Rigid & Plus Bike Reviews

Once the domain of the fully-fledged bike geek, Jones’ Plus SWB Complete has opened up a very distinctive, capable, and comfortable bike to a far broader audience. After spending half a year riding one, read Cass Gilbert’s in-depth review, along with SWB and LWB comparisons…

We head out for a night bivying under the skies of southern Arizona with Hubert d’Autremont, framebuilder and tortilla maker, and find out about his custom bikepacking rig…

The second version of the expedition-ready Tumbleweed Prospector was released just a couple months ago, and is available now. We got ahold of a V2 sample frame and fork, built it up with 29+ tires, took it for a test ride on Ethiopia’s rugged dirt tracks, then brought it back to the rough and tumble singletrack trails and forest roads of Pisgah to see what else it can do. Here’s the full review…

Well established within the world of traditional touring, Tout Terrain’s first foray into the bikepacking realm comes by way of the 27.5+ Outback. Like other products in this German company’s extensive range of steel bikes, the Outback is a modern hardtail that embraces the technological marvels of an internal drivetrain, in the form of the Pinion C1.12. We take one to France’s Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to find out what it’s about…

For bikepackers, 29+ is the stuff of legend. Added traction, floatation, suspension, and rollover make it the ideal platform for backcountry exploits. From afar, the latest rig in this niche, the titanium Why Cycles Wayward, looked to be the perfect specimen. TJ Kearns tested one on countless trail rides and several bikepacking trips to find out if it was indeed the mythical beast he’d been seeking…

Even in a world of long and slack full-suspension rigs, the humble, fully rigid MTB still has a place, especially when it comes in a plus-tyred flavour. We took the Brother Cycles Big Bro up and down the steep inclines of Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck. Here’s how it fared…

With just six years of business under its belt, Germany-based Bombtrack Bikes has grown quickly. It now offers a wide and exciting range of adventure-ready bikes, many of them designed with bikepackers in mind. Cass Gilbert takes a Bombtrack Beyond+ 2 up and over the European Alps, and reports back on the ride…

When choosing a new trail bike, bikepackers bring their own set of requirements to the table. After demoing several different full-suspension 27.5+ bikes, trying to find the perfect bikepacking/trail machine, the Pivot Mach 429 Trail got the nod for Gin’s long-term review. Plus, our take on what’s required for a full-suspension bike to make a great bikepacking rig…

The Trek 1120 follows in the same 29+ tracks that many bikepacking-specific rigs forged ahead of it, but this bike cuts its own trail with an innovative front rack, a thoughtfully designed rear harness system, and surprising trail prowess… all at a lighter weight than we expected. We’ve been quietly testing one over the last few months; here’s the full review.

Niner’s latest SIR 9 is the company’s third iteration on their cult classic hardtail. For 2017, it retains the high-end Reynolds 853 tubeset for which the bike is known, infusing its new frame with an up-to-the-minute geometry, all the latest industry standards, clearances for 27.5+ tires, and a host of bikepacking-friendly braze-ons. Given that the company is based in Colorado… it only seemed fitting to it out on the technically demanding and physically challenging Colorado Trail.

Joe took the 27.5+ titanium Why Cycles S7 to southeastern Utah for a bikepacking trip and trail rides on several Moab classics. Read the review to find out what this beautiful beast is all about, down to the engraved Ed Abbey quote and the torx-head bottle mount bolts…

With a belt drive, Pinion Gearbox, 27.5+ tires, and an oddly colored titanium frame, the Viral Skeptic might come off as something of a concept bike when it’s clean and shiney. But after a couple months getting it dirty, the sum of its parts equals a rather slick future-proof rig. Read our comprehensive review as well as a detailed look at the Pinion P1.12.