Bikes of...

Bikes of Highland Trail 550 2023

The Highland Trail 550 takes no prisoners; as attritional on bikes as it is on the riders, have a look at how riders have equipped themselves for the Highlands.

Bikes of Gravel Birds 2023

This race through Portugal's Alentejo hills tackling the inland areas of the Guadiana Valley to the Atlantic coast. Have a browse of the competitors' select bikes and equipment for this Iberian adventure.

Bikes of Seven Serpents 2023

Into the unknown: riders take on this seven-checkpoint gravel race covering 850km from Slovenia through Croatia and its islands into Trieste, Italy via gravel and secondary roads.

Bikes of The Wild West Country 2023

See what bikes the riders tackling the 800km hilly rollercoaster in the South West of the UK. The first instalment of three races from the Perfidious Albion.

Bikes of DEAD ENDS & dolci 2023

The first edition of the off-road DEAD ENDS & dolci is here. The gravel sibling of DEAD ENDS & cake will see riders on a self-routed adventure with some sweet delights. What rides will they choose?

Bikes Of Dales Divide 2023

This year, DotWatcher headed to the Dales Divide to meet the riders in person and learn more about what it takes to ride across the width of Northern England, twice, off-road.

By:Kitty Dennis

Bikes of The Unknown Race 2023

This unique race sees riders commuting to the start. Not only this, the checkpoints are not released until the rider reaches the preceding control.

Bikes of GranGuanche Audax Gravel 2023

The second edition of GranGuanche's Gravel audax takes in five of the Canary Islands with four ferry journeys. In true audax spirit, riders must be self-supported but are allowed to ride together and draft. Informed by the inaugural edition, how will the rigs fare this year?

Bikes of Race around Rwanda 2023

One thousand kilometres in the Land of a Thousand Hills on varying road surfaces can quickly take its toll on riders and their equipment, especially brake pads. Check out the riders' selection of equipment for their loop of Rwanda.

Bikes of Across Andes

Across Andes is an off road adventure across the Andes in Chile. A balance of weight and off-road potential is key for race success.

Bikes Of Poco Loco

Poco Loco, a race with three versions, will have all the goodies! Gravel bikes, shorter endurance road bikes and those long haul road munching machines.

Bikes of Further Perseverance

Curating a kit list for a race with plentiful hike a bike, terrain ranging from tarmac to rock gardens, gradients steep enough to evoke vertigo and storms forecast is no small order. Racers have designed their kit list to be the ultimate compromise between weight and comfort.

Bikes of GBDURO22

GBDURO poses one of the greatest kit-list conundrums for riders; a 2,000km mixed-terrain route with three checkpoints where many riders will be waiting outdoors for a day or more. Riders equip themselves for both the riding and the resting, not to mention the British weather.

Bikes Of The Capitals by PedAlma

PEDALMA The Capitals is an ultra route connecting the Capitals of Catalonia. With plenty of climbing and some gravelly paths a light and versatile setup is key.

Bikes of Great British Divide

A length of Great Britain in August demands riders come prepared for all eventualities. Have a browse of what each intrepid rider thinks they'll need for this ride.

Bikes of Trans Pyrenees Race

On this weekend's Pyrenean odyssey menu is 1,500km of tarmac and gravel traversing the Spanish, Andorran and French Pyrenees from west to east, and back. Have a browse of rider's chosen rigs and equipment lists to tackle this free route with plenty of climbing.

Bikes of Three Peaks Bike Race 2022

Striking the balance between keeping weight down and being equipped for Alpine weather is one of the ultimate challenges for European racing and no more is it evident than the TPBR kit lists.

Bikes of Pan Celtic Race

A 2,530km race starting and ending in Wales with a lap of Ireland takes in some of the most unpredictable weather regions of the UK. No edition of the Pan Celtic Race has ever been spared bad weather; biblical rain in Cornwall and the storms in Scotland are in PCR Clan legend.

Bikes of Transpyrenees

Take a look at rider's chosen bikes and equipment lists for this year's Transpyrenees: a 1,080km road route with 25,000m of elevation and ticking off 33 Pyrenean cols. Certainly a race for the grimpeurs!

Bikes of HOPE 1000

A 1,000km point to point of the Swiss Alps can throw all weather forms at the riders; known to change from baking summer heat to mountain storms within hours, the Alps pose a challenging enviroment to equip for.

Bikes of Trans Balkan Race

The inaugural edition of any race demands riders to pack for the unknown. With a speculative idea of the terrain and conditions in they will face in Slovenia and Montenegro, riders must pick a bike for the race they expect to face with no previous kit lists to follow.

Bikes of Highland Trail 550 2022

A race that's defined by its challenges; the terrain, weather and ground conditions all play a part in the hurdles riders will face. With one eye on the weather forecast, each rider chooses their own balance of preparedness and weight in the hope they've packed all they need.

Bikes of Kromvojoj 2022

Heading into a hilly inaugural race calls for riders to balance preparedness and minimal kit!

Bikes of Heading SouthWest

This inaugural edition of the ultra-distance site Finesterra's Heading Southwest will kick off this weekend. With plenty of new and established riders hitting the road take a look at what they've packed and how they're planning to tackle the Portuguese heat!

Bikes of Race Through Poland

Race Through Poland has moved back to its summer edition after heading out in September last year. Take a look at the bikes of... and enjoy finding out what our intrepid riders take along for the journey.

Bikes of Seven Serpents 2022

Into the unknown: riders take on this seven-checkpoint gravel race covering 800km from Slovenia through Croatia and its islands into Trieste, Italy via gravel and secondary roads.

Bikes of Wild West Country 2022

The Wild West Country is the UK's new sub 1000km ultra from the creators of the Perfidious Albion, don't let the length fool you. Riders will be finding their way around the hilly Quantocks!

Bikes of Race around the Netherlands

What bike would you take for possibly the flattest utra race on the calendar? Find out how riders balance comfort and speed when elevation isn't a consideration but wind and potential wet weather are.

Bikes of GranGuanche Audax Gravel

The inaugural edition of GranGuanche's Gravel route sent riders into the unknown on an island little ridden by bikepackers. Heading to five of the Canary Islands to tackle its vast network of gravel roads and secondary paved roads all sewn together with four ferry journeys.

Bikes of Race Around Rwanda

A race through the Land of a Thousand Hills demands a light and minimalist set up that will hold up against the weather curve balls the riders could face, with some unpaved roads thrown in to shake up the riding.

Bikes of Tour Te Waipounamu 2022

A selection of the chosen rigs for the second edition of the Tour Te Waipounamu. With lessons learnt from 2021, have a browse at how the riders' kit lists have evolved.

Bikes of GranGuanche Audax Trail

GranGuanche Audax Trail - a self supported route across the Canary Islands.

Bikes of Across Andes 2021

Take a browse of the riders' chosen bikes and equipment for this gravel race across the Andean Mountains.

Bikes of Two Volcano Sprint 2021

A selection of the riders' chosen weapons for the roads between Italy's Mount Etna and Vesuvio.

Bikes of GBDURO 2021

GBDURO is most accurately described as a four-stage 2,000km race. With grand departs from each CP the riders will be waiting at the CP from the moment they arrive until the grand depart and will need to pack for this stopping time.

Bikes of TransIbérica 2021

We take a look at the rigs and equipment choices of riders who will be tackling the ~3,300km road free-route through the Iberian Peninsula ticking off the 9 checkpoints.

Bikes of Great British Divide 2021

The inaugural edition of a race brings a level of uncertainty in what to expect. With no previous years' kit lists to rely on, riders head into some of the most remote and challenging parts of GB with their personal selection of tried and tested kit.

Bikes of the TransAtlantic Way 2021

Bikes of Three Peaks Bike Race 2021

What machine does it take to conquer three brutal peaks in Europe? We delve into some of the choices riders have made for the 2021 Three Peaks Bike Race.

Bikes of Pan Celtic Race 2021

The British Isles are notorious for their tempermental weather system but the Celtic Nations are their own beast. The least predictable regions of the UK make for some of the most dialled-in packing lists.

Bikes of Transpyrenees 2021

Riders head into the final week of preparations for the Transpyrenees and with their bikes and kit lists dialled in, we take a look at their chosen kit lists for a 1,000km route over 36 Pyrenean cols covering a total of 27,000m of climbing. ⛰️🚵

Bikes of Race Around the Netherlands 2021

What bike would you take for possibly the flattest utra race on the calendar? Find out how riders balance comfort and speed when elevation isn't a consideration.

Bikes of Victoria Divide 2021

With previous winning times ranging from 40 to 44 hours, the front runners carry very little to no sleep equipment. Keep an eye out for the very lightly loaded bikes, they'll be ridden by those at the pointy end of the race. 📸 Jimmy Röstlund

Bikes of Tour Te Waipounamu 2021

Inaugural editions bring both excitement and uncertainty. For the riders, they face going into New Zealand's high country with no previous kit lists, no comparisons or guidelines to follow; merely their experience and intuition. And the Tour Te Waipounamu is no exception.

Bikes of Journey Around Rwanda 2021

As the Race Around Rwanda was adapted into the Journey Around Rwanda, so were the riders' kit lists. No longer a race and with hotel stops each night, we saw riders ditch any sleeping equipment for some clothes to wear to dinner each night, and a wide array of flipflops.

Bikes of Two Volcano Sprint 2020

Which bikes will ride to the finish at Mount Etna? Find out more about the riders and their rigs right here.

Bikes of Transpyrenees 2020

With a lot of riders now en route to Spain for the beginning of the Transpyrenees race, we've received a selection of the bikes that'll be toughing it out on the tarmac between Llança and San Sebastian.

Bikes of Three Peaks Bike Race 2020

What machine does it take to conquer three brutal peaks in Europe? We delve into some of the choices riders have made for the 2020 Three Peaks Bike Race.

Bikes of Two Volcano Sprint 2019

A selection of the bikes making their way between Vesuvio and Etna.

Push Bikes of Paris-Brest-Paris 2019

The 1200km randonée attracts the most weird and wonderful bicycles.

By:Grace Lambert-Smith