Building some Baja Divide Bikes from our fatbikes

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
This will be a thread documenting the build or more of a conversion of my Fatback and my wife's Specialized Helga fatbikes to a 27.5+ platform for bikepacking part of the Baja Divide. I will also put together a gear list for what we pack.
The bikes:
2013 Titanium Fatback 170 QR rear spacing.
fork carbon Lauf heavy 150 thru axle
Becker Bags Frame Bag
Revelate Designs harness and large handlebar bag
Revelate Designs feed bag and Bedrock Bags Tapeats cockpit bags.
Revelate Designs Pika seat bag
MYOG Cuben Fiber gas tank bag
Paul Components Klampers and Love Lever brakes
King Bearings (BB, HS)
Sram XX1 crank with 28T direct mount Wolftooth narrow wide chain ring
Shimano 1x10 XTR shifter, Saint derailleur with one up Radr cage.
12-42 cassette with Wolftooth 42 pieplate
Jones carbon loop, Oury grips
King Cage Stem Cap cage mount Salsa Titanium Nickless Cage
Light and USB charging Sinewave Beacon
Shutter Precision Schmidt SON dynamo hub
Onyx 170mm rear hub
Velocity Duallys 27.5+
Schwalbe Nobby Nic Addix speed grip 3.0 Apex tough skin.
Brooks Professional saddle Ti
Ti Cycles/Paul tall and handsome seat post
Here is how it is sitting now.
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Up next in part 2 is my wife's Specialized Helga build.....
here she is this last weekend at around high noon on the coastal refuge in Alaska 5 degrees out in the sunshine

xs Specialized Helga:
Manitou Mastodon 80mm fork
Velocity Duallys 27.5 with 2.8 Schwalbe Nobby Nic Addix
Wolftooth 28 no drop front chainring.
Revelate Designs harness and large pocket.
Revelate Designs feed bag x2
Needed:
Old Man Mt fat bike rear rack. A normal bikepacking seatbag will not clear the rear wheel. I picked up some Revelate Designs Nano-panniers for the rack. Revelate NanoPanniers
1x11 Shimano XT with Sun Race 46 cassette
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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Looking forward to the build. What are you going to use for the rear hub?
Well the used Paul hub that I was going to buy from NYC the seller flaked on me. I went with a custom Onyx hub.

How is the front hub working out? Look forward to more on these builds! Happy trails
Parts are still coming in and I don't know if I'll have Baja in the cards this season. I will post up some trip report once it is done.
 
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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Well I just got a Manitou Mastodon 80mm Comp for my wife's Specialized Helga. She always wanted a fork but I just couldn't get her a Bluto. For a front wheel I have a take off from a Scott Big Ed that is a Syncros 80mm rim and 150mm Thru Axle hub.
 
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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
After canceling the Baja Divide trip I still have the bikes being built up for a similar trip in the future. Not having a need for a bike light on my summer wheels I had the SON dynamo laced into the DT Swiss BR710 rim and wired to the Sinewave Beacon. I had the Onyx hubs built into the 27.5 Velocity Duallys for summer riding mounted with the 2.8x27.5 Schwalbe Nobby Nic Addix tires.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
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And my wife's helga still in Fat mode. Her 27.5 Velocity Duallys are being built up now with Hope hubs. Knik Glacier above and Spencer Glacier below. 20180401_103150.jpg20180401_103530.jpg
 
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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
I went back to the Midwest and Northern Wisconsin for 10 days of family and biking. Short trip report but lots of pictures.

I flew out of Anchorage to Milwaukee via Alaska Airlines (bikes fly free or cheap if under a certain weight) and rented a 2017 Chevy Colorado for my adventure rig. Loaded up and drove 41 North to Hwy 10 and then East to Amherst Wisconsin. I pulled in late to Lake Emily site Portage County Park and set up the Big Angus Fly Creek 2, blew up my Klymit Static V camp pad and up on my Ibex puffy, and thermal long johns with a light Sea to Summit sleeping bag liner for my camp kit. I was trying to keep it light with my pack weight even thou I had a car to base camp out of. The next day I made it to Stevens Point Wisconsin and went to PABS to get my bike assembled. I was praying everything made it because the box was cut open by TSA in Anchorage and flown 3k miles between to flights. The next day I went to my Stepbrother's coffee shop Ruby Coffee Roasters in Nelsonville Wisconsin for a special cupping of Guatemalan and Peruvian coffee. We talked about Gear Patrol listing him as one of the 25 best roasters, his time at Salsa Ride Camp as a sponsor, we traded stories about our favorite places in Central and South America, and BIKES. It was time to ride so we loaded up his 4runner and headed to Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca to hit the single track that I grew up ridding.
Albino white tail doe with her normal fawn in Wood Co. Wisconsin. 20180604_193113.jpg

The next day I drove to Neillsville and Black River Falls Wisconsin to ride the IMBA Epic trails at Levis Mounds Clark County Park. The park had a nice new chalet, small camp ground and an awesome single track summer trail network and what looked like an equally cool XC ski and winter fatbike trail system. 20180604_144756.jpg
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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
20180604_160633.jpgMore from Levis Mounds.
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If you live in the Midwest GO THERE it is some crazy good riding and camping. I loved the sandstone bluffs and being back in the pines.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Next I went Northeast to Wausau Wisconsin to ride the new gravity park at Sylvan Hill built by the same trail builders Rock Solid Trail Contractors out of Copper Harbor MI that built many of Marquette MI single tract trails. 20180605_104914.jpg
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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
In Wausau Wisconsin I went to ride the single track trails of my youth at 9 mile forest ( home of the 24 hours of 9 mile) a county park in Marathon County. Camping is near by at Rib Mountain State Park.

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Co-opski

Expedition Leader
I got to spend some more family time in Wisconsin Rapids with my brother and 3 nieces at the BMX track. These kids are little rippers.
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macexpress

Observer
That looks awesome. You were up in my neck of the woods, I live a hour and a half north of Black River Falls. Appreciate the trip report as I'm just getting into some single track riding and have been looking into what's out there for trails. Those parks look fun!
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Next I went northeast to the CAMBA trails (Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association) Cable and Hayward Wisconsin. Hayward and Cable have become a destination for the young active tourists and not the normal musky fishing and hunting crowds that flock to the northwoods. There are many IMBA Epic Rides. I could have spent a week here but had to make by with my limited time. I camped in a Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Camp Ground on Lake Namakagon. I later found out this was the same campground my father took my mother for their musky fishing honeymoon. As kids my brother and I would spend week long trips with our parents and grandparents at Mogasheen Resort. I knew these back roads well but I've never road the trails. 20180607_165355.jpg
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BEARS Live here too.
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This Skinny was underwater.
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