Preparations are in the final stages for the Great Divide adventure which begins shortly after we fly to Calgary, Canada on the 8th of July. (I’m going with Don the high school friend I cycled from Austin to St. Augustine in 2009) The equipment list has been tweaked and jiggered, weights adjusted, packs & straps altered and waterproof bags sealed for items that shouldn’t get wet.  It’s hard to plan for this long a trip even though we’ll be passing thru towns and near outdoor stores, most of our gear is fairly specialized and mostly available thru stores online specializing in Ultralight and Backpacking gear. McKenney requested the above detailed photo with labels on each, but those labels will have to wait. It was a good idea to check off each item against the Excel sheet because there were still a few items in my hiking backpack that needed to be transferred to the floor.

Shakedown(s) provided plenty of opportunities for changes, repairs and corrections to gear and the bike. Now it’s time to consider weights.

The Cannondale Lefty is an all carbon bike but with all the packs velcro’ed on she weighs in at 27.4 pounds.  Best guess on the frame packs is 5.15 pounds and the Excel sheet calculates the gear and clothes on the bike (Base Weight) at 10.2 pounds.  If I take out the Electronics at 1.78 pounds the Adjusted Base Weight is 8.16 pounds. Total bike push/lift weight should be right at 41 pounds.  Total Pedal Weight with water is 53 pounds.

Thanks to my nephew, Christopher, who discovered a number of maintenance items – derailleur hanger bent, shock release not working, seat post rails too small, chain too dry and tires needing sealant – the bike should be in good shape now.