Meet Denis—a bike mechanic based in Namur, Belgium, and proud owner of a Kona Rove LTD. For the past three years, his Rove has been more than just a bike; it’s been a loyal travel companion across Germany, France, Luxembourg, Holland, Belgium, and now Spain.
Currently mid-way through an epic 1,800km bikepacking trip from Toulouse to Alicante—via Andorra, Zaragoza, and Teruel—Denis is tackling serious climbs, rough terrain, and stunning off-road routes aboard his well-loved Rove LTD.
My Rove LTD has seen quite a lot of upgrades. I love what is strong, reliable, and easy to use, just like him. That's why I've got a Chris King headset. I have not serviced it for more than 10.000km and it still has no play. The wheels are Duke rims with reliable DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs. The tires are Schwalbe Overland 700x45c, they're super strong and hold in every situation. Gears are 46-28 and 11-40 at the back, which allows me to stay seated until 12% of climbing. Pray to the Shimano God, as GRX is such a good groupset. The frame has quite a lot of stickers to remind me of memories, and on top, it has a small hit because it fell out of my hands once. I have stuck an "oups" on it to make me laugh more than cry about it. Steel is real, and it's not affecting the riding.
Every bag is like a room in my house.
In the frame, I've got a Restrap frame bag of 4.5L. It's like my rear pocket: I have everything I often need in it. Quick food, multi tool, wallet, bum butter, toilet paper and everything that I need to store quickly.
My handlebar bag is a Topeak Front Loader of 12 liters. This is my room: I store my tent in it and my Mattress. What I love about it is how quickly it is to load and unload it. No need to struggle 10 minutes to set it up, it stays on my handlebars firmly. Also, it leaves me plenty of room to get my hands on the flats which is very comfortable.
On long trips I always have my foodpouch from Zefal which attaches on the fork so it does not bounce. I earned it by riding the Challenge of Tourmagne and finishing in the conditions. Go check it out. It's super easy to use and I'm able to store any food I want in it, even beers!
On the fork I've got my two Ortlieb Fork-Pack of 4.1L each. They're like my wardrobe in which I have all my clothes for the night and also my spare cycling clothing if it gets colder. They are super steady and easy to remove. Just one click and you've got them in your hands.
On the back my Restrap 14L Saddlebag is my favourite part. It follows me on all my long trips. I've got all my heavy stuff in it : bag of tools, battery, lock and also my sleeping bag as it helps to compress and stabilise everything. I love to pack my rain jacked on top so I can get it very quick and it also makes me more visible for cars.
My latest add-on is a Apidura expedition top tube. It works just like the foodpouch and helps me manage my nutrition.
