2010 CTR Newbie Questions

[sanjuanrider]

Does anyone use any type of system to strap your bike to your back for some of the long hike-a-bike sections?  I usually just carry my bike but with what appears to be over 100 miles of hike-a-bike on the CTR it seems that some type of useful way to pack it on the back might be helpfull.

[Marshal]

Does anyone use any type of system to strap your bike to your back for some of the long hike-a-bike sections?  I usually just carry my bike but with what appears to be over 100 miles of hike-a-bike on the CTR it seems that some type of useful way to pack it on the back might be helpfull.

There is a lot of hike-a-bike on the CT but it’s not anywhere close to 100 miles. 

Over the years, many times I have wanted a way to easily carry my bike with some type of strap over my shoulder or a simple way to attach it to my back.  I even experimented a bit.  But at the end of the day if I need to carry the bike I usually just use these 3 different methods.

1)   right hand under the down tube for short quick carries
2)   Saddle nose on top of right shoulder (on top of a padded backpack strap helps) for short to mid length carries.  Front wheel is often to low with this method on steep uphill climbs, but this method is great for steep downhill scrambles.  Sometimes I use the left shoulder but then the drivetrain is in the way a bit.
3)   bike up on/across my shoulders, on top of the back, with each hand up by my ears, holding the bike.  This works very well for longer hikes but has the twin disadvantages of a significant hoist/lower and makes for a wide load with the potential to snag on trees and brush along the side of the trail.

Mostly I have learned to just push the bike.  When pushing up a steep hill I usually have a hand on the seat with the bike pushed up and out in front, head hanging down, tongue dragging in the dirt 

Comments:
I like a smooth rounded pedal that doesn’t bang up my ankles (while not needed for the CT you can temporarily remove the left pedal for long hike-a-bikes)
I like the ‘hike along close to the side of my bike’ that you get with a saddle bag vs racks/panniers
On steep hills I often place one hand on the seat and thus keep my bike uphill, in front of my churning legs.  Or sometimes at a slower rate/rest I snug my belly up to the handlebar and keep my legs in front of the pedal. 

Anyway, the real key imo is to use all of these methods interchangeably as fits the situation and conserve energy as best as you can while maintaining forward progress.  You don’t have to ‘power up’ every hike-a-bike, some yes, but not every one.  And when/where you can make it smooth and steady on the hike-a-bike stuff, eat some food as you walk, sip some water, get/keep your HR under control so you can hop on and ride with conviction. 

[jonesy792]

Umm, maybe you had some edema along with the pedal bruising? 

I got a pretty good case of edema from upper knee to my toes after my 1st AZT 300, and a light case after the 2009 CTR.  It almost knocked Mary Collier out of the 2008 TD.  I think it is somewhat common on multi-days, about the 3rd day or after you stop.  Anyway I now carry a off the shelf pair of compression stocking that I slip on at night, some days I have left them on till my lunch break.  I am investigating compression tights and/or thigh high stockings.

Just finished AZT 300 and had the same thing.  My lower legs were all swollen up to my knee; people were commenting on how jacked my calves looked.  They were less impressed when I put big dents in my shin with my thumb 

[sanjuanrider]

I've been researching lighting systems from forums posted here and have a little sticker shock going on.  Has anyone used a light for the CTR (or other multi day/night rides) other than a Supernova or Dyno sytem that worked well for them.  I was hoping to not have to spend more than $200 to $300 on a light for this ride but I am having a hard time figuring out an optimal light to purchase.

[tetontodd]

Princeton tech Corona is a good place to start, you want a light with AA batteries. You dont want to have to cluster with any big battery packs most lights come with. This is what I used along with a princeton tech Eos for my helmet. All AA operated!

Its not the lightest setup but will work fine. Night riding with good lights is important, but it can cost you!

Todd

[bartspedden]

As for lighting, I'm going to start my training with 2 Eos's - one mounted on my bars and second on my helmet. I've had excellent experiences with princeton tec lights on the grand traverse, so I'm excited to see how the Eos performs on my bike.  I'll set things up this weekend and let you know how it goes.

I'm fairly dedicated to not spending a lot of $ on lighting. I'll spare the diatribe, but the high end lights don't seem to offer a good weight to battery life ratio for the CTR.  Being able to get new batteries in town versus charging is a big win for me.

bart

[DaveH]

I was hoping to not have to spend more than $200 to $300 on a light for this ride but I am having a hard time figuring out an optimal light to purchase.

There are some less expensive options that work great for CTR.  Last year I used an Ayup on the bars and a Fenix model on my head.  Lights like these http://www.tacticalleds.com/121-200-Lumen-LED-Flashlights-s/22.htm are plenty bright for ripping trail - look for one that puts out at least 150 lumens at peak power and runs on AAs, experiment with strapping it to your helmet and you are good to go.  No wires and you'll get a full night out of a set of AAs if you manage the power well.

[jonesy792]

I've been running 2 - $20 coleman flashlights on my bars, they run on 3 aaa's, have cree led's and are super bright.  Two sets of batteries will last all night.  On my helmet I'm running a regular camping style led headlamp, also bright but it eats batteries faster.

[sanjuanrider]

Thanks for the great ideas on the lights everyone!  Someday I would like a great Dyno or Supernova but finances prevent that this year.  I like the ideas with just using AA or AAA batteries and doing a resupply at a couple of the stores along the route. 

I feel dumb asking - but does anyone plaster reflective tape on their bikes and helmets for the CTR? I'm fearing the Highway 285 section the most and If for some reason I dont make it to Kenosha Pass by dark I think I might be walking the highway ditch to keep from getting hit by a car or truck.

[timroz]

There's paved sections before and after Leadville and after Silverton too.  Not much traffic, but some.

[DaveH]

Road safety is actually a great question for us bikepackers.  In TU I've always recommended flashing blinkies.  For CTR, 285 get's a decent sized shoulder a ways up the road from Baily - can't recall how far that is, but after a certain spot it's decent.  This year's course change minimizes some but not all exposure.

If it's dark on CTR chances are you'll have outer layers on.  I use outer layers with reflective material, the Gore-tex Xenon jacket is my favorite.  Ultra lite and very visible.  Leg warmers also have reflective striping. You can also find a flashing LED red taillight that weighs very little, attach it to your pack and forget about it.  The less you have to worry about on the ride the happier you'll be

[wookieone]

Yeah I put reflective stuff on my helmet, very visible, and use at least one rear blinky, riding roads is scary and a few grams can make you much more visible, plus if you have it on there, it's there. All those rides that go past sunset, be prepared, ride farther, have more fun....I too like the Fenix lights for lighting, not too expensive and adjustable, so use low light for climbing and bright for DH and navigating. Easy to replace batteries. The EOS is a good light, but I don't like AAA's much, not much juice in those, plus AA's work for GPS and lights. For regular rides you can use recharge-ables, and for racing use Lithiums, they rock! Jefe

[bartspedden]

I mounted the EOS's this weekend.  They seem just fine for cruising at a reasonable speed, but definitely not my choice for something like the 12-Hour Red Bull Burner.  The low setting is all but useless while riding, and the medium setting is barely expectable.  So, I'm guessing as the night time riding moves forward this season I'll be using the highest setting on the EOS's.  And this seems fine for me because I've done the math with daylight hours for the CTR and plan on minimizing the dark hours.  14 hours of sunlight should be enough for me - I'm just racing to finish!

[sanjuanrider]

Yep!  I'm the same way.  Just racing to finish and hopefully not burn out before the end of day one.  My light situation I'm sure will be for when I wake up freezing my tail off at 3 am and decide I'm better off walking that nasty hike-a-bike to stay warm rather than shake for 4 additional hours in my sleeping bag until the sun pops up.  Not sure what to expect but I'm looking to at least starting the race and see how far I can get.

[Stefan_G]

Perfect light for the CTR?  Well, I built a few specifically for this purpose and have 1 left:

http://www.climbingdreams.net/gemini/

Yes, they are now 1.5 years old, so there are brighter and more efficient LEDs out.  I was selling them for $350, but I'd let the last one go at $300.  Bill of materials is $200, and it took me about 4-5 hours to build 1 assembly-line style. 

When I was in the sanjuanrider's position, there were no lights on the market that were 1) very bright, 2) dimmable, 3) would last for 3+ days on the same battery.   So, I built some.  During last year's CTR, I swapped out the 4-cell Li-Ion battery pack at the PO in Silverton, but the 1st pack was still going strong.  Probably would have lasted, but I didn't want to risk it.  The beauty of this light is the toggle switch making it dimmable.  90% of the time I rode with it on L1 or L2, saving plenty of battery to blast the high speed descents.

You could use this light with AA or AAAs or a 9V if you want, although they will not be able to source the current levels needed to drive it on high like a Li-Ion pack.  The light will accept anything < 11V though.  The 4-cell Li-Ion packs are 7.4V.

PM me if interested.

[bradh]

While not true for all trails, imo a filter is the most efficient way to go for the CTR, faster and lighter than any other system, including chemicals.

I'm curious how you arrive at this conclusion since the chemicals are lighter than the filters I've looked at.   Are you counting on carrying less water since you can drink it right away?

[Marshal]

I'm curious how you arrive at this conclusion since the chemicals are lighter than the filters I've looked at.   Are you counting on carrying less water since you can drink it right away?

yup for the CTR it's lighter and faster than any other method (UV is lighter but slower for more than 1 L than using a filter with quick connects)  imo I would pick UV over chems for the CTR as all the water is mtn clear and usual ice cold, I think a filter vs UV is a wash for the CTR

But if you are willing to risk cryptosporidium, chemicals might be the way to go.  Or you have to wait 4 hrs to kill the  cryptosporidium buggers.  Oh the other key dwell time is 30 min for giardia.  It's a personal call but thems the facts for chems. 

[jonesy792]

I've never understood why filters are unpopular with some.  My filter weighs less than 8 oz. and pumps really fast, I can even hook it up to the bladder hose meaning that I don't have to take the bladder out of my pack.  Maybe I'm just not enough of a weight weenie...

[Marshal]

Well, imo there are a small handful of racers that can truly benefit from using a chem. system. 

If you are one of the few who can truly ride the CTR, at a winning pace or close to it, then that means you cover more distance between stops and make fewer stops.  For these racers a filter/UV system could actually slow them down a bit. 

But for all but these few racers the water system used (assuming it’s used correctly) will have little if any impact on actual finish time

At the end of the day, within reason, our individual gear choices really don’t affect our finish time that much, if at all,, else we would all use exactly the same stuff

Now how ‘proficient’ we are with our gear choices can make all the difference in the world imo……