The Fastest Bikes of the 2022 Tour Divide (4,400KM Non-Stop)

[@Cyclingabout]

Next, check out my aerodynamics video for touring and bikepacking bikes! 🚲💨 I have pulled together lots of studies to help us understand what makes the most efficient setup: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5bCha1tmpV3o6c

[@NeoFrontierTechnologies]

Hi, someone is imitating you on your channel. Look at the comment made on my comment. It is someone imitating you...

[@sdilizio]

Commenting as somebody who rode the TD this year: Yes, drop bars were noticeably faster on the smooth gravel and pavement. Yet, I was pretty grateful to have flat bars for some of the rougher terrain, especially when it was raining and muddy. There were a few riders on rigid drop-bar bikes without great bike handling skills who struggled at times on the rough stuff. So, I wouldn't choose drop bars unless I were confident in my bike handling skills. And worth remembering that both this year's winner, Sofiane Sehili, and record holder Mike Hall (in 2016) chose flat bars. Also, given that 2/3 of the starters either didn't finish, alternated from the route, or didn't ride fast enough to not be relegated to the 'touring' category, I'd be highly interested in what bikes the race finishers rode, rather than what the starters rode. If I had chosen a drop-bar bike, I absolutely wouldn't have chosen any other model than the Salsa Cutthroat. It's popular with very good reason. Try riding some of these rigid drop-bar bikes over rough gravel back-to-back and you'll notice how beautifully the Cutthroat handles the rough stuff compared to most. It's an incredibly compliant design and also has so many wonderful design touches, such as the abrasion plates inside the front fork. As for tyres, I personally saw a lot more of the Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tyres out there than Ikons, but that's anecdotal. I'd have been happy with Mezcals, Fleecer Ridge, or Ikons/Rekons. Mezcals were the quickest but also get pretty worn out by the end. Ikons were the toughest and most durable but slowest and heaviest. Fleecer Ridge sits in the middle as an all-rounder, and are what I used and winner Sofiane Sehili used. I went with the new Silca Ultimate Tubeless sealant and was one of the few who never flatted nor needed to even use a tyre plug. So, this was a very solid combination of tyre and sealant for me. The Conti Race Kings that I saw others using wore out the very limited centre tread by the end more extensively than any other tyre. Yes, Mike Hall used them to set the record and they're undoubtedly a fast tyre, but he was also a light rider on a light bike who would have worn out his tyres more slowly. And 2016 saw very good conditions. I personally was glad not to have chosen them given the snowy and muddy conditions we had this year. (Also, I've personally used Conti Cross Kings with the same compound before and found them to be a fast-wearing tyre, too.) With regards to forks, I heard more than a few people complain about their rigid setups being too rough (usually not on Cutthroats). You can ride rigid but you need to make sure the bike has some seriously decent compliance built in. I know of one rigid titanium fork that broke, one Lauf fork that broke, and one suspension fork that broke. However, I also know of a few other people on suspension forks whose forks had issues and wound up either stuck in open or locked-out mode. I used a Lauf fork, which definitely helped to take the edge off the rough stuff and was maintenance-free, but certainly came with both an aero and an efficiency penalty in certain conditions. I'd possibly consider a rigid fork with a suspension stem next time. Not sure a full-suspension seat post is necessary when there are some tough and compliant carbon seat posts that really do smooth out the bumps pretty well. But perhaps it was more necessary for the full-rigid setups. (Some people were also afraid of using carbon for seat posts and handlebars given concerns about how tough they are. However, I personally only heard of one carbon component that broke--a front wheel.) An additional comment about bags: You can take a reasonably aero bike (for an MTB) like a Cutthroat and slow it down immensely with a poor bag setup. It's been said that nobody has set a record on the Divide with anything attached to their fork legs for this reason. Minimising the frontal area of the bike with a good bag setup is part and parcel of any bikepacking rig.

[@ethanboswell2572]

That was a great write up. On the topic of carbon components breaking, my dad rode it this year on a Cutthroat and his carbon drop bars snapped before Whitefish.

[@sdilizio]

@@ethanboswell2572 Oh no! I guess if I count the Lauf fork that I heard broke, that now makes three carbon breakages I know of.

[@lenolenoleno]

This is an excellent bit of insight. Thank you for the write up! I particularly like your point regarding finishers bikes vs. non-finisher's bikes and comments on tyre choice.

[@robgrubb420]

you are the man for posting this.

[@sdilizio]

To add one more comment about the Continental Race King Protection. They updated this tyre since Mike Hall set his record on them. In tests by Bicycle Rolling Resistance, the new tyre isn't as great with puncture protection as the old one, and I think the issues of tread durability are with the new compound, too.

[@TheGentilea]

I so love they way that you systematically analyze these bicycle related questions instead of just speculating wildly like most other bike "experts". Thanks for what you do, you hold a really unique and important space in this bike media landscape! :)

[@Cyclingabout]

Thank you very much!

[@ElectricGhostOpera]

Mate, your channel is absolute gold. I got so excited when you said how many bikes you were gonna compare and all the stats you were breaking down. Love the bike nerdery ❤️

[@Cyclingabout]

Thanks a tonne!

[@SquareJerHertz]

This was the video I didn't know I needed to watch until I watched it! I had seen those two articles and wanted to do some sort of analysis on the whole set of bikes. Yours was excellent and saved me hours!

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

The most important thing I learnt from this video? Alee has a lot of napkins and is bloody good at doing math on them!

[@yumyumhungry]

On the Clip in Pedals: As someone who attempted to ride the divide this year (and had to scratch); I use clip ins to keep my feet in the correct spot and keep my knees tracking correctly to prevent injury over those 12 hour days.

[@Jacksparrow4986]

You sound like the typical ergon pedal customer ;-)

[@ZenEndurance]

How much of the course is technical mountain biking? Or is it pretty much all gravel road? I wear clipless when gravel biking but flats when mountain biking so I can step off easier when things get technical.

[@richardkim8220]

This is the answer I was looking for. I didn't attempt the Tour Divide, but I just spent 24.5 hours on my bike during a 600km Brevet. Keeping my feet in exactly the same position with my knees tracking correctly definitely helped prevent overuse injury. I discovered other bike fit issues about 470km in, but that wasn't one of them.

[@novacolonel5287]

Spot-on, as always. Your content really shines! I use the Conti Race King in 27.5", 2.2" wide on my electric commuter hardtail, with the prevalant surface being road and some forest. While they are very quite, with low rolling resistance and very good grip for their profile, they have two setbacks. First, I have never ever encountered a tire so reluctant to get on the rim. It took over half an hour per tire to fit, using several vices, lots of soap and a small injury. Second, to my surprise, they wear out rather quickly. I was surprised to hear that someone got TWO tour divides out of a set. Mine have lost quite a bit of profile and are becoming slightly porous on the walls, after about three years and 6,000 km.

[@sixty2612]

You did exactly what I was hoping you’d do at the end with the “average” bike. Do you think you would/could do an analysis of the same bikes but focusing on their bag setups and what everyone is carrying?

[@markowsley4954]

Nice breakdown of the various types of bikes being used. After the extreme weather conditions encountered so far this year by a large portion of the pack I hope the riders and organizers have a serious after action critique. There seems there could be lots of lessons learned by everyone.

[@StanEby1]

As usual, your presentation was brilliant and full of sound judgment. In previous comparisons between derailleur drivetrains and internal gear hubs, like Rohloff, you and many others have pointed out that internal gear hubs perform to their full efficiency regardless of their environment whereas exposed mech does not. On the Tour Divide dirt, grime, mud etc. are constant companions and lower the top efficiency drivetrains are known for. I had no idea of the products Ratio Technology offers. I checked out their website and found items innovative and useful. Thanks for blazing the information trail here. When you mentioned hydraulic brakes, I assume that is disc, not rim? Suspension forks: the benefits will vary with terrain. When things are rough, grateful they’re there, going up hill, wish were elsewhere. One has to decide over the course of the course, whether the challenge of hills or the paths that are coarse, cause the greatest fatigue and the most use of force. My guess is that comparing results over time may be indicative. Inductive over deductive methodology. Your final conflation of a prototypical Tour Divide bike was another typical and ingenious Dehham moment. What a great capstone. Bravo.

[@cjohnson3836]

I think if it were a shorter race, more people would be on suspension forks. Cutthroat is technically a mountain bike and has the appropriate head tube to run modern susp forks (even before the "gravel" susp became a thing). The course is generally rated as pretty mild in terms of technicality, its just long so people are optimizing for the climbs is my guess.

[@RobinCapper]

Agree, peak performance of chain drivetrain would be hard to maintain given the time pressures and conditions. Watching one rider tackling 'peanut butter mud' and suspect a box/belt drive would fare far better.

[@cjohnson3836]

@@RobinCapper Any mud that gums up a drive is going to cake your tires and have you walking far sooner. No one is going to use overweight gearboxes in a race. For not the least of which, you can't fit a gearbox in a carbon frame. And if you're racing competitively, you're riding a carbon frame. People need to get off this idea.

[@lewisciddor]

Who’s that handsome bearded fella that keeps popping up?! 😉 Great video though Alee! Sorry to have not caught you in Melb while you’re back. Interesting note: Josh Kato (2015) is the only rider to win the TD on drop bars. Although Jay P did set an course record (2014 or 13 I think) on drops too. But all other wins and notable times including the women’s record and SS record have been on flat bars.

[@Yoitsseb]

Masterful analysis.. I'd like to go on some long bike packing trips one day and these videos will surely help me setup my rig. Bookmarked! Thanks!

[@marianocelentano2864]

You have done another huge research that will help a lot of riders. Thanks for all the effort and wishing you happy rides! Greetings from Ireland!!! : )

[@jhartman1440]

This absolutely answered my questions about what people run. Thanks for going through all of them and laying the facts out. Well done!

[@nickridesbikes]

I raced on the Specialized Epic Hardtail S-Works shown at 12:00 with a Rockshox SID SL Ultimate Brain fork and slightly wider than average 2.3" tires. There were plenty of rough sections on the route where I was super happy to have suspension, and the carbon rims and lightweight frame easily made up for the weight penalty of the fork. I was definitely less fatigued than I would have been with a rigid fork, as there were times when the suspension stopped working when the stanchions got caked with mud and my upper body got significantly more tired.

[@christophelautrette451]

thank you for that comment ! i haven't yet ride the Great Divide but bought myself a Cutthroat with front suspensions ...and was debating if it was a good idea . you just confirmed ! as far as Specialized , i crossed Mexico to Guatemala with my Specialized with no issues what so ever ! so ...good choice :)cheers !!

[@bpindermoss]

Absolutely fascinating. I love biking but know very little about such races, or even long rides, although to be honest, I use my dept. store bikes as ATV's, so your video is superb. My road bike is a Browning that I bought in the 70's and used as a camping bike. My mountain bikes are bigbox store bought. One weighs 45 lbs with a steel frame and has never busted over 30 years of riding it, with no suspension. The other is Al framed with dual suspension, but was a gift, and is actually too small for me but I keep it anyways. The optimum bike for a race like this, as you described, would be hellish expensive I surmise, but I could trade all of my bikes in on just one, I suppose. Your video conjured up some pleasant dreams.

[@blue_beephang-glider5417]

I am new to your channel and am totally in awe of the trips you do. I just watched “Cycling Southern Patagonia” My own experience on bikes is riding 17km each way to work and back which I have done for 12 years. This is just enough to comprehend the daunting conditions you overcome. Seeing what you do prompted me to buy an 11-speed hub gear. If it handles what you do? I will be using it when I retire! Fantastic 🍺🙂👍

[@Cyclingabout]

Great to hear! Enjoy that Alfine hub - hopefully, it lasts as long as you expect.

[@Nongenre]

Yet another masterful analysis. Thanks @Cyclingabout!

[@lindamarchlewski192]

I tried to get the Race Kings, but they were completely out of stock for me, so I went with the Ikons. It may just simply be a supply chain issue. Love the analysis!

[@mrnobody9821]

Are you looking for tubeless or tubed race kings? I fitted the 2.2's to my supercaliber with tubolitos which made the bike super lightweight but the light weight tubes made it unreliable so I went back to the XR2 set up tubeless.

[@novlk]

Your analysis is so informative and inclusive! Salsa is really nice bike. Have not ridden the cutthroat, but the Fargo with carbon fork was amazing!

[@levonbullard]

Great video. I'm planning out a build to take on the divide in '23. One thing I'll be doing you didn't discuss is a suspension stem, likely a redshift. Also will be running a dynamo like most on the tour

[@bertnerny]

I had thoughts of suspension stems going through my head while watching the video but wasn’t sure if there were any being made currently. Good to know there are.

[@HeadPack]

Remarkable video. Could this be continued with an overview of maintenance/repair challenges during the Tour Divide? Wonder e.g. about damaged frames, spokes, clogged up drive trains etc. Surely not easy to get stats on those though.

[@kai_v_k]

Ask the bike shops along the way. I was touring a bit around the Canadian border (Fernie to Heureka) and the wet grimy weather wore hard on the break pads (in Whitefish they replaced 7 sets already until 1500 on Day 4 of the tour and my pads were also shot) and today a bike shop owner in Butte told me that they are completely sold out of 10 and 11 speed chains. I don't know anything about other mechanicals though from hearsay.

[@ballofsnow]

Great video. I would love to know more about all the different bag setups and brands chosen and why.

[@dannyzuehlsdorf3697]

Great to see all the images of the fully decked out rigs! Cool video.

[@RedWingsninetyone]

There's something to be said about practicality over weight. GMBN demonstrated this by running a dropper post on an XC bike. Despite the extra weight, he was able to ride over rough terrain and down hills faster because of the way he could shift his weight and achieved a faster time.

[@fwiardi]

Thank you alot !!! This video contains priceless informations, people should appreciate more for this man

[@KowalskiVanishing_Point]

Straight forward info. Never wrong. My mind did not wander, got tips on a lot- especially tires, and just enjoyed the video start to finish.

[@damo010]

Conti Race Kings are great, no idea why more people don't use them? I used on the divide and they were perfect.

[@zer0kelvin212]

I wanted to try the Conti Protection too, will be my next tires. I wonder what would be your napkin number for a Lauf passive suspension. Faster because it absorbs some rocky terrain, or slower due to energy loss on flatter surfaces. Incredible that Rohloff once won a race, never knew. I bet it makes you even prouder to own one :) Quality content

[@Red-ju4mi]

I thought lauf suspension doesn't do anything on flat smooth surfaces and only dampens hard hits. I can't imagine it's more energy loss than a regular sus fork

[@andrifsig]

Master Bike Nerd! Well done. I would like to think that the Lauf fork would be more widely used in an event such as the Tour Divide. Does not add a lot of weight like a traditional suspension fork but works very well to minimize the road buzz and vibrations from a gravel road. Also Lauf came out with their Seigla model this year which I think is right up the Tour Divide's alley.. The Lauf fork is present, ability to fit 29x2,3 tires or at least 2,2 tires. Seat stays were lowered on the seat tube so it has more flex there than previous Lauf models. And I think also that the top end models come with Sram AXS. I know that if I would ever consider this race then the Lauf Seigla would be very high on my list.

[@Cyclingabout]

The Lauf fork is intriguing as it's light and is un-damped, so it can add to the compliance of the system without robbing it of much energy. 28% of bikes with suspension had one fitted. Interestingly, I've got some data that suggests that the Lauf forks don't actually absorb more gravel road chatter than a rigid fork - the benefit is only found after bigger hits. I guess that makes sense as there is only so much 'tuning' you can do to a leaf spring to make it compliant in the first few millimetres of travel...

[@lfbvermont]

This is a wonderfully concise, thorough, and useful summary! Thanks!

[@erransharpe]

I'll hazard a couple of opinions: 1) Is suspension worth it? Yes. I can ride faster and with better control on my suspension mountain bike. It keeps the tire on the road, rather than bouncing in the air. 2) Why aren't Continental Race King tires popular? I have found Continentals to be hard to mount tubeless. I don't know about the Race King in particular, but as much as I love Trail Kings, I've abandoned them for Maxxis which mount up much more reliably.

[@Rafael-vu2xn]

The best bike channel period !

[@outbackwack368]

Thanks! I use the Race Kings and really like them. They are barely worn after 700 miles of 50/50 gravel. And I'm definitely a suspension guy. Comfort is first and foremost at my age. I'm currently looking for my 1 and only bike and am leaning towards the Transition Spur full suspension at 24 pounds, which has a nice, big, usable front triangle and 3 bottle mounts.

[@JohnBr0]

Great roundup! Thanks!

[@JackMott]

thumbs up for pointing out that tires are so important.

[@matthewalexander9874]

Great breakdown! I dig the background music, too!

[@salzhaltigersalzhaufen586]

Just bought a gravel bike so this was really interesting to see even though the tour divide is not that big in europe it still impressive what kind of efforts people are doing there

[@philr696]

Like you I love the conti race king. They measure up very small and the largest they offer is a 2.2 ( so more like a 2.0) Conti always seem to be a bit behind the times in terms of sizing. They also struggle being made tubeless compared to other brands. I could see why someone would give up on them quite quickly

[@glennoc8585]

My race sport mountain king tyres were hard to start tubeless as they leaked a lot until several rides.

[@adamabbas8876]

I'm trying to get racekings to seal at the moment. Bit of a nightmare to be honest.

[@ericthedesigner]

I'm a daily rider and I took them off my road bike because it made it so easy that I had to ride longer and further to get the same exercise as with normal drop bars. When racing, I use aero bars if it is allowed.

[@daniel-marks]

Awesome content! Wireless was the bigesst suprise.personaly. 👍

[@Paulklampeeps]

The raceking almost only for loam and hard pack i think the ikons offers more grip than race kings. Maybe the best set up for this course are raceking back and ikon front.

[@benhandrich]

Great bike analysis. As a rider that had to scratch this year due to lingering and then progressively worsening patellar tendonitis, it's fun to see all of the trends we TD aficionados followed this year. Looks like my English Cycles Attack Owl falls in line with most all of the current setups, minus being steel. If only my knees had followed these trends as well...

[@Cyclingabout]

Congrats on your ride! As much as it sucks that your knee gave you problems, you've got to be proud of your effort. Lovely bike too!

[@benhandrich]

@@Cyclingabout one addition with the tires, while I'm here: many riders were using the Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tire this year. I'd venture to guess that it is actually the most popular tire on course, honestly. The Mezcal, Ikon, and Race King have historically been the go to tires for the Divide but I think a major shift happened for 2022.

[@Cyclingabout]

@@benhandrich The data I collected was all from the Bikepacking.com article, and the Rene Herse FRs came in third (17/121). Interesting to hear there might be many more sets out there - it'd have to be 30 pairs to be more popular than the Mezcal (44/121)!

[@greatgoofy]

Something I'd love to see tested at some point is: How much is it the smaller roll over angle vs the higher rotational inertia that makes larger tires attractive. Higher rotational inertia = less loss of speed from each and every bump on the bike.

[@cjohnson3836]

Smaller angle of attack means you're also less likely to jam the wheel and go OTB. A lot of people talk about fork travel but really, 29er wheels are a major part of what makes modern trail bikes so capable.

[@maximac1515]

I think that clip-in pedals are not only good for acceleration but also for keeping your foot in optimal spot on the pedal all the time. When I ride my bike with platform pedals for longer period of time I often find myself forgetting about keeping my foots straight on the pedal which results in less efficient ride. With clip-in pedals you don't have to think about it as it's always in the same spot.

[@Tethysmeer]

Thx! Another hack is to mount long cage plates to a rx812 derailleur which allows for 11-46 or more, better imho than the wolftooth which affects shifting. Also you can fit 2.2inches on a cfr696 frame.

[@cjohnson3836]

That's the carbonda frame yeah? Looks pretty nice and no proprietary small pieces. You have one?

[@philcampeau]

Great info and summary of the ideal bike setup.

[@sauravbasu8805]

Amazing! If the cyclists cycle for 20 hours a day, that means they only have 4 hours to rest and recover per day for two weeks straight. How do they manage it and where do they take rest ? Are there pre-assigned places for all?

[@Jean-jk4zv]

Drugs

[@alias8125]

The raceking changed something starting from the 2020 version in their compound or something about the building and now weight few grams less and roll even better than before but are prone to all kinds of tubeless issues going from leaking to punctures, that's why they are ignored nowadays..

[@glennoc8585]

I've got the race king/mountain king version on my XC MTB but the one shown in this is a specific version. Any idea which version as there's quite a few rave king options? My race king tyres leaked a lot through the sidewall for a while until the sealant did its job then all good.

[@alias8125]

@@glennoc8585 I'm talking about the proTection version

[@imcbocian]

"or something"... Is this a guessing? Gossip? Or you have found this construction changes in some documentation/specification?

[@alias8125]

​@@imcbocian its a known fact, in 2020 they ''updated'' the tyre

[@youtube7076]

Absolutely FANTASTIC CONTENT !

[@turbodog99]

Rohloff will subtract maintenance time, mud worries, etc. it will allow great ratios.

[@mattdelcomyn8012]

Great vid! Love this innovative category. Thank you!!

[@jasonjohnson4139]

Great analysis, any summary of wheelset used, Al vs carbon, hubs, spoke counts? That seems to be the final question for me in my cutty build up.

[@RedShipsofSpainAgain]

Agreed, I'd love to know if more riders are using carbon vs aluminum rims. Carbons are lighter but also much more expensive.

[@antogutierrez8890]

Thanks for all this information. My partner and I pedaled with a tandem for 3 years through Oceania, Asia and Europe. Now we are looking at gravel bikes and the Canon CF SL 8 (without Di2) is in our top 3. If you buy the bike it comes with 48/31t cranks and 11-34 cassette. I have seen that you have changed to 46/30t cranks and 11-42 cassette. I think it's a very good change! One of my fears is the 11-34 cassette. How does it work after this change? Are the cranks and cassette also Shimano? Thank you and enjoy the Tour Divide Ultra Race!! ;)

[@Red-ju4mi]

what tandem did you ride and drive train on it? I dont understand your question but bike should work fine and it should be the same crank with new chain rings and new cassette and it can be any brand theoretically. and yes you should change the 34 cassete, I'd personally try a wolf link and go 46 if possible

[@BROOKLYNSMITH-v5q]

The Cutthroat is a fantastic bike for what it is. Super happy with mine.

[@Jean-jk4zv]

Same here apart they just replaced the fork and I had to wait 4 months. But it was totally free of charge. Got mine for more than two years cannot ride anything else on mixed terrains. I tried a Grizl and a Diverge but they are too close to a road bike for me. Got a full sus for gnarly things. My gf loves it despite having a Rondo Bogan but the Cutthroat full rigid bike compliance and higher than usual head tube is unbeaten actually.

[@radost0514]

i think that if i do it i will take front suspension as a must ....fork can be a bit heavy(1.3kg) but comfort can safe you a lot of energy in a long term ....i would never do it without suspension ....

[@ifell3]

So glad I have subscribed to your channel!

[@mukkaar]

From what I have read and experienced, clipless pedals really shine in standardizing your position, so you can fine tune your bike and technique precisely. And it helps to stop all kind of small movement with your feet and use of unnecessary strength that can happen with flat pedals. I have been converted to flat pedals for my commute and bikepacking, it's just much easier to have normal shoes, especially useful for bikepacking so you don't need space and weight for extra shoes. And it seem like overall performance is about the same. But to me it seem like clipless pedals do provide clear improvements that are important for sport cycling.

[@MrWrob32]

TWO WEEKS!!!!!! OMG, they are all legends

[@GordoGambler]

Nope. They got SNOWED out. LOL hahahahaha

[@febirusdian1465]

And yes.. It's all about personal preference,, Thank you for the all package info

[@augustlandmesser1520]

7:06... how about mixed (mullet/reversed mullet) wheels? Some very experienced folks tried and liked it.

[@DanyaAnderson]

i love nerding out on these videos

[@03blackoperandi]

I think you just forgot to mention that 88% of the rider choose rigid fork purely for climbing performance, not for weight factor alone. Thanks mate, great videos btw.

[@LoranBriggs]

Would love to see a none race version of this video. For example, ride these tires and bar for comfort over these other ones that are faster.

[@DanieleCarletti]

Fantastic analysis and statistics. Would have loved some numbers about bikepacking bags brands too. Cheers

[@YuriThorpe]

They changed the continental raceking. The 2015-2019 version was much stronger than the new ones. They swapped from 4ply/240TPI to 3ply/180tpi. This extra ply was another puncture layer.

[@julienmoreau9728]

Last year on the french event baroudeuse unpaved I met a participant having continentals with the protection casing and a large cut on the sidewall. Basically these tires are anyways fast rolling and very light compared say to a random maxxis exo in3 plies of 60tpi that will be heavier but much more reliable. 180tpi vs 60tpi. Obvious difference I believe. Just compare the tire weights. More material equals more resistance. Ultra endurance mtb racers should pay attention to the casing and the weight when they choose. In my opinion.

[@tornagawn]

Wow…epic ride and some utterly epic bikes. Thanks.

[@That_Guy_Outside]

This is really great analysis!!

[@christophelautrette451]

Extremely informative video !!! well done ...and thank you !!!

[@frankducett9]

Frontal area is not reduced by using drop bars. The rider's body remains unchanged. The size of the bike and position of the rider make the frontal area. Arms widely spaced or not still yield the same frontal area. You can have a lower flat bar or a high drop bar affect frontal area more than type of bar.

[@Cyclingabout]

Yes, you can technically have a flat bar bike with a smaller frontal area. But it is almost never the case when you're dealing with the same rider (flexibility, core strength etc) on bikes with different handlebars.

[@Jean-jk4zv]

awesome analysis ! as a cutty owner, I assure you this is one of the most comfy bike for long trips. I ride mezcal front and terreno back but the terrain is more forgiving here . (in the summer, terreno front and back) I think people go for mezcal because they are cheap, easy to find and really reliable, around 35$/€ usually...

[@Cyclingabout]

There are a couple of versions of the Mezcal. The TLR or TNT versions are the highest performing and normally come in at US $77 each.

[@Jean-jk4zv]

​@@Cyclingabout oh those prices hurt, it's almost half the price in europe :-) also I did some research with customers reviews it looks like the Conti ones (protection) have less puncture resistance, a lot of people are complaining about it and they also seem more porous by reviewers comments... I may try them nonetheless 😃

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

Love it ... I have a 600x with a belt drive I like it purely because it means I don't have to lube a chain or clean it when bike is dunked weight yeah can hurt but I am not a top contender in these races and I shoot to finish... Not managed that yet ... I did XWA in PNW .. defeated by saddlesore hurt knee and a hurt ankle which was the nail in my ride this time... But I made it further than I did the previous year and yeah I weighed too much and need to lose it off my person to really improve... Gear I felt I got it almost spot on as I have been worried over not having enough food and snacks as i not gotten used to the gas station drop in stops ... I'll do more whole course recon next time as well as lack of knowledge of the race route had me break for the day I've pushing to camp because I thought I had more climbing to do.. I was wrong and camped in a metal kybo structure as i ran into three bears and thought I had another slow walking climb at 10pm to deal and I was worried those bear might meet me again...with which was NOT the case at all ... I could have camped in town six miles away but I thought I had another 2k climb in the way 😖 It was an ok sleep but campground would have been better

[@marcinsykut497]

600x has not enough gear for climbs so you have to walk when others ride. It’s also super heavy so your energy expedition is much bigger. I tested it myself and switched to carbon 11 gear and now it is soo much easier to ride. Good luck and ride on

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

@@marcinsykut497 i dealt with this issue by stripping my Front Suspension to a carbon rigid fork sure I take a bit more shakes but thicker grips and gloves take the edge off ... climbing yeah its brutal but honestly the issue climbing on soft surfaces hasn't been weight ... it is keeping the traction as any loaded bike when that happens will just stop and you'll be walking ... I have improved my climbing odds by setting good tire pressures and working on my pedaling technique but still a much work in progress ...

[@dokilsaram6949]

In case you wouldn't want to be as fast as possible, wouldn't it be way more comfortable to choose a fully for such a long trip?

[@fooboomoo]

I always wonder about that as well, why full sus are not more popular for that application. There are a few full sus Divide riders I think, would be great to hear about their experience.

[@garysladek9110]

Very well presented, thank you.

[@DIY-DaddyO]

Soooo my Triumph Traffic Master with a 3 speed Sturmey Archer isn’t the best bike for this?

[@njcranes]

I think some more interesting fact(s) could be:Avg winner height/weight/age. I would love to see that added to bike setup. So, the "preferred-perfect" at the end would cost...?

[@sergiolopez-uq2kn]

Continental race kings runs perfect with tubes.! But i had bad experiences using tubeless. Really poor air retention

[@panaceiasuberes6464]

You're the videos are the only ones that count.

[@jakubkowalik4791]

Hi. Great video. Which brooks saddles are most popular ? Cambium or classic leather ?

[@rbastardo7751]

Excellent video. Please keep doing it

[@rolffuchs2737]

I just put on the Vitoria Mescal on my gravel bike. Grip and comfort is superb, rolling resistance on gravel is superb on street o.k.

[@WatchJapan]

Great analysis Allee!

[@noneofthatmate]

Great work man. Thank you

[@wademt]

I’ve seen several riders riding by my house in the last few days. I live in MT on the route.

[@Lasercuttinglk]

thank you for the amazing introduction.

[@jonhume6051]

Thanks for the interesting video. Worth highlighting a few extra points about why wireless shifting and the use of clipless SPD vs flats. - Wireless gears - shifting is physically easier and hence less tiring on the the hands than mechanical - particularly if blips are also installed on the tops. - SPD's - aside from possible improvements in power from being able to pull up as well. Have things like the shoe-pedal combo being a bit lighter. Soles that can have chunky tread patterns that play better with mud when hike-a-biking. No pedal pins to mangle your shins. More rotational float - while at the same time being simple to achieve and hold the foot in a fixed fore-aft position relative to pedal spindle - which - if the fit is dialed in - is kinder to the achilles, knees etc and will help prevent injury.

[@LastAphelion]

What is meant by "if blips are also installed on the tops", what is that?

[@jonhume6051]

Hiya @@LastAphelion, Blips are SRAM's terminology for its add-on remote gear shifter buttons e.g. see kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6K9dJqZq7xgn7c . Typically get stuck under the tape on the bar tops or on aero bar extensions so as to allow shifting when using those parts of the bars. Idea being to reduce effort, keep aero - or if it's particularly rough - help maintain bike control ; while still being able to readily pick best gear 🙂

[@jojoanggono3229]

I agree with the rotational float, my knee seems to like more float compared to very stiff/rigid clip.

[@eur887]

Good analysis. Thanks. The Ergon seat that we can see in this video seems very comfortable. Any one could tell wich model is and comment something about it? Thanks a lot.

[@felixdefrance4430]

Very interesting! Thank you 🙂

[@1LeggedAdventures]

excellent video, thank you.

[@bisikleta1015]

Great job with the analysis

[@benw5691]

Great vid. Thank you

[@glennoc8585]

I recently sold on my suntour suspension seatpost due to the weight of the thing. I'll perhaps consider a suspension post in the the future but maybe something lighter with a small elastomer. I've got a wide rigid fork that can take very wide tyres for a 29er build I'm doing.

[@jimpannell2035]

Bought your book based on this video! Thanks

[@BenjaminRadoslovich]

Awesome summary!

[@madisondeans5566]

Great to see these bikes! Very inspiring! BTW,where are you know?

[@Vuduman]

@CYCLINGABOUT would be nice to see a women's specific version of this video, or a least a shorter rider one if you don't have enough data - how many 5'3" riders are on a 29" tire?

[@allyp7]

well i've got clipless pedals and a brooks saddle, my touring build is slowly coming together! brilliant video and as someone has already stated, you weren't speculating when you put this together!

[@mmau]

Excellent video!

[@jdizz7420]

Really cool video!