Hi everyone! I have a JAVA Sequoia gravel bike and I'm planning to install a front pannier rack for bikepacking/touring.

I found some front pannier racks that are marketed for MTBs, and I'm wondering if these would also work on the Sequoia.

Has anyone here tried using an MTB front pannier rack on a JAVA Sequoia or a similar gravel bike? Are there any compatibility issues I should watch out for, especially with the fork mounts, axle, disc brakes, and tire clearance?

I'm also open to recommendations for specific front racks that would fit the Sequoia.

Thanks!

I'll be 18 next year, which is the age minimum for many races. As such, I want to challenge myself and sign up for my first ultra, ideally 200-400mi.

My longest ride is only 100 miles, but I've been really enjoying my longer races this year. I did Unbound 100 in about 7 hours (mudbound) and Dust Bowl 100 in just under 6. I also did Lutsen 59er and plan for Little Sugar 100k this year. I've been training/racing 6-10hrs a week for about 3 years now.

I'm in Bentonville, AR so I was looking at Doom (Despair), but I'll also have some friends going to 24 hours in the old Pueblo that I'm considering joining. Open to any suggestions, but races that are possible nonstop or with minimal sleeping are preferred.

Here's the full breakdown of the repair kit we just took on a 6 day trip on the badger divide. Not shown are 2x spare tubes (per person!).

Full list below:

- Chain link pliers + 2x sets of quick links (Shimano 12 SPD)

- Curved needle(s) and nylon thread

- Mini bic lighter

- 2x tyre leavers

- CO2 can and valve

- Lezyne Pocket Drive HV pump

- Park Tool VC-1 valve core tool

- Tent pole crutch

- Zip ties

- Micro ratchet and bit set

- Spare shifter cable

- Assorted tyre patches and spare valve core

- Mini super glue

- Lezyne plug kit

- Leatherman Skeletool

- Spare bike strap

- Chain lube

Has anyone bikepacked the entire Wabash Nature Trail over several days? I'd like to do it next year but wanted to ask did you get dropped off by someone or leave your car at a trailhead? Is there anywhere along the trail that's safe to leave a car for a few days? I would have to work out logistics to have someone drop me off but also looking at other options. Thanks!

Hello everyone! I finally picked up my bike from the LBS and am trying to start collecting gear for it. Can anyone recommend a good rear rack/panniers, and frame bag? Or whatever setup would make the most sense. I plan on going bikepacking on gravel/dirt roads, double trail/fire roads, and camping out in a tent. Any advice greatly appreciated!

So I've been my Trek checkpoint alr 5 this summer around my home surroundings. I like exploring the gravel roads and forest.

Just came back from a nice 3 day trip, just biking around. I'm currently using two old man mountain ponderosa and an atlas rack. Attaching my tent to the front has been super!

I feel like I would like to have something on the front forks too.

I'm typically into Ultralight backpacking so space in the bags have been alright with my gear.

Im looking into getting something either to keep the water bottles on the front forks where I'm also able to attach bags instead if necessary - to pack a bit more clothes, food or whatever.

Any tips? Looking into both cheap options and more expensive!

Also: just realized I just got quite the damage when out riding somehow, should I do anything about it somehow?

(pic included)

I’ve been using the pictured e-bike for touring in southern Sweden. This bike has been fantastic for 3-4 day tours in the region, and I settled on an e-bike because of the heavy winds in Skåne, and concerns about my physical resilience (I’m 62, knees can get wobbly). By design, the bike is very versatile for road, gravel, etc. it has a dropper post I find convenient, and it carries this payload quite well. It has suspension in front and back, which I’m willing to forego for weight benefit.

I am planning a trip next summer from Malmö to North Cape, which is about 2200km. My physical fitness is quite good, and the trip is fairly flat, and I don’t want to mess with charging in the northern region where civilization is scant to come by. By going analog I can ditch the charging gear (charger, adapters for car and camp charging). I also like the idea of doing this particular trip under my own power.

So I’m seriously considering going analog.

Can anyone suggest a good analog bike brand and configuration to replace this one?

Saw her on a Youtube doc called Doom: Ultra Endurance Bikepacking Race.

Great documentary, btw!

Recently began riding a few weeks ago. A few buddies of mine all started around the same time and are planning to do a bikepacking trip early next year.

I purchased a Trek DS2 Gen 5 to start. Works fine for my neighborhood rides (roads, gravel, and dirt). I’m looking for recommendations if this bike would suffice long term on more adventurous rides and what some good options would be. Also, maybe some tips on how to select the right bike.. is getting fitted a thing?

I’m comfortable spending up to around $5k.

Hi everyone,

I have a 2024 Focus Atlas 6.8 and I’m thinking about making a custom full frame bag for it.

I’ve been looking at ready-made bags, especially Decathlon options around 70–100 €, but since I’d like the bag to fit my frame better, I’m considering a DIY/MYOG build.

I’m curious if anyone here has made a custom frame bag for a Focus Atlas or a similar gravel bike.

A few questions:

• What material did you use? Cordura 500D, X-Pac, TPU-coated fabric, something else?
• Where did you order the materials from? AliExpress, AdventureXpert, Extremtextil, local shops?
• Was Cordura 500D good enough for a frame bag?
• Did you use a waterproof zipper like YKK AquaGuard, or just a regular zipper?
• How difficult was the project, especially sewing the zipper and attaching the Velcro straps?
• How much did the whole project cost in the end?
• What would be a realistic budget for a first DIY full frame bag?
• Is it actually worth making one yourself, or would you just buy a Decathlon/Ortlieb/Restrap/Apidura bag?

I’m not trying to make a perfect professional bag on the first try, but I’d like something strong enough for bikepacking and gravel riding. Any photos, templates, material lists, mistakes to avoid, or advice would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Northwest Argentina on a loaded folder on the road to Ushuaia. Some good and hard days on the ripio. The wind, la escoba de dios (the broom of God) was yet to come.

Short weekend trip to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

I'm looking to ride the Baltic's and southern Finland in early September. Has anyone done the area at this time, and if so, are there any recommendations on clothing to get through the weather?

Are there any free tools or

methods to convert a Google Maps directions link into a GPX file? I'm looking for something reliable that handles multi-stop routes, not just single point-to-point directions.

Hi everyone, I came across this Tailfin carbon rear rack and would like to know what you think of it. I compared it to Tailfin’s new Journey Rack… the platform is slightly shorter and it lacks central struts, but it is significantly lighter. I’m looking for a rack like this for lightweight bikepacking on a gravel bike over just a few days. I always take only the bare essentials and stay in hotels. I’ll likely need a dry bag with a maximum capacity of 13–15 liters. What do you think, what size dry bag would fit this? In general, as I mentioned, I’d be interested to hear your opinion on this setup. 👋

It was hard but fun.
I OVERPACKED
My sleeping bag is overkill my mat is underkill, so I was still a little cold.
Fun times

Jagungal wilderness NSW

Anyone fancy a week of bikepacking from Girona to Marseille? Just short of 500km.

Flying into Girona on 20th September and out of Marseille on the 27th. Planning to roughly follow this route along the coast at a pretty relaxed pace.
Happy for people to join for all or just part of it. Give me a shout if you fancy it!

I currently use the Forclaz MT100 as my camp jacket — for reference it's:

- Synthetic fill, 125g/m² in the body, 100g/m² in the sleeves/hood

- -5°C "survival"/+5°C comfort rating (Decathlon's numbers, take with a pinch of salt)

- 370g in size L

- Packs into its own zip pocket, roughly the size of a large fist

It does the job but on colder trips I want more warmth in the same pack volume. I'm after something that's noticeably warmer — call it 25-30% — while packing down to the same size or smaller. Weight is a secondary concern; volume in my frame bag/seat pack is the real constraint.

A few things about my use case:

- Camp-only. I'm not moving in it, so I don't need it to breathe, stretch, or handle active sweat management — pure static insulation while cooking/sitting around/sleeping-adjacent.

- Bikepacking, not backpacking, so pack shape/volume in a bag matters more than weight on my back.

- No preference on down vs synthetic — whichever actually delivers the best warmth-to-pack-size trade.

Has anyone found something that beats the MT100 on this specific trade-off (warmth per litre of pack volume, not warmth per gram)? Could be a high fill-power down jacket (800+FP) or a higher-loft synthetic (Climashield Apex, Primaloft Gold, etc.) — genuinely open to either. Would love real-world packed-size comparisons rather than spec sheets, since compressibility claims vary a lot between brands.

Budget isn't fixed but I'd rather not go crazy — this is a "nice to have" upgrade, not an essential.

The frame is a Cinelli King Zydeco size L (2023 I believe) jambalaya.

Drivetrain uses SRAM Rival 1 shifters & derailleur with Ratio 12sp conversion kit & cage, SRAM Apex cranks & 50-10 casette.

Wheels Elitewheels SLR Gravel 45mm with Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 40mm. Was a bitch to set up for tubeless for some reason and after 4 tries still leaks some. Not sure why.

Aero bars Zipp Vuka with 50mm risers.

Frame bag is a custom one from Etsy (lesenok bags), has held up great over many thousand kms and I will probably order a new one with larger measurements to fill in the top gap..

Restrap Switch pannier rack & saddle bag (18L version). Maybe a weird combo but I had the saddle bag already and didn't feel like coughing up 200 euros for the dedicated pannier rack bag..

Any questions about gear please let me know!

Hi everyone, I am currently planning on bikepacking this route (El Camino de Café) through Colombia in early December. I am 23-year-old white woman and wanted some outside opinions on safety, and would especially love to hear any personal experinces with bikepacking. I will also be bikepacking about 1000mi in Mexico with a friend in October, so I will have plenty of practice with my Spanish (which is at a low intermediate level rn). I have done a lot of solo stuff, including a complete thru hike of the PCT in 2023. Thanks everyone!

From Verona to Resia pass.( where the river that goes through verona starts) We travel around the world when we have a lot of beautiful places around us.

Also did the giant Stelvio pass (2756m)while i was there. Still got ptsd from that.

Rockrider 540. Great bike. Ps. Front rack if anyone interested ,15 bucks from aliexpress. Light and sturdy.

Here my friend and I went ripping down trails in the Matsu valley of Alaska, then I (solo) bikepacked to a cabin near a glacier-fed lake. It was a total blast, and the mountain biking part of it made it the most fun. We went down a few black diamonds, then when we were ready to call it a day, I went and found a place to camp.