TDR 2012

[groundedkiwi]

Who let the Aussie sign up??

[ron]

-   Lead time for custom bike bags…this is actually stressin’ me more than almost anything else.

Hey Mark, don't know what bike you've got your eyes on but it might be worth snagging a Salsa-specific Revelate Designs frame bag and just making it work. Better yet, just get an El Mar frame to go with one of those bags.

http://salsacycles.com/components/em_fargo_frame_bag/

Plenty of places online and in real life have them in stock.

Good luck!

[Cosmo K]

Hey thanks Ron.  With the different sizes this may work.  BTW - I'll be riding a Cannondale Flash carbon 2.

- Mark

[ron]

The mukluk bag may even work given the geo of the Flash, so you could order a few variations from here and then return the ones that don't fit: http://www.hucknroll.com/salsa-packs-bags

[Foster]

Markmyword

I can make you a custom frame pack in time possibly...

[woody]

Hey thanks Ron.  With the different sizes this may work.  BTW - I'll be riding a Cannondale Flash carbon 2.

- Mark

There is a list over on MTBR of people making bags if you haven't come across that:
http://forums.mtbr.com/bikepacking-bike-expedition/bikepacking-gear-bags-who-makes-em-766873.html

Good luck in you searching, but you best bet still might be going with Ron's suggestion and getting a stock bag and make it work.

Woody

[fotooutdoors]

Or if you/a friend/SO have pretty basic sewing skills, you can easily make your own frame bag.  It isn't too hard-it seems to be the easiest piece of bikepacking kit to make besides a handlebar wrap.  There is lots of info on the boards (esp on the DIY forum, but also in gear setups) and some more over on MTBR.

[ebrun1]

The stock Mukluk/Salsa frame pack fits perfect in the large Flash 2 frame, that's what I use. Works great

[Cosmo K]

@ebrun1 -   Thanks for that info!  I'm going to give that a shot.

[elobeck]

Anyone have "eyes on the ground" or pics or similar regarding snowpack up in Montana, Flathead?

Word has it Union Pass in Wyo is looking somewhat dry. I have heard reports of Fernie snowpack being below average but other areas nearby being above average, near record levels. Can anyone confirm this?

Specifically, does anyone have recent experience with:
1_Elk Pass
2_Galton Pass and the Canadian Flathead
3_Red Meadow Lakes area around Whitefish
4_Richmond Peak

[KootenayB]

I'd say Fernie snow level/depth is about the same as last year at this time, maybe slightly less in valley bottoms due to lots of rain and a bit of a higher average temperture this spring than last.  But more snow than in an "average" year.  This link gives some idea of this year vs. last vs. average.  It was a big year at the ski hill - >12 ft. base.

http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/data/asp/realtime/asp_pages/asp_2c09q.html

As I posted a week or so back, the snowpack situation for the TD start is really determined by factors between now and early June.  Sun and heat vs. rain vs. cold and possibly more snow all affect the situation.  You also have to consider that some passes on the TD route are used by lots of sled traffic in winter, so the situation can be a bit complicated due to the effects of sleds packing snow onto the roads thereby slowing melting.

Checked out a local logging road passes a couple days ago and for one I hit post-holing snowline at ~1200 m (Elk Valley bottom is 1000 m in Fernie).  This is a N/S aligned tight pass.  Got to ~1350 m on another wide open, E/W aligned pass with no snow other than old plowed snow in ditches.  Doubt any of the higher road passes on the TD route are rideable.  So, for this area it is still very snowy overall, but probably a tiny bit ahead of last year's melt, and there is lots of time before the race.   Will keep posting Fernie/Elk Valley/Flathead observations over next 6 weeks.

[serge]

I have been riding in the area between cabin pass and galton. Last weekend the snowline was 6 miles from cabin pass on the wigwam side. The snowline is already a little higher than it was during the first week of june last year. Everytime I go in there I am more impressed with J. Simoni's ride
  There will be snow to cross during the grand depart but I would be very surprised if there is snow detours.
If your gunning for the record you might want to do a later ITT.
Will keep you posted

[phil_rad]

I have been riding in the area between cabin pass and galton. Last weekend the snowline was 6 miles from cabin pass on the wigwam side. The snowline is already a little higher than it was during the first week of june last year. Everytime I go in there I am more impressed with J. Simoni's ride
  There will be snow to cross during the grand depart but I would be very surprised if there is snow detours.
If your gunning for the record you might want to do a later ITT.
Will keep you posted

Thanks for the info serge! Looks like less than last year but more than in 2010; at least in the northern part.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Heh, "ride"

[Payton MacDonald]

Here's what I'm talking about with aerobar adjustments, for a XC mountain bike: the forearm pads for me personally are several *inches* back from where you attach the bars to your handlebars. I set the pads to be under the, "fattest" parts of my forearms. I'm ~6' and my wingspan is around an 1" longer than that.  This also illustrates how I switched the clamps, so they face inward and rest fairly close to the stem itself.

I did something similar with my syntace areobars. I reversed the pads to get them back a bit.  I just wish I could get them up a bit higher since being "aero" doesn't matter that much on a loaded mtb.  It's mostly to relieve the pressure from the hands and change up position a bit.

[Payton MacDonald]

What gpx file are you using? 

I have the TourDivide2011_v2.gpx file from Scott's topo fusion site.
http://topofusion.com/divide/gps.php

Is there a better gpx file for the standard route?

Also, do you have waypoints with lat/lon for critical sections?

So this is the gpx file that most folks are using this year?  I downloaded something from the ACA site, but it's just a crazy bunch of waypoints.  What I'm looking for is the gpx route like what I've got the AML.

[THE LONG RANGER]

*ahem* strictly for exploratory reasons, are there Northbound cues I can borrow from someone? I've bought 2 editions of the ACA maps, as well as the SOBO cues, not trying to stiff the ACA (which doesn't provide NoBO cues), but I may find myself in Del Norte, with a bicycle and little else to do but try to get myself home using Forest Service Roads...

Or, as a lighter request, is there a Best Practice when making NoBO cues, other than turning "Lefts" into, "Rights" and switching the cues/mileage? I need to really only get to Summit County, so it shouldn't take all day. A little worried some of the landmarks/signs just aren't going to be as obvious.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

For NB cue sheets. Send me an e-mail as chris [at] lpcb.org. I did an Excel workbook last year which shows how to reverse the ACAs. I'll try and dig it up.

[siattc]

How do our relatives follow the TDR?

[BobM]

How do our relatives follow the TDR?

If you are carrying a Spot unit they can follow your progress on Trackleaders.com.  Matthew will be sending out instructions on this shortly. We can also call a toll-free number and our call-ins (audio) will be posted on mtbcast.com, courtesy of Joe Polk.