Meet The Ultimate Bike-Packing Machine That Can Dominate Any Terrain

One of the newest trends around is something known as bike-packing. Actually, I wouldn’t call it new, it’s just that there’s more people doing it these days. Just as the phrase implies, you have a bike and a backpack. Now live life on the road for a few days.

But what happens anytime a trend takes off? We're talking about the emergence of all sorts of designs meant to bring something else to the table (something better). One of those ideas is the one you see before you in the cover photo and the gallery.

What we’re looking at, folks, is known as the Grade-Bicycle System. It’s an entire biking system that offers versatility for several terrains: from roads to woodlands and trails. Its creator? David Verchick, an industrial designer from Copenhagen, Denmark. I'm starting to understand how this concept came about; necessity is the mother, as it holds true for most inventions.

Unlike other bikes we’ve shown you, this one does not include any information regarding the sort of materials used in its possible construction, power levels, or even range. But what it is full of are ideas. And personally, I admire ideas, even if they aren’t yet applicable in reality. Why? Because eventually, these dreams become reality. Well, some of them anyway.

Because we aren’t told anything about the battery or motor except for possible placement, we are only going to touch up lightly on those two subjects. The motor is mounted on the rear wheel, while the battery pack seems to be hanging from the top tube.

Wait a minute, we’ve seen this design before, but where? Oh yeah, on the Bellabici Elettrica. Glad to see this idea is making a more modern comeback because I think it looks awesome. There’s just one drawback to this idea: the bike's center of gravity is affected.

The motor can be seen at the rear hub but appears to be quite small; the drivetrain seems fitting, however. We can see what looks to be a Gates Carbon Drive system, but this is just speculation as Verchick says nothing of this.

What the Grade does stand out in are the frame design and tires. If we have a close look at the frame, we can see it’s been sculpted to include internal cable routing and a space under the seat used for storage. The frame has also been developed in such a way as to be able to carry large loads. At the front, a basket attachment is available, while at the rear, a rack with panniers.

Finally, we arrive at the wheel system - I call it a system because these aren’t your plain ol’ wheels. What Verchick did with the wheels was to eliminate as many potential threats as possible to classic tires. To do that, he chose to design airless tires. But different terrains require different tools, so we are offered three different tire structures depending on the terrain you’re tackling. What's neat is we’ve seen this idea before in quite a few bicycle designs - and even in automobiles with the Michelin Uptis.

The only thing left to do now is wait for someone to come along and make something like this a reality. If not, at least use some of the tech we see, will you?