TOUR DIVIDE 2014

[ezr4d]

Agree with what's been said about packing light! great list pablito, as you noted the number of items you need on the route is surprisingly few.  Last year I started with a spare shift cable and tossed it, along with several other items mid-way. Personally, I would definitely carry a small toothbrush + paste though. Quite refreshing after eating gas station food + sugary drinks all day. For tubes, yeah, one would probably be enough but I would worry about getting a defective one or having a problem with a valve stem. Seems like the extra weight would be well worth it.

[pablito]

Oh yeah....Superglue.

Excellent ideas. Added & deleted. Tell me what you're thinking on a good replacement for A&D and Bag Balm. Would love to combine.

I am running tubeless. So i'll add the tool and the pieces. Great idea.

Thoughts on lube? You don't like progold?

[pablito]

Agree with what's been said about packing light! great list Pablito. The number of items you need on the route is surprisingly small.  Last year I started with a spare shift cable and tossed it, along with several other items mid-way. Personally, I would definitely carry a small toothbrush + paste though. Quite refreshing after eating gas station food + sugary drinks all day. For tubes, yeah, one would probably be enough but I would worry about getting a defective one or having a problem with a valve stem. Seems like the extra weight would be well worth it.

Thanks ezr4d. I remember last year brushing but with no paste. Worst case, I buy a little tube...use and toss.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Excellent ideas. Added & deleted. Tell me what you're thinking on a good replacement for A&D and Bag Balm. Would love to combine.

I am running tubeless. So i'll add the tool and the pieces. Great idea.

Thoughts on lube? You don't like progold?

I was given enough progold to cause an environmental incident.  I haven't been impressed.  I'm more of a wax lube kind of guy....especially after keeping track of all the Velonews chain and chain lube tests they've done over the past year.

I use a product called Okole Stuff.  It has healing herbal stuff in it.  I don't use it like a chamois "lube" or whatever people pile on their chamois.  I figure if you have do that, you either are not riding enough, you have a really bad saddle, or your chamois is not good for you.  I have used some brands that had some weird material in it that I was totally allergic to and it actually blistered my skin.  I use the cheapest chamois ever.  Just a really thin piece of fleece.  I'm considering the wool chamois from Ibex.  I think I'd dig that....even at $100+.  I use the Okole Stuff on my cracked fingers, chapped lips, burns, small cuts....it's pretty awesome.  I carried about 2 tablespoons worth on my CTR ride a couple of years ago. I put it on my sore spots twice a day and only went through about half the container.

Tubes aren't defective.  If you don't wrap them in something, they will crease and crack.  I wrap my tubes in Tyvek.  I've unwrapped one after being tossed from backpack to backpack, and frame bag to frame bag for half the year and it looked brand new.  I'd carry a presta valve core before I carried an entire valve.  If you start with new cores, you shouldn't have a problem.

[Briansong]

All this gear thinning talk has me wondering what kind of weight totals you veterans are seeing. I did a "full load" test trip last weekend and was 43.11# total. That included my 100oz. bladder in frame bag and a 20oz bottle. I cant really see getting much more than a half pound lighter. I have nothing on my back.

Thanks for all the valuable input.

Steve

[PhotoJB]

I know I read on the badly outdated TDR website that posting stuff to PO boxes isn't allowed. Something to do with giving foreign riders an equal opportunity?

But as I read packing lists and look through these forums, it seems common practice to have things waiting on route?

I'm just curious what the deal is on shipping parts or fuel (thinking some caffeine laden hammer fuel perpetuem might be handy) to a waypoint is? Has this common consensus changed?
 
Cheers!

[fastmtnbiker33w]

I know I read on the badly outdated TDR website that posting stuff to PO boxes isn't allowed. Something to do with giving foreign riders an equal opportunity?

But as I read packing lists and look through these forums, it seems common practice to have things waiting on route?

I'm just curious what the deal is on shipping parts or fuel (thinking some caffeine laden hammer fuel perpetuem might be handy) to a waypoint is? Has this common consensus changed?
 
Cheers!

I was wondering about that as well.  Seems that people are shipping to the "supporting" bike shops.....Absolute in Salida and Orange Peel in Steamboat seem to be the 2 big ones.  I know they are open 7 days a week.

All this gear thinning talk has me wondering what kind of weight totals you veterans are seeing. I did a "full load" test trip last weekend and was 43.11# total. That included my 100oz. bladder in frame bag and a 20oz bottle. I cant really see getting much more than a half pound lighter. I have nothing on my back.

Thanks for all the valuable input.

Steve

That's pretty respectable.  I had my SS at about that weight for CTR without water but about a day and a half of food.  I'm rolling a bladder on the frame from here on out and I'd be stoked if I could be at that weight or less.

[THE LONG RANGER]

I know I read on the badly outdated TDR website that posting stuff to PO boxes isn't allowed. Something to do with giving foreign riders an equal opportunity?

But as I read packing lists and look through these forums, it seems common practice to have things waiting on route?

I'm just curious what the deal is on shipping parts or fuel (thinking some caffeine laden hammer fuel perpetuem might be handy) to a waypoint is? Has this common consensus changed?
 
Cheers!

Send it General Delivery to a post office - not a PO BOX in a post office:

https://www.usps.com/manage/forward-mail.htm#3

They'll hold it for x days, you can set a return address if it's not picked up - you can probably even call the post office to have them deliver it somewhere else completely!

Double-check, but the rules may state you can only send things to yourself before the race starts, not during. Also remember that Post Offices on the route may not be open 9-5, Mon-Sat, but may just have limited times you can access them, making them a headache to use, in all but the more larger towns. Also, if you roll in on Sunday, you're probably out of luck getting your gear, so don't make it something you require in life.

Some good post offices to use (not an exhaustive list) would be somewhere in the middle of the race: Steamboat Springs and Salida. Both have more than adequate and super friendly bike shops that'll be meeting you at the door (sometimes, literally) to help you out, but if you're planning on a schedule maintenance stop - swapping out tires, chains, that sort of stuff and can get the gear cheaper where you live (+ shipping) that's a nice way to guarantee that the gear will be there.

An extra kit would be really nice to have... I sent myself an extra pair of shoes (just in case) a different saddle (just in case), sun covers for my arms, random food, niceties like that. Turned out I got there on Sunday, so wah wah wah, for me.

I would not suggest sending yourself fancy performance food to multiple places in the race - it's a little overkill (my opinion). You MAY find the Post Offices are pretty darn useful to send stuff BACK that you aren't using. Once you past Salida, things get hot, fast and you're not going to need all your layers.

[THE LONG RANGER]

All this gear thinning talk has me wondering what kind of weight totals you veterans are seeing. I did a "full load" test trip last weekend and was 43.11# total. That included my 100oz. bladder in frame bag and a 20oz bottle. I cant really see getting much more than a half pound lighter. I have nothing on my back.

Thanks for all the valuable input.

Steve

I never weighed my bike, and I can only speak for myself, but weight weenie-ing is close, but not the right mindset. The rule of going light is that going light allows you to go faster, and faster is safer, as you're not out between things like towns, as much.

Perhaps a better way to think of it is to just think of what you won't need, and don't pack it! That's where some experience comes in, but if you haven't raced, you can certainly do a shakedown. Shakedowns. Experiment.

Having extra places for water is a good investment, once you reach the Great Basin, doubtful beforehand. By NM, I had four bottles and an 80 ounce bladder - I must need more water than most! But it's totally a sh*t state of affairs to be without a proper water supply for some of parts of NM, where sometimes the wells are pretty nasty, or even locked. Thus, you see that what you pack is going to be individual.

I only wore one kit for the entire race, and you'd know that from about 50 meters away, but that worked for me. Perhaps won't work for you Other things you'll need to gauge on your own comfort level is your water purification system: (type? is there a backup?), first aid kit, toiletries, emergency food stash, bicycle repair kit, sleep system, maps/gps/backups - all that stuff. You wanna be on that fat sharpie line of: if the weather turns, you'll be miserable, until you can dry out and clean you bike, but not in a situation that demands and emergency evac. That line is gonna be different, for everyone. Personally, I like wet and cold and snowy.

I do encourage people to try not to have a backpack, if at all possible, for me at least, that made things much more comfortable. Just make sure there's a way to bring along almost a day's worth of food for some stretches, just in case you missed a resupply or don't want to stop. Being hungry means going slow - never want to go without food for most of a day, that's hard to recover from.

[BobM]

I know I read on the badly outdated TDR website that posting stuff to PO boxes isn't allowed. Something to do with giving foreign riders an equal opportunity?

But as I read packing lists and look through these forums, it seems common practice to have things waiting on route?

I'm just curious what the deal is on shipping parts or fuel (thinking some caffeine laden hammer fuel perpetuem might be handy) to a waypoint is? Has this common consensus changed?
 
Cheers!

It's always been the case that riders can ship boxes in advance of the race to POs c/o General Delivery.  Here's what it says on the Rules page:

"However, in advance of a start, a competitor may cache food or equipment resupply at US Post Offices only, care of general delivery."

[BobM]

I was wondering about that as well.  Seems that people are shipping to the "supporting" bike shops.....Absolute in Salida and Orange Peel in Steamboat seem to be the 2 big ones.  I know they are open 7 days a week.

Unfortunately, the folks who are shipping stuff to bike shops risk disqualification as this is not allowed pre-race and during the race it is only permissible for EMERGENCY items.  Then again, as there have not been any race results posted since 2010 I guess disqualification isn't the deterrent it used to be    Still, it would be nice if everyone raced according to the same ruleset.

[BobM]

Here's the Post Office Locator from USPS:  https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorAction!input.action

It will have days/hours on it.  The Catch-22 is that the remote places where a care package would be most useful have the most limited hours.  Might be best to have duplicate major re-kitting/repair packages sent to 2 major POs, like maybe Rawlins and Steamboat Springs.

[mikepro]

I'm just curious what the deal is on shipping parts or fuel (thinking some caffeine laden hammer fuel perpetuem might be handy) to a waypoint is? Has this common consensus changed?
 

My 'common consensus' is that there are major style points for not shipping anything to yourself, at all.  I mean, what's the engineered "food" product you listed got that's any different than a couple of country store choc chip cookies with a few cups of nasty coffee?  I really don't see the gain/benefit in shipping anything, seems like more of a time/cost/coordination/logistics hassle than it's worth, and it dulls the adventure for me.

[mikepro]

All this gear thinning talk has me wondering what kind of weight totals you veterans are seeing. I did a "full load" test trip last weekend and was 43.11# total. That included my 100oz. bladder in frame bag and a 20oz bottle. I cant really see getting much more than a half pound lighter. I have nothing on my back.

Bladder and bottle full of fluid in your test, or no?  Food incl. or no?

[PhotoJB]

Okay, thanks for the clarification on PO boxes.

I am now curious about navigation. I have all the maps and the 2012 gps files. It seems there were no changes for last year. What's the go for 2014? Too early to make it official? Or am I looking in the wrong spots for updated gps files?

[Briansong]

Bladder and bottle full of fluid in your test, or no?  Food incl. or no?

The bladder and bottle were both full. I had about a pound of dried fruit, nuts and two hammer flasks full of honey. The food was not counted in the weight. The food all fit in my jersey pockets. I stopped for a burger in a little mining town in the Bradshaw mountains called Crown King. Camped out, tested gear. Rode the next day home.

To the Long Ranger's point, "loading for your fears." You're sooo right. Living in Arizona we do not get a chance to test for foul weather here. I tested a light Mont Bell rain coat three weeks ago in the only rain we've had since Thanksgiving. I felt a bit under-gunned and have since upgraded to the Goretex rain shell. It feels like overkill, and no pit zips. But yes, my fear is the wet. I'm getting the input here that wet but warm is gonna be the impetus.

Can't thank the forum enough for these discussions.

[Briansong]

I was wondering about that as well.  Seems that people are shipping to the "supporting" bike shops.....Absolute in Salida and Orange Peel in Steamboat seem to be the 2 big ones.  I know they are open 7 days a week.

That's pretty respectable.  I had my SS at about that weight for CTR without water but about a day and a half of food.  I'm rolling a bladder on the frame from here on out and I'd be stoked if I could be at that weight or less.

I think there will be a bike mfgr. come along soon to build a ultra racing specific MTB with an "in frame bladder." The Specialized Shiv has a bladder inside. there is so much wasted room inside the tubes.

[cobbnat]

"Also, I consider the H2O filter to be a fear category item as well, especially for TDR, where H2O is plentiful (yes, plentiful).  But, I guess if it's the same weight & bulk as a few iodine tablets ..."

Being from NM, and being a public health doc, I'm a bit more conservative about water purification. While riding the southern Colorado and New Mexico parts of the route, I have been delighted to have my lightweight filter when I had to drink stock tank water. Doesn't take long to run out of water if you have a mechanical or get off-route. I figure my 200 gm filter replaces a liter or more of "reserve" water. Iodine pills are a good solution as long as the water doesn't have too many "suspended particulates" (green ooze).

[pablito]

Unfortunately, the folks who are shipping stuff to bike shops risk disqualification as this is not allowed pre-race and during the race it is only permissible for EMERGENCY items.  Then again, as there have not been any race results posted since 2010 I guess disqualification isn't the deterrent it used to be    Still, it would be nice if everyone raced according to the same ruleset.

This is correct BobM. I actually called the shop in Steamboat last year to send some stuff and they had been instructed to not receive any shipments from Divide racers. So no caching stuff unless its at a Post Office.

Incidentally, the great folks at the Steamboat Post Office are very accommodating. They often have a person that can retrieve a package on Sundays up until about noon. You can call them at odd hours and often they respond.

They were also very helpful to forward packages that weren't retrieved.

Steamboat PO #970-879-8360

[mikepro]

The bladder and bottle were both full. I had about a pound of dried fruit, nuts and two hammer flasks full of honey. The food was not counted in the weight. The food all fit in my jersey pockets. I stopped for a burger in a little mining town in the Bradshaw mountains called Crown King. Camped out, tested gear. Rode the next day home.

So, my input then, on this vein in the discussion: You are saying your bike + kit weighs/weighed 43# with gear and 120oz of fluid.  120oz of fluid is ~8#, that leaves 35# for bike+light+Spot+GPS+bags+gear.  Depending on your bike weight on its own, I'd say that's pretty darn good, if you say no additional gear in backpack.