GDMBR Bike Recomendations

[Jake Northrup]

Hi everyone.  Planning a GDMBR trip for 2027.  I'm looking for bike recommendations.  I'd like to get the bike in Spring 2026, do a few shorter trips in summer 2026 and dial in setup, and ride the GDMBR in 2027.  I've got experience in both long distance backpacking and bike touring, but not off road bike touring.  A few that I've got on my list are Salsa Fargo, Salsa Cutthroat, Co-Motion Divide, Trek Checkout.  Other good ones I should be looking at?  Right now I'm leaning towards the Fargo...  Thanks!

[hospengr]

I have the same question.  Considering a 2027 ride, but I do not own a mountain bike or a gravel bike.  Let's start there - which one is recommended for the GDMBR? 
Previous experience:  Southern Tier, Northern Tier, TransAmerica, Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast, Route 66, and Alaska Golden Circle.  All on a touring bike.

[Jake Northrup]

After a lot of deliberation I went with a Salsa Fargo Ti, custom build.  It's pretty sweet and will be taking out for a 11 day test on pretty mild trails next week!

[ray b]

Done right, Ti rules. Saw a Moots hardtail with what looked like 80 or 100 mm fork travel under a retired racer on the GDMBR in 2022 that I've been thinking about ever since.... Have fun.

[Side note - In cleaning up my old Karate Monkey, I weighed the rear wheel and tire I used last time down the GDMBR - 4.2 kg.... (These are my bomb-proof wheels with Rohloff hub, Ryde rims, and 2 inch tires.) With racks, and no luggage, it weighs more than most racing rigs fully loaded.]

[ray b]

Hi everyone.  Planning a GDMBR trip for 2027.  I'm looking for bike recommendations.  I'd like to get the bike in Spring 2026, do a few shorter trips in summer 2026 and dial in setup, and ride the GDMBR in 2027.  I've got experience in both long distance backpacking and bike touring, but not off road bike touring.  A few that I've got on my list are Salsa Fargo, Salsa Cutthroat, Co-Motion Divide, Trek Checkout.  Other good ones I should be looking at?  Right now I'm leaning towards the Fargo...  Thanks!

You can search this forum for past answers to the question.
Every year, the folks at bikepacking pain-stakingly put together a nice video analysis of what the racers are running.
I'm a big fan of "ride what you got." First time out on GDMBR I was with a fellow who rode the same rigid-framed road tourer he took to Africa. He made it up a couple of hills I didn't, so....

My wife let's me have one bike. An old mechanic, I have a 2008 Karate Monkey with 3 sets of wheels (2 with Rohloff's and one single speed) and 3 forks including an old Rock Shox. Haven't found any type of touring surface it can't handle.

Both bikes are featured with a bunch of others in this classic post by the legendary ambassador Nick Carman in 2012 (before someone stole his laptop full of GDMBR bikes and before he broke up with Lael Wilcox).
https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/real-touring-bikes-canadian-rockies/

Here's the same bike running the length of the GDMBR in 2021.