http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=39426

Having breakfast with Tom Rowntree, who came in third.

The beam was pretty even to me, anyways.  I brought one for the Highland Trail Race, and have used it on a couple of training rides.  I'm really impressed with it so far.  I was using it for riding single track at night, and had no issues at all, and that was on the high setting (400 lumens) not turbo (950 lumens).  Battery life seemed to be about what they advertised.  I was on high for well over 3 hours and it didn't seem any dimmer to me.

Area54 - you can use an external battery to recharge the light, but you can't actually run it off external power.

Hi all, I know that this is late in the game but I'm flying into Glasgow on the 21st so I can look around the city for a day and then I was planning to head up to Tyndrum on either the 22nd or 23rd. However, I wanted to see if anyone was going up in a car/truck/van and had room for a wayward bikepacker. Thanks in advance.

I'm also flying in the 21st and staying for two days.  I'll be at the Holiday Inn Express at the Glasgow Airport.  Not sure about the ride situation, haha, but maybe meet up for dinner or drinks?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AnV6xT65HkPRdE5WZ2c4S0pyZnd5Tk51cko1ZzJneFE&usp=sharing

13 women lining up this year, is that a record?

I'm running it 2x10, but I have 42/28 on the front.  Right after I ordered mine, they came out with the 40t, and that's what I'd go with if I had to do it again.  I have a few rides on mine with zero issues, but do NOT shift onto it when you're in the big ring, haha.  Oops.  As far as speed, a guy at the LBS converted the gear inches, and we came up with a cadence of 80 would give you 1.8mph, lol, and that seems about right.  A couple of things: you end a long-cage rear der, and make sure your cassette is compatible, otherwise you'll need a new one.  Hope that helps!

I'm passing Glasgow Airport on Friday 23rd. You are welcome to have a ride up to Tyndrum.

Sounds great to me.  Any idea of what time you were planning on coming through?  If it's later than 4-5 err, 1600-1700,    I'll just take a train up so I can get some good sleep the night before.  Long flights tend to knock me out for a while, haha.

Is anyone coming through Glasgow Friday afternoon with an extra slot in their bike rack?  If so, I'd be more than willing to help chip in for gas and will buy you a beer or two as well.  I'll be staying at the Holiday Inn at the Glasgow Airport.  If it's out of your way, it's no big deal, there's a train station right there as well.  Thanks in advance, and hope to see everyone on the 24th!

I'm really surprised a major pack manufacturer hasn't jumped in the game yet.  Kelty, Gregory, OR, etc.  it's a good thing, because I lve the small and home based businesses, but I think it's only a matter of time.  If I was Revelate, I'd be seriously looking at some patents.

I won't mention names, but I came across a racer last year who had broken a chain between Sparwood and the border.  Initially he was planning on walking 40 miles to Fernie to get a new one, because of the rules and all.  We finally convinced him that having a broken chain 40 miles from the nearest town in Grizzly country definitely constituted an emergency and another rider gave him a quick-link and he was on his way.  Haha.

Anyone heard about Jill Hueckman?  This is race one of three for her Triple-Crown attempt.  I'm ASSUMING her SPOT isn't updating (hasn't for over 3 hours).  Does anyone know how she's doing?

Thank you for the links, it looks absolutely amazing!

I wouldn't recommend LBS along the route.  If one person does it, it's probably not a big deal, but if 10 people, or more, do it, then it becomes a huge PITA for those guys.  Besides, if you're at a bike shop, a resupply box probably isn't needed anyways, as you can get stuff through them. 

What I did was mailed out four boxes to towns along the way that didn't have bike shops but had 8-5 post offices (Seeley Lake, Grants, Rawlins, and I can't remember the last one, haha), and I raided my spare parts bin and other bikes for spare parts to include.  In each, I put a set of pedals (even flats, just in case), a tube, a tire, extra patch kit, extra sealant, batteries, a jersey and shorts, socks, extra allen wrenches, co2, etc.  My line of thinking was if I needed something, it would be there, and if not, I could just roll through without stopping, and they'd mail it back to me.  I think it was about $30 to send out four small boxes.

Are there bears in New Zealand?

Ok, serious question - which one would would be the better route?  Also, what is the route composition?  I saw some rail-trail, but is there singletrack, gravel, or is it mostly road riding?  If one were to ride one route or the other, which would be the one you would pick?  I'm REALLY interested in this...interested enough to skip a winter trip to Alaska for this, haha.  If I can get the days off, I'm almost certainly in!

Thanks for the info on the bike shops.  As far as tires, I'm going with Maxxis Ikon EXO tubeless in 29x2.2.  I've heard these are popular for the CTR, and I plan on riding a chunk of that this summer as well, so I hope they hold up.  The sidewalls at least feel like they're really sturdy, but I haven't mounted them yet either.  I'll bring a repair kit anyways.   

Distance?  Elevation gain?  This sounds interesting, keep us posted!

I dunno.  I know what Flint Hills gravel does to a 29x2.1 Nano.  Hopefully their casing is tougher, otherwise it's pretty much a no-go for the Dirty Kanza...  Just my opinion though.

Where the two routes join up in the west is right about where you will start smelling the meth cooking.  It'll be pretty strong given that it will almost guaranteed be over 100 degrees with 90%+ humidity and a brisk 30mph cross/headwind. At least it's really flat, though.  ;-)

That being said, haha, I know it's a self-supported race, but if anyone needs to be picked up in Eastern Kansas, shoot me a message.  I'll probably make it to Eureka or Newton to snap some pics, and will post them here and on the FB page.  Also, the bike shop in Newton KS is also a hostel for Trans-Am riders/racers.  They have showers, a bike wash station, etc.  I don't own the place or have any business affiliation with them, just wanted to give everyone a heads up.  Good luck to everyone racing, and enjoy Kansas!

Just got my "talky-toaster" maps, and they installed no problem.  Thanks for the link on that, they look to be just as good as the Garmin maps for a fraction of the price.  Can't wait to meet you all in May!