Real Talk on Bikepacking the Colorado Trail

"Bikepacking?" I asked. "What the hell is that?" "It's like canoe-tripping but you carry everything on your bike," Mike replied. "Sounds stupid," I responded.

And boy was I right....

Perhaps it was the fact that we'd never done a day of bikepacking in our collective lives. Or maybe that we chose the rather intense Colorado Trail as our first foray into the world of bikepacking... and then to do it in 10 days. But man 'o man bikepacking is dumb as hell. Which is exactly why we loved it. Loved the shit out of it. If you're thinking of doing this trip, let this be a warning to you. You're gonna have an amazing time. But you're probably going to spend more of the day riding (or walking) your bike than you want to. And, if you're like me, shit your pants because you ate a burrito for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Silverton. (Honestly, I thought it was a fart.)

The following video tells the story of three Canadians; Jonny Bath, Michael Bain and myself. Like you, we live to ride our bikes. But we're regular non-sponsored joes (full disclosure I did get a pro-deal from Canfield Bros... but to be honest I think it was a mistake - suckers!). Did I mention the video is 30 minutes long... you'll probably want those back.

Enjoy!


And here's the somewhat repetitive slideshow that usually follows these Pinkbike posts:

The conspiracy behind Denver's International Airport is cray cray. This is Blucifer. He murdered his human father. True story.

First stop.

A somewhat blurry photo of a blurry memory. Mile 0.




Learning curve was steep.


The setup. Mostly Relevate Designs stuff.

The Colorado Trail kills for scenic pees. PS look at his triceps flexing! You know that chamois is tight when...


Roadies we ain't. There are 6 Wilderness Zones with mandatory detours for cyclists. We took full advantage of hitchhiking.

He's single ladies... just kidding. Wife, three kids, two dogs and a cat. Move along.

Availability of trees dictated tent set up. This 1 x tree set-up was our go to if only one tree was available.

If pushing your bike for hours isn't your thing cancel your trip.

Taintenance was our number one priority.

Getting to this point involved the most prodigious hike-a-bike we've ever experienced.

Wanna get high?

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MENTIONS: @SnM-Ben / @CanfieldBrothers

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