Ultra Racing setups for Colorado Trail Race!?

[ramstrong1]

CTR Newbie is looking for any advice on what the hell to bring! 

Looking closely at last years start line photos is giving me some direction but I was curious about sleep setups, cooking and food recommendations and getting it all attached to my bike in the most efficient way possible. 

Anyone willing to share some beta??

PS I'm wanting to finish in a week or so not set any records!

[Kevin Montgomery]

Even though I'm fairly confident in what I'm bringing, I'd also be pretty interested to hear what some of the vets of this course have to say.

[murphyo]

Hi all. I've done the Colorado Trail twice now, once as a fast tourist, once as a racer. In my opinion, gear and weather are the most anxiety-inducing factors for any trip on the edge. But gear is a whole lot more fun to think about! Off the top of my head, here's my list for a fast touring pace:

- Osprey Talon 22 pack. Seems to be a popular choice!

- Black Diamond Beta Light tarp tent. It's supposed to pitch with two ski poles, but the peaks in the tarp also fit quite nicely over the wheels of an upside down bike. It's light, packs small, keeps you dry in the rain, and provides plenty of space inside for bike, gear, and sleeping. Pulls taut with 6 aluminum stakes. I was concerned before I left, but never had a problem finding a suitable place to pitch it. I did not use a floor, but I did use a full-length lightweight Thermarest... I'd also check out the hammock tent option. I've never used one, but a lot of folks swear by them.

- Montbell stretch down 32 degree sleeping bag. Light, warm, and the stretch feature is really nice.

- Primus stove with canister gas mix. Packs nicely into a number of cooking pots on the market. Needed this for my hot Mountain House Dinners and oatmeal breakfasts.

- Montbell rain jacket and pants.

- Montbell synthetic down sweater. This is one of my favorite pieces! Combined with the rain shell and pants I was "comfortable" waiting out ~40 degree thunderstorms on a couple of afternoons.

- Black Diamond Spot headlamp. A single headlamp was fine for camp needs, but if you want to ride after dark, I recommend the Dinotte 200L light. Uses regular or lithium AA batteries so you can replenish along the route if needed.

- Water filter (Katadyn Hiker Pro).

- I think that does it for the "big" items for fast touring. I dropped the tent, stove, and water filter for last year's race effort. Other items to consider include arm/knee warmers, riding gloves, warm gloves, riding socks, warm socks, warm hat, CHAMOIS CREAM, extra tube, patch kit, first aid, camera, maps, food, electrolyte pills, etc.

Hope that helps. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from this site and others (check out lightweight backpacking sites). Have fun and see you in August!

-Owen

[Bral]

I am starting to think about what to bring for repair kit, tools, etc.  Also looking for the best way to make an emergency tire boot.  Any thoughts will be appreciated.

[ramstrong1]

Owen!

Thanks for the great info!  A very nice response to be sure!  I like the idea of a bigger pack as I am leaning away from the Pannier idea I started with....I get shit for the size of my camleback as it is so a few wxtra pounds on the back might not be that noticable.  1 thing jumps at out me though, no water filter for the race?  How did you stay hydrated? Thanks again!  Drop me an email so I can send you some info about my cancer fund!  ramstrong1@live.com

tom

[murphyo]

I used water disinfectant drops instead of a filter. Not sure if I consumed too much of the disinfectant or if it didn't work 100%, but I had some nagging GI issues afterwards. Then again, it could've been due to the exorbitant number of Clif Bloks and Hostess cupcakes that I ate along the way!

-Owen

[riverfever]

I also used drops last year and came down with giardia afterwards. I will be using a filter/purifier this year. I think that's one of the pieces of equipment that's good to have.

[timroz]

Bag balm and advil.

Seriously though - I'm in Fort Collins.  PM me if you want even more worthless info that I'm not going to share here.

Tim

[DSochacki]

Hey guys.

I just joined the forum to gain as much information about the CTR as possible. I'm going to try to make it happen, along with 2 others from Illinois. I'm very interested in everyone's gear list as this will be my first tour/race of this caliber. I'm very comfortable with my riding ability and outdoor skill set but the rest will all be new to me. I have a feeling that I am underestimating the amount of gear that I will need to carry. So, just saying hey and here to learn.

[DSochacki]

Also... A bike setup question.

What tires are most of you guys running? Most everything I have is in the 2.2 range and a somewhat racey tire. (Maxxis Advantage is probably the best all around tire I have right now.) What about tubeless? My bike is currently setup tubeless. I was thinking of leaving it like that but bringing tubes as well. I'm rocking rim brakes as well. I'll bring a spare set of pads but hopefully I won't be wishing for discs.

[DaNM]

hey yall, I`ll share a bit of advice here.
 These sections can be agonizingly slow, patience is a must. bring security blankets like a good tarp and warm clothing.
 I have a one pound tarp. a one pound air mattress and a two pound 60 degree bag. Wool socks, long johns top and bottom. Warm and cold gloves. Full on ski hat, headbands arm warmers full and half leg warmers, light vest. It gets freeking cold out there. Bring grocery/trash bags, fill them with pine duff for a pillow.
 last year I had NO odometer, clock or tunes and a minimal light and was successful.
 This year I have tunes and my new Ay-up lights, twelve hours of kick ass light {about a pound} and my minimal light for climbing and at camp. An alarm might be good for that pesky new section.
 My Spot and GPS tops off my huge pile of electronic crap I often think about shedding altogether. Get away from your electronics in a storm.
  Esbit fuel tablets are great for instant heat and a ti cup, plastic cup. Mtn. House food bags, powder milk, cytomax , candy. About 3000 calories a day is about all I can stomach on trail food{I could be wrong on that 3000#}. Aqua mira filter and pills, used together.
 Don`t short your self on tires, lots-o singletrack to enjoy. I never used a sidewall repair kit after thousands of Colorado miles, but I carry some  tube rubber and some rigid/ flexy plastic, Park makes a product. I go tubeless with two tubes, tons of glue and many patches. fast trac on the front, nano rear. Balance the load for a good ride
 Keep your feet clean and don`t get the heart rate up. Don`t over plan or expect high mileage.
 I could use some advice on calories/day consumption.
 I did the 10 mile section last week and snow is there, but not an issue.
 Dan.
 

[DSochacki]

Thank you so much. Very much what I was looking for.

[Moondoggy]

When not on the bike at camp,what do you bring for extra footwear (if any). With biking shoes getting wet sometimes and all

[DSochacki]

When not on the bike at camp,what do you bring for extra footwear (if any). With biking shoes getting wet sometimes and all

Having not done this before I wasn't planning on bringing anything additional. If I did, it would probably be a really light pair of all purpose ascent shoes or something...??

[jonesy792]

Just got back from colorado and can answer ramstrong's gear question:

In the pack:
Osprey talon 33 pack
lots of clothes (3 pairs of extra cycling shorts, arm+leg warmers, warm gloves, extra jersey, long sleeve undershirt, jacket, socks, regular pair of shorts)
neoair pad
several dehydrated meals
other food (gels, bars etc.)
100 oz bladder
msr hyperflow filter
camera
extra batteries
repair kit (lube, extra brake pads, patches, multi tool, quick links)
pump
hammer
first aid kit
hygene stuff (toothbrush+paste, chammy butter, tp, ibuprofen etc.)
trail databook
ipod+charger
eating utensils
phone+charger
cash, c-card, ID
SPOT

On the bike:

on/under handlebars:
vista hcx gps
kelty 20 degree bag in a drysack

In/on the escape pod:
2 tubes
alcohol stove inside pot
sierra designs lightning xt1 tent
poncho
bike lock

On the frame:
tent poles
bear mace
water bottle
fuel bottle



Comments/what I would do different:

• brought too much dehydrated food, didn't wind up eating it all.  I would probably not bring a stove for racing, hot food can be had in towns not to mention time saved heating and cleaning up after
• 124oz of water was more than enough, the only notable exception being section 2 were I came close to running out (I didn't fill up completely starting the section though)
• the 20 degree sleeping bag was waaaaay too warm, I didn't spend one night with it zipped up
• the tent was a nice luxury especially when it was pouring outside, I'm positive that I wouldn't take a bivvy if I expected rain but cannot compare the tent with a tarp tent/shelter (requires further experimentation)
• the extra clothes took up most of the bag room, although it was nice to have a clean pair of shorts every morning I will probably drop my standards in the future so that I can use a smaller pack
• I would like to be able to get both bag and shelter in the escape pod in the future which should be doable with a cooler bag and possibly a tarp/single wall tent
• the bear mace was heavy and bulky but I liked the piece of mind and will keep it in the future
• I am going to try to get more weight on the bike especially water weight (I don't suppose anyone has experimented with custom frame shaped bladders?)
• the hammer was unnecessary, won't bring it in the future
• I am going to look into different bike+hardware for future riding.  It weighs 30+ lbs and the tiny granny/huge cassette combo looks attractive
• I need to bring my altitude/climbing legs next time, 10,000 ft and much climbing made for much hike-a-bike

enough info for ya?

[DSochacki]

So how much am I going to be wishing for a FS bike? I'm planning on doing this on my XC race bike. (Klein attitude race, rim brakes, 100mm white brothers fork)

Thanks for your list as well. Again, more gear than I was thinking of bringing. I need to see if I have one of my many small packs around. If not that's something else that I need to add to the list. It's going to be down to the wire as to whether or not I make it....

[Slowerthensnot]

Check out the details on my blog....  http://cellarrat.blogspot.com/2009/07/r.html

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3187694&l=8c65081993&id=609824967

[protoceratops]

Thanks for all of the info, Jonesy. 

Not doing the CTR, but the more beta, the better for us nOObs.

[ramstrong1]

Hey Jonesy!

Thanks for the very thorough setup description!  I really appreciate all the info from you and the other vets!  I have been out on several overnights now and have things pretty dialed however I think I may be throwing in some more WARM clothes after seeing your clothing list.  My long underwear and rain gear might not be enough.  Can't wait to just get started and stop OBSESSING!  My wife is ready to dis-own me.  PS: this sport is friggin expensive!

see you all sunday morning!

tom

[jonesy792]

he he you made it sound like I'm a vet, believe me I'm still pretty much a noob. 
Your preaching to the choir about this sport being expensive. 
And then of course there is the added dilemma of what to do when you buy the wrong gear, say an overkill 20 degree sleeping bag.  You could sell it to offset the cost of a more reasonable bag, but what happens if you want to do a really cold bikepack sometime?........

decisions decisions