Is this just stupid or could this just possibly be an advantage??

beer comes to mind  : "Follow your folly!"

Rock whatever bike you're gonna have the most fun on!

I've done a bunch of math for the physics of this type of thing and have convinced myself sufficiently that rigid = slower on a trail like the CTR, but your mega beefy tires absorb quite a lot of trail chatter.  My brain it's working yet (it's monday), so I'm not going to attempt the math.  Any other physics geeks out there?

+2 for a tubless setup.

I toured the CT with tubes and only had 3 flats in 15 days.  But they all happened in the same day 

Did the race with tubeless without any flats.  I'm running UST hoops with UST tires and 1 cup of Stans.

I think lots of folks will go through a retro phase for things that they are passionate about and dig into the history.  When I was climbing more I went back and re-climbed a bunch of Fritz Wiessner's routes with passive gear and full grain leather boots. I still used new age ropes, etc. but I was learning a little bit more about how my predecessors experienced the routes.  I went on to re-climb many of my harder routes in the same style.  It was fun!  I'm guessing these guys had fun too   

I think I'm a better person for having done some retro climbing...

Nothing wrong with folks doing their own thing!

I view it more as fitness versus goal thing...

If I was fit enough where the lightest weight possible would help me complete the race earlier and my body could handle the pounding a fully rigid will dish out presumably would be the right bike. 

I have a fully rigid single speed commuter. I rode about 3000 miles on it for training last year. But I see no benefit of either a single speed FOR ME in a racing situation.

Maybe the spirit of "they are the real deal" was that they can suffer with the best of them? There is some mystique about how clean and simple a fully rigid single speed is though.

No flame war here - I respect the style of their effort. It in no way diminishes anyone else's effort on a geared fully suspended bike either.

The veterans seems to love A+D ointment (baby butt cream) for chafing and it works great for me too.  Cheap and available at most pharmacies/Target/Wal-Mart? type stores in US.

Thanks for the tip KootenayB! I hadn't heard of this but it makes a lot of sense.  This will be a second thing I try this spring.

+2 for some weight training. Nothing too crazy, but riding a bike and pushing a 35-40 bike use different muscles. And the CTR will ask you to use both.

I seem to change up my strength exercises a lot (because I don't really like doing them).  Now a days most of my strength training involves light weights and a ball.  The idea for me to keep everything 3 dimensional and add balance in wherever I can. And the stronger my core is the better time I seem to have. So I'll be increasing my core workouts too - once again, lots of work on the ball.

Another smart way to get some strength train in is to push your loaded bike up some steep stuff. I'll be pushing my DH bike up some fun stuff this spring summer because it's a lot more fun on the downhill and the DH bike weighs as much or a little more then the loaded xc bike.

From what I've read saddle sores are an infection. So, like many infections, keeping the area dry and clean while adding an antibiotic like neosporin will go a long way for treatment.

Treatment is secondary though, prevention is the real key.  forgivenick uses the same logic I do, keep yourself clean and clean yourself often. Sounds simple, but it's basis for prevention. I also rely on chamois buttr.  Never tried the tea tree oil trick, but I like the sound of it.  I'll give it a shot this spring!

I've also learned a couple of other things worth sharing.  I got the rash version in 2010 after a sweltering hot section of single track on day 1 of the CTR.  I didn't know what to do so I continued to ride.  The rash turned into large sores and I bailed in Frisco. After doing some research it seems like it's a good idea to keep from overheating.  I'm no doc, but it seems like if your hot enough to have your butt sweating, the sweat pores are exposed to some pretty nasty stuff and can get infected. Better to slow down a bit and stay cooler.  The other thing I try to do is to get out of the saddle a handful of time per hour, keeps the blood flowing.

I try to give myself a fighting chance.  After 16+ hours of riding I get out of my shorts and into a breathable pair of long underwear. I also sleep in a highly breathable bivy.  The year that I got saddle sores I was using a non breathable bivy.  My goal is to clean myself up before getting into the long underwear and then let things dry out over night. Maybe it's all in my head, but using a highly breathable bivy goes a long way to keeping things dry.  I seem to give off a lot of moisture at night and I don't want that trapped near my body (temps permitting).

And lastly, if you deal with saddle sores a lot you might consider bringing 2 pairs of shorts. The idea is to clean one and let it dry while using the other pair.  Not exactly the lightest option, but if it keeps you from getting sores...

good luck 

I am going use the Crossmarks this summer . Ghetto tubless 26". Hope they last 2600 miles


Thom

I would definitely check out the UST version. My UST versions ran flawlessly, but my non UST blistered while using Stan's. It seems like most people don't have this experience, but now I know it's always a possibility.

I tried the space bag two years ago for a couple nights with just a pad in colorado. I was warm enough (woke up a few time a night cold, but no big deal) but the condensation was too much for me. I like something that's more breathable now so that my crotch that's been stuck in a diaper all day has a chance to properly dry out 

I'm loving a little ultralight bivy that has a waterproof bottom and breathable top. If it rains I use a homemade tarp from my old Mylar bivy. Wouldn't Mind a cuben fiber upgrade, but I'm in no rush. I also swapped out a synthetic quilt for my down bag.

Whatever Nashbar has on sale.   

Kinda funny!!! I sometimes forget that the first time that I toured the colorado trail I did it on $25 Michelin's from REI... And to be honest, I loved them!

I like the Maxxis Crossmarks as thet seem to have a low rolling resistance and still has plenty of meet in the corners.

Are talking about doing something like what Lynda had for the AZT 300 from Revelate?
http://www.bikepacking.net/individual_setups/lyndaws-2011-azt-300-bike-and-gear/

Looks like water on canyon is open, a co-worker rode there this weekend and had pics. 

First and foremost, I would work with a custom builder and a certified bike fitter that is well respected and wants to help you get the bike/ride of your dreams.  Nuff said.

Dean Duker 29'er frame
Dean Ti stem/bar/seatpost/seatpost clamp
SRAM XO groupo
Fox Talas 32 Terralogic
Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro Wheels
Maxxis UST Tires (trail specific)
CrankBrother Candy 11 Pedals
Hayes Stroker Gram Brakes
Seat??? (never found one I like)
Revelate bags (custom frame/seat/sling/2 feed bags)

I'd make the trip to Gunnison.

Nuun is not carbonated. It is an electrolyte tab.  Drop it in a water bottle, it dissolves, drink it:  http://www.nuun.com/

but think I may need to increae the number I take or take them more often...

This is where it got personal with me and I needed to read more and start taking notes on what how much I consumed, how hot/cold it was, heart rate, etc... In the various books I've read they seem to hold back from saying "take this much <whaterver>".  My guess is that because of the variables listed above combined with all the variables of the individual body, there's just not one answer. 

Now I'm to the point where I'm doing a much better job of prevention and I can respond almost immediately when I start to feel  the first indications of stomach issues. I use a combination of pills and NUUN. I use the pills as a stopgap before I can get to a water source. Once I get to the water source I filter 16oz and pop a NUUN in it. Then I guzzle the 16oz.  This is just my pattern though that worked last year.  I'm guessing this stuff changes with time....

A lot of the info TheArtist shares rings near and dear to me   Here's my two sentence paraphrase: It's ok to get wet while you're riding if you can stay warm and have dry clothes to change into for sleeping. But sleeping while you're wet sucks and should be avoided if possible.

I'm a science/physics wannabe geek and I've done too much research into gear to warrant any listing of gear, etc.. I've also poured over tons of blogs and learned that people are different.  I've tried the no sleeping bag, wear all your clothes and jump in an emergency bag for a night of sleep at 10,000'. I've done down bags and synthetic bags. I've done waterproof bivies and breathable bivies. I've done full on waterproof/breathable rain gear top/bottoms.  I've done just a waterproof/breathable top. This season I'm trying a water repellant top and no rain pants (unless it turns into serious monsoon summer - then who knows???). In the end, the info that TheArtist is offering about keeping warm while spending a lot of time outdoors sure seems to match what I've experienced (but he's communicates it better). Nice work dude!

Last season my rain pants ended up waded up in a ball in my saddle bag most of the time. You know how retrospect gives you 20/20.  Well, to be completely honest, the times that I did wear my rain pants was out of partial fear and trying recommendations from others... but mostly fear. I love the idea of staying warm and dry.  But that's a tough outcome when it's raining and your running 150bpm. And for those that figure it out, the world is yours!
 

For what it's worth, I started doing some research into the ammonia idea.  I found a couple interesting hits:

This article describes in explicit detail my experience with the non LUST crossmark and is complete with pictures:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/sealant-failures.htm

This forum post is pretty darned old (from 2005) but it's directly from the stans web site and has info from the horses mouth:
http://messageboard.notubes.com/viewtopic.php?t=93

From what I can tell, it seems like sometimes sealant will wreck a new tire.  

Thanks Area54, that's the best explanation that I've heard yet! Glad to hear you are having a good experience with caffelatex too.  I'll have to give a shot. I sure wish the tire manufacturers would just come out and say "we support these tire sealants..."