Map Breakdown: Day 1

Let's break down day one! This day has a couple interesting parts and features the widest variety of trail types and surfaces. 

First off, this day has already been the cause of some change and stress due to the Lost Creek Wilderness ride around. This is how the trail looks if you were going to hike it: 

Lost Creek Wilderness in Orange (no bikes)

Initially, I had planned for us to ride a 24 mile detour around the wilderness. This would have put us on the trail for half the day, and then on a dirt road for the other half 

Original Route in Orange, Detour in Blue

I was watching a video of a guy riding the trail and noticed his ride around distance was more than double what I had planned. What is up?! Turns out, I had us riding on part of the trail that is within the wilderness, so we were going to have to further modify the route. 

Original Route in Orange, Full Detour in Blue

This adds significant miles and forces us to reschedule the whole ride. In the end, it is fine, a little more road than trail, still an adventure. There is also an option to detour to the north, but this puts you on 285 for 15 miles or so.

No thanks

Original Route in Orange, 285 Detour in Blue

So, with the route settled here is how it breaks down into three parts:

Part 1: Miles 0-5 - We start in the Buffalo Creek trail system for 5 miles of flowy trail through the trees that should be a fun way to start the day. It is the only singletrack for the day.

Part 1

Buffalo Creek

Part 2: Miles 6-36 - For the second part of the trail we jump on a dirt road that rolls south. This has quite a bit of ride and fall and should be fairly miserable. 

Part 2

Stoney Pass Road

Part 3: Miles 37-52+ - The last bit of the ride is paved, is a gentle climb, and will hopefully be a nice break from the dirt road that precedes it. I had planned for us to stay near the Tarryall Reservoir, where there is a waterfall and some places to camp - but there if we continue up the road another 10 miles, there is a place called the Stagestop saloon that looks like a great spot for some beers, pizza, and socialization. 

Part 3

Tarryall Road

Still TBD whether we want to push through this day, or camp a little rougher. Here is a breakdown of the profile and some of the way points (you can see the middle third looks terrible).

Ride Profile

Next up: Day 2! Shorter, more singletrack, and some support at the end!

Colorado Trail 2026: A Tale of Two (Three?) Bikes

When I first started planning for this ride, I was excited at the prospect of a new bike! I also thought there was potential to take my daily driver, my Epic Evo. I even put some bags on it to see how things would look and feel. 

Epic all geared up

I was not super thrilled about taking my beloved carbon bike and punishing it for four days. So, onto searching for a cool bike packing option: A Canfield Nimble 9 from Pinkbike. I was super optimistic about how this quick handling steel frame would work as a bike packing rig. I'd even seen a few readers rides on Bike packing.com that featured this bike. 

Came as a single speed

Boom! gears

I was excited to take it out for a first few rides that included some dirt roads and some singletrack. I even loaded it up with bags to see how everything would fit.  

Testing Bag Fit

I have to say, I was not happy with how this bike rode. It was really disheartening because reviews said the bike was a real winner. My issues were:

• Short reach
• Twitchy handling
• Restricted space in the main triangle
• 150mm fork was more than I needed
• Goofy groupset and brakes (not a performance issue, just a parts issue)

I think the issue is that I'm so dang tall. With it's short reach and wheelbase, this is a bike for someone a little shorter than I am.

About the same time, I was laying in bed looking at Instagram and an ad for the Pro's Closet came up and I figured why not look and see what they have. I came across an absolute dream of a Transition in the TransAm. 

Transition TransAm

On paper, this is a similar bike - steel frame, longer travel fork, touted as a fun and flickable hardtail. I labored for a few days, and made the decision. I cleaned up the Canfield, listed it on Facebook Marketplace, and bought the Transition. Then, just for fun, I submitted the Canfield to TPC to see if they would take it off my hands (they offer a better deal if you use the money for another purchase). Even if I lost some money, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I was willing to eat at least the cost of a bike rental.

I also looked at the specs and frame design to make sure this would better meet my needs

More frame space

Looking at my issues with the Canfield, here is how the TransAm stacked up

• Reach was the same as my Evo at just over 500mm
• Longer wheelbase and slack steering angle meant a more stable ride
• Larger front triangle space (see image above)
• Under forked at 140mm
• Full XT Group set with SRAM G2 R brakes, all in great condition

A few cons - this bike is a bit heavier at 32 pounds, and has a chunky wheel set. Can't win them all. 

What was wild was that PTC offered me a great price for the Canfield! I was so pleased with their help and how  they worked with me to get the bike picked up and avoid shipping. A win all around.

Same bags, new bike

A few prelim rides on the Transition has proven that it is a much better fit of a bike for me. I've made a few changes (bars, stem) and it's working great. Next up is customizing the bag set up! Stay tuned for a breakdown of my rack and bag solution, including a new bar bag mount, water bottle carrying system, and rear rack!