Thanks. I'm hoping the last week of June will work out.  My daughter keeps saying, "Have I mentioned how stoked I am for this Idaho trip?"  Her 17th birthday is June 20 so maybe we will shoot for that.  We did 100 miles of the AZT for her 15th birthday.  Lucky kid.

How's the snowpack shaping up this year?  I'm planning to do the whole main route with my family this summer and I'm trying to predict when we might be able to start.  It feels like waiting for Christmas when I was 5.

Tell them this works.  I got the trial membership here last year and now I'm a regular member.

I think if you visit you won't leave.  That's how you should take it.  It is a pretty awesome place really with lots of mtb riders and opportunities.  Year round riding.

I'm resurrecting this thread to see if there are more opinions (good or bad) on H-bars after almost a year. 

I'm getting ready for the Idaho Hot Springs Route this summer and thinking about switching to a different bar type.  Since we won't be riding much ST this time I will be riding my Karate Monkey HT instead of my Salsa Horsethief.   The KM currently has 720mm flat bars with Cane Creek bar ends that seem pretty comfortable right off but I have experienced some hand pain, numbness (ring and pinky fingers) and sometimes developed a painful knot in my shoulder after being in the saddle for 6+ hrs. 

I'm considering Jones H bars hoping that the different positions will help and maybe the 45 deg. sweep too.  But they seem like a pretty radical change so I'm a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on buying them.  That 45 deg. sweep looks like it could feel kind of awkward for ST riding especially since I like the wide bars (720+mm) with 9 deg sweep so much for that.  The 710mm H bar doesn't seem very wide compared to my preference on flat bars.  I like wide bars (I'm 6'4") and have 750mm on the Horsethief and could see going wider.  Do you ever feel cramped when turning?  Seems like the inside hand would end up pretty close to your knee if turning very sharp. 

It seems like having your hands at a 45 deg. angle would tend to keep your elbows in rather than out.  I am of the elbows out school of cornering and descending, moto style.

What other bars are available with more sweep than a standard mtb bar but less than 45 deg.?  How about wide (720+mm) and more sweep?

Thanks

Do not come to Prescott.  It is awful here.  Nothing to see or do.  Move along. 

I have the same units as tanadog and agree with him on all points.  I'm using the etrex 30 on my bike.

I just ordered a Sierra Designs DriDown Hoody.  It is a bit heavier than some of the $300+ jackets (claimed 14 oz.) but it looks to be pretty decent with 800 fill DriDown and a membrane fabric. Plus I got mine for $130.  Hopefully I'll be able to give it a good test soon.

Christophe, I heard that Eddie Bauer actually invented the quilted down jacket.

Thanks for the advice.  I'm looking for a very lightweight packable jacket for around camp and sleeping in not riding in.  I'm an AZ native and don't like being cold.  I'm still shopping.

I'm running a Sram X01 1X11 (10-42) with a 28t North Shore Billet chainring on my 2014 Salsa Horesthief.  I had a stock 32t chainring first and it was too much for bikepacking so at the suggestion of Kurt Refsnider I went to the 28t and it is the perfect combination.  I figured if Kurt rides a 28t on the same bike I had no business thinking I ought to stick with the 32t chainring.  The lowest gear is exactly the same as a 24X36.  My top pedaling speed is about 25mph in the 28X10 gear. I'm not a big fan of Sram but everything is working well.  Fingers crossed.

Getting ready to buy a down jacket and wondering if a hood is worth the extra weight/bulk/cost?  Looking at Montbell Ultralight Down Parka. Any others that are in the $200 range?

I agree, the rules are clear, follow the rules or be relegated. No mercy.  I don't think you should worry about hurting peoples feelings if they break the rules knowingly or unknowingly.  I do understand that if someone accidentally or deliberately broke the rules they might want to continue anyway.

So, how about if someone breaks the rules or deviates from the course and they continue they are "relegated" to "touring" class?

Has anybody tried the Giro Terraduro?

http://www.giro.com/us_en/products/men/cycling-shoes/dirt/terraduro-24028.html

I'm using  PI X-Alp Enduro III but they are kind of wide for my feet so I have to wear thick socks to take up space.

I think Scott really hit the nail on the head.  I like the less strict category idea but even that would still need rules of some sort.  Otherwise some people might take an anything goes approach that would cheapen up the whole idea.  Personally I wouldn't care how other people did it because it would be a personal journey for me but I can imagine that it might turn into some sort of circus. I think if you are doing this primarily to seek recognition from others you are in it for the wrong reason from the start. 

I was going to suggest in my earlier post that only people going for a record or a win would be expected to adhere 100.00% to the rules (and prove it).  Just keep a list of winners and record holders and everybody else just gets a finish time and a gold star.  Sounds like Scott is proposing something similar.  At the start everybody could be in it to win it if they want but as they deviate from the strict rules they just automatically transfer to the "going for the finish only" category.  Like this year their dot colors could change but without any "disgrace."

If I were to line up for a TDR I would do my best to follow the route and self support 100% but if some circumstances made me deviate to any degree I would be honest about it but continue and still consider myself a finisher but not in the running for a record (like that would even be possible) or even a place or ranking among the 100% finishers. I would not need to see my name in a list of finishers either.  I would know what I did and how I did it.   It seems pretty simple though to have a second list of finishers even with finish times but with an asterisk and possibly a note of explanation. If people want to compare themselves with others they can do it but for most participants it is about finishing, and as Scott said, being part of something bigger. 

Like Toby I have a long history of rock climbing going back to the '70's when style meant everything.  I went through the bitter stage during the sport climbing revolution of the late 80's until I realized that what really matters is how I feel about what I do and that what other people do is out of my control.  That sure was a relief.

As someone who has never done the TDR (so somewhat objective) but has considered it I can say that all the bickering about rules just makes me want to do it less.  It is beginning to sound like USAC road racing.  The LAST thing I'd want to see happen to bikepack racing is a sanctioning body etc.  The majority of racers aren't in it for a win or a record.  Does it really matter to you if you finish 12th or 13th or 31st?  Who cares what other people are doing?  You should be in this for yourself.  I always tell my kids not to let other people define them or their personal worth.  I say, do it in the best style you can and be honest about it.  If other people don't do it in the same style or aren't so honest it shouldn't take anything away from what you did.

I'd want to be out there having an amazing experience as part of something bigger than me.  Worrying about what other people might be doing would ruin the experience.  I kind of agree with Marshal and fastmtnbiker33w.

I don't see different types of racers.  I see different types of observers.  There are still a large number of cyclists in this world who know nothing about TD.  Most who do know about it only know what they saw on RtD.  Most don't know of any rules.  Most don't care.  Your friends and family don't care about any rules. They are just either impressed or depressed with your accomplishment. 

It's your race.  Do it the way you want to do it.  If you want to get in the car with some weirdo to go hang out at their cabin, go for it.  If you want to kill your own food and harvest grains along the route, go for it.  Make what you want to make out of it. 

If you want your name on a website as a finisher of the route, add your name and time. Most will not care how you did it.  Those who do will find out how you did it.  If you lie to them, then that's on you. 

For me the WTB Speed V is the most comfy.  The good news is that it is cheap the bad news is that it is kind of heavy. Everybody's butt seems to like something different.

I have an XL 2014 Salsa Horsethief and am looking for a frame bag. I emailed Revelate and after some confusion I was told that the 2014 Spearfish bag would fit but when I tried to get one from Salsa they said they didn't think so.  I emailed Revelate back to clarify but haven't received a reply.  Has anybody tried to order one?  For the XL it is supposed to be Salsa bag #7 or 5730.  Does anybody else make a frame bag for my bike or want to make one?

YZ, Look up the Kaibab 130 route on AZ Endurance Series.  It is a nice trip except skip the section going off the East Rim and back up.  Just stay on the AZT all the way back to Jacob Lake.

The AZT between Mormon Lake and Pine Grove Campground/Lake Mary Rd. is really nice.  The segments across Anderson Mesa are rocky and on this trip were really destroyed by cattle.

My ride turned into about half of the Coco 250 route with some variations.  I still did a "door to door" but from my friends door in Flagstaff to my door in Chino Valley.

I left my truck at a friend's house outside of Flagstaff and rode about 10 miles into town where I picked up the AZ Trail heading south at around 9:45 am.  The Coco 250 route turns off the AZT near Mormon Lake and I followed it on FS roads to Munds Park for a resupply, just missing a few miles of the route since it detours around Munds Park.  I picked it up again on Schnebly Hill Rd but skipped the upper part of the Munds Wagon Trail.  I also skipped some of the Chicken Point/Llama Tr. single track but regained the route at the Templeton Tr right at dark.  I really didn't want to ride some of the more technical stuff alone and late in the day and risk a bad crash. Templeton and Baldwin trails went very slowly since my lights were less than effective.  I had hoped to cross the Verde Valley at night to avoid the heat but ended up sleeping just before Red Rock State Park.  So, day one covered 80 miles in about 11 hours of total time.  

The next morning began with a HAB over a little pass on the Lime Kiln Tr that I didn't see coming.  During the first 4 miles I was accompanied by three hot air balloons drifting above and sometimes below.  The Lime Kiln trail across the valley was enjoyable and I arrived in Cottonwood at about 9 am.  It was pretty clear already that it was going to be too hot and I was too tired to do the monster push over Mingus Mtn. so I just took the highway to Jerome.  That was brutally hot enough and pretty scary because there is zero shoulder on this narrow road.  From Jerome I took the old railroad grade around Woodchute Mtn. all the way to Perkinsville Rd and Chino Valley.  The run down from the highest point on this old road was fun and fast until I got into Chino Valley where the headwind just kept getting worse.  I made it to the Sonic Drive in just in time for the 2 pm happy hour on drinks and slushes. I threw down some tater tots and a lime slush and headed home with a stop by my wife's classroom to answer questions for her 4th graders who had been following my progress.  I made it home feeling hot and with sore knees for a total of 143 miles. 

It was good to do a bunch of miles in a couple days because since the 24 HOP race I had been taking it really easy to let my achilles heal up. I also wanted to test out my new bike and new systems before embarking on a more remote trip. However, I should have gone slower still or maybe fewer miles for it to be really "fun".  Also, I really missed my daughter who I had ridden some of the AZT sections with last summer.  She is really fun to ride with because she narrates the trip in real time and notices all kinds of things that I just zone out when alone.  She's just fun to have along.

A few other items I remember.  

The AZT is awesome except when you have to ride about 15 miles of trail that has been absolutely cratered by cows walking it when it was muddy followed by it drying to concrete hardness.  I probably did and extra 10,000' of climbing 3 inches at a time bouncing up and down.

My achilles tendons started hurting at only mile 20 and I feared I might have to bail to avoid re-aggravating them.  I thought I was recovered from the original problem caused by the 24 HOP race six months ago.  I decided to try lowering my saddle a little which seemed to keep it from getting worse but I think that led to the knee pain that came on day two.

On both days I felt the best and strongest around hour 6.

Even low 90 degree temps can be pretty tough when you are riding rough single track on a loaded bike.  I was carrying a gallon of water when topped off but could not drink enough still.  I ran out once about an hour before getting to Cottonwood.  I'm still thirsty and dehydrated today.

Next time I plan to ride technical single track at night I'm going to bring really good lights.

Now I have an idea how tough the whole Coconino 250 race would be and I didn't even do the biggest climbs.