WW4M: The Triple D Set Up

This is an occasional feature here that I dubbed "WW4M" which stands for "What Works For Me". Like the title says, this works for me, but it may not necessarily work for you. Any actions taken up based on information shared here is done of your own free will and any resulting consequences are all yours, baby!

The titanium Mukluk set up and ready to go for Triple D this past weekend.

I thought it might be fun and informative to go over my gear from last weekend's succesful Triple D attempt. So here is a basic list for the bike and what was on it......

• 2012 Salsa Cycles Titanium Mukluk w/Enabler steel fork
• Bontrager Race Lite crank- vintage early 00's. Uses a ISIS BB from FSA set up 2X with 22/32 rings. Fixation Mesa MP pedals
• 10 speed Deore XT DynaSys rear derailleur with clutch. (I ran it in the non-clutch position for the event.)
• 10 speed SRAM cassette. (The least expensive one with an aluminum carrier for the largest cogs) SRAM 10 speed chain with quick link.
• 10 speed DynaSys Rapid Fire right shifter
• SRAM X-9 Left shifter 
• SRAM X-7 high direct mount front derailleur
• Avid Elixir 9 brakes 180 fr/r rotors
• FSA SLX stem and handle bar. Ergon BioKork grips
• Salsa Cycles Regulator titanium post w/Ergon SM-3 saddle
• Velocity Dually rims laced to Hope Fatsno hubs. Fatback Sterling tires set up tubeless at 15psi each.
• Velocity Bottle trap cages on the fork. Customized Salsa purple ano skewers. 
• Modified SKS Grand MOM fender for the rear

Okay, so that's the basic bike set up. Now for the bags. I used Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags on the handle bars. These cylindrical bags  can easily hold a large water bottle, but I filled both of mine with some salty, sweet, hot flavored snacks. The Chaff Bag keeps them at hand and I stayed fueled much better with the ability to easily eat on the fly. The other BBD bag on board was the Ultra-Light frame bag. Now I've been over-stuffing this thing for quite awhile with all sorts of items. This time, here's a short list of what was riding along with me.......

First off, the bag is divided, so in the upper part I had the following...

• Three insulated 20 oz water bottles
• Extra head gear like a neck buff, hat, etc.
• Some extra Fizz tabs from Hammer Nutrition.
• A Trek tail light. 
• Crank Brothers pump with gauge.
• An extra pair of wool socks

In the lower part I had the following......

• A Surly fat bike tube
• A Bontrager 29"er tube
• A Blackburn Toolmanator 3
• A tire lever
• CO2 Inflators

 Then I also had a Oveja Negra "Gearjammer Seat pack which held a pair of Endura rain trousers and an Endura rain jacket, in case things got wet and sloppy, or if I needed to swap out outer wear for whatever reason.

Velocity Dually wheels, Fatback Sterlings tubeless, and the Contigo stainless flask

One other small item that worked brilliantly was the Contigo stainless steel travel mug, re-purposed as a water bottle with dead air space insulation. It worked great, but then again, the temperatures never really tested the things. However; I did ride to work this week with hot coffee in one mounted on the fork in -20°F wind chills and the coffee was still hot. For whatever that is worth. I was actually going to put hot chicken soup in there, but I never got around to that. I should also mention that I used a Trelock LS-950 light which worked flawlessly, although I wished for a helmet light in those last 4 miles in the hilly terrain!

 Wearables:

Of course, some of what I wore was a last minute, desperation purchase since I had forgotten most of my base layer stuff back at home. However; some of the choices hinged on the actual weather, so I took a lot of stuff that never got used. Here's a rundown of what I wore broken down by base layer, mid-layer, outer layer categories:

Base Layer: I wore Northface wool tights and long sleeved top. On the feet I wore a pair of calf length Smart Wool socks made for XC skiing. 

Mid-layer: I wore a Twin Six Thermal Hoodie made from Merino wool. 

Outer Layer: On the bottom I wore Bontrager tights of a cool weather weight, I would say. They definitely were lighter than what most folks would use. Up top I wore a soft shell Endura jacket. This jacket has a huge rear pocket that I stuffed food and extra gear into. 

Hands and Feet: It was warmer than other Triple D races have been, so I wore a pair of mid-weight Keen Hiking boots on my feet that I treated pre-event with Brooks Proofide. I never got wet feet. Hands were covered at various times by either a pair of Smart wool liners in Merino wool or a pair of Answer mid-weight gloves. For much of the event I didn't even wear gloves!

Head: I wore a fleece cap of lighter weight I got from CIRREM one year and my Bell Super helmet. For eyewear I wore a pair of Oakley Radar Locks and at night I switched over to a pair of Tifosi clear lensed glasses for a bit. 

Verdict: Everything worked really well. I had no issues with any of my gear or my bike, other than I was set up for different conditions with my wheel/tire choice. I ran what I had. If I had wheels and tires at my disposal to run, I would have opted for Rolling Darryls and a Bud/Lou combo, but I didn't have that luxury. I'm not sure it would have made a whole lot of difference anyway, and the heavier wheels/tires may actually have been a detriment in the end. I'll never know. 

If the temperatures would have dumped at night, I may have gotten into trouble as I didn't have any extra tops and I sweat completely through everything I had on up top. I suppose I could have swapped outer layers, since I had that, but I was bare minimal with clothing, I thought.  The SKS fender actually worked great and came in really handy in a few wet spots. 

I think the Salsa seat post was a boon to comfort, but there is an issue with it I am going to have to work through. (More on that later) I think bar ends would have been wonderful, but I think this bike may see a different handle bar/controls set up soon. 

Anyway, that's a wrap. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section!