Pondering mountain biking the CDT in 2013 (assuming we are all still here) and wondering if anyone out there has done this. Ridiculously, I am considering trailering my 35# Aussie and bringing her along. She will be nearly 9 by that time and should ride well, if not easily. Easy on the criticism please. I figure it should take 3 months. Just pondering mind you.
Marti /Swannee
As far as I am aware no one has ever ridden the CDT. I would look at the Great Divide. It is an outstanding trip. I did 2000 miles of it. If you have questions just shoot me an email. Cheers.
YoungNdum 2007.
luke kaim
Bikes aren’t allowed in Wilderness areas, so the Great Divide bike route is somewhat different from the CDT hiking route, but a lot of people do it every year and it has a lot of beauty. The trails intersect mostly in towns (i.e. Leadore, Lincoln, Pie Town) and in the Great Basin in Wyoming.
ginny
My daughter and I biked the CDT in NM. Not easy especially if you had a dog in trailer in tow. We detoured on the Great Divide Mt Bike route at wilderness areas. Here is a link to our trip. sites.google.com/a/greyrock.org/new-mexico-s-continental-divide/ Adventurecycling.org bikepacking.net are great resources. Your idea is not really crazy. I have read accounts of a couple with a pair of pups in tow riding the Great Divide Route
tonymason
The beauty of biking the CD is you don’t have to carry much food or other supplies since towns come every 2 or 3 days. You will probly need a single wheel trailer, though the inexpensive one at Nashbar gets mixed reviews for breakage tendencies. I saw some CDB’ers carrying ridiculous amounts of food & supplies… it’s better to carry extra tube-patches, pump, & tubes, spokes & emergency rope-spokes, tools, tire patches, spare bolts & screws & spare anything else small that might shake loose & ruin your trip necessitating the use of duct tape & a coat hanger! I don’t recommend kevlar tire liners or slime-tubes (the liners crimp & pop your tube… the slime filled tube can’t be repaired in a pinch, though I always prefer to pop a new tube in to keep moving & repair the broken tube later in camp). As a bike messenger for 2 decades, I saw & experienced it all including broken chain (carry emergency links& chain breaker) skipping chain (lubricate &/or avoid using the skippy sprocket) broken cables (have all new brake & derailleur cables b4 u start & of course carry extras & a good cutter)…also, if the whole group uses similar bikes, spares can be shared. You can’t go wrong starting out with a fairly new bike, but ride around on ur local trails for a month… most bike shops give a free checkup/tuneup/wheel trueing at that point ! Carry extra spokes becuz very often the next bike shop doesn’t have them in your size ! Hope you are able to comfify a trailer for your dog.
inchworm plumber