The most important thing you can do is get tires that suit your riding style, terrain, and conditions. Seat bag: Revelate Viscacha 14L. You can also use certain water compatible water bottles, but the syringe is light and works well. We love the DHF up front, but it's also suitable for use as a rear tire. The Eliminator is a well-rounded rear tire at a reasonable price. Any thoughts on what would be the earliest you could start? Soloing the Great Divide Our Mother The Mountain TCS Light SG2 casing is much lighter than the Tough casing. 4. number44 (Jul 15, 2019 at 8:26) Shiny and chrome! This includes tires, and a resurgence in semi-slick tire designs has occurred in recent years. This beefy model is one of the most popular tires of all time and is considered a benchmark against which all other tires are compared. We also found it to be a touch heavy when compared to similarly aggressive tires of the same size. I recommend this one from Blackburn which I discovered later. Water availability varies along the Great Divide. See my review of the Copper Spur for more detail. Choosing a Bike for the Great Divide | How To Department These are mostly country roads that traverse Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management land. Gravel Bikes, All-Road, & Touring Bikes - Tagged "road plus For this reason, many front tires feature tread designs with large side knobs that aid in maintaining cornering grip. At night I would remove it from the dry sack (allowing it to expand, making room for all the snacks Id been carrying in my other bags) and tie it to a tree far from camp. While other tires may handle specific conditions better, the Aggressor rarely leaves us wanting more. We tested the Butcher Grid Trail T9 in both 2.3" and 2.6" widths, and while the tread pattern hasn't really changed, this feels like an entirely new tire. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not. There are some sections with sharp rocks. The only time I stretched its capacity was a 4 day section in New Mexico, otherwise there was plenty of opportunity to recharge on the GDMBR. In hot and sunny New Mexico I loved it, but as I rode north I often found that the sunniest places were also the windiest. The Maxxis Assegai is a gravity-oriented tire from Maxxis that was designed in collaboration with World Cup DH racing legend Greg Minaar. This is an awesome resource! Seat tube length: 508mm (center to top) Seat tube angle: 73 Top tube: 615mm (effective) Chainstays: 435mm Bottom bracket drop: 60mm Fork Offset: 43mm Wheelbase: 1093mm Standover height: 812mm Specifications Frame: 4130 chromoly steel, three bottle mounts, rack and fender mounts Fork: 4130 chromoly steel, rack and fender mounts, triple mounts Front tires are responsible for more of the steering and cornering duties, and they do a fair amount of the braking work as well. The Vigilante provides excellent traction and control is nearly all conditions. Similarly, the WTB Trail Boss rolls relatively quickly, but its stout row of shoulder knobs hook up and rails through the bends. Additionally, it is safe to assume that they might sometimes take a cost-effective approach to stock specifications. In general, the GDMBR is perfect for a standard 3-season backcountry layering setup. Good, predictable performance as a rear tire, The casing may be too supple for some riders. My Great Divide Bikepacking Gear List: What Worked & What Didn't Paula and Scott's 2004 GDMBR Trip - GPS Data, Journal, Photos - TopoFusion The tread design of the Trail Boss seems optimized to work in dry conditions, and the tighter spacing of the knobs seems a bit more prone to packing up with sticky mud. One of these days Ill have to try that kind of setup. In essence, we describe the behaviors of the various front tires as they navigate the terrain. We researched nearly every tire on the market before purchasing the 28 models in this review. The Ardent has a low-profile tread design that prioritizes rolling speed. Land between the lakes canal loop mountain bike trail, Calvert City, Kentucky. Baton Rouge man says he's better equipped at 68 to tackle challenging Montana Town of Grizzly Attack a Popular Stop for Cyclists If youre on the fence about bringing something, leave it with a friend and ask them to mail it to you on the road if requested. For other models, you may find it necessary to use a tire lever or two. Riding northbound you could have someone at home mail it out to you (with proper insurance and certifications). Beyond those concerns, we feel the Mazza is an outstanding tire that rivals the best of the best. Great Divide Mountain Bike Route - Wikipedia Spare derailleur hanger not used (but has been needed in the past), A few zip ties and extra electrical tape used the electrical tape to patch my handlebar tape. I hope youre able to get out there eventually. Pedals: Funn Mamba Single-Sided SPD. How fast a tire wears out can be subjective and a function of how much, how hard, where, and what conditions you ride in. Tires are currently trending wider, and a wider front tire can help maintain traction as they have a larger contact patch on the rolling surface, and you can run lower tire pressures to enhance this even further. Wider tires have more air volume and provide more damping and traction. Learn more or say hi. A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. If you found this article helpful, please consider sharing so more people can benefit from it: Great resource thanks! Road Test: Surly Bridge Club | Adventure Cycling Association The Route | Tour Divide What kind of temperatures are we talking about? Heaven and Hell on Wheels. Braking traction is hugely important in a tire. Similarly, we found the new Michelin Wild AM2 to rip through the bends. The 2.3 width was a good balance for me, but you could certainly go narrower or wider depending on your priorities. 700 Miles of New Mexico-Bikepacking the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Held sunscreen, lights, snacks, other small items. We want our tires to last, and we get the feeling you do too. Location: Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Shoe covers: Not used, even though my feet did sometimes get cold in the rain. Lets start with the most important part of a Great Divide bike route gear list: the bike, obviously! This aggressive tire has a row of well-supported side knobs and a predictable locked-in feel when on edge. Many tires come in more than one casing option, so you can make that decision for yourself based on how you ride, your trail conditions, and terrain. Through the years, they've mapped routes down the West Coast and several routes across the U.S. for road bicyclists. With rear tires, you'll find huge variances in traction, depending on the type of terrain and the surface conditions. This tire performs as well as the best cornering tires we've tested. Rawlins to Pinedale (Great Basin) The Great Basin (the area starting north of Rawlins and ending south of Atlantic City) is often spoken about with reverence as the most remote and dry section of the entire Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Similarly, the Specialized Eliminator and WTB Trail Boss provide balanced traction across a wide range of surfaces and conditions. Spare t-shirt, another Merino Tech-Lite Tee for backup and town days. Make sure to backflush it regularly to keep flow rate high, and sleep with it in cold weather to protect it from freezing. Great Divide Mountain Bike Race - Brian's Routes We put the best mountain bike tires from Maxxis, Specialized, Vittoria, Michelin, WTB, and others to the test. I likethese from REIandthese from Woolly Clothing. This is a very popular filter and it works well. Our mountain bike tire review is led by our Senior Mountain Bike Review Editor, Jeremy Benson. Despite its do-it-all intentions, it has a relatively aggressive tread design with tall, stout side knobs and similarly tall and aggressive tread in the center and intermediate zones that inspire confidence in corners and on the brakes. The T7 rubber compound offers a nice blend of grip and longevity, and the Grid casing feels relatively robust and durable while remaining lightweight. We found the T7 rubber to be long-lasting with even wear, and the Grid Trail casing stood up to our abuse during testing. The larger tire will absorb some of the rough stuff and give you some more traction. Hello! But you might be a few hundred miles from one when something goes wrong! Benson's mountain bike roots trace back to New England in the early 1990s, and he has seen and experienced the evolution of mountain bike tires. We put the best mountain bike tires from Maxxis, Specialized, Vittoria, Michelin, WTB, and others to the test. Club Ride Savvy shorts are my absolute favorite. Bears on the Great Divide Trail. Thanks for reading! The DHR II has great braking traction, and it works very well for climbing in loose conditions. Use the postal service. The Minion DHR II was originally designed for use as a rear tire, and paired with a Minion DHF up front, we think it's the ultimate combo in loose conditions for aggressive trail riders. The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is a continuous long distance bicycle touring route from Banff, Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA (at the Mexico border). The Vigilante's aggressive tread design comes with a slight penalty in the rolling resistance department. Never used, sent it home when my husband arrived (his phone would serve as our backup). Having said all that, we still feel the Aggressor is the most versatile rear tire. That said, selection is limited until you reach a larger town with a full grocery or drug store. (Offline caching requires a small monthly fee, totally worth it in my opinion.). BIKE: I'll be riding the Tour Divide on a 2020 Salsa Ti-Fargo frameset with a Firestarter carbon fork. The transition from the center tread to the side knobs is smooth, and once on edge, it bites and holds with confidence-inspiring and predictable manners. Many tires can be used as either a front or rear tire, while some are designed with rear use in mind. Heavier tires with thicker sidewalls can be a little tougher with less pliable casings, while lighter and more flexible tires are slightly easier to handle. The Best Bikepacking Bikes Treeline Review We felt this tire was the best balance of rolling resistance, grip, and traction offered in the entire test, a true all-around performer. Like most cross-country tires, they are very fast rolling, but unlike a typical XC tire, they provide better cornering and braking traction than you might expect. Horizontal knobs with edges that run perpendicular to the direction of travel are often employed to enhance braking traction. Traillinks. That and the fact that the route comes back through Whitefish makes Glacier Cyclery the logical US staging headquarters for Great Divide riders. However, this isn't the most aggressive tire on the market. I think a racing type tire with low profile knobs would be fine, but most of those have sort of scary thin sidewalls for loaded touring. Often, the more durable and supportive a casing is, the heavier the tire becomes. The platforms on these pedals are big and stable, and there were times where I rode them unclipped for days. For help with other aspects of your Great Divide prep, see these other posts: These general bikepacking posts might also be helpful: Or, visit the bikepacking resources center for many more bikepacking guides and stories. For the safety of your food and the bears, I recommend this bear-resistant bag that will help protect your food when a proper bear hang isnt possible. No matter what type of rider you are, we can help you find what you need. Download this free bikepacking resupply checklist to your phone, or even print it out like in the old days: Sign up to receive the free downloadable bikepacking town day checklist to help with your resupply stops: Youll also receive occasional emails with other bikepacking and touring resources. Ive gone through a few and find the Cerium to be a good balance of packability and warmth. I love these shirts for their lightweight comfort and natural stink-resistance (so important for this kind of adventure). You need to be logged in to use these features. T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon all cover slightly different areas, and all have large dead zones in rural parts of the US. A few areas, in particular parts of New Mexico and Wyomings Great Basin, are much drier. Pedals and Shoes for Bikepacking Is clipless worth it? Sandals and sometimes stove strapped to the outside. Related: How We Tested Mountain Bike Tires. Odor-Proof Bags from Opsack (12 x 20): Not sure how odor-proof these are in practice since theyre hard to zip, but theyll prevent spilled food from making your food bag into a rodent buffet. Held electronics, toiletries, first aid, other miscellaneous items. Never needed, but good to have. The height, shape, and orientation of the knobs all play a role in how they bite into the trail surface as you apply the brakes. (1) It can be argued that tires may be the most important (and most affordable) upgrades you can put on your bike. I said this at the beginning but it bears repeating: theres no single right way to pack for the Great Divide. While the rubber doesn't have the tackiest feel, its dampening properties give it an especially smooth, glued-to-the-ground ride quality. Standard AA and AAA batteries are easy to find at convenience stores, so you only need to carry one spare set at a time. Review of my Salsa Fargo After 4500 Bikepacking Miles. Vittoria's 4C Graphene rubber provides a tacky feel, and longitudinal siping on all the tread knobs further enhance their grip and traction in all conditions we encountered while testing. Tire Selection for the Continental Divide Trail The Longest Singletrack Tour Ever - Continental Divide Trail This is my full experience on the New Mexico portion of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.I rode the Priority 600x, a bike that I helped design. Related: How to Keep Electronics Charged While Bikepacking. Satellite Messenger: Garmin InReach Mini, for communication and emergencies in areas without phone service. If I ever get nervous, having it nearby helps me sleep. Only in a few places, where the 2-track became too sandy to ride, did we wonder if it was wise to be following the hiking route, not the wide dirt road route of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.