Bikepacking is fun yes it is I need to start doing more of it.

I am not convinced yet that hammock are the best bet in the desert though they do eliminate the risk of thorns and this time of year there are lots of things crawling around.

May in the Tucson mountains couldn't have been very cold but still cool enough to need some kind of bag.

In April doing the 300 I would think you want at the least a 40 deg bag.

I have a poncho like 12wheels with that an a good bivvy you can stay dry in a pretty good rain.

I got mine here in Tucson at Millers Surplus.

Working out a new route would be a lot of work but it seams like a motivated rider should be able to figure out a way to travel through that part of the country while picking up at least some good single track along the way.

Does the GDR use much of the CDT, you could ride across Arizona with out doing that much of the true AZT, the CT and AZT both have wilderness detours where riders end up on pavement.

I don't think the real Appalachian should be open to bikes but how cool would it be to come up with a new route that uses trails currently open to bikes and some how parallels the AT.

  

It would be great to be able to by a 36 tooth cassette but there is no good reason for 10 speed IMO.

if it breaks, delete this thread and send it back to trek. you could always go rackless/trailerless too.

Yes but not packless. You posted in while I was typing this but anyway

I have seen several post here from people who don't want to carry a pack and I certainly see a fair number of riders who don't carry one they get by on water bottles, seat packs, and pockets. But for bikepacking only with a Bob and then only on easy terrain IMO.

Here's one way to look at it IMO

Bob/rack and panniers carry as much as you need then to, great for camping style trips more weight slows you down but if you don't care you can still have fun. And enjoy camp time more but for faster more efficient travel on more rugged terrain it is better to go light and distribute the weight evenly.

I have learned a lot of this the hard way and being stubborn didn't help any either I know it is possible to ride a 70 lbs bike on single track while carrying a 40 lbs pack but I wouldn't recommend it.

The new custom packs currently being made have revolutionized bikepacking IMO along with modern ultra light backpacking gear we can now ride nearly as fast on the same terrain as we would on a day trip.

That's a tough call while carbon is pretty strong it does have limits. Should work fine on a short non tech trail a couple of times but even with a light load, no way it would last forever.

Depending on what you are doing trail wise Bob's can be great but they are a little more of a pain if there are a lot of unridable obstacles. That said Bob's are great to camp out of with that nice big dry bag for storage.

I have a Talon 22 as did a lot of the AZT 300 riders this year and the year before.

I have two of the thin seat post cables linked together and a tiny lock. I use it all of the time even out in the desert as it would suck to wake up to no bike.

I have no doubt that a serious thief could cut it but it should at least a slow them down.

Do you have any plans to get official status with the State seams like you would have more luck with the owners if you could represent your self as someone who is working with the state.

The AZT crosses a big ranch north of Flag with permission as long as you stay on the road. They will never allow new trail but you get where you need to go.

Even if it is only in the works having made contact with the other state/federal land owners would show that you are working with the system.

I haven't been there in years but I thought they had built detours around it. I remember a thread at MTBR on the Midwest page somebody asking about this route. The locals didn't sound interested in bikepacking it, they said there was too much boring cow trail and better to do just the good pieces.

The did say that somebody at the local shop would have the GPS data for it though.

I posted that I thought the guy should do it it seams like a great route the parts I have ridden (only around Sylvan Lake in the 90's) were good. I would like to do this someday but I think I would go back on Michelson (rails) Trail for a loop with a quick finish.

 

Rob come do it Aug 2 

It would be cool to do the CTR http://www.climbingdreams.net/ctr/ and since you have a month you should get there at least a week early and do some acclamation rides on the course.

AZTripper, how long do you think that dream trip would take?  Say you rode 8 hours a day with one rest day a week?

I should think that you would be to Flag in just a couple of days easy, not sure on the rest thou anything from 2 - 4 weeks depending on how fast you are.

Sedona to Moab would be cool not sure what the elevations are like on the Trans Utah stuff but there is a trip report on the Flag to Moab http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,86.0.html

I've always thought it would be cool to do a tour from one great MTB area to another and these two are pretty high on the radar for most riders.

And if you have time you could add in the Kokopelli.

Of course this would mean crossing the Canyon and that is one big obstacle to biking but it is also one very cool ditch.

If you can get there before May 15th which would be easy even for my slow ass then you could cross the Canyon while the north rim is still closed. It should be pretty snow free by then if it were me I would try to make the hike in three days that's only 7 miles a day. It is not too hard to get into Phantom Ranch for food and lodging one night and then Cottonwood Camp for night two. I got two lunches to go but should have had 3.

If you make to the north side while they are still closed you can have the whole north rim group campsite to yourself. Of course if you are one day late and the park opens you will have to share it with several hundreds of tourist. I have had this camp to myself twice and highly recommend it. The three days of carrying the bike sounds bad but if you look at the size of some of the backpacks that people carry my load wasn't that much more. Carry thru and you will definitely join a short list.

Sedona to the AZT, AZT to the trans Utah to Moab plus the Kokopelli if possible that sounds like the dream trip.

Here's an idea along that line, look at the higher parts of the AZT and if not the GET then look at the General Crook route from Santa Fe to Prescott. A boating, biking acquaintance of mine lives in northern NM and said he always did supported rides on the Crook route and wanted to ride the entire thing.

The Crook route is FS 300 it runs right along the rim of the Mogollon plateau the AZT crosses the Crook route at General Spring Cabin and from there on there are no detours (no wilderness) of the official trail all the way to Flagstaff.

So then a general over view looks like Santa Fe to Flagstaff one way or the other through Grants/Sow Low using the Crook route as guide but not fixed reference looking for more interesting terrain along the way. 

Things are already starting to heat up here in  Southern AZ though it was cold for the AZT 300 this year last year was hot. Mid April would be a better start time for the AZT or the GET for that matter as they both cross the Gila river a very low point in both routes.

The AZT has tons of ST but you will have to use roads at some point to make the connections around the wildernesses.

Another option is to work out your own route across AZ check out Troy Marino's Fall 06 AZTish ride report.

http://www.juniper-solutions.com/aztrek/

This looks like a good way to get around a big batch of wilderness and you get to go to Sedona. Also there is the Black Canyon Trail north of Phoenix. It is still under construction but there is a lot more then there was in 06 I should think you could make use of part of it at least.

http://www.bctaz.com/

I can't think of a better way to spend a month then crossing Arizona on a mountain bike.

For a really cool trip leave the border the day before the AZT 300 starts, ride to Parker Canyon and meet the racers at the start. Then at the end of the 300 continue on your epic journey by what ever route appeals to you. 



 

Not exactly 130 miles but this is a cool area in central CA.

East out of Fresno in the Sierra's near Courtright Reservoir the Dusy Ersham jeep route is really cool riding even if it is a road and not Single Track.

The route it self is only 30 miles but connects between two highways (possible loop) goes over a 10,000 foot pass, passes by lakes at 9,000, drops down a huge slab of granite called "Chicken Rock".

I should think that some thing could be worked out in this area.

Closer to home you might check out the Kern River Valley. There are certainly options galore near there. Everything from 2500 to 9000 ft. You could do a big loop in the Greenhorn Mountains west of the valley or go up to the Black Rock Station (southern end of the Sierra Crest) area and ride back down on the Cannel Trail http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/trail-talk/2862-cannel-plunge-7-15-06-a.html

Having a GPS and keeping a close eye on it can really help out there, even with GPS several riders missed turns and had to back track it is just too easy to do. At least with GPS you usually know sooner rather then latter.

I needed a new tire pump and saw the combo style but it seamed heavier then two single use pumps combined and looked a little cheesy to boot.

 

I meet a hiker who did the whole AZT in 04 he only had the minimum filter (a flat little paper disc type)(actually marketed to cyclists). He used it rarely as he had no replacement filters and did not treat running water with anything, and he was fine. But that is a big risk if the trip is longer then two weeks you could end up wicked sick out there.

But if the trip is less then two weeks, well I just don't like to risk it and I hate floaties in my water. I have one friend who won't drink water from my paper filter he likes his ceramic, and you can tell the difference but ceramic is way too heavy.

Most of the water sources that I have used are pretty good depends on your tolerance for floaties.

I would want a pump personally but that's just me.

 

Some pics from the finish line ride.