What's the best bike for the Silk Road Mountain Race?

[@paulcant888]

Justinas saddle is an Infinity Bike Seat

[@DancingMachine1]

Dude I am obsessed with the Silk Road Mountain Race. Not that I would ever ride it myself though, I am not crazy. But I love all the storys about it. Thanks for your videos :D

[@real_WilliWieberg]

same here 😊

[@allanwarsing]

Top content these last months! Really fun to watch. Chapeau.

[@TurnCycling]

I rode a full sus Allied BC40 on the Silk Road this year. Never once thought I was on the wrong bike. Incredible both up and down. Yes the shock and fork need a service now I’m back but no issues during the race.

[@samueldavidson7956]

Camelback podium + mud cap. Comes in up to 1L sizes. It's over engineered but it's the best solution to avoid drinking cow sh1t. Used it for great British Divide and dales divide and there is plenty of animal droppings to test with. The cap is easy to use, clean and not irritating to get on/off

[@user-yk9pt4jb8c]

Very cool that you comment on my bike (Katja speaking, with the Scott Spark with the hidden shock). It's the bike I have, so that's what I took, but I do not think there is a high risk that the rear shock would break in such a way that it would end the race. In the worst case you ride with a non-functioning shock, but it is well hidden and protected from the elements, and the remote lockout is a nice feature to save power on the rare tarmac bits. Unfortunately I had to scratch due to severe food poisoning, but I was very happy with the setup and would use it again pretty much unchanged.

[@joshibbett]

Hi Katja, Good to hear that the bike worked well and sorry to hear you got ill. Those Scotts are a very intriguing design and seem great for these long hard races, so good to see one out there being used peroperly!

[@xrichhx]

Some bottle manufacturers used to provide detachable caps which covered the mouthpiece and protected it from dirt etc. Daft they still don't, they're easy to take off if you don't need them (I had Howies bottles which had them)

[@Al_Fresco]

I have loads from Elite. They do a great job and i never go out without

[@br5380]

I've got one but TBH to use it requires two hands - so only use it when out for a ride on my own and when I'm stationary.

[@stephenturner7512]

Great comparisons. Thanks.

[@living4adrenaline]

That fairlight is dope, he could have ran a mezcal or faster rolling tire on the rear though.

[@justinandbikes]

Thanks for good words man!

[@rehview]

Elite make bottles with caps on, to protect from dirt.

[@notpablo8369]

2nd bike Procaliber

[@yoavmiller216]

Yup! And a bit of a surprise, thinking (wrongfully) it would be a bit fragile for this.

[@notpablo8369]

​@@yoavmiller216 wished they didnt phased out the procaliber AL (with the isospeed)🥲🥲🥲

[@davidedwards4676]

Really good video thanks Josh. What would be the average weight of a bike with kit on the SRMR cherrs Dave

[@joshibbett]

It’s hard to say, I’d imagine around 15-20kg depending on how much gear each rider is taking

[@davidedwards4676]

@@joshibbett many thanks Josh appreciate that

[@MrClimberdave]

At first I laughed at the cargo bike, then was intrigued by the cargo bike, and then I was in awe of the cargo bike! Also, the Trek bike is a ProCaliber .

[@notpablo8369]

How to pack that cargo bike for airpline flights?n🤨🤨🤨🤨

[@examinethose]

yup... gonna need a tutorial video on that one

[@_MPP_]

Cargo bikes travel on cargo planes ;)

[@davidmoss1513]

I saw the bike in it’s cardboard box at the hotel in Bishkek. Slightly longer than a standard box but narrower

[@reidh]

Cool!

[@omare_biketonature]

Thanks for showing us the bikes, why would you choose an aluminum hard tail next time? I have an aluminum XC (Giant) and I was wondering if it’s good enough for the SRMR, maybe upgrading the drivetrain, suspension fork and other components! Would have been nice to see Adrien Liechti aluminum Bombtrak, he won the Hellenic with that bike. Cheers from Norway 🇳🇴

[@joshibbett]

Mainly to save a bit of weight over the steel frame, I feel like I could have saved a few kilos relatively easily with a slightly lighter bike and a slimmed down pack list which I think would have helped a little on the climbs

[@elektrikmaus]

Decathlon bidons come with a mouthpiece cover

[@davidmoss1513]

Was the hike-a-bike harness useful, or would you leave it behind next time? I took one, but as I had to pull out after 1260km, I never got to use it

[@joshibbett]

I didn’t actually use it in the end as I took it off pre race. It’s not really necessary for Silk Road as you don’t really have to carry your bike on the hike a bike sections

[@Foxtrottangoabc]

Love nosing at other peoples 😅 such great setups. Ps for my bottle on the down tube , all that gunk collection is a nuisance . I've got an Apidura down tube bag that works quite well, can put tools or water bottle in it though last time I used it for tools . Or place the bottle in an ultra light drybag or plastic bag to keep the gunk off , I have a voile strap on the bottle to make sure it doesn't disappear aswell 😅

[@Bongobob27]

Hey Josh, are you riding Further East this year?

[@joshibbett]

Not this year I’m afraid

[@GravelRacer1]

If a bike is not reliable enough survive a single endurance event, then they should recall them all.

[@timgearing5121]

Cargo bike for the win…where can I get one? Thanks, Josh, there’s nothing like some bike porn first thing in the morning😂

[@lazyac_]

They all have SID Ultra forks but i bet no one tune it right. Those cycling races is just about bein moving advertisement for those who don't ride it...

[@RafaSplanB]

Once you go Sram AXS you never go back!

[@oldanslo]

Never go back or never get back?

[@fpeter01]

If you aren't riding a full sus, you are propably crazy. ^^

[@aaaahahahahahah4300]

Best bike? Chlorine tablets.