Adventurers Wanted

[Tchap]

Hey, you guys seem very well prepared. And the three of you look like a talented team. I am pretty sure that you guys are going to have a wicked good time! Please accept a true gesture of good will and sound advice, in this brief form: love the donkey, take the time and don’t swerve for squirrels.

 

[Tchap]

Hey, you guys seem very well prepared. And the three of you look like a talented team. I am pretty sure that you guys are going to have a wicked good time! Please accept a true gesture of good will and sound advice, in this brief form: love the donkey, take the time and don’t swerve for squirrels.

Oh, and be fiscally conservative, and neither a borrower nor a lender be…

 

[bryanchurch06]

Oh, and be fiscally conservative, and neither a borrower nor a lender be…

 

[imacbo]

Its going to be a blast and we will have a time of it! Up, over, around or though we'll make it.

 

[Tchap]

Do you guys expect significant travel through snow on your route? I’m not sure what you will expect to encounter, but I can fairly vouch for chains on the back tire for un-plowed road conditions, up to about 6” of snow. It’s do-able to make an effective and secure setup at home. Good on ice, too. Not for any high-angle snowy Passes, though. Might be too much exposure to risk. I can provide some tips on making those chains, if you want that.

 

[bryanchurch06]

Do you guys expect significant travel through snow on your route? I’m not sure what you will expect to encounter, but I can fairly vouch for chains on the back tire for un-plowed road conditions, up to about 6” of snow. It’s do-able to make an effective and secure setup at home. Good on ice, too. Not for any high-angle snowy Passes, though. Might be too much exposure to risk. I can provide some tips on making those chains, if you want that.

Any information is good, never know when you're going to need it, thanks

 

[Tchap]

Any information is good, never know when you're going to need it, thanks

Ok, I’ll put my thoughts together on the subject, and maybe post something on the mods and accessories page. Chains are heavy to carry, really just for specific conditions. Plus you can hopefully ride around any bad or dangerous spots!

 

[bryanchurch06]

Packing attempt #11006 I have everything I need to repair, maintain, replace temporarily or patch the bike to the best of my ability in the case. Although I'm already thinking of taking the tools out and putting them in a toolbag on the center rack, any guesses on how many times I'll repack this gear in the next 3 weeks? Closest to a million wins? Anyway my plan is to place my tent between the case and seat, and put my tusk duffel on top of everything with my fuel bladder either on top of or mounted to the side of it. I should have slightly less than the weight of a small cow on the rack when I'm done and should result in some spectacular wheelies on uphill climbs, I'm not a picky man when it comes to religious beliefs so prayers from all beliefs will be thankfully accepted.

 

[bryanchurch06]

I've made a concession for my wife, she insisted from the start I shouldn't ride from SD to NM to start the trail and pushed me to rent a truck to haul the bike, so today I reserved a small uhaul to ease her mind about the trip, she was very worried about me being hit by a truck or car on the backroads. Happy wife, less nagging, happy Bryan

 

[brbo]

Just got my kenda k262 275x17 today the 300x17 will be here tomorrow,

Comments, opinions on you Kenda tires ?

 

[bryanchurch06]

Sadly I've not run them yet, I was going to wait until I got to Las Cruces now I'll put them on this weekend and post the results.

 

[SneakyDingo]

I've made a concession for my wife, she insisted from the start I shouldn't ride from SD to NM to start the trail and pushed me to rent a truck to haul the bike, so today I reserved a small uhaul to ease her mind about the trip, she was very worried about me being hit by a truck or car on the backroads. Happy wife, less nagging, happy Bryan

Was it a 15 ft? If it was the 10 ft box you'll have to figure out how to get the bike up from the ground into the back. Only the 15 ft comes with the loading ramp.

 

[bryanchurch06]

Was it a 15 ft? If it was the 10 ft box you'll have to figure out how to get the bike up from the ground into the back. Only the 15 ft comes with the loading ramp.

10ft I'll use my ramp at home and bribe you with treats to help me unload it there

 

[SneakyDingo]

Fair. At some point it does become cheaper to rent the smaller box truck and build a temporary, disposable ramp from Home Depot. Just gotta pay attention to that load rating by length.

 

[bryanchurch06]

Got my room reserved

 

[bryanchurch06]

Imacbo we are spending the 30th in Las cruces and moving to Deming LA Quinta inn on the 31st, that puts us 60 miles closer to starting point for the 1st

 

[SneakyDingo]

As did I. I'm classifying everything before the actual start date as "getting to the start line" and not the actual trip, because the reality is that if you're from New Mexico vs. from Australia, that number is going to change a lot.

To give people an idea, flight + hotels + shipping the bike so far from Seattle is $1,218. This was with a first class ticket and a nice hotel, not the cheapest options. This was always going to be an expensive part of the trip, just getting to the start line. I want to start the trip off well rested, which is a kind of "pay money for safety by reducing fatigue" moment. Expenses after this point are expected to be lower.

That might sound like a luxurious expense moment over the DIY approach, but for reference, I spot checked multiple times the equivalent using a 10 ft box truck without the ramp.

• The cheapest rate is to Albuquerque, NM is $1,574.00, adds 275 mi of riding (a day of riding basically) and does not include the cost of fuel making it $1,974 actual cost before lodging
• Driving all the way to Deming is $2,142.00 (before fuel), incurs a slightly higher fuel penalty and saves a day of riding.
• Being mindful of state borders influencing costs, going to El Paso, TX was nearly $2,600 (before fuel), had an even higher fuel penalty, and added 2-3h of riding to the start line.

 

[bryanchurch06]

My uhaul rate with insurance not including fuel is 1034.00 so by the time I pay fuel and lodging our costs are comparable.

 

[SneakyDingo]

Yup, I think we had a quick chat about this back when we first started discussing the adventure. The only question was whether I should have the bike sent to you in SD followed by flying there, or have it sent to the start line. I even had somewhere to stay lined up in your town through the most random-of-random personal connections.

PS: Bring extra straps, or I'll have to ride to Deming intead!

 

[bryanchurch06]

Going to ride to Deming anyway, have to turn in uhaul in Las cruces