Video here: https://vimeo.com/146530513

Full details here: http://lacemine29.blogspot.com/2015/11/a-few-years-back-had-opportunity-to.html

sold.

nice work.

I would choose the 350 over the XT 100 times out of 100, even if paying full bucket retail.

Best bang for the buck/most durable/easily serviceable hub on the market IMO.

I just think you should leave the equipment choice out of it... that is all I was trying to say.
Makes no sense to me to make handlebar choice a deciding factor on what is MTB or not.
(And Mr. Tomac would likely disagree that MTB races aren't won on drop bars...)


So, ITI. Its hard because its remote, and on snow. And you've finished it twice.
Is it really a MTB race? 
What is a MTB race? 24 hours, 50 miles, 100? laps? Point to Point? Leadville? Local series at the trail center?
Single track only? (Does ITI count? In that regard?)
On mountains only? In forests only? Does slick rock count?

Good questions.  The point is not to argue, the point is to opine and discuss.  What is 'hardest', from your perspective?  Get it?

The course, not a committee or person, should always dictate what equipment can or should be used.  As such it makes sense that drop bars are used on the divide--it is largely road, it is 98+% non-technical, and aerodynamics are important.

This is all understood by anyone that has ridden the event or done even the slightest bit of research into it.

But that wasn't the question I asked.  Got an opinion on the topic at hand?

Outside Online recently published a few articles, authored by Aaron Gulley, about this years winners of the divide race.

The title of each article referred to the divide as the "World's Hardest Mountain Bike Race".  And that phrase stuck in my craw, because while it is undoubtedly a brutally difficult event, it simply isn't mountain biking.

I thought about it for a bit, then sent an email to Aaron--the author of both articles--and said as much.  I insisted that a mountain bike race doesn't happen on dirt roads, and isn't won on drop bars.  He agreed, stating that the divide race is emphatically difficult, but mountain biking it is not.

I mean no disrespect to those of you that choose to chase that particular dragon. 

But now that the subject has been broached, I'm curious what *is* the "World's Hardest Mountain Bike Race"?  From what I've heard it's probably the Freedom Challenge, although I haven't done it so I can't opine.  I think the 1000-mile ITI would have to be a top contender.

Discuss?

“Life is a garden, not a road.

We enter and exit through the same gate.

Wandering, where we go matters less

than what we notice.”



― Kurt Vonnegut






Our winter was but a shadow of it's normal self, but it was winter.  Impatient humans that we are, before one season's ended we're ready for the next.



So it was that we drove away from our own little slice of heaven and headed for the Sonoran desert.












We had reason to both celebrate and take some time off, and given a choice Jeny's first (and 2nd, and 3rd) preference would always be to bikepack.










I'd ridden a handful of trails in the desert north of Oracle, but had never been able to complete the loop that Scott raves about.  We set that as our primary goal for this trip.









Into the Box.









Secondary goals included catching up on some rest, and sleep, and being outside somewhere wild and beautiful each day.









I failed miserably on the sleep part (as I almost always do) but the rest was easy given where and when we were.

















The elusive Area 52.









































Although we poked around the edges of A52 a fair bit while searching for the route, and the exit, we felt that we had scarcely scratched the surface of the riding to be done on this formation.

























More miles of shandy jeep roads than I care to cover in a day led us to a few miles of wash bashing and then, finally, onto Ripsey.

Greg had been here a week earlier and had forewarned us that the poppies were 'out', and we were ecstatic to arrive with afternoon light and some gas left in the tanks.

































The entire climb of Ripsey is challenging, with a few exclamation-point switchbacks to keep you honest.

























Honey light and sumptuous breezes kept us in the saddle longer than maybe we'd planned to ride that night.  It was hard to stop, so sweet were the views and temps around every next corner.

































Eventually we carved out a little home amidst the succulent sentinels and slept the sleep of the exhausted.

















Somehow the flora and illumination the next morning were even sweeter than the night before.

























Mid-day temps sent us down to the Gila River to re-up on water, and then, laden heavily, we began the climb into the Gila Canyons in earnest.









Largely mellow grades prevail and the tread is wide and non-technical enough to allow you to take in the unfolding grandeur.  Occasionally, a steep stinger would require that we burned a match or two to stay on the bikes.

















Difficult to put this climb into context with words.  It just keeps going and going, not merely up but *in* to the heart of the canyon system.  And I'm not sure you can get a sense for how expansive this system is from anywhere other than on the ground, slowly crawling your way up it.

















Just shy of sunset, tired, sore, sunburnt and recharged, we closed the loop back where it had begun 3 days previous.









Pre-production Surly 29+ tires were my choice for the trip, and proved far more comfortable and adept than expected or even hoped for.  So much so that I started, and finished, a drawing for a chassis to better exploit them while climbing away from the Gila River.  Stay tuned on that.

My bike looks lightly loaded, and in truth it was if you discount the 5 liters of water in the frame bag.    Double secret punishment training, or something like that...










Thanks for checking in.



MC

I have two sets of these available right now.  Both have XT M756 rear hubs up front, and DT Swiss 350 hubs out back.

Spokes are DT Swiss Competition butted, nips are DT Swiss Prolock aluminum.

Rims on the 29" set are Ritchey OCR Pro, with offset spoke bed that keeps tension acceptable even on this non-standard build.

Rims on the 29+ set are Surly Rabbit Hole, laced offset for Pugs.

29" set is $632 including shipping.

29+ set is $784 shipped.

Hit me at info@lacemine29.com

Thanks,

MC

Well played.

I don't come here very often these days.  Gravel grinding and TD-mania just don't blow up my skirt.

Either that or I was eating.  Again.

These three routes are all fine, worthy objectives.

However, any crown that lacks some version of the ITI is missing its most prized jewel.

Looking to get a few noobs out on a couple of days ride and pack raft. We live in ohio but any options for the eastern US are welcome. I ride a fat bike most of the time but none of them do, which could be their problem. We all have ( or are expecting one) a klymit LWD For the pack raft. Let the ideas flood in.

Klymit is pretty light for just a person, hard to imagine with a fatbike + gear too.  You might be able to make it work, but you will emphatically be in and of the water while so doing.  Drysuit and insulation mandatory.

Or, just get a bigger, more buoyant boat, then you can (probably) skip the drysuit.

Sold.

Plan D. on Vimeo

Words, stills, and minutiae here:

http://lacemine29.blogspot.com/2015/01/plan-d.html

...for Jeny and Bud, Doom and Lou, Nate, Bluto, Marge and the Underworld.

thx on Vimeo

Music: Come Thou Fount by Stephanie Immordino


Stills and a few explicatory words here:


http://www.lacemine29.blogspot.com/2014/12/thx.html

"Will integrity be discussed as part of the 'education' component?"

Is this REALLY necessary?

Integrity?  Most definitely.

Before I burn a bunch of time researching this area, do any of you have experience in and around the Chadron State Park area of Nebraska. The park itself looks very cool with nice trails, but it looks tiny. I'm just looking for a place to do an overnighter and I"ll be close to that area. I could link a couple places together if there's interesting gravel, pavement, etc.

Fun hardpacked singletrack inside the park, heaps of rough ranch roads and ATV trails outside.  There used to be a little bike shop/barber shop/hardware store in Chadron proper, and the owner was way into riding and taking people to his secret trail stashes.  I think his name was Herb or Harv or something like that.  Chadron is small--ask around and people will likely be able to point you in his direction.

a full 3 day Festival! Education, group rides, race, games, demo's, etc and yes - beer.

Will integrity be discussed as part of the 'education' component?

Cool route Randy.