[YFE41SY]

I'm offering 20% off all custom bikepacking bags till October 10th. Please use this code for the discount when checking out, YFE41SY

Beat the spring backlog and order now!

[url][/urlhttp://www.alpineluddites.com/bikepacking-bags/

Sarah is really strong. I remember trying to stay with her last year during the TDR.

Really glad to hear she's still racing.

I'm sorry to hear about Sarah. I thought she learned her lesson last year when her Specialized cranks fell off in the TDR. My understanding is they require a specific tool.

I used a rohloff on last years TDR. 34/15 gearing.  I started training on it with a 34/16 but found it geared to low.

ask cycle monkey about the new cog carrier for the rohloff. they also have a new 14t cog i'm going to try once the new carrier is available. it eliminates needing to own the cog tool($55) to change cogs.

for what it's worth I used a connex 808s chains but they never seemed to last more than 1000 miles. i switched to SRAM/KMC chains and had better results/longer chain life.

now that my shop is up and running I wanted to offer a special ,on the forum only, for custom frame bags. First 50 bags will cost only $100, plus $8 for shipping in the US. Any size, shape, volume, one zip, two, zips, no zips( buckled flap).

Go to www.alpineluddites.com to see what I do and get the features you want sorted, mail me your frame tracing and payment or email me for a paypal invoice. email with any questions.

alpine luddites
po box 1234
ouray, co
81427
alpineluddites@gmail.com

Hi allan,

width on the bags I build is 3" when finished, 4" cut with a 1/2" seam allowance on each side. same as a water bottle. there will always be some bulging in the frame bag, so this works out well. laminated fabrics like the Xpac fabrics are best for frame bags as the don't stretch like normal pack fabrics due to their laminated construction. If you need help find this fabric let me know. I have it in stock and can sell you some at my cost.

internal baffles really help control the bulge. As someone mentioned Velcro works. short nylon webbing with side release buckles work easier. I usually sew a 6" long panel 2/3's the way down the bag with equal amounts of open space on each end, same width as the frame panel. with the open space on the end i can fit tent poles, pumps ect along the down tube.

you can see my work here www.alpineluddites.com    let me know if you have more questions.

jc

Those baffles sound too big for the temp. rating. The down bags we make use shorter baffles. for home sewing a 1" baffle and proper quantity of down fill will be enough. a thing to think about the wider the quilting line the more room down will have to shift around, I think 6" wide chambers is as wide as you should go for good down control.

well a 2" baffle is to big for a 30 degree quilt. thats more like a 15 degree .

if you use narrow baffles, say 3/4" ,it will be lighter for a given loft. more work but with a down jacket you can use it far colder conditions. a sewn thru quilt isn't as versatile. in colder conditions warm air goes right thru the stitch holes.

my summer down bag is 14 ounces and is fully baffled. and has full length zip for hot nights.

depends.if a baffle is properly filled with the correct amount of down finished loft will always be a bit higher then the baffle height. not enough down and the finished height could be less.

figure out the volume of each chamber to be filled, then figure out how many onces or grams of down for each chamber. get a scale with a cardboard box on top to hold the quilt. weigh the unstuffed quilt, the zero out the scale, then add enough down to get the calculated weight for that chamber, pin it closed, zero out the scale again and repeat till bag/quilt is filled.

the netting need at least 1/4" seam allowance. use a fairly tight stich length, 8 stiches to the inch. so for a 2" baffle cut the no see um 2 1/2".

if you are using long baffles construct the quilt with three sides finished, fill each baffle, one at a time, pin shut then go onto the next baffle. to finish fold each layer of nylon in, so there is two folded edges visible, then top stich the edge of the quilt.

i have been using Gutermann TERA 40 100% Polyester Thread for my projects but currently my go to store rockywoods show them as out of stock on most colors i currently need? i cant seem to find another place with same color selection. any idea who else might have it or what could i use for substitution?

thanks

Seattle fabrics. i buy most of my thread from the American thread exchange. they have everything.

Which restaurants take the salsa tokens for free pie for the riders in pie town? Hours open? Thanks!

both take the Salsa tokens.

Thanks I meant, basemap for My Garmin. Cheers!

i used this one:http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/78/

dave,

you the same kiwidave the outdoor rep? this is Jc who worked at Macpac.

i use a girth hitched leash along with the Garmin mount. I also made 3mm bungee cord retainer with a draw cord instead of zip ties.

JC

I used Gaia as a back up to my Etrex 30. I think it is actually more reliable than the Garmin. The Garmin's seem to do weird un-predictable and inconsistent things. It also made sense as I left the iPhone plugged into my dynamo hub (music, pics, GPS)

How did you mount your phone? i have an Iphone 6 which is a little big.

thanks

SlowRide - great idea! I hadn't thought of that, but that would make a lot of sense.

Jcluddite - thanks! In talking with people, I decided to go with two GPS units (hate relying on my iPhone - service spotty) and maps (shipping 'em back as I go). I'm also going to bring the aerobars - at the very least to hang things on. (I did find that feature helpful.)


I'm getting so excited!!!!

Gaia app only needs GPS connection to work, cell service not required.

jc

This thread has been so helpful! Thanks everyone for the input. Anybody staying at SameSun Backpackers Lodge? I arrive June 9.  

Three questions (TD rookie here!):

(1) Are aerobars a TD must? (I tried to run them on the Colorado Trail but never used them [not comfortable]; but CT had a lot more single-track. I am just not used to aerobars, and so if I know I'm probably not going to use them, it seems I should ditch them. ??)

(2) I am using a Garmin eTrex30, a Garmin 800 GPS (backup), an Exposure Diablo helmet light, and a Planet Bike AAA battery charged bar mount light (backup). My plan is to have a ton of AAA lithium batteries and cue sheets on my iPhone (keeping my iPhone OFF, except in emergencies). I will also have a couple AAA battery powered USB chargers (to power the backup Garmin and the Exposure light). I'm not sure about bringing the maps (leaning toward "no"), as they are bulky/heavy, and I will have two GPS units (with routes uploaded), plus cue sheets on the iPone. I think I want to opts for no paper maps and no paper cue sheets and no batteries other than AAA batteries. My question is this: do I have enough backups in this electronics/navigation system? (I've thought through a number of ideas, and this is what I settled on; I just wanted to double-check it with the vets out there!)

(3) Is the official start time (on June 12) 10 am? Is it okay to start earlier?

Thanks!

Sarah

Hi Sarah,

have you thought about trying the Gaia GPS app on your Iphone for your second back up? I loaded it and was able to store the TD waypoints on it from safari on my phone. the screen is even bigger and clearer than my Garmin GPSMAPS64 unit. like the 800 unit, it will require back up power, but it would allow you to leave the garmin 800 in the land of lakes.

i'd set up the aero bars and learn to use them. just set them up shorter than on a tri bike and get some that are fully adjustable. i bought these based on my fitters recomendation.http://www.profile-design.com/product/aerobars/t3-aluminum/

mine are set up short so i'm not to stretched out or sitting on the nose of my saddle. in fact i used a pipe cutter and cut off 3" of the bars coming out behind the clamps. easy to adjust on the the trail too.

my 2 cents

For what it's worth I rode the from Gunnison, CO to Doylesville onto the TD route to Del norte on Tuesday. I can happily report despite record levels of snow, numerous hail and short thunderstorms the route was totally dry. the only exception was the jeep roads before the air strip in Del Norte. they were very muddy and rutted. I was surprised at the good conditions as everything further west , San Juans, are soaked and very muddy. snow is still down to 9000 ft or so.

Images from the top of Cochetopa pass. notice no leaves on the Aspen's yet. I was in a hail storm on the top of Carnero pass so no pictures. Going east from Sargents to Salida may still be snowy. certainly looked that way.

Can you fly with bear spray in your checked luggage? Or do I have to buy it in Banff?

can't fly with bear spray. you will need to bring your ID with you in Banff when you go to buy it. Canmore has a number of locations that sell bear spray too.

As the 2015 TD gets revved up, I thought y'all might enjoy this article I wrote about my ride last year: http://hms.harvard.edu/harvard-medicine/adventure-issue/biking-wolves

Nat Cobb

Nice write up Nat.