Great Divide Bike

[nicholu]

hello, i am planing to ride the great divide route this summer. i've done some research by looking at various peoples trip logs. my biggest concern is what bike to bring. i've seen suggestions that its possible to do it on a mountain bike or cyclocross bike with no suspension. while others say you need a full-suspension bike. from what i can tell, its mostly (80%) dirt roads with 10% being pretty rough. right now i'm leaning in the direction of a cyclocross frame with front suspension and the widest tires that will fit.

my research has convinced me i will be walking part of the route no matter what bike i bring, so thats ok with me. however i don't want to walk the entire 10% which is rough. my last concern is that i'll probably be doing a fair amount of on-road riding, to get from the greyhound station to start and finish of the bike route, to get to various detours i plan on taking (like  seeing old faithful). so i don't want to bring suspension unless i have to. does anyone have any advice they can share with me?

[cyclesafe]

This topic has been discussed to death.

You need a mountain bike for gearing and for upright geometry so you don't endo on steep downhills.  You can use racks/panniers if you have mountings or if you want to use your dropouts with an Old Man Mountain rack.  You can also use a BOB trailer, with suspension or not.  Personal preference.

Front suspension on the bike is also personal preference, rear suspension is not necessary.

What you do need - and is never contested - are strong wheels, especially if you have racks / panniers.  Strong wheels usually mean 36 hole rims available from Velocity or Sun Ryno.

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

Quote: "This topic has been discussed to death."

Maybe, but things change. New bike models come out. Different techniques work for different people, and most importantly, new people ride the route every year, and they probably have new opinions to add based on their experiences.

Personally, any long-distance, primarily off-pavement ride (GDMR, L&C Lolo Trail, etc.) is best done with a mountain bike with at least front suspension and a suspension seat post if you are using a hard-tail, "because it's softer on your bum-bum." (Quote from Hannah on the Corps of Rediscovery, L&C 2002) You will need both strong wheels and a strong frame.

Ride safe,
Hans

St. Brendan's Travelers Bicycle Missions Team
www.stbrendans-spoke.org

[nicholu]

thanks for the information.