Silk Road Mountain Race: the winning set-up

This the bike I used in Kyrgyzstan to race and win the Silk Road Mountain Race 2022. A 1900km long bikepacking event with 32.000m of climbing, in the high mountains of the Pamir and the Tian Shan.
Complete build is as follows:
Vitus Rapide CRX full carbon frame
Rockshox Sid ultimate 120mm fork
Hunt All Mountain carbon wheels with SON dynamo hub
René Herse Fleecer ridge endurance tires
Crankset, derailleur, brakes, cassette, chain: Shimano XT m8100 12sp 30 - 10/51
Shimano XT pedals
Shimano XT rotors 180/180
Redshift ShockStop seat post
Ritchey wcs stem
Ritchey wcs carbon flat bar
Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle
Ergon Gs3 grips
Profile T3+ aerobars
Supernova M99 DY Pro front light / E3 tail light
Hammerhead Karoo 2 GPS
Miss Grape bags: Cluster 13, custom frame bag, Node adventure, Node road and 2 Buds
Check out my collection of the race on Komoot: www.komoot.com...

[@p504504]

You are just the BEST. No nonsense stuff, minimalist but also very logical. Friendly personality. An inspiration. Cheers from Hungary.

[@sofianeshl]

Thanks man, I appreciate it 🙏

[@smellyelle8422]

Looking forward to your 2022 SRMBR video too 😊

[@nl3712]

Great overview, thank you

[@yassinejouabri4932]

Love what you do champion,inspiring. May god protect you.

[@samehghanmi4487]

Congrats Sofiane! Great video as always. Looking forward for more awesome content 💪

[@rottieshepcalibre9156]

Amazing athlete

[@DrTommyGouranga576]

Dear Sofiane, What Size wheels do you choose? Thank you for sharing your set up with us.

[@sofianeshl]

I run 29" wheels with 2.25" tires

[@chrisrennie9290]

Thanks! Would be just as curious to see a breakdown of your daily bike courier setup!

[@sofianeshl]

I've actually stopped working as a courier to focus on bikepacking

[@ralphmartinez9919]

Congrats and thanks for the video. Before knowing about you i would never have considered a vitus bike

[@sofianeshl]

Go for it, they're great!

[@fonsovilela1167]

Thanks Sofiane. Congratulations for you race. You are a big champion. Saludos desde Spain.

[@adriantait3525]

Thank you for sharing!

[@stevenutepass7671]

Good job friend, crossed paths with bikepacker where I live on TD and he told me you won another! Unreal, your amazing! Was great to just see you in the zone my place on TD even if you didn't need water or sleep at 9:40 pm heading into silverthorne/Breckenridge Colorado before Ute pass. Pleasure was cool just seeing you cruise like no other around hill on ride. Never seen someone ride the way you did.

[@sofianeshl]

Winning two back to back races with very little time for recovery between them seemed like a crazy enough challenge for me to try it. I almost failed... My body was saying "No mas". Thankfully my mind came to the rescue and with willpower more than with pure fitness, I could cross the finish line in first position again.

[@ericlerouge3387]

Great bike thanks for sharing !

[@sofianeshl]

Thank you Eric Lerouge

[@FaiscaaaH]

Congratulations Sofiane 💪💪

[@BretSchnitzer]

Congratulations on Silk Road and Divide. Great video. Very informative! Thanks.

[@santibaiona]

Great, informative video Sofiane. Your recommendations will come in handy for future updates for my own mountain bike. 😉👍

[@sofianeshl]

Always happy to help

[@GG-si7fw]

Thanks for the bike overview. We're there any problems with bugs, like mosquitoes or Flys that bite?

[@sofianeshl]

There's a lot of mosquitoes between Steamboat and Kremmling

[@alex_n8863]

Cheers dude, look forward to the next vid!

[@sofianeshl]

Give it a few weeks and it'll be here 🤙

[@Simon-tg7jg]

Congrats and thanks for the informative vid. !

[@davidzimmer1773]

Did you ever consider a dropper post? It would be great to learn what kind of tools and spare parts you brought along. Congratulations again to this great race and victory. I was constantly watching the dots durging the race and this became a running gag in my family ;-)

[@sofianeshl]

If you want to see my tools and spares, check out my video about my TD kit list 😉

[@laurentponce3565]

Bravo Sofiane ! Et merci pour la vidéo ✌️

[@sofianeshl]

Avec plaisir 😊

[@GG-si7fw]

Congratulations on your win. Love the setup. What tire pressures are you running? Which tubeless valves do you use on your wheels? Did you weigh your bike with everything on it? I'm curious as to how heavy everything is. I'm going to guess 30 kg with the bike weighing 12 kg.

[@sofianeshl]

I used conventional valves. Not sure exactly what pressure I was running. I eyeball it. I didn't weigh my set-up but it should be much lighter than 30kg. Most likely less than 20.

[@johnbodenchuk514]

Congratulations on an amazing effort and result.

[@lazyac_]

tu prépares ou règle ta fourche d'une certaine manière pour ce genre d'event?

[@sofianeshl]

Non. je suis débutant en suspension, du coup j'y touche pas trop

[@michelepirovano4135]

Well done Sofiane! Thanx for the inspiration!

[@francoispaquin9996]

Merci du partage!

[@zer0kelvin212]

congrats on both races! thank you for sharing

[@EvidenceofaFabulousLife]

Hi Sofiane, congratulations for both the Tour Divide and Silk Road wins! Did you have that same seat post for the TD? We didn’t get to see the bike much on the TD video. Are you riding Badlands this year? All the best, Tim

[@sofianeshl]

No I had a Niner RDO carbon seatpost for Tour Divide, as it's not as rough. I won't be riding Badlands, instead I'm going away on a much needed holiday :)

[@EvidenceofaFabulousLife]

@@sofianeshl thank you! Enjoy! 😉

[@thenicoalfonso]

Any specific reasons you use the XT pedals and not XTR? Thank you.

[@sofianeshl]

No reason. I have both and love them equally

[@hansholger8897]

May i ask you which size of the rapid are you riding and how rall are? I would guess both xl?

[@sofianeshl]

I'm 180cm and I'm riding a L

[@MrNathBlack]

Wah quelles perfs entre la Tour divide et la SRMR! Merci pour ce partage, inspirant et super motivant!

[@simonstucki]

such a nice bike setup you have there, and obviously it did work well. thanks for sharing! one question though do you ride with gloves? ;)

[@axxxel83]

His hands are not teinted, I guess this answers your question.

[@simonstucki]

@@axxxel83 yes, I noticed, I was trying to be funny...

[@axxxel83]

@@simonstucki Ah, Du hast es versucht...

[@007pikes]

What made you sick in the initial days of the race?

[@sofianeshl]

Just the fatigue and the cold temperatures on top of the passes. But it was before the race actually.

[@julesleguern5455]

Tu mentionnes des problèmes au nerf ulnaire. As tu eu ce genre de problème avant d'opter pour cette config ?

[@sofianeshl]

Oui j'ai eu ces problèmes par le passé

[@thenicoalfonso]

Do you still run the Rene Herse extralights on tamer gravel routes or just any non-racing events for fun?

[@sofianeshl]

I run extralight on paved roads and for shorter gravel events.

[@Periskop55]

Очень продуманый набор деталей.Вы используете грязезащитные щитки на колёсах?

[@sofianeshl]

никогда не пользуюсь брызговиками

[@Ichtyosapiens]

Congratulations for your win and thanks for your video. Which device do you use for charging your electric devices via your dynamo hub?

[@sofianeshl]

I use power banks to charge my devices

[@sebastienemir151]

super sympa merci. Un vrai vélo de warrior :)

[@sofianeshl]

Il faut bien ça vu la rugosité du terrain 😁

[@sebastienemir151]

@@sofianeshl en plus il a pris cher :)

[@MultiStream950]

Hello Sofiane,Je souhaiterai savoir si la meme configuration serait bien pour une course comme la french divide ?

[@sofianeshl]

Oui, ce serait nickel pour une french divide

[@MultiStream950]

@@sofianeshl merci 🙂

[@mihaurs2]

I’d Love to see your gear list for this race. Especially camp set up.

[@sofianeshl]

You can find it on bikepacking.com

[@mihaurs2]

@@sofianeshl thanks! Just wondering: only one bib shorts for whole race? Do You treat them with some special soft cleaning (like antibacterial)?

[@sofianeshl]

@@mihaurs2 Yes just one pair of bib shorts. I hand wash them every three or four days.

[@mihaurs2]

@@sofianeshl thanks! Appreciate. There are a lot videos about gear, bikes or races but less about tips during such demanding races.

[@tomas7403]

Hi Sofiane, after finishing the race, do you still prefer a 120 mm fork instead of a 100 mm for this kind of terrain?

[@sofianeshl]

I think a 100mm travel fork would work as well and would be lighter. The bike came with 120mm and replacing it didn't seem cost effective.

[@tomas7403]

@@sofianeshl I thought that but thanks for confirm, and congrats for de win.

[@Foxtrottangoabc]

Congrats Sofiane great ride great time ! , thanks for sharing your bike setup 👍 , interesting to see u used a seat suspension . I keep looking at the vitus rapide hardtail for my first 29er , might get aluminium one , if its good enough for you definitely good enough for me 👍💪 look forward to your upcoming adventures and vids 🙂

[@sofianeshl]

You can be sure you'll get your money's worth if you chose Vitus.

[@tim2480]

Do you use your SON Dynamo also to charge your batteries besides the lights? And if yes - what System are you using for that :)

[@sofianeshl]

I only use my dynamo hub to power my lights. I have power banks to charge my devices

[@tim2480]

@@sofianeshl Thank you very much! I am asking because I think about getting a Dyamo for the Three Peaks Race and dont have experience in multi day races yet. Do you have a recommendation for powerbanks or how many mah you calculate per day? Do you Charge them on the go in restaurants or do they have to hold up the whole race? Greetings from Stuttgart 🤙🏻

[@sofianeshl]

@@tim2480 I carry two 10.000mah power banks that I charge in hotels

[@tim2480]

@@sofianeshl Thank you :)

[@markjones3551]

Great video….can I ask your height and size of bike please as Im looking at getting one of these and inbetween the medium and large size and cant decide 👍🏻

[@sofianeshl]

If you're going to use it for bikepacking, go with the large. You will have more room for a frame bag

[@markjones3551]

@@sofianeshl going to use it to get fit and Im 173cm tall

[@sofianeshl]

@@markjones3551 Go with a Medium then

[@dodginglions5163]

Congratulations on another awesome win!…thanks for sharing this video, very informative!…just wondering what rear hub you have on that bike?…😎

[@sofianeshl]

It is the Hunt one

[@originalspeculoos1081]

Bravo champion pour les performances des dernières courses. Merci aussi pour tous les partages d'expériences et matos que tu donnes à la communauté. C'est très enrichissant et inspirant en plus de motivant ! Continue à poster des vidéos, c'est un plaisir à regarder. Bonne continuation !

[@sofianeshl]

Merci à toi 👍

[@1337aznpro]

congrats Sofiane. Did you make this video before the race to mentally prepare yourself to win? ;P

[@sofianeshl]

I'm always mentally ready to win ;D

[@MirceaToma]

Congrats Sofiane! I would like to know your total weight of your bike. Keep it up ^^

[@sofianeshl]

Sorry I don't know the weight of my bike.

[@FaiscaaaH]

Will you post this year's movie of silk road mountain race?

[@sofianeshl]

Yes I will post it

[@FaiscaaaH]

@@sofianeshl great to hear that Mr. Sofiane 💪💪 Many thanks

[@vintehindecembre1607]

Mais il te reste quoi à remporter comme course maintenant ? :-)

[@sofianeshl]

La course à l'échalote

[@petredinga1649]

I use this everyday. I recommend you buying this.

[@sofianeshl]

Ok ,tahnsk

[@fpeter01]

If this bike could speak, it would swear all day long...

[@sofianeshl]

There's a good chance it would

[@DrTommyGouranga576]

@@sofianeshl If you give it to me I can give them some emotional healing.

[@sofianeshl]

@@DrTommyGouranga576 I might need for other races though