Dirt Roads / MTB Touring, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Personal setups » Roberts GDMBR Personal Setup Summer 2014

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2009 Jamis Dragon

26 inch Mavic Rims on Hope Pro II Hubs

XT Drivetrain

Juicy 3 Hydraulic Disc Brakes

Michelin Wild Racer Tires

Fox Shox 32 F-Series RL Fork

Brooks B17 Saddle

MKS King Grip Pedals

Ergon Grips

Sea to Summit Compressible Dry bag strapped to handlebars: Held 1 down coat, 1 raincoat, 2 pair of wicking socks, 2 pair of wool socks, 1 pair pants, 1 pair shorts, 2 pair of boxers, 2 shirts (one for riding one for town), and a 15 degree down sleeping bag.

Revelete Designs Frame Bag: Contained foods, quick snacks, heavier items to keep bike balanced.

Carradice Rear Rack and Nelson Camper Longflap bag: Stored food, accessories, extra shoes, water bladder, etc

Therm-a-rest Sleeping Pad

 

Please contact me on the site if you have any questions about my setup or the divide in general.

Comments (14)

HarryDecember 24th, 2014 at 5:41 am

How did you like the Carradice rack and bag? Been thinking about one for extra room versus 2 small panniers and a rack. Was it sturdy, move around or bounce? Was it too wide for hike a bike sections? Did it hit your hips when pushing? Could you post a pic taken from the back of the bike? Also, what size bag is that on your handlebars,

Thanks,
Harry

RobertJanuary 7th, 2015 at 7:04 pm

Harry,
I loved the bag its has tons of storage, stays dry in bad rain, and is really tough. The rack however broke about halfway through the trip. I was able to improvise a setup and did the rest of the trip no problem, plus carradice replaced the rack after my trip which was really nice. The racks all have a max load listed on the website.

Two panniers would work, but we found on the trip that the less you carried the better. One bag over two would be my suggestion.

As for hike a bike there were very few on the GDMBR especially with our lighter setups. Unfortunately I do not have a photo taken from the back but if you look closely my sleeping pad is actually wider than the bag/rack setup.

The handlebar bag is a size Large.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask anything else!

JerryJanuary 14th, 2015 at 4:41 pm

Harry
I am riding the divide this summer. I look for the Carradice Rear Rack on their site but didn’t see it. Can tell me where I can see what it looks like? Why do you think the rack failed?

KimJanuary 18th, 2015 at 7:09 pm

What was your bike shoe of choice?

RobertJanuary 22nd, 2015 at 6:52 pm

Kim

My bike shoe choice simply altered by the weather.
Vasque hiking shoes for cold days
Tevas for warm days.

I rode on big comfy platform pedals so I was free to wear whatever shoe I desired.

NicholasApril 19th, 2015 at 3:35 pm

Hi Robert! Looking great there.

I’m looking at purchasing the same compression dry bag, in Medium.
What size did you end up buying? Was is sufficient?

RobertMay 31st, 2015 at 12:57 pm

I bought a Large and Extra Large. Then I packed my stuff in each one. The one that fit better I kept, the other I returned.

Can’t say which one I kept though, the bags themselves aren’t labeled.

Ride safe and sorry for the late reply.

JohnJune 12th, 2015 at 5:48 am

Nice setup Robert. I prefer the Carradice Camper Longflap as well, over the common bikepacking seatbags, and use the newer, but hard to find Bagman 2 QR Expedition rack. The extra stays on the Bagman 2 seem to have eliminated the bouncing and metal fatigue the older Bagman racks suffered during off road riding. The only link I have found to the new style is:
http://www.wiggle.com/carradice-bagman-2-expedition-support-bag-mount-qr/
but unfortunately it’s out of stock at this time.

RobertJune 12th, 2015 at 5:04 pm

Thanks John.

That is the exact same rack that I used.

SECAugust 3rd, 2015 at 8:06 am

Robert! Nice work on the divide. I am hoping to do the divide summer 2016 and have been hemming and hawing about using my existing 2009 Rocky Mtn Vertex 10 26er, or getting a used 29er for the trip. Any thoughts on your experience on a 26er and/ or your decision making going into the trip? Thanks, Sarah (5’2″)

RobertAugust 5th, 2015 at 7:27 am

Sarah,

I think you’d be all set on a 26 especially if you have front suspension for the bumpier sections.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other specific questions.

Rob

RobertAugust 5th, 2015 at 7:28 am

Sarah,

I think you’d be all set on a 26 especially if you have front suspension for the bumpier sections.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other specific questions.

Rob

HarryJanuary 30th, 2016 at 4:33 am

Hi. Decided on the ,same Carradice bag but using the classic rack. Where did your rack braeak? I am going to add struts to the seatstays. Just wondering where the best spot to mount them to the rack would be
Thanks
Harry
Hdmsmz@gmail.com

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