Learned From AZT
April 25th, 2008
On my 4 day AZT experience, I packed pretty well but there were still some adjustments & realizations over the days. Over the four days, these are some of the things I tuned in on:
- Ultra Light Touring - one of the coolest things to do on a bike.
- Pack Weight – The weight on your back will most likely affect the quality of your days on the trail more than anything. I ran about 20lbs on my back for the four days. 20lbs was too much weight on the hips where they contact the seat. On the days that were 8-10 hours long, that meant a lot of discomfort and shifting around. Solution; run more on the bike & less on you. the pack should be little more than what you normally ride.
- Rig Weight – keeping your base bike setup under 40lbs will keep the ride fast. Nevermind paniers and other excessive loads. Just bring the minimums.
- 29er wheels. Had I not spent the last 6 months prior to the AZT dicking around with a 29er, I’d not know different, but as it was, all day riding has everything revolve around comfort or efficiency. after the first mile had been run, I knew the Dambala 29er was going to be the best idea I’d have concerning comfort. Dual susp may work well as an alternative, but having big wheels is simple and comphy.
- Technology – GPS’s… They just idiot-proof the ride. If I wasn’t following Yuri & his, I’d have definitely made many wrong turns.
- Water Filters - I ran tablets & I got lucky because water wasn’t a problem. However, had the ride been a few weeks later, I would have been spooning algae from my canteen. No matter how safe the water is, or tablets may make it, nothing turns off thirst more than creepy-crawlies, dirt and slime in the water. Filters eliminate that. Worth the weight.
- Alcohol stoves – Got this Decagon Ti Alcohol Stove and I’ll never go back to a pump-style stove again. No moving parts, super simple, super easy, super light.
- Routes – the AZT through the mid section is cut with hundreds of intersecting roads that might as well lead nowhere. No place to be wondering if survival is paramount. Study up.
- Timing – Spring. Want to do a long desert ride? Spring is the only season worth prime consideration. The water is what that is all about.
- Sonora – The Sonoran desert is one of the coolest places in the world. I’m stoked to have seen part of it by bike.
- Circle K – The reality of this type of riding makes the rider generally dependant on the same type of diet that give inner city ghetto kid diabetes. Beyond the nutritional lack, it may also have somewhat depressive symptoms but there could be other reasons for that. Regardless, the onslaught of sugary, processed crap from available sources can and sometimes does take a toll.
Here’s the list I used for the trip. Thanks to Yuri over at Upside Out for the original version.
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