Ultimate ‘Tour Divide’ MTB: Bike-Packing Build For 2,745 Miles

[leadin]The Tour Divide is a 2,745-mile bike race from Banff, Canada, through the Rocky Mountains of the U.S., to the border of Mexico. For riders like David Markman, building up a custom mountain bike is an obsession and requisite task to increase odds of completing the rugged route.[/leadin]

Six lithe frame bags, food pouches, a swooping and esoteric handlebar setup, a GPS unit, and multiple high-power lights: The bike David Markman built for the Tour Divide is one unique rig. And did we mention the USB port on the stem?

To live off your bike and ride 150 to 200 miles a day for weeks in a row requires physical stamina and dialed gear. Markman, 27, of Avon, Minn., took years perfecting a system. He spends weekends training, and his day job at Quality Bicycle Products lets him obsess over every detail of his bike, gear, and race plan.

“I can plug my phone and GPS to charge right here,” Markman said, pointing at the USB port embedded on the stem. Wires lead down the fork, snaking to the front-wheel hub. A power-generating unit milks electricity off the rolling wheel, enough power built up each day to charge gadgets and run his lights.

Ultimate Tour Divide Bike

Markman embarks in mid June on the Tour Divide, an approximately 2,745-mile bicycle tour from Banff to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, along the continental divide through the Rocky Mountains.

It is unsupported, so riders can do it when they choose, and times are compared to determine the year’s fastest rider. (The men’s course record, according to the Tour Divide Facebook Page, is 14 days, 11 hours, and 40 minutes by Josh Kato; the women’s record is 15 days, 11 hours, set by Lael Wilcox, TWICE, in 2015.)

That also means that every detail — food, sleep, repairs, communication, navigation — must be accounted for in the small volume that can be carried aboard the bicycle.

Riding between 150 and 200 miles a day (he hopes to finish within 18 days) on a 46-pound (full-packed) touring bicycle on a route with around 200,000 feet of vertical, stopping only to sleep, makes Markman a veritable furnace.

“On a rest day, I probably already eat between seven and nine thousand calories, just sitting around,” he said. “On a workout day, it’s hard to quantify because I’m eating constantly.”

His bike, a Salsa Fargo model, was put together piece by piece. Markman owns a bike-bag company on the side called Must Stache, and his custom zippered frame bags hold the majority of his gear.

A full gear list is below. Tour Divide racers lean on ultra-light gear for sleeping and warmth. Bike-repair products are essential on the long ride. Food and water, which are picked up ad hoc and planned along the way, make up additional weight.

Here is his comprehensive list:

The Gear