Bike Selection

[drewandersen]

Hi Guys,

Wondering if anyone has advice on bike selection and gear for a through bike on the AZT. I have a full suspension CC bike that I would prefer to leave at home. Any experience? Hard Tail?

[beterarcher]

@drewandersen
I've always liked hardtails. when I ride a full suspension bike, it feels like I'm getting robbed on every pedal stroke. Just a heads-up, there are several sections where bikes are not allowed because they pass through wilderness areas.

[drewandersen]

I know I'll have to Hike-a-Bike through Grand Canyon. What other sections are not allowed?

[Tough_Boots]

What other sections are not allowed?

Any sections that are in a wilderness area. Superstition Wilderness 19, Four Peaks 20, Mazatzal Divide 23, and San Francisco Peaks 34 for sure. There's probably more. It probably isn't doable. If you can backpack the Four Peaks section while carrying a bike then you are probably some kind of god.

[beterarcher]

@drewandersen
Here's a link to the AZT website. Hopefully it has some info for you. there are a couple downloadables on there.

http://www.aztrail.org/mtn_bikers.html

[azbackpackr]

I had thought there is a bypass route for bikes, avoiding Grand Canyon, going via Navajo Bridge? Hiking a bike across Grand Canyon, is that even allowed? Well, the AZT website will tell you.

[beterarcher]

Here's another good link. http://www.topofusion.com/diary/2005/11/02/290/

@Tough_Boots
There is a god.

[CannondaleKid]

Hiking a bike across Grand Canyon, is that even allowed?

While it is allowed under very specific conditions convincing the authorities you never rode it while in the canyon is a whole 'nother story.

Three guys riding bikes from Alaska to Argentina made their traverse through the GC early 2007 with their bikes on their backs. (They began in 2006 and finished 3.5 years and 34,000 kilometers later) However it seems they couldn't resist riding at least once and the posted video was seen by someone of authority in time for them to be arrested in Tucson. They were hauled back up to Flagstaff and to make a long story short, for two Class B Misdemeanors (riding bike in canyon and camping w/o permit) they were sentenced to donate $500 dollars to Grand Canyon Search & Rescue Fund, spend 2 days in jail, 5 years of unsupervised probation and banned from all National Parks for 5 years.

Oh yeah and also:
During the 5 year probationary period we are not allowed to use any images or descriptions of biking/camping in the Grand Canyon on any internet site magazine, newspaper, or any other publication. We were required to withdraw all photographs, video footage and journal entries about riding our bikes/camping in the canyon. Furthermore, we have to publish this entry on our site describing the penalties that we incurred, as well as conveying the ethics and reasons why cycling in areas such as the Grand Canyon/wilderness areas is prohibited. The judge was also real keen on having us take a picture in front of the court and post it somewhere on the website.

The above can be found about a third of the way down this journal page for when they were in AZ:
http://www.ridingthespine.com/Journey/page/10

I was following their exploits back when it was happening and read many of their logs... my favorite was when one of the guys was alone on a stretch of frozen road in Alaska (many times they would be separated by miles from each other during the day) and being chased by a wolf for some time and was running out of energy to stay ahead when out of the blue a big truck came flying up, swerved over, hit the wolf, swerved back and kept on truckin'. But the wolf wasn't dead, and hitting it over the head with a large rock still didn't kill it so...
It seemed safely subdued and so I grabbed it by the scruff of it’s neck and began the difficult process of slicing its throat. By then, my comrades had appeared in dismay of the scene. To see me holding a bloody knife with a dying wolf at my feet did not readily resonate with their current paradigm of our trip (nor did it connect with mine). After more than a comfortable share of cutting, the wolf was ending its stay in this world.
I didn't take the time to dig through to find them now, but he posted photos of the dead wolf back in 2006.

So, they definitely packed a lifetime of adventure into 3-1/2 years.

[chumley]

There's an annual Arizona Trail Race where people ride the entire length of the AZT, including carrying their bike on their pack through the canyon. http://halfpastdone.com/2013/04/17/ariz ... ns-friday/

BobP ran into last year's winner, Max Morris, in April, mentioning him in a triplog. http://hikearizona.com/x.php?x=88798

Not sure if any of the racers ever have an issue with carrying their bike through the canyon, but if it happens annually, you think the NPS would at least be aware of the event and not have an issue with it.

Of course, it helps if you actually carry your bike, and don't ride it and post photos and videos online of you riding it in a national park/wilderness area. :roll:

For the record, those who complete the entire trail, do so in 8-15 days.

[blisterfree]

Two search terms of potential interest: bikepacking.net and "Scott Morris"

http://www.bikepacking.net/routes/arizona-trail/

[azbackpackr]

All this stuff is great, and make my bucket list trips look pretty pedestrian by comparison!

[Sredfield]

What other sections are not allowed?

Any sections that are in a wilderness area. Superstition Wilderness 19, Four Peaks 20, Mazatzal Divide 23, and San Francisco Peaks 34 for sure. There's probably more. It probably isn't doable. If you can backpack the Four Peaks section while carrying a bike then you are probably some kind of god.

Just for the record, Passage 34 is now routed out of the Wilderness and is open to bikes. It used to be on the Kachina Trail, which, of course is in within the Wilderness.

[BobP]

Every year there is a AZT bike race. This pic http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=334632 is of the winner. At this point, he was in 2nd place when I met him at the 3.5 mile mark of South Kaibob. I believe he(Max Morris) did the whole thing in a little over 8 days.


edit....ooopps... didn't see Uncle chums post