Hi,

I can't speak to the amount of bobbing you'd experience with the Lauf, but having raced the route with a rigid carbon fork (Carver Trail 490) I can tell you about my experience:

1) I wanted to minimize the risk of failure. I have a good friend who lost a lot of teeth when his Lauf snapped, so when I'm that committed, I want to be able to trust my fork 100%.

2) Similar reason not to use a traditional 100mm sus fork, I don't want to worry about seals or maintenance or anything out there.

3) The divide is basically a very scenic gravel ride, and you don't need the fork travel to ride it safely or have fun. Good gel gloves, cushy grips, and aero bars will be a cheaper and more reliable way to save your hands from nerve damage, I suspect.

Curious what others have to add here, esp regarding the "bobbing" issue. Good luck!

Hi there,

I can help with problem #1:

The new version of Garmin Basecamp and Garmin MapInstall are broken, you'll need to uninstall them and re-install the older version. I was having the exact same issue on my etrex 20. Here's a tutorial for how to solve the problem:

https://openmtbmap.org/tutorials/basecamp-4-7-0/

Good luck!

Here's a good summary of the different water treatment techniques, with some info about Giardia:
http://www.hikelight.com/18ultralightbackpackingwatertreatment.html

I myself used an eyedropper that I filled with bleach, and added a few drops to each 1L bottle that I filled. There were plenty of mountain streams that I would have been comfortable not treating, but it was just part of my routine.

This could be a very personal topic, but I was comfortable with 2 liters of capacity for most of the ride. The exceptions being the Basin and New Mexico south of Abiquiu, where I carried about 6 liters. However, I saw enough water sources in those sections that I would only carry 3 or 4 liters on my next trip. I'm pretty confident finding and treating questionable water sources though, so that's something that I'd recommend practicing if it's new to you. Also to consider, my pace was a little faster than you're planning, 100-150 mi/day. Good luck!

My 3 biggest challenges were:
The 100 degree heat in NM (especially coming from the PNW)
My tummy hurting from over-eating in restaurants (take it to go!)
Not respecting mother nature and my limitations and ending up in unsafe (for me) situations

As I got better at listening to my body and staying in the present moment, each challenge became a lot easier to deal with. It was an amazing and very humbling experience! Enjoy!

Hey Han,

There's a lot of discussion about TD tire choice on some other threads, here's a start:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=1924.0

For myself (finished TD'14) I used Maxxis Crossmark 29x2.1 (non-UST) on my Stan's Arch EX rims with Stan's sealant and tape, and I experienced 0 flats and 0 tire changes over the whole race. Seated easily and sealed up well. Rolled pretty fast--I probably could have varied my tire pressure a bit more to make them roll faster on the pavement, but I didn't really bother.

Good luck!
-Nat

Start in Capitol Forest and ride the gravel roads as far as you want! Keep going southwest into the lower Chehalis state forest, then keep going west to the Pacific if you want. It's pretty easy to string together 100+ miles of 85% gravel and 10k+ climbing. Good practice, if you ask me! I rode the divide last summer, and did most of my training in those hills. There's some fun singletrack in Cap forest too, but if you're racing the divide you know there won't be much of that...

http://www.mappery.com/map-of/Capitol-State-Forest-Map

If you don't already, I highly recommend foam rolling for a few minutes before your workouts.

http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/bodywork/fitness-coach/Should-I-Foam-Roll-Before-or-After-a-Workout.html

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/injury-prevention/roll-out-kinks

The quad, calf, and IT band moves are my favorites. Foam rollers are cheap, and when I find 5-10 minutes to roll each day I start to notice real improvements in 4-5 days. I'll start with a 5 minute warm up (jump rope, running in place, whatever), roll for 5 minutes, stretch for 5 minutes, then hop on the bike to warm up 5 more minutes and then start my workout. Stretch again afterwards, of course. I often roll again before bed because I find it relaxing.

Good luck!