The Sendero platform has been selected again and again by our Chumba Ultra Team and ridden to record setting finishes across Tour Divide, the Arizona Trail Race 800, the Colorado Trail race and loads of events like Pinyons and Pines. Andrew Strempke even holds the current Triple Crown Singlespeed course record aboard the Sendero!

Our riders have gravitated towards the Sendero is for its confidence inspiring handling on technical trails and the benefit of having a truly fun bike to ride/race when the bags come off. With the varied ride terrains across a course like the Triple Crown (TD, CTR, AZTR) it really is the ideal option.

The custom build featured here was for a rider who wanted a very reliable mountain bike for extended bikepacking trips. They came to us also looking to upgrade their ride experience on local trail rides with bags off. So while the frame was in production we collaborated on this inspiring build kit.

A wireless SRAM GX Transmission was chosen for it’s balance of value, reliability and performance features.

The Chris King MTN30 FusionFiber® wheels offer a lifetime warranty and one of the absolute smoothest ride qualities. We’ve been riding these wheels since they came out and they are a real experience to ride. The rim dampens bumps and impacts like no other rim we have tested, reducing your fatigue over a long day of riding. Pair that to our supple steel ride quality and you’ve got one comfortable setup.

Charge a rocky descent or ledge line and you’ll notice the wheels and the frame are working together. All of that dampening means impacts and deflections are not bouncing you off line. Tracking through the rough then is so much easier to predict and you find yourself staying off the brakes. We’ve found the rim’s 29mm internal width gives an ideal profile to tires ranging from 2.35-2.4”. Paired to a 2.4” tire the handling is on another level. They are a great example of a way to combine fatigue reducing component choices while giving a performance advantage for technical trail riding. Add King’s really generous warranty and the ability to recycle the rims and you can feel both environmentally conscious and supported.

In the same concept is the Thomson Titanium Riser bar, quite literally the last bar you may ever need. Titanium is next level durable, and offers a ride feel close to a supple carbon bar in a bombproof material. Paired to a CNC’d, Made in USA Thomson X4 stem and you’ve got a timeless cockpit.

One look at this build and you can’t not appreciate the quality of the bagset as well. Dispersed is our go to for custom fit framebags and generous top tube bags. Their combination of materials, zipper choice, direct mounts and bungee lace up is our favorite framebag design. The TT bags work best with top tube mounts which we often get customization requests to add. Dispersed also makes a few smaller sizes for those not looking to super size their snacking options. Not shown here is their new Ultra Handlebar bag, a dual bag system that is waterproof, featherlight and feature packed. We’ll share that in an upcoming post.

Dispersed is still in prototyping on their own saddle bag, meanwhile we have really come to love the unsurpassed stability provided by this Bedrock Bags Dragonfly! Low weight, small size and it’s own unique stabilizer make this bag a go to for anyone looking to bikepack with a dropper post. The rugged straps and stitching have held up over years of use on our own kits.

Ready to start your own custom Sendero?