Building an Adventure Bike for the Silk Road Mountain Race— Experience by Bike
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The Decision
In Decemeber 2020 I was scrolling through Instagram and saw that registration for the Kyrgystan-based Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR) had opened up. Ever since the inaugural race in 2018, I’ve been fascinated with the event — I’ve watched the film Wild Horses by PEdAL ED numerous times, and have tracked down all YouTube videos, blogs, and podcast interviews I could get my hands on. It only took a matter of minutes after seeing that Instagram post to decide I was going to sign up for the 2021 race. As I was anxiously awaiting the approval of my application, my mind wandered to the bike and gear setup I would use for this grueling adventure. Recently, I’ve been looking to make the move to a drop bar gravel bike with additional tire clearance, and the Boltcutter Peacemaker Gravel+ fit the bill as a bike that could tackle whatever adventures I choose to throw at it. In addition, I value being a part of and supporting a close knit community of awesome people, which is what you’ll find with the teams from boltcuttercycles.com and HiFi Sound Cycling Components.
The Foundation
Frame: Boltcutter Peacermaker Gravel+ in Bauhaus Black (54cm) — Link (Boltcutter)
Fork: Whisky Parts Co. №9 MCX Fork — Link (Whisky)
Functional benefits that I like about the Boltcutter Peacemaker+ for bikepacking:
- Generous tire clearance (650b x 2.1 and 29x2.0/700x50c)
- Threaded BSA 30 bottom bracket (convenience!)
- Three bolt on water bottle mounts and a bolt on top tube mount
- Ability to run 1x or 2x
- Ability to choose an adventure fork, race fork, or the Whisky Parts Co. №9 MCX Fork
- The Boltcutter Peacemaker+ is already a tried and true bikepacking and ultra-distance machine
- Custom logo (I’m a big fan of the subtle dark green that matches the PNW vibe)
Why I chose the Whisky Parts Co. №9 MCX Fork:
- Internal dynamo cable routing
- Additional tire clearance (650bx2.4 or 700x51c)
- Three-pack mounts
The Kicks
Hoops: HiFi Hootenanny23 — Link (HiFi)
Freehub: XDR Driver
Axles: 12mmF/12mmR
Spokes: 32h 3x Sapim CX-Rays
Nipples: Brass
Rear Hub: Fidelity M Disc
Front Hub: Shutter Precision PL-7 Dynamo — Link (SP)
Inserts: CushCore (I have the XC model) — Link (Nashbar) | Link (CushCore)
Tires: WTB Venture 700x50c — Link (Moosejaw) | Link (Nashbar)
Why I chose Hifi Wheels:
In the Oregon cyclocross scene, HiFi wheels have made themselves known. In addition to beautiful custom graphics, you’ll spot plenty of these wheelsets shredding through the gravel, dirt, mud, and muck. They have a variety of options to choose from, and will build them to your specifications. For my ultra-racing purposes I decided to go with the Hootenanny23s, laced to a Shutter Precision Dynamo PL-7 front hub, with brass nipples for additional durability. Josh is also incredibly helpful if you have any questions about your wheelset needs.
CushCore XC on a gravel bike:
I know of a few cyclists who have raced on CushCore for ultra-endurance events: Jay Petervary and Jacob Hora in the 2020 Utah Mixed Epic, and Jesse Blough in the 2020 Atlas Mountain Race. This piqued my interest because I’m always interested in adding a touch more comfort or durability to the ride. While they do add ~150g of weight to each wheel, I’ve already found myself comforted by them after a night ride where I rolled over an unseen pothole and was not met with the stomach dropping “thunk” that often accompanies such a mistake. In fact, two years ago I was one week in to riding on a new wheelset with my road bike, when I hit a pothole that dented the rim lip. While I’m not concerned about the resiliency of the HiFi Hootenannys, I do like give them that additional bit of protection for when I find myself in the middle of Kyrgystan navigating a rocky descent. As an added bonus, after install of the CushCore on to my rims I was easily able to set up my tubeless tires with a hand pump, a task I typically have to use a compressor or CO2 cartridge for.
Drivetrain
Shifters: SRAM Rival 22 (left lever brake only) — Link (Moosejaw) | Link (Nashbar)
Rear Derailleur: SRAM Rival 1 Long Cage — Link (Moosejaw) | Link (Nashbar)
Cranks: Easton EA90 — Link (Nashbar)
Crank Preloader: Cane Creek EEwing — Link (Nashbar)
Bottom Bracket: FSA MegaEvo (with 2 x 2.5mm spacers) — Link (Nashbar)
Chainring: Absolute Black 34T (oval) — Link (Nashbar)
Cassette: SRAM XG 1150 10–42T — Link (REI)
Jagwire Pro 1x Shift Kit — Link (Nashbar)
Jagwire Pro Polished Brake Kit — Link (Nashbar)
Reliability and simplicity:
I chose 1x for the simplicity and also for the ability to run a larger tire width. Rival was the easy choice because of the durability + price point. I decided on the Easton EA90 cranks due to the flexibility that they offer: convenience of the cinch system for swapping chainrings, and the ability to swap from 1x or 2x. Prior to this, I have never used an oval chainring, but I was intrigued to give it a shot. At first the new feeling took some getting used to, but I’m a huge fan of the setup for those long grindings climbs where the oval system really shines. For SRMR I’ll probably drop down to a 28T or 30T since I won’t really need that top end speed.
Cockpit
Handlebars: Zipp Service Course SL70 XLPR (44cm) — Link (Nashbar)
Stem: Zipp Service Course (90mm) — Link (Nashbar)
Bar Tape: Zipp Service Course — Link (Nashbar)
Additional: Fizik Bar Gel — Link (Nashbar)
Profile Design T3+ aero bars (not pictured)
Sinewave Cycles Beacon Dynamo Light (not pictured) — Link (Sinewave)
I like the looks:
For the cockpit pieces, I primarily just liked the looks of the Zipp Service Course setup. I chose the SL70 XLPR handlebars since they’re a little lighter than the non-SL version, and they provide a slight flare for comfort. Bar gel was added as a means of comfort for those long days in the saddle on less than ideal terrain. The aero bars are incredibly valuable for adding additional mounting points (phone, lights, garmin) and additional hand positions. I have also found that staying in the aero bars will keep weight off my sit bones, so I have the benefit of alleviating both hand and saddle pressure with multiple positions.
Dynamo powered light:
The Sinewave Cycles Beacon will be powered by my dynamo hub. In addition to providing light, the Beacon has a USB port in the back that allows me to charge other electronic accessories (phone, cache batteries, backup light). This is invaluable in a place like Kyrgystan where the ability to recharge gear will be limited.
Components:
Seatpost: Whisky №7 Seatpost (offset) — Link (Whisky)
Seatpost Clamp: Wolf Tooth Components — Link (Wolf Tooth)
Pedals: Shimano XT (SPD) — Link (Jenson)
Brake Calipers: TRP Spyre-C — Link (Jenson)
Brake Pads: Truckerco Sintered Metallic Pads — Link (Truckerco)
Brake Rotors: SRAM Centerline 160mm (front and rear) — Link (Moosejaw) | Link (Nashbar)
Brake Caliper Adapters: SRAM 140mm-160mm adapters
Saddle: Ergon SM Comp — Link (Nashbar)
Mechanical convenience:
I chose mechanical disc brakes for the convenient maintenance, which holds tremendous value while traveling or racing internationally. While they certainly don’t have the hard bite that hydraulic brakes do, I’ve been impressed the the TRP Spyres modulation and ease of adjustment. An added bonus is that they’re an incredibly light brake set and have dual pistons unlike the popular single piston Avid BB7 mechanical brakes. The downfall is that they’re incredibly difficult to find right now. I was fortunate to snag this set from an eBay listing.
Additional
3M Scotchgard Clear Paint Protection
3M Bike Reflective Tape
Wolf Tooth Components B-RAD 3-Slot Mounting Base — Link (REI)
Notes:
I use the Scotchguard protective tape at any location where my bikepackings bags or straps may cause friction against my frame. I’ve had a half-frame bag wear down the paint of my aluminum road bike to the point of only seeing aluminum — I don’t want that happening on a carbon frame. The reflective tape is for safety purposes, I put strips down my seat stays, on each side of my fork, and on my cranks. The B-RAD is a phenomenal system for relocating your water bottle to accommodate for bikepacking bags.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this post, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments! If you would like to support Experience by Bike, please check out the support page here.
Originally published at https://experiencebybike.com on March 7, 2021.
