GDMBR 2023: bikepacking gear review, what worked, didn't and what I would change

[@pgreenx]

Editors note: I forgot to talk about tires and chain lube. (see my other video) TIRES: I used Vitoria Mezcal (the durable casing models) 2.25 inches and ran them tubeless with Silca’s Ultimate Tubless Sealant with Fiberfoam. Never had a flat or lost any air and I was pretty tough on them. I highly recommend that combo. CHAIN LUBE: I used Silca Synergetic wet lube. I was lazy here too and only lubed my chain every 4-5 days and my drivetrain still stayed super clean ex the NM mud. I will never use anything else. It’s excellent.

[@andrew87C]

Great practical info of real experience. no hype and lots of useful info. Dont stop sharing experiences in the future as it will help others

[@pgreenx]

@@andrew87C thanks. I Trying to figure out where to go next yr. I think Portugal, Spain and France. The one thing I left out of this video is how much I disliked most of the GDMBR other than Canada and northern Colorado. Most of it was endless dusty mile of barren land

[@jamesdean1493]

Love the individual honesty.

[@pgreenx]

@@jamesdean1493 thanks. I left one thing out which after publishing should not have. I didn’t love the trip. After Canada and northern Colorado, it was basically endless miles of dusty roads through sage brush. I toured Europe last yr and was infinitely better. No grizzley bears, better food and camping around Some interesting people every night. Have fun on the divide if you are going though.

[@snglspd13]

Great information. Love my aerobars, provide greatalternate position for long days. Class of 2019/2024

[@pgreenx]

I wish I liked them -I gave them away and the guy I gave them too ended up hurting is back. To each his own

[@robertlehman9411]

Thanks for taking the time to Help others at Bike Wondering with a Pack

[@pgreenx]

Glad I could be helpful. Have a great trip! And thanks for watching.

[@CanadianSkylights]

thank you so much for this. As someone who is a hiker and not a biker, this is very helpful

[@pgreenx]

Glad it helped. Only my perspective but the few hikers that were biking kept it simple. A lot of pure cyclist really love their gear and had tons more electronics , bigger tents, more clothes etc.

[@JaqueParisien]

Thanks for the insights. I too appreciated your honesty. Your riding philosophy matches mine entirely. No rush, smell the flowers and enjoy. You can't do that in racing mode. I definitely recommend the Redshift components, stem and seat post if your saddle bag can accommodate it. Mind you, I have not ridden the GDMBR... yet. Cheers.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks - I started with two guys that wouldn't even stop for a picture....that only lasted a couple of days. Very happy on my own pace. How about some more honestly I did not put in the video: most of the trip was extremely boring outside Canada a very small parts of MT, WY and northern CO. endless days of dusty fire roads and pickups going by kicking up dust and days w/o seeing anyone riding the vast emptiness . I would not recommend this trip to anyone. I spent a month and 1,000 miles riding through Europe this summer and was infinitely better, more interesting and whileI am not afraid of hard work easier too. Thanks for watching

[@ritachapman364]

Loved your honesty, and was very informative

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Glad I could help.

[@MrWhitmire]

Thanks so much for the great tips.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Glad it was helpful. The only thing I left out was how boring the endless miles of dusty gravel road were and how unfriendly many were in the small towns along the way!

[@Mike-vd2qt]

On the Divide I found the ACA phone app was spot on correct for turn by turn. We found GPX files provided by other people were off sometimes. iPhone set in Satellite mode would last over two days for mapping, never lost connection even in the Great Basin.

[@pgreenx]

I agree with all that. I had problems with some of the GPX files but the ACA app got me back on course. What's a wrong turn here and there surrounded by grizzly bears and an extra 1000 feet of gain......

[@DAMN55117]

Sounds like you had an amazing experience to have this much information to share. Congrats.

[@pgreenx]

IT was a hard but great trip. Happy I did not die from a. grizzly. after this trip, I AM NEVER GOING BACK IN GRIZZLY COUNTRY THOUGH!

[@thaumaturgist123]

Hi, I think Sarah and I met you at the Elkford Campground and hung out a bit under the ramada in the rain. Glad your trip turned out well, enjoyed your video 🙂!

[@pgreenx]

Yes I remember you guys. Trip was good except for NM and all the rain/mud. Thanks for watching.

[@ThePapawhisky]

Great video-Thanks for your insights. I’m also a long time hiker that is getting into bike packing, so a lot of your comments landed with me. Will be doing a few 400-500 mile trips next year to get myself smarter and bike-fit.

[@pgreenx]

@@ThePapawhisky have fun. I love hiking but biking is great too. I rode about 1000 miles in Europe this summer from Amsterdam to Zurich which was completely diff from the divide and a really loved it. Camped every night but got to stop at supermarkets and restaurants every day too. And no bears.

[@crevasse5396]

I rode June 10-29 from El Paso via Columbus (border crossing photo op 2 miles south), Deming, City of Rocks State Park (free camping and showers for cyclists!), Silver City to Breckenridge, then July 20-Aug 16 Jasper (actually Hinton KOA) to Breckenridge . I took the spectacular Icefields Parkway alternate which I and every single person I talked to recommend. Can confirm at least in 2023 the NM section was dry and not really all that hot at that time. Had a tiny amount of snow over Indiana Pass, like 100 yards, easily passable. Got pretty lucky with the winds too, as they were coming out of the SW and the TD SOBO racers had days of headwinds. Rained overnight once, dry by morning. Going south I had good weather and winds pretty much all the way. I got lucky with temps too, not sure I ever saw 90F. One day of rain near Tetons but still managed 50 miles. My lowest gear is 24-50 and I used it A LOT on my admittedly heavy rig. I pushed bike maybe a few hundred meters on whole trip as virtually everything was rideable with ~15 gear inch granny. Thanks for the recap!

[@glansberry]

I can relate in many ways, thanks for the insight! For me, bike navigation has always been frustrating! Congrats!

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Took me a few days but the wahoo and ride wgps saved me a lot of time after I figured out how to use it.

[@mattdelcomyn8012]

Thanks for the detailed info!!

[@pgreenx]

@@mattdelcomyn8012 thanks. Good luck on the divide. I do these videos for fun and don’t really worry if people watch them but if you have time, I did one other video I think sealant, chain lube and tires or something like that. It may be helpful too

[@mattdelcomyn8012]

@@pgreenx oh great! I’ll definitely check that out. Amazing how much good info is available now for an adventure like this!

[@JohnMFlores]

thanks for the informative video

[@pgreenx]

Enjoy if you go. The one thing I forgot to mention was there is endless miles of barren wasteland you ride through the day after day. It was kind of boring.

[@JohnMFlores]

@@pgreenx I've ridden a motorcycle across the country twice. Miles and miles of nothing. Living in the most densely populated state, I kind of liked it. Thanks again

[@pgreenx]

I saw lots of motorcycles on the trail. Those kinds that looked very rugged with the square metal boxes on the side. One day I saw two huge bull moose and a motor bike came up and scared them away.

[@stevewherry]

Paul, Great video and review. If you don't recall we met at the Whitefish Bike Retreat. Liked your very practical take on things. Best, Steve

[@pgreenx]

Hi Steve - yes I do. That was a great time at Whitefish and the bike retreat. Colorado was nice too I wasn't really a fan of a lot of the rest of there trip. a lot of rocks and dusty roads in southern Montana and NM. Im planning a trip on the Eurovelo 6/15 this summer from Amsterdam, thru Zurich and to Budapest. Big charge from girzilly bears and rocks.... What are you up to?

[@chrislonsberry1974]

Great video and great information! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!

[@pgreenx]

Glad it was helpful. Be safe with the Bears out there this summer. I still have some PTSD from the grizzly bear fear.

[@devinbarry1136]

I think I know this guy! Nice to see and hear you again.

[@pgreenx]

Hi. Did I meet you on the GD?

[@mryotahead]

I'll be watching all your videos!

[@pgreenx]

Wow. That makes you and my family! I’m starting my European trip in about three weeks. Thanks for watching.

[@rshamann]

I appreciate the insight. I enjoyed the data delivery style too. Just saying it how it is. not trying to put any spin on it. Thank you.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Hope it helped. I was pretty honest in my trip vids too- you should hear me complaining about how much I disliked NM!

[@ucanskixc568]

As I/we come from both bicycle touring and hiking background this was an eye opener. I must say this was very informative and worth watching. Certainly your style of presentation was very down to earth. Thank you.

[@pgreenx]

glad it helped. What probably didn't come across was the endless miles and days of dusty, boring roads..... The only parts I really liked were Banf to about whitefish and northern Co

[@ucanskixc568]

@@pgreenx You are right I did not get the feeling of the endless miles endured. As seniors we travel slowly by fatbikes with 4.8 in tires. BUT we still enjoyed tenting. Keep rolling. Have FUN!!

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. You too!

[@johannesberger37]

Very good review/report. Thanks for the advice!!

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Enjoy your trip!

[@johannesberger37]

@@pgreenx I'm preparing for a journey through parts of patagonia. So honest reports of "this works"/"this doesn't" really help.

[@pgreenx]

I make the videos for me and not views or subs. So I don’t have a reason to embellish or make stuff up for click bait etc. again, hope it helped. One thing I’ll mention is I invested in new electronic sram 12 speed year and love the additional gearing. Would have been a much better trip for me with lower gearing. What I would do differently now that I’ve been training for a European tour next month is NOT GO ELECTRONIC WITH THE MOUNTAIN BIKE 1X SYSTEM I BOUGHT. nice at home but battery life is low due to the large rear derailleur. I’ll probably carry 4 battery’s and if I was going g to a remote place a lot more to be safe. I wasn’t worried about reliability here but even sram says only about 20 hours of battery life on the 1x. Not a lot on a long-day tour

[@francoispaquin9996]

Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate it. Very informative.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Glad it was helpful!

[@jetsethome]

this is the channel I have been looking for. I am also a long distance backpacker who is getting into biking after a knee injury. Your thoughts and experience have validated everything I have been thinking and I appreciate your time and information. Thank you for posting this.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks for watching. I hope the guitar stuff didn’t throw you off too much. I am a lifelong backpacker and had a foot injury two years ago and that’s why I picked up the bicycle. I really like the bike when it’s super hot out but when it’s spring and fall I prefer to hike. Also prefer the simplicity of hiking over all the gear and the bike stuff but I’m doing both now going forward. Thanks for watching.

[@jetsethome]

@@pgreenx I think I will always be a backpacker first. There is just something about it I can't get over. Keep making your content. It's important. The algorithm will catch up and more people will see your stuff. I appreciate your authenticity.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. I mostly make these videos for me to watch and so I don’t have to keep a bunch of uncut footage clogging up my pc hard drive. I’d like more views but ok it I don’t get them. Thanks again for watching and commenting. I’ll be doing some winter hikes after the holidays. And I agree with you on the backpacking.

[@PatrickNathanMusic]

Thanks for the honest video. All the best!

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Hope it helped. Great trip except for the grizzly bear worries I had (and the mud in NM)

[@loydwest4225]

Thanks for spending the time for posting this very helpful information. A lot of good take-aways here.

[@merrillaldrich9170]

Great, no-nonsense video. Thank you!

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Hope it helped. Have fun on your ride!

[@MrHoustonismydog]

Good stuff, I’m also a newb. Great advice on the shorts, I’ve been hearing wool is the way

[@pgreenx]

Wouldn’t change much expect for lower gearing. Thanks for watching and good luck on your ride !

[@RonSuchanek]

Nice wrap up video. Thanks for doing it. I just ran across tonight and will subscribe to watch the rest of your GDMBR series. I was out there last summer as well for 600 miles, heading back this year. I got a video series of my trip up on YT if you're bored some time. 😊

[@pgreenx]

Will check it out. Won't spoil it for you but really disliked NM between the highway, monsoons and mud! I actually ran access your videos the other day and commented how great they were. Mine are just endless rambling clips but I was tired at the end of every day when I produced them in my tent

[@mryotahead]

I have the same bike as you, perfect information

[@pgreenx]

Best bike ever!

[@arcoulant87]

Thanks for posting, my turn 2024 on my Salsa Fargo redshift stem is great, Sarah swallow GPS is the tour divide race route not the GDMBR

[@pgreenx]

Good luck next yr.

[@davehoover8853]

If I could provide one piece of advice it would be to take a couple of short trips to shakedown your gear. You rode a really big ride and should be proud of your accomplishment. You should not be learning about gearing and tire pressure on this route! A couple of easy fixes: go to a mod that turns your 11 speed road shifter into a 12 speed shifter, then you can add a longer derailleur and the 10-52 cassette. Find a good owner pressure for your tires and just stick with it. There is great advice about tires, pressure and rolling at Rene Herse tires. Consider a Garmin Varia rear light/radar. It reads a car approaching from behind you and accurately portrays its distance on your Wahoo. Not sure if it would pick up a grizzly chasing you! Great approach to navigation and wise to take the trip at your own pace - nice job!

[@pgreenx]

Thanks for the advice. I was fine on the trip. I’m met a lot of people who were bike experts that bailed in the first few weeks so my main point is gear is not what’s gonna get you there it’s really all mental I dont think anyone goes thousands of miles without wanting to changing something. Just trying to be helpful to the next guy going. Biking is not my main thing as you can’t see. I hope you saw the humor in my issues. I never got upset about bike problem. Just the Bears……

[@The.Push.Bike.Amazon]

Thank you this is very helpful😊

[@pgreenx]

You’re welcome glad it helped. I’m going on a European tour this summer. no grizzly bears so I’ll be a lot happier.

[@petertolo5943]

Thank you, I’m riding this year on a fargo as well. You made some points!

[@pgreenx]

Have a great time. Met a bunch of people on cutthroats too and they all seemed to say the wish they took their fargos. Way more comfortable even though it was heavier.

[@mphillips24]

I remember reading that the Tour Divide (the race) takes a slighlty different route of the GDMBR bike packing route. So the Sarah Swallow GPS might have been different to the ACA route.

[@pgreenx]

I’m pretty sure that’s right. At the time, doing pretty much zero preparation for this trip in terms of navigation, and just following two guys I barely knew- I didn’t know any of this and day-to-day. It was kind of problematic, but I figured it out. Thanks for watching. Hope it helped.

[@samluc058]

Thanks! It is helping me on planning my ride next year.

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. No more GDMBR videos for me. Happy to answer question though. Good luck next yr.

[@orcaspotter]

Outstanding review! I've watched a bunch of gear list videos and this is the most useful one. A question: Given all the rain you experienced, what do you think of bringing a tarp (along with a tent)?

[@pgreenx]

My opinion on a long and hard trip like this with all the elevation gain is; it’s a bike trip and not a camping trip and I go as light as possible while keeping safe. I’d rather have an easier bike during the day and do without some things at camp. That includes a tarp. Separately, most or the rain was during the day in the mountains up north and NM and not so much at night. Either way I’d ditch the tarp as well as other comfort gear that adds up the weight. Everyone has a different view though. Thanks for watching!

[@timparsons2741]

Thanks , great information . I also have the Fargo and love it .

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Best bike I have ever owned!

[@robertkowton5875]

Fantastic review. Thanks for sharing. Navigation devices seem most difficult to figure out. Whst brand were most other riders using?

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Hope it helped. I saw pretty much only wahoo and garnin. The garmin seemed better at navigation off the route but I liked the wahoo to keep me on route. I used my phone and downloaded maps to take me anywhere off route. Have fun and be safe from the bears if you are going this summer!

[@Rino-bicycle]

Great review

[@Rino-bicycle]

Great video, honest review, I will follow you.keep the good work.

[@pgreenx]

thanks - I appreciate it. no sense making it out that its better than it is. One thing I forgot to mention was all the boring days on dusty gravel and the pick up trucks ripping by kicking up the dust. Im heading out for 3,000 miles across Europe this summer. hope you have a good riding season!

[@chuckmillerqq4546]

You said that you stopped wearing your padded shorts and went with merino wool underwear. Dumb question but where your merino wool underwear a compression type fit or just regular boxer type that were a little baggy. I also have a B17 and still searching for the right combo. Thanks for the info. Chuck

[@pgreenx]

The perfect combo for me was icebreaker merino wool underwear which were snug fitting, not loose. I’m sure you can find them from smart wool or other places too. And I wore Castelli mountain bike shorts which are the best bike shorts ever. They have pockets on the sides that face backward away from the tops of your legs to carry stuff w/o chafing, long enough for sun coverage and baggyish in the butt to accommodate the riding position. No padding I wore the same combo this year on my Europe bike tour 1,000 miles from Amsterdam to pretty far west of Zurich plus I ware the same thing on EVERY ride at home daily. If you like the b17 then I would try and ditch tight padded bike pants. I got saddle sores with tight bike pants until I switched. I DONT THINK WHAT I WORE IS THE SOLUTION AS MUCH AS STOP WEARING BIKE SHORTS WITH THE B17. good luck!

[@chuckmillerqq4546]

Wow, I really appreciate the detailed response and you taking the time.

[@pgreenx]

@@chuckmillerqq4546 sure thing good luck. I love my b17. The guy I started the divide with had one and hated it. If it can work for you, it’s the best because no more tight sweaty bike shorts.

[@Bikepacking]

Cool just subbed

[@pgreenx]

Thanks - hope the vids helped

[@mennodekhuyzen7523]

Thank you for your thoughts and your experiences! Everyone is different but I think there is always some “advice” you can do with. I am preparing my GDMBR in 2025 going southbound. I planned to start in Jasper around July 1st. What date would you advise to start instead? To avoid the monsoon rains muddy roads etc? Great work again thank you!

[@pgreenx]

I was pretty slow and averaged 50 mpd but assuming you are not fast or do huge miles I think July 1 from jasper would be fine. I started in banf. All I know is that late August in NM wasn’t optimal. A lot of people took the highways and avoided the mud but I didn’t want to ride any more highway than I had to. Good luck!

[@michaellane1316]

Interesting start place. I was thinking 2025 as well though starting at the border rather than up in Canada but around 3rd week of June. Have a bunch of shake down trips to do first. Keep in touch.

[@mennosolarquest]

@@michaellane1316 There is no fixed plan yet. But I'll retire June 1st and travel to Washington DC, to visit friends. Afterwards I'll take the train from Washington DC to Seattle to meet with my friend there. He will ride with me for a part or the whole trip, I don't know yet. So I planned to start in Jasper, this because I, partly, finished my TransAm there and took the train to Toronto where I finished the trip in Pensilvania. So I know the section from Jasper to Roosville will be tough, in parts, but it will be a good staring point of the trip. We might meet somewhere ? We'll keep in touch!

[@binderline1]

@@michaellane1316 Hi there Michael, you read my mind. Thinking of starting at the border as well in 3rd week of June and ending in Steamboat. 55 y. in relatively good shape, planning on training over the next 6 months. Looking for a riding buddy or two while pedaling through bear county. Would be interested in connecting if you're interested.

[@P.Ttrying]

Thankyou!

[@pgreenx]

You're welcome!

[@klerk034]

Thanks for all the info. Very helpfull. A lot of useful information that is not (easily) found anywhere else. Nevertheless a (very practical/personal) question (from an older man!). If you are wild camping, it is possible to pee two or three times a night in the wilderness (also or especially in relation to the bears). I look forward to your response with interest. Thanks in advance. Kind regards, Rien

[@pgreenx]

Thanks for watching and your nice comments. YES-you can pee at night. I probably pee at LEAST three times every night. Some nights I just open my tent door and pee right out the door. Other nights I get out and walk a short bit away. Most important I brought a collapsible Nalgene bottle with a wide screw on top in case it was raining at night and peed in my tent so I did not get wet. I didn’t read anything about human pee and grizzly bears and that was the only thing I didn’t worry about when it came to bears. Hope this helps. Don’t forget the collapsible bottle. You will thank me the first night it’s raining and you don’t have to get out of the tent. I kept it in tent vestibule at night. Not in tent. ,

[@klerk034]

@@pgreenx Thank you very much for your quick response and the candid answer. That helps a lot. It is one of those topics that there is not much information about, or actually nothing at all, but it was on my questionnaire. So it is very nice that you are so open about it.

[@pgreenx]

Sure thing. Good luck on your trip.

[@crackman42]

Great synopsis. Theres a cliche’ New Englanders are overcritical but this was well delivered

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. Hopefully it helped.

[@juliecurnutte1772]

What maps did you use for profile information?

[@pgreenx]

I used the GDMBR a paper maps from the ACA. They were great for long range planning on the trail, figuring out resupply towns and how many days to get to next town. They identified miles, elevation profile and they also identified road surfaces (ie paved, single track etc). between towns to determine difficulty. . I looked at them every night in my tent, but never used them during the day. I used my little wahoo with the downloaded GPS track during the day. I would definitely buy them and bring them again Ps- it was huge ups and downs all day every day so I didn’t really look at the profile much during the day, but I did see that on the wahoo as well through the GPS files I bought from ACA Hope that helps.

[@RyanSmith-f3g]

I’m always looking for a new route to ride. I’m interested if you plan on doing it again. 2025?

[@pgreenx]

@@RyanSmith-f3g your kidding right? Once is enough on that grizzley bear ridden, endless ribbon of dust and gravel through a lot of terrible small conservative towns

[@gregknipe8772]

you could have used a 28 (or 26) up front instead of the 50 in the rear.

[@pgreenx]

Not exactly sure what you are saying. Are you saying I could have used a 28mm tire up front? I’m not the best person with all the bike specs. Thanks for watching

[@RonnyChopper-oz5jl]

OMG, no I did not see! I love the WHITE leggings! soooooooooo sweet! fantastic! all your sun protection.

[@pgreenx]

Every I met made fun of my sun protection but I was always between say 8-10 thousand feet elevation and at times over 11 thousands all day long and didn’t want to get sun burned. Better safe than sorry.

[@P.Ttrying]

I was never a fan of Areo Bars, but since I've changed my breaking to hydraulic, the 1" gap to handlebar removes all the worries of lines cracking though compression n jiggling. Also I removed the forearm rests. As an ex through hiker turned unbelievably slow bikepacker, I admire how you carry yourself 🏆 With respect and gratitude P.T🦘

[@pgreenx]

Thanks. I appreciate that. Even with my complaining about NM. I am pretty slow too on the bike. Didn’t bother me if everyone past me. I didn’t see one single person past half way point with aero bars or anyone using them.

[@BretSchnitzer]

Nice review. Thank you. I agreed with most of your recommendations. I had a Garmin which was going to be my primary with a downloaded GD file. That was problematic for me on the trail. I went off course several times. I found the ACA electronic maps far more seamless and helpful. I used them as primary after a week or so.. For gearing I put a 48 in the back with a wolftooth and a 32 in the front. That worked well for me. To go bigger in back without electronic shifting or a much more expensive overhaul was not an option from my research. I did go with a son dynohub and several external batteries. It depends how much you camp, I suppose. It was important to me to be able to be off grid for 4-5 days and not run out of power. I liked the tailfin rack on back instead of a seatpost bag. You could strap food and water on top when needed and not have rub on the rear wheel or fall off. Those would be my additional suggestions. I rode a Salsa Cutthroat which I really liked. When I bought my bike selection was tough due to a bike shortage.