Sorry, no on-bike shot, as old timers struggle to hold you young bucks



Cino 2019 host (r), with a former event videographer



Event host - with a most wonderful woman

Just so you know what you're getting in to...



Day 1


Day 2

Looks like fun. As a flatlander, I try not to head over 6,000 ft without a day or two to get used to it. The altitude won't be a problem, the gravel and the climbing will but that's the fun part right? If I go, I'll be sorely tempted to bring my gravel grinder (a '93 Bridgestone XO-2 with 26 x 1.75 tires and a triple crank) even though it's not exactly vintage.

Hmmm, no direct flights into Kalispell, but Missoula's a short flight away...All day drive from Portland doesn't make sense...seems like I'd come up with a solution for something like this before...

I never realised how close Kila is to the Alberta border and I can fly directly to Calgary for a decent price... might have to try and make this the year I do this ride, I loved southern Alberta when I was there in 2017...

The graphs are great [MENTION=133818]Choke[/MENTION]
For those contemplating the Cino,
assuming the route matches 2016,
the following observations are offered.
1. tires
In dry conditions, 32mm (small knobs) was more than enough for my 200# carcass. Almost no soft sand anywhere in 2016.
In wet, ….well I guess it depends = How wet? How long ago? Rain on Event Days?
2. gearing
pick your medicine, spin or grind or walk. Only you know.
3. distance, considering 1 sustained climb each day.
Approach the ride as four 25milers in 2 days, with lunch break (& others), with an overnight hot springs spa location.
Pretty cush, except for 1 climb a day., BUT...
4. Remember …. all that downhill means - 'whole lotta skaking goin on' - tighten down all those bolts and screws, headsets, cranks and pedals.

Don't forget the sunscreen, just in case. 2015 was sunny and WARM.

Going to the Sun road is a great, great bike ride for sure. I was lucky when I did it as there was still snow on the top so that cars were not allowed up the road. I couldn't do the complete ride but I was able to ride up it (from the western side) without having to deal with cars.

I rode through the Crowsnest past and over to Cranbrook in 2017, also was in Waterton Lakes and wanted to go into Glacier Park but didn't have my passport. If I come out I would like to plan to spend a bit more than a weekend in the mountains, I love that part of the world.

At my first Cino, I had three chainring bolts work themselves loose and fall out. I didn't notice it (though I did notice that I was having shifting trouble) but fortunately Sunday morning DD noticed it and he and Northbend pointed me to a guy, who's name I can't recall, who had a box full of spares. Those bolts got a drop of Loctite once I was home.

On the tire subject, I've ridden Cino twice with tires that measured 26mm wide. While it is better on wider tires, I had no problems with the smaller ones.

That was Spokane Dave. He brought a huge kit of spares that year after having to cut his ride short the year before because he'd lost the top of his seatpost when it rattled loose

Yeah, he definitely wasn't happy about that.

1 - I ran 28's and it worked well. There were a couple of spots with a little deep gravel but I got through it. I also ran pretty high pressures. The second day on the last downhill to the finish it started pouring rain and that dirt road got pretty greasy. The only flat I had all weekend happened after I got to that last bit of pavement.

2 - there were times I was definitely wishing for a little lower gear on the long climb the second day. For the most part, though, 52-42 and 14-28 worked well

3. The breaks were well spaced as were the coolers with refreshments on the side of the road.

4 - isn't this the truth. I pulled the brake cable liner through the housing on the front brake on the first day long washboard descent which basically made the brake useless. Lost some tension on the rear derailleur that day too and had to tension it back up with Roger M's help that evening before heading out the next day.

Cino changed my life! A little iffy if I can make it out there this year. The Coppi event more likely. Thanks for keeping this alive Dave! Still have to do the return ride...

Cino...

Damn, that's some big sky...

Yeah I did the northern tier in '97 and cross the state. It is beautiful. There is a whole lot of nothing on HW 2 crossing the state but the views of the sky were phenomenal. I rode my 1983 Trek 720. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I much prefer the scenery in the southwest corner of the state. Biked all over that area when I was a teenager. Best ride was Livingston to Billings ,and back, in a weekend with a good friend of mine.

Yeah I'm thinking about doing both as well . . .

Are you worried that you don't have enough bikes?



I'm thinking my Peugeot PR 10 would be the perfect bike for this with the right wheels and gearing. I'll bet that frame will take a 700 x 35c tire no problemo and I'll run a "compact" stronglight 99 on it to get some uber low gears to keep my knees happy.

It would be "cheating" but it would be fun taking a "vintage" MTB on this ride. Old MTBs make ace gravel bikes with nice plush tires, cantilevers, and lots of gearing. Honestly as I look at that elevation profile, the idea of a vintage MTB starts to look more and more appealing, .

Come to Montana. Be a part of this.
You won't regret it.

Definitely cheating, although a couple of guys were on them in '16 who had their MTBs 'grandfathered' in from previous rides when the rules weren't so exclusive. I remembered one guy who just blew past me on one washboardy downhill section. I was being a little cautious (not something I'm known for, when gravity is to my advantage) on my 32mm tires; I was getting bounced around a bit. He was riding cushy on huge tires and a suspension fork.

Overall, I think 35mm tries would be the sweet spot for me, at a little over 200lbs these days, but I might ride my '72 Nishiki Semi-Pro, which is already comfortably shod with 38's.



For 95% of this ride, fat knobby tires is just way overkill, IMO.