Training rides each day based out of Borrego Springs, Ca. Dates Monday through Friday March 24 to March 28. Various distances. I will run support with my loyal dogs, but I hope to ride every day too. Plans are for two days in Borrego Springs, a night at Auga Caliente Hot springs and a night at Joshua Tree Park. No fee to join and you are responsible for yourself and your portion of the camping costs. Closest airports are San Diego or Palm Springs. I will post more details on routes, campgrounds etc. Reply here with questions or PM me.

Unless I am doing something wrong, the problem I have found with downloading aerials for use with Gaia when out of cell range is that the resolution is not very high. At the level I need to see in the places I ride, I find it is not very useful. But again, perhaps there is a way to increase the resolution when downloading (though I wrestled a bit with this to no avail). You have better resolution when there is service, so it seems doable.

I have been using my iPhone 5 as a GPS but I tend to use it in conjunction with printed maps. I generally consult the phone when I am not sure where I am on the printed map. Its also helpful in getting back to places where maybe I should have turned as you can drop a pin and return to it regardless of whether you have a map. Ideally, I would love to actually record a track to map where I am going/have been. Hardly anyone has been riding/mapping out where I have been riding, so I have not found any other files to use.

More recently I purchased a phone charger that is about ¾ the size of a cigarette pack. Its good for 3 full iPhone charges, I believe, but I have not yet used it in the field. Its USB charged so not as good for extended travel as one that takes batteries but to date I have only done overnighters and don’t see having time to do more than a two nighter in the near future and I think this will suffice. I am also very sensitive to turning off battery-intensive functions – no Bluetooth, no wifi, turn off locations services for everything but the apps you are using, always return the navigation app to the background, etc.) If things are really running low, I only turn the phone on to find out where I am and then shut it off again.

I don’t worry too much about damaging my phone. I have a stem mount but often just carry it in my pocket or pack and get it out when I need it. I definitely do that in sketchy terrain.

This should help you out. You need to select the zoom level before you download. It will take more time to download though and use more memory.
http://help.gaiagps.com/knowledgebase/articles/294031-how-to-download-maps

We have been using Gaia and really like it a lot. Sure beats my Garmin in so many ways. Plus unlike my old garmin it is not limited to 20 tracks of 500 points each. For the trans am bike race route I didn't have to break it into sections in order to download it. With Gaia I was able to download the whole track no problem.

As long as it's one of the 'tough' smartphones, can't see why not.

If it can survive constant vibration, harsh sun and heat, external saturation, wide operating temperatures, be fitted securely with a firm mount, not lose vital data when you switch between apps, then it might be suitable.

Be good for UL. But I'll stick with my dedicated items for each duty, may be heavier but I can't compromise until some manufacturer makes the 'Homer' of all outdoor adventure devices...

I hear you on the durability aspect of electronics. I have clamped a dumb phone to my bike for years and it has held up fine, even surviving crashes and being thrown to the ground. They make some pretty rugged cases for smart phones now and it seems like people take them on their bikepacking trips anyways with good success. i read a blog where one around the world hike ditched his garmin for a smart phone (iphone) with great results.
in fact my garmin 60 csx has had electronic issures where it would randomly shut off. I fixed it by tearing it open and having to bend contacts so they would hit the circuit board properly.
On the TD I had a smartphone out of contract that I used for a music player, a small canon camera and my dumb phone plus my gps, plus headlight, plus cords and batteries and a lithium ion usb battery. Too much stuff in my opinion, but thankfully they all survived the cold heat, rain and snow.

What do you do when you don't have data coverage. Does Gaia allow you to download the maps so they are available without cell service?

yes

We are using the iPhone 5s as our GPS, camera, web browser, phone etc.
We use:
1. Strava
2. Gaia (GPS)
3. Runtastic (app for bike computer)

We power it with a dynamo hub and B&M Luxos u light charger system. We can leave with it half charged and at the end of the ride it is almost fully charged even using our apps.

So far it is working great.

Any others with experience just in using a smartphone for long distance bikepacking races??
Durability? Problems? Great apps? Tips? Bike mounts and waterproof cases?

I had some trouble navigating amtrak's site to see what I would need to connect to the coast starlight if I wanted to get close, any ideas?  I'll look more into it later but I'm maxed out for the next few days.  Would love to make it down for some warmer weather!

Nathan,
For $129 each way from Portland to San Diego:
•   Saturday, March 22, 2014
•   Portland to Los Angeles
•   2:25 pm -  9:00 pm  (Sun, Mar 23)
•   30 hr, 35 min
•   
•   11 Coast Starlight (Amenities)
•   1 Reserved Coach Seat
•   Sunday, March 23, 2014
•   Los Angeles to San Diego
•   10:10 pm -  12:59 am  (Mon, Mar 24)
•   2 hr, 49 min
•   
•   796 Pacific Surfliner (Amenities)
•   1 Unreserved Coach Seat

You could ride to Julian ( 70 to 80 miles?) or we could pick you up in San Diego

Trans Am Borrego Springs training dates have been picked. March 24th to March 28th. Looks like 5 people so far.

Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce web site: http://www.borregospringschamber.com/

Metal sculptures around the valley: http://www.galletameadows.com/

Average weather for Borrego: http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/92004

Some of us are planning on doing a training session for the Trans Am Race in Borrego Springs California, probably mid to late March of this year.
Closest Airports are San Diego or Palm Springs. Hotels & camping in Borrego Springs plus stores and restaraunts. Great winter getaway. Lots of route options, some weather dependent.
Here are the links to some rides we came up with:
1. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3878654
2. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3878660
3. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3878693

One of the rides (#3) goes from Borrego Springs into Joshua Tree National Park where we would camp for the night and come back the same way the following day.

Ride #1 and #2 are are combined to give a 2 day route with camping the first night.

Ride #1 can be lengthened or shortened based upon your fitness level.

We could gather every night and go through the Trans Am route, equipment & bike setup ideas, etc. Probably a Monday through Friday timeframe so we could avoid traffic and booked campsites and rooms. Riders could opt for a shorter time frame. It would be nice if people could get into Borrego on Sunday sometime so we could make the most of the week starting Monday.

No charge, so basically we are all responsible for our own logistics, safety etc.

If anyone is interested or has any questions, please respond here or PM me.

Write up on using a smartphone as a gps: http://www.adventurealan.com/iphone4gps.htm

Sorry about the delay in responding to this. I ended up deleting the route but redid it. Here is the link: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3807626

http://www.bikequarterly.com/VBQgenerator.pdf


http://www.tourintune.com/hub-dynamo-systems-for-bicycle-touring-part-1/

My advice is to not worry about any drag. When you turn the hub by hand you will feel it. When it is mounted to the bike, whether or not you are powering a light or a device it is not noticeable and a non factor. Sure saves on batteries and worrying about charging things.
That burger you ate for lunch will probably cause more drag!

This search should give you plenty to chew on!
https://www.google.com/search?q=best+full+suspensioin+29er+bikepacking+bike&rlz=1C1CHMO_enUS549US549&oq=best+full+suspensioin+29er+bikepacking+bike&aqs=chrome..69i57.12028j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=122&espv=210&q=best+full+suspension+29er+bikepacking+bike&spell=1

I do think for bikepacking and reliability that a 29er hardtail is the way to go. However if you have really nasty terrain then you might consider a simple reliable FS bike. A Santa Cruz Superlight 29er?

Good luck!

I played around with the gpx file in topofusion. Simplified it into 10,000 points and split it into 20 tracks which should work with most garmins. If you put it in topo fusion you can look at each track, see the mileage elevation profile, elevation gain and loss of each segment.

Let me know if this works or not.

Attached is the file

Here is a mount that allows you to mount the Luxos U to your handlebar
http://www.rivbike.com/Handlebar-light-mount-p/lt101.htm

Here is a review on the Luxos U
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=74806

I think some folks have been having issues with the plug setup regarding reliability. Plus it looks like it only puts out .5 amp max power. Others do better than this. Here is one: http://www.sinewavecycles.com/products/bright-bike-revolution (I think it will put out up to 1.0 amp)

If you are going to go this way then you will probably want a cache battery to even things out and keep things charging.

I think the Luxos U I got is pretty good. Great light, internal cache battery and USB port all in one package. You could spend much more piecing things together.

SRAM and Shimano both make dynamo hubs. I think Peter White's web site might have some information on them.
I think the SP models give the most bang for the buck.

Well, I took the Luxos U out for a test ride last night. At first some of the artifacts bothered me but as I put more time in I grew to love the light!
Very wide beam, good throw on both medium and high settings. It basically has 4 brightness settings. Low at stopped or slow walking pace. brighter at average walking pace, brighter yet at riding pace and brightest at most speeds by hitting the bright button.
Vs. my 700 lumen cygolight  it directs the light better for road riding. No blinding the drivers and more width of beam.
I think it is the perfect light for road riding, commuting and probably events like the Tour Divide. Haven't taken it off road yet, but since the  light focuses the light lower it might not pick up overhead obstacles. I imagine if you were to pair it with a helmet light, it would be awesome off road.
I haven't charged anything with it yet but it was showing the ability to charge with the light on at most speeds. Vs. the Revo I like the idea that you can switch it to different brightnesses and to turn it off. The handlebar switch is very nice to have. You can flash drivers in the daytime when the light is not running just by pushing the button.
To me the big question is durability and waterproofness. Only time will tell on that one.
I also moved the light mount inboard some to protect the light from falls.