I plan on riding from Rawlins to Abiquiu solo over about 3 weeks, starting the last week of June. This will be my first bikepacking adventure, but not my first solo tour or first time mountain biking. I need to decide on which bike I want to take in order to get it geared up for the trip.
I know I probably have 2 good options, and there is someone who has ridden the GDMBR on a lost Divvy (I'm from Chicago) using cat litter panniers. However, I am wondering which bike you would take if you were me. I'm looking for any recommendations based on what the route looks like in that area. I've read the McCoy book, and a few other accounts of that section, but still can't decide which set up would work best.
Bike 1: 1994 Specialized Rockhopper frame - with new everything except for seat post and front derailleur. Brooks B17, Drop bars, V-brakes, 3x9 drivetrain with bar-ends, Bicycle wheel warehouse wheels, front and rear racks. Currently have 26x2.0 marathons, but can change them out to something else. I built this bike about 7 years ago for a multi-month Latin America tour, which turned into a dream when a job, then kids, happened. I've probably ridden this bike 5,000 pavement miles commuting to work as a replacement for that 10,000 mile tour.
Bike 2: 2015 GT Backwoods Expert hardtail 29er - performance wheels, rockshox XC32 coil shock with lockout, 2x10 drivetrain with trigger shifters, alivio hydro disc brakes, flat bars. I bought this bike because it was cheap when performance was going out of business. Probably have 200-300 singletrack miles on it.
For either bike, I plan on getting Jones H bars (which would mean getting new stem, shifters and brake levers for the rockhopper) -- I have never felt confident in the hoods while doing anything technical, and I don't like the limited hand and body positions on flat bars. If I used my GT I would put the brooks on it and get a handlebar and a frame bag to replace the front panniers (although I did see a front rack by axiom that looked like it would hold my front panniers if anyone has experience with that set-up).
I haven't encountered anything I can't fix on a bike (or spend an hour on the internet, then fix), so swapping parts out to get either bike tuned up would be measured in beers and not dollars. That being said, I do not want to turn 2 functioning bikes into 1 bike + lots of spare parts. I was also hoping to spend no more than $400-500 on bike gear for this trip.
Basically, I'm open to advice. I am more concerned with having a good time, taking in the scenery, and getting back into touring than going fast.
If you have any advice on which bike, how to set it up, or anything else about the Rawlins-Abiquiu section I'd love to hear it.
I've included pictures of the bikes in this post.