Purchased and looking forward to reading it to keep me stoked (hopefully) until the next CTR.

I suppose I can ITT it but I really wanted the experience of being out there with all the others.

8/10 seems kind of late for the CTR.  Full monsoon action by then for sure.  I had hoped to do it this year after just missing my opportunity last year.  But I go back to work (college professor) on 8/11.  Bummer.

Sweet! I'm not sure how that works but I'm going to go with it. Now lets see if I can get it on my netbook.

edit: Purchase made will try it out tomorrow.  Thanks Scott. 

Chris

Jefe and Kurt.  Kurt also did a solo trans Utah ride.  I don't think you can call his Coco 250 bikepacking since he did it in 30 hours with no sleep.  Jefe just defies biology with his efforts.

I want to take advantage of the sale here but I have a little issue.  I have a Mac that I just upgraded to Mavericks OS but it apparently doesn't like my Windows partition.  Can I buy Topofusion on my P.O.S. Acer netbook and transfer it to the Mac/Windows machine when I get it sorted out?  How many machines can I run it on? 

Great job Josiah!  Waiting for the TR.

I was so close to doing it this year but various circumstances kept me away. I've really enjoyed the photos and stories and hope to make my own next year. In the meantime I'm still watching dots. Right now I'm watching Mark (MA) and Josiah (JM) on their ITT. I recently met these great guys on my first bikepacking adventure on the Kaibab 150. I thought they would stay together but suddenly Josiah is almost 50 miles ahead. I hope Mark isn't having issues.

That could make a difference.  I'll keep that in mind.  

I just did a fun bikepack trip with my daughter Zoe on the AZT last week for more preparation.  We did the section from Flagstaff south to the Mogollon Rim. She did well considering it was 100 miles in two days and it was her first time pedaling a loaded bike. It was her 15th birthday present.

I figured some more issues out that I need to deal with.  The biggest thing is that I think I want FS if I'm going to be riding so much rocky stuff.  I put a suspension fork on the Karate Monkey but my butt still took a beating.  I need to trim more weight off my rig too.  Also, I need to figure out my food better.  No cake mix for me.

that saddle looks evil. I can't imagine if you had a backpack sitting on that thing.

Says the guy who rode 150 miles on a rental bike seat.

Nice photo.  I've been toying with the idea of doing the CTR for the first time this year but am losing momentum.  The fires changing the course etc. are making it less likely now.  This photo on the other hand is getting the juices flowing a bit.  I hope to do some exploring on the CT between Silverton and Durango next week.  Is that part of the trail fairly representative of the difficulty of the rest?

FWIW: I live in Prescott AZ area (a great mtb town) where we have had some serious fires very close to home the worst of which is the one that killed 19 local hotshots yesterday.  It has really hit our close community hard.  Keep those hotshots fighting the Colorado fires in your thoughts and buy them a drink if you see them around town.

I treat or filter all water sources in the backvcountry unless I am 100% sure it has no chance for surface contamination.  Having Giardia does that to you.

The wheel flexes a little but I can clearly see the fork legs twisting significantly.  The Fox fork (with the same exact wheel on it) on another bike flexes about 1/2 as much.

I hope you make it.  I am cleverly avoiding injury by not riding at all.  Only one ride since the Kaibab.  I'm taking Mark's quote seriously, "When we quit we quit hard."  That goes with my strict "No training policy."

I was planning on just leaving it as a 3X10.  I would have gone with 2X10 but from what people say (Mark) I'll want as low a granny as possible.  

I like the Sat. afternoon start idea.  I thought about just doing it as an ITT starting several days early.  Then I might have company as everybody passes me.

Josiah,

It was great meeting and riding with you guys up there too.  I was impressed with your rental bike effort. 

The issue was the tire rubbing on the inside of the fork.  That was with a 2.2 tire.  It only happened when the bike was loaded and I was standing but it was pretty bad.  I just rebuilt the fork and got a better tighter skewer so hopefully it is better.  I think that Recon Silver is a pretty mediocre fork but I got it practically free so I figured I try it.  You'd be surprised to see how much forks flex this way.  Since this happened I've been checking other forks and they all are pretty twisty.  I just stand in front of the bike holding the wheel between my legs and turn the bars.  Makes me want to get a Lefty fork. 

Getting back to my original question...  I just put down the cash for the parts to make my Monkey into a 3X10.  I'm getting more financially committed to this CTR thing all the time. I'm still searching for a more packable sleeping bag, some HAB capable shoes and a few other items.  What dry bag were you using on your harness on the Kaibab ride?  Are you ding the CTR this year too?

Thanks Matt. 

As low tech and cheap as it is I really like the KM frame.  It is a nice "Safety scissors" blue color too.   I put a RockShox Recon Silver TK fork on the KM but fully loaded there was so much fork flex while I was pedaling standing up that the front tire would rub.  Still trying to figure that out.

Unfortunately a light bike isn't in my budget, but then again I wouldn't know the difference.  Definitely tires are something I pay attention to here in AZ where sidewall cuts are really common.  I was running a Racing Ralph in the front and Ikon in the rear both of them with the EXO or EVO or whatever each company calls their sidewall protection.  I cut the RR on the Kaibab loop but the Ikon is going strong.  I also cut a brand new Ardent 2.25 the first time I rode it.  Still trying to figure out the front tire I guess.   

I know there aren't "right" answers for these questions but I'm looking for opinions.  I'm thinking about doing the CTR this year and I currently have two bikes to choose from.  I'm leaning towards my Karate Monkey (currently a 1X10 with suspension fork) or my Giant Anthem X29er FS 3X10.  Believe it or not, if equally equipped both bikes weigh in about the same, around 28-29 lbs.

I'm leaning towards the KM simply for reliability reasons and that I have a full triangle bag for it.  I just don't trust all those pivots etc. on the Anthem in the rain and mud I'm likely to encounter.  Maybe too paranoid?

My questions are: Which bike would you use and why?  and If I use the KM is it worth making it a into 2X10 or 3X10?  If so which one?  I hesitate to spend the cash to make the KM a 3X10 or 2X10 if the Anthem would be just as good or maybe a better choice for this route.  I realize the CTR has been done on all kinds of bikes and gears and that doesn't make or break the effort but I am interested in hearing the different perspectives and experiences of CTR racers.

FWIW. A little additional info.  I have done one bikepacking trip ever. About 1 month ago I rode the KM set up rigid on the Kaibab "150" route with 100 miles on day one and 50 on day two.  11,500' climbing total. I absolutely loved it and felt pretty good which is why I'm considering the CTR. I realize the CTR is WAY harder though. I find that for my age (51) I'm a better than average climber and would prefer to ride rather than HAB if possible.  I have lots of backpacking experience, 30+ years of rock climbing including some big walls, and have raced XC mtb for two seasons (50+ age group) and will probably have to upgrade to Cat 1 next season since I finished 2nd in Cat 2 this year.  
I see myself approaching the CTR like a big wall.  Just keep plugging along while enjoying the adventure of the journey.  I hope to do it in 7-8 days.

Thanks for any info.  Chris

KMpack1 by desertmountainaz, on Flickr

Maybe this will work?

I finally got everything put together including converting my SS Karate Monkey to a 1 X 10.  Right now the bags are just "dummy packed" until I figure out what to carry and where to carry it.  The good news is that Kurt Refsnider and a couple of other experienced bikepackers are having a clinic/Q&A tomorrow night at a LBS. 

I was going to use a Tangle bag and keep my bottle mounts but switched to the full triangle bag after realizing I need more room.  I've spent enough money on this rig for the moment so I have not purchased an ultralight sleeping bag or pad yet.  No bivy sack either.  I'll probably just bring a light coated nylon tarp for this weekend's ride. I have a 25+ year old Marmot 2.5 lb sleeping bag (formerly 20 degree) and a standard short Thermarest in the Sweet Roll. I can't believe I got all that in there.  I plan to run a bladder and bottle in the triangle bag.  There are few opportunities for water along the Kaibab 130 so I'll probably carry a Camelback too.

I'd post a photo if I could figure out how.

I was waiting for some mention of your new record here.  I thought maybe you were keeping it a secret? : ) Great job.  This one ought to last through the summer anyway but who knows.