Monday, September 17, 2012

301 Posts in the Korean-World! Bikepacking with Salsa Cycles and Revelate Designs

[Author notes:] Bikepacking trip in the Chequamegon National Forest, Northern Wisconsin, USA


Bikepacking setup for MTB Lite-Touring [Bikepacking.net]

Bicycle touring with Mountain Bikes (MTB) is nothing new. Since the design of frame bags that tuck neatly into the center triangle, or completely cover the triangle space for more equipment, slings for handlebar bags and Pods for behind the seat - everything you need for a weekend Micro Adventure, or a cross-country expedition can all be packed in there, with some extra kit placed on your backpack.

One major advantage of frame bags/packs is the elimination of heavy and sometimes expensive carrier racks that require the purchase of durable panniers as well, doubling the costs of equipment to set up panniers (high quality Tubus stainless steel racks are light, strong and expensive.) While frame bags and slings are relatively inexpensive, durable, light-weight and don't require attachment to rack carriers. In the photo (above), the MTB is also a FS - Full-Suspension, so the hard days of punishment on a hardtail frame...can be modified.
60kg fully loaded with 7L of water, 13"notebook computer, cameras, solar chargers, water filtration, stove, fuel bottles, medical emergency kit, clothing, repair tools/replacement chain,tire, survival blanket.
I used this setup through western China (Uighur Autonomous Region - Taklamakan Desert in photo; Aksai Chin Mountains; Sichuan-Kham and Yunnan Regions of the Himalayas; 38 days, 1988 miles, 3200 km)

For expeditions, the less suspension linkages (using a rigid hardtail frame, see above photo) and simple components (Avid BB7 cable braking, 203mm front rotor is okay for fully-loaded touring!) increases the all likelihood of dedicated mechanical, fail-proof performance. Although, I will continue to use Fox Racing air suspension forks in the future (RL32, 120mm...2008, same as in the photo above) with any frame I am currently using, they are tough and make riding easier in off road/rough terrain (Mongolia).

Micro Adventures (in this link, I carry everything for the Himalayas training in South Korea)

With Bikepacking, the advantages of packing light, making transport by plane easier (luggage restrictions) or going hard all weekend or in under 24 Hours the S24O (Sub-24 hour Overnight Adventure).

Enjoy cycling, wherever you ride, live the Dream!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You should try out recumbent bicycles Brian! -- Dave

Please share the free inspiration and adventure cookbook with all your friends and families (:

Ted Simon Foundation

About the Korean-World Author

Brian Perich was an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturer for a decade, father, and adventure cyclist based in South Korea.

Previously, Brian has led Canoe adventures in Quetico Provincial Park, Atikokan, Ontario, Canada (1993/1999); led Grand American camping adventures (2000); lived at Paramahansa Yogananda's SRF Ashram for 5 months (see the film "AWAKE"), formerly worked in titanium welding at Agilent Technologies, formerly worked in Winery industry in Marin County with Kendall Jackson in California; Surfing and Meditation continued for several years in California, British Columbia, South Korea, Yoga training in California 1999-2000.

Between 1994-1998 - Brian completed his own adventures with motorcycles. His motorcycling marathons took him across the United States and central/western Canada, while traveling solo over an astounding 24,000km in 60 days! Brian endured 900 mile/1300km average days in the motorcycle saddle and apparently loved every minute of those adventures.

Today, he has given up motorcycle adventures altogether, but finds an outlet for his enthusiasm in outdoor recreation while bicycle touring and micro-blogging about those experiences on his mountain bikes.

While employed as an English teacher in South Korea, Brian has became an advocate for bicycle touring on his mountain bikes. The Korean-World blog originated from those small adventures in Korea, now expanded to cover his recent trek down the TransMongolian highway to the Gobi Desert, cycling 900km east through the Khentii grasslands and in 2012 crossing Mongolia in 45 days, 2500 kilometers 1553 miles. HimalayasX expedition Brian previously cycled across western China, the Taklamakan Desert, the northern Himalayas of East Turkestan Xinjiang/Uyghur Autonomous Region, the corrugated back roads and mountains of Kham Tibet. Brian successfully completed his 2011 mountain bike expedition with 3200 kilometers / 1988 miles unsupported, on/off road MTB adventure cycling.
Brian has completed his second mountain bike journey, MongoliaX expedition - Crossing Mongolia 2012, an unsupported mountain bike MTB expedition across 2500km of Outer Mongolia from Ulanbaatar to Altai Taven-Bogd National Park bordering China, Russia and Mongolia.


In 2013, as a sequel to a trilogy of cycle tours, Brian enjoyed a more leisure bicycle tour onboard his Koga-Miyata World Traveller seeing the northern tier of the United States and western Canada covering 3400 kilometers / 2000 miles in 30 days. This North American cycle tour was called Totherocktour. Enjoying the adventure of bicycle travel and every great conversation started while traveling on the road - has refueled his inspirations to cycle around the Earth. In 2013, while he cycled solo from the Great Lake State of Michigan, United States to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He weaved through local communities and reconnected with friends, family and community after spending almost a decade in Asia.


Brian is now supporting several non-profit foundations through expeditions: IDEAS Foundation of Canada IDEAS is the acronym for Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society which supports the IBD community, those suffering from IBD-inflammatory bowel disease, also known as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.


The second non-profit foundation is ETE.ORG - Education Through Expeditions, UK which supports educational outreach programs inside schools around the world. ETE connects explorers with students in the classroom, through an interactive online program in development (Beta).


Brian is researching support for a 18000 kilometer bicycle expedition across the Americas: North, Central and South America - ONE -Arctic to Argentina
Please contact him if you are interested in helping out.

Twitter: Cycleagain
Location: Gangneung, Gangwon-do, South Korea or southern Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for visiting my Journal from Asia

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Brian's friends have also been...Cycling in Korea!

Brian's friends have also been...Cycling in Korea!

Cycling in Korea, Warning: always wear a helmet! (I gave mine to my friend)

Cycling in Korea, Warning: always wear a helmet! (I gave mine to my friend)

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