For riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route you definitively need a bike and gear. These are available for any budget. As often, the budget will mainly decide upon quality, weight, and size. I have tried to re-use as much as possible but definitely had to buy quite some stuff. The items listed on this page are based on my criteria and decisions. Other persons might come to other conclusions.
Bike
For this adventure, I have bought myself a new bike. I was already into mountain biking and thinking for a while to get a new bike. I already own a (somewhat older) fully but was eager to get a hardtail again. Combining this with my GDMBR plans, I decided that I wanted a lightweight hardtail MTB. To be more precise, I wanted a titanium bike. Looks great and should provide some additional comfort (if properly build). And so the search began … In short, COVID, no bikes available, found a frame and assembled the bike myself. In the end, I ended up with a better bike for a lower price compared to full-build shop models. Happy me. For riding the GDMBR I changed my default (carbon) handlebar and stem with a more comfortable handlebar (more backsweep), and I also changed the pedals from clipless only to a clipless / flat pedal combination.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Frame | Pilot Primum Aerospace grade 5 and grade 9 db titanium, size L |
| Fork | Rockshox SID SL Ultimate |
| Wheels | Specialized Roval Carbon Control |
| Tires | Continental Cross King ProTection 29 x 2.2 |
| Brakes | BR-M8100 – SHIMANO DEORE XT Hydraulic Disc Brake |
| Crankset | FC-M8100-1 – SHIMANO DEORE XT HOLLOWTECH II MTB Crankset 175 mm Q-Factor 1×12-speed |
| Chainring | SM-CRM85 – SHIMANO DEORE XT Chainring 12-speed – 34t |
| Chain | CN-M8100 – SHIMANO DEORE XT 12-Speed MTB Chain |
| Rear derailleur | RD-M8100-SGS – SHIMANO DEORE XT Rear Derailleur 1×12-speed |
| Shifting Lever | SL-8100-IR – SHIMANO DEORE XT Right Shift Lever I-SPEC EV 12-speed |
| Cassette | CS-M8100-12 – DEORE XT M8100 Series – 10-51T |
| Stem | Alu stem |
| Handlebar | Ritchey Comp Kyote |
| Grips | Ergon GP1 BioKork Grips |
| Inner bar ends | Zoom 408043 |
| Seat post | Thor carbon, 31.6, 400mm |
| Saddle | Pro Stealth Offroad |
| Pedals | Shimano PD EH500 SPD (clipless & flat pedal combined) |
| Cages | Topeak Versacage (2x; fork); Blackburn Comp Cage (1x; downtube) |
| Front light | (will use a headlight) |
| Rear light | Sigma Nugget II |
Of course, the bike also needs bags. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to carry all the gear.
| Bag | Description |
|---|---|
| Frame bag | Relevate Ranger L (fits perfectly) |
| Saddle bag | Acepac Saddle bag harness and drybag – 16 liter combo |
| Handlebar bag | Acepac Bar Harness Drybag combo – 16 liter combo |
| Bar bag | Acepac Bar Bag |
| Bottle- / Cockpit- / Feed bag | Acepac Fat Bottle Bag |
| Tank- / Fuel bag | Acepac Fuel Bag Large |
| Fork bags | Sea to Summit EVAC, grau, 8-Liter |
| Tool bag | Blackburn Outpost Roll |
| Zip-lock bags | Few bags in several sizes |
Gear
Plenty of gear is required. But for me, it comes down to a few categories: camping, clothing, tools, spares, and miscellaneous.
| Camping | Description |
|---|---|
| Tent | Naturehike – Star River 2 |
| Sleeping pad | Klymit Insulated Static V Lite |
| Sleeping bag | Nomad Taurus 500 Mummy |
| Sleeping bag liner | Decathlon Silk MT500 |
| Pillow | none (use bags, clothes) |
| Stove | Jetboil Flash |
| Bowl | Silicone round foldable bow |
| Cutlery | Titanium spork |
| Knife | OPINEL N°08 Outdoor Brown / Green |
| Lighter | small one |
| First-Aid kit | Kit Needle & Threat Safety pins Scissors Tweezers Survival Blanket Pain killers, etc. |
| Headlight | LE Lighting Ever 150lm USB recharge white / red |
| Rope | 15 meter / 5 mm |
| Water filter | Sawyer Squeeze (regular) |
| Water treatment | Aquatabs (50) |
| Water blatter | 2x Platypus Platy 2.0L Bottle & 1x Sawyer 1.0L |
| Toothbrush + paste | Travel size tube and normal brush |
| Deodorant | Odorex |
| Biodegradable Soap (hair/body/dish) | LIFEVENTURE All Purpose Soap 100ml |
| Sunscreen | Nivea 30 50ml tube |
| Moisturizing creme / skincare | Nivea Protect & Care 75ml tube |
| Chamois cream | Elite Ozone Protect Cream Chamois |
| Razor / trimmer | Philips OneBlade Face + Body QP2630/30 |
| Towel | Decathlon Microfiber 60x80cm |
| Wet wipes | A few to start with |
| Ear plugs | LIFEVENTURE Silicone Travel Ear Plugs |
| Toilet paper | A bit to start with |
| Clothing | Description |
|---|---|
| Underwear | Decathlon MT500 merino Boxer SmartWool Merino Sport 150 Boxer Craft Greatness Bike Boxer |
| Socks (all merino) | SmartWool Run Zero Cushion Low Ankle Socks Icebreaker Men’s Multisport Light Micro Socks SmartWool Cycle Zero Cushion Ankle Socks |
| Baselayer (shirt, long sleeve) | Decathlon Merino MT500 |
| Baselayer (long john) | Decathlon Merino MT500 |
| Shirt | Shimano transit polo Gore Wear Explore Merino |
| Short | 2x Decathlon trekking |
| Puffy jacket | Decathlon MT100 |
| Wind jacket | Castelli Squadra Stretch sleeveless |
| Rain jacket | AGU Essentials Go |
| Rain pants | AGU Essentials Go |
| Sunglasses | Decathlon |
| Buff | Decathlon Merino MT500 |
| Headcover | Baseball cap (sun) Hat (cold) Castelli Sumer Skullcap |
| Gloves | Giro (fingerless) Decathlon (full) Decathlon mittens (waterproof mittens) |
| Helmet | Specialized Ambush |
| Knee warmers, arm warmers | Grip Grap UV 50 protection sleeves (arms) Pearl Izumi Elite Thermal (knee warmer) |
| Bike shoes | Shimano MT7 (laces only) |
| Shoe cover (rain) | Pearl Izumi PRO Barrier WxB |
| Off-bike shoes | Adidas Cloudfoam Flip-flops |
| Tools | Description |
|---|---|
| Individual Allen keys | 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Hex key | T25, T15? |
| Pump | Mini pump + Genuine Innovations Microflate Nano CO2 |
| Spoke wrench | Radon Spoke Wrench Pro One 3.2/3.3/3.5/4.0 |
| Cleaning brush & cloth | Old toothbrush + old shirt |
| Brake lock | Shimano spacer |
| Freehub tool | Unior Bike Tools Pocket Spoke and Freewheel Remover Wrench (small ring) |
| Valve core | small removal tool |
| Tire plugger + bacon | no brand |
| Tire lever | Pedros |
| Sealant | Small bottle (2x) |
| Chain lube | Finish Line Cross Country Chain Lubricant |
| Duct tape | Around pump |
| Zip ties | 8x |
| Glue | Small tube superglue |
| Spares | Description |
|---|---|
| Derailleur Hanger | Titanium hanger for Pilot Primum |
| Spokes & nipples | DT Swiss Competition race (SP: 2.0/16./2.0), DT Swiss Pro Lock Hex Alu nipples |
| Spare spoke | FiberFix Spoke |
| Spare chain | CN-M8100 – SHIMANO DEORE XT 12-Speed MTB Chain (correct length) (No idea about availablity on-route due to worldwide logistics issues) |
| Quick link(s) for chain | Shimano 12s quick links (2x) |
| Shifter cable | Jagwire |
| Brake pads | 2 sets (1 resin & 1 metal) |
| Inner Tube | Conti MTB 29 light |
| Tube patch kit | TT02 Tour patch kit |
| Tube valve | 2 spares cores |
| Tire boots | Parktool emergency tire boots |
| Valve adapter | Stan’s NoTubes Presta-to-Schrader valve adapter |
| Bolts | A few different sizes |
| Electronics | Description |
|---|---|
| Phone | Samsung S9 |
| Camera + tripod | Sony a6000 |
| Powerbank | Anker PowerCore 13.000 mAh Anker PowerCore 10.000 mAh |
| Charger | JOOMFEEN USB (4 ports) + Samsung (spare) |
| Power outlet converter (EU>US) | Hama travel plug USA Type A + kwmobile |
| USB cables | USB-A <> USB-C (phone, tablet) USB-A <> USB-B mini (powerbank, garmin, headlight, rearlight, camera) USB A to USB C converter (connect camera to tablet) |
| Bike computer | Garmin Edge 830 |
| Tablet | Lenovo Ideapad 3 (chrome tablet) |
| Satellite tracker (emergency) | SPOT tracker Gen 3 (+ spare batteries) |
| Miscellaneous | Description |
|---|---|
| Pen & paper | Pen + small booklet |
| Paper maps | (Left at home, too heavy and bulky, took photos and I have official GPX files) |
| Bear Spray | To be bought in Banff |
| Stove fuel | To be bought in Banff |
| CO2 canister (2x) | To be bought in Banff |
| Insect Repellent | To be bought in Banff (better compared to NL products) |