I felt the mist as goosebumps gathering on my arms before I could make it out visually in the moonless darkness. I glanced at my Garmin to recognize mile 155.5; start of the infamous Little Egypt Rd. The spot where, earlier that week, a chance encounter with filmmaker John Mathews had saved me from attempting to ford a turbulent sea of mud slowly baking in … Continue reading Dexter’s Unbound XL Recap
Words and Photos by Justin McKinley The 2025 Tour Divide was memorable for all sorts of reasons. It was my third attempt in as many years. My first two ended before reaching Antelope Wells so when I showed up in Banff this year I knew there was 2700 miles of rugged terrain ahead of me. Every year on the Divide is different with its own … Continue reading JJJJustin’s Tour Divide Recap
UPDATE: Sarah has started the ride. Track her progress here. On August 27, 2025, Otso Cycles Ambassador, Sarah Swallow, will set out from Port Orford, Oregon, to ride Adventure Cycling Association’s new cross-country dirt route, The Golden Gravel Trail. The route spans 3,700 miles, with 234,500 feet of elevation gain, from the Oregon coast to the Mississippi River. The route is inspired by the TransAmerica … Continue reading Sarah Swallow’s Ride Across the West on the Golden Gravel Trail
Words and Photos by Sam Lewandowski “The acreage of our federal public lands is equivalent to the entire country of Germany seven times over. These lands provide space for hunting, fishing, and leisure activities; wildlife habitats; clean-water protection; sustainable industry; and much more. All for the public. It’s about as profoundly American an idea as you can find: the democratization of land and resources and … Continue reading Bears Ears: In Defense of Public Lands
We have a handful of super rad Otso Ambassadors taking on the Tour Divide this year and we had to take the opportunity to share a bit of each of their stories here. Below you will find bike photo galleries and answers to the questions we all want to ask these types of folks. We hope you enjoy the photos and the reading as much … Continue reading Tour Divide Bike Checks
Arkansas Gravel Doom 2025 With Dexter Kopas Words- Dexter KopasPhotos – Dexter Kopas + Kai Caddy The sun had refused to shine for days. Water gushed down every low point in the terrain. A misty rain settled on every surface. Cold air wafted through the wide rip in the back of my rain pants. My eyes struggled to stay open after their frequently interrupted sleep. … Continue reading Empty on the outside, full on the inside.
Words by Stephanie Hall, Photos by Derek Ludwig Let’s first start with some definitions. Definitions: Big Dumb Ride [BDR]:Type 2 fun, a bad idea, usually long, dumb in all the right ways. Vermont Filthy: Friday ride crew, sendy, gnarly rides, kind people. Fat Filthy, 189 miles 27,000ft climbing. Voytek 2: Exactly the right tool for the job. A fast fat bike with ample geometry options … Continue reading Stephanie’s BIG DUMB RIDE (BDR)
Words by Dexter KopasPhotos by Aaron Hardin Howdy, y’all! Stoked to be welcomed into the Otso club. I am 28 years old, live in Tucson, AZ, and I am drawn to Otso for three reasons, which together encapsulate what I love about bikes. The structured component of my biking life is around competition. Over the last three years, I have gone from never racing to … Continue reading Meet Otso Ambassador Dexter Kopas
Otso Ambassador Justin McKinley has been sharing some rad updates on his YouTube channel about his upcoming adventure: The Tour Divide. This will be Justin’s third attempt at the route. This year, he’s chosen to race The Divide on his new Otso Fenrir Ti. Justin recently shared that he got his Fenrir Ti all built up and we couldn’t be more excited about the result. … Continue reading Tour Divide: Ride It with Style
We are very excited to share a project by Cory Wallace about his Kathmandu 360 ride in Nepal. The route Cory rode was 100 miles of gravel and chunky dirt with 18,000 ft of elevation gain. With Himalayan views, jungle sections, and mud slides to work around, we’d say Cory’s route looks absolutely dreamy. The Waheela C was perfect for the terrain and chunky gravel … Continue reading Kathmandu 360 with Cory Wallace
