Bikepacking

And They’re Off!

by Andy Amick

Tour Divide 2014 guest post by Kristi. UPDATE: Sorry, Instagram did not like how I did the numbers on my original post. Fixed the issue, pictures should publish now. Hello all you Pale Spruce readers. This is Andy’s wife, Kristi, taking over his blog while he is riding the Tour Divide 2014. I’ll be blogging […]

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The Ideas Behind My Tour Divide Gear Choices

by Andy Amick

Rather than going through every piece of gear for my Tour Divide setup, I’m going to discuss some of the “bigger picture” approaches to outfitting a bike for such an adventure.  There will be a few gear specific mentions where appropriate. For you gear junkies, there is a detailed spreadsheet at the bottom of the […]

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Pushing Through “The Resistance” On Overnight Trips

by Andy Amick

It’s almost a given for me to experience “the resistance” about two hours into any type of overnight or multi-day trip.  Whether I’m with a group of friends, with my kids, or solo, my mind hits a roadblock with thoughts of home, my wife, and my family.  Once I push through this mental state, I […]

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5 Questions About The Tour Divide

by Andy Amick

When people find out that I’m riding the 2700 mile Tour Divide this year, a lot of questions usually follow.  Everything from being insane, training, logistics, and taking time off work.  Here’s the top 5 questions I have received. 1) Are you crazy? This is the most common question and the easiest to answer.  Of […]

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Make Your Own Cuben Fiber Vapor Barrier Socks

by Andy Amick

A Little Background I promise I’ll get to the making of the socks after a little introductory material.  After suffering through some miserable rides, I have discovered that as long as my feet and hands stay warm, the ride can be enjoyable.  A big part of staying warm is keeping the hands and feet dry. […]

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J.Paks FramePak Review

by Andy Amick

J.Paks is a Denver based maker of bikepacking bags. Joe, the owner, sewer, designer, do everything guy, has made all my bags for the Tour Divide ride this summer. For the frame bag, we met over beer and pizza to discuss options and my goals for the bag.  Joe offered some suggestions to my initial […]

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First Impressions – Luxos U Dynamo Light

by Andy Amick

For my Tour Divide setup, I decided to go with a dynamo hub and light system.  This is my first experience with dynamo based lights, but I can say that I’ve been thoroughly impressed.  I pedal and then the light and my GPS turn on.  Magic!  There is no need for batteries. After researching a […]

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Finding A Sleeping Pad For Side Sleepers

by Andy Amick

I’m a side sleeper.  One who prefers to curl my legs way up into an almost fetal position when I’m sleeping. The other night while testing out my Tour Divide sleep setup, I woke up several times with pain in my bottom knee when sleeping on my side.  It occurred when sleeping on either side […]

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My Tour Divide Cockpit Setup

by Andy Amick

As I write this, it’s 99 days to go until the Tour Divide starts.  Holy smokes! It’s time to start dialing the gear and riding a lot more.  June 13th will be here before we know it. Hover over the image above to see details on each component Bikepacking 2700+ miles creates a few challenges […]

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Stealing My Kids’ Toys For Bikepacking Gear

by Andy Amick

Sometimes the kids and their toys have to make sacrifices, even if they aren’t aware of the sacrifice at the time.  While doing more tinkering with gear and my bikepacking setup, I realized the foam ammo balls my kids shoot at each other would make a great end cap for my tarp pole. The tarp […]

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