gravel bike: the 3T Exploro.

3T Exploro gravel racer

The Exploro was exactly what we were looking for, a quick and lively feeling carbon bike. The design by Gerard Vroomen is extremely lightweight and made for fast off-road exploring. The bike is designed to fit road, gravel and even mountainbike wheels and tires. Sporting 700c wheels, it handles tires up to 40 mm. But if you want to ride really rough terrain, the setup with 650b wheels will accommodate 2.1 inch (52 mm) knobby mountainbike tires. 

Choices, choices

The Explore comes in many builds. We both have the same frame, but a completely different bike. Where Sabina (WTB Venture 650b x 2.0”) can ride any terrain with incredible comfort, Robin (Schwalbe G-one 700c x 35) is fast fast fast on hard packed and tarmac. We both really wanted to try SRAM’s Force group set. Sabina even went a bit overboard and opted for Force/Eagle AXS etap.

Gravel cycling weekenders

A big bonus is that we now have a way bigger radius for our overnighters and (long) weekenders. The bikes are perfectly capable of carrying a few bikepacking bags, as long as we keep the kit to a minimum. These bikes are definitely not made to go on bikepacking adventures for months in the back country. That’s neither the kind of riding we have in mind. We actually chose the bikes to go out on long day rides and maybe even participate in gravel events.

Post scriptum

The attentive reader may have noticed that Robin’s bike is not equipped with 700c wheels, as mentioned in the specifications. Last week a young kid on an electric scooter drove head-on into us. This resulted in a lot of scratches, bruises and a broken front wheel. Luckily the amazing folks at BienVélo will patch them all up, so they are soon all pretty and shiny again.

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If you ain’t got much, you make sure that what you’ve got matters. We put a lot of thought in what items we brought on our bicycle tour and these are the ones that unfortunately didn’t completely survive. Here’s the full list of gear that (we) broke.

We’ll mention for each item if we believe it was a failure of the product or our own stupid fault. This list could be of help if you are researching what to bring on your bikepacking trip or bicycle tour.

Broken kitchen gear

Let’s start with our kitchen. You can see the full list of our kitchen gear here. The majority of our cooking gear is from Sea to Summit. Overall we are very happy with their stuff. It’s lightweight and pretty durable. 

Sea to Summit Alpha Pan

So we completely blame Josh and not Sea to Summit for breaking our Sea to Summit Alpha Pan. He forgot to flip out the handle so the plastic grip was right over the fire. It melted and we had to peel it off, but we are still able to use the pan. Good stuff.

Mokapot and Sea to Summit X-brew

It seemed as if we were doomed to not drink coffee. The cheap mokapot we bought lasted for one day. To be expected, but still we were quite disappointed when the handlebar broke of because it had melted. The Sea to Summit X-brew wasn’t a great success either. We didn’t find the right coffee, so it tasted more like coffee flavoured tea. Not the best. After a few uses the metal filter also broke when we were cleaning it.

After a few months of cycling without our own coffee maker (we spent a lot of money in coffee shops) we finally got our hands on the Aero press Go. Of course, we forgot to buy coffee in the city and try buying that in tea sipping rural India.

Victorinox Swiss army knife

Sabina also broke Robin’s Victorinox Swiss army knife when she tried cleaning it in boiling water. ‘That will sterilize it’, she thought. Yup, it sterilized the hard plastic casing right off. Again still usable, so she still doesn’t get why Robin got pissed. The knife took payback immediately by the way, it cut her finger while flipping in all the clean blades.

MSR WhisperLite stove

Our MSR WhisperLite stove started malfunctioning in the midst of The Pamir Highway. Luckily our friend James had a spare fuel line which seemed to cause the problem. The stove comes with a small maintenance kit. If you’re going on a long tour and are travelling in remote areas like us, we recommend bringing along the MSR Expedition Service Kit.

Camping gear took a hit

Just like our cooking gear our camping gear (full list here) is under heavy duty too. We’ve camped in appalling conditions and three items didn’t proof to be bombproof.

Sea to Summit silk liner

Both our Sea to Summit silk liners tore at the bottom, but we could easily get that fixed by a seamstress. We categorize this under normal wear and tear.

Sea to Summit air seats

We used to carry two Sea to Summit air seats, but one got punctured by a small stick on the ground. We fixed it with the repair kit which worked like a charm. Now we don’t carry them with us any more, simply because we didn’t use them that often. Who needs seats when there are rocks.

MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2

MSR is well known for their excellent warranty service. We’ve heard many stories about tent poles snapping, bugs eating their way into the tent through the bottom and even a tent being ripped apart by monkeys on a Thai beach. Luckily we’ve only got small holes in our MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2. These are easily repaired with the repair patches. It really helps to use the MSR Footprint. It’s an extra barrier between your precious tent and sharp debris, gnarly twigs and taunting thorns.

Popped panniers

Midway the Pamir Highway Sabina’s Vaude panniers ‘popped’ open on the seam. The glue came undone, so we had to tape the bags shut with duct tape. Luckily this temporary fix lasted all the way to Almaty where she could swap here panniers for brand-new bikepacking bags.

Wardrobe falling apart

There’s probably nothing under as much stress as our attire. We are outside almost 24/7 and our clothes are what protect us from the sometimes brutal elements. We are impressed by the durability of our cycling apparel. It’s what we wore pretty much all the time.

Take a peek into our panniers and see our full wardrobe here.

Fjällräven Karl Pro trekking pants

We bought the Fjällräven Karl Pro zip-off trekking pants because they promised us a durable material. It only took about two or three months for the fabric to rip and a lot of the seams to break. We barely used them while cycling, so that couldn’t be the cause. We washed the pants max once every three weeks and regularly applied new wax. Unfortunately Fjällräven doesn’t have a good warranty policy. They simply dismissed this as caused by extreme use and don’t take any responsibility. Guess we’re not buying these again.

Quoc Gran Tourer Shoes

A company that does have a great warranty on the other side is Quoc. The Gran Tourer is perfect for gravel ride but didn’t survive hike-a-biking up Tajik mountain passes. The entire sole came off and Robin had to ride with a duct taped shoe for the rest of the Pamir Highway. Quoc was really cool about it and send him a new pair. These are now being saved for future gravel rides and he now uses the Shimano XM7 for the rough stuff.

Icebreaker shirts

We wear wool every day, merino wool to be exact. And we almost never have to wash it. Icebreaker sent us some clothing before our trip, and we absolutely love it. It’s anti-bacterial, breathable, light weight and itch-free. Merino wool isn’t known to be very durable. The fibres are extremely thin, so we expected the items to wear down after such heavy use. So we are very impressed that we’ve only got a few small holes in our shirts. These were easy to fix with a needle and thread and a YouTube video explaining how to darn.

Icebreaker Quantum gloves

Sabina’s Icebreaker Quantum gloves didn’t work out that well for cycling. The fabric tore on all the seams, and we tried having it fixed, but they were broken beyond repair. When we head back to the cold again we are definitely investing in some cycling specific gloves. Any tips?

Robin’s biggest nightmare: a broken Fujifilm X100F

On a trip like ours there are two things that we absolutely cannot live without. First there are the bicycles. Can’t ride without them. The second is the camera’s. Capturing it all is our passion and there’s nothing we love more than sharing our adventures. Our beloved Fujifilm X100F gave up on us in Nepal. 

It hadn’t been working as it should for some time. But now we couldn’t get a sharp picture at all. Also, the optical and electronic viewfinder can be alternated, but it got stuck somewhere in between. It’s pretty useless now and our expensive travel insurance isn’t covering it.

We have a warranty from the store where we bought it, but then we would have to physically return it, and we are nowhere near the store. Fujifilm also gives a one-year international warranty but Fujifilm Indonesia (where we are now) cannot repair the camera. Luckily we still have the Fujifilm XT3 to keep shooting.

How about the bikes?

If there’s anything that has been under a lot of stress (if you don’t count our bodies) it’s the bicycles. Our Avaghons have proven to be sturdy companions. Besides a lot of battle scars there aren’t any serious damages. We have never even had a flat.

When Sabina’s bike fell of a bus in Nepal the rear wheel had to be replaced, but the frame was still intact. There’s just a small dent in the top tube left. You can read more about our bikes here.

Be ready to repair it

It is inevitable that stuff will break when it is used under such challenging circumstances. You don’t go out cycling without a tube repair kit, so why not have a repair kit for other items as well. These items have helped us repair everything on the go.

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In this round of ‘A look at our gear’ we’ll guide you through our camping gear. After showing you around in our kitchen and wardrobe it is now time for the living room and bedroom. 

Sheltering and bedding form an importants basis of the complete gear list. The right equipment to shelter from heavy, nightly rain showers and being tucked away warm in a sleeping can enhance the fun of your backcountry adventure. Here’s a look at our complete camping gear.

The tent: MSR Hubba Hubba NX-2

Like almost every other cyclist we’ve met on the road, we use a MSR tent. The MSR Hubba Hubba NX-2 to be precise. You can’t really go wrong with it, it’s robust, easy to set up and lightweight. The packaged weight is roughly 1.6 kg and the packaged size is 46 x 15 cm.

You can choose between the colors white and green. We opted for the last one because it offers better stealth camping abilities. The floor dimensions sizing is reasonable for two people. You can’t take all your bags and stuff inside the tent. And bear in mind that the actual sizing is smaller when you’re not using the tent pegs to stretch the lower part of the tent.

We use the MSR footprint to keep the tent clean and better protected from wear-and-tear. The footprint doubles as a picnic rug on our lunch breaks.

Camping lights

Sometimes you need to conquer the darkness in the depth of night. Usually for a nighttime wee. This is when the head torches comes in handy. 

If we want to create a cosy setting in or next to our tent we can link the Biolite lighting to a power bank. The string lights generate more than enough light for cooking or to read a book. In our previous blog ‘A look at our gadgets’ you can see all the electronics we use. 

Lightweight warm sleeping system

A good night sleep is important after a long day in the saddle. That’s why we opted for a slightly thicker and heavier mat, the Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated Air Sprung Cell. It’s certainly not the lightest one (845 grams) but it’s super comfortable and durable. The mat is perfect for usage on rocky surfaces and side sleepers. The newer models also include the Airstream Pump that is integrated into the stuff sack. The pump sack makes inflation an easy task, even when on high altitudes.

The Pillow Lock System that comes with the mat is basically a couple of velcro straps that you stick on the mat so that the pillow doesn’t slip off. You could also easily solve the slipping issue by putting the pillow inside your sleeping bag or liner.

We both use the Sea to Summit Aeros Down Pillow. I don’t really have an explanation why we chose a down pillow. But it’s fairly light and the packed dimension is small. To give you an idea, the size is similar to two ping pong balls stacked on top of each other.

A sleeping bag for all temperatures

Choosing the right sleeping bag for our adventure was a difficult task, since we were planning to visit locations with very different climates and temperatures. From the Uzbek desert to Himalayan mountain passes. We were advised picking a sleeping bag based on the coldest possible location. The sleeping bags are the only items from our camping gear that’s different from each other. Robin is using the Spark III while Sabina has the Flame IV. They’re both down, mummy sleeping bags. Down offers better warmth as long as it’s dry and down sleeping bags are much easier to compress. Make sure you decompress down every now and then.

We both carry two liners. The Sik Liner is used to keep the sleeping bags clean while sweating during night time. The fleece Reactor Liner is used for some extra warmth when it’s really cold. The extra liners also gives us the opportunity to vary when it get’s really cold or warm. In warm places like India we just use a liner without the sleeping bag.

Repairs on the go

Last but not least, the repair kit for our camping gear. A tear can easily occur if you’re camping between bushes. Self-adhesive patches are a great way to instantly repair holes and tears. We’re carrying repair stickers for the sleeping mat too, as well as a couple of replacement silicon valve flaps.

What do you think?

Let us know in the comments if there’s anything you’d like to know and what you think of our gear!

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Still stuck in lockdown? And already watched all films on our first collection of bikepacking videos? Then you’re in for a treat.

At popular request here’s Awesome bikepacking video’s Part II!

Bikepacking the Mongolian Steppe

By Jay Bird Films

There’s something special about the Jay Bird films. The vibe and pace are just awesome. It’s all about exploring and having a nice time on and off the bikes. They don’t only make great films, they make bikepacking bags too! We’d love to get our hands on these Bags by Bird.

Because we’re a big fanboy and -girl; here’s the extended (39 minute!) version of Bikepacking the Mongolian Steppe.

Huayhuash

By Joey Schusler

The Peruvian Cordillera Huayhuash is one of the most remote mountain ranges in the world. It’s rainy season and the circumstances at this altitude are unforgiving. “It’s like pushing a wheelbarrow up a staircase, while breathing through a drinking straw”. Disaster strikes with a bad crash and they run into some shooting Morochucos. This adventure is truly beyond.

Melons, trucks, angry dogs

By ERTZUI FILM

Recep Yeşil and Erik Nohlin take us along the mighty Transcontinental Race in four episodes. Halfway through the race the riders’ perspective changes. There’s no room for rushing any more, they just want to cruise across Europe. It turns into a wild and inspirational journey in so many unexpected ways. Thanks for the tip Ana!

I Just Want To Ride – Lael Wilcox and the 2019 Tour Divide

By Rugile Kaladyte

There’s no question about it. Lael Wilcox is the world’s best ultra-endurance bicycle racer. Did you know that in a race she doesn’t even filter her water to save time? Even when there’s cow shit or horse shit nearby. “I’ve done it before and been fine. I do it for every race. Filtering water is just too time consuming. It’s a risk, but there are a lot of risks we’re taking out here. It’s just one of them.”

But it isn’t just about beating a record or finishing first. The equally talented Rugile Kaladyte beautifully captures how Lael just wants to ride.

Our First Time Bikepacking

By Mahalo My Dude

If you don’t know the awesome video’s of Mahalo My Dude yet, get in for hours and hours of YouTube. This is their hilarious first take on bikepacking. They headed to the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia for four days and 95km filled with bikes, beers and some pretty sick trails.

Admissions of an Amateur Bikepacker

By Johnson Studios

How hard could it be?? Ben Johnson thought when he came up with the idea of bikepacking and self-filming a solo adventure in the Andes of Peru. He had zero bikepacking experience.

We can totally relate, because this is exactly what we thought when we started our bike tour on one of the most difficult bikepacking routes out there. With a full touring set-up that is. Like us Ben found out how hard it can be. But also just how beautiful and rewarding.

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Everyone who has ever ridden a bicycle, knows that at some point mechanical issues are bound to happen. Disaster usually strikes at the moments you least expect it. I remember well, as a little kid cycling to school and walking back because of a puncture. Luckily my father was always there to help me out. But when you’re cycling in absolute remoteness there’s no-one to fix it for you but yourself.

A well-thought tool kit can be a true lifesaver. Figuring out what the necessary tools are can be a difficult task. So here’s a detailed overview of the tools that will help solve most of your issues on the fly during your around the world cycling trip or bikepacking adventure in the back country. 

The essentials in our toolkit

The heart of anyone’s tool kit should be a multi tool. A slipping seat post or loose bolts caused by bumpy trails can easily be fixed. I’m also carrying good quality Allen keys which are useable when working at an angle. Nifty when I need to tighten bolts that are hard to reach with the multi tool.

A spoke wrench is a tool that stays inside your tool kit most of the time, but it’s essential to true a wheel. With the Hollowtech II tool you can’t remove the bottom bracket bearings, but at least you’re allowed to clean them once a while. Like the spoke wrench it weighs close to nothing. The cassette locking tool won’t let you do the whole job; taking the cassette off. But as experienced in Tajikistan, there’s always a motor repair shop somewhere with a wrench and an iron pipe to wrap your chain around to do the rest. We can use the tool too for our centerlock disc rotors.

Most of the issues we’ve had, had something to do with the drivetrain. So the connector tool and chain breaker are extremely handy. We maintain our chains with a regular clean and always apply chain lube. Want to make sure you will get that screw or bolt undone if you need to? Anti seize lube is the answer.

Pumped up tires

A good quality pump is essential in every tool kit. Together with tire levers and patches they make the golden tire repair triangle. Personally I like the oversized tire levers because they make the job much easier. We carry the pre-glued self-adhesive tube patches for the inner tubes and the tire boots to repair a cut or worn tire sidewall. Two spare inner tubes complete the tire repair part of the tool kit.

You can count us lucky, because on the whole trip we’ve had exactly zero punctures.

What spare parts to carry

If you’re on a longer bicycle trip, it’s advisable to bring some spare parts. Every bicycle has its own unique parts and bolts, but in general you need the items mentioned in the table.

A snapping gear cable and a few mountain passes ahead of you can put you in a bit of a pickle. Spare cables can be stashed inside your handlebar. (Thanks for the tip Sam [http://adventuresbycycle.com]!)

Especially if you’re riding with disc brakes it’s wise to bring an extra set of brake pads. There are hundreds of different kinds on the market, so chances of you finding the exact ones you need in Uzbekistan are pretty slim.

Missing links are a must to fix a snapped chain. We’re also carrying extra spokes and nipples. Keep in mind that the spoke length of your front and rear wheel (drivetrain side and non-drivetrain side) can vary. Might be useful to label them, so you know which one is which. So far we haven’t had to use the spare spokes. Only a whole new rear wheel but that’s a different story. Bolts and nuts can be helpful to replace lost ones. 

Extra in the toolkit

It’s always a good idea to bring a few items like zip ties and tape to fix stuff that tools can’t. Zip ties are useful in many situations. Please buy quality zip ties. We bought cheap ones somewhere in Central Asia, but they kept on snapping.

Gorilla tape is probably the best tape out there for repairing holes in bikepacking bags or fixing tires if you don’t bring tire boots. Our bungee cords and straps are mostly used for strapping the bicycles on the roof of a bus or a taxi.

Additional note

I’m aware that our tool kit isn’t the lightest one, but it’s pretty bombproof. Besides, it gives me a comfortable feeling of being able to fix most mechanicals myself. Every situation and each bicycle is different, so you might need to add some items for your own tool kit. And my final two additions to be ready for anything on a longer journey; if you’re riding with clipless pedals, bring a spare cleat and bolt (super rare). And bring a derailleur hanger just in case.

If there’s anything you would add, change or remove from our tool kit, leave a comment. We’re always looking to improve!

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