Glad you had a good time! Yeah, having the Camel's Back trail system so close to downtown is a pretty major plus. The other great thing is the proximity to good eats- I often stop in to Parilla on 13th for a burrito and a beer after trail rides.
We live on the opposite end of Hill Road- about 7 miles from Camel's Back, but right across the road from the Veteran's Trail entrance to the Velo Park.

Los

Hey Simon,

I may have an option for you, though I agree with others that the time of year may be problematic as it relates to snow and general trail conditions. The short of it is we have some land with structures (heated and insulated with solar power) in the Zuni mountains of western New Mexico. Altitude is between about 7000 and 9000 ft (with options to drop down lower in the immediate area). Some singletrack but mostly old logging roads and forest roads. Pretty challenging riding and would be a great training area. There are a number of potential multi-day rides I have plotted but not ridden from the property (including one to a great site with developed singletrack and site of the 24 hours in the enchanted forest event).

I have done some bikepacking in the area. Some images here: http://highaltitudehomestead.blogspot.com/ and another trip nearby in the Chain of Craters Back Country Byway here: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,4721.msg39932.html#msg39932

24 hours event: http://www.ziarides.com/events/24-hours-in-the-enchanted-forest/

PM me for details if interested.

I'd go this direction. I love the riding around Gallup, and weather should be solid during your stay.
Here in Idaho, we have a ton of open space and amazing riding opportunities, but the weather might be iffy when you'll be stateside.

Los

I'll take it!

1speedlosATgmailDOTcom

Los

http://shop.camelbak.com/podium-mud-cap/d/1044
Fits the bottles you already have, and works pretty well.

Los

Wow! Beautiful work, looking forward to spending some time reading it!

Los

I've only been into a few shops here. As a 20 year vet of the mechanic's stand, I do my own work, and still have a fair number of parts in my bin.
That being said, Bill Reed of Reed Cycles in Eagle is a great guy, bike racer himself, and has a neat little shop.
For bikepacking, check out Idaho Mountain Sports in downtown Boise. While not a bike-specific shop, they're pretty well set up for bikes in the summer.

Los

We just moved here in October. I spent the first few months racing cyclocross, because, well, I love 'cross. But since the season ended, I've been spending a bit more time snowshoeing, riding in the foothills, and riding some of the gravel roads. There's so much good riding around here! Looking forward to putting my bikepacking set up together and hitting up the Owyhees, Boises, and West Central mountains this summer.
I plan on including a tenkara rod for some fishing out on the trail.
There's a really nice fly-fishing shop ( http://www.idahoangler.com/ ) that is a Tenkara USA dealer, if you're into the fishing thing.

Los

Hey there,

While I'm new to bikepacking, I have a lot of years on the bike.
Carrying stuff on your back is obviously different on the bike than on foot, so you might just need to spend some time both building up to carrying weight, and dialing fit.
Is the bag long enough for your torso? Perhaps lengthening the shoulder straps to shift more weight to your hips might help.
Good luck with this- back pain sucks!

Los