Bikepacking Adventures with Jake Mann | E11

Recorded once again in the back of the Toyota SendRadder mobile recording studio on the shores of Donner Lake, @pow_bot and @trail_whisperer shoot the bull with @notjakemann (it’s him he promises) and his upcoming 5 week, 1,300 mile bikepacking mountain bike adventure from Truckee to Port Townsend, Washington. Jake is the founding member of the @truckeebikepackingcollective but he only got into bikepacking three years ago during the height of the COVID pandemic, riding the entire Continental Divide trail from Canada to Mexico after not riding a bike for 10 years.

After that trip, Jake was hooked and hasn’t stopped riding. He even quit his job @newmoonnaturalfoods to ride the Divide, only to return with a pay raise and a better title! The boys also talk about PowBot turning 50 years young and getting an ebike, not providing too much information regarding trails and ski zones, whitewater rafting the Truckee River, PowBot’s eastern Sierra ski mission and a lot more! Help support Jake and his effort to raise money for @worldbicyclerelief – donate through the link in his Instagram profile and follow along with him as he makes his way north! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Spotify. Supported by @sendy_app - #mindthetrack #mindthetrackpodcast #bikepacking #continentaldivide #bikeadventures

Show Notes:

1:00 – POWBOT TURNS 50!

5:00 – E-Bike talk! PowBot gets his very first e-bike – Santa Cruz Heckler – winning bid for a Mike’s Bikes auction to benefit the NorCal Bike League.

9:00 – PowBot goes on a 4 day Eastern Sierra mission to rip Mount Mary Austin near Independence, California.

13:00 – Sam Hamilton takes Trail Whisperer whitewater rafting in Verdi, Nevada.

14:20 – Riding mountain bikes in Verdi and on Jackass Ridge in Truckee, helping with a dig day with the Truckee Dirt Union.

15:50 – PowBot rides his ebike on Ash to Kings trail to Lincoln Bypass in Carson City.

17:30 – Talk about not giving away all the information on trails and places to ski. Leaving some meat on the bone and sharing just enough information so people can still adventure.

20:30 – The Jackson Hole Ski Atlas versus the Tahoe Ski Atlas – one has mystery and lack of detail, the other gives all the information away.

23:00 – Public Shred Announcement – Turning 50 Years Old – Get your health checkup so you can shred forever. Finger up the butt.

25:45 – Introducing Jake Mann – founder of the Truckee Bikepacking Collective. Riding from Truckee to Port Townsend, Washington – 1,300 miles of bikepacking.

27:50 – Raising money for World Bicycle Relief – fundraiser page – go to profile in @notjakemann (he promises it’s him).

29:50 – What got Jake into bikepacking and riding 2,500 miles of the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico during the heart of the COVID pandemic in 2020.

37:45 – What kind of bike did Jake ride? He bought a Kona Sutra gravel bike with his COVID cash.

40:00 – What do you bring with you on a bikepacking trip? Riding the Colorado Trail and getting rejected because of the weather.

43:30 – Riding a Surly Karate Monkey as a bikepacking bike.

45:00 – Figuring out how to ride to Port Townsend from Truckee. Reading maps and researching routes and talking to locals.

50:30 – The welcoming vibe of people who see you bikepacking long distances. “Campground Whoring”.

52:00 – Pacific Crest Trail – do not hike the entire trail this summer. TOO MUCH SNOW.

54:30 – The route north from Bend, Oregon through Hood River and into Washington riding the Dark Divide to Olympia then to the Olympic Peninsula.

57:00 – How do you carry all the gear and weight when bikepacking?

58:00 – Jake Mann sews his own bikepacking bags, he learned from Andrew Chapman in Truckee.

59:00 – What is the Truckee Bikepacking Collective? Starting the group on Instagram with a couple people and riding to Loyalton.

1:03:00 – What kind of materials is Jake using for his bikepacking bags? Buying a hot pink sewing machine on Craigslist for $30.

1:07:00 – Is Jake Mann going to come back from Washington? Will he just move there after this ride? He might stay in Truckee because he loves working at New Moon Foods.

1:13:30 – The beautiful simplicity of existing on a bike, riding, eating and sleeping.

1:14:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:17:00 – Follow @notjakemann on Instagram and keep updated on his bikepacking adventure.