# Bikes of the 2018 Tour Divide



## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

Following is the link: Tour Divide Rigs 2018 - BIKEPACKING.com

Lots of Salsa Cutthroats. Most popular suspension fork is the Lauf.

If I were to ever do it again it would be with a similar bike setup that I had back in 2012. 29er with at least a double up front. Suspension fork and thudbuster. I would go with a rear rack vs. a seatbag for more capacity and to keep anything off my back. I would also go with flat pedals vs. the clipless I used the first time.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

That was awesome bike porn!! Looks like Salsa Cutthroat is the winner.


----------



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

When I make my next attempt at the Tour Divide (2020) I am probably going to be on the same bike, a 2013 Salsa El Mariachi Ti with a Salsa Cutthroat fork but I'll ditch the Rohloff (felt draggy on the long, long climbs) in favor of a SRAM Eagle setup and I'm going to go Northbound to avoid the winter weather at the start of the race...although conditions looked ideal this year.


----------



## twodownzero (Dec 27, 2017)

Exciting to see lots of titanium and not (too) much aluminum and plastic.


----------



## formula4speed (Mar 25, 2013)

twodownzero said:


> Exciting to see lots of titanium and not (too) much aluminum and plastic.


Not that it matters much, and I didn't do an official count, but it seemed like there was a lot of carbon there. The Cutthroat was 27% of the field by itself.

Fun list to scroll through and daydream that one day I may attempt at least a section of the GD.


----------



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

I think the field was smaller this year than last year. The parking lot at the YWCA was packed last year and looked relatively sparse this year. That's not a bad thing, of course, for what is used to be billed as an underground race. There are probably just not that many people in the world with the time, the desire, or the ability to do a ride like that.

One of my goals in life is to finish the Tour Divide. I had a lot of mental stuff going on in my head last year and should have pulled out and I wasted a lot of time and money being too preoccupied with problems to enjoy it or concentrate. My head was not in it. I'm hoping for a "clarity" in 2020. 

I'm going to run the TransSouthDakota next year.


----------



## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

I'm surprised our cheeto in chief let all those foreigners in the country


----------



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

evdog said:


> I'm surprised our cheeto in chief let all those foreigners in the country


Seriously? The cool thing about the Tour Divide is its civility. I've never seen a disparaging word or heard anything but good humor on various Internet forums and on the race itself. Since half of the voters supported President Trump and you dont know who they are, good manners would dictate you keep politics out of conversations where it is irrelevant.

My liberal friends in Vermont do this all the time. They just assume that everybody holds the same opinions and are shocked and offended to find out it isn't the case.


----------



## MudderNutter (Oct 23, 2014)

Our home town hero went down with a collar bone fracture about 6 miles into the race. I can't imagine what that feels like. I hope she'll be able to make another attempt!


----------



## MudderNutter (Oct 23, 2014)

Props to the dude on the damn near stock 2013 steel fargo! He's even running the stock stans rapid wheelset (I have these...noodles). Looks like the only thing he did was add a hope BB and Headset. I love seeing someone attack this race without throwing their whole pocket book at it.


edit: make that two dudes on stock steel fargos!


----------



## The Boz (Sep 28, 2011)

I just can’t look at the Lauf fork and not wince. 

Lots of cutthroats. Lots of titanium hardtails. Seems like about half the hardtails have suspension forks, the other half have rigid.

Lots of Maxxis Ikon tires. 2.2 ish seems to be the popular size.

if you don’t have a dynamo hub, how do you power up for navigation? Solar? Batteries?


----------



## bikeny (Feb 26, 2004)

The Boz said:


> I just can't look at the Lauf fork and not wince.


That Lauf does look weird, and I think there was a Lauf failure last year if I am remembering correctly?



The Boz said:


> Lots of cutthroats. Lots of titanium hardtails. Seems like about half the hardtails have suspension forks, the other half have rigid.


Yes, The Cuttthroat is the most popular steed. By definition, 100% of the hardtails have suspension forks! Good to see there are still rigid bikes being raced. Also, not many FS bikes.



The Boz said:


> Lots of Maxxis Ikon tires. 2.2 ish seems to be the popular size.


Yup, lots of Ikons



The Boz said:


> if you don't have a dynamo hub, how do you power up for navigation? Solar? Batteries?


I think they rely on GPS units with replaceable batteries and carry extra batteries, the non-rechargeable lithiums, as they last a lot longer than alkaline. Also sometimes steal a charge when at a restaurant or sleeping a few hours at a motel.


----------



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

The Boz said:


> I just can't look at the Lauf fork and not wince.
> 
> Lots of cutthroats. Lots of titanium hardtails. Seems like about half the hardtails have suspension forks, the other half have rigid.
> 
> ...


A lot of the top guys were using Lauf forks last year and the year before. I haven't seen one on any of the leaders. I really like my Lauf but I think the combination of a good carbon fork and wider tires is all you need. This is just my opinion, of course.

As for navigation, my Etrex30 takes two AA batteries and I got about 30 hours out of a pair...no kidding. If you carry a spare set of batteries I can't see you ever running out of juice as long as you remember to buy new ones when you can.

Even a slow guy like me will never be 60 hours away from a store on the Tour Divide. I carried four extra AAs and a 5000 mA charger for my light...but I was always really tired at the end of the day and hardly ever needed the light. I used it to set up camp but that was about it.

I've used a hub charger. An Shutter Precision PD-8. It worked perfectly and I don't think the drag is even noticeable...but it was just one more complex thing. I replaced it with a Hope front hub.


----------



## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

So many of the bikes seemed massively overloaded. I get that not everyone is racing per se, but looking at how much gear many people were packing made it seem as though maybe they hadn't even done an overnight shakedown ride with their fully kitted out rig.

When you get right down to it, it's a dirt road tour that hits a town every other day at least. You just don't need that much ____.


----------



## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

It looks like the average pace of the field is around 30 days or so. My pace was 28 days.
If riders are taking cook kits to save money and want some extra clothes and want to travel without a backpack then it stands to reason that the bike will have quite a load on it.

I could have saved a bunch of money if I had a cook kit and more cold weather gear and of course more discipline!


----------



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

mikesee said:


> So many of the bikes seemed massively overloaded. I get that not everyone is racing per se, but looking at how much gear many people were packing made it seem as though maybe they hadn't even done an overnight shakedown ride with their fully kitted out rig.
> 
> When you get right down to it, it's a dirt road tour that hits a town every other day at least. You just don't need that much ____.


I took too much stuff. But there were some cold and wet days and nights. I got stuck at the top of Red Meadow pass and I was glad I had some dry clothes and a good sleeping bag.

My plan for next time is to lose about thirty pounds (already making progress) and maybe go Northbound to avoid the inevitable cold weather in Early June in Canada and Northern Montana.


----------



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

I see the Tour Divide is still a fringe event, based on the interest here. That’s a good thing. I think it will lose some of its charm if it gets too popular. There are just not that many folks with the determination, fitness, and most importantly, the time to do it. 

Who can take three to four weeks off from work? I’m planning for 2020 and even now I’m positioning myself to take a month off of work then. I have to work twenty extra shifts between now and then so I don’t take a huge financial hit. And the last time I did it between jobs so I picked my start time at the new job after the race.


----------



## socal_jack (Dec 30, 2008)

evdog said:


> I'm surprised our cheeto in chief let all those foreigners in the country


Sounds like he's super OK if they're legal, mojados not so much.


----------



## happyriding (May 9, 2008)

mikesee said:


> So many of the bikes seemed massively overloaded.


Like this guy's?









And a backpack to boot! What a punter.


----------



## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

happyriding said:


> Like this guy's?
> 
> And a backpack to boot! What a punter.


Either english isn't your first language or you simply lack the capability to understand nuance.


----------



## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

What I'd really love to hear about are debriefings from the riders about what worked, what didn't, what they jettisoned on the way or wished they'd brought. Was their bike the right choice and what did they like or not like about it? 

I have a friend who through-hiked the Appalachian Trail awhile back. He researched a lot before he started, but his gear at the end didn't come close to what he started out with: hiking boots were traded out for trail shoes, tent was changed to an ultra light sil-nylon shelter, hefty backpack was traded out for something far lighter and less structured. 

Anyway, reading trip reports on individual experiences would be awesome. Even the brief posts upthread have interesting information.


----------



## serious1 (Jan 11, 2013)

June Bug said:


> What I'd really love to hear about are debriefings from the riders about what worked, what didn't, what they jettisoned on the way or wished they'd brought. Was their bike the right choice and what did they like or not like about it?
> 
> I have a friend who through-hiked the Appalachian Trail awhile back. He researched a lot before he started, but his gear at the end didn't come close to what he started out with: hiking boots were traded out for trail shoes, tent was changed to an ultra light sil-nylon shelter, hefty backpack was traded out for something far lighter and less structured.
> 
> Anyway, reading trip reports on individual experiences would be awesome. Even the brief posts upthread have interesting information.


They did an awesome vlog and blog. Their gear list also has notes at the end with how everything performed. Lots of good info there.

https://ridingbikeswithandrewandkatie.blogspot.com/2018/07/great-divide-gear-list.html


----------



## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

That's really good stuff.


----------



## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

serious1 said:


> They did an awesome vlog and blog. Their gear list also has notes at the end with how everything performed. Lots of good info there.
> 
> https://ridingbikeswithandrewandkatie.blogspot.com/2018/07/great-divide-gear-list.html


Great link! Thanks.


----------

