Hello all! I've been reading this forum off and on for a couple years, trying to educate myself as much as possible about the world of bikepacking. I've been back and forth on actually committing to do the Tour Divide, and believe I'm ready to start planning for next year.
Some boring backstory...
I'll be 50 this year. I've raced for numerous local teams on the road for most of my life (except the past 5 years), and have done a fair amount of backpacking as well. In 2012 I stumbled upon the Ride the Divide movie and it changed the way I thought about cycling (why I never thought to combine my love of cycling and backpacking before is astonishing).
Besides my road bikes, I had a Trek 950 hardtail, which I rarely rode. So I started to do some research on bikes and ended up getting a Cannondale SL 4 29'er that year (I didn't have much of a budget), with the idea of getting geared up for bikepacking.
Started riding it and quickly became disappointed in a lot of the components, especially the hydraulic brakes. Shifters seemed okay, but I wouldn't put a lot of faith in them for the long haul.
December 2012 I got sidetracked from riding by cancer. Took up walking, then running, during recovery, and haven't really ridden at all since then. Regular health checks have all been okay, and now I'm ready to get back on the bike.
So, here's my question (finally):
Do I keep the Cannondale and replace a lot of the components -- for starters I'm thinking Avid BB-7 mech disk brakes, and SRAM X7 10x3 -- complete groupset for about $450 (any other suggestions are welcome), or I can get a very good condition 2001 Klein Attitude, fully-equipped, for a little over $1,000 (downside is that it's 26-inch, and I will most likely replace some of the components). Without riding the Klein it's hard to know, but visually I like the geometry better than the Cannondale -- looks a little more similar, and familiar, to what I'm used to on a road bike, and also looks like it will accommodate frame bags easier. Am I being ridiculous? Am I focusing too much on the gear? Above all I want reliability and functionality in the middle of nowhere.
Sorry for the long-winded post! Any and all help will be very much appreciated.
George: "Jerry, why would you want a 15 year old, used, aluminum bike with 'better' components' and an obsolete wheel size especially if you're looking to eventually ride 2700 miles down the spine of North America?"
Jerry: "Obsolete wheel size, it's the most popular wheel size in the world!"
George: "Maybe in Asia, or Africa or.. I don't know, but here in the bikepacking world Jerry you gotta be on a 29er or 27.5+ or 29+ or chubby sixer or god forbid a fat bike with a suspension fork with 5" tires, with 50lbs of gear when there's no snow within 1000's of miles in the middle of summer!"
Jerry: "You don't know what you're talking about, the Klein is a classic, they're beautiful, timeless......wait fat bikes in summer, people do that?"
George: "Yes, they do, it's crazy and nonsensical I know, whatever each their own..... No argument on the beauty of the Klein, but for a few hundred into the Cannondale you could get fitted and positioned with the right bars, stem, seat etc or with a little bit of schmoozing your local shop or internet savvy get some XT hydraulic brakes, a set of Stans Wheels, upgrade the drivetrain components as they degrade and voila you're rolling! or better yet, save that grand, ride the Cannondale into the ground and when you're ready to really put it in for a Divide effort start looking at something like a Fargo that meets the middle ground of your road riding background and the type of terrain you'd encounter on the Divide. Come on Jerry, you know I'm right...."
Jerry: "Ahhhh, maybe you're right.."
George: "Ahhhh, you know I'm right "
Sorry, I couldn't resist..
Just a couple ideas.
Congrats on the recovery and welcome!
Adam.
