Up for sale is my Tarptent notch purchased in 2012. Very good condition. Super light one person tent with optional poles. Pitch as just a bug tent, or with the tarp or just the tarp alone. Very versatile. Moving to a Tarptent double rainbow as we plan on doing two up bikepacking. Gets great reviews. Web page here: http://www.tarptent.com/notch.html
Paid over $300 with optional poles, tax and shipping.
$175 plus actual shipping cost.

Did a reroute of the desert loop which leaves out going up to the top of Palomar Mountain and a change in the desert section. Actually gives the ride a lot more dirt but shortens it to around 157 miles with around 14,000 feet of climbing. New map here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7817702
Next up is riding the mountain loop section.

New facebook page for fall ride here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618140971756406/
Follow along on my spot tracker as I preride the first loop starting Monday May 4th, 2015. http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=09rrBrTVhZDpsKppKJluMbROxEWqRID4h

Hi Scott,
I am doing a Julian Bikepack ride this fall.
I am going to start riding Friday October 23rd, 2015.
Facebook page here for my ride: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618140971756406/
I am wondering if you can host my spot tracker on track leaders?
If anyone else happens to show up you are on your own. Don't bother me, I will be riding!

Suppose to be cool in southern california next week. I think I got the first loop of my fall Julian Bikepack ride sort of dialed. I eliminated any out and back and am taking a new way into Anza.
Anyone interested in helping me pre ride it next week?? Around 185 miles with about 19,000 feet of climbing. Planning on doing it over two days with one night of camping somewhere between Anza and Bailey's cabin in Coyote Canyon. Plan an early start in Julian where the loop begins and ends. If interested message me or e-mail me at julianactive@sbcglobal.net
1st loop map and profile here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7668258

I was looking at this setup - especially the Lexus U light with the USB charger on the switch.  Can you tell me if the USB charger could charge a GPS(Garmin 810) while *using* the GPS?

thx

I would imagine it would. The luxos U usb puts out 1 amp which is enough to charge my smartphone which takes a larger than average amp rating than normal phones to charge. Of course it only will charge above a certain speed. You might get the Garmin to do funky things when it goes between the charge and non charge speeds. Others here probably have a better answer.
Can you use your GPS when you have it plugged in to charge at home?

Rich, I've never used a dynamo system on a technical singletrack route.  Were there times in the AZTR where you were going so slow that you were unhappy with light output? 

Well I didn't do a ton of night riding but for the most part in conjunction with my fenix ld 20 light on my helmet at the second brightness level I was able to manage riding pretty well. Not as good as a super bright rechargeable light but I didn't have to worry about recharging and the helmet light powered by 2 AA lithium batteries seemed to last a good long time. I for the most part don't like to do a lot of technical riding at night because I only have one eye, but I did the last 27 miles of the AZT 750 single track in the dark with my light setup.
I would like to do a side by side test with the various dyno lights (supernova, my B&M luxos U and the Revo)
I was going so slow because of my low leg output!

Still using my SP PD 8 dynamo hub which has been dead reliable for thousands of miles including the AZT 750 which I just finished.
My B&M Luxos U light also made the trip and came back unscathed in spite of numerous crashes and super rough terrain. I ended up mounting it off my front stem since the low mount off my fork crown interfered with my sweetroll bag. The light worked very well and in conjunction with my Fenix flashlight which I helmet mounted helped get me through some singletrack night sections very well. The helmet light also came in usefull for night time camp usage.
The handlebar mounted light switch comes with a USB charger which helped keep my Sony Experia Z3v smartphone topped off since plug ins were few and far between. My thought was to use the Sony for GPS, phone, web surfing, and camera to avoid having so many different devices. At the last minute I threw on my Garmin battery mounted GPS and I was glad I did. On my Garmin I turned off all my maps and just zoomed in to follow the track. My phone GPS app was awesome due to the large screen and I left the maps on to check locations etc. I think using the smartphone as a gps would be fine on many routes but I think having a dedicated gps is a good idea. There were several times I used both when I got off track and I was glad I had both.
The phone worked great as a camera and the quality was close to my Canon point and shoot. The true advantage of using a smartphone for a camera is that you can post photos instantly on facebook or instagram so people at home can follow along on your adventure. I also used my smartphone as a music player so I had one less thing to charge and lug around.
Overall I am very pleased with my setup.
I use backcountry navigator as my smartphone GPS app which allows me to download several various types of map for off network usage. I kept my phone in airplane mode with the screen off and apps off to save battery.

I am putting together a bikepack route and I am doing it Friday October 23rd, 2015.
My ride consists of 3 different loops all starting and finishing in Julian, so I have several opportunities at our world famous apple pies!
1st loop is around 175 miles and features, The Santa Ysabel Opens Space Preserve, Palomar mountain, Lost Valley, Anza, Coyote Canyon, Borrego Springs, Montezuma Grade, Grapevine Canyon, CRHT, Rodriguez Canyon, and the old Banner Toll Road up to Julian.
2nd loop is around 150 miles and feature, Banner Grade, Chariot Canyon, Mason Valley, single track into Mount Laguna for some sweet single track, the full length of Noble Canyon downhill, Pine Valley then into the Lake Morena area then back up Laguna, then over to Cuyamaca Park for some killer riding and then the back roads into Julian.
3rd Loop is around 200 miles and takes in Eagle Peak Road, Cedar Creek Road, Boulder Creek Road into Descanso then into Alpine, Sweetwater river single track then through San Diego. Then dirt and single track up to Hernandez hideaway then on to the coast for a cool cruise up through Camp Pendleton and then turning around at the San Clemente Pier. Then Back to Lake Hodges for more single track, then climbing up to Ramona. From Ramona into Pamo Valley to ride Santa Ysabel Truck Trail to Black Canyon road to Mesa Grande Road. Then 79 and Wynola road back to Julian to finish.
The first two loops have been roughly mapped out via ridewithgps and I will do actual rides to get an accurate gps file for download for my ride. I am sure there will be some changes to my route, but I am very excited about my ride.
The cool thing is that I can come back to my car to restock and if I have to bail it makes it a lot easier, not that I like bailing.
I expect the course to be about 100 percent rideable with a mix of single track, paved roads, double track and fire roads with great scenery and a huge diversity of terrain. I estimate final mileage to be about 550 miles.
I will use a Spot tracker for safety and have it on trackleaders so others can follow along on my ride.
Parts of my ride course will follow the Spring time Stagecoach 400 route but there is a ton of new terrain and sweet single track.I have also tried to make sure there are enough restocking places for me without having to suffer or go offroute.
Basic guidelines that I do are self supported, absolutely no trail magic other than water even if someone insists on me taking something. I can hitch off course to get repairs or medical attention but I restart where I left off. Time limit of 8 days.
Stay tuned for more information on my ride. If others show up to do it that is fine but I take no responsibility for anything!

Gates,

I was last one through and I found very few gates left open and the ones I did were obviously left open by the ranchers or were broken. I know several were very hard to close, particularly for this old little man but I found a way. In my opinion if the rancher who is probably using public lands to graze their cattle on can't make gates a little easier to open and close then they must take some responsibility as well. If it were my ranch I would make gates easier to close so frustrated or weak hikers and bikers wouldn't be tempted to just say forget it and leave them open. Vs. two years ago I saw a big improvement in gates.

Trail magic is a real mixed bag. I had one guy insist on eating some heated up pasta along with some water, so I took it. Another time at Phantom Ranch where a young lady insisted I take a bunch of meat and cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, so I took that too. I guess you can make a rule that absolutely no trail magic is allowed other than water caches and leave it at that so there is a level playing field for everyone. To me water is the key and running out of food constitutes poor planning.

If anyone is interested Sun and Spokes bikes out of Sierra Vista is willing to provide a shuttle to the Mexican Border for the start of the AZT 750 race. The town is big enough for lodging and eating the night before.
I rode with them two years ago and they were awesome. They also helped me get my bike sorted out prior to the race.
If you are interested get hold of them via this e-mail: mrk.lapaglia@gmail.com
His name is Mark.

One final post then I am done!

I am willing to step up to the plate and make official finishes happen. This would be for the grand depart only That way they can be published in the Cordillera.

Send a LOI (letter of intent) with a signature stating that you will comply by the rules of the Tour Divide. This can be done by mail or by e-mailing a copy to me.

I will try to get some volunteers to be spot stalkers. If your spot fails at any point (particularly near a tough section) you will have to send a copy of your gps route for verification.

At least 3 complaints of a person seriously bending the rules (from different racers) are required before anyone is DQ'ed for anything other than cutting the course. (no roving taco stand snitching!)

Of course if people just want to be part of the fun and not be counted no need to sign up.

I will do this if Scott, Matt and Chris are in agreement.

All I ask is for one free entry into the TD again some year!

Tanman,

Don't let marriage get in the way of having a good time!

As a ride and race director I would like to put some perspective on it.
Everyone who competes at our events knows that I make the final decisions. Everyone goes home happy and shares some good times over it. I only had one instance where I had to make a decision to DQ a rider. I Didn't like to do it and even tried to get the racers to work it out but they couldn't agree so I had to make the decision. Everyone except for one person went home happy that year.
These bikepacking races and racers deserve more than people airing a bunch of accusations year after year.
Brendan Collier with the Stagecoach 400 doesn't have the same problem because he decides the final outcome. Want to put your name to a race, not only make up the rules but put out final standings and DQ people if you have to. No arguments and everyone (mostly) goes home happy. That way one or two whiners don't destroy it all year for everyone else.

I don't think that enforcement is really the solution. Why? Because almost everything about these races is unenforceable. What I want is for people to accept the challenge of the race as it was defined. Which means committing to the spirit, structure, and rules of the event, instead of deciding that "simple" rules and lack of enforcement means that whatever goes.
Do you think that Matthew Lee drafted? Do you think that Stamstead rode around tough sections? Do you think that Stefan begged food? Do you think that Mike stashed water?

The evidence is very clear that many riders are not following the rules as they were defined by the founders of this sport. Of course this doesn't mean that everyone is cheating. But think that it's clear by the posts in this thread indicate that a lot of people view "few rules" as essentially the same as "optional rules."

Ya don't enforce anything just constantly whine year after year about it. I guess that wouldn't work now would it? There goes all your material! As far as did they cheat or bend the rules? I don't know I wasn't there. Have fun with the next 20 pages of this thread.

Toby, I don't know why Scott hasn't had you and Mark volunteer as enforcers? That would take the pressure off him and instead of ranting on endlessly about the "violators" you could actually do something about it! It really shouldn't take too much time. Just see who has cut the course and immediately turn their status into tourers. I wouldn't even worry too much about begging or buying from a "non licensed" vendor since that would be so hard to prove.

But in my mind to make it even more pure, no staying in hotels or riding with other competitors.

And when people look back at the "good old days" which in reality are only a few years ago and say those people were so much more honorable than today's strikes me as preposterous. With more people come more eyes and more accusations.

I don't know what the fascination with rigid is? Even if it is fire road and gravel road the washboard can just kill you. Holding on to the bars tightly and having all that shock go through your hands, arms, neck etc is just asking for trouble in my opinion. I rebuilt my rockshox reba with Enduro seals and it made it much plusher. I would try a suspension fork set up fairly soft, Ergon grips and lower tire pressures to see how that works out. I also use a thudbuster. Putting in massive mileage days requires a good fit and reducing the shock to your body.
Also see a physical therapist, a chiropractor and do some research on hand numbness.

Yep -- support!  This also reminds me of an anecdote detailed in Jill Homer's new book about Tim Hewitt:

Multi-RAAM champion Chris Kostman entered the Iditabike one year and there was much speculation about how badly he was going to crush it.  He was first to drop out... winning the award for hubris that year.

Yes only true idiots will try to kill themselves for nothing!

I just did a 375 mile trip with my Wattwagon. Using two 48 volt 15 amp hour batteries I was able to go 70 to 90 miles between charges with pedal assist. Averaged between 20 to 22 MPH carrying all my camping gear. 126 miles the first day 146 miles the second day and 103 miles the last day. From Julian, CA to Tempe AZ.
This setup is certainly capable of 100 to 150 miles per day easily with breaks. I took two chargers and places to plug in were readily available from convenience markets to restaurants to rest stops.

This is one of the coolest ideas ever!  The adaptability is great, since you can move it from a commuter bike to a mountain bike and back.

Are there any issues with the fact that the bike is being pushed from the rear?  Do you notice it on turns?

The trailer pretty much reacts the same as pulling any single wheel trailer. No real issues having the trailer acting as a power source pusher. The setup turns fine even with a surfboard attached. I have several electric bikes that I use in our Electric bike tour business, so I can make a comparison to them.  While they certainly have their advantages, the Wattwagon has it's own in regards to versatility, being able to use any quality bike, storage capacity etc.
I think it really shines for touring since it allows you to haul more stuff, fight hills and headwinds and once you get to your destination to unhook and have a normal bike to ride around with or even mountain bike with.
You can either use it in throttle mode or pedal assist mode. I am liking the pedal assist mode (which is programmable) since it encourages pedaling, and extends the range. The throttle mode makes it more scooter like.
Last night I did my longest ride between charges ever. I rode to the trailhead, met some friends, did our regular mountain bike ride then rode home. 27 miles with over 3,000 feet of climbing and I still had 5 to 10 miles more battery left. This was with a 48 volt 15 amp hour battery.
Next week I plan on doing a 150 mile one day ride to Joshua tree. I will have two battery packs and recharge at lunch (around 75 miles). This will be my tuneup for a 400 mile tour I plan on doing before the end of the year.
If you are in the San Diego area I will be demoing the Wattwagon at the SDG&E electric bike seminar the evening of October 14th. If interested PM me and I will get you the information. Should be a fun evening. There will be plenty of other E-bikes there for demo too.