Fresh from last week’s post looking at our tube straps and how they fit into the broader architecture of your carry system for everyday riding, we thought it’d be fun to go into some detail on an individual bike and setup being ridden by the High Above crew. Up this week is our Product Manager, Kyle, and his handsome Transition Spire.
Kyle chose the Spire because he likes to ride fast (relatively speaking anyways) on the rough, root filled trails we have here in Washington but also needs a bike that can pedal, as he loves the long epic rides. Special bits on the build include Made-In-USA Chris King hubs and bottom bracket, coil shock for extra plushness, and a mechanical XT drivetrain.
Like many of y’all I’m sure, Kyle is a big fan of keeping things color coordinated, and the orange accents on the water bottle and tube strap really pop nicely with all the Fox orange. Kyle is currently running a prototype Apollo Bolt-On Tube Strap with a tube and tubeless repair tool in it on the accessory mounts of the frame. He’s also got one of our 26 oz bottles and a OneUp EDC Pump and Tool on the primary water bottle cage. That tool has a tire lever and a CO2 canister in it, so he’s well prepared for any air-pressure related incidents on-trail. Here’s a close up look at the frame.
For 95% of his rides, Kyle uses the Venture hip pack with the water bottle holder removed. Most of the laps near his house are under two hours, so he has plenty of water in the 26 oz bottle in the cage. For longer rides, he’ll often throw a water filter into the pack; since we all live in the PNW, the creeks are abundant and running year-round here. It’s often lighter and more convenient to carry a filter than try and pack enough water for a longer weekend ride in the heat. However, Kyle will occasionally throw a soft flask in his pack in order to increase the volume of water he can carry on larger missions or where the creeks are less abundant.
Since he’s got a lot of his essentials on the frame, there’s not that much that has to live in his pack. The most important stuff that he carries in the Venture is safety equipment. For Kyle, this is a High Above First Aid Kit and a Garmin InReach Mini. The First Aid Kit fits great in the bottom of the Venture and the mini hardly takes up any space. Other than that it’s just some snacks, a cell phone, and keys attached securely to the interior key clip. Simple and tidy.
With this setup, Kyle has everything he needs for a two to three hour ride in a comfortable, easy to carry package.
