Nelson - I'm in the same situation. From what I hear, the chance of successfully re-seating a tubeless setup on the trail is very low, so most go with some tubes (some put Stans inside their tubes) and then deal with it at the next bike shop / garage. (Take a converter for your presta valve perhaps).

I was going to run with CO2 also (as Josh did), but I've read that it can also freeze the Stans rendering the Stans useless. Plus it takes up space and weight.

So, I'm going with 2 tubes, a pump and some patches.

Nicely put and a good topic. I read recently that after 18 hours of no sleep the impairment (motor skills and decision making) is similar to the impact of alcohol (sorry, I can't recall the quantity of alcohol - from the context I think it was the driving limit). Monitoring a mandatory rest period is easier than monitoring the no drafting, the no begging for water (read some of the 2015 blogs), the no visitation etc - you just have to check the Spots.

Yes, the sharp end of these ultra races have a sleep deprivation aspect for most of the top riders. This year the TD will be insane for that as the top guys are going to be looking for any edge on each other. So to win one of these, racing for 14 days with 4 hours sleep or less per day on average seems to be a requirement - but part of many requirements along with the main requirement which is the mental and physical ability to maintain that fast pace and focus for 14 days. There is also their ability to eat well on the bike, to metabolise the food available well, to recover well, to handle the logistics well, etc. However, are we racing those guys, or are we racing ourselves and trying to do our best on and against the course? For me, I'm planning to race the TD in 24 days - I don't care if I'm first or last (although if Salsa send me a Cutthroat then winning is better!) but what I do care about is that I give it my best everyday - the course itself is my competition.

When you look at the majority of racers outside the top 10, they are stopping 5-7 hours per day.

I would not want to see a mandatory rest rule on the TD it is part of what makes it an Ultra Race for me - I love it that some riders push through from Beaverhead to AW and move up 10 places. Or that I can choose to ride through the Basin at night under the full moon to Wamsutter / Savery. Or to ride up into the Polvedera Mesa at night after a 3 hour nap in Abiquiu. The fact that there is just a route, a few simple rules and a start time and then choose your own way to race it is part of what is so appealing to me. No cut-offs, no stages ... just me, my bike and a dream.

My gearing is 46/22, I just started riding it, may want more gear can't really tell yet.

How are you finding the Rohloff gearing?

Rain gear - Gore Bike Wear Alp-X jacket and pants.

If it is a service that the motel has available to all their patrons, it's "TD legal".  Doesn't necessarily make it compatible with a particular racer's idea of self support, though. 

It was Lava Mountain Lodge I believe, and they have a restaurant, so it was commercially available to all. The racer wisely a. had the number, and b. called ahead to get them to leave a meal from the restaurant in his room as he knew that the restaurant would be closed on arrival.

We need Toby Gadd back here! We are racing the Tour Divide under the Tour Divide rules. There is no more "pure" version of self support - there is one set of rules which apply to everyone.

Mike Curiak had a different set of rules to Matt Lee, and even Matt's rules have evolved over the years.

Thoughts on leaving the maps behind and just using GPS? You could also have a set of cues on the phone. Are there certain maps (of the 6) that are a must-have and others that could be left behind? I'm sure there are a number of opinions, but curious on thoughts. Thanks-

If you are racing, only the GPS is sufficient. The maps are unnecessary, heavy and large. Buy the set, study them but leave at home.

Resupply info: Make your own paper summary to race with so you know distances, services info and terrain in-between (i.e. photocopy the map profiles).

Backup 1: Have the cue sheets on your phone, together with scans of the maps in A4 size, with a cloud storage backup so you can always print them out if something goes wrong.

Backup 2: Have a mapping app on your phone like Gaia with the route downloaded.

Backup 3: Some riders take a spare GPS unit in 2015. (e.g. Josh Kato)

Good read on Josh Kato's 2015 training:

http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/tour-divide-training/

I'm using an Edge 800 or 810 with dynamo hub.

1.  Spot tracker ... where do we get one and how do we get "registered" to be on the tracker.
2.  What about letters of intent?  Who do we send them to this year and is there some kind of "official list."

Spot - will be available for rent at (likely) the Y before the start. Arranged by Scott Morris of Topofusion and Trackleaders. (www.trackleaders.com)
Spot tracking - a tracking page gets set up about a week before the start - register there via Trackleaders. Or sort it out at the Y in Banff if you are renting one.

Letters of Intent:

Send to: tourdivide@gmail.com
Don't worry if you get no confirmation - it's an underground bike race! Some get confirmations, some don't. During May 2016 check with Matt that you are on his list - it's important as those on the list are the riders who will get sent emails for updates to last minute route changes, fire detours, etc etc.

Official List:

There is none. There is an unofficial list of many of the starters here:

Data Entry Form:
http://goo.gl/forms/xpZ1R6BSRy

Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ry-lZPuFXayMt8Do2k_XcidY0HlKsdjDm2iVL1MKbyQ/edit?usp=sharing

Your bike and setup look great. See you in Banff!!!!

CB - yeah, I'm from NZ ... glad you liked it there. I forgot to mention above that there is a Question and Answer forum here too, so have a look on that for some discussions also.

Are you racing in 2016? How many days are you looking at? I'm aiming for 24.

what would you splurge on in terms of gear in order to make you the most competitive?

hypothetically winning the lottery,
cb

Hi CB - I was in your situation about two years ago when I started planning for the 2016 TD. I started from ground zero and built up. The best source of info is to read here all the prior years TD Preparation threads. LOADS of information there. Google some gear lists:

Olly Whalley (http://www.driven2divide.com/2012/06/27/ollie-whalleys-tour-divide-gear-list-setup-tour-divide-2012/

Josh Kato: http://www.bikepacking.com/gear/josh-kato-tour-divide-pack-list/

Neil Beltchenko: http://bikepackersmagazine.com/tour-divide-rig/

Read some blogs, like Marshall Birds: http://bikedrifting.blogspot.cz/ or Dave Hoswell's (he's Flyboy above ... blog under his post - excellent read)

But, without reading the prior years threads it is just some data with no colour or understanding of how different strategies work.

What worked for me was to split the gear into categories (sleep / ride / warm / wet / tools & spares / health & safety / electronics) and take notes on the pros & cons of each. I looked at many forums and also used outdoorgearlab.com to get great gear reviews.

Bike - your level of mechanical skills may determine that a bit. I've none, so went with a Rohloff hub with a chain - the belt was explained to me by a bunch of bike builders as "a solution looking for a problem". Why? Hard to replace so you carry a spare and "puff" goes the weight savings. And with a Rohloff the chain does not need to flex laterally so chain breakages are incredibly rare, and if they do you can fix it and any chain will fit it. Penalty is that it is heavy. Bike considerations involve: drive train / frame material / wheel set / forks - you can get a good overview of each by reading a lot - there is no one correct answer. Matt Lee won on a Lefty, Jefe Branham came second on a single speed ...

GPS - your bike build will determine that a little - if you are running a dynamo hub then perhaps take a light Garmin such as a 810. You also can run a K-lite. If you're running with batteries then Etrex seems popular. I'm using a 800 with an out in front mount off my handlebars connected under my aerobar pads because I have no room between my aerobars.

The old forums are a great pace to review and get a good understanding of different approaches to racing the TD.

Good luck.

TP: Most are also carrying baby wipes to keep everything clean and for a pre sleep wipe down. I'm planning on a small zip lock of baby wipes and another of TP/napkins. As Flinch said, no more than two days worth and top up as I go.

  Are you saying that you will average 5.5L a day?

No - 5.5 litres is my max carrying capacity. There is usually plenty of surface water (other than the Basin) or resupply points until Southern Colorado, so I'll top up on the go. I'm carrying a Sawyer Mini water filter. Depending on weather, I'll only carry 5.5 litres leaving Atlantic City / Diagnus Well, Wamsutter, and some days in S. Colorado and NM. I'm 62 kg and don't sweat a lot. From past years reports some racers carry 7 litres on those sections, or even 7 litres plus some drinks.

If it is hotter or drier than expected, I can throw some drinks in my jersey rear pocket if I need.

What did you Vets find to be the longest section in hours without any on-route access to water?

Newbie here.  Just a question of hydration, in particular, where do you all carry your water.  I see lots of H2O bottles and then I also see lots of hydration backpacks.  Pros and cons of each?

This is worth a look: http://bikepackersmagazine.com/2015-faces-of-the-tour-divide/

A lot run bladders in their frame bags (that is what I am planning). A bottle under the down tube is also common as a backup. (It will get covered in muck of course - just pour into your clean drinking bottle).

I met up with a 20 day racer on the weekend who had only 3 litres capacity (hydration bladder in his handlebar bag) and found this OK. Some take a Sea to Summit silnylon backpack the size of a tennis ball for lugging extra water/food for those days where they are concerned. Guzzle down a lot of water at each town and make sure you know where the wells are in the Basin. Wamsutter to Savery seems to have been the toughest water section in 2015 before hitting NM.

King Cage make a bottle mount which goes on top of the stem which is cool if your cockpit has space. Some run bottles in their feedbags.

The clear consensus is that if you can ride without a backpack, do so. Weight off the back and also off your bottom. Even some with hydration bags were likely using them as secondary water storage (e.g. Josh Kato) with the primary storage on the bike somewhere. I'm 5'5" so I will likely need a backpack, however it won't have water in it except on maybe the first 3 hours in a 2 litre Platypus bottle out of town on a couple of dry days (Basin / NM). My fork does not have cage mounts on it, but some people clamp them on with hose clamps or get them bonded onto carbon forks. I'm aiming to have 5.5 litres capacity - 2.5 in the bladder and 3.0 in Platypus bottles in the feedbag and backpack on the dry sections.

If you go with bottles, check how tightly they stay in and perhaps sort out a strapping system so they don't get ejected on day one. No-one wants to be "that guy".

What sort of capacity have other people found to be appropriate? I've heard some at 7 litres, some at 3 litres - 4kg is a big weight difference.

Laundromats: How do the laundromats work - are they coin fed or does some machine takes notes and convert them to tokens? And the powder is in some other coin operated machine?

Does anyone know where some on-route laundry's are? (I think Wise River / MT High Country Lodge / Colter Bay / Pinedale / Brush Mtn Lodge have some).

would you mind sharing what you spent while on route?

Have a look at Steve Fuller's blog for his 2015 costs: http://zenbiking.blogspot.cz/

Chains - which chains are good on the TD? I'm riding a Rohloff.

the best mounting system for my .... Garmin Edge 810. Also, ... I think I have heard people tying them down better with a lanyard. 

I'm interested as well. I'm going to use the Garmin "out in front" mount for the 800/810. The K-edge mounts are great too, but I've some space issues. There is also a TT (timetrial) mount for attaching to aerobars. I'm using aerobars but am building a carbon bridge for Garmin / K-lite / Cateye.

For lanyard, the 800/810 don't have a fixing point, so I'm going to super glue an anchor point onto it so I can attach a lanyard - I think it will be enough for a "bounce out" situation. Any better solutions I'd also be happy to hear of.

How do we make payments for campgrounds in the remote areas?

For Bike shops, this thread is a good starting point.

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/good-bike-shops-close-to-the-gdmbr-route/