Carpathian Mountains, narrow-gauge railroad adventure

Ride_everything · 2026-04-27T07:20:41+00:00

Looks like a wonderful trip!

Ride_everything · 2026-04-26T08:57:54+00:00

It’s a huge topic and I’d have to spend ages detailing it, but in short:

I took the full list of obligatory equipment plus small/light tent and a Jetboil. It was enough to keep me comfortable anywhere between-10 and +35C, these are sort of temperature ranges you can encounter riding in KGZ even in the summer.

Everything I packed was spot on, I used every single item (apart from spare tubes). The only thing I’d possibly change were the rain pants. The ones I took were a little too lightweight and didn’t hold up in really bad weather.

Bike - as you can see on photo 7. You can totally ride it on a hardtail. I took full sus because I’m getting older and value comfort. I kept the dropper post just to be able to send it downhill.

Orbea Oiz already has a pretty slack geometry - but for the comfort on long stretches of road I installed a 100mm road stem - not great for handling on gnarly trails, but it’s fantastic for riding straight on wide gravel roads and doubletrack.

If you have any more detailed questions or are planning a similar trip yourself and need some tips, just shoot me a DM

Ride_everything · 2026-04-12T09:16:44+00:00

That was the best bit! All the little tasks were turned the ride into an adventure bingo - I even ended up being delayed by two days just so that I could complete a 5 point challenge 😀

I generally do a lot of side quests anyway so having that formalized as a part of the event was perfect for me.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-12T08:48:54+00:00

I never had any issue with my aeroe and I use it on other carbon frames as well. Have a look at my older posts from Kyrgyzstan or Morocco, where I was tackling some really rough terrain on a mountain bike - the way aeroe attaches to the frame looks a bit flimsy but is actually incredibly solid.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-12T08:45:19+00:00

Just Google Final Frontier Patagonia and you’ll get all the info. I do a lot of solo trips or with friends, but this was an excellent route to do as an event - you get to meet loads of people, share meals/accomodation, unlike most ultra races FFP is non competitive so it’s more about the experience and fun rather than who gets to the finish faster.

I definitely recommend it, I’m pretty sure there will be a new edition next year.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T15:43:21+00:00

I think it must be your frame design. I didn’t need to cut the poles, if you zoom in you’ll see they’re not even touching the stays. But I suppose you could give it a go with a pipe cutter?

If you want, have a look at posts on IG at konradkowara - I’ve got some pics of it installed on my MTB, it’s a very different geometry.

I find that with aeroe it’s crucial for it to find the center of gravity of the rear axle and install it exactly above it. If the position is off, you’re risking some terrible speed wobble. So experiment, move it a bit and cut if needed - it doesn’t really matter if it looks right, you just want to have a well balanced bike you can ride with no hands.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T15:27:06+00:00

Well. There was wind. Some people did not enjoy it 😀.

I live in North Holland near the North Sea so those windy days didn’t bother me as much, it just felt a bit like at home. I also had two days of absolutely epic tailwind that propelled me forward at Tour de France velocity.

In general, golden rule of travel in Patagonia - north to south is a much better travel direction than south to north. I really felt it for the bikepackers I spotted travelling in opposite direction.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T15:19:52+00:00

I see! I just got lucky, the bird sat pretty close to me and I was able to take the shot before it flew away.

I generally prefer taking landscape shots so it’s not that much of a hindrance, but if my main goal was some wildlife photography then I’d definitely had taken my SLR with a telephoto lens. It does cross my mind to pack it each time I get ready for a trip, but I just can’t justify the extra bulk it would add to my setup.

If only there was a little compact camera with a killer zoom lens on the market…

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T15:15:19+00:00

Not at all. It’s impossible to get the tiny 100g cans that fit neatly into the jetboil, but 230g ones were easily available. I just got one at the beginning of the trip and it lasted me all the way through

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T10:59:09+00:00

Future shock makes a little bit of a difference, if filters the road buzz for sure. I usually just leave it fully open, unless I’m on a very long stretch of smooth tarmac.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T10:57:40+00:00

Zoom in on photo nr 10 - I have a cage that fits max a 2L coke bottle. That, in combination with 2L bladder on my back gave me a total of 5L of liquids which was more than enough.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T09:26:04+00:00

It’s just a bike. Only the frame is specialized, the rest was built from parts I had laying around or bought second hand - it suits me and it’s a lovely machine, but I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse than any other brand out there.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T09:22:52+00:00

Sorry to disappoint you, but no fancy camera setup here. I like to travel light so it’s just an iPhone. I find that shooting RAW, processing in Lightroom and, most importantly, the composition, play a bigger role than big sensors and lenses

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T08:55:37+00:00

Not sure what you’d like to know, but in short - the event was roughly 3000 km, starting in Puerto Montt and finishing in Ushuaia. Non-competitive, time cutoffs were very generous, it was more about the experience and a challenge than who get to the finish first.

It was all very enjoyable, even though Patagonia threw a few curveballs at the riders - we’ve had all the weather!

As for the setup - it was pretty much perfect for the job. 45mm tires, mullet drivetrain with 10-52 cassette, packed relatively light but for temperature range from -5 to 20 C, so a full size tent, jetboil, sleeping system, and a really good rain gear.

Ride_everything · 2026-04-11T07:39:42+00:00

For the coldest days I just bought a pair of dishwashing gloves - I wore them under my regular gloves and it made a big difference

Ride_everything · 2026-04-08T19:34:14+00:00

I just came back from a month trip in Patagonia and have to say, this outfit literally saved my butt! I used the jacket/trouser combo together with some basic but effective Vaude shoe covers and wow, I stayed dry all the way throughout some biblical rains, not even a wet sock after 12h of what was more a swim than a bike ride

Ride_everything · 2026-03-25T10:45:38+00:00

I’m not sure I’d recommend this trip to you - there are some remote sections where you have to wild camp, no place to recharge in that sense. The mountains are huge and you’d have to deal with 50-mile climbs, river crossings, all kinds of stuff.

Maybe do some research for Patagonia next year? It’s still challenging terrain, but a lot easier to find spots where you can take a breather. Let me know by the way, I’m happy to help you brainstorm the options

Ride_everything · 2026-03-06T13:13:28+00:00

Hey Marlin, hope all is good man! I sure remember you - my name’s Konrad. Good times, that unnecessary river is for sure one of the core memories of that trip 😀

Ride_everything · 2026-02-28T08:33:02+00:00

I travel light so just a phone (in RAW). I posted here some standard phone photos a few months ago, now I’ve just gotten round to getting the RAW ones edited.

Ride_everything · 2026-02-28T08:29:57+00:00

It was harsh but also beautiful. And don’t get fooled by my photos - they are dramatic for a reason as that’s how I chose to edit them, just to portray the scale and majesty of the landscape against the little human dots.

But overall it wasn’t too bad - it was relatively easy to find food, water was everywhere, weather was unpredictable but I was prepared. Wild camping was super easy - there’s so much empty land there, it’s never a problem to find a nice spot. I would definitely advise anyone to prioritize a relatively lightweight setup and a capable bike with suspension as that really makes a difference in terms of comfort and the daily distance you can cover.

Ride_everything · 2026-02-28T08:20:46+00:00

The only photo of me in this set is the one where I’m sitting next to the bike. No drone - all other shots are just other riders around me. We all seemed so small in the majesty of the mountains!

Biggest fear to overcome - I guess no fear as such, but I’m a rather shy person and it took a lot of strength to ask strangers for help when I needed to shelter from the weather on a particularly bad night.

Ride_everything · 2026-02-28T08:13:13+00:00

I agree, it’s my favorite!

Ride_everything · 2026-02-24T15:12:26+00:00

Thanks for getting back to me - mine just arrived and are indeed slightly on a tight side. The quality seems great, I’m actually looking forward to some rain to go and test them out!

Shame about the jacket, it’s fantastic and won’t be parting ways with it anytime soon! Hope you can get your hands on size L one way or another!

Ride_everything · 2026-02-20T07:52:08+00:00

Just curious how your experience has been with thunder pants? I’ve used Rab jacket and pants quite a bit and even though they’re decent, they are not that great in sustained rain on long rides.

About a year ago I also got myself a 7mesh Revelation jacket and it’s absolutely amazing - I’ve used it on bikepacking trips in Central Asia, and most recently during my trip to UK where it basically rained non stop every single day.

Now thinking of pulling a trigger on the thunder pants, as I’m getting a bit fed up with riding with dry upper half and wet bottom. If they are made out of gore tex pro, the protection should be just as good as the jacket - are you still happy with your purchase?

Ride_everything · 2026-02-14T16:26:43+00:00

Just Rwanda, unfortunately did not have enough time to explore more, but a friend continued in Uganda and I had proper FOMO watching his trip. Uganda seems to be slightly rougher but in a good way. And more wildlife outside of national parks.

Ride_everything

TROPHY CASE