To tackle the FS/CDT, you’ll need a full suspension mountain bike (many sections could certainly be ridden on a hard tail, but attempting the full route on a hard tail would be pure masochism). A short-ish travel “downcountry” type bike is likely the optimal balance between being light enough to push up nearly 400,000′ of climbing, while capable enough to enjoy the descents. My high level advice would be try to be 40 lbs or less of bike + gear (before water and food).
Looking to cut weight? Here are a few things I recommend:
- Leave that R1 hoody at home and take a hoody made of Alpha 90 (e.g. this one). My Alpha 90 hoody is half the weight of a comparable Patagonia R1 hoody and possibly warmer.
- Invest in a super light puffy. The Zpacks Down Jacket uses 900 fill power down and is shockingly warm for a 3.4 oz garmet.
- Find cost effective ways to make your bike lighter. E.g. I installed a $65 carbon saddle from China that worked great and swapped my beloved Ergon grips for $18 ESI grips cutting 100 grams from my handlebars.
- Keep your electronics to a minimum. I carried 1x 10,000 mAh power bank and never ran out of power.
Below I’ve provided a summary of the bike and gear I used for my ride.
Quick stats:
- Bike: Custom built Specialized Epic EVO (120mm travel up front, 110mm travel in the back)
- Bike weight: 24 lbs
- Gear weight (including bags): 13 lbs
- Components replaced en route: 4x sets of brake pads, 2x sets of tires, 2x complete drive trains, 1x set of grips, 1x broken carbon wheel, 2x spokes
THE BIKE
- Frame: 2022 Specialized S-Works Epic EVO
- Fork: Fox 34 Factory SC – Grip SL 120mm travel
- Shock: Fox Float SL Factory 110mm travel
- Crankset: e*thirteen XCX Race carbon cranks, Crank Brothers Eggbeater 11 pedals
- Brakes: SRAM Guide G2 brakes, CenterLine X rotors (160mm front, 120mm rear)
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT shifter & derailleur, Shimano XTR 10–51t 12-speed cassette, 30 tooth oval front chain ring
- Wheels: Whisky No.9 30w hoops, DT Swiss 240 hubs
- Front Tire: Maxxis Rekon 3C/EXO/TR 29 x 2.6”
- Rear Tire: Maxxis Rekon 3C/EXO+/TR 29 x 2.4”
- Handlebar: ENVE M6 carbon bar, Ridefarr Carbon Aero V3 Bar
- Saddle: Generic carbon saddle from China
- Seatpost: OneUp V3 Dropper Post (120mm)
Custom wheels and bike assembly by Alter Cycles in Bozeman.
HANDLEBAR
- Revelate Designs Pronghorn Handlebar Bag
- Hyperlite 20°F Down Quilt
- Zpacks Plex Solo Lite Tent
- Zpacks Goose Down Jacket
- Spare DCF bag, used to isolate wet tent from dry down when packing a wet tent
TOP TUBE
- Custom Sagebrush Stitchworks Top Tube Bag
- Garmin InReach Mini GPS Tracker
- Wolf Tooth Chain Lube
- Nitecore NU25 headlamp (and a mini Titan Strap to attach to handlebar to use as a bike headlight when needed)
- Tubolito Spare Tube and patches
- Zpacks Vertice Rain Mitts
- Chain rag
- Lens wipes
- Sunscreen stick
TRIANGLE
- Custom Backcountry Stitchworks Triangle Bag
- Multitool, tire plug tool, tire levers/chain link tool, spare spokes
- Isobutane Gas Canister (110g)
- Tent stakes
- Nitecore NB10000 Gen III power bank
- 45w 2-port USB-C GaN charger (this one), 2x short USB-C cables, various tiny adapters
- MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe stove
- Big Agnes Zoom UL sleeping pad
- Nemo Fillo Elite pillow
- 25’ paracord for bear hang
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, tiny bottle of Dr. Bronner’s soap, shaving razor (head only), mini lighter, TP, duct tape, needle & thread, razor blade, Tylenol, ibuprofen, sleeping pad patch kit
REAR
- Rockgeist Gondola dropper-compatible saddle bag
- 7MESH Skypilot rain jacket
- LEVE Alpha 90 hoody (similar to Patagonia R1, but 50% lighter)
- Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants
- Spare pair of Darn Tough socks
- Toaks 700ml Titanium Cook Pot
OTHER
- Revelate Designs Joey Downtube Bag (spare storage, used mostly for snacks)
- Lezyne Pocket Drive Pro HV Pump
- Raidlite fastpack with 2L bladder, Katadyn BeFree Filter Flask, bear spray
- Specialized Stix Switch taillight
- CAMP G Comp Warm skimo gloves (Colorado section only)
- Garmin Forerunner 955 GPS Watch for navigation with handlebar mount
- iPhone 15 Pro, AirPods
- Eliel jersey, Oakley bike shorts, Smartwool boxers, Darn Tough socks, POC Spin Helmet, Smith sunglasses with photochromatic lens, Giro gloves, Shimano 2FO Cliplite Bike Shoes
I replaced the rear carbon rim with an alloy rim in Victor, ID, after the carbon wheel cracked. Replaced drivetrain and tires at halfway point. I replaced my brake pads four times.
