Touring - Great Divide Trail

Does any body have any links to info about the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail. I just checked out the Adventure Cycling Assoc. website and found some good info. Is there any other site out there that could be usefull?
Thanks,
Scott

I don't have any websites you could check out but feel free to ask questions about the ride. I've ridden it twice. In 2001 I rode the entire route North to South and in 2001 I rode from Silverthorne,CO to the Mexican border.

I've been touring for over 40 years and I would say this was one of me favorite rides.

Jeff


Does any body have any links to info about the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail. I just checked out the Adventure Cycling Assoc. website and found some good info. Is there any other site out there that could be usefull?
Thanks,
Scott

What was your set up?
Trailer? Mt bike? Tough built tourer? What kinda tires?

Roger

Here (http://www.topofusion.com/divide/) is a good ride report on the GDR.

A search at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ will turn up a lot of info too.

I was also wondering about what type of bike to use. I just finished a tour in New Zealand on my Surley LHT and was wondering how it would handle the Great Divide Trail. I am sure there are some rough areas but it seems the majority is dirt road. I rode about 100 kms of dirt road in NZ and it worked well. I think if I put on some large 29 inch moutain bike tires on it may work out.

I have a full suspension mtn bike, but it looks like I would not need such a bike on the route. Would a hardtail mountain bike be better? Are the trails technical enough in places that the geometry of a mountain bike would be better to use than the touring bike, such as steep rocky climbs and decents?

Anyway, thanks for any opinions that you may have. :)

Here's the link on crazyguyonabike. It's a great read and I emailed him to get some info awhile back and he was very nice
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/page/?o=as&page_id=3384&v=0

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I've been starting to seriously consider doing the Great Divide this summer since it looks like I might be able to make the time off from work to do it. This will be my first bike tour, although I have done some kayak touring and other related activities, but I have a similar question about bike suitability for the route. I will need to get a touring-capable bike and have been wanting a Long-Haul-Trucker with the 26" wheels (54cm) and was wondering if there would be any reason I would seriously regret taking a bike like that on the Great Divide rather than a hardtail mountain bike. I would imagine that the longer chainstays would make climbing more difficult and the obvious lack of front suspension may beat me to death (but would seem better for hauling front panniers). I need advice from the more experienced bikers out there, so let me know what you think...

As I ALWAYS post - consider doing the CD Trail from South to North rather than North to South. Rain/Snow, Wet/Snowy ground, and (Less) Prevailing Winds suggest the above. Including two precip curves from Helena, MT and Grants, NM - higher elevations have even more precip - but the same general curve. What it comes down to is that it is often wet and chilly in mid June in Montana - but nice and dry by mid August. In New Mexico, June is the end of the dry season, by August the monsoon rains turn the clay roads into quagmires.

Best - J

Yeah, I lived in northern New Mexico for 6 years and can attest to the daily monsoons in July & August. I remember being literally scared for my life in a horrendous lightning storm and electing to sleep in my truck one night rather than try to walk the 50 feet to my little trailer on the Taos mesa through a torrential downpour and thick "Taos Mud". It sure is beautiful there. though! I'm still trying to figure out psychologically which direction would "feel" the best. Would it be kind of a let down to start out in the grand spendor of the Montana mountains and eventually end up in the more desolate stretches of New Mexico (although just as beautiful in their own way)? I have to admit that there is something about the idea of going North to South that would make me feel like I was going downhill in some way. Also, it would be kind of nice to be going the same direction as the majority of other riders (north to south, right?) so as to increase the possibility of running across other riders to chat with and maybe rider together for a day or two. There's a lot to think about, I guess.

Oh hey... I didn't realize people replied to this post.
Macha... I found a yahoo group that was full of info. Although it is rarely used by its users, when a question is asked two or three people did reply with usefull info. I found the crazyguyonabike journal that was quite usefull as well. Unfortunately for me, my priorities are different than when I posted the question, and getting a carreer and supporting my fiance/soon to be wife thru her final years of college are more important now. But you better bet that if I get a few months off and am financially sound I will be biking as much of it as possible. As far as the question about a LHT on the trail, I read a similar question during my research about doing it on a cyclocross bike. A trail oragnizer from Montana said it would be "possible" (kinda in the sence that a unicyle is a possibility as well). He felt that it was not very practical for the rockiness of the trail. I cant remember where I saw that quesion... maybe the adventure cycling association forum.
Good luck,
scott

Check out www.glaciercyclery.com

Search around the website and you can find info on what you are looking for.

I was also wondering about what type of bike to use. I just finished a tour in New Zealand on my Surley LHT and was wondering how it would handle the Great Divide Trail. ...

Anyway, thanks for any opinions that you may have. :)

I wouldn't have any reservations about using the Surly LHT on the Great Divide route. Especially the 54cm size with the 26" wheels. Most of the trail is apparently dirt road, with 2 track jeep roads, and some singletrack. I thing a fully rigid steel mountain bike, or a durable touring bike with 32c or 38c tires, would be best. Good 36 hole rims would be important. I don't think you would get much advantage out of a cross country suspension fork on a tour. Maybe a little on the washboard roads.

I'll be touring some dirt roads up to Cripple Creek, CO on a touring/cross bike, 700c wheels, with a Bob trailer. If that goes well, I'll try the Great Divide route. Not sure if I will use panniers or the Bob trailer.