Even though there are more and more bikepacking bikes on the market with every year, it was surprisingly difficult to find three with built-in racks. All three machines in this test are oddities in and of themselves, but in a sea of mid-travel full suspension bikes, a drop of strangeness is more than welcome. And speaking of which, when was the last time you saw a mountain bike with drop bars, let alone a fat bike designed to carry a month’s worth of food supplies?
The Trek 1120 is a genuine one-off, and a good example of a big bike company daring to do things differently. Its custom racks work brilliantly – much better than a traditional pannier rack off-road, in fact. In time I’d expect similar variations on the concept to start appearing from other manufacturers, but for now, it stands alone. While it’s slightly hobbled as a trail bike by its geometry and cockpit, you can still have a bundle of fun on it. Carrying a full load while being able to tackle full-on terrain is the whole point of bikepacking, and this bike makes it incredibly easy.
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