BEARCLAW BICYCLE CO.

Over the past few years, the increasing popularity of bikepacking has shifted the purpose of the all-road or adventure bike. New models are introduced one after another, each with bigger tires and more ambition than the last, promising to carry riders across terrain never intended for travel on two wheels. Adventure cycling films have become commonplace among outdoor film festivals, showing off gorgeous landscapes and inspiring viewers to get out and experience the sport for themselves. When we heard Bearclaw was building a bike intended to push the boundaries even further, we set out to produce a short film that would do the same.

There is no better proving ground for an all-purpose bicycle than Iceland’s uninhabited interior, a notoriously unforgiving wilderness infamous for an array of weather-beaten mountain peaks cut by endless wind and vast expanses of ice and desert. One of the most barren wilderness regions in the world, the highlands are full of dramatic vistas, diverse climates and challenging conditions. Unpredictable volcanic activity makes the area a unique analogue of the surface of Mars, so much that it’s used by NASA to simulate geological formations and conditions found on the Red Planet.

In June 2019, we set out for Kirkjubæjarklaustur with an arsenal of camera gear and costumes, determined to scrap the documentary approach in favor of Icelandic folk tales and satire on a mission to put together the most complete adventure cycling film to date: a fictional saga about a bike race across the land of fire and ice. Along the way, we crossed paths with a mysterious character named Chet Bearclaw, who had returned briefly from the future to search for his Delorean keys in a place he thought was Michigan.