Jay Petervary's Tour Divide 2012 Bikepacking Setup

In this video, Jay Petervary, aka JayP, shows, in great detail, his Tour Divide 2012 bikepacking setup. Given his experience in long-distance off-road bike racing, it should be useful for anyone trying to figure out how to set up his/her bike for an MTB tour (or race), as well as what and how to pack into all those sacks and bags.

Got the bike

At last, a steel 29er hardtail mountain bike is sitting in my basement. It is a Jamis, not a megabrand, but still a fairly known one whose line of steel hardtails seems to have small, but somewhat cult-like, following. You can check the factory specs here: 2011 Jamis Dragon 29 Sport.

Right away, I had the stock Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disk brakes replaced with Avid BB7 mechanical disk brakes and the stock SRAM PG-950 11-34t cassette - with a Shimano SLX CS-HG-61 12-36t cassette (the largest 9-speed cassette there is).

Choosing the right bike

Considering a full-suspension mountain bike

Choosing the right bicycle for a long-distance ride that includes a variety of terrains and riding surfaces is hard. Being on a tight budget makes it even harder. And, since I generally tend to "agonize" about such major decisions, the fact that three months before the start I am still not sure what I am riding should not come as a surprise.