I've done a fair bit of racing in the past years and quite a lot of bikepacking as well. But this will be the first time I'll try to bikepack with a race mentality. One of the biggest attractions for me is that these races are not about watts or who is the strongest -- I've done my fair share of those and know how far I can get. Here, those who do well are both physically and mentally strong, ride a smart race, know their limits, optimize their sleep and eating, remain healthy, and occasionally have some good luck thrown their way.
One of the coolest aspects of dirt ultras is that a lot of strategy and planning goes on prior to the race, with a huge variance in what people bring in terms of bike and gear. Racing on an ultralight bike with minimal gear is definitely faster but leaves little margin for error, while loading up a steel monster with pannier bags may maximize comfort but will most certainly not be fast. The balance is somewhere in the middle, and every racer finds their own optimum.
For me, a lot of thought went into what type of bike and gear to bring. Some difficult choices were made but given this will be my first bikepacking race, I've mostly erred on the side of caution rather than ambition. In general, I'm fairly comfortable being uncomfortable so we'll see how my gear decisions play out. What I'm certain of is that I'll learn a lot from this first foray into the small but ardent world of being a dot on a map.
The Bike
- Open Cycles One+ hardtail carbon frame (880grams -- light as f***)
- Lauf TR Boost fork w/60mm travel
- Enve M5 flat bar w/ Ergon GS3 grips & bar ends
- Vision Trimax carbon J-Bend aerobars mounted on a Fred Bar
- Enve zero offset carbon seatpost & Ergon SM Pro saddle
- Nox Composites Skyline 29er 32-hole carbon rims, custom laced to I9 Hydra rear and SON dynamo front hubs, XT 180mm(front) / 160mm(rear) rotors
- Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.25" tubeless tires, Stans sealant
- Shimano XTR Trail hydraulic disc brakes
- SRAM XX1 Eagle 10-50 drivetrain w/ Kogel ceramic pulley wheels
- SRAM XX1 DUB crankset w/ Kogel ceramic BB, Power2Max PM, 30T Absolute Black Oval ring
- Shimano XTR pedals
I pondered long and hard over which bike to bring. Gravel bikes are generally lighter and faster, and can increasingly fit wider MTB-style tires. Ultimately, the decision for me came down to gearing. What I've come to realize on almost every bikepacking trip is that pedaling a loaded bike is a lot of work. It is even harder to pedal uphill on steep and uneven grades, going on minimal sleep and exhausted legs. Most gravel bikes don't as yet offer the gear range that you can get on a mountain bike.
So I did a bunch of OCD-inspired research on the lightest (but still durable) MTB frame out there, and settled on the Open Cycle One+ hardtail. A lot of attention focuses on their gravel frames, but I found their hardtail to be more versatile -- after all I can always throw a drop bar on this frame. Most importantly, I can run a small single ring up front and went with a 30T Absolute Black oval ring.
I generally rant about how most riders overgear their bikes because maybe bigger chainrings look cooler (?!), but being an economist obsessed with evidence, I decided to collect data and do my own testing. Turns out in the 30(oval)-10 combo, I can ride at 25mph spinning at about 95rpm. While bikepacking on dirt, I spend less than 5% of the time riding above 25mph (not including coasting), and over 50% of the time climbing in low gears. So performance and time gains, for me at least, are in trying to achieve a very low gearing rather than high gearing. I believe I've maximized that with a 10-50 cassette in the back. Yes, there will be plenty of hours spent in 30-50, believe you me.
The Lauf fork was another decision point. Yes, rigid forks are lighter but my hypothesis is that in a race like this comfort will trump marginal weight gains. In fact, I would hypothesize that suspension will be faster. Maybe I'm wrong but the weight differential is only 300 grams and I can live with that.
SRAM drivetrain is an odd choice for me, but this was mostly determined by a bundled deal. I'm not at a stage of trust with SRAM to go for AXS and doubt I'll ever get there, but XX1 Eagle mechanical has been alright so far. Fingers crossed. I definitely do not trust SRAM brakes, so went with trusty Shimano Trail brakes, which have never failed me or anyone I know.
The main highlight on the bike has to be the Kogel ceramic BB and pulley wheels. Man, the blue pulley wheels just look so cool and go well with the gold drivetrain. On performance, I've been skeptical of pressfit BBs as nearly all eventually end up creaking, but the Kogel stuff and their sticky grease have held up admirably so far. The longer maintenance cycles on the bearings is another big plus especially over long and dirty races.
The Gear
Here's a rundown of all the gear I'm bringing. Its mostly a mashup of stuff I already owned.
On the Bike:
- Wahoo Roam (main navigation)
- Garmin Etrex 30x (backup navigation)
- Yelling and screaming (second backup navigation)
- Sinewave Beacon headlight & USB
- B & M Secula Plus dynamo rear light
- King Cage fork mounts
- X-Labs carbon fork cages w/ two 1-Litre SIS bottles
- King Cage Many Things cage (Voile straps) on downtube w/ 1-Litre nalgene (several layers of duct tape wrapped on nalgene)
On Me:
- Rapha Brevet wool jersey
- Assos Cento Evo bibshorts
- Rapha overshorts
- gloves & socks
- Rapha cycling cap
- POC Octal helmet & prescription Oakley sunglasses
- Specialized 2FO ClipLte MTB shoes
Front Harness: Revelate
- Nemo Siren 30 Degree UL sleeping quilt
- REI Flash UL sleeping pad
- Sea to Summit Aeros UL pillow
- Zpacks down socks/booties
- Outdoor Research Stargazer bivvy (alternative location is seatpost bag)
- Sea to Summit UltraSil dry sack
Front Pocket: Bedrock Bags
- Headlamp
- Charging cables (incl. Beacon to USB cable) & wall adapter
- Voltaic V50 powerbank w/passthrough (12,800 mhA)
- Extra lithium AAA & AA batteries (for headlamp, etrex, and Spot tracker)
Frame Bag: Rogue Panda Custom Roll-top Waterproof (originally customized for an orange bike!)
- Pump w/several layers of gorilla tape
- Poop digger titanium shovel (leave no trace)
- Collapsible 2-Liter water bladder
- Steripen Ultra UV water purifier & backup iodine tablets
- Osprey UL stuff pack (for extra food on long stretches, or bike breaks and need to hike)
- Hygiene gear: toothbrush, paste, tp, glasses, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, lighter
- Tubolito spare tubes (x2), plugs, patch kit, small bottle of stans
- First aid kit & chamois cream
- Emergency blanket
- 2 extra straps & extra ziplocs
- Craft windproof midweight gloves
- Pearl Izumi cycling mitts
- Outdoor Research waterproof overmitts
- Passport, travel insurance, brevet card, other docs
- Small face towel
- Food, gels, bars, etc
Seatpost Bag: Ortileb
- Pearl Izumi WxB rainpants
- Pear Izumi Summit AmFib Lite windproof pants
- REI Drypoint GTX Goretex rainjacket
- Rapha windproof full sleeve jersey
- Patagonia down sweater
- Arcteryx full sleeve merino top
- Fleece hat, buff, windproof skullcap, knee warmers
- Shower Pass waterproof merino socks
- Pearl Izumi PRO Barrier waterproof MTB shoe covers
- Backup powerbank & cables
Top Tube Bag Front: Bedrock Bags
- iphone
- Headphones
- Day wallet
- Chapstick and sunblock
Top Tube Bag Aft: Rogue Panda
- CrankBros M19 multitool
- Leatherman
- Toolkit & Spares: chainlinks, Wolftooth wrench, schrader adapter, extra valve core, extra bolts, extra cleat, electric tape, chain lube, extra shifter cable, variety of zip ties, extra deraileur hanger, extra resin brak pads (1 set), rag
Snack Bags: Revelate & Bedrock Bags
- Snacks (whatever I can find)
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| Let the party begin! |
