2016 Tour Divide Preparation

[kato]

I was going to run with CO2 also (as Josh did), but I've read that it can also freeze the Stans rendering the Stans useless. Plus it takes up space and weight.

So, I'm going with 2 tubes, a pump and some patches.

Yup, the stans can ball up pretty well with co2 cartridges.  However, my main reason for totting along the co2 last year was my paranoia.  It was in case my pump broke or I lost it.  Both things I've done in general riding/touring.  While my pump was still with me at the end of the TD I did use one cartridge on the last morning of the race to quickly top up my tires for the final run to the boarder. 

[Flinch]

..."if you flat, add a tube, and keep riding with a bit higher pressure until you find a shop with stans and a compressor?     Maybe just one tube and a few patches?    (the peal and stick ones dont seem to last, get ones with real glue)"...

Concern for the extra weight gets less and less when you are sitting in the hot sun between Wamsetter and Steamboat (can you say ' desolation'?), fixing the fifth hole in your last tube after your tubeless went tubey. Go ahead, ask me how I know that!   

Hint: take a 29er tube, and a lighter weight 26", and lots of gluey patches - skip the lick-and-stick ones. Makes you feel better.

[Ailuropoda]

Well heck, now I don't feel so silly.  My normal combat load on the bike is three tubes (and patches, etc.).

[flyboy]

Like you, I went with two tubes, a pump, patch kit, and two small bottles of stans. I also took a couple of tire boots, and curved needle w thread to help sew up any sidewall cuts.

I carried the same as Steve but with just a single Stans bottle.(didn't use any at all) This is a big race,  time and money wise, so don't risk it by saving weight in the wrong areas.
I had one flat coming off Stemple Pass and that was it for the entire race.  The Specialized Fast Track Control (front) and Maxxis Ikon (rear) in 2.2 were a perfect combination for me. You want something fast rolling as there isn't any real singletrack in this race. By the time you get to the CDT singletrack  at Sapillo you will be lucky to keep it on the trail, let alone rail corners.
Good luck!

[falkenjaeger]

I haven't tested them so far but for weight reasons you might want to give the brand new Schwalbe EVO tubes a try. They come in at about half the weight of the lightest tubes available so far at app 75g. Can be patched, too, according to the manufacturer. Sounds good to me for a spare solution.

[GregMay]

I haven't tested them so far but for weight reasons you might want to give the brand new Schwalbe EVO tubes a try. They come in at about half the weight of the lightest tubes available so far at app 75g. Can be patched, too, according to the manufacturer. Sounds good to me for a spare solution.

They also cost about a million pounds each.

[kiwidave]

... give the brand new Schwalbe EVO tubes a try...

Great tip there. Are they on sale anywhere? I looked on bike24 but they have no stock. Price is 0.16 EUR per gram saved over my current tubes ... a bargin compared to saving weight elsewhere.

[Rob Colliver]

Are they actually available anywhere  yet? I've seen delivery dates for after the race starts.... not much use (but they do seem darn good)

[Cosmo K]

Yea, I was looking at those evo's also.  Pretty sweet weight savings but I can't find them anywhere in stock.  Decided to stick with my standard, Maxxis Ultralight's, 27.5 at 140grams each.  Pretty good weight savings over standard 29er tubes.

[cobbnat]

I rode the whole TD 2014 using Orange Seal instead of Stans. Highly recommended! It is made by the folks at Orange Peel Cyclery in Steamboat Springs. Not a single flat, and when I took the tires off after the race there was a smooth coat of latex over the inner surfaces, not weird balls like Stans makes. Tires were Specialized Fastrak Grid. I did carry a couple of CO2 cartridges just in case, and I have been successful in reseating the bead in the field with a 16 gm CO2.

[Ailuropoda]

I, too, have heard this about Orange Seal and I'm going to use it in my tires.

[bakerjw]

I've read up on the new tubes and they are interesting and will certainly change the game in the long run. It is still a new technology though and I think that I'd lean toward something a bit more tried and true until the kinks get worked out.

[Rob Colliver]

Sorry in advance, I'm sure this has been answered before..... how and where do we send details about our SPOTs for the race?

I'll be ITT'ing but would like to be seen on the blue dot stalkers page.

Many thanks,

Rob

[Mike McElveen]

Orange Seal is decidedly NOT made by the folks at Orange Peel in Steamboat.  It's made in Austin, TX.  When I was through Orange Peel in 2013 they not only didn't carry it, they'd never heard of it.  The new "Endurance" formula lasts even longer.  Once you've used it you won't go back to Stans.  I kind of hate to give away the secret.

[dream4est]

Carrying ultralight tubes without sealant added as backups is a bad idea IMO. That would turn into a patch kit party.

Run a solid tire like Race King Protection or Ikon Exo tubeless and carry real backup tube(s) that are pre-filled or ready to be filled from a stans bottle.

75 gram (or less) tubes are a topic for 15-20 years ago. They didnt work that well then either. Every five years or so someone comes up with a "new" one, and it usually sucks just as bad as the last one did. The TD is not the place to test a product like that.

[kiwidave]

..... how and where do we send details about our SPOTs for the race?

Rob - get in touch with Scott Morris at www.Topofusion.com / www.Trackleaders.com The TD race page will be up in late May.

[cobbnat]

Orange Seal is decidedly NOT made by the folks at Orange Peel in Steamboat.  It's made in Austin, TX.  When I was through Orange Peel in 2013 they not only didn't carry it, they'd never heard of it.  The new "Endurance" formula lasts even longer.  Once you've used it you won't go back to Stans.  I kind of hate to give away the secret.

Thanks for the correction! It is great stuff. Contains some sort of flat glitter thingys, analogous to blood platelets, that aid in clotting. And, as is the case with a bleeding wound, it often helps to put a finger on the outside of a leak when the sealant is oozing out - within a minute it sets up and stops spitting. If the hole is big and you just wait for it to seal itself, you can lose all the sealant and air before it stops.

[Cosmo K]

I've always used Stans and have never had an issue with it sealing, bubbling, etc.  I change it out every 4 - 6 months because...it's my routine.  At 4 months I never see stanimals...at 6 months, I sometimes see them.  I live on the East coast...it's humid here in the summer.  My guess is that I would have less issues with sealant drying out than those in the west.  Maybe that's why I don't know anyone that uses anything other than Stans around here.  Stans originated in NY...Orange Seal in Texas.  I wonder if the two formulations were designed initially to cope with surrounding conditions??  Just a thought.

[BobM]

I would suggest looking at the sidewall repair thread on these forums. If you take a severe enough sidewall gash, a tube can bulge out and you might end up dealing with it again very soon. The gash can be stitched up enough to nurse you to a place where you can get proper service.

I have livestock and go through a lot of feedbags which are made out of the same material as blue tarps. I carry several pieces with me as boot material and they weigh almost nothing. In fact last night I had a road tire issue and ended up using some as a boot. It got me 15 miles home. So boot material is also invaluable insurance.

I've heard that a US dollar bill makes a good tire boot as well.

[andrew k]

anyone have experience with northbound vs. southbound.  I can't find much on the topic.  I'm pretty sure i want to ride this summer but still not sure on the direction.  Northbound is more aesthetic to me.