Bike packing the Colorado Trail... Help please

[Funrover]

This is a plan for next summer, I am going to use the winter to prepare both myself and a bike. Right now I am looking at a couple options bike wise. I have a hardtail Trek that I can build up or a FS Schwinn. I see pros and cons both ways. However this will be my first bike camping trip. I have racks, panniers, backpacks, and water filters. What items should I prep for. I would like any tips possible. Any links etc. I have a tent, sleeping bags, sleep mat, and some other basics. However I do not have a good portable camp stove. I am also new to packing backpacking type food. I have always car camped or had a camper. Basically I am a complete newbie at this. The only part I am confident in is the actual riding. I am looking for a 3 day 2 night run for the first one. If I really enjoy it (Which I am sure I will) I will do longer runs. Another questions is..... What part of the Colorado Trail should I do? Sorry if this is all over the place, I just get excited thinking about the subject.

 

[CCH]

Caveat: I am not a serious biker, so no help in that regard, but I have major Colorado Trail aspirations. I live down the street from the easternmost trail head and have dreamed of walking out my front door and heading for Durango with my backpack. As a biker, you are going to have to look for all the parts that are non-wilderness, which is a fair chunk. You could start right outside of Denver at Waterton Canyon once it reopens and start nice and easy on a gravel road with a relatively safe place to leave your vehicle. I'm thinking maybe in three years I can pull it off with my son. Just check your maps to see where you'll cross over into wilderness as that is no go.

Stove depends on what you're doing with it. If you want to actually cook, you'll need something that offers some control. If you are just going to boil water (I highly recommend freezer bag cooking), just about anything will do and you just need to weigh your options literally based on how much fuel you need to tote. Alcohol is sweet and simple but you might end up hauling more fuel in the long run. Isobutane is fast and easy.

Try some of the ultralight backpacking forums like below for more info on gear and cooking. I'm sure that light is equally important on a bike as it is on foot. Have a great trip!

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/index.html

www.trailcooking.com

 

[Von Petrol]

This should help:
http://www.bikepacking.net/

 

[Christophe Noel]

The Colorado Trail is a fantastic trail for bikepacking, but it's also extremely hard. A local rider asked me to help him prep for a CT ride this past summer and the first thing I told him was, pack light, and prepare to hike-a-bike more than you would ever think possible. When he got back after bailing five days in, he said he packed too heavy and couldn't believe how much pushing he did. Even for the fittest of riders, pushing miles on end is just part of the CT experience. Knowing that going in helps.

Because the terrain is so severe, weight is critical to your efficiency. You have to go ultra light. I'd say my total gear weight minus water and the bike itself is under 18 pounds. It has to be that light or the hike-a-bike miles increase even more. As for stoves, I use an Optimus Crux at under 100 grams. Regarding the choice of bikes, I'd suggest a hardtail just to keep weight and simplicity on your side.

It's fun stuff, the CT!

 

[Christophe Noel]

This may offer some ideas: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/48783-One-Dude-Two-Wheels-Three-days-on-the-CoTrail

 

[Funrover]

Thanks for the links, and I will look into the advice on the cooker.

 

[Funrover]

I am thinking I will go with the hardtail, rack and panniers. While the FS is nice on the down I am really more worried about the up. I figure anything to help me on the climb is more beneficial.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I'll preface this next post with the declaration of my bias against racks and panniers. I do everything I can to avoid using them in situations like these.

Racks and panniers certainly have a place in bike travel. I own and use panniers, but only when required to do so. For bikepacking on singletrack, panniers can be a poor choice. First off, most panniers accommodate up to 60 liters of storage as a pair. That's a ton of space. That's roughly double what most bikepackers will take on a tough trail like the CT. That space will swallow up enough gear to be pretty heavy, again not a good scenario. If you use panniers, and even if you pack light, your bike will have a funky balance to it. There's a reason why seasoned bikepackers have gear stashed on their bars, frame, seat and their person. It balances the load. Lastly, you're going to be pushing a lot. Pushing around a set of panniers isn't terrible, but just not ideal. Your best bet will be to take that gross load and split it up.

This doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. There are lots of options that are cheap and easy to balance your load better than you could with panniers.

 

[fairweather]

Here's an informative article by Kurt Refsnider on his Tour Divide setup, the seat bag, frame bag and handle bar bag seem to be the standard for CTR and Tour Divide riders. Make sure your footwear is ideal for hiking, I still get the creeps when I think of the pic of Jeff Kerkoves heel blisters from a couple years ago.

http://salsacycles.com/culture/kurt_refsniders_2011_tour_divide_setup/

 

[fisher205]

I sure don't have any experience bike packing, but have backpacked enough to suggest setting up the simplest system you think you have to have, and then go out and use it prior to taking on something as hard as the Colorado trail. A few overnights on easy trails, then extend to long weekends and harder trails. You will start to wean your pack of the anything you don't need. I know it's a little cold to camp now, but maybe use that as an excuse to head south and practice.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Here is my list of the best things to happen to bikepacking, but perfect for the CT:

1) Outdoor Research Lateral Dry Bag: One of the best solutions for bar-mounted bags ever. To think it wasn't designed as a bar bag is hilarious. It's perfect and half the price of a proper bar bag. http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/or-gear/accessories/storage/lateral-dry-bag.html

2) GSI Halulite Minimalist: It's a cup. It's a pot. It's $27 and weighs less a Snickers. http://gsioutdoors.com/products/pdp/halulite_minimalist/

3) Optimus Crux stove: It's 83 grams, burns at 10,000 BTU and costs less than most stoves. You can fit the stove and a small 100 gram cartridge of fuel inside the GSI minimalist for a stove, fuel and pot system that is smaller than a can of beer.

4) Thermarest NeoAir: This is worth the splurge. If you ride hard all day you MUST get a good night's sleep. Think of this as a performance tool. http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/neoair/product

5) Steripen, Adventurer: Someone will chime in to say this doesn't work. I strongly disagree. It works very well, and it's perfect for the CT where water is often easy to find. http://www.steripen.com/adventurer-opti

6) Revelate Designs Tangle Bag: Custom frame bags are great, but they're also expensive at over $150-$200ish. This bag is $70 and pure awesome. https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.catalog&CategoryID=1&ProductID=5

Those are just a few of my favorite widgets.

 

[Firetacoma]

Let me start off by saying, I'm not a serious biker. But I'm surrounded by them!

My brother-in-law rode the CT from his home in Downtown Denver to Durango this past summer and had a great time. Some tips I hope to pass on from his experience (to be taken with the grain of salt that I wasn't the one there riding):

No tent - Bivy sack it.
Hard tail - the advice about hike-a-bike sections is spot on and up is harder than down
Acquire or make a bag to fit inside your frame (another reason not to use the FS frame)
Try to avoid a backpack, or keep it light to avoid balance issues

When asked if he'd do it again, he said, "yeah, but it will take a while to forget all the sections of pushing a bike uphill!"

Good luck, have fun, and be safe!

 

[Christophe Noel]

Try to avoid a backpack, or keep it light to avoid balance issues

Light is the key, yes. I mostly use my pack to tote my hydration system. With all the pushing and riding, having that little drink tube over my shoulder is great, and I generally hate hydration systems. I also use my pack for all the fluffy stuff. I use it to store light rain gear, snack foods, etc. I'd guess at it's heaviest with full water it weighs five pounds max.


Me goofing around atop the High Line trail on Indian Ridge outside Durango (12,300 feet)

 

[Funrover]

Sweet, more to look into. I was on bikepacking.net looking at the frame bags. I will attempt to build that. I will use my camelback Transalp for water and small items. I want a rack for the tent(what I end up with) and will put the sleeping bag in the bars. I will start with keeping miles down, my initial plan may be a bit to much for the first run on the CT! I plan Waterton to Buff creek now.