Bike (Rafting)

Bikerafting in the Abel Tasman National Park is now on my bucket list. Still very uncertain at this point as I first need to find a company - this activity is not easy alone. But first things first, I've placed it on the bucket list. And started sone preparations. If not Abel Tasman, there are many options elsewhere. 

I had a mountain bike some 25 years ago but never went on a multi-day offroad trip. That bike is now barely functional and bikes in general have changed a lot. They are now much more capable to ride (hydraulic disc brakes do make a difference) and comfortable (the modern shifters reduced the complexity - just the rear shifter does it all with 11-12 gear cassettes). 

I started building the bike with the help of AI (Gemini) as initially I even did not know what to ask for. It guided me with selection of frame and drive options as well as recommended a great local shop that beautifully put it all together (Peak Bike in Krakow - highly recommended).

And then I've started to accessorize the bike. Oh boy! Hundreds of options / brands and I was lost. But it has been a really fun project, discovering the possible innovations. So here is the list of what I ended up with. Basically two brands: Redshift for the handlebar and tailfin for cargo bags. TL;DR - both are excellent with the only caveat that price-wise both are premium priced. But if you can afford them, there will be absolutely no regrets.

1. The Redshift ShockStop Stem (+30 deg / 80mm). A joy to ride when you don't have a telescopic fork.
2. The Redshift Kitchen Sink Gravel Handlebar. The loop enables great accessories options and also serves as a partial mount for the packraft (the packraft also rests on the racktime VIEWIT carrier). The optional Cruise Control Grips and the LongBar Tape make any hands' position grippy and very comfortable. The small bag that goes inside the loop serves for small accessories as well as a cushion for a phone.
3. The packraft. Biker Classic Pro - 3.5kg with a seat and a bow bag, folds nicely in the front. 
4. The two (one of each side) tailfin 10L fork packs. The best part of tailfin bags is they have very well engineered (precision and materials) mounting mechanism. Super sturdy, zero rattle, easy to detach.
5. The 22L tailfin Pannier Bag. Eve includes a laptop sleeve and a Shoulder Strap (for urban commute). Again very well designed, top materials, zero rattle.
6. The 22L tailfin CargoPack. It includes the rack (super easily detachable from the bike) and the Bag (many options here). The only complaint about this one is that in my case the seat post mount could be longer as the bag when fully loaded is a bit obstructed by the seat. But other than that what strikes me out with all tailfin products is the attention to details. Every piece is engineered with ease of use and durability in mind.
7. The tailfin Cargo Cage. Together with two Cargo Straps (one 40cm and one 65cm) serves very well as the carrier for the rafting paddle.
8. Last but not least - the evidence of great product thinking at tailfin - is the tailfin Bottle Dropper - it allows to mount the water bottle such that it is not obstructed by the Half Frame Bag.

So all together there is +/-70L of bag capacity (that is needed when you carry week's worth of food in addition to a tent, a sleeping bag and a safety vest). I've done some offroad trips with a dummy load already and everything works great. Ready a first (local) bikerafting weekend in June.