In 2025, we published over 1,300 articles and nearly 50 original bikepacking route guides spanning some 20,000 kilometers (12,500 miles). To further dissect this compendium of useful content, we’ve identified the 12 articles that captured the lion’s share of readers’ attention and the dozen most popular new bikepacking routes that folks found intriguing, rounding out an incredible year. See it all here…
It’s always a little overwhelming and surprising to reflect on what’s been accomplished over a 12-month calendar year after all the cyclical milestones have passed and the smoke has cleared. For 2025, we published a whopping 1,300 original articles. That includes stories, reviews, guides, and news Dispatches—all powered by our small, independent team and a chorus of contributors from around the world. We also added nearly 50 new bikepacking route guides spanning around 20,000 kilometers (12,500 miles) to our Overnighters and Worldwide Bikepacking Route Network maps, the first and largest of its kind. Even more impressive is that this tally doesn’t include essays in The Bikepacking Journal, the hundreds of events we sourced for our calendar, the many upgrades we made across the site, or the time we put into maintaining and updating routes.
None of this happens without the support of the Bikepacking Collective. If you value what we do, membership starts at just $3.25/month ($39/year) and directly funds our editors and contributors—Lucas, Miles, Neil, Virginia, Nic, Evan, Daniel, Josh, Cass, and countless others—maintains the world’s largest bikepacking route network, and fuels ongoing improvements. We’ve got big plans for 2026, and your support keeps the wheels turning.
With that, let’s dig in: first, our 12 most-read posts of the year, followed by the most popular new routes we launched in 2025.
Launched in late March by Logan Watts, Trevor Plassman, and John Manning
While not exactly an article, it was immediately clear from our yearly traffic numbers that the Bike Camp Co-op landing page was the most-visited new page on the website this year. We’ll chalk this up as a win since we’re pretty proud of this achievement. After all, the Bikepacking Collective Basecamp suite of tools took a bit longer than expected since we teased the members-only hub back in 2022. Launched in March, it bundles three practical modules to help you find riding partners, troubleshoot tech issues, and buy/sell used gear. The platform’s still new and evolving, but we’re excited to see the Co-op become the most-visited page on the site in 2025.
Published throughout June by Eszter Horanyi and Eddie Clark
We made a bunch of improvements to the Tracker pages last year and spun up several more throughout 2024 to showcase events we chose to report on in more depth. The Tour Divide Tracker was undoubtedly the most popular out of all the races we covered, and this year was a repeat, with the 2025 Tour Divide Tracker garnering the second-most visits of all new pages on the site. Many thanks to Ester Horanyi and Eddie Clark for the excellent coverage, as always.
Published throughout the year by various team members
Since launching the Gear Index in 2019, it’s been on this top 12 list as a reader favorite every year, and 2025 was no exception. We published one new Index (Handlebar Cradles) and refreshed several others that landed in our top 20 by traffic, including Rear Racks, Stoves, and 650B Gravel Bikes. We’ve got more lined up for 2026, but be sure to send us your ideas!
Published in February and June by Miles Arbour
We love geeking out over race rigs, learning how riders tailor bikes for specific events, and clearly, you do too. For folks keeping score, it should be no surprise to see our “Rigs of” roundups among the year’s most-read features yet again. Last year, they also got the number four spot. Topping them all was our Tour Divide double-feature (part one here and part two here), which showcased 150+ bikes and kits from the 2025 edition. Rigs the Atlas Mountain Race was another one featured in the top 20.
Published in July by Josh Meissner
Josh Meissner wrote one of the most searing pieces published this year, dissecting how Komoot’s sale to a multinational private equity firm exposes the fault lines between corporate capital and community-driven platforms. “When We Get Komooted” unpacks the incentives, the fallout for users and contributors, and a path forward we can all consider. Read the original piece here.
Published in October by Nic Morales
Editor Nic Morales spent a year riding bikes made of all four of the primary frame materials. Between test bikes and personal rigs, a question was sparked: What’s the “best” frame material? It’s a tough one since it’s very context-dependent—crit racers may prize aerodynamics and stiffness, while world tourers need repairability and few proprietary standards. The ultimate answer is that each material carries trade-offs rather than a clear path to being the “best.” As a result, the article drew a lot of attention and comments. Check it out here.
Published in August by Miles Arbour
Out of all the weird bike-industry innovations, none was more popular among readers than the new 32” wheel and tire size. This was made evident by the popularity of our coverage at the MADE Bike Show in Portland, Oregon, where Miles, Neil, and Nic photographed and reported on several bikes that were on display running these extra-large hoops. We expect to see this trend continue in 2026, ready or not.
Published throughout the year by various team members
We were surprised to see a couple of news Dispatches top the list this year, although the popularity of such posts is always a good indicator of reader interest. This year, it was clear that folks were engaging with drop-bar bike news, particularly dirt-drop-related stuff. The announcements for the Trek CheckOUT and the Shimano Drop Bar CUES drivetrain were among the highest-trafficked news blips of the year. That was followed by a couple of announcements regarding the threat to our public lands here in the US: USDA Wants to Close Forest Service Regional Offices and New Map from onX Shows Public Lands Marked For Sale. Then there was the outlier, a news release about this oddball EDC tool, the Smith Blade.
Published in July and September by Neil Beltchenko
Out of the nearly 30 bikes we reviewed this year, two rose to the top in sheer number of reader views: the Canyon Grizl Escape ECLIPS and the new Surly Straggler. What does that teach us? Not much, to be honest. Readers still love drop bars, despite favoring flat bars in our survey a couple of years back. Also, some brands are simply more compelling to readers. Surly bikes always get a lot of interest—for example, the Moonlander was one of last year’s top models we reviewed—and Canyon is a popular brand, too.
Published in May by Logan Watts and Virginia Krabill
Every year, one of our favorite series to produce is the Editor’s Dozen, providing a space where each of our team members and extended family can reflect on things and realizations that made that year special. Fortunately, this eight-year-old series remains a reader favorite, too. This year, one installment cracked the top 20 most-clicked posts: the mid-year list from Virginia and me, published back in May. Dive into the archive at #editors-dozen!
Published in July by Neil Beltchenko
It’s not a complete surprise to see the X-Dome 1+ in this list of most-viewed content. Durston’s unique take on the solo tent received a ton of praise from the backpacking sphere, and its cavernous interior, generous headroom, gear-friendly vestibule, and modular fly-first layout add real versatility while staying light and well-priced, undercutting most ultralight competitors. Frankly, it’s more than just this year’s best tent and deserves the audience.
Published in January and February by Logan Watts
Rounding out this list of most-visited articles are a pair of #MYOBG tutorials we published at the beginning of 2025: Make Your Own Wooden Rear Rack and Make Your Own Wald Basket Bag. The DIY ethos was one of the founding principles of this site, so suffice to say, we were happy to see these useful resources getting some attention. Thanks for reading!
Top 12 Routes
As mentioned in the introduction to this post, we published nearly 50 new bikepacking route guides this year, totaling more than 20,000 kilometers (about 12,500 miles). Here are the 12 that garnered the most interest and clicks throughout 2025:
-
1. Transardinia
Italy / 9 days / Route Guide
First on the list is a route that’s a time-tested European classic but is new to our network. Tracing Sardinia’s eastern massifs, TranSardinia is a 9-10-day linear route that runs north to south, threading pastoral valleys, farm tracks, and mountain backroads through a lesser-known side of the island that showcases its beauty, traditions, and bucolic way of life.
-
2. Trans Wisconsin
Wisconsin, USA / 14 days / Route Guide
From the Illinois border to Lake Superior, the Trans-Wisconsin Bicycle Route is a two-week, point-to-point ride that strings together mostly unpaved roads and trails through Driftless bluffs, patchwork farmland, and deep northern forests. Small-town charm and rich local culture make it a two-wheeled love letter to Wisconsin.
-
3. The Hydra
Eastern Europe / 14 days / Route Guide
The Hydra begins in Poland and runs the length of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, serving up a quiet but demanding traverse of the Baltic states. Expect varied terrain, occasional technical sections, and enough distance and elevation to challenge riders eager to push their limits. Like the top two on this list, the Hydra is a two-week point-to-point ride.
-
4. Caminos del Sol
Spain / 6 days / Route Guide
Caminos del Sol allows bikepackers to skip the crowded coast and slip into the arid mountains between Gandía and Alicante for a weeklong loop. The route blends sunshine, castles, historic towns, and convenient logistics into a spectacular, bikepacking-friendly route just inland from Spain’s east coast.
-
5. The Wildcat
Scotland / 7 days / Route Guide
This weeklong circuit circles the heart of the Scottish Highlands via a web of optional loops. It links remote glens with iconic towns and villages, honoring the endangered Scottish wildcat while immersing riders in rugged, big-sky landscapes. It was also a favorite in our year-end awards.
-
6. Great Western Loop
Scotland / 5 days / Route Guide
Also designed by Nima Korshidi, the Great Wester Loop is a 141-mile bikerafting odyssey across the West Highland Peninsulas to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, Britain’s westernmost point. Leaving busy Glenfinnan, the route quickly disappears into some of Scotland’s wildest, least spoiled corners.
-
7. Kotlina400
Poland / 4 days / Route Guide
Encircling Poland’s Kłodzko Valley, Kotlina400 is a 410-kilometer loop with 9,700+ meters of climbing over gravel paths, forest roads, and high passes. Designed to hug the valley’s rim, it showcases historic towns, diverse terrain, and the spirit of true gravel adventure. While the route creator bills it as a four-day ride, we think it would be a great weeklong adventure for most riders.
-
8. Brandenburg Odyssee
Germany / 14 days / Route Guide
The Brandenburg Odyssey is a two-week, off-road loop that stitches together Brandenburg’s nature reserves via twisty singletrack, fast gravel, and logging roads. Expect glassy lakes, lush forests, heathlands, relics of fascist and socialist eras—and even a pocket desert.
-
9. Celestial Divide
Kyrgyzstan / 20 days / Route Guide
From the Great Steppe to the Pamirs, the Celestial Divide is a new north-south linear route running across Kyrgyzstan along the spine of the Celestial Mountains. It’s a raw, high-country journey through sweeping valleys, lofty passes, and the untamed heart of Central Asia.
-
10. OCVA
Oregon, USA / 6 days / Route Guide
Spanning 412 miles from Klamath Falls to Portland, OCVA traces the Cascadia Subduction Zone’s volcanic chain—Shasta to Jefferson to the Three Sisters to Hood and St. Helens, onward to Rainier. The route traverses lava fields, evergreen forests, and lush river valleys for a grand tour of Oregon’s bioregions.
-
11. Golden Jackrabbit Loop
California, USA / 2-3 days / Route Guide
Part of the Desert Collective, the Golden Jackrabbit Loop is a weekend route that unearths the Small Tract Act’s odd history and wanders past weathered gold-mine relics in the Mojave Desert. With wide-open vistas, prime dispersed camps, and some of Southern California’s darkest skies, it’s a stargazer’s dream.
-
12. Salmon River Solitude
Idaho, USA / 4 days / Route Guide
Beginning and ending in McCall, Idaho, Salmon River Solitude is a four-day loop that ventures into the Salmon River Mountains on long gravel climbs, big descents, and river-lined backroads. Relics of mining towns, sweeping views, and true remoteness make it a scenic escape with historic flavor.
Thanks again for another excellent year! See ya in 2026.
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info…
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.