disoriented wrote:

Monolith wrote:It will be cool to see the different setups used.

I've got a tent and sleeping bag sorted at a shade over 2.5kg. Still debating on bike though - I reckon a 29er hardtail with some carbon forks would be primo, but something like a 5" travel trailbike could also be good with the right tyres etc...

What tent/sleeping bag do you have as togther they seem really light , as my tent alone weighs about 2.1kg

Nothing too flash actually - having access to heaps of cool camping stuff does help. The tent is a Freedom Camping "Mono" at 1.7kg packed. The bag is a 750g jobbie, can't remember the brand. Tent RRPs @ $199, the bag at $159.

Depending on the bike a frame bag might be difficult to use, so the majority of my load* will be carried on a rack - not that it's very heavy, but just to get as much off my back as possible.

Given that it's summer one of those siltarps would be enough for shelter and you could rig it off your bike if there wasn't anything else to pitch it from. You could easily get a suitable one for under 0.5kg. Not so cheap though.

The extra comfort of a full tent won't be worth the weight - it rarely is.

There's another post on the Brevet blog http://www.kiwibrevet.blogspot.com/

If you take a tent, the weight will probably slow you down to the point where you are looking at the 8 day end of the finishing range. A seven day finish can probably be done with only one camping day (in the Molesworth). The fly or bivvy bag is looking like a good option, unless you really want to camp out and need the comfort of a tent to get a good sleep.

Looking over the route a bit more closely reveals some fairly grunty riding. Adding up the K's for each day, and possible places to buy food/water and sleep makes it even more tricky. While I can happily knock out 150km on a road bike with a few hills thrown in I reckon with some of the terrain included in the route it won't be so easy...

Monolith wrote::cool:

YFY! Can't wait...

You guys are mad - but I'm impressed! Also too soft to try riding up this unladen on a roadie, let alone all kitted up.

Saw a peak of 118l/100km on the Mazda with the boat on the back up there. She's a good hill.

Did some sums and have come up with a new estimate of the total distance (with the shorter route through private land north of Lees Valley now confirmed) it's looking close to 1065 km (not including detours for food, etc). Have ammended the 8-day schedule on www.kiwibrevet.blogspot.com accordingly. It's actually a 7-day schedule if everything goes right. There is only one really long day in there - 180km from Springs Junction to Jacksons, but that could be shortened by pushing through to Reefton the day before.

What are the offroad tracks like generally speaking---compared to say, Karapoti? As there is a fair amount of road, I'm leaning toward the cx bike for comfort, but don't want to risk smashing myself due to a lack of brakes or gear in the backcountry. The idea of a mtb handlebar for long distances is hardly appealing!

Hey Mike - Simon reckon's the Giant CRX you've seen me on would be OK for him, but not for me! I'm a bit "heavy" (weight, but more so riding style) on the bike offroad. I don't know much about the offroad sections, but my guess is that they're not as gnarly as Karapoti...

Cool. Thanks. I am so damn keen on this one! What about a ss with a couple of gear choices? I ran a 40/44 upfront with a 16/20 fixed/ freewheel on the Picton to Takaka epic I did last year and reckon that something along those lines may work. Or kill me! I reckon if the boys from way back could suffer over the cols of the TdF on heavier bikes with fixed gears, then I've got a fighting chance. I'll do it in honour of Harry Watson!

YANKEEHOTELFOXTROT wrote:Cool. Thanks. I am so damn keen on this one! What about a ss with a couple of gear choices? I ran a 40/44 upfront with a 16/20 fixed/ freewheel on the Picton to Takaka epic I did last year and reckon that something along those lines may work. Or kill me! I reckon if the boys from way back could suffer over the cols of the TdF on heavier bikes with fixed gears, then I've got a fighting chance. I'll do it in honour of Harry Watson!

A few SSers have done the Great Divide Race successfully (and competitively for that matter)! It's going to be a blast alright

Funnily enough, I've just been looking at David Benson's photos from the famous Italian vintage bike ride L'eroica. He did the 135km version (50% gravel roads and about 2500m of climbing) on his 50 year old Holdsworth. He saw a guy do the 205 km version in 10 hours - on a double sided SS hub bike (from the 20s). It would be cool to see someone finish on a singlespeed. It's certainly do'able. Not so sure about the fixie - you'd have to be prepared for a real painfest.

With regards to bike choice - a few people are going with CX or touring bikes. It's 50% sealed road and 40% gravel road, so this is a fine choice so long as you are light enough to run lowish tyre pressures on the gravel. You'll probably have a to walk a few k's, but that is a blessing in disguise after your backsides been pulverised for a few 12 hour days. The knarly bits are Maungatapu, Big River/Waiuta, and Wharfedale (described in Classic NZ MTB Rides).

Personal comfort is a funny old thing. I got drops put on my first MTB back in the 80s, but now I'll opt for MTB bars (with bar ends and aerobars) for the brevet. One thing for sure - comfort is critical. Go with a set-up you love on gravel roads and you'll be fine (most of the time).

Do it for Harry - the Mile Eater!

YANKEEHOTELFOXTROT wrote:Cool. Thanks. I am so damn keen on this one! What about a ss with a couple of gear choices? I ran a 40/44 upfront with a 16/20 fixed/ freewheel on the Picton to Takaka epic I did last year and reckon that something along those lines may work. Or kill me! I reckon if the boys from way back could suffer over the cols of the TdF on heavier bikes with fixed gears, then I've got a fighting chance. I'll do it in honour of Harry Watson!

That sounds absolutely mad. Good luck (which you'll defiantly need) if you go ss for the brevet.