Great TR. One of the best. Thanks.
Great TR. One of the best. Thanks.
Wow! Respect.
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Great TR, thanks for posting.
Awesome TR, thanks. Logistical question: how do you handle food storage/bear safety when camped?
Dude, awesome. I've been kicking around the idea of going for it next year...I'm not sure if I want to do it more or less after reading your report.
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It's so cool and a very beautiful view.
Not a lot honestly. Food stays in my pack or bike bags which are right next to me. Only black bears in CO which usually run away. Usually riding late-ish and up early, so that also limits exposure time. Definitely bring a bear can or ursack in grizz country.
Saw a lot of bear cans at the start of the hike and just above Durango, but almost none in the middle. Guessing most of those got mailed home after a few days.
Thanks for sharing the journey through great words and pictures. Two friends have completed this: one a professional cyclist (at the time) and another a more novice mountain biker. They both said it was awesome but super hard! I've never really wanted to do it but your photos make it look like a great adventure.
Nice man, I've got plans to do it at the end of August next summer. Just hoping to beat 14 days which I don't think is crazy especially since I'll probably be doing it on a 29 pound trail bike unless I can find a more downcountry bike to use.
Curious, was the guy you saw who was trying to do the "fastest known time" riding on a hardtail? After talking with Neil Belchenko about the trail (which he has records on) he said he'd never do it on a hardtail, so inefficient and unforgiving which I'm inclined to agree with. Just take the small weight penalty of a shock and linkage and enjoy the ride haha
A truly incredible trip! Thank you for sharing
Really enjoyed reading this man! As others have said, I appreciate the time and effort you put it to document and write it up. Well done!
It's so cool and a very beautiful view!
Thanks for posting that up evdog, what an excellent TR. Hats off man, that was a hell of a ride.
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Maybe, but you'll still hate it on the the numerous amount of rocky descents you face on the CT. There's a whole lot to say about modern full suspension design in terms of climbing, as it works with the terrain in order to provide levels of grip that increase efficiency. A hardtail doesn't necessarily climb better just because you get more power to the pedals, a lot of the time you're fighting the terrain decreasing efficiency. It's the same reason you see a lot of high level XC racers going for full suspension bikes now.
Last edited by bamboocoreONLY; 11-04-2021 at 07:44 AM.
I don't really think it matters what type bike you bring unless you're a racer going all out. They travel so light you can barely call it bikepacking, it's basically a four-five day long day ride.
The real benefit to FS is that you don't get beat up as much over long distances as you would on a hardtail. But hardtails are manageable too, lots of people ride them on the CT. 200+ miles of the route is dirt or paved road favoring a hardtail. Maybe half the singletrack is very hardtail friendly. Descents and rougher singletrack sections are much nicer on FS. It can help with climbing traction but I'm often off the bike pushing to save my legs sooner on technical and steeper climbs, so I don't get as much help there as I would on a day ride. Racers have the legs to ride a lot more of that stuff, so along with the much longer hours of continuous riding the benefit really adds up.
If I hadn't found the rear rack setup for the Spur I wouldn't have hesitated to ride my hardtail on the CT. But with a few weeks of day rides planned after the CT I definitely wanted the FS for that trip.
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