Alice signed up for the 750 and is in Superior now -- not sure what that might mean.

MikePro let me know he has scratched from the 750.  He walks away with a solid time in the 300, though.

Alice back on route after quick resup in Superior.  Solid, solid field of riders out there this year.

As for me, residual effects from a snapped saddle rail early part of first day halfway thru Canellos, proved to be my undoing for the 750.  Very happy with a 300 finish given the saddle and riding position changes I dealt with, esp on such a demanding (and long) trail.

Geez gps idiot here ... I am having trouble loading the aztopo map I downloaded from gpsfiledepot.  I can see it on my mac and look at it in base camp but when I think I complete the load onto my gps... well it's not here.  I go to configure maps and city navigator is there but no aztopo.  Any advice?

Did you try/use the Garmin MapInstall software (free download)?  The gpsfiledepot.com website has the step-by-step.  Go the 'How to Load Maps on my Garmin GPS Unit' page in that site and click the forward link to 'Mac: Use MapInstall to Load Maps' section of the tutorial.

I've had a problem with dry nose for the first few days the last couple of years. So far I have tried a saline spray and petroleum  jelly, neither have worked. This year I am going to try coconut oil.
Coming from a very moist climate to a very dry causes my nasal passages to dry out and crack leading to nosebleeds that at best are uncomfortable.
Anyone have any suggestions for something that might work? TIA

My wife tried coconut oil recently after experiencing same symptoms on biz trip to C Springs, CO.  Q-tip administered.  Mixed results.  She says sesame oil is purported to work.

The water caches are fixed locations to my understanding and are open to any and all users of the trail. Adding water for anyone to use is just good karma. You don't have to use em. I definitely don't think that the water i put in in the past was only for me. Now adding or hiding of food or water at other locations to gain an advantage is against the ethics of the "self-supported ride."

Karma points!  Got it.  I'm all for those.  Just like getting an AZT Membership (at any level).  Plenty of karma point references in this thread, by now, too.   

Brakes: Mechanical vs Hydraulic and Rotor sizes Front and Rear
Question: What do experienced TD people recommend?
Thanks.
KiwiDave

I recommend that you do your research, as you've clearly done, and then go with the option(s) that give you your own personal piece of mind.  Which option(s) will you least likely second-guess when you're out there and rolling in 2016?  I think a hydro failure for both front and rear is just about as unlikely as mech cable snapping at mid-point on both front and rear (i.e. both types of catastrophic failure scenarios are equally as unlikely).  I'd also take a longer/wider/broader viewpoint than just building the bike based on TD.  What are going to use the bike for before and after the TD?  How does that influence the decision?

SWEET
...and if anyone is gonna stop by any of the Kelvin, Freeman or Tiger water caches and would drop some H20 off on behalf I would gladly paypal you a currency know as cash in return.

Woah, hoss  ... that's pre-arranged support, no?  Maybe I'm misunderstanding motives, but I thought the whole point was to not count on water caches, esp. Freeman Rd as has been mentioned in past posts.  As in, not a smart idea to plan that water at Freeman is given, from safety, survivability, and/or ethos viewpoints.

  I too am a newbie to bikepacking races. I have been  climbing, and mountaineering for many years, and hope that some of that experience will carry over to bikepacking. for what it's worth, I plan  to keep things simple. If I can't replace it with AA or AAA batteries, it's not going. I Plan on using Maps, cues, and two bike computers only. still using the old flip phone, which will last 4 to 6 days without a charge. will not be listing to any music,(not sure about that one)? If any of the vets out there want to chime in on that approach, that would be great!

Nothing wrong with this approach!  Do it!  Ride and take care of your body.  I am do it this way for years.  The climbing/mountaineering self-reliance experience should help, but I wouldn't be surprised if you end up carrying too much stuff as a newbie coming from mountaineering.

Although, dyno hubs are so efficient nowadays, that I'm just this year going to use the work I output into energy for a light.  Seems like such a waste not to take advantage, as we're all putting out the work anyway.

Shweet, more routes for this part of the country.  Start/finish TBD? - well how 'bout Schat's Bakkery? Could fuel up with 4,000+ calories right from the gun.

Thanks for that Mike.. I can't remember where I found the basemap I have. Do you remember which one you used?
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/az

The one called 'Arizona Topo' with the star in the Editor's Choice column.  Created by 'Oz'.  Last updated in 2011, it looks like.

So being a mac user am I at a disadvantage not being able to use topofusion? Is there a way to get it to work?
I've got a crappy free topo of AZ that I laid the 2014 track over in garmin basecamp but wouldn't mind a better, more detailed base map and get to play around with the elevation profile stuff everyone talks about.

Not sure about TF on a Mac, but the AZ topo map I got from gpsfiledepot.com last year worked great as a base map on the eTrex30, and also in basecamp on my Mac.  Not really solving you desire to partake in TF elevation profile bling, just mentioning that I like the gpsfiledepot.com AZ topo map and think that for a free map it's really good.  And, while approaching Flagstaff last spring during the 750, I used the map via the eTrex to find a cool way through a suburban neighborhood to rejoin the trail North of the fire closure.  Apparently, I even got these mythical things called 'bonus points' for the on-the-fly navigation: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=10380.msg61499#msg61499.  Maybe they come in the mail a year later?  Or maybe they're more like karma points, where I'm pretty sure they exist just not entirely sure when I got them or how to use them.

I'll lay it out briefly in case anyone else (besides John Schilling) is up for more hike-a-bike and suffering.
The idea is pretty simple: you can ride extra sections of the AZT not included on the race route and still be considered a finisher.  
Here is a draft list of examples:

O - Obelisk Start
S - Sunnyside Canyon
L - Mt. Lemmon Wilderness bypass (Bug Springs, Green Mtn, Incinerator Ridge, Sunset)
M - Montana Mtn.
F - Four Peaks (#20)
B - Boulder Creek

Ah, yes.  Curiosity piqued.  I'd do one or more, perhaps, but have no idea what each entails.  Although, I recall reading something in the past about Mt Lemmon bypass (less pave, maybe skips Summerhaven store?). I'm assuming the draft list is written in order, South to North.  Looking forward to more details.

I think most will use the Circle K on Tanque Verde/Reddington just before heading out of town.
Can't remember if I posted this or not, there's a newly reopened bar and grill at the corner of Old Spanish Trail and Escalante. http://www.saguarocorners.com/ It's right on course but obviously another time suck.

Happy hour from 3pm-6pm!  Of course, the fast peeps will be through that spot before then.  And the swimming sounds mighty tempting ...

Thanks for the tips! If anyone is feeling particularly generous with non-google info about stores and such on route for this rookie, my email is ajtomassetti@comcast.net  Thanks in advance! Jeff

Does it help if I regurgitate info on the Rincon store from page 1 of this thread? 

One bad piece of news: I've heard the Rincon Valley Market is completely closed.  That's going to necessitate some different refueling strategies.

That's one detail that's got an out-of-stater like me looking at G-maps and planning, but it's fairly clear that an off-route trip down Broadway is highly likely (but certainly not a given for all racers) and it's been done many times before.

Ok... I have a Garmin 800 that I was hoping to use for navigation (along with the CTR data book as well).  Does anyone have any experience using a Garmin 800? 

I use a Garmin Edge 510 for my daily/training rides, and just yesterday I was fussing with the touch screen (again) and had the thought that I wouldn't want to be having touch screen issues on something like the CTR: tired, at night, possibly raining, sleep-deprived, and the screen won't register my finger touch/slide (especially out at the corners of the screen)?  And I might have to take my glove(s) off to do anything on screen?  From the looks of it, the 800 is similar touch-screen design.  Something to think about.

!!!!! That's rad. Thanks for sharing. It's probably not healthy to be this excited so many months out.

On the contrary....it's very, very healthy.

The deal with the wheels is; I have the means to get a new bike and I am interested in getting a new bike but i am kind of a use it till it dies guy, and my current ride (2012 Giant trance X3- 26"wheels) is not pretty but is as healthy as it was for the 300 two years ago.
Cheers

I finished the 750 on 26" wheels last spring.  Solid wheelset and tires.  Drivetrain also a big consideration to eval.  I'd certainly take the same bike to do it again, but prob not the same gearing and maybe a diff saddle.  Last spring I pedaled a 2x10 with 28t and 40t up front and 11t-34t spread in the back.  One of my post-ride-takeaways is/was that a 26t up front would've been more useful, and/or perhaps something larger than 34t in the rear.  XX1 drivetrains are mighty attractive to me for this type of thing.

Re: Canelos and tires
...snip...
Secret weapon replacement for the rear - 2.4 Ardent Exo. Its a super high volume tire and I can regularly run 20-22 psi on a 29er hardtail with my 168 pounds.

Yo, Barry!  Dual or single compound on those Ardent EXO 2.4's?

This is not a sure thing at all,  but I am considering the AZTR 750 this year.   Would be coming from Canada, driving to the finish, and getting myself somehow to the start.   I'll be doing lots of reading to try to get up to speed.  Not sure how I will cope with the weather in Arizona,  where I live here we'll have lots of COLD and certainly even by March the weather won't be over zero much.  Maybe it's a stupid idea...

Well, if it's any consolation, or perhaps encouragement: I spent last winter riding and training in sub-freezing temps on weekly basis.  Sure, this part of Central Oregon is called the High Desert, but it's cold and snowy until March/April.  I struggled to adjust to heat in Southern AZ, and puked by the time I got to Kentucky Camp.  But, hey, I still finished the 750. When you get to Flagstaff and the Canyon rims at higher elevation, potential rain/snow, potential sub-freezing nighttime temps, you'll feel right at home (climate-wise).  Heck, it might even snow on Mt Lemmon again this year.

Nice visual data work.  Thanks for sharing.  Some suggestions for version 2.0:
1. Re-name the "how soon could you expect to know if you'd finish?" table/page.  It's misleading.  Better to call it 'Age vs. Duration', or something much simpler.
2. Provide a legend or a key that explains why some data point shapes are larger than others, where the shapes (circle, square, cross, dot) represent one person - for example, I can't figure out why in the "132 people, ..." first table/page, some units are represented by a different shape than others and why some of the shapes are a different size than others.
3. Change the 4 Actives to Unknowns, for now.  They are truly not active, just tracker hasn't closed them out yet.  And, the one Active you are showing for Walter Brumniach - I'm pretty sure he finished - either ran out of batteries or didn't turn on his spot the last day or half-day.
4. Do you capture Northbound racers/riders, too (I can't find them)? Or just Southbound?
5. I don't see Jefe B 1st place finish showing up anywhere in your data.

Legit.