Hey everyone,
I’m preparing for the Silk Road Mountain Race this August and wanted to share my current rig setup to get your thoughts, feedback, or suggestions. Not looking to show off, just trying to dial things in as best I can for what’s going to be a my biggest challenge on a bike so far.
This setup is built around the demands of SRMR:
Race length: 1954 km, 74% unpaved
Daily target average: ~200 km
Elevation gain: 27,866 m (average ~2,000 m/day, with peak days above 3,000 m)
Maximum elevation: 4,100 m (so yes, lower oxygen, slower recovery, more demand on both rider and machine)
Total hike a bike distance: around 50-60km, some of them extremely steep
Conditions: temps from -10°C at night in some pf the passes, to over 35°C during the day, rain, river crossings, sun exposure, and long periods above 3,000 m
Resupply: stretches of 3–4 days with little or no access to food or water
Daily riding time: Up to 20 hours/day, including overnight riding through all kinds of weather
This isn’t a fastpacking ultralight setup, it’s built around reliability, comfort, and self-sufficiency without a backpack on my shoulders. My philosophy is that comfort is speed for a person that is just trying to finish this race, not to compete for the podium. Still, I feel like it is too heavy, and I am looking to way to reduce the weight without compromising too much. The dry weight with the gear is around 28kg.
I can carry up to 5.5L of water, including fork-mounted bottles and a frame bladder (mostly empty until needed). There is a 400km section where there is no food access, and water sources are very unreliable, so I have to be able to accommodate that.
I have enough food capacity for multiple days, the BOT on the top tube is for overflow food I pick up along the route. The front bag between the aerobars is for on-the-go snacks (gels, nuts, bars, etc.)
Other context:
The bike is built around a very large XXL frame, the saddle height is 111 cm, total length is over 190 cm. It may look overloaded, but the weight distribution helps keep it stable when packed. It is designed to ride in rough, remote terrain for long days. I’ll share my gear list and (approximate) pricing in a follow-up post, since some items I already owned.
Would really appreciate any input from others who’ve raced or suffered through similar setups.
Suggestions on improving weight distribution, ergonomics, cable management, or even just what worked for you in high altitude ultra events would be great.
Thanks in advance, this community has been a big help in building up to this.
by godintraining
4 Comments
Bike Setup
* Curve Uprock V2 Frame (Titanium, XXL) – 2.30 kg – $3,000
* RockShox SID Ultimate 120mm fork (remote lockout) – 1.60 kg – $1,000
* Dirt Hoops Carbon 29” Wider wheels – 1.48 kg – $1,700
* SON 28 Dynamo Hub – 0.44 kg – $250
* DT Swiss 350 Rear Hub – 0.34 kg – $180
* Spokes: 60 Sapim CX Ray – 0.30 kg – $0
* Nipples: Sapim Brass – 0.01 kg – $0
* Vittoria Mezcal 29×2.35 Tires – 1.46 kg – $150
* Vittoria Air Liner Light XC – 0.02 kg – $50
* Orange Sealant – 0.40 kg – $15
Drivetrain, Brakes, Cockpit
* SRAM Code RSC brakes + rotors – 0.90 kg – $560
* SRAM GX Eagle full drivetrain – 1.13 kg – $500
* 28T Oval chainring – 0.07 kg – $50
* GX Eagle crankset 175 mm – 0.63 kg – $130
* T47 DUB bottom bracket – 0.10 kg – $40
* RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper – 0.60 kg – $350
* Fizik Vento Argo R3 saddle – 0.25 kg – $130
* Joystick 8-BIT LT Alloy handlebar – 0.34 kg – $80
* Joystick Binary 50 mm stem – 0.20 kg – $50
* Ergon GP3 grips with horns – 0.23 kg – $50
* West Biking bar ends – 0.20 kg – $20
* Shimano XTR pedals + SH56 cleats – 0.35 kg – $180
* Profile Design Sonic Ergo 50A aerobars – 0.56 kg – $160
Bags & Carrying
* Tailfin AeroPack Alloy – 0.90 kg – $280
* Tailfin Long Top Tube Bag – 0.20 kg – $50
* Mrs Grape Full Frame Custom Bag – 0.40 kg – $150
* Mrs Grape Il Coso Harness + STS 30L drybag – 0.50 kg – $160
* Acepac front roll and large feed bag
Sleep System
* Neve Gear Waratah PRO Quilt (-8°C) – 0.80 kg – $400
* Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT – 0.34 kg – $200
* 3F UL Tyvek Bivy – 0.20 kg – $50
* Ticket to the Moon Lightest Tarp – 0.40 kg – $100
* SOL XL Emergency Blanket (heavy duty) – 0.23 kg – $30 (consider swapping to regular blanket)
* Polycryo Groundsheet – 0.10 kg – $10 (can be trimmed)
Electronics & Power
* Garmin Edge 1040 – 0.16 kg – $700
* Garmin Edge 840 (backup) – 0.10 kg – $450
* Garmin Fenix 8 – 0.08 kg – $800
* Garmin HRM-Pro Plus – 0.07 kg – $130
* 3x Nitecore 10,000 mAh power banks – 0.45 kg – $180 (maybe drop to 2)
* DJI Neo Drone – 0.13 kg – $200
* Insta360 X4 – 0.30 kg – $500
* Black Diamond 1500 lumens headlamp – 0.30 kg – $215
* Klite Ultra V2 dynamo light – 0.13 kg – $220
* Klite Qube rear light – 0.01 kg – $50
* Klite Micro USB charger – 0.01 kg – $120
* 40W wall charger – 0.20 kg – $40
* Flextail Zero pump – 0.06 kg – $53
* Nitecore EBP10 tire pump – 0.17 kg – $100 (optional but handy)
* Lezyne hand pump – 0.09 kg – $30
* Cables & adapters – 0.02 kg – $10
Cooking
* Vargo BOT 700 – 0.14 kg – $100 (also used as feed bag on the top tube)
* Vargo Hexagon + Triad stove – 0.15 kg – $100
* 2x alcohol fuel bottles – 0.10 kg – $5
* Vargo long titanium spoon – 0.01 kg – $30
Water System
* Apidura Frame Bladder 1.5L – 0.15 kg – $120
* 4x 1L bottles – 0.30 kg – $40
* Katadyn BeFree filter – 0.06 kg – $60
* Micropur tabs – 0.01 kg – $5
First Aid & Hygiene
* First Aid & Personal Kit (incomplete) – 0.30 kg – $100
Clothing Kit (core riding + emergency)
* Castelli Endurance 3 Bib XL – 0.20 kg – $160
* Santini Unico Bib XL – 0.20 kg – $240
* Pedaled Merino Baselayer XL – 0.20 kg – $85
* Pedaled Odyssey Jersey XL – 0.20 kg – $50
* La Sportiva Thermal Sleeves – 0.05 kg – $50
* Pedaled Polartec Alpha Vest – 0.20 kg – $125
* Icebreaker Merino Underpants – 0.10 kg – $50
* La Sportiva Blizzard Windbreaker – 0.80 kg – $100
* Gorewear Windstopper Leg Warmer – 0.13 kg – $55
* La Sportiva Koro Jacket – 0.36 kg – $130 (may add Gorewear Spinshift)
* MontBell Gore-Tex Shell – 0.35 kg – $300
* Gorewear C5 Trail Pants – 0.18 kg – $200
* Castelli Endurance Gloves L – 0.07 kg – $41
* Macpac Merino Undergloves – 0.05 kg – $30
* Gorewear C5 Waterproof Gloves – 0.15 kg – $63
* Icebreaker Merino Socks – 0.05 kg – $30
* Ottershell Knee-Length Merino Socks – 0.20 kg – $40
* Gorewear C3 Toe Covers – 0.01 kg – $30
* Icebreaker Merino Briefs – 0.05 kg – $50
* Pearl Izumi X-Alp Summit Shoes – 0.82 kg – $165
* 2x Buff Under Helmet – 0.01 kg – $32
* Buff Eco Stretch – 0.03 kg – $25
* Buff Lightweight Merino – 0.05 kg – $35
* Buff Heavy Duty Merino – 0.10 kg – $45
Tools & Spares
* Gerber Dime multitool – 0.06 kg – $30
* Topeak Mini 20 Pro – 0.15 kg – $40
* Topeak tire levers – 0.03 kg – $5
* Small Orange Seal bottle – 0.12 kg – $13
* Park Tool tubeless plug – 0.08 kg – $35
* 1x spare tube – 0.30 kg – $10
* Valve core tool – 0.01 kg – $10
* Loctite 243 – 0.03 kg – $10
* Zip ties – 0.02 kg – $5
* Duct tape – 0.05 kg – $5
* Spare bolt kit – 0.02 kg – $1
* Derailleur hanger Titanium (Curve) – 0.05 kg – $50
* Grease pod – 0.01 kg – $10
* Mini ratchet + bits – 0.03 kg – $10
* Patch kit – 0.01 kg – $5
* 2x rotor bolts – 0.01 kg – $1
* 2x tubeless valves – 0.01 kg – $5
* 2x valve cores + adapter – 0.01 kg – $5
* Electrical tape – 0.03 kg – $2
* 2x SRAM quick links – 0.01 kg – $10
* 2x sets SwissStop Disc 31E pads – 0.04 kg – $30
* Pad springs + bolts – 0.01 kg – $1
* Pad spreader – 0.01 kg – $1
* SON spare connector – 0.01 kg – $5
I have no advice to share but that bike looks amazing. I’d love to ride the silk road one day, definitely on the bucket list. I’m currently about to start building up a tumbleweed stargazer with the plan to take it on adventures and I’ve got a set of the exact same curve wheels on the way.
Since you’re racing, you definitely have access to food and water more often than 3-4 days. Bring a filter if you’re concerned.
You’re *maybe* at 2 days between resupply assuming you aren’t riding so slow the snail catches up.
You look pretty dialed in gear wise. Sick setup btw! You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into all of it and are set to handle any issues along the way. My only advice would be to ensure you have the right mindset, nutrition, rest, and hydration plan in place. Smile, eat, sleep, drink, have fun, you’ll do awesome.