I’ve read and heard horror stories about carbon rims breaking, but I realized many of these occurrences were related to rowdy trail riding or poor-quality rims. Something I never thought I’d do is use wheels with carbon rims for bikepacking. Other accessories Rockbros Universal Phone Holder.Accessory bags Revelate Mountain Feedbags and Mag-Tank, Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag 5L.Seatpost Thomson Elite with Engin Dual Bolt Seat Collar.Brakes SRAM Level Silver Stealth, 180mm rotors (not pictured).Crankset SRAM XO1 165mm w/ WolfTooth Camo 32t Oval SS (not pictured).Handlebars SQ Lab 30X (12deg, 45mm Rise) with ESI Foam Grips.Rims Crankbrothers Synthesis Carbon 29”.Suspension Fork Fox 34 SC Factory 120mm.Frame Esker Hayduke Titanium (2022, size S3).I find that the added backsweep is a wrist-saver, and my go-to grip is an extra chunky silicon foam grip, which helps in absorbing vibration. Mind you, I run a handlebar with a 12-degree backsweep and pair that with a 70mm stem to optimize my reach. In the case of the Hayduke, I find that having a +/-60mm stem gives the bike a nice responsive steering feel. Modern hardtails tend to be outfitted with wide bars and short stems. I think this is likely due to the proprietary quadruple-butted steel tubing Esker uses, which offers a lot of compliance. While I’m very fond of my titanium Hayduke, I still think there something special about steel version, and to be honest, the ride feel isn’t all that much different. In contrast, the steel frame always felt well-planted and had a tendency to slightly mute the roughest features on rugged trails or road surfaces, which some folks might really appreciate. Funnily enough, though, that’s not so much the case when running the bike unloaded and set up for whipping around on singletrack trails, although the rigidity of the titanium lends the bike a fun, racey feel. I also find that the titanium Hayduke absorbs ground chatter a bit better with all my bikepacking gear attached. It’s certainly noticeable when the bike is loaded up for a multi-day campout and can help make some long climbs a tad less of a slog. That weight savings of a pound and a bit is nice to have. Firstly, the weight difference is an obvious one. I’m often asked what differences I’ve noticed between my previous steel frame versus my current titanium one. Heather and I are both proud ambassadors for Esker as we appreciate the brand, their support of the adventure cycling scene, and the awesome people who run the company. My titanium Hayduke’s most recent adventure was riding the Cape Loop route in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula with my wife Heather, who did the route on her beloved steel Hayduke. The Hayduke is now in its third generation, and I couldn’t be happier with the latest tweaks to the geometry and construction of the frame. Then, in the fall of 2022, Esker offered me the opportunity to hop onto a titanium version, which I very swiftly accepted! They served me well, and the geometry, especially in the later Esker version, fit me wonderfully. I did many big trips with both of those steel steeds, including to Costa Rica, Tanzania, and in my home province of Ontario. When Advocate rebranded to Esker Cycles in 2018, I was given the opportunity to be in the first group of people to pedal the second-generation steel Hayduke, which saw some noteworthy tweaks to the geometry and the proprietary steel tubing. My love affair with the Hayduke platform started back in late 2016 while the bike was being produced under the Advocate Cycles brand. Looking back, I feel very lucky to have grown up with so much freedom to roam and so few technological distractions. I was fascinated by different plants, animals, and landscapes and naturally curious about experiencing places I’d never been before. What interested me the very most were biking and nature. I grew up an only child of working parents, so I had a lot of freedom and independence from a young age to pursue my own interests. While I have only been bikepacking in the modern sense since 2017, my zest for two-wheeled adventures began much earlier in life. In fact, I dedicate almost all of my vacation time to various types of adventure by bike. The bikepacking bug bit me back in about 2016, and the wonderful combination of off-road biking, backcountry exploration, and camping has been huge passion of mine ever since. Hiya folks! My name is Paulo, and my home base is Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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