At long last, my first overnighter
one of the many tasty forest roads on the route
After talking about it for, like, years, I finally got my first overnighter under my belt. My dad and I headed out from my in-laws cabin near Peacock/Irons up to Tippy Dam State Rec Area, almost all of it on dirt via maintained dirt roads, forest service roads, snowmobile trails, a tiny bit of singletrack, and a good amount of sand.
the ORV routes along the power lines are always the sandiest due to the direct sunlight
The route was supposed to go straight across the Tippy Dam, only to find out that that right of way has been closed for a really long time and is only opened to bicycles 1 day a year. Even Google Maps hasn’t updated its bike directions (not that you should trust Google Maps for bike routes of course). So instead of a 17 mile direct pedal we added on 13 fairly hilly miles to circumvent the river via High Bridge Road. We could’ve gone further east and north up to Red Bridge, which may have been faster, but that’s to figure out on the next trip.
definitely going to need a new 4-season tent if I’m going to keep up the winter camping
We knew it might be cold, but 18°F overnight was a bit much for my patently non-winter tent and sleep system. But it turns out our bodies are pretty amazing and can get through a lot of experiences that no one would recommend.
good times ahead
Speaking of sleep system, here’s my gear rundown:
Stooge Rambler 52cm aubergine setup 26+ with a Surly Knard 3” up front and WTB Ranger 2.8” out back.
Wald 1392 basket on top of a Sunlite Goldtec rack (slightly modified to fit the disc Rambler), with a Swift Industries Motherloaf bag strapped in it. This had my Aeropress Go, camp stove + gas + coffee, some warmer clothes in one small stuff sack, a warmer jacket in another small stuff stack, a folding solar panel from Temu, a 48 oz Nalgene, and a spork/knife combo thing I got on the last Sic Transit Fall Fundo. There was quite a bit more room in there.
Saris adjustable frame bag, fully extended. This held tools, a 26” tube, Clif bars, Tailwind, battery pack, and extra gloves. This also had quite a bit more room in there.
Velta rear rack with two REI Link panniers. One pannier held my sleeping bag + sleeping pad + pillow with room on top to spare. The other held my sleeping bag in one small stuff sack + rain fly in another small stuff sack with room on top to spare. I also lashed my tent poles/stakes on top of the rack, wrapped up in a Crazy Creek chair. I could definitely lash a dry bag with a much bigger diameter and still use my dropper post.
The only thing I wish I would’ve done differently was bring a cargo net to go over the basket (I was planning to but just forgot it at home), and to bring my Lezyne Micro Drive pump instead of just relying on my OneUp 70cc pump. I was riding loaded up around 18/25 PSI and I prefer it around 8/12 when riding unloaded. So adding air back on Friday morning with the little pump was a faff. That being said I’m planning to get a small Fabio’s Chest when their production gets back online since basket bikes don’t travel particularly well, and I have existential doubt of crashing my basket when going out for day rides after setting up camp. I brought extra zip ties and Voile straps in case the basket zip ties broke off the rack, but I’d just rather use a bag. Not to mention my REEB has a carbon fork with no bosses, so bag life it is.
Speaking of that rack, this is ye olde Sunlite Special as we call it around here. We’ve put these on many a Specialized Hard Rock / Trek Antelope / etc. due to how sturdy and light they are. I removed the rim brake boss angle brackets and realized that the vertical struts lined up perfectly to the mid fork eyelets on the Stooge fork. The only issue was the stock diving board was way too long. I went rummaging through my parts bin and found a fender bracket, and it was the perfect little length. Yes, fenders have a very different load capacity than a front rack with a giant basket strapped to it, but it’s solid. I’m considering keeping this rack on even without the basket to use as a bag support (never mind the Swood Twisted T-bar in the far right picture).
I also filed down one of the rack struts to fit a Nitto lamp holder, in the event you like to hang really expensive parts on really cheap parts. In my case the basket strut interfered with the light hanger so I mounted my front dynamo to the basket strut with an M6 bolt and an IS mount. I just had to “tap”/widen the strut hole by cranking the M6 through. It made the light a little bit cockeyed but it worked.
Other than a slightly seized pedal on my dad’s bike (after a dip in a very deep dirty puddle, I wish I took a picture) there were no mechanicals to be had. The Stooge Rambler is such a faithful steed and I am so grateful for the memories it has helped me make. It’s amazing how well that thing handled loaded up.
26 mile [round trip] detour to cross this beauty
75 miles later it’s done and dusted, and I look forward to more of these with loved ones this year.
champagne gravel 🍾 🥂
Also hopefully in the future I’ll pause to take pictures of the spicy zones 🌶️, but usually I’m just too busy trying to get up and over!
a classic Manistee National Forest death sand trap on an otherwise perfect stretch of forest road
Don’t hesitate to drop a line below if you have any questions!