A Desert Campeur

by Igor

When Erick Cedeno of Bicycle Nomad fame called me up and asked if I had a bike that would be suitable for desert conditions, I said, "Of course! The Piolet would be great. Floaty and tons of mounts for water and gear."

Erick then responded, "But it can't have disc brakes or a threadless stem."

I retorted, "Oh that's fine. The Campeur will be perfect". All the while thinking how can we turn this traditional tourer into a desert tourer? You see, he's going to be riding this Sierra Nevada bound Campeur with UltraRomance for an adventurous bikepacking trip that has some very specific requirements (more details will come later). This is how we built up our Campeur and it is one ripper!

Water capacity is exceptionally important, so we managed to arrange two Mojave Water Bottle Cages with two 40oz Klean Kanteen Bottles inside the main triangle of this 57cm frame. Since these high-capacity cages have five slots (which equates to three available positions), you can really dial in the perfect bottle placement.

The seattube has the cage placed low and the downtube has the cage up high. Under the downtube features a Retro, No Tab Cage with an 18oz bottle totaling 98oz of thirst-quenching fluid.

Next the tires. We have to go as wide as the frame will allow, so we selected these SimWorks Homage 700x43mm tires. The middle tread features a light diamond pattern for gravel and smooth surfaces, while the outer knobs are perfect for dusty, loose terrain and corners.

The dangler and pusher are operated by Dia-Compe Bar-End Shifters with Rustines Covers.

Randonneur Bars and a Grand Cru Quill Stem make for a classic, comfortable combination for long days in the saddle under the oppressive sun.

A bit of waxed thread, fanned by a lighter will keep your non-aero routing nice and tidy.

Lastly, luggage. This Randonneur Bag (the complete Rando Bag lineup will be back in stock in the next two weeks) is supported by the Randonneur Rack with Integrated Decaleur in the Cantilever mount-way, and has since received a Snapper Sack (which also doubles as an extra water bottle holder) and a Cell Phone Pocket. He's also getting a rear Jammer Bag for extra capacity from our friends over at Road Runner Bags.

Here's a complete build list your own perusal: Erick's Desert Campeur