BearBones BB200 Setup

I have been getting my Travers RUSSTi ready for this weekends BB200, BB200 is a self supported event around central Wales. The only rules...sorry guidelines are you must take a sleeping bag, tent/tarp/bivy bag and a mobile phone, the rest of the equipment is up to you. You are not allowed any outside help not available to anyone else, such as assistance with food drops or mechanical help etc.

I have ridden it once before in 2014 and yes it really was that bad! You are sent a .gpx file about 1 week before the start, so you can study it for places to rest/pick up food etc. This year it looks like there are 3 shops en route, the weather is looking really wet all day Saturday making it look tricky to get to the 2nd two shops before closing time. The first shop is after just 60km (of the 200), I am taking enough food to get me through the whole event plus this first shop, just in case I arrive too late for the later ones. You have 36 hours to make it back to the start. Thats it..now the bike.

My weapon of choice will obviously be the Travers RUSSTi, the actual setup is the same as I have been riding all year at the MTB and Cyclocross races with a few minor modifications.

I have swapped tyres to the Vittoria Barzo 27.5 x 2.6 and added Vittoria Airliners inside the tyres, these add extra protection against pinch flats and make it possible to actually ride the bike even when the tyre is completely flat (I obviously don't plan to do this but it could allow me to get to safety in the middle of the night). I am also using Squirt tyre sealant.

I will also be carrying Sahmurai Sword (in the end of the handlebars) to allow me to plug holes in the tyre if they are too large for the sealant to fix. There is also a spare tube in the saddle bag if all else fails. There are 4 CO2 canisters spread around the bike to reinflate the tyres.

Lights and GPS. I am running the new kLite Ultra MTB dynamo light, hooked up to a SON boost dynamo, the Klite is connected to the hub via a kLite bar switch, the switch allows me to charge my phone etc during the day via the kLite USB Charger (in the bag behind my stem on the top tube) and then swap to the kLite Bikepacker Ultra at night when it gets dark. Also on the handlebars is the kLite handlebar extension to free up space. I will be using the Lezyne Mega XL, it has a battery that will last 48hrs, so it should be good for the whole event. I have pre-loaded offline maps and the route will be sent via the Lezyne app on my phone. There is also a small backup light (just to be seen by) as a backup.

I have adapted a Speedfill triathlon frame bottle to allow me to carry extra water and keep the weight low. I have cut in a Sawyer filter and will also be using purifying tablets so I can fill up from streams, the drinks tube is on a pull cord that snaps back onto the top tube to keep it out of the way. There is an extra bottle cage on the underside of the down tube to allow me to fill up the main frame bottle.

I have 3 rear lights that I can recharge with the kLite USB Charger. I plan on running 1 during the day as the weather looks bad, then use the other 2 during the night. In the saddle bag is the sleeping bag, bivy bag and a gillet (and spare tube and C02 canister).

In the bag behind my stem I have Gels, bar, kLite USB Charger, Phone and rear light cables, Phone, Multi tool, tyre leavers, sticky tyre patches, spare Samuri inserts, CO2 canisters and head unit.

In the frame bag above the Speedfill I have more Gels and bars plus the water Purifying tablet.

Bike weight with everything on (Lights, GPS, Drinks systems, frame, top tube and saddle bags) with empty bags 14.5kg

Bike weight with bags full with everything except water 17.5kg

Bike weight ready to roll with water 19.5kg

This event is really quite remote and because of this I will be using a Spot Tracker, I have hired it. I will post the tracking link on facebook. The event starts Saturday at 08:00