Rigs of the 2024 Tour Divide Breakdown: An Analysis of Trends, Tire Sizes, and More
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- last week we published our Rigs of the Tour Divide series, and over the past week, I took the first 100 submissions and plugged them into a spreadsheet to get a clearer picture of these rigs. In this video, Neil Takes a deep dive into the data to find out where people are from, the types of bikes, tires, and cargo setups they're using, their gearing choices, and plenty more.
This video was supported by Tailfin. Learn more about their bags and accessories here: www.tailfin.cc/?...
Outline:
Intro - 0:00
Riders - 0:38
BIkes - 3:21
Drivetrain - 5:03
Tires - 6:57
Cargo - 8:24
Random Bits - 9:55
Mentioned Links:
2023 Stats - bikepacking.com/bikes/2023-ri...
2024 Rigs of Flat Bar - bikepacking.com/bikes/2024-to...
2024 Rigs of Drop Bar - bikepacking.com/bikes/2024-to...
Do you enjoy our videos, routes, and articles? Help sustain this resource by joining the Bikepacking Collective: bikepacking.com/join/?...
#bikepacking #pedalfurther
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::About The Host::
Neil Beltchenko ( / neil_beltch.. )
Geometry: 150lbs, 5'9.5", 32" inseam, +2.5" Ape index - บันเทิง
I’m curious what saddles they are using.
As a 54 year old kiwi a big shout out to the 50+ participants and the 21 kiwis in the race - not bad from a country of only 5m people!
Big scene happening there!
the tour aotearoa must be a bit of a feeder event for this sort of thing.
a kiwi?
@thedingoman search the internet for who is a kiwi person.
@@thedingoman kiwi is what New Zealanders call themselves (a kiwi is our national bird)
Shout out to the person using the paper map!
The only time I get excited by excel.
Nice statistics! I would add some numbers about the ones who finished and what they used, in order to get the most effective stuff
You know the 2024 edition is still going right 😂?
@@TheBikeChallenge I'm not following the event, so it's an idea for a future video 😉
Yes. We want to know puncture rate per tire model!
so, to summarize, the average rider is using a salsa cutthroat, vitoria mezcal 29x2.25, mechanical 1x12 sram drivetrain with 34t chainring and a tailfin rear rack, and aero bars.
That seems like a good setup! :)
That's actually darn close to my Kona RoveDL
Would be cool to know mechanical failure numbers from flats to racks and everything in between. Chains, tires, clips, derailleurs, gear, bottom brackets blah blah blah. One thing to see the gear they use. Another to see how it holds up. What spare parts do they carry. I lost a bottom bracket on a gravel ride. Who carries a spare bottom bracket
@DaleH2o I had a brand new BB seize up on me road touring, never wet, and clean bike. Outboard bearings can seize up if they are over tightened when installed, happens frequently on new bikes. Also carbon frame BB's sometimes are out of specification roundness, and if they are press-fit BB's they will fail. I've road tour across the U.S. three times: two flats, one BB fail, one broken spoke, no other problems. Rode half of the Great Divide, 1,400 miles, zero flats, no mech problems, replaced a worn chain. ☮
More importantly the terrain/mud/weather conditions when they failed... Oh wait thats going to be impossible. And usually the only reason things fail 🫠 in 'perfect conditions' you cant go wrong with either brand of drivetrain.
Please interview the Burley trailer racer when this race is over, surely there will be valuable information to learn from.
Seconded! I’m trailer-curious and would love to know how it handles long term off-road.
Definitely pros and cons, seems like you’d adjust but would need to pay attention
Manuel Schürholz ran one on the Tuscany Trail a few years back. Search "Bombtrack Bicycles Inside the Tuscany Trail" for details.
I used a BoB Ibex trailer on GDMBR in 2018. It was a wonderful solution to keeping wife and I at near same % of body weight. If we evenly split gear she would have bike and gear at nearly 70% of her 110 pound naked weight. By me carrying more than half of our stuff got her bike and gear to about 50% of her weight. But me plus most of the gear for two people would have been extra harsh on my tires and bike would not handle well. The single wheel trailer distributes load over one more tire, at a lower CG, and aerodynamically better than going wider with side bags. Downside of course is that trailer is additional weight. But some of that penalty was mitigated by one large bag weighing less than the sum of a collection of bags. I advocate for suspension on trailer if it is a small wheel. The suspension provides compliance that reduces the forward energy loss of roots, rocks, and surface mis matches. If I was going myself to enter Tour Divide I would carry my minimalist gear directly on my Surly ECR. However, my BoB provided an effective solution for keeping wife and I matched for pace and daily range.
The trailer did cause me some lost time because it invited superior “experts” to want to school me for having more stuff than I could fit on my bike frame. Over the weeks my polite listening got shorter and shorter for me to interrupt their class with the point that I’m carrying for two.
Padded shorts vs no pad?
Holy smokes man that's some effort you put into this video. I know stats can be an ordeal to fumble through and form into something that makes sense. Thanks for that!
Fascinating numbers. Shocked to see steel as such a low % of overall, and so many full squish.
I’m more surprised by the carbon %
One person using maps. You should really interview them.
I hope all the others have paper maps AND the ability to use them….technology is great until it fails, and it always does at the most awkward time 😂
Can you analyze which bikes actually finished at the end? It's nice to see what started, but what's most interesting are the bikes that make it through
I actually could do that, if enough people want to see it…
@@BIKEPACKINGcom I love the idea, In the past, I have always tried to look at the different setup based on the ranking.
I was wondering if we would get one of these this year, thanks for putting it together! I would love to see a breakdown of these as well:
-Employment (are they students on break from school, retired, business owner, saved up PTO, sabbatical, stay at home mom or dad etc.
-Chamois vs. no chamois -Hydration with bottles vs. hydration pack vs. combination
-With clipless and flat pedals, what brand or cleat system do they use
Yes!
Would love to see someone ask the riders at the finish line if they would use the same bike setup again
A video comparing all the equipment choices made to the finishing positions attained might be interesting. Does an items popularity correlate with success?
Looks like I'm going to have to enter next year so Louisiana gets some representation!! :D
Awesome geeked out video!
Would also love to see even more in depth live coverage of the race.
Concerning the Singlespeedratios, since I find them hard to compare:
42x20: 2.1
38x19: 2.0
34x18 = 1.89
32x17 = 1.88
So the majority (5) use a primary ratio of about 1.9, while 2 use larger ratios.
With my Rohloff hub, I would be going for something like 38x16, so my 10th (13.6% between each gear) gear would be about 2.0. Those guys really grind big gears, I am impressed.
Great breakdown, would be interesting to filter and revisit on the finishers bikes and look for trends in kit failure
How many people have used tubeless systems? Thank you for your answer
I'd be shocked if it wasn't 100%
Thanks for doing these videos and breakdowns Neil. I may not ever do the Divide but my I've drawn inspiration from the rigs (yes... I run Mezcals) and directly from these breakdowns. Cheers!
Mezcals very popular in uk
It would be interesting to know how many pairs of bibs they are taking with them. Is everyone using bibs ?
How about a breakdown between who has a tent or a bivy on the Tour Divide. Also who takes a stove and who does not.
The uner 20 years guy caught my attention :)
Interesting! Would love to compare results from the finish. And also see how trends have changed over the years.
Great to see Bob make an appearance. Maybe he should call in as an on the ground correspondent, reporting on the divide. Idk, I feel like he'd have something to say
I have one for you to expand this amazing knowledge. What chain lube are riders using?
Front suspension travel would be an interesting addition to the stats.
They mentioned it. The chart said HT with suspension
I'd guess a lot around 100mm or less.
Yeah I was surprised by how many riders, including many of the most competitive racers, are running front shocks. I rode the GDMBR without them and rarely was on terrain when I would have wanted them. I did use them on the CTR and in that context they make sense. For comfort, sure why not. But Im curious why young pros racing to break the record run them. Maybe Im discounting their benefit and worrying too much about the weight penalty?
@@JohnBruno13 comfort trumps weight over that kind of distance
Absolutely love watching and such a fantastic insight in to the Tour as ever. Thanks.
Saddle would be super interesting
I'd like to know preferences for where people carry water.
Awesome analysis Neil!! Thank you!
Kudos for the paper map bro.
Want to know the portion using Electronic vs Mechanical Shifting.
Very nice stat. Applause for the effort
Very intetesting data. Thank you very much!
You are an outstanding communicator….sharp, witty,….hey! Are you the next David Letterman? I’m a proud Chumba owner….came into bikepacking late in life….after I retired from dual careers: Navy Officer and federal wildlife law enforcement officer. I always enjoy--and learn from--your videos. Thank you. Stay safe while out there riding, mi hermano!
Love seeing the analysis and trends! I'm really interested in what lube(s) people carry with them.
Really interesting. Thanks Neil.
Thanks for compiling all these stats, super interesting! Dispursed bags look so good! I especially liked the titanium bike with blue and black bags
The vedio is very intersrting! I can learn lots things from the vedio!
I would be interesting to compare where different setup finish. I know it's very rider dependent but we are bike nerds after all!!
I am very impressed by the age of participants. Quite motivating! (I'm 35)
I'm curious about what kind of set-up the winner circuit (maybe the top 10) uses.
so much useful information
Great video thanks!
Interesting data points would focus on the leaders in each category. M/F/single speed.
Bob is a legend. Paper wins . Stupid rocks got you covered .
Very interesting !
Glad to know im not the only one in their 20s who cant afford do races like this
Right!? Look at all them boomers! 🤑🤑🤑
The SRAM dominance is interesting, especially with the battery and shifting issues that Josh Ibbett has highlighted. I wonder if it's more about groupthink than actual reliability.
Exactly. I love SRAM AXS but I wouldn't run it on a 3,000 bikepacking trip.
I personally wouldn't use electronic anything on a bikepacking / touring setup but I know thats not a widely held opinion these days.
I know that many people justify it by saying that cable actuated shifter tire your hand and that with remote shifting you can place shifters on the handlebar AND on aerobars.
good video thank you
Thank you for compiling such great stats on the Divide, really useful information. Especially recognise the amount of work you have done. It was interesting to note how many in my age group (60+) doing the Divide, would not have guessed this. And as for the Aussies, hope to see more representation, can't have the Kiwis beating us!
🤣
Soooo my steel, 26", Sturmey Archer, bamboo rack, BMX bars with maps and a compass would be in a tiny niche... I like it.
Yes 👏 Neil 👏 this is what the people want 📈
These are super interesting stats!
Thanks for the stats.
I'm curious about clothing, specifically WTF so many people are wearing bibs presumably w chamois. Once I learned how awesome bikepacking is with silk undies and shorts, I never went back. There's really no need for chamois once you acclimate to it. Chamois gets so nasty and causes infections etc on multi-week trips. What gives people?
Awesome as usual. Thank you. QQ; why so little electronic shimano ?
This is great insight. Hoping you could do the same for the Colorado trail race? Thx
Another vote for the trailer bike check! Im going to guess this was also the paper map person 🤘
Can someone explain to me how people are doing this with a 1x1 setup? 😮
How many paper maps did that one rider take? xxx Love your videos Love from England xxx
Thanks for the video. For next year's stats how about including tent versus bivvy and also what spare parts were carried and parts that broke most frequently on the ride?
I was just about to say same. Saddles?
Hopefully this signals a return of rack mounts to frames!
Surprised no Classic hub for the 1X riders...nice video.
can we access your spreadsheet online anywhere?
Hi! How about suspension stems? How popular are these on the Tour Divide?
Great video, I would love to know weight before and after gear
great video, I'd like to know the bike starting weights too
Fun video
I'd love to see a video talking about when and for what reason people scratch.
I'm curious if the rise of racks is also pushing overall weights up since it's easier to carry more stuff. Like you see normal bikepacking fronts with rolls / full frame bags, but now 40L of rear storage vs what used to be 15L which forced people to minimize.
Shoutout my boy Derek
Most common custom mods, or top ten most unique
I'm curious to know how many riders ran top tube bags, handlebar bags, or both. Also, where's the preferred water bottle mount? Is it traditional? Fork? Handlebars?
I always love this data dump.
Also... peepeepoopoo... LOL
As before, a post-facto survey is needed. What worked, what didn’t, is more useful.
Hit that like button
I need to see the paper map rider? How many maps? Years ago the Paris-Dakar riders used a rolliing road paper map driven by the front wheel.
It’s clear I’ve often overthought my cross-country set up as a lot of my tire and gear choices are similar to these. My only remaining debate is which wahoo unit and if I should reduce to a 1 x front crank. Thanks!
If you use a gear range significantly outside what can be got from the 500-520% Shimano/Sunrace/SRAM offer, you might have a problem with 1x. A decent 2x setup can give over 600% range (2x12 XT is 619% and very much off road rated, but the new Cues drivetrains can hit 660%).
@@peglor thanks!
@@doogie64 Path Less Pedaled did a quick rundown on the Cues setup recently under the title 'Why is No One Talking About this Drivetrain?'. I'd be shocked if it was anything like as off road durable as XT, but it's a lot cheaper, and the linkglide 11 speed chains are meant to be very durable.
@@peglor I’m on XT now, I’m too change adverse to try something different. I’m 60 in Nov, and want to do the C&O top to bottom so I’m exploring a gravel bike or my Canyon ht 29r. This video has me excited again!
Be interesting to see how many people run the Coros Dura next year, sounds promising for self charging from solar.. I'll probably be running one.
😢It's worth checking out the DC Rainmmaker review as it highlights some pretty serious issues with the Coros...
@@kevincrowley9873 I checked it out before, yes there's issues, I'm gonna hold out until it's been out for a while, I'm never an early adopter anyway.
Flat bars, curly bars, what about alt bars?
I put them in the flat bar category, I can ask that info next year.
I’d like to know what chain lubricant are they using?
Have you ever seen someone use a Specialized Crux for these races? I imagine it’s not ideal or “made” for bikepacking… but just curious. With bikes being so light it’s hard to tell if there’s a potential for cracking a frame with more weight on them.
What I've noticed is that gravel bikes in general don't hold up as well as mountain bikes during this race, but we see them in the race every year.
@@BIKEPACKINGcom hold up as in they break? or what do you mean by hold up exactly? just curious what you have seen though I agree MTB is the way to go for the divide
Majority of the route is gravel riding. A gravel bike might be alright for 1-200 mile single day rides.
But riding everyday for 2-4 weeks, minimizing fatigue is key, so the wider tires and suspension of mountain bikes are much more suitable
@@tylerboylehoban2834 MTB are usually more robust than gravel bikes. Gravel tires, wheels and transmission has an higher rate of failure while used offroad (+ rider fatigue that cause accidents and injuries on a long trip)
Crux would be a terrible bike for this race, imho. Wrong geometry,, limited tire size, fragile, & lack of cargo mounting
saddle choice and chami or no chami
Salsa cycles 😲🤗💪
Can I ride tubes or is tubeless a must have?
What tires did Morton Lachlan use on his unofficial record?
Good stuff
Only 44 bike computers ? Are we suggeating a good 50 percent plus of entrants are using mobile phones as their main navigation device ? Is this the future
No, I didn’t ask for this info, so that was just the info from 44 that shared randomly. I assume plenty more used gps devices but just mention it. That’s a question I will ask next year.
@@BIKEPACKINGcom thanks great list. I only ask cause my brother asked why didn't I use my mobile phone for a recent multiday bikepack which I got lost several times . I had to remember the reasons why I bought a bike computer a wahoo bolt v2 and stopped using mobiles 🤠 I didn't sound convincing explaining why I use bike computer but I'm sure I'm still making the right decision 😅
@@BIKEPACKINGcomthanks , a great breakdown of kit etc. I only ask as my brother asked why don't I just used my mobile phone instead of my bike computer if I kept getting lost on my last muktiday bike ride . Got me thinking as I started out with two smartphones then got a bike computer , which I'm sure is much better 🤔😅
Surprised nobody uses Komoot. I'm using this on my phone with offline maps to save data and works fine.
None of the links work under mentioned links for me.
Thanks, that is now fixed!
Why do flat bar and Drop bars use different rings?
typically, drop bar bikes are biased toward gravel riding and use more road/gravel gearing. Flat bar bikes are more likely to use MTB gearing. It's probably influenced by what comes stock on these bikes..
Quick question, why is it expected that flatbar bikes use smaller chainrings?
I think generally speaking (and of course there are exceptions) the people choosing to race with drop bars are more concerned with putting in a faster time, aggressive position for more power and aerodynamics, getting out the saddle on hills etc. so favour higher gearing.
early 50's i guess i have some time to make it happen!!!!
Why is 29 preferred so much more than 27.5? Doesnt 27.5 give you slightly more suspension for the rough terrain? Still learning. someone educate me lol
no it's the opposite, 29er rolls better and faster.. You might refer to gravel bikes that have clearance 700c wheels with skinny (like a 35mm) tires or 27.5 with wider tires(like a 50mm) : they technically have the same external diameter). In this case, smaller but wider tires offer more comfort... but a 29er bike with big tires will be faster and more comfortable than a 27.5 with similar-width tires... I hope it make sense
Not even one Karoo in use? Wow
I'm surprised by the amount of issues people with sram remote shifting are heaving. Dead batteries, dead chargers, dead derailleurs. I think Laurens is running cable shifter for this reason.
Nice work, just mixing up counts and percentages was a let down.
Well, its the same thing, with 100 people, the percent and number identical. I made it easy on my self in that regard.
Real explorer use paper maps )))
Bob agrees 100%!