SPECIALIZED BICYCLES COMMISSIONED 1000% TO CREATE THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO BIKE-PACKING: A MULTIMEDIA, FULL SPECTRUM STUDY DEMONSTRATING THE RANGE OF WHAT’S POSSIBLE WHEN A TEAM OF EXPLORERS IS FULLY AND EXPERTLY EQUIPPED WITH A LINE OF BEST-IN-CLASS ADVENTURE BICYCLES, THE RIGHT/WRONG GEAR, AND SOME MAPS TO HISTORICAL AND/OR OTHERWISE CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT “TRADE ROUTES” OVER THE WORLD’S MOST IMPRESSIVE MOUNTAINS.

FOR TWO YEARS, WE RODE, PUSHED, SHOVED AND DRAGGED OUR BIKES THROUGH GRIZZLY BEARS, SCIENCE FICTION HUMIDITY, BUSH PLANES, BUCKET CHICKEN, COCOA LEAVES, VOLCANIC ASH, AND LATE-SUMMER BLIZZARD-MONSOONS FOR MANY SELF-SUPPORTED DAYS AT A TIME, AND ONLY HAD TO GET HELICOPTER-RESCUED OFF A SOUTHERN ALP ONCE. WE MET LOCALS. WE DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING. WE PUBLISHED EVERYTHING, INCLUDING BUT IN NO WAY LIMITED TO LOTS OF MAPS AND BETA. WE EVEN DID SOME LITE MYTHBUSTING IN A TRAIN TUNNEL IN NORTHEASTERN VERMONT. POINT IS, WE DID AS CLOSE TO EVERYTHING ON THE BACK OF A BIKE AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE, FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT, EDUCATION AND INSPIRATION OF THE ENTIRE CATEGORY OF BIKE-PACKING—NOW ONE OF THE HOTTEST, MOST RELEVANT CATEGORIES WITHIN CYCLING. NOT TRYING TO BRAG TOO HARD, BUT WE DID SOME TRAILBLAZING, AND WE DID, IN FACT, LITERALLY WRITE THE BOOK.