After some debate and experimentation with different bikes I’ve landed on riding my trusty Mosaic for my time on the Trans South Dakota route. After a good wash, some minimal maintenance, and some small changes, it’s ready for more action after serving brilliantly during Tour Divide.

Kristen and I are racing (riding may be more accurate) the 350-mile Sprint version of Trans SD. After speaking with the race’s co-organizer Joe Stiller, we decided to approach our ride as a fast and light mission. Instead of carrying a lot of gear, we split the race into three days of riding and will spend two nights in motels. Lightening the load also allowed us to ride lighter bikes with narrower tires. It sounds like the first 60 miles will test our handling skills on 40mm tires, we'll roll quite a bit quicker on the remaining 300 miles of dirt, tarmac, and gravel. It's a bit of a gamble, but we're confident in our abilities and carrying enough clothing to stay safe.

While we have lost the weight of camping gear, there's no getting around the expected heat and long, dry stretches. I have five bottle cages mounted up and can carry extra fluids in my jersey pockets and strapped to my Revelate Terrapin 8L seatpack. Kristen is running three cages and a hydration pack.

Otherwise, I made a few changes to the Mosaic for the shorter distance of Trans South Dakota. Check out the photos below for more details. For more on the race head here. If you'd like to see more from the trail, follow me on Instagram (@nlegan) and here is the Trackleaders page. To learn how the trip went, you'll need to keep your eyes peeled on the Adventure Cyclist website.

I mounted up a pair of Goodyear Connector 40mm tires for Trans South Dakota. They offer durability and a good blend of fast rolling traction.

Revelate Design's Terrapin 8L seatpack harness/drybag combination is the perfect size for my lighter load. It's super stable thanks to its new mounting system and the drybag keeps contents well protected. It will carry extra clothes, a small first a… — Revelate Design's Terrapin 8L seatpack harness/drybag combination is the perfect size for my lighter load. It's super stable thanks to its new mounting system and the drybag keeps contents well protected. It will carry extra clothes, a small first aid kit, body care essentials, and charging cords. The frame bag carries a spare tube, tools, Dynaplug, a small lock, and an emergency bivy. The Bolder Bikepacking top tube bag is for food.

While I left the 42/30 chainrings alone, I installed a SRAM 11-36 cassette instead of the Shimano 11-40 I used for Tour Divide. The 11-36 gives smaller jumps, nice for flatter roads.

Gone are the front dynamo wheel, replaced by a Shimano XTR Race front wheel. Also taken off are the K-Lite headlight, switch, and Sinewave Revolution USB charger. The Zipp Vuka Clip-ons were supremely comfortable during Tour Divide and I'm excited f… — Gone are the front dynamo wheel, replaced by a Shimano XTR Race front wheel. Also taken off are the K-Lite headlight, switch, and Sinewave Revolution USB charger. The Zipp Vuka Clip-ons were supremely comfortable during Tour Divide and I'm excited for more time in them knocking out the miles on South Dakota's plains.

We don't expect to ride at night much, if at all. But I always want a good headlight in case of unexpected problems. Bontrager's Ion 800 R is super bright and has a daytime flash mode that I'll use on the busier roads near Mount Rushmore.

I loved the Redshift Shockstop stem on Tour Divide and never considered taking it off for Trans South Dakota. But I did lower it two centimeters to achieve a more aggressive position.

I'm running the same chainrings that I ran for all of Tour Divide. The chain and brake pads were installed in Steamboat Springs during Tour Divide and they have plenty of life left. On the other hand, all the mud and grit of Tour Divide did a number… — I'm running the same chainrings that I ran for all of Tour Divide. The chain and brake pads were installed in Steamboat Springs during Tour Divide and they have plenty of life left. On the other hand, all the mud and grit of Tour Divide did a number on the seals of the Enduro XD15 bottom bracket. The bearings are in great shape though. So until I source a new set of seals, I'm running an XTR bottom bracket.