Upcountry X-Road - Page 4

zlin · #46 01-26-2023, 02:37 PM

I like the bags - and also very cool to make them yourself to your needs. Would be a nice skill to pick up - did you have any background knowledge from prior work or learn by trial? I'd love one that fits a padded laptop inside the frame on my ti bike

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Good luck on the races!!

Zartan_d1 · #47 02-14-2023, 09:11 AM

Wowow Cool bike!

madsciencenow · #48 02-15-2023, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upcountry

The three bottles is somewhat of necessity. I prefer bottles over bladders for a few reasons; refilling them is just simpler and quicker, its also easier to monitor my fluid intake and remaining volume, but also works better for me as I get a lot of my caloric/carb intake in the liquid form. I'll mix these bottles up with ~100gm of carbs each, and I know that one per hour will keep me rolling. Mixing into a bladder and then taking sips is hard to track, and messy.
But with that all said, this route requires both, so I'll be wearing a hydration vest(1.5L bladder plus room for collapsible bottles if desired) as well. There is a 50 mile stretch through the desert with no re-supply options, and based on past riders, even the fastest take around 7 hours to get through this stretch, so I'm planning on carrying a bit more than 4L going into that stretch, despite them recommending +6L.

You know your body better than anyone else so take this with a grain of salt but I would carry at least 6L if at all possible. Seems like it would be better to have some extra than to run out, given the time line and conditions.

XXtwindad · #49 02-15-2023, 08:47 AM

Damn! That is super cool! I don’t know how I missed this.

I actually thought about getting this build in lieu of both my gravel bike and MTB. The problem is gearing. A smaller 1X works great on the dirt but sucks on the road. (I’m assuming there’s no room for a 2X?)

Upcountry · #50 02-17-2023, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madsciencenow

You know your body better than anyone else so take this with a grain of salt but I would carry at least 6L if at all possible. Seems like it would be better to have some extra than to run out, given the time line and conditions.

I'll be keeping an eye on the weather forecast to make the call on the final volume I'll be carrying. If it's looking to be above 80* or so, I might add some volume. For reference, during the 500 mile road race I did in September, there were several stretches of 4 hours or more that I rode with just about 2L of water and felt comfortable with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

A smaller 1X works great on the dirt but sucks on the road. (I’m assuming there’s no room for a 2X?)

One of the first things I did when I received the frame, was try to install a double crankset... Granted it was a 50/34, but was nowhere close to fitting. But with that said, I'm pretty sure I could get a 38/28 MTB double, or even a 46/30 type setup to fit. It's on my list of things to try out this summer.

madsciencenow · #51 02-17-2023, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upcountry

I'll be keeping an eye on the weather forecast to make the call on the final volume I'll be carrying. If it's looking to be above 80* or so, I might add some volume. For reference, during the 500 mile road race I did in September, there were several stretches of 4 hours or more that I rode with just about 2L of water and felt comfortable with that.

Out of curiosity, what were the temps on that ride. I sweat profusely and need to hydrate accordingly which is why I keep asking questions and providing unsolicited advice. I think monitoring the weather seems like a good idea. I had in my head that it would be a bit warmer than 80.

Upcountry · #52 02-17-2023, 04:22 PM

I just kinda threw out the 80 degrees number... But it turns out that's the average high temperature in March for Borrego Springs which is on the route. I do pretty well in the heat, with little problem riding in 90-95 degree temps, but really struggle below 45 degrees. The previous ride mentioned had temperatures of up to 90, but hovered around 75-80 for most of it, including the long stretches mentioned. Keep in mind, I'm smaller, at ~143lbs, so as for a percentage of body weight, my 2L might equate differently.

Broken_Nero · #53 02-19-2023, 07:35 PM

Woah what a dream set up, understated but class.

jambee · #54 03-05-2023, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upcountry

It's all about the details...

That! Oh pray tell who makes this super slick throughaxel?

Upcountry · #55 03-05-2023, 10:03 AM

I got you covered!

https://lichenmfg.com/product/throug...lever-6mm-hex/

madsciencenow · #56 03-05-2023, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madsciencenow

Out of curiosity, what were the temps on that ride. I sweat profusely and need to hydrate accordingly which is why I keep asking questions and providing unsolicited advice. I think monitoring the weather seems like a good idea. I had in my head that it would be a bit warmer than 80.

Thanks for the additional color on the temps and good luck on the ride!