AZT & GET gear reviews

photo by MC

I don’t write (or talk) much about gear. I’m not really sure why. But lately I’ve been quite pleased with my bike and overall setup. The less I have to think about my bike and gear the better, and besides a few recent improvements (going tubeless mainly) and some last minute repairs (stripped pedal threads on a crank arm) my bike and setup have been pretty invisible to me.

Lenz Leviathan (3″ version) – Start out with the most important part — the bike. I’ve had my Lev for a year and a half now, and it’s seen thousands of miles and about a dozen multi-day trips. I’ve done nothing (absolutely nothing) to my Reba and the DT rear shock, and they are still ticking. Frame, pivots, bushings, etc — still the same ones and all still good. The shock linkage started squeaking once, but disassembling a few things and squirting some chain lube cleared that up. This bike has been both the most reliable and most fun / comfortable bike I’ve ever owned.

I can’t really imagine touring with a hardtail anymore. Well, I can imagine it, but I don’t imagine it’d be nearly as fun.

Big Wheels – It goes without saying that I’m a big 29er fan. I just find riding to be more fun on a 29″ wheel’d bike. That’s more than enough for me. I get all my wheels from Mike Curiak at lacemine29.com. I’m trying to think if I’ve ever even trued a hand built MC wheel. I used to have all sorts of trouble with wheels, but not since I went with Mike.

I recently had him lace up a pair of Stans Arch rims for use tubeless. My bike completed the AZT 300 still in tubeless mode (with Dry-X tires), which is a pretty good testament. But I’m still experimenting with sealant combos. So far it seems like a mix with mostly Stan’s seems to be the way to go.

Mountain Feed Bag by Epic Ride Research. I ran two of these little devils for the AZT 300 and one during the GET. I can’t say enough good things about them. Easy access to food (and batteries). Simple design and attachment. Doesn’t get in the way or block sight lines. I was surprised how much food I can shove into them, and it’s a great way to get more weight onto the bike. I’ve never been too happy with all my other handelbar / stem bags, but these are perfect!

Carousel Design Works Seat Bag – I store my sleeping bag and bivy in this handsome little pack. Two years ago, Jeff was alarmed when I told him I was shoving my sleeping bag in there (and barely getting it to close / cinch). But now everyone is doing it. This bag makes the need to run a rear rack questionable at best. I sure haven’t been missing my rack.

Osprey Talon 22 – Most comfortable pack I’ve used. Hard to imagine a way to improve it, though I’m sure I’ll end up with something newer ./ “better” in the future. It’s got more capacity than I need, but I always find the extra space useful to jam full of food or other random things I end up buying in town (gatorades, full bags of chips, etc). These packs are very popular with multi-day racers, and for good reason.

Garmin eTrex VistaCX – Solid GPS. I miss the larger screen and easier to operate controls of the 60CS-series units. But the smaller size, lack of battery shut-off and better handlebar mounting system are good trade-offs. The best part of the newer units is the “Log data to data card” feature. No need to crank down the tracklog resolution for multi-day trips — I can keep it at “Auto-Detailed” and just copy the GPX files off the data card when I’m done. Finally — full resolution tracks!

Garmin Topo 2008 DVD – at last, an upgrade to the topo basemaps for the GPS units themselves. These maps are still too clutzy (IMO) to use on a PC, but they are a great improvement over the original Mapsource maps. Contour lines are at 100′ intervals instead of ~333′. More waypoints (I was amazed to find a number of springs and tanks marked and named while exploring the GET).

It’s almost like having a topo map on the GPS. I felt like I had a much better understanding of the terrain and the routing of the trail ahead while on the GET.

Things are looking even better in this department. A number of independent (yay!) developers are piecing together high resolution DEM data and GIS layers to form their own statewide Mapsource maps. They are free, though I suggest donating some money for their hard work.

Here’s AZ:

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/1/

note: currently the roads in Pima county are off. I’ve already contacted the devs to see if they think it’s easily fixed

And CO, MT, UT, WY:

http://www.miscjunk.org/mj/mp_main.html

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disclosure – I’m not sponsored by anyone — by choice. I have gotten some good (or free) deals, but those were purely from generosity or the desire to get their products “out there.” In other words, I’m not obligated to say anything (good or bad) about anything.

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The rules may be changing a little. Paula and I are contemplating an ambitious trip this summer, and it promises to challenge my current gear carrying system. Basically, I’m going to need to carry more — but how? A longer trip and “living” off the bike dictates more stuff. As much as I hate to admit it, I may be mounting up a rear rack to the Lev after all.

The important thing is getting out there and grabbing the opportunity. The how is less important. I’m pretty excited that Paula’s game for a big trip this summer. Four years ago we toured the Divide together and it was a great trip. We’ve both learned a lot since then, and I think this trip promises to be even better.