The Best Bikepacking Setup for the TransAmerica Trail
Our good friend Tyler of Ty's Rides is preparing his Obed MMR for an epic bikepacking trip on the TransAmerica Trail. Last year, he completed the western half of the trail, riding from Missouri to Astoria, Oregon—a 2,700-mile journey that took 26 days. This year, Ty will be completing the eastern half (with a twist). He will ride from the Missouri-Kansas border toward the eastern end of the TransAmerica Trail in Yorktown, Virginia. But instead of stopping there, he plans to head through Richmond and connect to the Atlantic Coast Route, eventually finishing in Boston.
With his experience on the TransAmerica Trail last year, his bikepacking setup is dialed. In his latest video, he walks us through his bags and gear, shows us how he sets up his MMR, and explains how he gets routes for these multi-week adventures:
My favorite aspect of Tyler's new bikepacking setup is the addition of the rear rack. After doing a few multiday trips myself with an overloaded seatbag, the idea of a convenient rear rack that doesn't sway and allows you to carry more is extremely appealing. Tyler took full advantage of the MMR's rack mounts and added a Topeak rack with a massive 20L Sea to Summit dry bag!
The rear rack setup also means Tyler was able to keep his RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper seatpost installed on his bike. A dropper isn't essential for bikepacking the TransAmerica Trail, but it will be a nice luxury on descents and for remounts when loaded up with gear. It's also a super handy spot to keep a spare AXS battery, just in case he needs to swap batteries with the rear derailleur.
As a school teacher, the summer break is the ideal time for Ty to have an epic bikepacking adventure. His Kansas City to Boston trip will start in late May, after school ends. Tyler will be posting daily updates on his Instagram and YouTube channel, so be sure to follow along! We're definitely excited to see how this trip unfolds.
Photos courtesy of Tyler Epstein/Ty's Rides.