The Rigs!

Like any good bikepackers, we can’t start pedaling without first dedicating an entire post to our majestic steeds.

Jack

I am riding a 1992 Trek Singletrack 970 in the delightful “sour grape” color. In ‘92 this was a high tech mtb race machine, but based on its minty fresh paint job it probably sat in a Salt Lake City basement for most of its life until I scooped it up and attached an enormous number of accessories to it. It was the largest frame available that year, and I am a very average size so there is some risk to future generations every time I come to a stop, but that also means it accommodates a huge frame bag which makes it an excellent expedition vehicle. It is a disturbing weight as pictured and that’s without bags or gear or water. But it’s damn sturdy and has a cool paint job so it’s the perfect bike for the job…??

Zoey

I will be riding my full steel 1991 Fuji Tahoe, purchased on KSL for $70. Now that’s what I call a deal! It was never top of the line, but she does have a truly FRE$$$H spacey paint job, which I feel really matches my ~essence~. Jack originally wanted to keep the Fuji for himself, but ultimately the frame fit me a little bit better (#blessed). I’ve really enjoyed embracing her flamboyant style and decking her out in all things pink/purple. My most favorite accessory of all, though, is my little handlebar cat (thank you Jack!), which bobbles around and keeps me in check with its sassy pose and fierce stare. You can see the photo below and you’ll understand.

Started from the bottom now we here!

The best part about buying such old bikes is that we had to learn how to be bike mechanics in order to make them work for us (Jack is excellent and patient at this; Zoey is usually enraged). Pretty much every part of both of our bikes has been replaced except for the forks and the frames: drivetrains, wheels, brakes, stems, handlebars, headsets, even the friggin seat posts and bottom brackets! It took us nearly two years to complete our bike overhauls and get them set up perfectly for us, but it’s pretty satisfying to look at them now and know all the different parts and quirks of each bike (and hopefully, we’ll know enough to repair them more easily in the field too).

We had a lot of help and support from friends around SLC during our bike building process, as well as from invaluable resources on the internet. If you are considering overhauling or working on a bike project, I’d really encourage you to check out your local bike collective; we utilized the SLC Bike Collective MANY times and all the folks working there were incredibly helpful, thanks y’all! Some other online resources there were incredibly helpful/inspiring through the process were Old Shovel, Park Tool, and Bikepacking.com. Additionally, the folks over at Saturday Cycles did some great work and gave us some really sound advice.

Finally, for the true hardos out there, here’s a mostly-complete specs list for both bikes:

	Trek Singletrack	Fuji Tahoe
Wheels	26″ Unmarked Mavic Rims w/ XTR hubs	26″ Bontrager Race Tubeless
Tires	2.2 Maxxis Ardent w/tubes	2.2 Maxxis Ardent tubeless
Quill stem adapter	Velo Orange Threadless Stem Adapter	Soma High Rider Stem Adapter
Stem	Race Face Atlas 50mm	Salsa 80mm
Handlebars	Wren Perseverance Bar	Velo Orange Crazy Bar
Grips	Ergon GA2, Wren bar tape	Ergon GA2, Salsa bar tape
Brakes	Shimano Deore V Brakes	Avid V Brakes
Shifters	Shimano Deore	Shimano XTR
Rear Derailleur	Shimano Deore 10 speed	Shimano XT 10 Speed
Front Derailleur	Shimano Deore 3x	Shimano XT 2x
Cassette	Shimano Deore 10 speed	Shimano XT 10 speed
Cranks	Shimano Deore Hollowtech II MTB Crankset 3×10, 170mm	Shimano Deore Hollowtech II MTB Crankset 2×10, 170mm
Pedals	Race Face Chester	Race Face Chester
Rear Rack	Tumbleweed Mini Pannier Rack	Tumbleweed Mini Pannier Rack
Seat Post	Unmarked w/ heavy setback	Unmarked from the SLC Bike Collective
Saddle	Ergon SMC Core Mens	Specialized Power Expert w/ MIMIC
Lights	NiteRider Lumina 1000 Boost	NiteRider Lumina 850
Extras	PedalCell charger, Salsa Anything Cages, Quad Lock phone mount	Handlebar cat, Salsa Anything Cages, Quad Lock phone mount