Dialing in the Setup: My Tour Divide Gear Breakdown
One Rider, One Bike, 4,500km: Here's My Setup
Figuring Out the Gear for the Tour Divide
Figuring out the gear for a race as long and varied as the Tour Divide can feel just as stressful as the training itself.
Before starting this journey (and yes, the preparation alone feels like its own mini-epic), I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole went. Every decision, from tires to top tube bags, ripples across the whole setup. Small changes can mean big adjustments elsewhere.
Want easier climbing gears? Great. Now your derailleur might not accommodate the biggest cog. Want a bigger top tube bag? That means another bag doesn’t fit, and you need to find a new place to carry your tools… which in turn means you need to find somewhere else to carry water (gah!)… and now I own a hydration vest. It’s a web of interdependencies, and I’ve spent a lot of time untangling it.
I’ll spare you the full saga of how I landed on my current setup, but I figure if my obsessive Googling of other riders’ gear has taught me anything, it’s that sharing setups is fair game - and sometimes helpful.
So here it is. This post focuses on the bike; I’ll share more on the gear I’ll be carrying on the bike in another post.
At a Glance
Into the Details
The bike: 2023 Salsa Cutthroat GRX 600
Purpose-built for the Tour Divide, the Cutthroat is essentially a drop-bar mountain bike, designed to eat up dirt roads and keep you rolling through rough terrain.
Wheels: Nobl TR-32
One of my bigger investments: lightweight carbon wheels. Not only do they save weight, but because that weight is rotating, the difference is very noticeable.
The front hub is a SON28 dynamo that powers my lights and GPS. Simple, reliable, and it means less worrying about battery life.
The rear hub is a DT Swiss 350.
Tires: Vittoria Mezcal 2.25” Tubeless
After some back and forth, I landed where many Tour Divide riders do: fast-rolling, durable, and just enough grip for sketchy descents. Running tubeless to avoid flats as much as possible.
Gearset: 1x11; 11-50T Garbaruk cassette with 34T chainring
This was a recent upgrade. I swapped most of the stock drivetrain to make the climbs a little more manageable. That meant investing in a Garbaruk cassette, an extended derailleur cage, and dropping from a 36T to a 34T chainring.
End result? Climbed a rough 17% gravel grade last weekend without drama. I lose a bit of top-end speed, but I can still cruise smooth flat roads at ~38 km/h when needed… and let's be real, that’s not happening often on the Divide.
Handlebars: Salsa Cowchipper
Stock bars with a big flare. I don’t love riding in the drops, but the wide setup is great for fitting my Pronghorn bar bag.
Aero Bars: Profile Designs Supersonic Ergo+ 4525
Mounted on a 70mm riser. These are less about speed and more about comfort and position variety. They also give me a stable mount for my Garmin 1040 Solar and KLite headlight.
Lights: KLite dynamo lights
Mounted on the aero bridge, powered by the SON hub. I tested the setup recently when I rode into the night on remote roads and gravel tracks north of Toronto, and was impressed. Plus, the lights kept shining long after I stopped pedaling, which made setting up camp way easier.
Seat Post: RedShift ShockStop Endurance PRO
Saddle sores are at the top of my “things I’m worried about” list. This post adds 35mm of travel and smooths out the bumps surprisingly well.
Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo
This one’s still TBD. I swapped out my Brooks C17 after a saddle fitting, but I’m not 100% sold on the Fizik just yet. Might still change again before the start.
Bikepacking Bags
Frame Bag: Rogue Panda Custom Bag
This is a standout piece. Holds 3L of water in the lower half (hydration = crucial) and food/tools in the upper. Fits like a glove.
Handlebar Bag: Revelate Designs Pronghorn + Egress
The Pronghorn holds my tent, sleeping bag, and a tiny Sea to Summit pillow.
The Egress Pocket holds my drone, though on its maiden voyage it rubbed against the front wheel and now has a sizable hole. Patch job incoming.
Top Tube Bag: Tailfin Top Tube 1.6L
Replaced my old Revelate Mag Tank after too many accidental ejections. This one is bigger, more secure, and has cable routing - a win all around. Will hold my charging setup and snacks.
Rear Rack: Tailfin Aeropack
This replaces my old Revelate Spinelock. I liked the Spinelock, but wanted to reduce pressure on the seatpost. The Aeropack mounts to the rear axle and keeps things stable.
Cargo Cages: Salsa Anything Cage HD with Revelate Designs Polecat 3.5L Bags
Mounted on the Aeropack arch instead of the fork to help balance front/rear weight. One holds rain gear, the other tools and spares.
The Final Countdown
With just a few weeks left before the start line, most of my gear is locked in. I’m still tinkering (because of course I am), but the bike’s feeling solid and dialed. Hopefully all this prep pays off when I’m deep in the Rockies, pedaling toward the border.
Wish me luck! And if you have any last-minute gear wisdom, my inbox is open.
I’ve learned to keep my tent separate from my sleeping bag and down jacket. There were a few mornings that I had to pack a wet tent. I’ve ended up with a wet sleeping bag one to many times.
Gear posts always welcome! I'm confused by the details of your ShockStop seatpost. You say it is a "RedShift ShockStop Endurance PRO" with 20mm suspension, but the 20mm ShockStop is the "PRO Race" and the "PRO Endurance" has 35mm suspension. Curious which one you use. (Personally, I think RedShift has confusing names for their ShockStop seatposts. I have one but I can never remember the name of it.)