Hey everyone,
I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days and wanted to share it with the community.
I’m currently bikepacking through Southeast Asia.
Right now I’m about 100 km north of Sukhothai, Thailand, in a small place called Ban Bot Maneeram. I started riding in Singapore and so far I’ve covered almost 5,000 km in about two months.
I’ve had an amazing time. Honestly, it’s been one of the best experiences of my life. The people, the food, the random encounters, the landscapes… everything has been incredible.
If anyone is curious, here’s my Strava profile where I’ve been documenting the trip:
Just a heads-up: I’m not racing, chasing records, or trying to crank out huge mileage every day. I’m simply having a great time riding my bike and exploring.
Now to the point.
I don’t have a strict plan, but I’ve been enjoying this journey so much that I’d love to keep going until at least October.
The original idea was to continue north through Chiang Mai, Pai and Chiang Rai, then cross into Laos. But recently I started wondering: what if I continue through China, then Vietnam from north to south, and somehow make it to Japan by October?
My bike is due for a proper service after all the mud, dust, dirt and sand from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. I’ll be replacing the chain in Chiang Mai and there are a few other maintenance items that need attention. Throughout Thailand, I’ve mostly been staying at Buddhist temples. They’ve been incredibly welcoming and have helped me more times than I can count. Many nights on this trip simply wouldn’t have happened without their generosity.
One idea I’ve been considering to help fund the rest of this journey is organizing a raffle once I reach Japan around October.
The prize would be my complete bikepacking setup, including everything needed to leave for a long-distance expedition the next day.
Approximate replacement value: 5-6K USD.
The setup includes:
Bike: Bombtrack Beyond+ Adventure bike XL
Full Ortlieb Bikepacking Luggage System:
Handlebar Pack S
Seat Pack 16.5L
2x Fork Packs 5.8L
Fuel Pack
2x Stem Bags
Shelter & Sleep System:
Sea to Summit Telos TR2 (includes Footprint, Hangout Mode Pole Set, and Gear Loft)
Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro
Watarrah -2°C Quilt
Western Mountaineering Tioga Sleep Liner
Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Deluxe Pillow
Cooking & Water System:
Optimis Nova Multifuel Stove + 0.6L Fuel Bottle
Toaks Titanium Ultralight Pot, Bowl, Cup, and Spork
Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter
Navigation & Electronics:
Coros Dura GPS
Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ & Strip Drive Pro 400+
Knog Scout Alarm
Apple AirTag
Complete Repair & Medical Kit:
Lezyne RAP II 18 Multi-Tool
Lezyne Pro Tubeless Kit, Pocket Drive Pro HV, and Power Tire Levers
AMK (Adventure Medical Kits) Ultralight/Watertight .7 First Aid Kit
SRAM PowerLock 12-speed chain links, spare tube, and additional field repair spares.
My rough idea was something like 120 numbers at $50 USD each, with the draw happening around mid-October once I reach Japan.
I’m not sure whether this is a great idea or a terrible one, so I’d love to hear your thoughts. If the raffle idea sounds dumb, feel free to tell me why. I genuinely want feedback before doing anything.
I’ll also be adding a series of photos from the trip so you can see the bike, the gear, and some of the places I’ve been fortunate enough to experience along the way.
Thanks for following along and for all the advice.
Jordan Morales
32M Chilean
by sea_jord4n
7 Comments
You might want to check with the local laws about raffling.
As an example, in the US raffles are technically illegal unless the money goes to a non-profit (typically there are disclaimers on giveaways stating “no purchase necessary” for this reason), as they are considered gambling.
As for the raffle itself, Im not sure the interest would be there to spend $50 on a 1:120 (0.84%) chance of winning the bike. But that’s just my opinion.
Could you advertise your bike in advance and just sell it?
Unless you partner with a shop, I can’t see how people are going to trust that you’ll actually ship the bike. Or return their raffle money if you don’t hit your $ target. Also nobody wants your used sleeping bag and pillow.
The idea of winning a decked out bike for $50 is very appealing. It’s getting people to actually click the pay button that’s hard. Maybe post a bunch of reels on your Instagram so ppl can see you’re an actual human?
Sorry, this sounds dumb.
You want people to prepay for your travels with the chance they’ll win your bike at the end in whatever condition it’s in.
I get you want to keep traveling, but this is kind of a weird way.
Good luck, the end of a tour is always a little sad!
Nice loadout.
There are plenty of raffle type sites out there. Obviously, you have to comply with their terms and conditions, which would be indemnifying the transaction in some way. No doubt there are many unscrupulous individuals selling fake items or trying to fleece people in some way.
Having said that, your main drawbacks are going to be the geographical delivery of said item.
The bike and the journey sells itself.
My 2 cents: I couldn’t take my rigid MTB on my flight last year. Shipping the thing from France to Canada cost me upwards of 1000$ CAD and it was one helluva headache I’ll make sure to avoid next time.
If you’re going the raffle route, organizing something local could be easier.
While I understand your wish to continue, I really don’t see this idea working.
Yeah your setup might have cost 6000$+, but it’s also been through a lot of hard use.
The bike will need another overhaul at the end of your journey, the tent and footprint will most likely be damaged. Sleeping in a sleeping bag, which has been used for months without proper cleaning is not really attractive, neither is using your pillow. The electronics come without warranty. Then there is the size to consider, for a lot of people the bike and your sleeping bag will be too big. Others have talked about the amount of trust needed, which is very different when giving 50 bucks to a stranger, compared with trusting people on your journey.
If I understand it right, you are also not shouldering any risks. If the money is not enough, you keep your equipment and I get my money back if I’m lucky..
Maybe 1-5$ for the fun of it, but not.more.