SlingFin Tim's Sub-20 Day Tour Divide Bike Check

[@chriswilliams2025]

Really useful thanks - easily the most informative bike check I’ve seen. Those calf length vapour barrier socks look great. Wet cold feet on multi day rides are a pain. Bread bags are good with wet shoes but wear out fast and don’t seal at the top. ‘Waterproof’ socks wet out under the soles after a few hours riding in the rain - then don’t dry out for the next few days.

[@SlingFin1]

Exactly! Bread bags have saved my feet on many occasions but they wear out quickly. I wanted something more sustainable and more effective. Vapor barriers work great for me because my feet are usually so cold that they don't sweat much, even with non-breathable socks. Also, fashion.

[@acamilop]

Agreed, great video.

[@ivarbrouwer197]

One of the most well thought out bike/gear set ups for the divide I’ve seen. Congrats on the 20 day finish!

[@SlingFin1]

Glad you liked it! I spent many months thinking about it beforehand and I'm glad other people can benefit from it!

[@SingermanRyun]

My mom bought one kislux and she loves it. It had been there for over 10 years when she went out with it.

[@SlingFin1]

I have no idea what a kislux is but I am glad it makes her happy.

[@BC-mf5gr]

Great video. Bet it was an awesome trip and I’m glad you found your knife. Love your guys stuff!

[@SlingFin1]

Thanks!! Yeah, it was an incredible adventure. And I'm glad I found my knife too! Still haven't figured out exactly how it got into my peanut butter...

[@kovenant7]

If it fits your riding style good then that's the most important thing imo.

[@SlingFin1]

True! There was an astonishing variety of bike setups on the Divide. I love how everyone does it differently and how creative people get with their setups.

[@kovenant7]

​@SlingFin1 really perfect bike!

[@SlingFin1]

@@kovenant7 I had a great time on it! Revel makes great bikes. I also have their Rascal and did the AZT on it. Had a great time. In a perfect world I would have been on their Wayward or El Jefe but the R+ can really do it all.

[@PerfDayToday]

4:15 “I’m not making Northface money’ … 😢😢 Hey. I just Bought a Portal 1 for bikepacking. I love my DCF MLD floor-less mid- but at 7’ x 9’, it can be a bit big at times. THXS FOR THE video. Agree w your view on floorless mids for bikepacking- spacious. Congrats on your GDMBR race.

[@SlingFin1]

Maybe one of these days I'll be able to afford a backup head unit... but today is not that day. Didn't have any issues finding a place to pitch the Cinder Cone on the Divide, but most of it is very open- I definitely see how it could be tricky in a heavily forested area!

[@PerfDayToday]

@@SlingFin1 Sometimes, on the Oregon coast, a group of us will get one regular campsite instead (read multiple tents) of the group site if there is AC at the group location to charge devices, hence a P1

[@edymarkonthego4096]

Sleeping pad is a game changer.

[@SlingFin1]

It's true! I usually sleep better on an inflatable but I was so exhausted by the time I went to bed that I slept like a baby every night.

[@murph6730]

Awesome video!

[@SlingFin1]

Thanks!

[@user-zs3yo7vz9m]

Rode w Tim a bit on Boreas Pass. Cordial and conversant even in a climb nearing 11k… a solid ambassador for Sling and TD. Good on ya Tim.

[@SlingFin1]

I remember you! Hope you give the TD a shot someday!

[@omare_biketonature]

Congratulations on your 20 days finish 👌🏻 stealing some ideas for my ride in the Atlas mountains next year, cheers from Norway

[@SlingFin1]

I'm glad you found some useful tidbits. Have a great trip, the Atlas mountains sound incredible.

[@omare_biketonature]

@@SlingFin1 Actually I’ll be participating at the Atlas Mountain Bike Race 😎😎

[@SlingFin1]

@@omare_biketonature Awesome!! So jealous. I'd love to do that someday soon but if I spend any more time out of the office I'm going to have to fire myself 😅

[@SamL-c7e]

Brilliant video!

[@SlingFin1]

Thanks!!

[@arekmisztal7357]

Tim, congrats on finishing the Tour Divide! Great video. What was the length of the carbon pole that you used?

[@SlingFin1]

I used an adjustable pole, but usually pitched it around 72"

[@mattvanderwalt6220]

Thats a very cool tent. Did you use the foam mat in conjunction with a bit of groundsheet (Tyvek etc.)?

[@SlingFin1]

I loved that tent. And yep! I used a DCF groundsheet to keep my sleeping bag off the dirt.

[@mattvanderwalt6220]

@@SlingFin1 Would be very cool to get a more detailed breakdown of each of your systems. Shelter/Sleep - cooking - clothing choices etc. maybe as separet vids.

[@SlingFin1]

@@mattvanderwalt6220 Great suggestion! I'm behind on videos but I did link my full itemized gear list in the video description- that has a full breakdown of all my systems!

[@where2then]

A great dialed in set up. Is that the Ergon SM Pro saddle? I've been considering trying Ergon and it's the only model with silver rails

[@SlingFin1]

Yep, the SM Pro! In retrospect I might have gone with their gravel saddle- I think the MTB saddle was a tad too wide for my riding position, which was less upright than other peoples' setups.

[@where2then]

@@SlingFin1 That is precisely what I've been hung up on, but between the SM Pro and SR Pro, it's only 3-4mm in the back, they don't provide the details of the nose width.

[@SlingFin1]

​@@where2then I think it depends on your riding position. My recommendation is to get both from a store with a good return policy. Try them both and keep the one you prefer! Unfortunately there's no substitute for actually spending significant riding time in a saddle. It's a PITA (sometimes literally) but there's so much individual variation that online research just can't cut it.

[@yumyumhungry]

trying to figure out how you went through double the brake pads I did. Maybe I'm just sendy?

[@SlingFin1]

I guess I couldn't quite settle on what I meant by a "set". Is a set front and back? Each has two brake pads... I dunno. Anyway, I replaced both my front and rear brake pads once, in Ovando. I didn't realize the shop that worked on my bike before I left put organic pads on the rear... I think I wore all the way through those on day one riding the Koko Claims descent. The new pads (sintered) I put on in Ovando lasted the rest of the Divide. Also I was using SRAM road hydro brakes, those tend to stick and rub and chew through pads like nobody's business.

[@BiznessWizard]

Very well done informative video. That was a good real world test for that new tent you guys recently introduced. What was the brand of that sleeping pad you used? Thanks for making this video.

[@SlingFin1]

Glad you enjoyed it! It definitely felt like I got to put the Cinder Cone through its paces. The pad is a Thermarest Z-Lite. The classic!

[@Mr_Zzzeee]

You didn't have to use the pump once during the whole trip??

[@SlingFin1]

Nope! Well, I technically used it once, but that's only because I aired up my tires for a long pavement section so they would roll faster, not because they were losing air. I had my tires rotated at a bike shop in Steamboat so they got topped off then.