Road trip tips

I haven't done an extended out-of-state mtbing trip before. 99% of my riding is out the driveway and into the dirt. Anything I should consider bringing along or leaving behind? I am going to take a few basic tools and spare parts, but I don't have much in the way of spare stuff. Main back up plan is bringing 2 bikes in case I snap one in half (at least that's how I always travel for surf trips ). Going to be gone for a couple of weeks and will be in Flagstaff, Durango and Prescott if that makes any difference. Appreciate any words of wisdom from the experienced.

 

What vehicle? What’s your plan for accommodations?

 

Landcruiser and hoteling it. No camping, will have my wife along. Solo riding for fun and not craziness.

 

Awesome choices. Big things to make sure you have are your shoes(especially if you ride clipless) and your helmet. Easy things to overlook. One time going ot a race in Chile I forgot my helmet. so I got to spend 3x times the price for a low end Bell helmet to race in. That sucked!!

 

Off the top of my head...

I'd stock up on the essentials that present the most common issues... chain links, tubes, sealant, spare tire or two, clothing for any extreme, cleaning brush, lube, portable battery as phone charger, Trailforks/MTB Project map of the state, paper map as backup, jug or two of water so you don't have to trust the tap, energy bars or Tailwind, etc. Take a repair stand if you have one.

Check out the areas on Google Earth and Strava before you ride... I'd also plan on taking the bike(s) into the hotel rooms, or seeing if valet has a lock-up area.

 

I've gone on many road trips across the US and will be going on a couple more this summer. The only problems I have encountered have been the types you would encounter on your local trails. I did have one trip to Durango where the wind from being on the rack on the highway really did a number on my rear brake. I did not bring my bleed kit and we were scheduled to be on the trail at 7:0o AM the next morning. Somehow the brake lever slowly released the air overnight and worked perfectly fine in the morning. Other than that, I would say I have had no real issues and I just bring the basics. Having a spare bike will definitely be a great insurance plan. Oh and like Faust said, take the bikes into the hotel room, I've been to hotels with lock-up areas and I still take the bikes into the room instead and have never been confronted beyond a stare.

 

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime, congratulations! Solid advice here.

+1 on bikes where you sleep.

Might be simpler and less liability to commit to one bike. Spare chain and shifter cable if you have em, plus the usual wear items as mentioned but don’t go nuts because there are shops aplenty at your primary destinations.

Things I’ve forgotten...
Nat Parks or other passes
A roll of athletic tape
Ear plugs

AZ is newly weed-legal under an ounce but no retail mechanism exists yet. Durango is loaded.

Nine you’re fine, ten you’re mine gets the drive done, let someone else get lit up. Queue up some special music to commemorate and enjoy the landscape. Like a surf trip?

 

That reminds me... When we did our Saint George trip with the group, my Hightower was on the end of the rack, and it picked up some nasty road grime. My drive train acted like it was coated in tar for the entire trip. Muck Off didn't get it clean, and I eventually gave up on shifting at Gooseberry.

 

I take multiple road trips every year. Headed to Hurricane next week. Durango in June. Oregon in late July and Bentonville in October. I personally take a my bike stand, a tool box and a crate with a spare everything. In all my trips, aside from sealant and a spare tire, I've yet to need any of the parts I carry that I can recall but I take care of my bikes and prep them before every road trip.

As was already mentioned, I take my bikes inside every hotel or condo we stay at. Shockingly, since I've moved to Prescott, I see bikes left (locked) on bike racks on a regular basis at the trailheads and plenty of unlocked bikes on racks all over town. I personally won't be taking any risks but it's a different (and better) world out here as far as crime goes.

Hit me up if you need any Durango advice ( I highly recommend a day at Phil's World in Cortez) or if you want a basic guide in Prescott...I'm still earning all the different areas myself but aside from high level gnar, this place has tons of variety. I'm available almost all the time when I'm in town. I can't wait to ride more of Flagstaff starting in a couple weeks. I've been picking the brain of Rockman over at MTBR.

 

I'd normally be with @mike on bringing just one bike due to the hassle of dealing with 2 bikes and risk of theft. If you are concerned about breaking something and parts availability though, a second bike is definitely an option if you don't already have spares to bring along. There are plenty of shops in those areas. If you have them I'd bring stuff that commonly breaks/needs replacement like rear D, brake pads, tire, cable, quicklinks etc, along with related tools like bleed kit and anything else you need to fix common issues. I do a ton of road trips often to areas without shops and I bring more stuff on those than when there are shops in town. It's not often I've needed to replace something but it happens occasionally, and you can never predict what might come up. Also - if you will bring the bike into your hotel, consider a tarp to lay down to keep the room clean.

When is your trip? I'd definitely do some research into rides ahead of time and have an idea of what you want to do. 2 weeks isn't a lot for those three locations. I'd also come up with alternatives in case conditions aren't good. If you're going soon any high country in Durango won't be accessible yet. Get into May/June and fire danger might shut down the forest around Flag completely, or there could be an early season fire in CO. It happens. Also look into riding and other stops along the way. Not sure if Monument Valley is open yet or whether New Mexico still has travel restrictions. If no issues, Gallup and Farmington have decent riding and MV is a necessary stop. Phils World in Cortez is fun for a few hours but I don't think hiking is allowed. Sand Canyon has hiking, riding, and cliff dwellings for the wife to check out while you ride.

For maps, you can rely on Trailforks for AZ riding. @schillingsworth and co keep it well up to date. TF looks pretty good for Durango as well but I can see a lot of forest roads aren't shown clearly which is one of TF's big weaknesses. You'd need to get a subscription for TF to use the app via mobile, not sure if that is a big deal for you but I'd recommend it. If you like paper maps, check out Latitude40 for Durango https://www.latitude40maps.com/. Their Telluride/Silverton/Ouray map is also worth getting as there is some great riding just off the Durango map. And you'll want to go back : ) For Mancos/Dolores/Cortez/Rico area the BigLoopMaps map is a good one, you can get it at a shop in Cortez. https://biglooptrails.com/colorado-trails. For trail conditions around Durango this site is updated regularly: https://www.durangotrails.org/trail-conditions/

Prescott used to produce a paper map of all trails in town for $1. Looks like it is downloadable for Avenza now. https://www.avenzamaps.com/maps/1109013?. Avenza is worth having, it's a PDF reader for your phone that shows your location on a geo-referenced map. It's free. Not sure if Prescott still prints the maps.

Don't forget to take lots of pics for the trip report! Happy to help with questions about any specific trails.

 

Wait, you can ride outside of a ten mile radius from your home? Legally?

Huh. I better re-think this whole thing.

 

So much great info to digest! I really appreciate everyone's input. I'll be turning 69 next week and though I haven't really slowed down in my biking regimen in the last several years, who knows how long I will be crawling up and down the trails, so yeah, hopefully a trip to savor!.

I've been thinking hard on this one. I would like to keep things as simple as necessary and one bike would make life easier. May just take the Bronson if I go one bike, but man I'd like to get the titanium Timberjack out there too. Don't know yet. Really don't keep a fully stocked parts cabinet in my home shop and would like to trim what I take to the essentials.

All the places I am staying say they have secure storage, but I'd rather have my bike in the room and 2 bikes may be one too many.

 

Yikes! Note to self - add chain cleaning/lube kit to list. Thanks!

 

I hear you. My bikes are in perfect shape and will be cherried out if anything comes up before I leave. Hope isn't a great plan but I can adapt.

My wife's cousin lives less than a mile from where we are staying in Prescott (which is about 1.5 mi from the White Spar campground) so I can leave my bike(s) in their locked garage if the B & B seems unfit. Good sized room so probably just keep 'em with me there.

Thanks, I ordered a trail map for Durango from the link provided by @evdog above but will probably just pick places and go spontaneously. Maybe I'll meet someone along the way, who knows? As I get more organized, I may take you up on Durango advice. Will be arriving in Durango from Flagstaff Fri 5/7. Weekend riding is not my thing here but this is how it worked out. Will have Mon to explore.

As for Prescott, given travel from CO to get there and travel home the day we leave, I'll be riding (stars align and the creek don't rise) Wed 5/12 -Friday 5/14. Bailing for mi casa on Sat. Would be great to meet up if you are around and don't mind old and slow.

 

Great advice, I did a small bike rebuild in my hotel room - 1x11 conversion, new wheels/tyres, brakes, seat, post, bars etc and wished I'd put something down. Luckily the short pile dark carpet meant the dirt encrusted grease that didn't brush off just kind of blended in.

Hotel showers do make excellent bike wash stations. Just try not to leave tyre marks on the walls. That gets the cleaners a little upset.

 

As long as you and your bike is in good condition, you will probably never need anything you bring. I have been traveling all over the western parts of the country spending a week to over a month on the road. Riding as much as my body would tolerate and all the spare parts I bring along just get in the way. One time I had to drop into cedar city for a brake bleed and another time a tubeless set up failed and I did not have a tube with a long enough valve stem. Other than that and some chain lube, my "essentials" were not needed. Plus, You will be in places where you will have access to all the bike comforts of home.

Have a great trip.

BTW, I recommend the hermosa trail outside of Durango. Have the wife drop you off at the top...pergatory, if I recall correctly, and meet you back in town. Then head to the Ska brewing company for a Modus Hoperani.

 

Definitely check in with shops if you decide you want to try Hermosa. If it isn't still snow covered in May then that is because it is warm enough to melt snow, which means the stream crossings may be too deep. Most likely you'll be limited to the town trail systems in May.

 

Nice outpuring of nuggets!

Evdog's bike repair photo reminded me that I like to keep a ratty towel on hand. I've had one or two places deny bikes in the room (and then I deny paying for said room); don't want to contribute to bike prohibition. @evdog, it looks like you were careful. I felt awful when we dragged the chain of our tandem onto a carpeted landing. So much for LNT there. Otherwise we try hard not to screw it up for the next rider.

 

[QUOTE="evdog, post: 253702, member: 309"
For maps, you can rely on Trailforks for AZ riding. @schillingsworth and co keep it well up to date. TF looks pretty good for Durango as well but I can see a lot of forest roads aren't shown clearly which is one of TF's big weaknesses. You'd need to get a subscription for TF to use the app via mobile, not sure if that is a big deal for you but I'd recommend it.
Don't forget to take lots of pics for the trip report! Happy to help with questions about any specific trails.[/QUOTE]

Apparently the development team at Trailforks are readers of this forum...(they just added 200K United States Forest Service roads and trails).

 

Bummer....I'll be in OC that week.

My friends that were just out here were infatuated with the Spence Basin / Emmanuel Pines (which adjoin each other) riding areas off of Iron Springs Rd. https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8019440/spence-basin-trail-network There's soooooooo much blue, singletrack flow here that it's incredible. You can't go wrong here unless you go looking for steep gnar, then you'll be disappointed. You can also climb right out of White Spar and head over to Goldwater lake stuff.

 

I ride where I travel. I bring my mini kit, mini first aid kit and a 15mm open end wrench (pedals). Of course I break the bike down and fly. How many breakdowns have you had in the last 3 weeks?. I broke a bike in half one time in Haunted Ahmenson Ranch. Delaced a rear wheel when riding Haunted Cheeseboro. Sometimes I carry a spare tube and a pump (suitcase not on the bike). But a gas station gives me air for a buck, Tire stores have better air, so normally just the presta adapter in my mini kit. You mentioned places in the Colorado desert so maybe a couple tubes. I carry a chain and master lock when in town, maybe you will find a place with ice cold suds. You are only going 2-3 weeks. All those towns have an LBS so you should be fine. Most towns have a Walmart so tubes are available 24 hours a day for $7

I always check out with the counter person giving my expected return time. And put a note in the rental car on the mat. I also try to ride in phone coverage areas just in case. I try to avoid parking in trail head lots with gates that close at sunset. Those who know me understand why. I do look at the maps before I go and it seems I never ride those trails once I arrive. Remember those places you noted are probably 5k or more higher than the trails out the front driveway.

I ask the LBS where to ride, then never ride there.

Happy trails in unknown territory. Getting out semi lost is half the fun, knowing how to get back before total darkness makes it a blast.

 

You are right, May will be too early for Hermosa.

 

Spare derailleur hangar if no one has mentioned it. Might be hard to find at a local bike shop while traveling. Having said that, I buy them for all my bikes and have never needed it on a trip, but better to be prepared. I also bring a small bottle of tire sealant and an extra tire among other things. Sure can be had at a local shop, but opening time might mess with your ride plans and they might not have your favorite flavor in stock. Regarding bike security, when bikes are on the hitch rack, even with cable lock, we never let them out of our sight. Will only go in to eat somewhere if we can park close and see the bikes from a window table. Also if you have hitch rack, be sure your rack is locked to the hitch. A bit paranoid but I can't imagine the bummer of having a bike stolen while on a trip. Have a great trip.

 

having a back up bike seems like over kill, and I have needed an extra bike on at least 2 trips(rented). Good idea to have your bike mechanically ready to go prior to the trip, fully serviced. For drive to road trips, I will bring extra chain, derailleur, tire, orange seal, pedals, brake pads, bleed kit (used to bring a seat post, but droppers are much better these days). Small bike stand and floor pump too. Plus all the normal pack stuff for long remote rides. I use a titanium bike chain lock for camping/parked on rig. If moteling, motel 6 is always cool with bikes. High end places can be difficult, call ahead.

 

Settled on one bike (the Bronson) and a more minimalist amount of supporting crap. List got long enough to need a fully stocked chase vehicle with 2 bike mechanics. Everywhere I am staying has secure storage, and w/just 1 bike hopefully I can walk it to my room like I own the place. That and a Jackson to the front desk person to let me rock it! Sunday morning rolls around and I am gone like a cool breeze.

 

We've never had any issues bringing our bikers to our rooms anywhere we've stayed. One place in Whistler actually had a "no bikes in the room" policy and a chain linked "secure" area in the garage they wanted people to use. The concierge told us point blank that nobody follows the rules. They know how much bikes cost.

 

Straight from the room to Twin Buttes!

 

Serious Texas BBQ is the most popular restaurant in town and very good, Homeslice on College Dr for pizza by the slice (full bar too) or Fired Up on Main St if you prefer wood-fired and want the sit down experience, Taco Libre for "trendy" Mexican or Mi Ranchito if you want the more traditional style (stay away from Tequilas...not terrible, a huge chain and just meh), Steamworks Brewery on 2nd Ave has great sandwiches, burgers, pub food and presumably beer but I don't likelier so can't say. It's an area icon. 2nd Ave Sports is by far the best and best stocked bike shop in town though I'm sure everything is full MSRP at this time of year. Good people too.

 

28 yr old Land Cruiser performed well the whole trip. 17 yr old tires not so much. Blew the brains out of one today between Blythe and Desert Center. Thankfully it didn't blow on the 89 in the mountains south of Prescott.

Spent a couple of hours on the shoulder of the 1-10 watching semis in the rear view barrel up on me swerving in and out of the lane onto the shoulder and wondering if today was going to be the day. It was too hot and windy to stand out in the desert scrub. Fortunately, AAA came and although it took both of us to drop the spare down, even though it was the original tire from '93, it still held air and got us home.

Babied it at 55 mph the whole way to the consternation of everyone on the road. The pass near Palm Springs was blowing as hard as I have ever seen. Scary hard.

 

I don't really do much different, prep wise, to my bikes for trips. I try to stay on top of maintenance items. Though with my new rig I plan to have some repair parts and tools so I can repair stuff. I have blown up a couple rear wheels on trips in the past, so I just went home early. I always kept my car packed with my camping gear, but I tend to camp several times a month (also not an issue anymore).

I never travel without running shoes, so I always have a backup option.

I drive 55 99% of the time everywhere I go. F@ck anyone who doesn't like it