Then I got about a dozen rides in with it and had a bit of a relapse… from which I am still recovering. I’ve had this bike since August, but an injury/surgery/recovery kept me off of it for a couple of months. And this they did with a bang, creating a 29+ rig that is quite a departure from all the rest, even their own Stache.īefore we dig in, let me clarify the nature of this review. It only made sense to add a couple hundred to the naming schema for a big-tired bikepacking rig. Then Trek found success with its more recent gravel and dirt-drop tourer, the Trek 920. First the 520 and 720 touring bikes became classics back in the early 80s. The Wisconsin based titan has a longstanding history of making bikes in the adventure travel and touring category. Hub specs: 148 x 12mm (R) 110x15mm (F)įollowing suit, the 1120 was a natural progression for Trek.There are a few others as well, and probably more to come. It was only a matter of time before others created variations on the theme: The Chumba Ursa 29+, the Carver Gnarvester, Salsa’s Deadwood and Woodsmoke, the Bombtrack Beyond ADV, and the Why Wayward. It all started with the Krampus in 2012, and then came the Surly ECR, which was sort of the first big-tired purpose built bikepacking bike. Bear in mind, big wagon wheels aren’t for everyone, and there are plenty of 27.5+ bikepacking rigs too, but it’s no surprise that this legacy continues to thrive… for plenty of reasons we’ve already covered within this site. With multiple companies creating bikepacking-specific bikes around the 29+ platform, it’s as if bikepacking has an official tire size. With additional photos and insight by Ryan Sigsbey

Trek stache 5 used