Bulette

Spare spoke will be fixed to the chainstay; I broke a chain this season and last, and yes, bear country.


Definitely need a fresh comb. Paracord is in there -- plenty spare for clothesline, tent tie-outs, redundant gear-ties. I almost forgot my 99¢ button kit!


Lighter is an every-day-carry; spork and mug are for picnic and pack lunches (where available) and luxuries like cereal and milk. I do need to grab some travel size soaps and toothpaste before I go!


I do need to find a way to carry some chain lube. The cassette tool is a Unior, so no whip required -- but that thread is full of ideas. The hubs are cup and cone, the consensus seems to be that cup and cone can outlast cartridges if well cared for, so that's what I aim to do. Spreadsheets are so much more detached from the art of packing though! I terribly hate being cold, so the aim was to throw extra insulation at that anxiety. In reality, I don't expect temperatures much below freezing, and then only at night, when I should be comfortably settled in the 20F sleeping bag.

With these ideas in mind, I did my first full shakedown ride (I've been experimenting for weeks, but only ever 'risking' certain pieces of gear). For on-road touring, I was used to having enough extra pannier space to keep organized (as in my first list). Smaller panniers and more distributed pouches meant the idealized organization went just about by the wayside. The ride went well enough, 1,000 feet in about 10 miles of mixed surface. In addition to the base packing list, there was a liter of water in the frame pack and a liter in each pannier. Another 1.5 liters carries nicely in two feedbags.

The goal is to get from Grants, New Mexico to Glacier National Park along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, departing starting in about two weeks.




The revised packing list (and new organizational starting point).