Wow! Awesome reply.

#2 - I ran into some of this during my overnight trip last weekend. I made some dumb, compounding mistakes that would have been very costly in a racing scenario.

#5 - From the comfort of my house, I don't anticipate the solitude being a factor for me. I feel like the CTR should be an individual endeavor anyway.

#9 - I have definitely run into this before and need to work on it. Sometimes I just convince myself I'll stop for a snack after the next hill...

#10 - Haha I will never understand why people would do that. As for the pizza deliveries, have people had pizza delivered to their camp/hotel room or something? What if it's Digiorno?

I've seen a couple threads on this topic, but they are older and I wanted to get people's updated opinions.

About me

• I'm new to bikepacking but not backpacking or mountain biking
• My goal is to just finish the CTR. Doing it under 7 days would be a bonus
• I ride about 3-4 times per week, but only 1.5-2 hours at a time usually (coupled with crossfit & speedskating)

Prep

• I've made a full complement of bike bags and tarp tent and done my first overnight trip. I rode from Indian Creek to about halfway through Seg 2, camped, and returned the next day.
• I learned a lot about my gear and made enough mistakes to learn some good lessons.
• I plan to do some more shakedowns (an entire Day 1 ride from Waterton, night riding, rain testing, maybe a CES ride if I can squeeze one in)

Training Questions

• Is training to finish the CTR even an attainable goal with the remaining time?
• Do I need to follow the CTR-specific training plan? Or is simply riding a lot adequate?
• Are there any major things you wish you had known prior to your first CTR?

So, what else should a CTR rookie know and be doing 3 months before the race? Any advice would be welcome. I love hearing about other people's experiences!

I spent some of this weekend making this 1-person tarp tent, instructions here:
https://www.tarptent.com/projects/tarpdesign.html
I thought I'd give my perspective on the project as a novice sewer:

• Compared to a frame bag or something with a complex shape, a tent is much easier to sew. There is much more sewing to be done than a frame bag, but everything is easier to see and access. The silnylon is also much easier to sew than heavier things like xpac or cordura.
• The instructions on the website are very good and there were not really any confusing parts.
• One mistake I made was sewing a little too much. When I folded the edges over on the raw pieces at the very start of the project, I sewed two lines because that's what I've done for my other projects. But on this tent, you reinforce each edge when you sew the netting on, so the extra line at the start was just wasteful.
• I also chose to sew on a small patch on the exposed side of the pullouts to protect the stitching from the elements. Unnecessary? Probably. But it made my OCD feel better
• Current weight (before seam-sealing) is 15.2 oz.
• I plan to add a removable floor and a beak and will update this with the new weight
• Overall, I'm very impressed with how simple this was to put together (although it took a long time). It is very easy to pitch and you can adjust how you pitch it pretty easily
• Cost of materials was around $70

Awesome. I will definitely use some staples on the next bag.

For your durability questions, there is a thread I started just below this one that addresses some of those things.

For fabric supply,

http://rockywoods.com/ has a difficult-to-use website but good selection. Also, if you live in CO, shipping is super fast

http://diygearsupply.com/ has an awesomely easy website

Just in case anyone is looking through this thread for more ideas/advice, I wanted to add my thoughts on this bag and things I will be doing with version 2.

• The advice I was given to use 1 large zipper was invaluable. 2 zippers on a bag this shape would have been real dumb and impossible to use
• I designed the bag to be about 2 inches wide. I think you could get away with a 3" bag (or even wider). It currently comes nowhere close to my legs.
• The combination of 2 layers of 1000D and foam on the down tube and seat tube is sturdy, but almost too stiff. It prevents the bag from sagging down to meet the curve of the tube. The next version will have less stiffness in that area.
• The sharp angles on the top of the bag were a huge pain to sew. Shape the bag to have slightly rounded corners for simplicity.
• The velcro system here is rock-solid. I have taken my current kit (frame bag, downtube bag, gas tank) on very rough rides and there is very little movement.
• I may use a plastic stiffener in the bottom that connects to the water bottle bosses on v2

Noob sewing advice:

• Make sure your machine is threaded correctly! The best advice I used was that you should be able to pull thread freely when the presser foot is up but it should become hard to pull when you lower the presser foot.
• Oil your damn machine!
• I used a temporary marking pen on the inside of the fabric. Don't bother. My hands rubbed the marker off and I ended up having to just use permanent marker anyway
• Cut all your pieces with the EXACT SAME seam allowance. This way you can just line the edges of the fabric up and know you are sewing at the correct spot on the side of the fabric you can't see

Understandable. Thanks for the update. I have a very similar bike (26", 5.5" travel, dropper). I don't need to use the lowest setting on my dropper, but being able to drop to the middle setting would be nice. I'm trying to figure out if I can fit a usable seat bag in the space or if I should build a rack similar to yours.

I know this thread is ancient, but are there any updates on how this rack has performed?

I built this little bag this morning. It clears the wheel at full compression and doesn't ride any lower than my cables, so it shouldn't affect handling too much. Right now the velcro just straps it and sits on the water bottle bosses, but I may come up with a slicker way to attach it to the bosses.

I wanted to just throw the whole thing out when I was trying to get the second side panel aligned and sewed in, all while lining up velcro straps that I couldn't see. I wasn't even sure it would still resemble the intended shape when I flipped it out. The addiction has already set in; I have plans for a full complement of bike bags and a tarp tent. My friends all want bags too now...

After a long, frustrating, but ultimately rewarding day, I now have a frame bag. I definitely made some mistakes and learned a lot about the process. On to the next piece...

Thanks for the replies. My order from rockywoods should be here today and I'll give this a go this weekend.

I keep hearing how there is much more abrasion in a frame bag than you would think.Would it be worthwhile to use a heavier fabric on the surfaces that will see the most contact with the frame? (The surfaces with the yellow lines in the picture).
Currently I was thinking about using xpac (VX-21) for most of the bag and something heavier like 1000 Denier Cordura for the high-wear areas.

• Is this needlessly complicated?
• Is VX-07 better suited for this use or should I stick with VX-21?

I'm an aerospace/software engineer for a defense contractor. The stability/pay/benefits/hours are all good, and I shouldn't complain as much as I do, but I'm stuck at a desk all day in a windowless building. I'd love to find a job that uses my skills and knowledge, yet allows me to spend more time outside and maybe actually get some personal satisfaction every now and then.

Good tips. I just got an old, busted Singer for $10 off Craigslist this weekend. I soldered some stuff back together and now I have a working sewing machine! I'm gonna start figuring out how to use it and hopefully start making my own gear in the next few weeks.

Good tips. Thanks!

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I think I will try to get away with one zipper like you did. I should be getting a sewing machine soon and will give this a shot. What are some good references for how to not suck at sewing?

Hi all. I'm trying to make my Stumpjumper work as a bikepacking rig. I cut out a cardboard insert and have been toying around with how to approach making my own frame bag. I wanted to get some input from people that have been doing this longer. The shape seems fairly complex, but I think I could make it work. I'm looking for people to point out problems that I haven't thought of yet. I envision the lower section to hold a bladder and the upper section to hold lighter objects.

In the picture, the yellow is the outline of the frame bag, the black are straps, and the blue lines are zippers. (I know I've got mad paint skillz).