![]() ![]() If there’s one thing that people with racks have trouble with, it’s breaking the bolts that connect the bottom of the rack to the bicycle. One guy in particular was so fed up with his skinny tired bone shaker I swore he was about to abandon it right in front of me and start thumbing it. I should add that I did end up riding hundreds of miles of roads and highways in Tajikistan and can honestly say that they are rough!Įvery road-touring cyclist with mid-sized tires that I met along these roads looked at my large tires and squishy fork with envy. But, I had the carbon bike so it’s what I brought. The aluminum version would certainly be a better choice for durability and reparability in a rugged place like central Asia. I have the carbon version of this bike, but I would in no way suggest that carbon is the way to go on a trip like this. This bike handles weight well and the plus tires give extra cushion to float over rough terrain, yet it’s no sluggish fat bike. The Specialized Fuse was my bike of choice. The Bikeīecause this was in no way designed to be a road or gravel grinder trip, I took a real mountain bike with a plush fork and three inch “plus” tires. We would do portraits, and I would hand these little prints over to my new friends as a thank you for the meal or great company that they had provided to a stranger in a strange land. This little instant camera provided a way for me to give something back to all the amazingly gracious people (many of them children) who I met along the way. The #1 item on my list, which also happened to be something that I could have easily not taken, was a modern Polaroid camera – Insta 90 by Fujifilm, with 80 pieces of film. Remember that this list varies greatly depending where I go, when I go, and what the terrain might dictate. The bikerafting kit described below was my best attempt at putting this all together while carrying the least amount of shit possible. ![]() This essential aspect of your gear list can’t be over looked, but necessary system can vary largely due to expected water sources and cargo space at hand. Other items may not be such a no brainer, like water filtration/purification. Trust me, you’ll figure out how to use this simple tool if you have it when you need it. Leaving that chain breaker (that you don’t even know how to use) at home might save you some weight and space, but your ride is over if you happen to snap a chain mid trip. But, it’s not so easy to carry, push, and shove a grossly overloaded bike around the “Roof of the world.” Or anywhere for that matter.Ĭhoosing the proper gear for any bike trip, be it large or small, is a skill that every cyclist should take seriously, because it’s oftentimes these choices that will dictate the outcome of your trips when things get weird. Having said that, it would be easy to pack a bikerafting kit with everything you could possibly need into a bunch of giant panniers and start a long ride. And traveling alone for a month and without language skills only intensifies the need for proper planning and self-reliance. Bringing the right amount of the appropriate gear is, in my mind, a critical component to any successful mission. I wanted to use my bike and packraft to traverse lesser used roads and trails to get to these places.Īs you can imagine a lot of planning was involved before I even bought my plane tickets. My objective when I set off alone to explore Tajikistan – Pamir Mountains, Central Asia – was to see the landscapes and people of the farthest reaches of the country. What’s in your bikerafting kit? My Bikerafting Kit for Travelling Alone in the Pamirs Doom’s Tajkistan Bikerafting Kit – The Gear, The Ciggies & The Polaroid Camera ![]()
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