EB Cycling Club

[squaretaper LIT AF PE]

I'm 3wks away from our 170 mile bike pack trip from Colorado to Utah. Going to do a quick overnight this weekend (below), the route will be a good test of gear and conditioning.

Are you taking the Trek for bikepacking? What's your rack setup?

 

[pbrme]

Are you taking the Trek for bikepacking? What's your rack setup?

Yes, taking the Trek. The last of the carry system will be here Wed, and I wanna dry fit everything so I can put clear gorilla tape or packaging tape/electrical tape or whatever under the attachment locations to ward friction wear on my frame. I'll snap a few pics after I get the fitup but basically I'm running a Revelate handle bar harness and egress pocket on the front and plan to roll with a 20L dry bag wrapped up. Revelate hopper frame bag, and "gas tank" and two "feed bags" up in the cockpit. I also have an Ortlieb 16.5L for the saddle.

I've recently gotten my backpack setup for 3 days down to 25L and a 28lb base weight, so in theory I should have enough bike storage with this system. Won't know until Wed how it will all function, but definitely part of the adventure.

 

[squaretaper LIT AF PE]

I've recently gotten my backpack setup for 3 days down to 25L and a 28lb base weight

Awesome!! When you're ready to share, please do.

I'm riding from Sacramento to Reno in September with a buddy (this is his idea of a bachelor party, my kind of crazy), planning to do 180 miles in 3 days (I'm not so worried about the mileage itself, but I'm gonna die at altitude since I live at sea level) so would be good to compare setups. Prob gonna take the gravel bike but with MTB gearing, got a Revelate frame bag and an ooooold Old Man Mountain lowrider front rack n pannier setup. I'm going for ultralight (not even bringing a tent), we'll see what I settle on as the date gets closer.

 

[Wolverine]

 

[pbrme]

We had our trial run this last weekend, but had to change plans. As we were caravanning out to the Pleasant Ridge route a guy in our group blew his heater core. So after waiting for a tow truck and brining it back to a service shop, we were already 4hrs behind so we just opted to gear test on a local route.

Here's the debrief:

Bike (31 lbs base) depending amount of sealant
Trek Fuel 9.8 EX Size L

Bags and Storage (+4.5 lbs)
Revelate handlebar Harness and Egress Pocket w/ 20L Ultralight dry bag from REI.
Revelate Hopper frame bag, Ortlieb 16.5L Saddle bag w/ Topeak dropper post mount.
Revelate Mag-Tank and two Feedbags.



What I packed (Approx. 25 lbs) will be less on long trip
In the front stuff sack: I had my 6 moons lunar duo tent, REI Magma 30 trail quilt, bag liner, inflatable pillow, post ride change of clothes and a small bag for toiletries.
Egress pocket: Headlamp, luekotape, phone, map, two PB&J's and my puffy coat for quick access.
Mag-Tank & Feedbags: A bunch of goo blocks, mustard packs, skratch powder and two nalgene bottles.
Frame bag: Flask, tools and parts.
Seat bag: Sleeping pad, para chord, flip flops, ball cap, extra clothes, rain coat (not shown, but I just rolled it up and put in the elastic weave on top for quick access), sawyer water filter and extra collapsible canteens.
My frame has a hollow hidden compartment in the down tube, and I have a spare tube, tire wrenches, CO2 and extra repair kit stuff there.

Test Run & What I learned
The ride we did was 20 miles total with 1900' elevation gain, total seat time 3 hrs. Conditioning is on par with were it should be, and I felt pretty good after. I didn't really notice the extra weight on the climbs, just ended up using a lower gear than I normally would. Some of the steep parts were "just get after it" for sure, but not dreadful. Need to adjust the pressure in the shocks, the load was too high and shocks we're bottoming out so I didn't use them. Dropper post mount and lower saddle bag velcro strap doesn't clear and rubs the seat tube clamp when I activate DP, so I need to spin the clamp 180 so the clamp screw is on the front for clearance. The saddle bag rubs on rear tire when DP is all the way down, so has some limited travel. Also, saddle bag load was enough to prevent the DP from rising unassisted so I had to manually pull it up. Don't know yet if there is any adjustment I can do for this. I was worried the feedbags and cockpit bag would limit handlebar travel, which does to some extent, but wasn't a factor for how we rode. I think if we did any single track, it might come in to play, but I'll bring an extra strap or two to make any field adjustments.

The only part I wasn't happy with, and what I normally struggle with was nutrition. I ended up only consuming one package of blocks, and one PB&J during the ride which was definitely not enough. My garmin instinct said I burned 5900 calories that day, and I could totally tell the next day... ate like a horse. So I'm going to need to get used to downing more consumables during the longer trip. Also, for some reason I thought it was 170 miles, but it's actually 215. We're planning on running the test route again this weekend, but with the actual gear and additional 10 miles. I feel like we're training at a higher intensity and shorter interval than what we're going to have all day to do, so I think It's just a matter of nutrition and nursing the pressure points on my rear.

 

[Supe]

FWIW, a buddy of mine is "Hiking with the Hound" on YouTube. He started hiking the App Trail but had to bail due to injury. He did a really in-depth video up front about what gear he used specifically for weight savings. May be worth watching just for some ideas on where to invest in shedding weight.

 

[pbrme]

FWIW, a buddy of mine is "Hiking with the Hound" on YouTube. He started hiking the App Trail but had to bail due to injury. He did a really in-depth video up front about what gear he used specifically for weight savings. May be worth watching just for some ideas on where to invest in shedding weight.

Yeah, I've watched/read a lot on UL packing. That's why I'm down to a 25L pack and around 25-30lbs of gear. I've done 30 mile backpack trips with 70lbs and am just done with it. 3000' of climbing with that much weight is not fun, but with half you can pretty much skip like a leprechaun all day.

 

[Supe]

Shifter came in, will probably put it on this weekend if its not too hot out. I also ordered some much wider pedals - Crank Brothers Stamp 7's. They've got the widest platform width I could find, which I hope help alleviated some of my foot pain since I'm always half off the edge of the Chesters. They're also narrower, and I've got a really low BB height, so I'm hoping them being thinner will help at least a little bit with rocks/roots. The Chesters will be going on either Junior or Mrs. Supe's bike.

 

[csb]

The only part I wasn't happy with, and what I normally struggle with was nutrition. I ended up only consuming one package of blocks, and one PB&J during the ride which was definitely not enough. My garmin instinct said I burned 5900 calories that day, and I could totally tell the next day... ate like a horse. So I'm going to need to get used to downing more consumables during the longer trip. Also, for some reason I thought it was 170 miles, but it's actually 215. We're planning on running the test route again this weekend, but with the actual gear and additional 10 miles. I feel like we're training at a higher intensity and shorter interval than what we're going to have all day to do, so I think It's just a matter of nutrition and nursing the pressure points on my rear.

You might consider something like Carborocket Half Evil for your rides. I struggle on longer rides to keep eating and this stuff keeps me going without having to think about eating.

 

[pbrme]

^Yeah, sucking down Gu packets and gnawing on half old blocks gets old to me real fast.

 

[pbrme]

The Mrs and I did the same 20 mile practice route today with two others going on the trip next weekend. We were pressed for time so we opted out of the extra 5mi out and back, but we all agreed we were ready and should be fine fitness wise for the adventure. Today was around 75 and sunny vs. 55 and overcast last weekend so I was hydrating a lot more with skratch, and was on top of nutrition. I added psi in my shocks last night and it was a huge difference. I also reset my rear tire back to tubeless and highly recommend the Stans Injector. The bike monkey buddy helping me over pbrs last night hadn't used one before and noted it was way easier than popping and pouring and I agree. The wife hates that I'm burning twice as many calories on our rides than she is, yeah it's unfair... but... I also spent 40 min in zone 5, 1-1/2hrs in zone 4, an hour in zone 3, and change in the rest. She was zone 1-3 for most of her ride and weighs like 50 lbs less than I do, so yeah.

Bring it on SJH, this is gonna be epic.

 

[pbrme]

Post MTB vacation debrief. Telluride to Moab through the SJH system was an incredible experience. We made most of it, but unfortunately had to opt out of the full standard route as planned, due to wildfires. We got to Hut 5 (of 6) in Gateway, and during the descend that day had noticed a fire plume jutting up from the La Sal's. We had cell service and an In-Reach GPS, so we were able to find out it was the Pack Creek fire just outside of Moab. That afternoon, the winds had shifted and the Gateway valley began seeing more and more smoke settling in, turning the sunny sky into a red glow and subtle ash raining down. The next day would have been a 22mi and 4500' climb out of Gateway up John Brown Canyon, and what appeared as right through the middle of the smoke trail. So that night, we started making arrangements for a shuttle and lodging back in Moab in the event it didn't get better by morning. Morning came, and we had learned that the fire had grown and was 0% contained. The group was on the fence... half of us (including myself) decided to play it safe and the other half decided to chance it. Back in Moab, we put in some make-up mileage on the local trails the next day with the other half of the group rolling in mid-day safe and sound. Turns out the smoke on the climb and at Hut 6 wasn't as bad as it looked the morning prior from Gateway, but most of the drop back into Moab had been re-routed through Castle Valley as the La Sal Loop trail had been shut down. We had red flag warnings each day after leaving Telluride, so I was erring on the side of caution anyway, the outcome could have easily been different. Here's a few pictures and notes...

Telluride to Last Dollar Hut (Hut 1), about 2,300' climb to 11,000'. The elevation was in full effect. Even though we'd spent one night in Moab, and one full day in Telluride, it still took me until bike day 3 (after hut night 2) to adjust from close to sea level. This is the evening view of the Wilson Range SE from the picnic table.


Next up was a drop down and back up onto the start of the Uncompahgre Plateau traverse at 8,700-9,500' for the next few days. Basically a mix of county dirt roads, well traveled double track, and forest road rollers. Each day was roughly 2000' of climbing and 70-80degF. Locating springs was next to impossible, the whole area is in a major drought. Packing for 24oz of fluid consumption per hour was a must.

This is a pano from day 4 on the Divide Rd, on the way to the Graham Ranch Hut 4. You can see the La Sals in the distance to the west.


Leaving Graham Ranch, this is the first of two descents on Day 5 from 9,000' into Gateway at 4,600', with about 1,700' of climbing mixed in. La Sals off to the west, my bike in the dirt on the right.


This is the second big drop for the day down to Gateway around the corner. Approx. 9 miles left to Gateway hut at 1pm.


This is the view around 7pm from the Gateway hut, looking up John Brown Canyon (on left) and the sun to the west.


We ended up cutting our stay in Moab back from 5 days for Jeepin' and golf, to 3 since we got back early and the smoke on the Moab side was getting worse. This is from the gas station as we were leaving town, looking back east over the La Sals.

If anyone wants reviews on the gear kit, hit me up.

 

[leggo PE]

Lovely pictures and great write up, @pbrme! I’m very impressed by the mileage and especially the elevation. You most definitely have killer quads.

Sorry to hear about the fire cutting it short, but there’s definitely no shame in calling it when dealing with wildfires and smoke with how unpredictable they can be.

Nicely done, all around.

 

[csb]

That's epic and I want to go do it immediately! I want all the details (acknowledging that you've shared a lot so far).

 

[pbrme]

Day one was the shortest, 17 miles but mostly straight up. Generally, every day was about 25-35 miles and around 2000' of accents, which for a MTB is a good day. The huts were well stocked with food, and beverages. Two big steel cabinets had canned and dry goods and a small arsenal of Skratch, Cliff & Gu products. Two big coolers with cold packs acted like refrigerators. One had food perishables and the other for CABs. The huts ranged in size, but were roughly 16'x16', had 8 bunks with sleeping pads, a four burner propane stove and enough cookware to make a camp chef happy. Blue water jugs, extra propane tanks, picnic table and clothes lines were outside as well as a fully stocked wood cache. There were wood burning stoves inside, but we didn't need them. I think every night we slept with the windows open.

They all had a composting toilet vault on stilts, a ways away from the hut for "seclusion", and a composting bear proof bin for food scraps. All dishes were done in soap/rinse/bleach buckets. One trash was for cans and the other for non-food trash. We sort of fell into routines where we would arrive, unpack, setup our areas, rinse out the stank, and decompress over a PBR. Someone would read the cabin cookbook, while others worked on maps and intel for the next day or worked on bikes. We would rotate cooking, dishes, and other duties and made time for walk/ride-abouts, additional PBRs and conversation.

Diners varied based on the goods and recipes available at each hut, but generally we made chicken stir-fry, fried rice, salmon cakes, pasta, tacos and something from a variety of post diner treats. We usually got to bed shortly after sunset and woke around sunrise. Every morning we had coffee and made BEC breakfast burritos and cereal, prepared the day's ride hydration, snacks and lunch, re-packed bikes and cleaned the hut. We would roll out around 7:30am and get to the next hut sometime around 1-2pm. We rode at a fairly moderate pace, made time to take in the views and serenity, and to refuel as needed. There were alternate route options available, but most of us stuck to the standard route. We probably could have blasted out the rides, but we would have missed many of the details we found to appreciate. The only real breakdowns we had were with loose gear attachments, and the only real injuries were cleated up shins & calves, sunburned dry skin, a little road rash and a stiff shoulder from a guy who endo'd in deep sand. In all it was a remarkable time.

Pros: All of the above, lots of wildlife, seeing new country, ripping trail, and having gear for future bikepacking.

Cons: Bunking with a bunch of she-bros/bros, wearing earplugs, trail dust congestion, snoring, farting, hot bunks with little or no air-flow, lack of sleep, stanks, and over packing.

 

[Supe]

Man, those are some epic views.

 

[csb]

I was like "What's in a ***** Eating Crackers burrito?" until I realized it was bacon, egg, and cheese. I maybe need to spend less time on Reddit.

Thanks for sharing so many of the logistics!

 

[squaretaper LIT AF PE]

Enjoying some sunshine after work:

Yours truly:

(yes, I'm a dinosaur and running a Camelbak...)

 

[Supe]

Went on a bike ride with Mrs. Supe at Medoc Mountain State Park while vacationing last week. Thankfully a front had come through the night before and we were able to get one lap in before the temperature crept back up into the 90's. MTB project listed it as a "flowy, XC trail" with 146' of elevation, which is half our local trail that we can hot lap in 30 minutes or less.

********.

I swear that thing was uphill both ways, and there was zero flow, because whenever you finished a climb on a bunch of shale and medium sized stones, what little flats or downhill was in front of you, you had no speed or momentum, because it was also covered in shale and medium sized stones. Took us over an hour to cover an alleged 3.3 ish miles. No way in hell we were going to take on the second 5.6 mile loop than intersected the first one at about the 80% completion mark.

 

[Supe]

Went on a quick "hope the rain holds off" ride at the local trail last night, mostly to see if they had flipped the direction back to the "good" direction. Man, maybe I'm just that far out of practice, but I swear that trail has gotten a LOT rougher. It seemed like the really rocky/rooty sections were worse than I remembered. I'm wondering if the 6 weeks of non stop heavy rain we had late last year washed away a lot of the trail and exposed a bunch of it. I know one of the other local trails actually came in and cleared out a bunch of exposed dead roots and added some dirt in places just for that reason.