Big Test of Propain Terrel CF

Just completed a 600 mile / 1,000 km bikepacking test of a customized Propain Terrel and I’m super happy with the bike.

I rode across Colorado on the Great Divide / Tour Divide route. Fully loaded with gear, and water/food, I was consistently between 40-50 pounds (18-22 kilos).

Even with a rigid front fork, the oversized Continental Raceking tires (2.2 inch in front, 2.0 in rear) setup tubeless on Hunt carbon wheels made for a pretty comfortable setup even for 10-12 hour days. Running tubeless I ran less than 30 pounds (2 bars) of air pressure.

The mullet SRAM shifting and gear combination (36T chainring, 10-52 cassette) was adequate range for such a mountainous route; and the “transmission” rear derailleur was reliable — even when I crashed in mud and hit the derailleur on a rock it continued to shift perfectly. I’m now a huge believer in SRAM transmission as a conventional setup would have broken.

Anyway, if you’re considering a gravel bike I’d highly recommend looking at Propain. My setup rides as well or better than the large brands for a fraction of the cost and with features most others don’t include.

Some spec details:
Hunt Carbon Gravel Wheelset
Tumbleweed T-Rack
Selle Italia saddle
Zipp cockpit
Most bags from Revelate Designs
XTR pedals
Blackburn cargo cages
Coros Dura bike computer
Profile Designs aero bars & risers
SRAM Force/XO 12-speed
Wolf Tooth front chainring
Camelbak and Rogue Panda bottle