2015 TD

[Wyatt72]

Beatty- not to change the subject but I've been doing some research for my dynamo setup and for what it's worth I've read that the plugIII is not great for TD because average speed has to be be wren 9-10mph in order to charge at max power.

[Marshal]

Thanks Rorr!

Did you get Topo's for your eTrex 20 Long Ranger or did you use the base maps on the gps unit? Lithium batteries? I guess I want to see how you set it up. I had an old eTrex Vista and I hated it since it was far from intuitive. Did you track your route? Thanks in advance.

Anthony

I have both--the eTrex 20 is simply a new version of the eTrex Vista--operation is almost the same--ie: not so intuitive for either one. 

That said the actual functions required for efficient, practical navigation during a multi-day race are simple enough--IF one takes the time to learn and practice a bit before the race starts

won't name names but I have personally witnessed several now accomplished multi-day racers try to learn their eTrex units during a race--and fail quite spectacularly bty.....

[Marshal]

Beatty- not to change the subject but I've been doing some research for my dynamo setup and for what it's worth I've read that the plugIII is not great for TD because average speed has to be be wren 9-10mph in order to charge at max power.

sinewave usb charger unit coupled with small buffer battery has proven to be reliable and efficient at lower (and high) speeds

[Beatty]

Thanks guys.

Wyatt - Damn, I wonder if I can return the Plug III. It looks so clean and nice though!

Marshal - Yeah, the Vista was a bit clunky but it got me through Africa, Southeast Asia and a ton of hikes along the Sierras. A newer version might be nicer, plus, the screen looks bigger.

Long Ranger - thanks for the breakdown, I think the eTrex 20 is in the mix. I am glad I don't need to bog it down with the topo and can just put the route in the memory and on the sd card. Did you track your ride? I think garmins top out at a certain number of points. I had a hell of a time trying to track my rally across africa. It was a lot of work to stay on top of that.

[THE LONG RANGER]

For my 34 day trip last summer, if I was moving, I had the eTrex20 running. All the tracks saved, no problem, and I have a complete history of the trip. I also had multiple maps loaded and many tracks (a few dozen) on the device.

The eTrex20 supports putting in a microSD card in - like the kind you can use for a phone. That's where maps are saved and uploaded. Usually for the TD, there's a 10k version of the track, as well as the track broken into pieces, which usually load faster on the device. Funnily, I don't see much of a battery performance dropoff if you load a map, or go without (or with the lame map that ships with the device). I swear, I was also able to load up GPX tracks onto the SD card itself, and have them available to be used, thus getting by whatever tiny limit of tracks Garmin says the device supports. I also wanna say that the tracks I made would offload onto the SD Card (or, "archived", as the device would tell me), once I hit some sort of limit.

Some things you may want to do with the device to prolong its use is to put a layer of packing tape over the screen, to help with scratches, and figure out a tiny leash to attach the device. One of the weaknesses of the device is the mount - I've had mine fly off on occasion. Finding the handlebar mount seems to have gotten more difficult these days.

[gotchile]

I'm getting ready to book my flight into Calgary, planning on arriving Tuesday.  I know there is a shuttle to the Y, but riding the 80 miles seems like not a bad idea.  What about meeting up if flight times allow to several ride out together? 

[Beatty]

I'm getting ready to book my flight into Calgary, planning on arriving Tuesday.  I know there is a shuttle to the Y, but riding the 80 miles seems like not a bad idea.  What about meeting up if flight times allow to several ride out together? 

Hey Gotchile, Flyboy and I were talking about biking from Calgary to Banff on Tuesday. I arrive in at noon and Dave (Flyboy) was figuring out his schedule. I am riding regardless. Let me know.

[gotchile]

Beatty, I'll let you know flight details when i get them.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

Thanks EndoAgain,

.... I was also going to set up a usb battery in between the Plug III and any charging device ...

A heads up to anyone using the Plug for connecting to USB. A few weeks ago during the Kiwi Brevet I had the plastic 'tongue' in the Plug II break off. I suspect it was due to excessive vibrations. I had put tape around the USB cable to provide extra stability but obviously wasn't enough. I had about 7000 km of hard riding on it, but it was quite a bother.

I've replaced it with a Pedalpower Universal Cable http://www.pedalpower.com.au/page8.html which is $124. Works fine with the only disadvantage being it isn't as tidy a mount as the Plug.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

sinewave usb charger unit coupled with small buffer battery has proven to be reliable and efficient at lower (and high) speeds

What are you using for your buffer battery?

[Marshal]

What are you using for your buffer battery?

I have a couple of batteries that work.  Just simple 2000 or 2300 mAh units like you can get on ebay for a few dollars.  The one I am using now was a ‘give-away’ promotional item at our company’s last sales meeting.

As you know any USB battery pack that simultaneously charges & outputs will work as a buffer battery. And as you also know not all packs will do this, the best way to be sure they will simultaneously charge & output is to just test them.  

The cheap units I have been playing with do have a pesky on/off switch, so in the morning when I turn my GPS on I also must push the battery’s on button one time.  However once on the eTrex 30 GPS stays powered up (with backlight also on) all day, whether the bike is moving or not.  After stopping at the end of a full day of riding I have tested up to 18 hrs of remaining GPS run time left in these simple/cheap batteries.  This confirms the dynohub is charging the pack at roughly the same rate as the GPS is drawing it down.

As I am only using the battery pack as a GPS buffer, and not to power or charge other items (like my phone etc) I suspect I could get away with a much smaller/lighter, say 500-1000 mAh battery pack.  (edit--if I could find one)

[Beatty]

A heads up to anyone using the Plug for connecting to USB. A few weeks ago during the Kiwi Brevet I had the plastic 'tongue' in the Plug II break off. I suspect it was due to excessive vibrations. I had put tape around the USB cable to provide extra stability but obviously wasn't enough. I had about 7000 km of hard riding on it, but it was quite a bother.

I've replaced it with a Pedalpower Universal Cable http://www.pedalpower.com.au/page8.html which is $124. Works fine with the only disadvantage being it isn't as tidy a mount as the Plug.

After Marshal suggested that the Plug III could be issues, I did a little research and it seems as if it isn't what I need. I returned it and ordered a sinewave. I talked with Dave over there and he answered a few questions I had. I should be getting it early next week and start doing some trials. I got the track rollers prepped and will play around with speeds and charging output.

Marshal, I am also curious on what you are using for a battery buffer. I am looking for a dual output usb so that the Garmin can be plugged into one side and use the other side to charge everything else.

[Marshal]

After Marshal suggested that the Plug III could be issues, I did a little research and it seems as if it isn't what I need. I returned it and ordered a sinewave. I talked with Dave over there and he answered a few questions I had. I should be getting it early next week and start doing some trials. I got the track rollers prepped and will play around with speeds and charging output.

Marshal, I am also curious on what you are using for a battery buffer. I am looking for a dual output usb so that the Garmin can be plugged into one side and use the other side to charge everything else.

I would encourage anyone building up a dynohub system for multi-day use to read/study this-- http://www.klite.com.au/#!love-your-pet/c17i2 --a excellent overview from Kerry at klite.   In this review he mentions power bottlenecks.  IE: in short the most efficient way to charge a device is apparently "dynohub to sinewave to device".  And not lose power by going thru an additional battery.

Rather than use a large multi-output buffer battery my approach to avoid power losing bottlenecks is to put a USB two way splitter on the sinewave output--with one leg always going to power the small buffer battery-to GPS.  And the other leg used as needed for my helmet light or phone during daylight hours when the handlebar light is off.
All I can say is it seems to work--GPS always is on day or night & never needs to use it's internal/backup AA batteries.  The helmet light always seems to have enough charge each night (I do not use the helmet light much but it comes in handy on faster downhill terrain & for watching to the side of the road for a camp spot, and off the bike away from the main handlebar light). I am not sure if I can re-charge the helmet light and switch over and also re-charge my phone in any given TDR day, but unlike the helmet light the phone is not required for forward progress and can wait for a rest stop if needed.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

...   IE: in short the most efficient way to charge a device is apparently "dynohub to sinewave to device".  And not lose power by going thru an additional battery.

Thanks Marshall! Very good advice. I'm installing a splitter ...

In case someone is interested, here's something similar to the Plug mentioned on Bear Bones Bikepacking for a much lower cost. http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co.nz/2015/02/cycle2charge-dynamo-electrickery.html

[Marshal]

Ok, here are pictures showing my el-cheapo buffer 2300mAh battery, got it free at my sales meeting but same/similar units about 5 bucks on ebay.  

Right now it’s shown just lying loose in my current top tube bag.  My new (rain proof) top tube bag will have internal elastic loops at the front of the bag to secure the sinewave and battery up out of the way yet still be easy to reach.

You can see the on/off switch that when pushed keeps the battery on and also (I just learned) fires up the GPS without actually pushing the GPS’s on button
You can also just see the ‘white’ 2-way usb splitter plug under my hand.  .  
Second picture shows the battery pack next to the GPS for size reference.

Once I get my new klite top tube switch sorted out and new top tube bag I will do a full blog report/review on my electronics.

[RobD(NZ)]

I've been running an SP dynamo with sinewave plug and a plox branded 6000 mah lithium polymer battery. Coupled with a klites 1000lumen light and supplementary rechargeable headlight I can keep my eyes on the trail and gps and phone topped up as well.

The system performed well last year on the divide. I expect to run the same configuration again this year.

I have a write-up below if you are interested...

http://www.thelongroadtoantelopewells.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/the-power-to-perform-vs-packing-my-fears.html

Good luck to all with the planning - have fun putting it all together:-)

[pbarsom]

Hi All

After a smooth TDR run in 2014 (except having a nasty cold for the last ten days) I'm checking this year's threads with interest.  What a difference in how they seem post-TDR compared to before I'd done it.  A lot of the same topics, obviously: bears, batteries, etc. and mostly good advice, though, like most of you my interests gravitated toward my fears a bit.  I spent a lot of time combing this forum last winter and learned a lot.  So in gratitude for the many helpful things gleaned that way I'll likely post a couple of things including a gear list (I'd change very little, actually) and a list of tips for doing it with a minimum of drama.  I'm pretty convinced of a few things that made it better for me than most others and a few that would have made it even better still, had I known.  My 2014 TDR was charmed perhaps, except for illness, not a flat - nothing!, but I think there are a lot of things that are obvious in hindsight that I don't see much talk about yet this year.  For starters, get your saddle and bike position dialed exactly.  Make NO compromises on this.  I'm no more immune to saddle, knee, back, ankle issues, etc. than anybody else but had zero issues of any kind.  My only complaint was that first awful twenty seconds of pulling that cold, damp, disgusting chamois onto my backside in the pre-dawn darkness every morning.  So make sure you can pedal 10+ hours on that seat with no pain for days.  And there's a big difference between 7 hours and 12+.  If you can get this part dialed, all the rest is relatively easy.  The mental part is a close second.  More on that later.  Best of luck to each of you this year.  Looks like Whitefish Divide won't be the hilarious scramble we navigated last year so be thankful for that.  Hopefully not as much snowpack, cold and rain, either.  A good attitude, some luck, and thoughtful planning will let you do your best at this.  If you haven't done it before, it's a pretty transformative event.  

Peace

[pbarsom]

As promised, here's a link to my gear list from last year.  Amazing how many bits there are in these lists. 

http://pbarsom.blogspot.com/2015/03/2014-tour-divide-gear-list.html

Happy reading.

[gotchile]

Paul,
Thanks for the post, and all the insight into TD.  I'm going in this week for a fit on the bike, Matthew Slater TD13 advised the same. Hopefully we will have better weather to the start than what TD14 had. 
 Marty

[BobM]

As promised, here's a link to my gear list from last year.  Amazing how many bits there are in these lists. 

http://pbarsom.blogspot.com/2015/03/2014-tour-divide-gear-list.html

Happy reading.

Too funny!:

"Small glass pipe, lighter, etc. (CO)"

Now THAT is planning ahead!