To compliment my current gearlist post, here is my current bike and bag setup for trips Oaxaca!

It hasn’t actually changed an awful lot over the years. I’ve just been settling further into the ever expanding, modular world of Tailfin. I generally try to run a mix of a few different brands but right now, my Tailfin bags are getting the most use. I just wish they had a splash of colour!

In the case of this setup and how it all works with my beautiful Jones LWB ti Spaceframe in particular, it’s been made possible by the use of two 3D printed struts that allow Tailfin’s panniers to fit seamlessly to a Jones truss fork, creating a lightweight and highly functional rack that can handle panniers from 5L to 22L per side. There’s zero rattle or movement on the ti truss fork, but you may need to tape around the pannier legs when used with the narrower diameter steel truss fork. If you’d like a STEP file with all the deets, get in touch.

Tailfin’s 10L panniers are a perfect size for most trips – as pictured above. When I pack my computer, I move up to the 16L panniers, or even the 22s if needed – though not for a trip that features technical singletrack, due to the extra weight and lack of ground clearance. I remain a panniers fan for most of the touring I do, and I find the Jones LWB handles especially well when it’s a little front loaded. 

The Aeropack pictured below is a prototype I was given when visiting their Bristol workshop a couple of years ago – it has some cargo mesh side pockets that are super handy, great for things I like to be able to grab easily, like a washkit and my wind blocker, as well as being a good temporary home for any trash I accumulate. The main compartment is really easy to access and stores my tent, which I put away last – plus my poncho and extra food if needed. I have a couple of Tailfin arches, so I can add the ability to carry extra water or cargo too – the other arch has eyelets for cages and mounts for panniers.

Another perk for touring in Oaxaca: this whole system takes just a minute to remove, which is great for either loading the bike onto a bus, or going for a trail ride mid trip.

As you’ll likely have noticed, the Jones Spaceframe has a low standover and a sort-of carry handle. Whilst I love them both, but they do limit framebag capacity. Running the shortest of Tailfin’s Long Top Tube Bags claws some of that back, in a way that is also very easy to access on the move – I keep my sunglasses, phone, headtorch, suncream, rear blinky, and a few snacks in there. 

A Revelate framebag stores tools, an inner tube, pump, plus a 2L water bladder. Despite my best attempts to overload it, the zipper refuses to break.

This is the shortest of Tailfin’s Lon Top Tube Bags, and it works great with my medium Spaceframe. It doesn’t require a strap to the headtube, either.

I have a Mountain Laurel Designs stem bag, which I find well sized for keeping a water bottle out of dust’s way. I value it’s massive, elasticated mesh pouch especially, which is great for trash and my hand sanitising gel.

If I need to carry my foam mat (good for deserty floors), it can sit above the truss forks, cinched in place with a couple of Austere straps.

Tyres wise, I like a Duro Crux 29 x 3.25in up front for comfort and grip, with a long lasting, faster rolling, less costly, and more easily available Vittorio Mezcal 29 x 2.6 at the back. I also have a set of Schwalbe Nobby Nic 29 x 2.6s which I really like too, and which also make a good combo for Oaxaca.

For navigation, I run my iPhone in a Quad Lock to access the likes of Googlemaps and Mapout, and a Hammerhead Karoo 2 for daytime navigation. For the most part the Karoo 2 has been great (occasional bug glitches aside), but I wished it had a longer battery life. In this regard, perhaps the Coros Dura would be a better option. I’d also be interested in moving over to a Peak Designs Out Front magnetic phone mount, for easier on the fly video-making!

I know a lot of people run lighter, more streamlined setups than I do. But to me, mine feels like a good middle ground, one that’s easy to expand when needed, even opening itself to tours where multiple days of food are required, or pared down to the minimum too. I also love that it’s super speedy to remove everything, either for a bus ride, or just to get out on a fun trail without the weight of extra racks and hardware. And, I can also transfer it all over to my trail bike, or chop and change gear with Emma’s, to get maximum use out of it all.

This is not to say that I don’t have other racks, panniers, and bags in the US that I really like to run. But for here in Oaxaca, the Tailfin system has been great.

Other bits:

• I have a SON dynamo and Sinewave Beacon light. As this is my go-to bike, I love having a dynamo and dependable illumination in the city. It’s a big investment, especially as the Jones uses a 150TA front hub, but it’s very much worth it in my books. If I didn’t stop as much as I do for photos, the Beacon be a useful way of topping up a cache battery on a bike tour too. As it is, it’s perfect for keeping my JBL Clip 5 charged and 24hr tunes on the go!
• Gearing-wise, I run a 30T chainring and a 50T cassette. Combined with a 29 x 2.6in tyre, this gears lowest gear of around 19in, which I put to good use in Oaxaca. Bikepacking.com’s gear inch calculator is a really easy way to figure this out. Don’t be tempted to skimp on those low gears!
• My dropper post is a very affordable and relatively basic TranzX Kitsuma model, and it’s proved itself very reliable over the last few years. I love dropping my post even on dirt road descents these days, though I do have a lovely ti seat post that adds lots of compliance and comfort for more road-based tours.
• I run a basic Sunrace 11 speed cassette – it’s mostly steel and very durable – with mid-level Shimano components, like Deore and SLX. I may well give the 8 speed Microshift Advent drivetrain a go in the future. Although I’d lose a couple of teeth (it maxes out at 48T), the price is right for replacement parts like a cassette and chain.
• Brakes are Shimano hydros (Deore and XT), as pads are easy to find and all the shops here can bleed them.
• Rims are Jones’s alloy, 32H, double walled and eyeletted. They’re not the lightest rims in the world, but they’ve proved very durable. Mine drilled for Schrader tubeless valves, which I really like.
• Aside from the frame and fork, which is of course extremely fancy, everything else is pretty down to earth, functional, and easy to fix or replace in most modern bike shops here.

Son Dynamo powers all important JBL Clip 5! (plus other useful stuff like lights)

45mm rims just fit Vittorio Mezcal 2.6s. Valves are drilled for Schrader tubeless.

This is pretty much the same setup, albeit with big ol 22l panniers and a 2.6in Nobby Nic up front, instead of that monster Crux Duro. Good for dirt roads. Notsogood for trails.

Here I am compensating for an all black setup with my T shirt.

And here I am back in 2021 in the same spot! Similar idea – a Tailfin Aeropack but with Jones front bags, as the Tailfin ones weren’t out back then. I’ve since returned the Jones SWB frame.

Weirdly, I’m now looking very similar to our Oaxaca sticker…

Here’a variation on packing a theme that I really like too; weight is nicely balanced across the bike with a slight emphasis up front, depending on how I pack it. The rear rack is another Tailfin experiment. This setup allows full use of the dropper, and the rack’s platform serves for additional cargo if needed, like a tent. Small, slim rear panniers are less likely to pump up against my legs when I’m pushing the bike, which I often ended up doing…

With 29 x 2.6s.

It’s nice to have full use of the dropper, too.

And with 29 x 3in and 29 x 3.25s!

And towing a Farfarer Trailer with Huesos!

That’s it for now! Any questions, fire away!