2018 AZTR300/750 Planning Thread

[rhino]

What are folks commonly using for lighting these days?
I'm torn between buying disposable batteries en route vs trying to find places to charge a battery pack.
Still need batteries for GPS, SPOT etc., so need to buy anyway.
Anyone know what availability is like for CR123 batteries?
Cheers,
Steve

I used CR123 batteries in Fenix lights on the AZT. I carried a bunch. They aren’t easy to find and if you are mid pack it gets even tougher.  Dyno hub is my next evolution of lighting.

[hanyo66]

What issues did you guys deal with Rhino?

Youre technically not "allowed" to ride 67 while it's closed to the public now. I'm going to play dumb and ride it anyway.

[haiku]

Hey all,

A lowly hiker here.  While researching how to get to the Mexican border (my friend found out she has to work) I just realized that apparently the AZT bike race starts around when I'm starting my hike- April 4.  I'm looking for a ride and wondering if anyone can accommodate a hiker + small (35L) pack as you are heading towards the start.  Or have any ideas for a budget-priced ride.  Thanks! 

[Adam Alphabet]

Youre technically not "allowed" to ride 67 while it's closed to the public now. I'm going to play dumb and ride it anyway.

Thanks, I thought it was something along those lines... At this point is this an issue, or could it turn into something further down the... road?

[dsrt taco]

Hey all,

A lowly hiker here.  While researching how to get to the Mexican border (my friend found out she has to work) I just realized that apparently the AZT bike race starts around when I'm starting my hike- April 4.  I'm looking for a ride and wondering if anyone can accommodate a hiker + small (35L) pack as you are heading towards the start.  Or have any ideas for a budget-priced ride.  Thanks! 

Where are you looking to catch a ride from?

[Trhoppe]

So a few questions I wanted to ask that will potentially save me a bunch of research time

1) How do you get back from the Northern Terminus to somewhere that has an airport? What IS the closest airport?

2) What about the southern end? Figured that would be easier, as I'd fly into Tucson and catch a ride to the border from some sort of shuttle company

3) I've seen quite a few contraptions for carrying the bike. Anyone do an external frame pack? That seems to be a pretty easy button and I've seen them on Craigslist for $20-30. Figured ship that sucker to the South Rim post office, do the hike with it, and then just put a free sign on it and leave it for someone

[hanyo66]

So a few questions I wanted to ask that will potentially save me a bunch of research time

1) How do you get back from the Northern Terminus to somewhere that has an airport? What IS the closest airport?

2) What about the southern end? Figured that would be easier, as I'd fly into Tucson and catch a ride to the border from some sort of shuttle company

3) I've seen quite a few contraptions for carrying the bike. Anyone do an external frame pack? That seems to be a pretty easy button and I've seen them on Craigslist for $20-30. Figured ship that sucker to the South Rim post office, do the hike with it, and then just put a free sign on it and leave it for someone

I can only speak on #1 that the closest airport to Stateline is in Page. Great Lakes airlines flies twice a day from there on a four seater plane haha. I'm riding SOBO, flying into Phoenix then up to Page with Great Lakes. The ticket was like $65 to get you to a major airport. They might fly to Denver and Salt Lake too but don't quote me on that.

I think St. George has a regional airport too but I have no experience flying in/out of there. Looking at their site, they have some big airlines that fly in and out:
http://tracker.flightview.com/CustomerSetup/sguairport/custom/?view=VIEW_ARRIVAL

[rhino]

So a few questions I wanted to ask that will potentially save me a bunch of research time

1) How do you get back from the Northern Terminus to somewhere that has an airport? What IS the closest airport?

2) What about the southern end? Figured that would be easier, as I'd fly into Tucson and catch a ride to the border from some sort of shuttle company

3) I've seen quite a few contraptions for carrying the bike. Anyone do an external frame pack? That seems to be a pretty easy button and I've seen them on Craigslist for $20-30. Figured ship that sucker to the South Rim post office, do the hike with it, and then just put a free sign on it and leave it for someone

You might want to check this link out.
https://lnt.org/learn/7-principles

Free or not, a backpack left behind is litter.
Littering and...littering and...

Keep Iriezona beautiful and clean.

[Trhoppe]

I wasn't going to leave it on the side of the trail! North Rim has plenty of facilities. I can always throw it away there

[wolfmansbro]

3) I've seen quite a few contraptions for carrying the bike. Anyone do an external frame pack? That seems to be a pretty easy button and I've seen them on Craigslist for $20-30. Figured ship that sucker to the South Rim post office, do the hike with it, and then just put a free sign on it and leave it for someone

I used a normal Bike backpack (Osprey) modified with some extra straps to hold the bike. I also used a Tumpline, which allowed me to rest and take weight off my shoulders for a bit without having to take the pack off. *note* don't try to hike downhill using the Tumpline or you will pull some muscles/snap your neck

[schillingsworth]

Last weekend a couple of us were out riding the Black Hills, Passage 14, from Freeman Rd. to Tiger Mine TH. I have to say, that section is in the best shape it's ever been. All of the switchbacks coming out of Tiger Mine have been reworked by a trail crew. Most of the loose rubble garbage is gone too. I'm really looking forward to riding that entire stretch into Picketpost in April.

I'll be riding the Picketpost to Freeman Rd section a couple of times before April. Last time, October, I was out at Ripsey the catclaw was super thick, trimmed back a ton. I'm curious to see how it looks now.

Also, last time I was up on Oracle Ridge (yeah, a few of us actually ride that for FUN!!) there had been some more trail work done, and a bunch of brush trimming.

750 vets, don't forget there is a route change after Picketpost. Remember last year, right after the ride started Hewitt Station Rd. was closed off due to private property. There is a suitable workaround on other dirt roads in the area, IMO is a better route.

I've been poking around the northern terminus of the Jacob Crosscut trail recently and there may be a bit more trail to ride before dumping out on AZ88. I should be able to confirm this in the next week or so. If it pans out, I'll be proposing that addition to Mr. Morris.

*For those that don't know, AZ88 or Apache Trail, is a two lane paved section leading towards Roosevelt Lake and doesn't have a shoulder. The speed limit does drop to 35mph close to where the 750 route currently joins it at First Water Rd. This potential new addition would cut off another 2 miles of pavement rejoining the route at the Weaver's Needle viewpoint. AZ88 does turn to dirt a couple miles beyond Tortilla Flat.

[Adam Alphabet]

Last weekend a couple of us were out riding the Black Hills, Passage 14, from Freeman Rd. to Tiger Mine TH. I have to say, that section is in the best shape it's ever been. All of the switchbacks coming out of Tiger Mine have been reworked by a trail crew. Most of the loose rubble garbage is gone too. I'm really looking forward to riding that entire stretch into Picketpost in April.

I'll be riding the Picketpost to Freeman Rd section a couple of times before April. Last time, October, I was out at Ripsey the catclaw was super thick, trimmed back a ton. I'm curious to see how it looks now.

Also, last time I was up on Oracle Ridge (yeah, a few of us actually ride that for FUN!!) there had been some more trail work done, and a bunch of brush trimming.

750 vets, don't forget there is a route change after Picketpost. Remember last year, right after the ride started Hewitt Station Rd. was closed off due to private property. There is a suitable workaround on other dirt roads in the area, IMO is a better route.

I've been poking around the northern terminus of the Jacob Crosscut trail recently and there may be a bit more trail to ride before dumping out on AZ88. I should be able to confirm this in the next week or so. If it pans out, I'll be proposing that addition to Mr. Morris.

*For those that don't know, AZ88 or Apache Trail, is a two lane paved section leading towards Roosevelt Lake and doesn't have a shoulder. The speed limit does drop to 35mph close to where the 750 route currently joins it at First Water Rd. This potential new addition would cut off another 2 miles of pavement rejoining the route at the Weaver's Needle viewpoint. AZ88 does turn to dirt a couple miles beyond Tortilla Flat.

Nice! Thanks for the report John. I think Tigermine to Freeman is my favourite section on the 300 route. Great to hear they've done some work in there as the up down dismounts near the beginning could be a bit frustrating if you've never been through there. So looking forward to April!

[OUWxGuesser]

Stars came into alignment and I'm giving a talk in Tucson the day of the AZT.  Family is out of town the week before which means I now fly into town Sat before the race. Going to ship my bike and ride trail from Sun-Wed.  First time to AZ, so this promises to be an adventure. Current plan is to start at border and just ride as far north as I can get in the time frame I have (friend will be able to pick me up eventually). Other than keeping tabs on water (I've been looking at: http://www.aztrail.org/watersources/AZT_WaterSources.pdf ) are there any practical things I should be aware of riding trail a few days prior to the AZT?

[haiku]

Hey, Dsrt Taco, sorry just getting to this.

I'm flying into Tucson the morning of the 4th.  Hoping to get down there whenever and hike like 10 miles.

I had things arranged with shuttle etc for the PCT and it was not really as fun for me as hitching or figuring something more wacky out, like I did on the AT.  Then I found out about the bike race and feel like hitching or riding with a biker to the border will be more interesting.  Of all days to hitch, probably the easiest?

PS please don't run me over April 5!  lol

[sundog99]

I'm going with flat pedals for this race so I'm looking for a recommendation for a flat pedal shoe.  It seems like 5 10's are very popular for flat pedal riders, but my concern is are these folks primarily riding downhills or in parks?  I need to be able to walk in these puppies and just not sure how that would work.  Flat pedal shoe recommendations that are AZT worthy?  Thanks!

[ScottM]

Just tuning back in here.

Thanks, I thought it was something along those lines... At this point is this an issue, or could it turn into something further down the... road?

This issue is still not resolved.  It is something everyone considering or doing the 750 needs to know about.

The park service is saying that SR67 is closed to cyclists until May 15th, due to safety reasons.  From what I can gather it is unlikely to be an issue on the ground because few people in the park service agree with it.  That said, it does have the potential to become a major issue, and if the wrong person is encountered at the wrong time, well...

One option is to have the race end on one of the rims (north or south) and if people want to continue on, they may at their own risk.

This year it is sure shaping up as one where the trail may be rideable (is there even any snow yet?) in which case I'd opt to rescind the 'snow detour' that SR67 is, anyway.  That may be the way we deal with it this year.

Schillingsworth -- will wait for the deets on extra singletrack.  Those first couple miles of Apache Trail wouldn't be sorely missed, presuming the HAB quotient isn't too high.

[Adam Alphabet]

Just tuning back in here.

This issue is still not resolved.  It is something everyone considering or doing the 750 needs to know about.

The park service is saying that SR67 is closed to cyclists until May 15th, due to safety reasons.  From what I can gather it is unlikely to be an issue on the ground because few people in the park service agree with it.  That said, it does have the potential to become a major issue, and if the wrong person is encountered at the wrong time, well...

One option is to have the race end on one of the rims (north or south) and if people want to continue on, they may at their own risk.

This year it is sure shaping up as one where the trail may be rideable (is there even any snow yet?) in which case I'd opt to rescind the 'snow detour' that SR67 is, anyway.  That may be the way we deal with it this year.

Schillingsworth -- will wait for the deets on extra singletrack.  Those first couple miles of Apache Trail wouldn't be sorely missed, presuming the HAB quotient isn't too high.

Welcome back Scott! Thanks for the detailed response.

So by quick estimates it would trade roughly 50 miles of road for 50 miles of trail, you lose Jacob Lake re-up but keep the powers that be, the people who prefer bikes not ride that road before May 15th, happy.

Does anyone have rough time comparisons for each option? NR to Jacob Lake or there abouts on trail vs. road.

[taprider]

take to the road to Jacob Lake once you are out of the Park

[rhino]

I'm going with flat pedals for this race so I'm looking for a recommendation for a flat pedal shoe.  It seems like 5 10's are very popular for flat pedal riders, but my concern is are these folks primarily riding downhills or in parks?  I need to be able to walk in these puppies and just not sure how that would work.  Flat pedal shoe recommendations that are AZT worthy?  Thanks!

Specialized Tahoe with Specialized insoles. Wore these shoes from border to border. Hiked the Canyon in same shoes, did not mail shoes to post office. Did not remove cleats. Shoes were trashed after race, cleats on new Tahoe shoes now. The shoes held up very well, and being SS I hiked a lot of AZT miles. Best all around bikepacking shoe in my opinion.

Note- the specialized insoles make the shoes more rigid in my opinion, worth the money.

[schillingsworth]

I'm going with flat pedals for this race so I'm looking for a recommendation for a flat pedal shoe.  It seems like 5 10's are very popular for flat pedal riders, but my concern is are these folks primarily riding downhills or in parks?  I need to be able to walk in these puppies and just not sure how that would work.  Flat pedal shoe recommendations that are AZT worthy?  Thanks!

I rode flats too for the 750 and am now exclusively on them. AZT is one of my local shreds, Salomon X-Ultra hiking shoes work for me. I used those shoes for the 300 last year, Stagecoach400, CTR and all my local rides. Still rocking the same pair with not a ton of wear showing.