【OUTER SHELL ADVENTURE】Kyle takes on Paris-Brest-Paris!

2023/8/18 池山豊繁

I just heard from Kyle at OUTER SHELL the other day, and guess what! He’s taking on Paris-Brest-Paris!

I’d heard vague rumors from mutual friends, and I had indeed noticed Kyle riding a few brevets earlier this year, but I never expected him to actually take on such a challenge!

Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is a 1,200km self-supported ride across France with a 90-hour time limit. It is one of the oldest cycling events in the world centered in Europe. First held in 1891, PBP now takes place every four years. It’s an intense ride where famous and unknown amateur cyclists gather from all over the world to test the limits of sleep deprivation and caloric output. To participate, you must finish four qualifying events—200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km—within the same year, making it an event known as the pinnacle of brevet riding.

Kyle is tackling PBP on his HUNTER CYCLES CX bike.
The bike, which he was also riding when he visited Japan four years ago, is one he has owned since long before he started OUTER SHELL, back when he was on the now-defunct FRESH AIR CYCLES team and living for CX racing.

He’s assembled this bike into a randonneur style. It makes us happy to see him using SimWorks’ Volummy 700x38c tires.

Kyle originally had a steel fork, but he switched to a carbon fork for his serious attempt at the brevet. According to Kyle, he had a friend help him glue the dynamo wiring onto a Ritchey carbon fork to integrate it, effectively making it internally routed while also adding a light mount to the fork crown—a pretty crazy idea brought to life (lol).

As for the bags, he apparently used the PBP as an excuse to make a new setup using an ultralight fabric called Ultra400, similar to Dyneema, which he’s actually using in the PBP. There’s a chance some of these models will be released and come to Japan in the future, so stay tuned for follow-up news!

He’s flying to France in a few days, so please check the OUTER SHELL Instagram stories and show Kyle your support!

Oh, and one more quick announcement.
We’ve just received new bottle designs from OUTER SHELL!

These bottles were designed by Serena a.k.a RadRio, a friend of Kyle and of SimWorksUSA’s Liébaut. They are inspired by Ralph Steadman, author of the art book Gonzo: The Art (1998) and a long-time personal favorite of Kyle’s since he was young.

The design features “vibrant sunsets,” “spiky creatures,” and “psychedelic friends surrounding them.” It’s imbued with the sentiment of charging through the unknown world with “DHARMA BUMS” in one hand (the philosophy of aiming for the happiness of all users and everyone involved in manufacturing, without relying on mass production and mass consumption) and holding onto a bit of rage in the other, celebrating one’s own growth. Please keep supporting Kyle and be sure to check these out too!