Hey, I’m Stephen. Rodeo Cheif Intern. I recently came back from the abbreviated Taurus Mountain Race in Turkey, and thought that it would be cool to do a post-event gear breakdown. Much of the text of this post is the transcript from the video that I made, and I’ve added some photos to help show details. I hope some of this info is useful for you if you’re preparing for an adventure of your own!
I’m back to show you—before I tear this thing apart—everything I packed and brought for the Taurus Mountain Race. Even though the race was abbreviated, my gear list was not. So this is exactly as ridden, mostly not unpacked yet. And if I’ve unpacked anything, I put it back in for this video. I’m going to just go blow-by-blow on everything on this bike so you can kind of see how I did it.
I would say the pros were probably 20-30% lighter than me in terms of gear, maybe even half as light. I just don’t know how they did it because I wanted to feel safe out there, and they were pushing the limits of what’s possible.
Let’s start in the back here. I’ve got a Voile strap attaching a Sea to Summit dry bag to this Tailfin. This is the aluminum rack, and it has a Tailfin cage mounted to it. It allowed me to put these stuff sacks on, which were super important in the race for two reasons. One, they’re waterproof, and everything had to be waterproof in this race or it was drenched. Two, I put things in them that I wanted to pull off and bring into the tent or wherever I was staying without having to unpack everything off the bike. These were really portable. Highly recommend the Sea to Summit bags because they actually are waterproof. Don’t buy the cheap knockoffs; they leak immediately and aren’t seam-sealed.
Even though they are waterproof, I wasn’t taking any chances. So, inside, this is my electronics bag, in another air-quotes “waterproof” sack, which did end up being waterproof, but I wouldn’t trust it on its own. I brought a USA-spec 65-watt charger that has four high-speed charging outputs. That way, if I got to a busy electrical outlet at a checkpoint or someone’s house, I could plug mine in, let them continue to charge, and still have extra ports for myself. To adapt it for the outlets in Turkey, I brought two multi-prong adapters, figuring I’d probably leave one in an outlet in a hurry. I brought multiple USB-C cables of different lengths just in case they got drenched and fried, plus one USB-A to mini for my Garmin inReach. I also had a heart rate monitor charger, an SRAM AXS battery charger, and extra SRAM and Fenix headlamp batteries.
For clothes, I brought two bibs, which was a good choice. One got dirty immediately and stayed that way until I washed it. I modified these with a quick-release system so I could stay layered up during nature breaks. I brought thin wool socks (which I didn’t use), and thick Ridge Supply wool socks that I wore the entire race. They pull moisture away from your skin, so my feet never got too hot or too cold, even in the wet mud. I had camp boxers just to feel human when sleeping. For rain gear, I brought an old Shake Dry jacket—the only thing I trusted for 100% waterproofness—and Gore cycling pants with zip-and-snap cuffs. They kept the rain off, though I often just rode in the rain without them to be more comfortable.
I also brought some RockBros padded gel full-finger gloves that were excellent for hand numbness, and Showa waterproof fishing gloves with a fuzzy interior. They weigh nothing, cost about $40, and are some of the best truly waterproof gloves you can buy.
For the bike itself, I converted my wheels to Schrader because of the 32-inch tubes I wanted to run, so I made sure I brought a Schrader-compatible MSW pump. I got a pinch flat the first night that sealed itself, but my pump got clogged with grit and sandstone. I actually had to wipe the pump down with my cleaning rag, lube it with chain lube, and bring it back to life so I didn’t DNF. Speaking of which, wet lube worked great in the rain. A clean bike is lighter and faster, so I kept my cleaning rag and lube in an easy-to-access pocket.
Inside the Tailfin bag, I packed a year’s worth of planning. I had Precision Fuel carb drink, extra Ziploc bags, a collapsible 900ml squeeze bottle, hand sanitizer (which doubled as chamois/saddle sore sanitizer), wet wipes, and my tent setup. I brought a $100 generic Naturehike tent from China that weighs 2.4 lbs, complete with the rainfly and mat. A lot of people went minimal and didn’t bring tents, but I didn’t trust my ability to find a dry spot out of the rain every night.
For sleep, I finally went with a Nemo Pulse ultralight quilt. Combined with a heavier Nemo Tensor All-Season sleeping pad (4.5-5.5 R-value), I was incredibly warm. If you don’t insulate your pad, all your heat goes into the cold earth. I also had a Patagonia emergency down puff bivvy up front in my bar roll.
My tool kit was extensive. It included Orange Seal sealant, four extra brake pads, tire levers, zip ties, a Berd spoke truing tool, Gorilla tape, a bacon strip tire plug inserter, quick links, sidewall repair boots, an extra cleat, valve core remover, a razor blade, wax thread, hook needle, two vulcanizing glue kits, and 20-30 patches. Believe it or not, I also brought an entire carbon repair kit. Because I’m riding a bonded titanium and carbon frame, I had dry carbon, fiberglass, alcohol wipes, two-part quick-cure epoxy, sandpaper, and electrical tape. I could wet out the carbon, re-glue a broken frame or rim, compress it with tape, and be rolling again in an hour. It weighs 25 grams and is absolute insurance.
Up front, I used a Velogical rim dynamo (the low-speed trekking version, since our speeds were often 6-8 mph) hooked up to an Exposure Revo 5 dynamo headlight. I mounted it on a custom steer tube mount between my Vision carbon aero bars. I used electronic shifting, which worked great, on FSA K-Wing AGX bars.
The bike is a 32-inch platform, which I’ve been riding for about 4,000 miles. It has Bird Hot Gold 32 wheels with Teravail Cannonball 32×2.2 tires. I ran an SR Suntour Radon 32-inch specific fork. They custom-built it for me, reducing the travel to 70mm for gravel and putting their World Cup level internals in it. The 32-inch wheels roll over rough stuff so well that I often forgot my fork was even locked out.
I had a massive medical kit, reading glasses, toothpaste, toothbrush, vitamins, superglue, an AirTag, and plenty of gummy candy and Fritos. It’s a lot of gear, and there’s always a tension between speed, light weight, and being prepared. But for me, it worked. The Taurus Mountain Race was a great lab experiment for this platform.
Part 2: Categorized Gear List
Bags, Packs & On-Bike Storage
- Tailfin Aluminum Rack & Tailfin Cage
- Tailfin full-length top bag
- Sea to Summit waterproof dry bags (x2, mounted to Tailfin)
- Waterproof electronics sack
- Off-brand bar roll dry sack (with a secondary dry bag inside for true waterproofing)
- Lightweight expandable backpack (for 50–80 mile no-resupply sections)
- Voile straps & Rodeo Labs Bully straps
- Extra Ziploc bags (for food storage/waterproofing)
Sleep System & Shelter
- Naturehike Tent ($100 generic Chinese brand, 2.4 lbs) with rainfly, mat, poles, and stakes
- Nemo Pulse 20/30-degree ultralight quilt
- Nemo Tensor All-Season sleeping pad (4.5–5.5 R-value)
- Patagonia emergency down puff (stored in waterproof bag up front)
- Emergency mylar blankey / burrito sack
Technical Apparel & Layers
- Rodeo Labs Explorts 3.0 Cycling bibs (x2 pairs, modified with custom quick-release system)
- Ridge Supply thick wool socks (x2 pairs, worn entire race)
- Thin wool socks (unused)
- Camp boxers
- Gore Tex Shake Dry waterproof jacket
- Gore cycling waterproof pants (with zip/snap adjustable cuffs)
- Rodeo Labs Merino lightweight jersey (R&D prototype)
- Rodeo Labs Merino vest with lightweight wind-blocking front (R&D prototype)
- Balaclavas (x2, used for neck warmth, eye cover, or mouth cover while sleeping)
- RockBros padded gel full-finger gloves
- Showa waterproof fishing gloves (fuzzy inside, 100% waterproof)
- Shoe covers (unused)
- Helmet cover
Spares, Tools & Bike Maintenance
- MSW Schrader-compatible bike pump
- Wet chain lube (sample size)
- Cleaning rags (x1 dedicated for bike, x2 for body/baths)
- Orange Seal tire sealant
- 32-inch Schrader inner tubes (x2)
- Spare brake pads (x4 total: center mount and offset mount)
- Tire lever & Zip ties
- Berd spoke truing tools (spoke holder/nipples)
- Gorilla tape
- Bacon strip tire plug inserter & extra bacon strips
- Quick links (x2 or 3 sets)
- Sidewall repair boots (x2)
- Wax thread & hook needle (for sidewall sewing)
- Vulcanizing glue kits (x2) and 20-30 tube patches
- Dynamo contact rubber O-ring (spare)
- Extra cleat & cleat bolts
- Valve core remover
- Razor blade
- SRAM AXS shifter battery (CR2032)
- Fork stanchion lubricating oil
- Superglue
- Amazon multi-tool (with chain tool)
- Small roll of Velcro
- Custom Carbon Repair Kit: Dry carbon sheets, dry fiberglass sheets, alcohol wipes, 2-part quick-cure epoxy, sandpaper, electrical tape.
Navigation, Lighting & Electronics
- Garmin inReach Mini (velcroed to stem with safety leash)
- Coros Dura head unit
- Exposure Revo 5 dynamo headlight (mounted on custom steer-tube mount)
- Fenix helmet headlamp (1,200 lumens) & spare battery
- Redshift tail light
- 65-watt USA plug wall charger (4 high-speed outputs)
- Multi-prong international wall adapters (x2)
- 10,000 mAh power bank (with built-in cables)
- 20,000 mAh power bank (with pass-through charging)
- USB-C cables (x3-4 of various lengths)
- USB-A to mini cable (for inReach)
- SRAM AXS battery charger & extra AXS batteries
- Power meter pedal charger
- Heart rate monitor charger
- Apple AirTag
First Aid, Hygiene & Personal
- Comprehensive Medical Kit: Bandages, skin superglue, antibiotic ointment, anti-diarrheal pills, oral antibiotics, Band-Aids, assorted gauze.
- Chamois Butter / Squirrel’s Nut Butter (x2)
- Hand sanitizer (multi-purpose / saddle sore prevention)
- Bamboo wipes / nature wipes & Wet wipes
- Sunscreen
- Reading glasses
- Toothpaste & Toothbrush
- Daily vitamins
- Foot cream
- Water purification tabs
- Salt tablets
- Race passport (plus a paper backup copy)
Hydration & Nutrition
- 900ml lightweight bottles (x2)
- Lightweight normal size bottle (in Titanium King Cages)
- Collapsible 900ml squeeze bottle
- Precision Fuel carb drink powder
- Spring Energy gels
- Assorted gummy candies (Haribo, Welch’s, Mott’s)
- Fritos
- Snickers knock-off bars
- Laughing Cow cheese
- Anything I could find at local stores
Bike Setup & Key Components
- Frame: Rodeo Labs Project 32 bonded titanium and carbon prototype
- Wheels Bird Hawk Gold 32-inch wheels (Schrader valve modified)
- Tires: Teravail Cannonball 32 x 2.2
- Fork: SR Suntour Radon 32-inch specific fork (Custom reduced 70mm travel with World Cup level AXON internals)
- Handlebars: FSA K-Wing K-Force AGX carbon bars
- Aero Bars: Vision carbon aero bars (with large pads)
- Drivetrain: Electronic shifting with Praxis Lyft mountain bike cranks and AI power meter pedals
- Dynamo Hub: Velogical Rim Dynamo (low-speed touring/trekking version)
