We’ve got a micro adventure planned for today: we’ll meet up at Meech Creek, in Gatineau Park, ride the trails all the way to Wakefield, grab a bite to eat and packraft down the Gatineau River all the way back to Chelsea.
I grab the Chic-Chocs and secure it to the roof rack of the car. Alpacka raft, life jacket and paddle are thrown in the back of the car and off I go. Things are looking up! The sun is bright and the weather is slowly rising. It’s after 10am, let’s hit the trails!
The trails that we plan to ride today are relatively easy. Between Meech Creek and Wakefield, it’s doubletrack all the way up the 50s (trails #50 and #52). It mostly goes uphill in a straight line, and it goes downhill the exact same way. The trails can get a little rough. That’s where the Chic-Chocs truly shines.
With a bit of technique, I can ride over everything. Climbs are slow and steady and I can easily lift the front end of the bike despite having a packraft strapped to the handlebars.
The trails get steeper as we get closer to Wakefield. Holy fast downhill!! Once we reach the bottom of the hill, we take the highway underpass leading us to the Wakefield Mill. We continue down Mill Rd. for a few hundred metres and end up on Riverside Rd., Wakefield’s main drag. It’s sunny and warm outside. We park our bikes in front of Kafe 1870, grab a seat on the patio and swiftly order food and drinks. Damn, what a glorious lunch.
We could sit here all day but the truth is, we came to town for another reason. We saddle up and ride to the public dock so we can float down the Gat! We unpack our gear and quickly inflate the rafts. I remove the Chic-Chocs’ wheels and attach them to the bike frame, which is then attached to the bow of the boat. I settle in. The water is nice and cool. Time to slowly paddle our way back to Chelsea.
Custom-made frame bag by Atwater Atelier, to match your Panorama Cycles bike.
Many color, material and feature options available. Refer to the Atwater Atelier website for details or contact us directly.
How to order:
1- Make the purchase on our website. Add as a note to the order the model, year, color and size of your Panorama Cycles bike.
2- Upon receipt of your order, a member of our team will contact you to select options, if applicable.
3- Bag manufacturing time varies from 6-10 weeks.
Basic features ($290):
Access to a large compartment on the drive side
Brightly colored 70D Ripstop inner lining for better visibility
Slow Travel is the state of mind we approach during bike journeys. It is taking the time to live each experience in its entirety, focusing on quality rather than quantity.
***2024-03-25 Update. Delivery of first production batch scheduled for early April. This batch has sold out in presale.A second production batch is expected in late April/early May. All sizes will be available. Pre-order your Taïga EXP using the promo code taigaexp at the time of purchase to proceed to the 50% reservation deposit.
Selected as one of the best off-road touring bikes by the renowned blog Cyling About, the Taïga EXP 2 is the dropbar version of the Taïga mountain bike. This makes it ideal for long-distance off-road tours and mixed terrain bikepacking expeditions. It was also the bike that led Cory Ostertag to first place at the 2022 BC Epic, and the same bike that helped Marie-Pierre Savard and Cory Ostertag set new record times (FKT) at the 2022 Log Driver’s Waltz for women and men respectively.
The Reynolds 725 frame is packed with useful features: adjustable rear sliding dropouts, seat stay opening for use with belt, compatible with 100mm suspension fork, compatible with dropper seat post. The carbon fork has internal cable routing for dynamo hub usage, and all the necessary mounts for your equipment. In addition to slight geometric refinements, tire clearance has been increased to easily accommodate 29x2.6'' on this second-generation EXP.
The Taïga EXP 2 is equipped with the excellent GRX 12-speed groupset, and the frame now features flat-mount brake mounts. We offer 2 wheel options as well as an adjustable seatpost option. The Ritchey Beacon 52cm wide handlebar gives enough space for a bulky handlebar bag, while providing excellent stability when the terrain is more demanding.
*Frameset comes with wheel axles, headset installed, seatpost collar and frame protectors.
***In stock, we ship daily!
The Boreal is an all-terrain touring bike designed to carry its rider in a comfortable upright position on trips and expeditions. The frame and fork are sturdy, and the components are reliable and low-maintenance. Capable of taking loads, the Boreal is the perfect partner for your most ambitious projects.
This bike share the same geometry and features as the Boreal-Pinion. Unlike the latter, which is equipped with an internal drivetrain, we build the Boreal with either a Shimano SLX 1x12 or a Shimano Cues 6000/8000 2x11 drivetrain. The 2x11 option offers a huge range of gear ratios, 669% versus 510% for the 1x12. Building the bike around the Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed hub is also available as an option.
For half-road/half-off-road touring, 29×2.0 (700×50 equivalent) tires will provide an optimum ride. For off-road use, 27.5″ tires of equivalent diameter, i.e. 27.5×2.6, are the appropriate choice. The two 32-spoke wheel options (for greater durability) are offered with the purchase of the complete bike. In both options, no lack of mud clearance while the frame and fork can accommodate 29×2.8 tires.
*** Refer to the specification list for component details.
* Rohloff option comes with Speedhub 500/14 A12 DB PM black hub, 180mm rear disc, shifter. The chain option comes with a 34/16T chainring/sprocket and the belt option in 42/19.
* New bike. Only size small left. Please refer to the component list for specifications.
The Forillon is your best ally for cycling around the world. It is designed to be ridden efficiently on a variety of road types, while remaining stable and easy to handle when loaded with all your luggages. It's easy to see why the family behind the Terra Tributa project made these their bikes of choice for their nomadic lifestyle.
Strength and reliability are highlighted in the choice of components. The 36 spokes double walled with reinforced eyelets rims paired with 700x44mm tires and the Microshift transmission offering an immense speed range of 585% are perfect examples.
The Reynolds 525 steel tubeset as well as the 4130 steel fork have been selected to maintain excellent stiffness once the bags and panniers are added. Features such as the addition of extra spokes mounts, integrated kickstand plate, multiple mounts for bottles, front and rear racks and fenders make this a true Swiss Army knife for on-the-go travel bike.