Topics

1

Gear Talk / Are fenders useful on Great Divide?

« on: January 27, 2010, 09:20:10 pm »

I would appreciate input from anyone who has ridden all or parts of the GDMBR regarding the use of fenders.  In the trip reports that I have read, few people seem to use them, even though they ride in the rain frequently.  It seems to me that fenders would keep a lot of trail/road crud off of the bike, rider, and gear and help keep everything in better working order on such a long, difficult ride.  What are the pros & cons?  Thanks.

2

Routes / Pros/cons of which direction to ride GDMBR

« on: January 21, 2010, 06:41:33 pm »

I'm researching various aspects of riding the GDMBR, and would love to hear from people who have ridden the entire route.  The trip reports I've read were mostly from people riding southbound, but a few were riding northbound.  Regardless of direction of travel, strong headwinds at different areas on the route seemed to be just a fact of life, and that there is no preferred direction to mitigate them.  Some people traveling northbound felt that the climbs seemed steeper than the descents in general.  Some people started in the south hoping to experience lower average desert temperatures and encounter less snow in the northern mountain passes later in the season.  Any comments based on your experiences would be appreciated.  Thanks.