J.Higgins 

Indeed I do. I turn 60 on 6-29-2018. I will be at the trailhead in Banff, straddling my bike, headed south on that day.

Snuts

I like-it!

J.Higgins 

I just have a yearning to do something significant for myself.

Snuts

What about 59, use the LHT?

-Snuts-

J.Higgins 

Going to do a few shakedown tours this summer, starting probably in June. I have to finish staining my siding and paint the trim as soon as those bloody blackflies leave. Those things will chew you alive.

Right now I have a decent routine of riding 18 miles to the hospital, which has a very excellent pool, hot pool, and gym. I ride to the gym. Lift weights. Ride back home. Thirty-six miles a day. Getting fit. I'll be gtg by the time the GDMBR becomes my reality.

Cyclist0108

Did you watch the movie? I just rented it on Amazon a couple of days ago. It was worth the $3 and time.

J.Higgins 

What's the title?

rickyk76

Ride the Divide. It's pretty motivating.

willibrord

Are you doing the Tour Divide race or the GDMBR tour?

J.Higgins 

I am going to tour the ACA's route maps, not racing it. racing is for young people. The only thing I race for is to the fridge for another beer.

GDMBR has two definitions. By the ACA, and Bikepacking.com its Great Divide Mountain Bike ROUTE, and by others who are not touring-inclined its, RACE. I'm figuring on 2-3 months, maybe more. Even more if I pedal from Antelope Wells to my buddy's house in Texas.

Snuts

3 months if you don't fix that 1 X11, (JOKE).

-Snuts-

J.Higgins 

Just found it and saved to my watchlist. I'll watch it tonight.

willibrord

Tour Divide is the race. GDMBR is the ACA route. The actual route differs in some respects, if you do the ACA route it doesnt count as the Tour Divide. Also if you do the Tour Divide you can't use racks/panniers or accept any support from anybody.

cyccommute 

Yes, but...

Some are better than others. Sheldon Browns is very, very old school. I find this one to be much more useful. It allows you to see the shifting pattern. It also allows you to quickly run through different scenarios. Perhaps it's best feature is that it allows you to compare two different gearing patterns and make changes to either one or both.

cyccommute 

This whole "simplicity of a 1x system" drives me batty! Even when I wasn't an old guy a bit older than you (I won't say how much), I would never have used a bike with a 21" low for unloaded off-road riding. It's hard on your knees and, personally, I'd rather pedal up something than push the bike up something...even if I'm only moving at walking speed.

Using the gearing calculator I just linked to, consider this comparison to your proposed gearing. This is the gearing I have on my off-road touring bike and, quite frankly, there have been times where the 17" gear is too high. I still had to walk most of Tin Cup Pass here in Colorado.

I have another crank that would allow me to drop that low to a 20 tooth inner gear which drops the low to 15" and, if I wanted, I have 11-36 9 cassettes that drop the low to about 14" if I want.

There is nothing more demoralizing, in my opinion, than having to slog a few miles up a hill on foot while pushing a bike.

chrisx

Good a plan as any!

another gear calculator
BikeCalc.com - Bicycle Gear Inches Chart

J.Higgins 

Just watched Ride the Divide. It was pretty good. Now I know that I will not be riding anywhere close to the daily distance those guys were doing.

chrisx

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...4&category=380
sometimes chain reaction is cheaper.
Groupsets | Chain Reaction Cycles

If it was me I would want a smaller gear inch.
I used to think 16.29 was not quite enough. I did not think that enoough to spend money.
Now I have 17.89, I have to spend money to get back to 16.29.
The shimano crank takes either 1 or 2 rings. Does the sram change from 1x to 2x by changing the chain rings only.
Shimano has regular and bost spacing.

sarahbruce

I just wanted to add some encouragement! I have been riding a bunch with a good friend that has an ECR and he loves it! I am definitely jealous... He bought the stock build. I think he has only changed out the stem, saddle, grips, and pedals. Of course he added on all the bags and rack. Our/his longest ride has been about 85miles with mostly dirt roads and trails.

Good Luck with everything!
Bruce

I added a pic of my buddies ECR for good measure-

J.Higgins 

You guys are starting to make me question my drivetrain selection now. The 32x11-46 was recommended to me from someone who has done the GDMBR a couple times, so that's the basis of my choice. I agree with you and Stuart that a smaller gear inch would be nice, but also I'll be traveling ultralight bikepacking-style, not with panniers and such. Since the parts are already ordered, I'll install them and ride a bit. Its very hilly where I live here, and a few rides up and over the mountain will tell me if my low is low enough. If that is the case, I'll adjust accordingly.

After watching the movie now, I remember seeing all of them pushing their bikes at one point, so that activity may just be de rigueur.

djb

To the fellow building up this ECR, do take these comments into consideration, as they are all spot on.
I can only reinforce cycco's view by giving you my experience as well which pretty much mirrors his--Ive toured on 25gi, realized it was too high back in 1991, changed it to about 21 which on paved roads in places with reasonable grades and carrying 35-40lbs was fine (did lots of mountain riding but in places that did not have hard hard gradients)
Another bike much later with about 21 also worked fine on the paved gradients in your neck of the woods, Vermont New Hampshire---but there were times that it was still too high and would like lower.
Another bike, old mtn bike, with 19gi that I had about 25lbs on while biking in Latin America on paved roads but whre you find yourself on 15%++ grades, it was ok but I knew that with more weight (ie camping stuff that I didnt have on that trip) I would want lower.

My latest bike, a Troll, has 16.7g.i. I believe, and riding it loaded with about 45lbs in Latin America with the crazy grades of 20% or so, worked really really well gearing wise--ie, I was in low gear a lot on this trip that I climbed over 125,000 feet.

It would seem realistic to me that on a route like the Divide, that you will be hitting lots of steep stuff, dirt and gravel on top of that, so do your knees a favor and look right away into a double crank setup that can get the gear inches down.

Another factor to mention is that I only weigh 135 so already this makes climbing easier for me being a lightweight. You are a bit older than I am also, although that may not mean much depending on the person.

bottom line is that with my Troll with 44/32/22, even in the 32 ring, with 2in tires and a 11t, I still can pedal up to about 30kph or 20mph, so any reasonable double setup will give you a range of rideable speeds that is completely within a REAL LIFE touring situation.
I put the emphasis on real life in that I feel being concerned about spinning out at 30 or 40kph just isnt an issue at all. I love, absolutely LOVE blasting down hills and around corners, but how well one can brake late and corner is where you are going to be fast, not being able to pedal at a 90 cadence at 60kph--which will only happen once in a blue moon, but the chances that your 60 yr old knees are asking for lower gearing will happen every every day, many times a day if you use a 21 g.i bike on a ride like the Divide.

Of course, only you know if what I just wrote is not true, but seriously, having lower gearing takes less out of you rather than lugging your legs like some poor car thats in third and not in first.

Being able to gear down and reduce the torque on your knees is the most important thing you can do to avoid knee issues and in my experience other leg muscle issues as well.
And dont forget, there will be days where you are feeling like ka-ka due to poor sleep, poor food, you've got a cold, you've just had the runs , whatever--and you will appreciate having that one or two lower gears that you dont use that often.

I will finish this by echoing Cycoos past comments on the often "macho" type attitude that gets bandied about with gearing by young, strong guys--it just aint smart to have too high gearing because young guys in bike stores poo poo it, and or the industry wants to go with a "fast" iimage.

again, you'll have to work out how you feel your bike is for a given amount/weight of gear and a given type of terrain you'll be riding on, but do take into account that for those times that you are not feeling at your strongest, having lower gears is a game changer, and will not slow you down at all--in fact in my experience, it in fact makes you faster and feel better overall by being able to be easier on your legs/knees when you need it.

long winded post, but I hope you take our points into consideration.

djb

you were writing your last thing while I was writing mine, so I didnt see it.

as you say, only you will know how it goes with the weight you have on your bike for the type of riding gradients you think you will be on.
Yes, we certainly get stronger as we are on a trip, but do try to imagine feeling crappy some days and being down on energy, this is a real thing that happens.

re getting stronger, on my recent trip, on one of my last days of riding, so after almost two months, I found myself on a paved road, great surface, but stupid steep, easily 20% sections, where I had to stand and put 100% into it AND weave back and forth to be able to pedal up it--16.7gi but a 80lb bike, 30 bike and probably 45 load ish). I bring this up because I was feeling good and had pretty darn good climbing legs by then.

as you say, the whole pushing/carrying thing probably is a realistic expectation for you, I personally will always prefer to ride than push, I find it easier and less energy taxing, but my touring experience is generally on paved stuff, and not anything like the Divide route. (it does make sense that with the Divide, being ultra light makes sense from the "pushing and lifting" point of view-even for regular non "racer" minded folks who want to go as fast as possible as long as possible)

john_mct

Good approach, and pushing is OK as it stretches the legs a bit and gives your bum a break. Gearing is an individual thing, some people like to stand and mash, some people like to sit and spin at walking speed no matter what the grade.

J.Higgins 

I want to thank you very much, dj, for taking the time to help me see the light. So now I'm thinking that I should get a 2x crank - with what tooth setup?

If I did the stock Surly ECR setup, which is a 22/36 crank, with the XT 11/46 cassette, my low would be 14.59 using this calculator: Bicycle gear inch calculator

Doable? What do you think? @cyccommute ? @chrisx ?

J.Higgins 

Well I just orderd new Sram X1 crank with 24/36 tooth. Coupled with my 11-46 rear, I should get 15.22 gear inches. Good?