Gearing up

[Kielyn]

Hey there,

I'm heading out on an 80 day expedition through the great divide mountain bike route starting in Banff and finishing in New Mexico. I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are on panniers vs trailer. I am riding a 2000 Rocky Mountain Thin Air with front suspension. My options are:

front and rear panniers

Front panniers with an IBEX BOB trailer

or just the trailer.

I would like to know what you suggest and why!

My other question is.. Has anyone attempted to cross the border with fuel in a stove fuel bottle? Or what about bear repellant or bangers? Just wondering about how much they are sticklers when crossing.

[cyclesafe]

It depends on how much gear you will have.  But if you can't fit it all in a trailer, you're likely taking too much.  If you haven't already tackled the challenge of fitting racks and you want to optimize for the Great Divide, the consensus seems that a BOB Ibex is your best bet.  Panniers can catch on brush and their weight put more stress on spokes.

If you have too much stuff for just the trailer, I'd also get front panniers.  Front racks for a sus fork either mount above the shocks (Tubus Swing) or on the shock itself (Old Man Mountain).  There are adherents of both designs.  Weight up front will give you better traction.  You might also want to consider puting a rack on the BOB wheel. 


If you still have too much stuff, I'd suppose that you could also get rear panniers, but if you're in that situation, you're going to spend alot of time walking - not riding - your bike.

From Canada to the US there is no problem with either a fueled stove or bear spray.  If you were going into Canada and if you're pressed, emphasize that the purpose of the product is to repel bears.  The Canadian customs officials seem, as a practical matter, to have some descretion here.     

 

[Westinghouse]

I have always used panniers in some 34,000 miles through nineteen countries, including going over the Rockies, the Alps, and many other lesser precipitous landforms; hills, hills, and more hills. I cannot say using panniers as opposed to a trailer will bring you some great advantage, or that a trailer is definitely better for such a tour than panniers, or for or against any combination of the two ways of carrying gear.  I can say that panniers, whatever their advantages or disadvantages may be, are just fine for what you have mentioned. I can say many journals I have read on CGOAB attest to the suitability of using a trailer. Which method would be best? I do not think I could say. If I were going to cycle the route you have mentioned here, I would overhaul my touring bike, put on two front panniers, two rear panniers, and a handlebar bag, and take off. I would also mention that I would do it that way because I already have all the gear, and it would not make sense at this point to buy new gear for some theoretical advantage.

If you use a trailer and panniers, keep the panniers over the front wheel. I mean, if you use a trailer that can reduce the load over the dished rear wheel, what is gained by then hanging panniers over the rear wheel? It is the rear wheel that takes the load. I remember clearly wearing out three rear tires to one front tire. I do not remember ever having even one broken spoke in a front wheel. I remember replacing many spokes in rear wheels. If a trailer reduces the load on the rear wheel, keep it that way.