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: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i8uPh91oypaonXk.html

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.

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! :)

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 ❤️

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!

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!!! : )

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

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

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.

Yet another masterful analysis. Thanks @Cyclingabout!

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!

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.

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

Great info and summary of the ideal bike setup.

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

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.

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

So glad I have subscribed to your channel!

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

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!

Great breakdown! I dig the background music, too!

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

Great roundup! Thanks!

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

Very well presented, thank you.

Absolutely FANTASTIC CONTENT !

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?

Excellent video. Please keep doing it

Great work man. Thank you

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 🍺🙂👍

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.

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.

Very interesting! Thank you 🙂

This is really great analysis!!

Great vid! Thank you very much!

Great vid. Thank you

Really cool video!

Great analysis Allee!

excellent video, thank you.

Great job with the analysis

Great info mate loved it 🇦🇺

Great vid, super interesting to see what the go-to tech is in this proving ground.

Great video! 👍

Excellent video!

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

thank you for the amazing introduction.

The best bike channel period !

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

Top info as usual !

Loved this!

Very informative so much information.

interesting analysis, thanks!

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

Great content!

Awesome summary!

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

i love nerding out on these videos

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.

Phenomenal video!!!

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

thanks man, have you ever done the race? great vid

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

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.

thumbs up for pointing out that tires are so important.

Bought your book based on this video! Thanks

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.

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.

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.

Super stoked about bikes.

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

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!

wonderful video

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

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.

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.

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!

Very good information. Would be nice to hear also, what were the fastest bikes like compared to the average.

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

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.

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...

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.

You sir, are my fave bike nerd!

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Great analysis. I'd would be great to correlate setup with overall success (time, comfort, mechanicals).

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

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.

Es una auténtica locura! 😮

Very nice video! Would be interested in gear taken, and the riders...

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.

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.

You mentioned suspension forks (30% of them) but a lot of them, including the winning bike, had Redshift's Shockstop suspension stem. What are the downsides to that other than some 200 grams of extra weight?

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

Thank you! That may explain it. Yes chain cleanliness is important and hard to do! I haven't had much luck with waxes...maybe not using them right, but some of those lube oils on market are great. This ride is out of my league, did P-B-P, and B-M-B, but the latter dates me ha!

Great video as always, when'll we get an update on your adventures? I'm curious if more riders were using Shimano or SRAM?

Thanks for the info. The Tour Divide is on my bucket list but not to race, just to complete. Do you think the Tout Terrain like yours with the widest tires it will take could make it through this ride? I have a Kona Sutra for touring coast to coast whenever the pandemic recedes and after surgery for a torn rotator cuff. I’m having some bad luck which included getting COVID in spite of vaccine & boosters and then a fall wrecking my shoulder. Surgery is coming later this summer and my surgeon said ‘No biking’. For me that means no getting in shape. I have 2 full suspension mountain bikes and a Rocky Mountain hard tail. I’m sure I have something that will work for the Great Divide at my own leisurely pace if I don’t get the Tout Terrain beforehand. Stay safe and keep posting videos. 👍☮️🌞🚵‍♂️💖