I only started riding a mountain bike two years ago. I bought it from Planet X Cycles, mail order. It’s called a Whippet. Carbon frame, no suspension.
I made the following modifications, mainly to make it lighter:
1 Changed the front forks for ones with a bit of suspension – Lauf Boost Forks.
2 Added a suspension seatpost – this is a great item for making bumpy trails smoother. Cane Creek, long travel suspension seatpost.
3 Changed the tyres for thinner ones. The big thick ones are good for uk, where MUD is a major factor, I think this trip will be over drier terrain. New smaller back wheel (650b) and lightweight sprocket cassette. Overall saved over 2kg on the tyre-wheel changes.
4 Added luggage as shown, made by Podsacs, from Planet X again.
5 Weight without luggage is 13 kg, total luggage is 5kg – main heavy items – Lock 800g, Spare tubes and tools 1.4 kg clothes 2 kg.