Will Meyer’s Brother Cycles Big Bro & Tour Divide Gear List

Right about now, Will Meyer (1/2 of London-based Brother Cycles) is packed up to attempt his first Tour Divide. Here are Will’s thoughts leading up to the event as well as his detailed bike build and gear list …

Words by Will and James Meyer & photos by Jordan Gibbons

It’s 5am as I sit down to write this blog post. My bike and kit is all packed up and in a couple hours the taxi arrives to take me to Gatwick. From here I’ll fly to Canada for the start of the Tour Divide mountain bike race. A 2,700 mile route from Banff, Canada, directly south to a small town called Antelope Wells at the Mexico border.

Today marks the end of 9 months of relentless preparation. The end of obsessing over my kit and grueling 100 mile (sometimes more) training rides. There’s nothing more to be done now other than get out there and finally do this thing, an adventure which has been a dream of mine for many years now.

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I will be tackling this gargantuan challenge on our new Big Bro 29er frame, a prototype that I’ve rigorously tested throughout my training, that we’ll be releasing later this summer. It’s kitted out with a full bikepacking luggage system by Apidura, who’ve sponsored my Tour Divide attempt and have been hugely helpful in the build up to today, so I’d like to thank them for that. Always Riding also came on board with their unparalleled expertise on clothing as did Exposure with their high end lights, and last but not least Brooks England supplied one of their brilliant Cambium saddles. Here is the full gear list including detailed build kit for the bike.

Brother Cycles Big Bro, Will Meyer, Tour Divide Gear List

Brother Cycles ‘Big Bro’

Its hard to remember which came first, my plan to ride the Tour Divide, or our first concepts for the Big Bro rigid 29er frameset. Either way, the TD has been at the b​ack of our mind throughout the development of this bike, our first venture into the world of bikepacking and offroad touring. Fittings are standard; easy to maintain, fix or replace when you’re miles from home. And there are more braze-ons than you can shake a stick at—so plenty of options for a bikepacking or full on touring setup. I selected his build kit with a similar mentality — solid, reliable and not too flashy, components which I’ll be able to rely on when it counts.

  • FRAME & FORK: Brother Cycles ‘Big Bro’ prototype size large
  • HEADSET: FSA Orbit MX
  • HANDLEBAR: Easton EA70 Flat Wide
  • GRIPS: Ergon GS3
  • STEM: Thomson Elite X4 110mm
  • BRAKE LEVERS: Avid Speed Dial 7
  • BRAKES: Avid BB7 MTB
  • BRAKE ROTORS: Avid G2 CleanSweep 180mm front, 160mm rear
  • SHIFT LEVERS: SRAM X7 Trigger Shifter 2×10
  • CABLES/HOUSING: Jagwire MTB
  • FRONT DERAILLEUR: SRAM X7 2×10 HDM
  • REAR DERAILLEUR: SRAM X7 Type 2 10 Speed
  • CRANKSET: SRAM X7 Double 26/39 rings
  • BOTTOM BRACKET: SRAM GXP
  • CASSETTE: SRAM PG1050 10 Speed 11-36
  • CHAIN: SRAM PC1051 10 Speed
  • PEDALS: Speedplay Frog
  • SEATPOST: Thomson Elite Setback
  • SADDLE: Brooks Cambium C15
  • SEATPOST BINDER: Surly Stainless
  • HUBS: Halo Spin Doctor 6D/F
  • RIMS: WTB KOM i25
  • TIRES: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29×2.2
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Camping and Sleeping System

  • Sleeping Bag: Rab 3 season Sleeping bag
  • Sleeping Pad: Thermarest NeoAir Xlite
  • Shelter: Borah Gear Event Bivvy
  • Shelter: Alpkit Tarp shelter/Rope/Pegs

Bike Tools/Spares

  • Multi-tool: Crank bros Multi tool
  • Pump: Topeak Road Morph
  • Tire repair: Levers/Boot x2/Tubes x2/Valve remover/Stans sealant/Puncture kit/Needle/Thread
  • Chain: 2 x Chain quick links/Chain lube
  • Knife: Gerber Camping knife
  • Spares: BB7 pads/Spare bite valve/speedplay cleats
  • Essentials: Zip ties/Lighter
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Bikepacking Bags

  • Seat Pack: Apidura Saddle Pack
  • Frame Pack: Apidura Mountain Frame Pack
  • Handlebars: Apidura Handlebar Pack & Accessory Pack
  • Accessories: Apidura Top Tube Pack (extended)
  • Drybags: 2 Alpkit dry bags for clothes
  • Backpack: Osprey Raptor backpack

Tech & Gadgets

  • Head lamp: Cheap Head torch
  • Tracker: Spot tracker
  • GPS: Garmin eTrex 30x
  • Light: Exposure Toro light
  • Cables: Garmin USB/Exposure USB/Exposure Boost/Mini USB x 3/Multi USB wall charger

Personal care

  • Sleeping: Nytol
  • Chafe: Vaseline
  • Antiseptic: Germolene
  • Pain: Ibuprofen/Solpadeine
  • H2O: Water purifier & purification tabs

Clothing (on bike)

  • Jerseys: Jerseys x 2 (Pedal Ed and Milltag)
  • Shorts: Bib shorts x 2 Sugoi RS Pro
  • Leg Warmers: Sugoi RS leg warmers
  • Arm Warmers: Sugoi RS arm warmers
  • Baselayer: Short sleeve baselayer
  • Vest: Cadence Diablo windproof vest
  • Waterproofs: 7Mesh Revelation waterproof jacket
  • Waterproofs: Showers Pass waterproof trousers
  • Socks: Socks x 3 – thick, mid, thin
  • Waterproofs: Waterproof overshoes
  • Protection: Helmet
  • Shoes: Giro VR70 shoes
  • Accessories: Cap
  • Accessories: Snood
  • Accessories: Gloves x 2 (hot, cold)
  • Accessories: Glove liners if cold weather forecast

Clothing (Off bike)

  • Jacket: RAB down jacket
  • Accessories: Beanie hat
  • Accessories: Shoe insoles or trainers / undecided
  • Baselayer: Merino wool longsleeve baselayer
  • Extras: Running shorts
  • Extras: t shirt

There’s nothing more to be done now other than get out there and finally do this thing, an adventure which has been a dream of mine for many years now.”

The Tour Divide Grand Depart starts at exactly 8am Mountain (UTC -07:00) Friday morning. Will and his riding compadre Domingo hope to complete it 25 days later – you can follow their progress on the Tour Divide Track Leaders page – under the name ‘Will/Mingo Brother’. Also, check out BrotherCycles.com for information on their bikes.

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