Gear Update.

September 14, 2024

This post is mostly for me but some may find it interesting.

So far I haven’t had any issues with my bike through Day 26. I’ve had zero flats and zero mechanical issues, aside from some annoying shifting issues and the small end of the cassette. This could simply be due to needing another chain or excessive wear on the cassette.

The change of chains is expected and I will likely have to do the same with the brake pads; when I checked them at day 20 they still had 50% of the life left. I’m happy I did all the work upfront to completely refresh my bike and I hope this good fortune continues.

Jason’s bike. Everyone does it a bit differently.

Cassandra told us a nasty bike fail where her pedal bearing seized. She kept riding and the pedal wore out the thread to the crank so that required a full replacement. And cranks aren’t necessarily readily available at a bike shop so it could result in multiple down days, not to mention the fact that bike shops are few and far between.

All of my bike bags are working great. I love having the little bag on the front. I can quickly grab stuff while riding and I bring it in the tent at night as it has all the stuff I need (retainers, medication, batteries etc.). The other handlebar bag is tough and I love how easy it is to clip on and off the bike! On the back, the bag I bought for clothing is very tough. I turn the opening to the back of the bike so I can open and close it with taking all 3 straps off of the rack. I also figured a way to connect the rear light around the strap and I never take it off unless it needs charging. It’s working great!

As much as I didn’t want a pannier it is so convenient. I can get food in and out easily and I also store all my warm accessories there. On the negative side I find when it’s loaded on more challenging terrain it does shift the bike a bit side-to-side and I prefer to balance that out. Most people have one on each side. Problem with more space is you fill it with more crap and more weight. If I had another solution for food I’d happily try something different. Ultimately though this feels like a good compromise and I don’t think about it anymore.

My tent had the minor pole problem that’s temporarily resolved for the trip. And my air mattress has a leak. I should have tested this when we had the tub at the motel but alas it slipped my mind. When I wake it’s holding half the air which keeps me above the rocks and not entirely annoyed so it will be a problem for when I’m home.

On the cooking front the Sea to Summit collapsing set is brilliant; we haven’t had any issues and they are easy to clean and store. The pocket rocket stove is excellent and we use less fuel than expected. I think the first canister lasted 12 days.

I’ve worn every piece of clothing I brought except for the rain pants and that’s just good fortune so far. I don’t regret bringing anything and if I could change anything I’d probably buy merino underwear or even merino shorts if that’s a thing. Wicking sweat is very important.

For the bike itself I still feel that a mountain bike is best. I’d be happy to shed 8-10 pounds off the bike weight and I’d likely go with even lighter tires (maybe 29”x2.2 or 2.4). I would use the least aggressive tread.

I considered using different handlebars for this trip (alt bars) and I’d probably consider that again as well. Interesting, last night of 10 riders we were the only ones without drop bars. I personally wouldn’t want drop bars for this trip. It’s too long in a crunched position and too hard on my neck and backs

Rear tire is getting more like a road tire.

I’d love to have a bigger triangle for more storage. My bike has minimal storage here.

I don’t have any regrets about the bike the way it is now and especially because we have virtually the same set up. They do weigh a lot loaded and when I pedalled briefly without bags playing with my shifting I couldn’t believe the difference. It would be so easy to climb with just the bike and one water bottle!

I’m really happy with the saddle as well. I recently tweaked the nose rise up to put more weight into my butt and take weight off my hands. Bike fitting is very complicated to get right. Most people, myself included can endure a less than ideal setup because they aren’t riding for 8+ hours per day.

For clothing I had the shorts give out but that wasn’t a surprise. I’ve loved the sun hoodie. That’s probably my single favourite piece of clothing. It’s so comfortable on my skin and it breathes extremely well that I can wear it in all conditions and not apply any sunscreen to my arms or torso. I’m also very happy that I splurged on the merino shirts; I wear them at nights and mornings to stay warm. My riding pants are great as well. Overall, I nailed the clothing.

My sleeping bag is right on the edge of acceptable in these high elevations but so far I’ve been warm enough. Some nights I wear my puffy in the middle of the night.

All things considered this set up is working well. There’s always improvements you can make and then again every trip has different terrain and challenges.

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Kelly IniguezI enjoy reading gear reviews, thanks for sharing.
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