Revelate Designs

Upgraded to a BarYak Bikepack Carrying System

Like most of us, COVID-19 has me locked down from doing any serious long-distance riding. So I’ve begun fiddling with my bike to get it set up for future adventures when better days arrive. If I can’t pedal long-distance, I might as well tweak the bike and ponder journeys to come.

Enter the BarYak Expedition

Always looking to improve the comfort of my ride, I installed a BakYak bike pack carrying system on the Co-Motion Divide. Before, I’d been resting my forearms directly on top of the Jones Loop H-Bar and gripped the Gnarwal. Of the various configurations, I settled on the BarYak Expedition SL 2020 – 35 that includes Peregrine arm rests, and a carbon crossbar & bar ends.

To accommodate the extension rails for the mounting system and keep the sweepy 45° handlebars, I replaced the Jones Loop H-Bar with a Jones Bend H-Bar. I also kept the Jones Gnarwal but shortened it due to the forward mounting position. I found one center grip more comfortable than two bar-ends a then ends of the crossbar.

In addition to a pretty sweet aero riding position and comfy forearm rests, the loop carrying setup for the handlebar bag improved the ability to carry gear under and forward of the handlebar in a “hammock” fashion. For added stability, I kept the pair of ROK straps to secure the load.

New cockpit setup with the BarYak and the Jones Bend handlebar.

Solid Components

Everything about the BarYak Expedition SL is a quality build. The rails are anodized CNC machined aluminum. The Peregrine Arm rests are thick and comfortable and attach to the mounts via super secure velcro patches. The ample padding is much easier on my forearms than the bare aluminum bars I previously used. Note: If you’re running 31.8mm handlebars, you’ll need to purchase a set of shims as the BarYak is set up for 35mm handlebars.

Real Estate for Gadgets

The bracket and armrest mounting plates have plenty of room to mount digital accouterments. A Gino Light Mount bolted to an extension rail made a secure location to mount the Quad-Lock for the iPhone, which, save for the Garmin inReach GPS tracker, is the only electronic gadget I use nowadays.

Hows It Ride?

In short, the BarYak is a pretty comfortable addition to the Divide. On local rides, I find myself spending more and more time on the armrests grasping the Gnarwal and spinning away the miles. Spending long hours in the saddle day after day, a comfortable aero position is just a more relaxed way to ride.

If you’re in the market for an aero bike packing handlebar gear set up, the BarYak Expedition is worth a look. Joe Stiller and his team at BarYak have come up with a winning setup I highly recommend. See you out there. Cheers.

My Hybrid Long-Distance Setup

by Johnny Isaak ·

One of the most often asked questions I receive from the people I meet along the way and on my blog is, “What and how do you carry all of your stuff?”

To share with other riders who are interested in how other bicycle travelers, or at least how one other traveler sets up their/his rig, I’ve put together a few points on the kit I travel with, how I carry it, the basic method I used to determine the two in the hopes other riders will benefit.

Adventure Setup for Kyoto Japan

by Johnny Isaak ·

As Shanghai sets into late autumn and golden leaves begin to fall, adventure calls. Destination: Historic Kyoto, Japan.

Kyoto is an excellent cycling destination. Bicycles are an integral part of the residents’ personal transportation. Travel websites tout the city is one of the most bicycle-friendly in Japan. So, the cycling should be fairly relaxed and easy.

Below is a quick rundown of our base plan and the setup.

Updating the Co-Motion Divide

by Johnny Isaak ·

Tweaking my bike’s set up is almost as fun as taking long bike rides. It’s a never-ending evolutionary process of trying to build a cleaner, more reliable ride produces the purest, hassle-free travel experience. Each cycling journey provides me with a few ideas on how I can improve the Divide’s set up. Last summer’s family cycling adventure around the island of Hokkaido, Japan was no exception.

After using some of my bike’s kit to outfit my wife and daughter’s bicycles for our trek through Japan’s northern most island. I was in need of a couple of new bags and pouches for the Divide, plus some minor tweaking to sweeten the ride. Here’s a quick rundown of what I came up with.

What’s on the Bike? Setup for an Australian Bike Adventure

by Johnny Isaak ·

My bags are packed. The Divide is ready to roll. Distant horizons of the burnt red sun of the Australian Outback call.

Setting up a bike and kit for a long journey is an ongoing ever evolving process of tweaking and changing, deleting this and adding that. For me, it’s just the nature of the beast.

Setting up my rig and kit for Australia was a pretty casual affair. In the Land Down Under, I’m rolling fairly light and not over thinking the gear. Other than protection from the elements, a few items to keep the bike rolling, and a camera and notebook to document the journey, not much more is needed.

Co-Motion Divide Rohloff: A Long-Term Review

by Johnny Isaak ·

Quest for a ‘Heavenly Horse’

Is the Co-Motion Divide Rohloff the right expedition touring bike for you? Read here and find out.

Over 2000 years ago in 130 BCE, Emperor Wudi of the Chinese Han Dynasty sent an army numbering 60,000 men deep into the heart of central Asia to the fertile Ferghana Valley, an important conduit along the old Silk Road located in modern day western Uzbekistan to acquire the fabled, almost mythical and much desired blood-sweating ‘Heavenly Horses’ of Dayuan to help fight the Xiongnu who threatened China.

Just as Emperor Wudi was in search of legendary Ferghana Horses, I was in search of a hardier breed of bike, a stalwart steed, a ‘Heavenly Horse’ of sorts that would confidently carry me to and from distant lands and the fringes of my imagination. At the end of my search, I settled on a Co-Motion Divide Rohloff, which I’ve owned and ridden for fourteen months and ridden over 10,000 kilometers.