“We don’t know the precise reason we feel a visceral emotion for steel hardtail mountain bikes, but it is what it is. Maybe it’s the romantic charm of chro-mo bikes that brings us back to the 90’s, the golden era of MTB or simply the diamond frame that makes it look like such a simple, stylish and practical machine.” Montanus – Kona Ambassadors
Recently we rode the Unit X in a bike packing expedition in South America, where we explored the wild side of Chilean Andes. Along the 550km route of ‘Cordillera de Fuego’ (check the film here), we were able to ride the fully loaded Unit X through gravel roads, volcanic ash fields, mountain singletracks/doubletrack and asphalt roads. In that expedition, we appreciated the versatility of the Unit X so we decided to create two different bike packing set-ups tailored to the trips we usually ride. The first one is conceived to face alpine routes whereas the second one is to embark on expeditions in remote and desolate places.
UNIT X “ALPINE”
The idea for the Alpine bikepacking rig was to kit out a bike capable of riding on the rough and narrow singletrack trails typical of alpine mountain environments. The first step to build this “Alpine” machine was mount a 120mm Cane Creek Helm MKII Air using a Cane Creek 110-Series headset (ZS44/28.6/H8 EC44/40). We also replaced the standard handlebar with a Roost Titanium bar—30mm rise and 80mm length—paired with a 35mm Roost Dominator Ti stem. We chose the Ergon GE1 Evo grips and replaced standard brakes with 180-180mm Formula CURA to increase the braking power.
The cockpit was completed with a BarYak Ultra with titanium cross bar (in place of the carbon one) and a TwoNav Cross GPS units. A special combo of Ergon SMC Core saddle and the Cane Creek EESilk+ takes comfort to the next level. The seatpost clamp is from Wolf Tooth. Stan’s Baron CB7 wheels combined with Vittoria Mezcal 29 x 2.6″ tires and 76 Projects HiFlow valves make the wheels/tires tough, lightweight, and fast.
The Backloader X (15L or 10L) saddlebag is paired with the Backloader Wishbone, an anti-sway saddle mount that keeps the rear bag stable and can hold additional bottle cages. There are Fidlock bottles mounted there with magnetic mounting bases, a Twist uni connector, and a universal bottle holder with BOA—just in case we need to stash a beer for camp. The bag set is rounded out with the Midloader in the triangle (4.5L for medium, and 6L for large) and the Toploader on the top tube. Repair tools and spare parts are in the Gearpack, a compact bag with sections and an internal organizer.
UNIT X “EXPEDITION”
The Unit X “Expedition” setup is based on the Alpine setup except for a few details that make it more for carrying extra gear in remote places. The most significant differences are the rigid fork and rear rack. The P2 Kona fork has three-pack cargo cage mounts on each fork blade, where we mounted the Topeak Versacage system to carry extra food and gear packed in dry bags. Two more Versacages are on the triangle (one inside and one under the downtube) to carry a 1L Inox steel bottle for extra water and a liquid-fuel can for the stove, both secured with Voilè Straps.
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