Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Recon 2025 | Montana–Wyoming–Colorado

This recon ride took me through major sections of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. The goal wasn’t to complete a full bikepacking setup—rather, it was to evaluate the terrain, road conditions, weather patterns, services, lodging, and resupply options to determine whether my gravel bike could realistically handle a full Divide load for 2,700 miles. What became clear along the way is that the Divide is far more demanding than it appears on paper. The mix of washboard, chunky gravel, long remote stretches, and steep climbs exposed the limitations of using a gravel bike for this type of expedition. Although the Canyon Grizl performed well in certain places, the recon ultimately answered the biggest question of the trip: a gravel bike is not the right tool for the Great Divide. This ride served its purpose. With a firsthand understanding of the route’s challenges, I’ve now transitioned to a dedicated mountain bike platform—the OTSO Fenrir Ti—built specifically for the durability, comfort, and load capacity needed for the Tour Divide in 2026. Its full build list is included below. If you're preparing for your own Tour Divide attempt or simply exploring what the GDMBR demands, I hope this recon provides useful insight into the landscapes, conditions, and planning realities of these segments of the route. Gravel Bike Used for Recon Evaluation Canyon Grizl – Used to assess whether a gravel platform could handle a full Divide load (final answer: no). New Bike for Tour Divide 2026 - OTSO Fenrir Ti – Complete Build • Titanium frame + carbon fork • SON dynamo hub • kLite lighting system • BarYak cockpit system • Apidura Expedition/Racing series bags • Ortlieb Classic Panniers • Old Man Mountain rack system • Maxxis tires • Voltaic V25 power system • Osprey hydration setup • Ultralight tent, sleep system & camp gear 📸 Helpful Links Gear & Components Featured: Bike – https://otsocycles.com/products/fenri... Tires – https://shop.maxxis.com/products/rambler Dynamo – https://nabendynamo.de/en/products/hu... Voltaic – https://voltaicsystems.com/v25/ kLite – https://www.klite.com.au BarYak – https://www.baryak.com Apidura – https://www.apidura.com Osprey – https://www.osprey.com 📸 Social Media Instagram: @DaveParramore 🎼 Music: Epidemic Sound – https://www.epidemicsound.com/ Chapters - 0:00 – Intro 1:01 – Helena, MT 2:09 – Atlantic City, WY 4:47 – Rawlins, WY 6:19 – WY-71 6:20 – Sierra Madre 7:33 – Sage Creek Rd 8:13 – WY-70 8:59 – Colorado Border (CR-1) 10:15 – USFS 42 12:35 – CR-62 + Clark Store 13:28 – CR-129 14:17 – Steamboat Springs 15:44 – Stagecoach Dam 17:05 – Kremmling 18:42 – Ute Pass 20:14 – End of Recon 20:34 – What’s Next