Yes. He’ll likely be in 2nd place and closing in on Chris by the time they wake up.

Drag the files onto an SD card (if you don't have a an SD card reader on your mac you'll have to buy a usb one) and then put the card in the Etrex.. My notes are at home, but I don't believe you have to drop them into any specific folder. As a matter of fact, don't mess with any contents of the Garmin folder.

Here’s a couple:

  Thermarest Space Cowboy

  Enlightened Equipment (with Apex)

What temperature range?

It looks amazing. Well done, Vik.

Those are some cool bikes, for sure. You may not even need plus size tires. A 2.2  -2.6" 29er tire has  good size footprint and rotates pretty quickly.

Any objections to wearing a backpack or is that space already reserved for a hydration pack?

Welcome.

Unlike hikers, bikepackers don't really think in terms of litres, so that kind of explains the lack of responses so far.

Would you consider a fat bike? or 29+ in lieu of full suspension? That opens a lot of options for both front and back racks as well as generously sized frame bags.

With the rear rack... I'm thinking that you would probably want to strap a voluminous drybag to the top as opposed to any kind of pannier set up, though, maybe mini panniers might work - definitely not traditional-style ortliebs.

Hi guys,

Anyone else having the issue of the contact lugs rotating slightly as you're riding and pulling at the wire?

 I've really been clamping down on my thru axle tension and it's reduced the rotation somewhat but after a heavy trail riding the lugs are still moving a little bit after a few hours.

I'm wondering if the axle handle is getting knock by brush, but I really don't think it is.

Anyone else experienced this?

The price on the cinq5 is too high.

Check these out: Jackery Portable Chargers.
The Jackery Armor is less than USD$30.
The Jackery Bar is less than USD$20.

Some folks around here like 'em.

I'd give one a try before burning up all your beer money on the ¢inq$.

I'd stick with the 3350 mah Jackery Mini as opposed to a higher capacity brick,

Road Runner makes one with an additional snap closure. A spare tube 2.25" tube is a tight squeeze, for sure, but so far, so good.

 IMO, I wouldn't ride rough stuff without a snap/closure anymore. I've had too many tools, levers bounce out of my conventional tool rolls during off road rides.

The more, the better.

I think an inch is probably cutting it too close if the terrain is rough.  Your tire will bite when the bike bounces.

Yes. The assumption there though, is that it's being charged from mains. I think heat is much less of a concern with the trickle charge that dynamo presents.

Yeah. I saw that. The mini and a few other models.

I put an email in to them  a couple days ago to see if they're discontinuing or refreshing. A refresh with slightly higher capacity would be a win. I haven't heard back yet.

All the more reason to pick one up now, I'd say.

I hear ya. The dream would be a 5000 mah model with no frills (flashlights, integrated cords).

My plan is to double up on the Mini for long trips. I have a black and orange.

They're the only reputable brand I know of that incorporates the pass through charging feature. Anker discontinued it on all of their chargers.

I use the Jackery Mini

It's ~$13 on Amazon. Contrary to the description, the black has the same capacity as the more expensive orange model.

It allows pass through charging so you can charge it while you discharge it. The capacity might seem anemic at 3350mah, but it's honestly rated and even that small size would take close to a full day of pedaling to fill it.

You could get into a low cost tourer for relatively short money. Fuji Touring, Jamis Aurora, or even something more sporty or CX oriented. That and a set of Ortlieb rear bags and you're off to the races.

I use my tourer more than any other bike.

Awesome.

Wow

Thanks for explaining that bar mount, Ron. That helped a lot. I'm definitely going to pick one up now.

Also, I liked the shifter and brake cable management in your earlier picture. That's well done with the zip ties.

This is the one I was looking at:

https://www.kliteusa.net/product-page/alloy-mount-kit-for-etrex-klite

It’s the only combo mount I’ve seen that has the Etrex style mount.

Also, back to Dana's question...here’s a link to the page that best describes the Klite system:

http://www.klite.com.au/info

To sum it up:

K Lite’s philosophy is to maximize brightness and damn if those light specs aren’t bright! 1300 lumens is pretty sick. It’s comparable to my Night Rider 1400 that I use for night mountain biking. There’s no option to supplement the hub power for continuous output. He recommends charging a headlamp during the day to use for slow, uphill or techy sections. USB and cache battery charging is an option but there’s a ton of accessories needed to get you there - switches, harness, charger, cache battery, etc...

The Beacon sacrifices raw lumens for for a host of features. It has the ability to balance energy consumption from the light, with the dynamo output and cache battery for conisistent light. The 750 lumen spec is more in-line with what I use for commuting. The design is elegant in that the switches and USB charger are integrated into the light. Just pick an external battery for cache charging and you’re off to the races.

The install is next Friday. The shop is pretty well stocked, so the plan is to pick up a B&M mount for the fork crown and hopefully some kind of bar mount as well.  I'm going to set it up with the default position on the fork, but  I'll have a little extension cord with quick connects so I can relocate the light up to the top of the bars if need be - like if  I needed that headtube/fork space to run a large handlebar roll or harness, for example.  

My plan is to go with Littleford Dynasnaps for the connections. They're corrosion-proof magnetic quick connects. Those might be just the ticket for your Spearfish setup, too. They also simplify wheel removal in the event of a flat.

One handlebar mount that interests me is that Klite mount that holds an Etrex on top and a light on the bottom. I've investigated it a little bit, but I'd need to follow up with them so they could print up a bottom mount that’s compatible with the Beacon. That might be further down the road.

I tell ya man...this is one of the saving graces with winters in New England... Having the down-time to figure out stuff like this and make it happen. I'm going stir crazy, not riding.