WeLoveMountains is Ed and Marion Shoote.
We wanted to share our adventures by bike and in the mountains all over the world so we created this blog for those looking to do similar trips or just like looking at the pictures! We have ridden over 50+ countries and recent trips have focused on Europe and Asia. We are often invited to speak or write about Central Asia due to our unique experience of riding there.
Ed is a writer and photographer having featured in magazines such as; Cycle Magazine, Singletracks, Wanderlust, Sidetracked, Trek and Mountains, Snow, Active Traveller and many more. Please get in touch about a trip or story that we could work with on;
ed(at)welovemountains.net
Sponsors
We know what kit works and what doesn’t because we can be trusted to break stuff that’s not good enough, therefore we also try to review the kit we like. Some kit we buy, some we get from our sponsors for trips. We only approach sponsors that we know we can trust and currently using kit from;
Apidura – Bikepacking Bags
Lezyne – GPS units, pumps and Lights
Lauf – Grit leaf sprung forks
Dear Ed,
I have a tripster V1 and plan on doing some bikepacking after a long long break after injury… and everything seems to have changed ( at least in terms of marketing 🙂 ). I managed to get a 32 rear cassette on the rear and a typical compact up front, so probably not enough low gearing… Just wondered, what would you recommend for tubeless touring with a mix of road and light trail/track, probably more road than off, now, after your experiences with the newer tripster and most importantly the latest tyres. I guess they add more comfort but sacrifice RR. Would I really regret some 40mm tubeless and be better off with a 32 road tubeless. I will be mostly in the UK for the time being. I am a heavier rider ( 90kg ) without packs!
Kind Regards, Simon Rood
Hi
Sorry for slow reply, it depends if looking for reliability or speed though. Tubeless really suits off road touring more I think as can run lower pressures and more comfort and do roll well in the right tread pattern. The issue is most tubeless tyres are just not as robust as the really tough touring tyres, but tubeless is notably more compliant and comfy for similar RR and removes the issue of thorns or nail punctures etc but in my experience some rip easier or dislodge in transit if flying so have tended to avoid for longer tours. If you do want tubeless I don’t think the difference between a 40mm fast rolling tyre or 32mm road tyre is that much when touring so really depends how you value comfort over speed!
Hi,
I wonder if you have time to elaborate why you think the Tripster is best with a drop bar? I have just built up my Tripster al with drops but I would much prefer a flat bar ( I come from an MTB background) as in your review.
Did you stick with a flattie or find it didn’t handle as good as with drops?
Thanks.
Sarah.
Hi The flat bars were fine and felt more in control if you are used to a MTB. The issue is the bike is designed around drop bars when you ride further forward on the brake hoods normally. Therefore the frame reach is shorter than a MTB would be to compensate. Putting flat bars on means it can feel more a bit cramped and short. The solution is a longer stem with flat bars but this can make the handling off road slower. So opted for drop bars as the bike does feel better geometry with them and get used to them. The flats however were fine and especially for long tours if you prefer the hand position to drop bars and ride more upright.