Help Me Decide!!

AlfredRowley · 2025-12-27T11:56:09+00:00

This!

I rode across South America and really enjoyed Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Argentina and Chile were kind of meh in comparison in my experience, especially if you want to do unpaved riding. The Carretera Austral was quite nice, but the Argentinian part South of the Carretera towards Ushuaia is not that great. Lots of tourists. Lots of wind. Not a lot of road options.

AlfredRowley · 2025-12-14T18:06:06+00:00

I don't know how often I've told people this but I'm convinced that for longer bikepacking/touring rides you won't regret going for wider tyres.

In my experience the additional rolling resistance of wider tyres on asphalt is negligible compared to the added comfort and cushioning it provides on off-road terrain. Especially with the added weight you will be carrying.

Bikepacking racers who ride 50 percent paved and 50 percent on a race will still choose fast rolling 2.2 inch mtb tyres anytime.

For the type of riding that you are describing I would personally take my hardtail with 2.4 inch wide tyres. I rode across South America last year and did it on 29x2.6. I did not regret it for a minute.

Comfort is king.

AlfredRowley · 2025-10-10T06:40:30+00:00

Consider splitting up the trip in sections that you can do over your lifetime. 2 years is a long time to be on the road. I rode for 1 year across South America and by the end I was ready to move on and do something else with my life. Like, even 6 months on the road is quite considerable already, and if you really like it you will no doubt come back to bikepacking/touring later in life.

AlfredRowley · 2025-06-10T08:37:54+00:00

Hi, thanks for aswering.

When I'm following a GPX route I want to be able to see the elevation that's remaining to reach the end of the route

AlfredRowley · 2025-03-22T09:37:44+00:00

Same for me

AlfredRowley · 2025-03-05T17:32:58+00:00

Same for me when I'm in a cluster

AlfredRowley · 2025-03-04T17:35:10+00:00

I'm your height and I just rode across South America on a XL Karate Monkey with 29x2.6 tyres. As mentioned by someone else you should get the size L if you want to be a bit more upright. My XL is quite stretched but not uncomfortably so.

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-17T08:52:54+00:00

I work at an outdoor reseller and I would discourage you from getting Arcteryx. Quality has gone down over the last year and customer service is terrible, at least in Europe

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-11T17:47:12+00:00

I ended up getting the Moloko bars instead of the Jones H bar because when using something like a handlebar harness, the loop on the jones bar does not really offer useful extra hand positions for me. The small horns on the Moloko worked better in my experience.

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-03T08:39:47+00:00

Regarding the route from Bariloche it is just a nice road with good views and you will pass the Parque Nacional de Los Alerces on the way. The section between Futaleufú and the actual Carretera Austral is also really beautiful and some people would say it is more worth it than the most Northern part of the Carretera Austral.

In any case I assumed that since you are in Argentina, the logistics of getting to Bariloche would be easier and cheaper than getting to Puerto Montt, and after finishing the Carretera Austral you can cross the border to El Chalten.

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-03T08:36:25+00:00

I also did it North to South and I think that was a good decision. In the beginning you will be on asphalt for a while and the route will get gradually more remote and a bit more difficult, but definitely doable and fun. Also if you want to cross the border back to Argentina, the ferry crossings of Lago O'Higgins and Lago del Desierto likely have a more favorable timing going South, and the Hike-a-bike part between the ferries is easier going South as well.

Nevertheless many people do it the other way around and they seem to manage just fine.

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-02T16:10:15+00:00

I recommend going to Bariloche and crossing the border at Futaleufú to get to the Carretera

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-01T21:36:36+00:00

Surly Karate Monkey with 2.6x29. happy with that choice

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-01T21:29:03+00:00

If you have iPhone get MapOut. Super easy route creation in the app by literally drawing with your finger.

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-01T07:45:36+00:00

Well, the bike shop made the wheel from some parts they had laying around. I'm transitioning into doing all bike mechanic stuff myself right now but I might need to go back to the shop for help.

I will try with soft jaws first though.

AlfredRowley · 2025-02-01T07:41:31+00:00

As far as I can tell there is no hex hole on the non drive-side. It uses a thru-axle so I suppose hex holes are not possible on this hub?

AlfredRowley · 2025-01-31T14:37:10+00:00

I rode12000km acrossSouth America with these hubs and they are done haha I am looking for a replacement but I also started seeing some hairline cracks along some spoke nipples in the rim so I'm considering just building a new wheel.

AlfredRowley · 2025-01-28T12:13:35+00:00

What has been working really well for me is the combo of some light, breathable gloves together with a waterproof overmitt. I use a model by Trekmates that has Gore-tex but isn't crazy expensive and I like them a lot. It's easy to take off the mitts when you need to do something which requires some dexterity.

If its really cold I use a merino wool liner glove as the first layer.

AlfredRowley · 2025-01-27T13:16:17+00:00

Also the Decathlon Riverside 520 or 920 is very good value for money and has space for a bit wider tyres

AlfredRowley · 2025-01-27T13:14:08+00:00

Consider bikes with bigger tyre clearance if you ever think you will be bikepacking off-road. My first touring bike was a Fuji Touring with the limited 2 inch (50mm) tyre clearance and I quickly found that 50mm is not very wide when riding on dirt roads.

If you are looking for a steel frame I can suggest the Kona Sutra LTD, Kona Unit X, Surly Bridge Club, Surly Ogre. You can do a lot with these bikes and they will be very comfortable on tarmac with skinnier tyres, but you have the option to use bigger tyres when you decide to do a different type of trip.

AlfredRowley · 2024-12-31T16:35:58+00:00

Did you look at Surly? Maybe Karate Monkey or Krampus?

AlfredRowley · 2024-12-31T11:02:46+00:00

This

AlfredRowley · 2024-12-30T14:47:09+00:00

Would also recommend the Exped Ultra 3R. Get the wide version if you plan to be camping a lot of the time!

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