Sawyer only filters protazoa and bacteria.
Flinch

The Sawyer Mini removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera and E.coli; removes 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium.

What it does not remove is viruses - for that tablets are the best. I want to take some Aquamira tablets (not available in Europe it seems) for anything that looks really dodgy.

I had tons of questions these are some things I'm trying to cover now to make sure I have my equipment picked and field tested.

Sandstorm - have a look at the past few years pre-race forum discussions which will answer a bunch of questions. Also, pick up all the Cordillera's from Lulu.com. A set of the maps from ACA has the resupply points on it.

FWIW, I'm a Rookie too aiming for 24 days and am going with lace-up / velcro shoes large enough to wear two socks and allow for my feet to swell. The more sophisticated the lacing system, the more prone it is to failure it seems.

For sleeping:
Katabatic Gear Pallisade 30 quilt. For review: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Ultralight-Sleeping-Bag-Reviews/Katabatic-Gear-Palisade-30
Zpacks down hood
Thermorest NeoAir Xlite medium woman's (better R rating than the mens)
Exped Pillow UL
Zpacks hexamid solo tent

Water filter: Sawyer Mini

Jacket: I've a Marmot Essence plus will take a Gore Bike AlpX jacket.

Clothing: Kurt Refsnider said to get everything as light as you can, and then add in one base layer.

Check out this blog of Marshal Bird's - his 2014 posts are great for his gear ideas: http://bikedrifting.blogspot.cz/

See you in Banff.

Which rim: Arch Ex or Flow Ex?

I'm riding a 27.5 rigid/Rohloff, and want to use Arch Ex rims. My mechanic isn't sure and thinks maybe the Flow Ex would be a better choice.

I'm 62 kg with 23kg dry weight + max 8kg food water & Columbia Falls RV Park T-shirt. etc.

Any advice welcome.

They have finally started putting my TD bike together ... fingers crossed the 2.35's will fit in there.

Re: Ailuropoda's question on the Training thread on shoes.

I'm a rookie and I am planning racing with Shimano Goretex MT71's which are comfortable for hiking, are laced and oversized so a. my feet have room to swell b. I figure I'll hike a lot and don't want Achilles problems c. I can fit two pairs of socks inside them. They'll be hot in NM, but there is always a trade-off and I'd rather be warm in the north. They are also a bit heavier than other popular options, like the Specialized Rime.

Winter season is coming and the trainer will need to be broken out soon, which I'm not enthused about.

Has anyone tried throwing in running a couple of days a week? It's a quick way to get the cardio up and I hope will help with preventing any Achilles problems.

How about spinning classes? I've 90 mins or double 50 mins available.

If I thought I needed the abilities of a SOS signal, I would not rely on a spot.

Fotooutdoors hits the nail on the head. Slowride has a good point that it is doubling up a functionality, but a PLB is a vastly different beast than a SPOT. Power is 5 watts, Spot is (I think) 0.5 watts. PLB is sending at 406.04 Mhz and also a homing beacon (similar purpose as an avalanche transceiver - allows fine search with DF equipment) at 121.5 MHz . I don't need to deal with batteries as it has a 7 year life and it will be zipped in my jersey pocket the whole race. (Torm merino - thanks for the tip from Seb.) It uses the Cospas Sarsat search and rescue system and goes direct to the Mission Control Centres who then direct the SAR.

However, please note that I'm carrying bear spray to the end and hanging my food, so I am quite risk adverse and will be carrying some extra weight as a consequence. It is also part of the deal I have with my partner as it makes her much more comfortable.

Josh - thanks for the comments - I'd like to use it also splitboarding / x-country / road bike, so Gen3 seems to make sense. I've not seen them other than images so it is hard to see if there is not some discreet attachment point with the Trace which is not in the pictures. If anyone has some hot tips on how to attach a Trace, please shout out.

This is a good summary of pros & cons of SPOT's and PLB's for anyone interested: http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/about_PLBs.php

Spot advice: I'm going to buy a Spot I think as I train alone, mostly on a road bike, and Czech drivers are not cyclist aware at all. The question is whether to get a Spot Gen3 or a Spot trace. I don't need the "SOS" functions as I'll use a PLB (Ocean Signal PLB1) on the TD and in Czech we've 95%+ mobile coverage. However, the Gen 3 seems to have attachment points for zip ties or a lanyard, whereas the Trace seems just a hard case.

Any feedback of pros and cons from your experience would be useful.

On preparation for the TDR next year what are you guys/girls doing for physical training? I've been hitting the gym hard, running and on the weekends a bike ride.

Phil - for TD Training, check out the training thread:

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/2016-td-training/

Tent vs Bivy vs Tarp - for me it comes down to what you are comfortable using in the race. Bivy - is a lightweight sleep only solution. Tarp - through hikers swear by them as super light and easy/quick to use (but they're also carry hiking poles for tent poles.) Tent - with the light tents (e.g Zpacks, Big Agnes) that are less than 750g, they are a pretty good option for those not wishing to bivy/tarp and are without a huge weight differential to a bivy bag.

I'm racing with a tent (Zpacks) as I am used to tents, sleep well in them and I get eaten alive by the bugs, so I need the mesh screen. I'm 5'5" so a tent is relatively spacious! My entire sleep system is up in under 7 minutes and down & packed in under 13 minutes.

I'm aiming for 24 days, so tail end of the mid pack, and yes, as Phil_rad said, I will likely hotel over 50% of the time IF I make it there at an appropriate time. But I'm riding long & steady, so I can't stop at 17:00 just because a hotel is there and pushing through the night to the next hotel is not an effective option for me, so I've chosen a tent as I know I'll sleep well in it wherever I stop. I'm also taking a Exped inflatable pillow which is a luxury item but one that helps with getting a good sleep.

Josh only used his tent once but said he'd take it again.

The higher risk bear areas where one might camp are only a few nights, and I'll absolutely avoid camping then, but predators are everywhere so I'll be bear aware, carry spray and hang my food.

I'm racing 2016 with SONS and haven't heard of any issues with them due to weather and conditions. If your system is well set up you should have no issues. (K-lite / Sinewave / switch / cache). One guy had his Limefuel cache fail on him - but other caches should be available in some towns. The cache needs to be able to charge and discharge simultaneously.

Being able to ride late/early with loads of light, and being able to recharge the electrics on the go, is a great convenience and time/stress saver.

Does anyone have some good tips for making the indoor trainer interesting?

I'm using a Wahoo KICKR which apparently works with all sorts of software.

Flights out of NM?

My plan is to get a shuttle back to Silver City from one of the guys on the ACA list or off this forum, box my bike at Gila Hike & Bike ... but there's no public transport (bus or train) from Silver City to either Tucson or El Paso it seems. I'd prefer to fly out from Tucson, so to get there do people organise a ride share with a shuttle or just get a shuttle to Lordsburg and take the Greyhound from there?

Thanks for the replies on the Rohloff ratios. I'm riding a 27.5 so I'll go with 34x16 now and see how that goes in training.

Rohloff Hubs:

I'm going to run a Rohloff and my bike builder has asked what ratios I want. I know some have raced 38x16 ... any other suggestions?

To answer a question posted elsewhere and which will certainly occur here:

Tour Divide "registration" ... bearing in mind that this is an underground race ...

Part 1:

Send a letter on intent after the winter solstice (21st Dec) to Matt Lee:

http://tourdivide.org/start_list
http://tourdivide.org/letters_of_intent
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. Matt Lee also sorts out the spot rentals.


Part 2:

The GPS map file will be posted here sometime in May (most likely) by Scott Morris and check before the race in case it is updated. (Remember check a week before, it was updated in 2015 and some riders missed the update while travelling)

http://topofusion.com/divide/gps.php

Part 3.

If you're using a SPOT tracker already, then get in touch with Trackleaders.com (Scott Morris) in June so they have you details to include you on the Tour Divide 2016 trackleaders page. If you're renting one then they will be in Banff at the YWCA a day or so before the race starts and you'll register it then.

Part 4.

Chris Bennett or Megan Dunn will create an open access informal spreadsheet in Google docs and post a link here in this thread.  Probably in September - Chris just finished the Transcontinental (in 60th ish out of 190ish riders - a great ride in the heat).

Part 5.

Be in Banff on the second Friday in June for the start at 08:00. The gathering point is the YWCA for some pre-start pics and pre-race nervs. The riders get sorted into 3 or 4 pace groups for Butt's Cabin / Sparwood / Elkford and then head off to the trail head for a rolling start at 08:00.

Tour Divide "registration" ... bearing in mind that this is an underground race ...

Part 1:

Send a letter on intent after the winter solstice (21st Dec) to Matt Lee:

http://tourdivide.org/start_list
http://tourdivide.org/letters_of_intent
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. Matt Lee also sorts out the spot rentals.


Part 2:

The GPS map file will be posted here sometime in May (most likely) by Scott Morris and check before the race in case it is updated. (Remember check a week before, it was updated in 2015 and some riders missed the update while travelling)

http://topofusion.com/divide/gps.php

Part 3.

If you're using a SPOT tracker already, then get in touch with Trackleaders.com (Scott Morris) in June so they have you details to include you on the Tour Divide 2016 trackleaders page. If you're renting one then they will be in Banff at the YWCA a day or so before the race starts and you'll register it then.

Part 4.

Chris Bennett or Megan Dunn will create an open access informal spreadsheet in Google docs and post a link in the bikepacking ultra racing forum thread for the 2016 TD ("2016 Tour Divide Preparation" seems to be the one for 2016). Probably in September - Chris just finished the Transcontinental (in 60th ish out of 190ish riders - a great ride in the heat).

Part 5.

Be in Banff on the second Friday in June for the start at 08:00. The gathering point is the YWCA for some pre-start pics and pre-race nervs. The riders get sorted into 3 or 4 pace groups for Butt's Cabin / Sparwood / Elkford and then head off to the trail head for a rolling start at 08:00.

phbalance66 - post any questions on the TD (including gear etc etc) in the ultraracing page in the thread that has started with the subject "2016 Tour Divide Preparation" as you'll get the best responses there as that's where everyone (incl. former racers) looks more often. (I read that 85% of bikepacking.com users look at the ultraracing page). Also, look at the subject "2015 TD" and "2014 TD" as they have a lot of info in it.

Steve - thanks for posting - it is so helpful to get some feedback. I'm the same age and I am aiming for a similar time as your ride.

Cheers,

KiwiDave

Shane - thanks for posting, it is really helpful to get something from a strong racer. I'm reading Joe Friel's CT Bible currently and was wondering if it wasn't too road bike racing specific.

One initial question is: How did you split this between road bike / unladen MTB / fully loaded MTB?

Cheers,

KiwiDave

Go Lael.

I hope the NM mud doesn't play too much of a role in the last few days:

https://www.facebook.com/Riceburner/videos/vb.1448961245388188/1649560531994924/?type=2&theater

Scott: Are you able to show Lael's 2015 GD ride against her current ride on Track Leaders? Also, can her ITT be put into the Leaderboard?