Sufur-cycles

 20 questions – A chat with frame builder Rufus Wenlock from Süfur Cycles

Not many people race one of the worlds hardest bikepacking events on a bike with a frame they built themselves. Even fewer get on the podium. After battling illness part way through the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race Rufus Wenlock bounced back and rode himself into third place in this gruelling event. His quirky "Süfur" frame design was turning heads with its unconventional design. But Rufus didn't just appear on the scene from nowhere. With his background as a world cup mechanic and bike shop owner he's been around for a while and had often thought about making some of his ideas a reality. What better place to test them than in the field. 

Podium finishes in the GB Divide, the Trans Balkan, and the Tour Te Waipounamu have only helped Rufus to solidify his ideas in a frame design that culminated in a custom build for his good friend Joe Nation. Joe had unfinished business after finishing 3rd in his rookie year in the 2023 Tour Divide and wanted to give it another crack. Rufus designed a bike from the ground up to fit Joe’s specific skill-set, and the particular demands of the 4400 km long event. Unfortunately, Joe's attempt finished with a scratching and suspected pneumonia, but there is a lot to know about the thinking behind Joe’s bike, and the bikes that came before it. Read on to learn more about the Süfur Cycles process and what comes next.

So, Rufus, I understand that the original Süfur design was partly an exercise in maximizing frame bag potential, did this philosophy carry on through to Joes design?

Yes, the idea was that I knew where I wanted my three contact points to be and as long as they were in place then the rest was just a matter of maximising storage capacity for bikepacking which followed on nicely into Joe's design. His bike was very much based on the bike I’ve been developing over the last couple of years.

Were there any downsides to the construction of the Süfur Divide's curved seat tube design, apart from the difficulty of construction? 

At the time of coming up with the first prototype I didn't have a tube roller so it was a matter of finding a local business that could do that for me. This proved tricky as nobody had the forms for the tube diameter I wanted to use, after a lot of hunting I found there was one place in the north island that could do it. I sent some tubing off to them and received a rolled tube that was quite far from the specs I gave them. I managed to use a few techniques to get it to spec. This made me realise a tube roller was something I would need in the future! Paying someone else to do a bad job really frustrates me.

Some people have speculated that the curved seat tube might be stiffer than a traditional design, is this what you have found? 

The initial idea was that the curved section would compress a little like a spring. The first version did end up a little stiff though. Subsequent versions are much better with some geometry and material changes.

It can be hard when you only ride the bikes you’ve built, your point of reference becomes more and more limited. It was very validating when I used this technique on Joe's bike and he mentioned it was super comfortable.

With the design of Joes bike for the 2025 Tour Divide you went big on aero. There are massive gains to be made in optimizing for aero even at very slow speeds, and the longer you are out there, the bigger the gains. You lowered the frontal area of Joes bike by dropping the bottom bracket down and running shorter cranks. Have aerodynamics always been at the back of your mind? 

I would say that aerodynamics is something I always consider but it’s not a driving force. The bike I built for Joe was very specific to him and the Tour Divide, we designed everything around him being in the aero bars as his primary position. Besides that, we were wanting to keep all his gear consolidated inline with the frame and reduce his frontal area as best as possible. There were a lot of ideas that we tried but never made it to the final design.

We weren't about optimum aerodynamics; it was more about how aerodynamic we can get whilst still being able to efficiently bike 20hrs a day for two weeks. Like I mentioned before it wasn't the driving force behind our decisions, a race like this is more about who can hold on for the longest rather than who is the fastest. You see a ton of people with crazy setups who are absolutely flying and then scratch after 5-6 days because they couldn't ‘hold on’.

It was more about striking a balance between aerodynamics, comfort and efficiency.

The "sail effect" is a well-known phenomenon in the time trialling scene where side wind against a wheel or frame can propel your bike forward. Joe's large full-frame bag cleanly surrounded by his frame would have been really useful for utilizing this effect. Was this part of your thinking from the start or just an added benefit?

Yeah, this was definitely the plan, we considered having a half frame bag with bottles at the bottom but decided to go full frame bag and have the lower half a separate compartment for a bladder.

Was the choice of a rigid fork on Joe’s bike to do with weight, height, or the ability to attach water bottles or accessories. Was there anything special about this fork?

There were a few reasons for the rigid fork. Joe wanted to keep it light and with his MTB background we knew he could still handle the bike fine in some of the technical sections with no suspension. Another was that with the bottom bracket and bars getting dropped the headtube was getting very short, the shorter axle to crown measurement of the rigid fork allowed a normal sized headtube and more front triangle space.

What were some of the other things you were trying to achieve with the frame design. You mentioned the dreaded peanut butter mud that can bring a bike to a standstill on the Tour Divide route. 

Peanut butter mud was a big consideration; Joe had an awful time with this on his first run of the TD. On top of making sure there was enough clearance I designed the bike so there was a little less clearance at the seat stays so that all the mud clogged up high away from the drivetrain and nothing caught down on the chainstay area.

How much is weight a consideration, obviously you don’t want something fragile, but did you go with any fruity frame tubing? Did you ever actually weigh Joes frame?

To be honest I have no idea how much it weighs, Joe was happy with the weight though.

I see you send your 3D stuff to RAM-3D. Is there ever any other work done by them after you have sent them the files or is it just printing? 

They do some finishing work to remove all the supports required during printing and then once I receive them, I machine all the high tolerance areas to spec as there can be a small amount of distortion with 3d printing.

3D printing seems like a real game changer to me. Is there a bit of snobbery among old school frame builders who might look down at the process at all?

I’ve not experienced it but I’ve certainly seen some snobbery out there. I just see 3D printing as the next evolution of frame building, there was a time where you weren't called a real frame builder if you didn't hand file all your mitres but now everyone has a milling machine for that and I think 3D printing will be the same.

What is it about the CAD work that takes up so much time when designing a bike from the ground up? 

It’s often hard to know exactly how you want a part to turn out. You might begin with a solid idea in your head or some rough sketches, but once you start designing in CAD, you see how every detail is referenced and affected by the rest of the system. It can take a long time before the design on screen matches what you imagined and even longer before it performs the way you want it to. 

Do you think it's possible to make some kind of a living in NZ as a frame builder?

This is what I’m working on right now. A little while ago I finalized the design I’ve been prototyping for the last couple of years and plan to bring it into production. I’ve spent the last couple of months establishing relationships with suppliers and trying to make everything work. Doing this from a small country with no industry is hard but I’m hopeful it will work.

The bike industry is in a strange space right now, I feel like there is very little connection between what something costs and its level of quality. I’m hoping to strike a middle ground with my pricing, considering all the frames will be made by myself they won’t be cheap but I wouldn’t consider them expensive either.

Is there a particular frame builder whose work you admire?

I like the weird and innovative stuff. To name a few builders like Crowe Rishworth, Drust, Creature and Bender, all get me thinking.

You’ve done some pretty gnarly bikepacking events by now Rufus. And I’m sure they are all hard in their own ways. I keep hearing that the GB divide is one that is often underestimated. Obviously, weather plays a big part in any event, but which one had you on the ropes the most?

Yeah, I’ve done a few now and they all leave their mark! I’d say the Trans Balkan Race well and truly had me on the ropes, I still didn't have a lot of experience at this point and was pushing sleep deprivation to the limit. I have a lot of wild memories from that one...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Rufus. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to what is coming up next from Süfur Cycles

Image credits to:
Anton McGeachen 
Joe Nation 

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Brian Alder's Tour Divide 2016 debriefing

A few weeks back I talked to Brian Alder about his prep for the 2016 Tour Divide. He is back now so I asked him a few more questions. 

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Well Brian. 16 days and 10 hours 36 mins, 5th place? That's a pretty sharp time for the Tour Divide route. Were the conditions mostly good for the duration?

Yes, we had fair run of conditions but not quite as good as 2015 apparently. We had a dump of rain a few hours after the start out of Banff which seems almost tradition. Cold sleety stuff that ended Seb Dunne's ride. I was riding with Rob Brown and got really cold so we called into Bolton Creek store to warm up and add layers which saved us. Many who didn't stop really suffered. On the whole we had a reasonable run, with no snow to deal with, some rain producing mud and a share of head winds. Mike Hall appeared to get through before the rain, I got caught out south of Polaris, through to Macks Inn around Red Rock Pass and on Brazos Ridge in  New Mexico. It appears later riders really got nailed by mud around Polaris, Brazos and through the Gila. The mud is unlike anything I've experienced before. One minute you're riding a perfectly good dirt road then next there's 5kgs of mud stuck to your bike and you can't even walk. Even walking beside the road is often just as bad. Generally it only lasts for a few hundred metres so if you just get past it often you can start riding again. Temperature-wise I was really lucky as we hit a cool spell through New Mexico, though that came with risks of thunderstorms and rain.

Was it as harder than you expected or about what you were expecting?

Definitely harder. Although the climbs aren't overly steep they are long and often the surfaces both up and down are fairly rough, so you end up working for your height. There's also very little truly flat terrain, there's a lot of rollers so it feels like you're constantly climbing, often even when you're on a descent. Mostly though I was surprised at how rough the riding was and apart from the paved sections and some beautiful smooth sections in Colorado, it was pretty lumpy. If I was to do it again I'd consider a suspension fork or a Lauf. 

What part did you struggle with more than any other?

I struggled through the middle of the Great Basin into Wamsutter. I was riding with Stefan Maertens and we were a bit late out of Atlantic City and got caught by the heat and headwinds. By the time I reached the truck stop on the interstate after 10 hours I was empty. We had caught Sofiane Sehili that morning and Sof tempted me with the oasis that is Brush Mountain Lodge 140 kms away, so we soft peddled across the desert and up to the lodge to arrive after midnight to a cheering crowd. Billy Rice and Juliana Buhring were there having bailed from the RAAM, so having celebs cheering you on in the middle of the night was very cool. Making Brush Mountain was a major turning point for me and although I struggled physically a couple more times (over Brazos in the mud and in the heat through the Gila), mentally it was never really an issue after the Great Basin. 

Did you have an actual goal time that you were shooting for?

I'd done a bit of digging and from what I could tell the fastest over 50 time was 18 days 8 hours, so I thought that was a realistic goal. Rob Davidson's time from 2015 of 18d 2h was also in my sights. I figured if I had a clean run 17.5 days was possible but I never considered going under 17 days, so to finish under 16.5 days was a huge surprise and something I'm really happy with. My main goal was to give it everything and have no regrets and I did that. 

How did your gearing stack up? We know people can ride it in 1x, single speed or 3x. Were there times when you could have pushed a taller gear?

My 2x10, 38/24 x 11-36 on 27.5 wheels was great. I never really wanted anything else at either end. If I'd had some big tail winds in the Basin or New Mexico I would have been under-geared, but it never happened. Interestingly I was riding at various times with guys running single speeds, 1 x, and 2 x drive trains. They clearly all have their pros and cons. I was super impressed by Kevin Jacobsen and the terrain and climbs he could manage on a singlespeed.

Did you have any interesting wild-life encounters?

The wild life is a real highlight. There are deer and antelope everywhere, every day. In fact on a shake down ride a few days before the start with Rob and Seb I nearly took out a big horn sheep. I think it would have been terminal as I was doing 50 kph at the time. Rob and I chased a couple of grizzly cubs up Red Meadow Pass on Day 2 which was quite exciting, I saw a few moose at close range, saw a black bear in New Mexico and plenty of other animals and some really cool birds. 

Who did you spend the most time riding with on the TD?

I started with Rob Brown, but he got bitten by a dog on Day 2 and succumbed to a fever a few days later. The next day I caught up with Kevin Jacobsen and rode near him for a day or so and then later caught Stefan then Sofiane in Wyoming. The four of us kept crossing over the rest of the ride until Kevin and Sof got away in New Mexico. I caught Gareth Pelas as his neck was giving him trouble and Andrew Kublanski when he got stuck in the mud on Brazos. A derailleur melt down forced Andrew out. The attrition rate was pretty high so I really tried to be consistent and not blow out which really paid dividends in terms of placing.

How did the accommodation pan out. What percentage of the time were you camping outdoors?

I camped out early on and as time went on I stayed in more accommodation, so around 50/50 overall. Partly that was just circumstances and partly I felt I wasn't getting the quality of sleep I needed, and I slept better indoors. I seemed to need time to unwind before sleeping and I found that harder camping. Also as a rookie I spent quite a bit of time looking at maps and route info trying to make a plan for the next day - targets, resupply, food and water needs and I generally did that before sleeping. All the guys around me had good route knowledge either from racing or touring the route which paid dividends for them at various times. 

Did your camping gear do the job adequately ?

Totally, I had a bivvy bag, sleeping mat and bag and synthetic puffer jacket. It was pretty cold at night through Montana and I had a wet night near Lakeview where I managed to get some shelter and stay dry. After that bivvies were warm and comfy. I sent my mat, some clothes and spare maps home from Silverthorne to make more room for food through the southern portion. 

How did your luggage system hold up?

It was great, no issues and worked as I'd hoped. As mentioned I sent some gear home around half way as I wanted the extra capacity for some of the long sections between resupply in southern Colorado and New Mexico, and that worked well.  

Any mechanicals or preventative maintenance  that you did on-route?

After the Day 1 mud my rear shifter was a bit out and I stuck with it until Steamboat where I had a new cable fitted. I got a new chain after 800 miles in Butte, Montana, another new chain in Steamboat, new shifter cable, new brake pads and one of my aero bars retaped. The guys at Orange Peel serviced my bike on just over an hour while I went shopping and had a huge meal. Fantastic service but not cheap! 

Were there any challenges in the food department?

Yeah, food is challenging. I realised after a couple of days that I wasn't eating enough, so I made an effort to have a sit down meal every day or at least a few big take out burritos. I struggled to find the food I wanted in gas stations at times and grocery stores take too long to shop. I mostly ate energy bars, jerky or salami, mini cheese packets, salted peanuts and frozen burritos on the road. Subway, pizza and sandwiches for stops. I think I had five proper restaurant style meals which were awesome and really gave me a huge lift. 

Did you have any health issues? Numbness, "butt trauma" ?

I stayed on top of most things really well. I had a twinge on my Achilles on Day 3 so dropped my saddle a few mm and it went away. Minimal hand numbness which I put down to very cushy bar set up/ high volume tyres and consciously getting on the aero bars whenever I could. My feet are ok, a bit numb but weren't painful during the ride. I wore a size up in shoes, had them loose most of the time and dunked my feet in creeks and lakes if I got the chance. My butt lasted a week and after that it was bloody sore but manageable. In the morning it could take 15 mins before I could get comfy on the saddle again. I was pretty diligent with my nightly hygiene routine so it never got out of hand. Later in Colorado I developed a cough which started to keep me awake at night and by the end slowed me down a bit, as I just couldn't get good sleep. It was one of the reasons I stayed more in accomodation later in the ride as I felt I was on the edge of going under the last few days. I subsequently discovered it was likely a low-level allergic reaction to dust and pollen, and a few days on antihistamine after the race I finally got on top of it. 

Are there any particular parts of the course that just blew you away, for what ever reason?

I loved the huge open  spaces like the Great Basin, South Park and the New Mexico desert. Conditions could be harsh and unpredictable but the I found the light and landscape stunning. Riding in those places at sunrise and sunset was very special, as were the thunderstorms that inevitably occurred. Riding through South Park from Hartsel to Salida on sunset being chased by thunderstorms was a little too exciting. I also had a magic morning over Union Pass in Wyoming, with amazing views into the Wind River Range. I thought the whole route was scenically outstanding and found the landscapes very motivating. The route is quite varied and it was probably only central Colorado and the more populated areas that were a bit of a drag. 

Were you surprised to see some  of the favourites drop out early on?

Totally. Josh Kato was very unlucky to get run off the road, but clearly a bunch of others went too hard and blew up. There was a big bunch that rode hard to make Butts Cabin the first day and only half of them survived, so I was really pleased Rob and I backed off the first day after the bad weather. I got a huge shock when I arrived into Helena to bump into Kevin Jacobsen to find I was in the top 10 and running at 16 day pace. I made a big effort for the next 4-5 days to get to Brush Mountain Lodge and stay in touch with the second bunch. It was interesting that Mike Hall put a day on us in the first 5 days and then only another day in the next 10, give or take. He really goes out hard and a number of guys got caught out by that. 

Kiwis seem to do quite well at the Tour Divide. The older riders seem to punch above their weight even more so. Does it come down to NZ being such a small place, you meet Simon Kennett, Oli Whalley or Geoff Blanc, and say, they are only human, I reckon I could have a crack at this? Is it a matter of, if you are going to go all that way, you are going to see it through to the better end?

Once you are in Banff you realise that most riders have very little bikepack "racing" experience. Sofiane was immensely strong and talented but spent the first week doing some pretty crazy things, as did a few others. He was lucky to survive and did an amazing job to finish in 16 days even with his huge experience touring. Racing is a very different thing to touring. We are very fortunate in NZ to have events like the Kiwi and Great Southern Brevets, the Tour Aotearoa and the weekend riders that Shailer Hart organises. Having that experience is a huge factor I believe. As much as I'm not really a fan of the mandatory 4-6 hour stops we have, they do teach you some good lessons and I think keep riders from hurting themselves too much. A 90% finish rate in the TA is testament to that and I'm more supportive of that now. 

Has your appetite returned to normal yet or do you still have that subconcious "scanning for food" thing happening?

My appetite settled down after a few days. My cravings have been for fresh food and good coffee. The coffee one has been hard to rectify in the US.... On the recovery front, it's been a week since I got off the bike and I'm very tired. There's a fair bit of sleeping to do to catch up I reckon. I start a cycle tour in Kyrgyzstan next week so I'm trying to get on top of that with plenty of naps. 

Now you've ticked off the big one, is there anything else you have lined up in the bucket-list?

The Tour Divide is the BIG one in every sense, so it's very cool to have done it. There are so many more bikepack events appearing that I'm sure I'll have some in the pipeline soon. I think next on the horizon is the 2018 TA as I missed this year. Until then I'm thinking I'll be riding my full suspension bike a bit more and getting more involved in the enduro scene, which is heap of fun.

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Brian's Tour Divide Q & A

 Brian Alder is off to do the Tour Divide in a few days so I thought I would nerd-out and ask him about his set-up.


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Brian, you have a reputation as a bit of a details man. If you broke your prep down into training, bike/kit selection and planning, how big of a part is the planning?

For me route planning has been a large part, especially as the start approaches. I like to know what I’m getting into and try to form a picture in my mind of what is coming up. I don’t have huge lists of resupply locations or accommodation options. I’ve concentrated more on what are seen as difficult sections of the route, what is the nature of the riding and what are the resupply options in the remote places.

Are you are big believer in the knowledge is power maxim?

Yes, for sure. But that’s just because it suits me and puts my mind at ease. I think it’s completely valid to go for a “take it as it comes approach” if that what suits your style. I think it is important to feel comfortable and try to reduce the areas of worry for you personally. Something that has been stressed to me from those who have gone before is to have an open mind and an open approach because the reality won’t match your plan. I’m doing my best to stay loose. 

I know you've been in touch with 2014 Tour Divide 4th place getter and fellow crusty Geof Blance. Is it helpful to swap notes with someone else who has been there and done that, but is also 50+ ?

Well Geof has just clicked over 50, but yes chatting to others has been huge, mostly to check whether you’re on track with your thinking. I’ve chatted with Nathan Mawkes, Rob Davidson, Chris Bennett, Seb Dunne and Ollie Whalley. Ollie just asked me lots of questions that I seemed to have answers to, which was reassuring. I’m not sure that age is a major factor in the Tour Divide, maybe at the elite end but for a mid-pack racer I think age is just a useful excuse to lie in a bit longer. Riding your own ride seems to be another common theme.

Having ridden with both Geof and yourself I notice you both have very different styles. Geof likes to go hard but also stop for a beer if he gets a chance. Will you be doing that or going for a more steady state kind of approach?

My experience riding the NZ bikepacking events is that if you want to go fast the more time you spend on your bike the better. I’ve also discovered that riding my own pace rather than pacing off others is most efficient for me, so I’m in the steady state camp probably. My goal is usually to ride 16 hours a day, so 5am until 11pm with a few stops in the day. In saying that there are times when it’s worth making a big effort. In this years’ GSB Rob, Russell & I were riding the Clutha Gold trail to Lawrence. After a big feed at Roxburgh we set off at high speed, I suggested to the guys we knock it back 10%, as it wouldn’t make much difference time-wise – it’s fast riding no matter how effort you put in. We saved some energy (mental & physical) for the big grunt out of Lawrence that night, which we smoked. In the TD riding at night sounds like it might be the go as the temperature goes up, so I’ll see how that goes.

I see you are running a 27.5 wheeled Santa Cruz Highball with a rigid fork. Most people are running 29 inch wheels these days, but you've been a 27.5 stalwart from day 1. What is your thinking with the goldilocks wheels? Better strength and lower rotating mass all round or is there more to it?

I invested in some sweet Ibis 741 rims for my full suspension SC 5010 a year or so back, so they’re the best wheels I have, so that drove my decision. 29er would be faster no doubt, but I do love the wide rims and the comfy ride they give. Most of my bike selection decisions have been based on comfort, so wide rims and big volume tyres is a big part of that. Again, comfort equals more time on the bike in my mind.

Was there a time when you considered taking the full suspension bike for the Tour Divide?

No, I think total weight is big deal on the TD and I’ve tried to build comfort in where I can. In saying that I don’t think bike selection plays a huge role and I think that history would back that up.  The Highball takes a 27.2 seat post and I got my hands on a Syntace post that has quite a bit of flex and dampening which seems to make a significant difference.  I rode the Santa Cruz Highball in this years’ Great Southern Brevet with a suspension fork and loved it. It handled the rough descents easily and climbed efficiently, so I was totally sold.

What is the thinking behind your tire choice and sizing?

I’m running Vittoria Mezcals 27.5 x 2.25 based on Andrew Scott’s experience with Saguros on the TA. I considered Maxxis Treadlite but they are too narrow as I wanted to run something that would work with my wide rims so I needed big volume. I considered Ikon 2.2’s but the Mezcals set up really big and have a very nice roll to them. Super happy with my choice. Again, I don’t think it’s huge factor, there’s a few other tyres like Conti Race Kings that I would happily use. 

The Highball is a lovely bike, and it still has a traditional screw-in bottom bracket. Is that a plus for you?

Yes for sure. Threaded bottom brackets have a great track record, plus I can work on it myself and most bike shops will have parts. The Highball also has nice relaxed angles, so is pretty stable, especially with a load on and is noticeably compliant under load. The skinny seat post adds to that too. The Highball is relatively short in the top tube which suits my long leg/ short torso body.

What have you gone for with your group set, 2 or 3 rings? What speed and ratios?

Marshal Bird wrote some great stuff on his blog pre and post last years TD. One was called “Don’t bring a knife to a Gunfight”. He rode a 1x drivetrain and it nearly killed him, saying he never had the gear range he needed. He argued that unless you’re really strong, more gears are better. I’ve ridden 1x for a few years now and in 3 NZ brevets and I totally got what he was saying. I rode a 2 x 10 in the GSB this year and it was a joy. I have 38-24 drivetrain and standard 11-36 cassette. I’ve thought about 40-26 rings but have erred on the conservative side.

What are your views on lighting. I'm not seeing a dynamo hub so I guess you are keeping things simple and going with AA's? What light are you intending to use.

Again having the wheelset already drove some of thinking here, but also dynamo hubs still have reliability issues as do the connections etc. Geof ran a battery-based system (as did Josh Kato) and convinced me it was logistically easy to do, and being slightly technophobe I took the bait. I’m running a standard headtorch with AAA batteries and an Exposure Joytsick which I’ll charge off a powerbank. Lots of spare AA’s for the Etrex 30. I used this system on the GSB and after 4 days still had plenty of power left. I reckon I’m carrying a weeks worth of power supply, so a few motel nights along the way and some gas station battery shopping should keep me charged up. 

When I rode with you in the Kiwi Brevet you were toting a Revelate Terrapin. You have an Apidura rear bag now. Is there a story behind that or did you just wear the old bag out?

I destroyed the Terrapin hauling too much weight in it while working for DOC, commuting up and down the Old Ghost Rd. The holster/ drybag system is great, especially in NZ with the rain we have. I chose a more standard seat bag as I wanted something that was easy to access during the day as I’ll have my spare clothes in it. I found that with the Terrapin I’d put off getting stuff out as it was a bit of a hassle to open and close. On the last day of the Kiwi Brevet I rode with you in 2012, we were descending off Island Pass on a cold morning. I froze my butt off because I didn’t want to stop to get more clothes out as it would take (what I thought was) too long. My current bag set up is a lot about having ready access to my gear at short notice.

You seem to have settled on one of the Specialized Power saddles. Has this been a revelation for you, or just another saddle that works better than the last? Did you use it when you did the last Great Southern Brevet?

I been through a progression of Specialized saddles, each better than the last. Their loan system has been a big part of that. I used it on the GSB and it was good, but still had issues and there’s lots of pushing in the GSB so it’s not a true test. I like the look of the Brooks Cambian saddles but haven’t committed and put the time in. I wish I had Geof Blances butt which fits a Brooks saddle….

 It's looking like its going to be a very competitive year with Josh Kato, Liam Crowley and Mike Hall rumoured to be lining up. Its hard to imagine it getting any closer than the 20 minutes that covered the top 3 in 2015, but here's hoping.

Yes, the front end will be very competitive. Add in Seb Dunne from Canberra, Tom Roundtree who won last years Highland Trail Race, Chris Pleisko who is out to break his own singlespeed record and the usual dark horses and the front end will be fast. I’ll say goodbye to Seb in Banff as I don’t expect to see him again after that!

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Brian is proof that age is not a barrier to Bikepacking in New Zealand at least, with top 3 finishes in both of his recent attempts at the Kiwi Brevet and again in the last 2 Great Southern Brevets he did. Good luck on the big daddy of them all, the Tour Divide. I think we can say that that last one IS a race!

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Dynamo lighting 101. Part 1

I have recently set up a bike with a dynamo hub for use in the Tour Aotearoa and while it's all fresh in my mind I will share the basics so you might find it easier than I did. There are many resources out there but a lot of them assume you know more than you do.

A few disclaimers from the start.

1. Dynamo lights are not magic, and as far as I know, they only come with bike mounts, as opposed to helmet-mounts. You cannot ride singletrack fast with a bike mounted light alone. Optimally you would also have a helmet mounted light for seeing around corners. Obviously for commuting a bike mounted light is more than enough. This post is angled at a "bikepacking" end-use (although commuting is a no-brainer for dynamo lighting).

2. When the going gets slow, your dynamo light will put out a lot less light than you would expect from a typical battery powered light, depending on your set-up and how fast your "slow" is, this is why people will often run a spare light-weight helmet mounted light.

How dynamo power is typically used

Lighting only
Requirements: Dynamo and light

Lighting and/or  powering
Requirements: Dynamo, light and usb converter (and a device to power; eg Phone, GPS etc)

Lighting, and/or powering and/or storing power
Requirements: Dynamo, light, usb converter and a power-bank/battery (and a device to power).

Handlebar switch from kLite

A fourth scenario is to have all of these things working with a switching system. Kerry at kLite builds these to order and probably knows more about dynamo lighting in relation to bikepacking than anyone out there. A switch means that you don't need to stop and unplug and replug devices.

Some jargon

What is a standlite?
A smaller battery or capacitor built into or attached to the light so that the lighting does not disappear immediately you stop moving. Many dynamo lights have them built in.

Sinewave USB converter

What is a USB converter?
This device changes the current from the dynamo from AC to DC so that it can be used to charge devices like GPSes, smart phones, cameras or power-banks (batteries). A very popular device seems to be the Sinewave for bikepacking needs. Another popular choice is the Ewerks.
A well researched list of hub-dynamo USB converters is available here.
Some very good instructions on building your own converters can be found here, and here, just don't ride too fast and make them explode. (This could happen - read ALL the comments : )

What is a cache battery?
It's just a battery/power-bank you run inline, after your usb-converter but before the device you are powering. Eg.If your GPS sends up a nag screen saying "lost power" because you are riding slowly up a steep hill and not generating enough power, the cache battery, (if it has some charge in it) will supplement the GPS and stop the nag screen. The rich kids will use an Exposure Diablo or Joystick head-light as it serves double duty as cache battery/power bank as well as its original use as a helmet light, should you get into some gnarly trail late at night. When looking for a cache battery/power bank its helpful to have one with "pass-through charging". This means you can charge the battery and use it to power other devices at the same time. Rob Davidson used a Plox branded one in his Tour Divide.

Some connection scenarios rendered in an "ascii diagram"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

( hub )  - - - -  * LIGHT *


( hub )  - -
                |
               USB-conv - - - - - { BATTERY }


( hub )  - -
                 |
               USB-conv - - - - - *] DEVICE [* - - - - - -


( hub )  - -
                 |
               USB-conv - - - - - { BATTERY } - - - - *] DEVICE [*


( hub )  - - - -  * LIGHT *
                |
               USB-conv - - - - - *] low-drain-DEVICE [*

Obviously some set-ups might let you charge or power, and use the light at the same time but its unlikely you are going to be making enough power to do both equally well, but it depends on the load. If you read Kerry at kLites info page you will learn that some devices are more power hungry than others. Cell phones vs GPS for instance. You may still be able to use your lights and power your low-drain GPS.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A very good primer can be found here:
http://www.velorutioncycles.com/dynamo-systems-a-primer/

Some popular dynamo lights
I'm not sure how useful the bottom two are but the top two are very robust and proven in Bikepacking circles.
Exposure Revolution
Klite
Supernova E3 triple
B+M
Son Edelux

The best dynamo hubs seem to be the following. Some are just licensed versions of another.
Shutter Precision
SON Schmidt
Supernova
Exposure

It's my understanding that the Supernova and Exposure are licensed versions of the Shutter Precision (SP) hub. The SP hub is not user serviceable but can be overhauled for a reasonable fee after sending back to the factory. The SON hub is user serviceable, if you are keen. SP claim their system is more simple hence robust and therefore is not high maintenance. SON has been around for a long time and many people will say they have had no problems despite commuting 50kms a day through a monsoon for 5 years solid! The SON can cost twice what the SP hub costs but it is worth shopping around for prices. The Exposure Revo hub/light kits are amazing value if you can get one, as the Exposure parts, (lights) are incredibly expensive bought separately.

The best Dynamo lighting resources I have found are from Kerry at kLite, (in Australia) and the  Peter White Cycles sites (US).

Here are a few more real life cases where people are using dynamo lighting systems in Bikepacking situations.

Ollie Whalley.
Rob Davidson.
Composite MTB.
Mike Hall.

More to come as I discover it!

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