2015 TD

[SlowRide]

I run hydro on all my other mountain bikes except for my bikepacker. I ran mechanical brakes last year on the Divide, Avid FR5 levers and BB7 Caliper with fresh pads before I left. When I got Salida, I was expecting to spend some cash! ZERO! Mechanic told me everyone that was running hydros replaced their pads, most running mechanicals did not. Something to think about. I ran a 180 front and 160 rear, would probably run 180 front and rear if I did it again incase one or the other get bent. Got ejected down Fleecer and in the New Mexico mud at night once and was fortunate to never had anything with the bike go down on me, don’t know how, don’t know why. I think it’s because I LOVE my bikes. Give it some good parts based on durability vs weight an you should be fine too.

I ran Shimano XT hydro brakes on the Divide last year and had no issues and never replaced pads. Ran those pads for quite some time bikepacking after I got back, too. I saw plenty of riders with mechanical brakes replacing pads. I think it's six of one and a half dozen of the other. Pick what you like and feel comfortable with for whatever reasons and stick with it.

[Super Grover]

I would think that your riding style would have a lot to do with how long your brake pads, or any other component, would last.  A hard core all out rider is going to be pedaling hard and breaking hard vs. the more conservative rider.  Barring an accident, you pick your poison.     (What SlowRide said)

[THE LONG RANGER]

Bike handling finesse not with standing, cruddy weather can go through pads very quickly. Unless you truly baby your bike - but we're talking about walking it/carrying it in conditions that are pretty ordinary during a rainy Canadian day on GDMBR, where the route is underwater in many areas.

[kiwidave]

And now TRP have a new mech caliper called Spyke, which has dual actuated pads, so you get more even pad wear which was one of my dislikes about the BB7

Thanks WS. These seem Spykes seem interesting - has anyone had some experience with them in terms of durability? The reviews I found were of prototypes or early users with under 1k km on them but were pretty much all favourable. I'm not an early adopter type and would rather something tried and tested.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[kato]

Thanks WS. These seem Spykes seem interesting - has anyone had some experience with them in terms of durability?

I've been using the Spykes on one of my MTBs and the Spyres (road version of the Spykes) on my TD bike for the past 7 months.  I ran BB7 in my 2014 TD attempt and changed front pads twice over 1100 miles (sintered pads).  The Spyre are pretty on par with the BB7 in terms of stopping power.  Pad wear is more even than the BB7.  The stock pad life is a bit better than the BB7.  So far no problems.  The TRPs are a tad easier to properly set-up than the BB7 IMO.  The BB7 are tried and true.  I also know a lot of Shimano hydro brakes were totally trouble free last year.

[Striker]

All this talk of pad wear and not a single person has said what type of pad is being used.  There are two types - organic and sintered-metal compound.  Both behave very differently in certain conditions.  I only use the sintered-metal compound as it holds up the best to wet and muddy conditions. Organic pads do not last long in those types of conditions.

As for rotor size - I am running a 180 up front and a 160 in the back.  The 180 gives helps scrub the speed off faster with better brake modulation and helps dissipate the heat faster to reduce brake fade.

[gotchile]

TD drop boxes/care packages.  What locations are you sending your care packages to?  My usps suggested sending them to 'general delivery' so the boxes would be returned after 30 days.  With the hours of operation a concern i was wondering what other options - bike shops/ motels.  I guess there is no perfect solution, part of the adventure!
Thanks

[woody]

Shipping only to Post Office no other locations.
"Shipping/receiving supplies (to the course): In the name of equal opportunity for international riders and to minimize the TD 'footprint', challengers are encouraged to race as reliant as possible on commercial services along the route. However, in advance of a start, a competitor may cache food or equipment resupply at US Post Offices only, care of general delivery. Typical practice is to ship a replacement chain and fresh bike shorts to the halfway point on route. If a racer misses a resupply due to PO closure, that box may be forwarded to another PO down route."

Under Shipping/receiving supplies on website

http://tourdivide.org/the_rules

[Marshal]

I would encourage every one to know the entire rule set at http://tourdivide.org/the_rules--- front to back. 

For example the rule about shipping does allow shipping to locations other than a Post Office -- but not 'drop box/care packages' like gotchile asked about and woody answered 100% correctly.  Confused? Well read the actual rule set and all will be clear....

My point being the rules cover pretty much every reasonable question, situation etc , but we all need to 'study' up on them a bit as they cover a lot of ground.

[dream4est]

I agree with Marshal 100%. Racers need to study the rules before the race. Getting an attitude during the race because someone calls you out for rules violations is pathetic. "I didnt know" is a lame excuse.

I will give you an example of what Marshal is talking about. The rules state one can replace a broken bike or part, but a shop owner cant hand deliver a frame to you in Silverthorne and build it up in a hotel room for you swapping your old parts(happened in 2014- said racer got a legit finish somehow as no one gets relegated anymore). A local bike shop could sell you a frame and do the work. You could overnight a new frame to said bike shop. But you cant get personalized help other racers have no access to, like the above situation.

[dskunk]

TD drop boxes/care packages.

This isn't going to answer the question you asked but ...
I didn't use any care packages last year during the divide. I'd seriously consider whether it's worthwhile for you.
Bike stores in both Steamboat and Salida seemed pretty well stocked and getting stuff from them means using their tools (perhaps), getting advice on everything and the chance to chat to a human being who actually has an idea about what you're doing. If it's non bike stuff that you were going to stick in the package then perhaps research multiple locations along the route where you can buy what you need (town knowledge like that is invaluable anyway). If it's stuff that you can't get along the route then I would carry enough supplies for the entire race (it would suck having your care package lost/ missing /"it might get here tomorrow").

[BobM]

This isn't going to answer the question you asked but ...
I didn't use any care packages last year during the divide. I'd seriously consider whether it's worthwhile for you.
Bike stores in both Steamboat and Salida seemed pretty well stocked and getting stuff from them means using their tools (perhaps), getting advice on everything and the chance to chat to a human being who actually has an idea about what you're doing. If it's non bike stuff that you were going to stick in the package then perhaps research multiple locations along the route where you can buy what you need (town knowledge like that is invaluable anyway). If it's stuff that you can't get along the route then I would carry enough supplies for the entire race (it would suck having your care package lost/ missing /"it might get here tomorrow").

It's a Catch-22.  The places with good PO hours are the large towns where you can buy most anything.  The places in the boonies where a care package might be nice have limited PO hours.  Probably best to just ship a change of shorts and jersey to a place like Steamboat and if you get there on a Sunday, too bad.

[ewoklake]

I wish this thing would be available for this year's race.

NAKED FILTER

How cool would it be just to fill up bottles?!

what does everyone use for filtration? (I'm sure this has already been discussed so feel free to just point me in the right direction)

[Flinch]

It's here. Take a look at the Sawyer filter bottle. I run Sawyer filter (not bottle), Platypus and Nalgene water bags, and AquaMira drops as backup, and as additional treatment when virus are suspected (cow town - hepatitis, etc.). Had to pick floating cow poo out of stream in 2013 before filter/treatment....seemed to have worked! Used Pur pump filter then - too heavy. A plus with Sawyer filter: you can drink from the filter - it screws into any 'normal' small plastic water bottle threaded container, so in a sense it acts like a Sawyer filter bottle.

Most water can be had in towns/gas stations/cafes if you are diligent, but some stretches require filtering. Rookie mistake (ask me how I know) is to carry too much water in stretches where there is plenty of surface water or supply stations. Another rookie mistake is to carry too little water in dry stretches >

Tip-O-day: You'll need about 7 liter carrying capacity for some stretches (NM). Rather than take all 7 liter worth of containers, gather up a couple 2 liter plastic coke bottles when needed and wash 'em out. 'Nuther tip: take a couple water bottles, and then Platypus/Sawyer/Nalgene collapsable bags - total weight for 7 liter capacity, including Sawyer filter and AquaMira drops ~ 10 oz. If you have to carry more water than will be needed in a few hours, fill some containers with surface water, use the Aqua drops, and in 4 hours all is safe to drink - saves time filtering. Be sure to keep track of what bottles have which water!

See ya in $$Banff

Glen

[Rorr]

I guess the longest stretch for me was the Great Basin there was water but you had to move cows out of the way to get it yuk!!! Seemed like the hole rest of the way I found good water. I loved my sawyer filter and tabs for back up. That's what I'll use this year.

[kiwidave]

How do you guys deal physically with the heat in NM? I'm from a mild climate and have no experience in endurance racing in the heat (i.e. over 32 degrees centigrade). I know I need to carry (& drink) extra water, sunscreen, buff, arm coolers - but what other hot weather adjustments or precautions should I be aware of?

Cheers

KiwiDave

[Marshal]

How do you guys deal physically with the heat in NM? I'm from a mild climate and have no experience in endurance racing in the heat (i.e. over 32 degrees centigrade). I know I need to carry (& drink) extra water, sunscreen, buff, arm coolers - but what other hot weather adjustments or precautions should I be aware of?

Cheers

KiwiDave

Easier said than done but the absolute best way to deal with heat is to ‘avoid’ dehydration vs ‘recovering’ from dehydration.  So plan/know where good resupply/water locations are—there are a couple of KEY locations that make the NM heat a non-issue for many. AND-familiarize yourself with both the Urine flow/color method and back of hand skin pinch test to roughly determine your level of hydration.

Some racers will deliberately ride more at night or evening or morning. However, and this is just my personal experience talking, if you reach NM you will be both acclimated to the weather (hot or cold) and also in tune with your body.  Once this happens the heat becomes just a minor issue-- if you stay on top of your fluid intake and if needed slightly back off your pace from say noon to 2:30pm.  No reason, imo, to ride more at night just to avoid the heat, you will want to push more at night anyway by NM just to get it done……..
Good Luck!!

[megand]

How do you guys deal physically with the heat in NM? I'm from a mild climate and have no experience in endurance racing in the heat (i.e. over 32 degrees centigrade). I know I need to carry (& drink) extra water, sunscreen, buff, arm coolers - but what other hot weather adjustments or precautions should I be aware of?

One random little thing I like to sometimes do if riding when it's super hot - a ziplock bag filled with ice cubes in your jersey pocket can be quite nice.  You can usually get someone to fill it up for you in town.  Then once it's all melted - you have a bag full of ice cold water to drink! (Or sometimes a wet patch on your jersey, but either way it's kind of nice)

[Christopher R. Bennett]

Hi All,

If you are running a dynamo and have been looking for a good gas tank bag that will take your cables, check out Alpkit. I asked them to provide me a bag where I could feed the cables through and they sent me the perfect one for bikepacking. I've got photos at: https://triduffer.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/the-bikepacking-bag-harlot/.

They also produce a dry bag which is tapered to fit in your seat bag. Highly recommended.

If you do order the gas tank bag be sure to ask for the dynamo opening. I'm not sure if it's a standard feature.

[bouldernick]

Chris, great post! And reputation aside, I love the speaker you mounted. Great way to rock out while staying aware of your surroundings.  Smart (as I'd expect from you).