TOUR DIVIDE 2014

[dp]

The shoe/sock/vapor barrier problem would be easy to solve if you did a Nobo. Just sayin'. ;P

Frozen toes would also be a non-issue for south-bounders as long as you're willing to start your ITT in August.  But then you'd miss out on the grand depart festivities.  Choices, choices...  -dp

[dp]

...Also what lighting device works the best with the recharging system. If someone could just kind of dumb it all down for me that would be awesome!

-Tanner

I don't know about dumbing anything down - I'm still trying to smarten up on this subject.  However, a good place to start is Peter White Cycles.  He's got a page about lighting systems here:  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm   Options galore.  I can't speak from experience (my "bike" is still in the hypothetical stage), but I like the look of the Schmidt SON 28 dynamo hub, and the Busch & Muller Luxos U light.  "The Luxos U has a handlebar mounted switch incorporating a USB outlet for charging USB devices. It also has a cache battery for those devices that might switch off if the dynamo's voltage drops, like when standing at a stop light."  If I read it right, you can switch between headlight and USB charging - but you can't do both.  Yes, you're looking at having a custom wheel made that has a dynamo hub.

I'm also interested to see what people have used in the past, or are planning to use in 2014.

-dp

[BobM]

I don't know about dumbing anything down - I'm still trying to smarten up on this subject.  However, a good place to start is Peter White Cycles.  He's got a page about lighting systems here:  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm.  Options galore.  I can't speak from experience (my "bike" is still in the hypothetical stage), but I like the look of the Schmidt SON 28 dynamo hub, and the Busch & Muller Luxos U light.  "The Luxos U has a handlebar mounted switch incorporating a USB outlet for charging USB devices. It also has a cache battery for those devices that might switch off if the dynamo's voltage drops, like when standing at a stop light."  If I read it right, you can switch between headlight and USB charging - but you can't do both.  Yes, you're looking at having a custom wheel made that has a dynamo hub.

I'm also interested to see what people have used in the past, or are planning to use in 2014.

-dp

Keep in mind that the main reason the Grand Depart is the 2nd week of June is that we have about 18 hours of daylight.

[mulemariachi]

Hey I have one question that I know has been addressed on here already, but I want a definitive answer from all the people that used rechargers because they are kinda pricey and I want to make the right decision. What kind of hub/plug recharging combo works the best for the TD? I'm curious if people are getting a dynamo hub laced to Stan's wheels or what. I'm very new to the whole concept itself, so I'm very curious how much everything would cost/if it is even worth getting or just continue to run my Etrex 30 and buy new lithium AA's whenever I can along the route? Also what lighting device works the best with the recharging system. If someone could just kind of dumb it all down for me that would be awesome!
-Tanner

I'm not going to run a recharge hub, I'll be running this guy http://zendure.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/a5-external-battery-16-000-mah

To me it seems the most logical way to avoid a full bloody sleeve of AA's.  I'm running an Oregon 450 for gps, the new Spot Gen 3's run a rechargeable battery and I'd like to find a headlight with an internal battery.  Recharge everything off one mega battery and avoid the cost of a custom wheel seems to fall in my budget.

[bpeschka]

Cleaning up a couple of links from prior msgs:

  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm

  http://zendure.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/a5-external-battery-16-000-mah

[Pdk123]

Frozen toes would also be a non-issue for south-bounders as long as you're willing to start your ITT in August.  But then you'd miss out on the grand depart festivities.  Choices, choices...  -dp

Go with Alpaca socks- no itch and 5X warmer than smart wool. I have an issue with cold feet and this was a major concern for me( i am from Florida:)  I used alpaca socks on the Td in 2013 all the way to New Mexico.  They were awesome! No issue at all with cold feet. Also used Rocky Gore-Tex OverSocks for the rain/water.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[tanman1337]

Here's something I have a question about. Bike Boxes. Do most people take an actual bike box to Calgary and then just ship it back home or do most people just get a cardboard cheap from a bike shop and throw it away once they arrive?

[BobM]

Here's something I have a question about. Bike Boxes. Do most people take an actual bike box to Calgary and then just ship it back home or do most people just get a cardboard cheap from a bike shop and throw it away once they arrive?

Cardboard.  On rider that I know of brought a fancy bike box and found out it was too big for Canada Post to accept for shipment.  Fortunately he found someone to take it back for him.

[tanman1337]

Not to ask too many back to back questions, but what kind of light setup is everyone looking at? I have been looking at all the different lighting systems available for the dynamo hubs....I just can't decide if that is the route I want to go or just stick with batteries/large external battery

[Christopher R. Bennett]

By the way, the Cordillera V5 is amazing! Twice at thick at previous volumes! Just finished the Yo Yo Billy Rice chapter. Billy you are AMAZING. "DON'T HAVE ANY MORE NEGATIVE THOUGHT EVER. THEY HAVE TO END". Thanks for the advise.

Pick it up guys if you haven't already. Well worth it! Thank you Mr. Bennett for putting these stories together.

Glad you liked it! Hope you (and the others here) will contribute to Volume 6! Now that we have a section for 'Blue Dot Junkies' there are even less excuses not to participate :-)

[Christopher R. Bennett]

Hi everyones! I'm in for the 2014 Tour Divide Race. I'm from Quebec, Canada so it's seem i'm going to be the "frenchie" this year!

Any advice on good tires? Which ones are more durable and for the vets, how many flats tires have you got on the trip?

The Cordillera V5 has the results of the 'Gear Survey' for the 2013 racers and lots of comments on tyres.  The number of punctures ran from 0 for most, to 5 or more (must have been running WTB's!). I ran Continental Fast Track Controls and didn't have a single puncture. Billy Rice ran the same so I was in good company. I should have swapped the rear and front tyres in Steamboat because the rear tread was definitely on its last legs by AW.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

Hey I have one question that I know has been addressed on here already, but I want a definitive answer from all the people that used rechargers because they are kinda pricey and I want to make the right decision. What kind of hub/plug recharging combo works the best for the TD? I'm curious if people are getting a dynamo hub laced to Stan's wheels or what. I'm very new to the whole concept itself, so I'm very curious how much everything would cost/if it is even worth getting or just continue to run my Etrex 30 and buy new lithium AA's whenever I can along the route? Also what lighting device works the best with the recharging system. If someone could just kind of dumb it all down for me that would be awesome!

-Tanner

Tanner,

I did a post on my blog 'Reflections on the Tour Divide' (which I also put in the Cordillera V5). After 2 x DNFs and finally finishing it covers what worked (and didn't work) for me - clothing to kit to race strategy. The full post is at: http://triduffer.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/reflections-on-the-tour-divide/

For lighting:

"I ran a SON front generator hub from www.peterwhitecycles.com which was connected to a Tout Terrain ‘Plug 2’, also from them. The Plug 2 mounts to the top of the steering tube and has a USB plug on it. This was connected to my GPS or cell phone to power/recharge them. It worked OK but the problem was that I did not have a cache battery which meant that at slow speeds the GPS would give the message ‘Power Lost’. Very annoying. A cache battery is essential with a setup like this. I ran a USB cable from my Garmin 800 and the phone (which was in a pocket on the handlebars) into the case on my top tube, where I had another cable connected to the Plug 2. This meant I only needed to swap the plugs in the bag, rather than fiddle with the Plug 2 (which I waterproofed with tape). Having the plugs in the bag also kept them protected from the elements. Using different colours for the GPS and phone cables made it easier to be sure that the right one was being charged.

I used the Supernova E3 light which was great. With the light on there was no power for the GPS so I made sure it was fully charged before any night riding. There are now some other options on the market, such as the new Busch and Muller Lumotec which contains both a USB connector and a cache battery so I’d probably not go for the E3 again. I supplemented it with a Fenix LD22 torch on my helmet. I used the latter mainly when going uphill at slow speeds. I also had a flashing red light on the back of my helmet for night riding on roads—very important! The one from www.roadid.com is the best I’ve found, tiny and bright beyond belief."

For the 2014 Transcontinental I've got an SP dynamo hub (1/3 the cost). What is interesting is that I was testing it today and it was able to run both my Garmin 800 and my cell phone.  Not sure if it is because the hub generates more power than the SON or because I've gone to a Pedalpower.com.au cache unit rather than the Plug II. I'll do some more testing and find out.  Ian McNab ran the Pedalpower last year and it's a nice bit of kit, but a bit bulky.

I'm running a K-Lite rather than the Supernova. It's 1000 lumin and puts out amazing light. Kerry has done me a special unit so I can run at 600 lm or 1000 lm. The lights are tiny, but the circuit box a bit large. Still, the sun comes out when it is on.

The key issue with going to dynamo is the cost: hub, light, accessories, no change from $500. Can buy a lot of batteries for that. But once you've made the investment being completely independent for your power is great.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

I don't know about dumbing anything down - I'm still trying to smarten up on this subject.  However, a good place to start is Peter White Cycles.  He's got a page about lighting systems here:  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm   Options galore.  I can't speak from experience (my "bike" is still in the hypothetical stage), but I like the look of the Schmidt SON 28 dynamo hub, and the Busch & Muller Luxos U light.  "The Luxos U has a handlebar mounted switch incorporating a USB outlet for charging USB devices. It also has a cache battery for those devices that might switch off if the dynamo's voltage drops, like when standing at a stop light."  If I read it right, you can switch between headlight and USB charging - but you can't do both.  Yes, you're looking at having a custom wheel made that has a dynamo hub.

I'm also interested to see what people have used in the past, or are planning to use in 2014.

-dp

Be careful about the Luxos U. They have had a real problem with the lights failing due to water intrusion. Also, they are for road as opposed to trail riding. It really is a very nice package (no bulky box like my K-lite) but not sure that they've sorted out all the problems.  Decided I'd rather not take the risk so went with the Pedalpower (which has a good size cache battery) and the K-lite.

[james-o]

Not to ask too many back to back questions, but what kind of light setup is everyone looking at? I have been looking at all the different lighting systems available for the dynamo hubs....I just can't decide if that is the route I want to go or just stick with batteries/large external battery

The dynamo/battery debate, probably decided by what other power needs you have? Dynamo set ups seem so good now that if you have a phone and GPS that's the way to go. I didn't have anything with power needs apart from a cyclocopmuter so I used a small 250-300 lumen Exposure Spark. While it had reliability issues that didn't show up in pre-TD use, it was good enough when working and I'd use something similar again if I wasn't planning on riding more than 3-4 hours in the dark each day (and I wasn't!). Lightweight and only needs a few sets of spare small CR batteries carried. I rode with Alex H at night and his dynamo set up was certainly brighter unless climbing, although whether you need that brightness I'm not sure. It's nice to have anyway. Having limited battery power meant I rode w/o lights when I could, some memorable times in CO and NM just riding on moonlight. Ended up with a spare unused set by AW.

[GregMay]

...so im entering the Tour Divide as the first person from ireland either north or south, see you at the start line  
Scott

Hey Scott, there will be two of us there, sorry fella

[Marshal]

Now it gets real……..

Got home from my training ride this afternoon and found out my Vacation request has been approved—

  //////Yah baby/////

So I am now officially in for 2014!!! 

Still have to decide if I am SB or NB but that’s just detail…………

[tanman1337]

SWEET! Come on Marshal you know you want to be part of the Grand Depart with your fellow AZT'er! No brainer. We have to pace each other.

[tanman1337]

I was planning on trying to keep you in my sights the whole way!

[dp]

Be careful about the Luxos U. They have had a real problem with the lights failing due to water intrusion. Also, they are for road as opposed to trail riding. It really is a very nice package (no bulky box like my K-lite) but not sure that they've sorted out all the problems.  Decided I'd rather not take the risk so went with the Pedalpower (which has a good size cache battery) and the K-lite.

Thanks or the note Christopher - checking out other lighting options, updating the shopping list.  For the PedalPower piece, are you referring to the Super iCable (or the SIC as they refer to it?) which contains a decent cache battery, or one of the Universal Cables?  -dp

[Christopher R. Bennett]

Thanks or the note Christopher - checking out other lighting options, updating the shopping list.  For the PedalPower piece, are you referring to the Super iCable (or the SIC as they refer to it?) which contains a decent cache battery, or one of the Universal Cables?  -dp

The SIC with the cache battery. The lack of a cache battery was the biggest annoyance to my setup last year. If the Garmin 800 would not leave on the 'External Power Lost' message forcing us to push the button on the unit it would not have been so bad.  Their universal cable is a nice small unit for USB connection without the cache battery.

I'll try and do some testing of everything in a few weeks time but what I've seen so far is that my phone, GPS and double AA battery charger can all work at the same time with the SIC. I'm just not clear on what the implications of this in terms of for how long. That is really what I want since I can listen to music on my phone, navigate myself all the time, and then recharge my Fenix LD22 head light battery during the day. At night I run the GPS off its internal battery, the dynamo light, and then have the Fenix for when going up hills and we are too slow for the dynamo to power the light.

If you only want light, check out this Kickstarter campaign:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dynamodirk/magnic-light-ic-intelligent-contactless-bicycle-dy

I've got mine on order :-)