It's always a good time to recognize like-minded partners that work with us to help our customers achieve their goals. This is a short and woefully incomplete list of OG partners of ours that you owe it to yourself to check out.
Bar Yak - Joe Stiller
Bar Yak produces the best bikepacking-specific aero bar setups in the world. I've ridden all of them and have settled on BarYak, because it's the best. If you're not riding one, you at least need to check out what all the fuss is about. Joe Stiller doesn't cut corners and his designs and production are nonpareil. Wait, are you still using Triathalon-focused aero bars on your adventure bike? You can reach Joe at his website, BarYak | Bikepacking
Hachita Bike Ranch, Hachita / Antelope Wells, NM - Jeff Sharp
If you're thinking about riding from the south on the Tour Divide or the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), your first call needs to be to Jeff Sharp. For that matter, if you're finishing up the TD or GDMBR, Jeff might be your last call! He runs the Hachita Bike Ranch, a hostel in Hachita, NM, 50 miles or so from the Antelope Wells border crossing. If you're familiar with the area, you know that there's not a lot of commercial development there. In fact, Jeff's place and the Hachita Food Mart are pretty much the only thing between I-10 and the border. Jeff makes a lot of runs to El Paso airport--picking riders up and dropping them off. His hostel is on the CDT and on the TD/GDMBR, so it's a crossroads for adventurers. You can reach Jeff at his email, sharpjeffery1@gmail.com
One of Seven Project - Craig Fowler
As a serial adventurer, Craig is literally one of seven--billion that is. I won't spoil any more of the secret but if you're into adventures, you can spend hours on Craig's site learning about his thru hiking and bikepacking projects. His guides to the Tour Divide / GDMBR, Arizona, and Colorado trails are the best researched guides out there. Not only do they save tons of preparation time, they can be life savers out on the trail. Find him at:
One of Seven Project
Bikes or Death Podcast - Patrick Farnsworth
As a humble practitioner and careful observer of gravel racing and bikepacking, Patrick Farnsworth is one of the most insightful commentators on the sport. I look forward to listening to his podcast,
Bikes or Death, and most of the time do so while I'm out riding. His guest choices are unpredictable and his pre-show preparation is deep, leading to some unanticipated and often probing Q&A for his guests. Find out what thousands of listeners know already - Bikes or Death is one of the most entertaining weekly podcasts. You can find Patrick on Spotify or at his Website
Bikes or Death
Dirty Teeth MTB - Alan Jacoby
Alan's "Dirty Teeth MTB" channel on YouTube is one of the most entertaining and informational video sets available in the bikepacking community. His product reviews are brutally honest and based on his personal experiences with the products out in the wilderness. One of the things I like best about his coverage is that he's got an opinion and it's based on real use of the product in his environment--and he isn't afraid to share it. The other thing I like is that he spreads the word about paying it forward and giving back to the community, something that we've been focused on in the last two years. Check out his blog at
Alan's Mountain Biking Adventures and his YouTube channel at
Dirty Teeth MTB - YouTube
Exploring Wild - Alissa Bell
Alissa is the author of the "Exploring Wild" website as well as a series of travel books and downloads. She is an expert adventurer--both in terms of bikepacking and thru hiking--and her work is a great resource for beginners entering the sport as well as experts looking to up their game. Her product reviews are in-depth and are triggered by her need for and use of the product in the field, rather than an ongoing product review cascade. She is a thinker, a planner, an ethicist, and her blog posts are entertaining and thought provoking. Check out Exploring Wild at
Exploring Wild - Outdoor Adventure & Travel
North American Bicycle Manufacturers Who Use kLite in their Builds
Big shout out to the small but growing list of adventure bike builders who offer kLite setups as an option in their builds.
Stoke Custom Wheels - Austin TX - Dan Magorrian
Affiliated with framebuilder Chumba USA,
Stoke Custom Wheels is a dynamo wheel specialist, producing custom wheelsets for riders looking for an upgrade prior to laying down some big miles. If you're looking for a bespoke set, reach out to Dan at Stoke and he'll walk you through the process and all of the options.
