Anyone out there ever ridden any sections of The Great Divide? Some of my buddies and I are contemplating a ride this summer and are trying to decide which section to conquer, as we ain't up for the whole thing!
We are looking at the following sectors to choose from:
I raced part of the route this summer. From Banff to Dubois, WY. The northern section is gorgeous. Lots of wildlife, remote areas. I live in Colorado and have ridden sections here. I've also ridden the section in New Mexico from Grants to Pie Town.
Where to go depends on timing and ability. I wouldn't recommend much of the route in May or in Oct. The best time is there in the middle (though New Mexico in August doesn't sound like fun to me). We were really lucky this year with dry conditions to start in Canada, with only 2 sections of snow that I can remember, only 1 that required any real time walking. We started June 14th.
Whatever you do, have fun and be prepared. Carry full rain gear and think hard about your resupply points. Surface water up north was plentiful and I treated it before drinking.
Feel free to ask specific questions. The whole route (at least what I've ridden of it) is spectacular. You'll have a great adventure no matter where you ride.
The typical setup is a rigid or front suspended 29er. Fast rolling 2-inch tires are most popular. You'll want the bigger tires for a bit of suspension and to avoid flats.
Many run drop bars and even more run aerobars (important to get off your hands). When I go back, I'll have drop and aero bars. This year I ran a flat bar with barends (and aerobars).
I used a triple for a really wide range of gears. Many used double chainring setups.
2slow2Bfast wrote:The typical setup is a rigid or front suspended 29er. Fast rolling 2-inch tires are most popular. You'll want the bigger tires for a bit of suspension and to avoid flats.
Many run drop bars and even more run aerobars (important to get off your hands). When I go back, I'll have drop and aero bars. This year I ran a flat bar with barends (and aerobars).
I used a triple for a really wide range of gears. Many used double chainring setups.
Great info, thanks! I am planning on running drops but didnt think of aerobars! I was thinking maybe a Maxxis Ardent tire or similar, something with a little meat to it. Going rigid 29 Ti.
Yeah, aerobars are a godsend! Ardents are a bit too rowdy in my opinion. I like a big volume tire for suspension and flat prevention, but you want something fast rolling. There is essentially no singletrack on the route but lots and lots of dirt roads/doubletrack. Make sure you check out the bikepacking.net forum. Loads of great info over there on all things Great Divide.
I ran Continental Race King 2.2 and loved them. Ran them tubeless. Many have great luck with Maxxis Crossmark, WTB Nanoraptor and others.
Best of luck in your prep. Be sure to get in lots of miles on your fully loaded bike!
