Thanks, that gives me somewhere to start. 

Where do we look for the AZTR GPX file? Is it linked on the topofusion site somewhere?

If you mount the aerobars on something like a fred bar, it frees up the normal handlebars to mount the sling as usual. That's assuming you have enough steerer left to mount a Fred bar which is the usual issue.

Subscribing: I'm aiming at heading over for the 750 for 2013. This should be fun!

I thought about this long and hard and in the end went with the DT240's. A wide base cog will solve the single speed conversion issues on an Al cassette body and compared to my hope on the moonlander, the DT is practically whisper quiet. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Here's hoping for decades of hassle free riding

someone in the DIY forums already did make a frame bag out of duct tape. It was awesome

I salute you and the monkey alike. That is just awesome!

I too have been enjoying the race all the way from Tampa, FL. I tried to figure out where to make a donation to the Treackleader and bikepacking.net websites byt could not find any info on either. I am somewhat of a newbie to both sites but I would like to help. Someone please post a link. I have a paypal pay account, just not sure how to pull it off.

Thanks!

The trackleaders paypal button is at the top of the tracking page.

Since he is already back in Salida, doesn't seem to be a big deal. A frustrating day pushing yesterday probably. But easy enough either to get the frame repaired or replaced there (and it's not that he would be broke by just grabbing a new bike). So a one day delay and a bad day yesterday. Seems par for the course, frame is just more expensive to fix than pedals or brakes.

I think he will look back at this with pride in the wash up of the race. i.e I kept on riding until my bike snapped in half and then I bought another one and kept on riding. Go Georg!

Donation made....Thanks for making this happen guys.

+1. Anyone have a paypal link for mtbcast? I couldn't see a button on the site.

Looks like he's back at Walmart - maybe the cheap flats are the only option.

It will be a real shame if this all comes down to a mechanical with the finishing line in sight.

Love the cross bike

+1

Nice to see someone going about it a little differently. That's what makes this whole thing so interesting

Really loving the forum guys. Especially all the photos etc. Does anyone know if there is an Aussie in this years race....or if an Aussie has ever finished it? Any guidance would be appreciated.

Jarrod Delamarta from Melbourne was riding this year but picked up and injury and scratched.

About 7 days in a spot 2

mark farnsworth - i have about 1/3 of a bottle of gatorade and i think i've got one hammer gel so i think i've got plenty of supplies.

priceless

I'm in the FFC too: I'm still smiling at his sleeping bag reference "It was pretty light but I think that was because it was rotten".

Gold

Another quick question - I ride geared 50% and single speed 50% of the time. By the looks of things, both Hopes and Dt 240's use aluminium freehub body's so a single speed conversion kit is probably going to see some significant gouging of the freehub body.

Is anyone running these as single speed without issue?

I've been running xt 29er wheels - they're cheap and they work but the free-hub has just died while I was in the middle of no-where and my experience with Shimano hubs tends to indicate the free-hub is their Achilles heal. Lets face it, they aren't the best choice for a backcountry wheelset with their low spoke count anyway.

So i'm building a new rear wheel but can't figure out what hub to base it around. Hopes are bullet proof and tick all my boxes except one - they are god awfully loud. There is no serenity to be found with a hope on board. What are other people doing for such wheels? Straight pull spokes would be wonderful because you can replace them without having to remove cassettes (who carries a cassette tool on long rides?) but they only seem to be used on proprietary wheels.

Chris King is an option but i've read as many bad reviews as good ones and they aren't exactly quiet either. I'm not sure about durability of DT 240's - they seem fairly race oriented but i'd love to hear if people are riding them through all manner of bad conditions and they just come back for more.

What did everyone do for footwear on the hike? I'm assuming a switch to trail shoes via a postal drop in a similar way to those like Jill who also changed out their backpacks?

Has Jay P actually stopped or is his tent icon just because of patchy spot signal? Eszter is killing it out there!

Well, I ended up getting a small muk frame/fork set, a 16" pug and an 18" moon.

You'll love it! I couldn't be happier with mine. I'd be interested to see where you are planning on taking it inland as there are some amazing routes in there that are just begging to be ridden on a fatbike. If only didn't have 2 dozen other plans for trips....

I guess the 10 deserts epic might be a good place to start looking for some ideas, even better if you know the guy who did it! What a wealth of information he must be.