Hannah Simon joins the Chumba Ultra Race Team and builds her bikes to race in the 2024 bikepacking season. In late December of 2023, Hannah joined our production staff as a production assistant. She quickly grew her framebuilding skillset. This year she fabricated her Sendero Titanium MTB and Terlingua Steel gravel bikes. First, she took on the AMR (Atlas MTN Race) in Morocco with the Sendero, coming in 3rd place over the 1300km race. Next up was Midsouth (3rd SS), the East TX Showdown 400 (1st place), DOOM 400 (2nd), and the inaugural Rule of Three 200. Later this year Hannah will be traveling to Kyrgyzstan to race the 1938km Silk Road Mountain Race! Special thanks to Chumba ambassador Kody Gibson for editing and producing this video!
Bikepack Racing: Katie Strempke on Gears vs. Singlespeed
Bikepack Racing: Gears vs. Singlespeed - contributed by Katie Strempke
It was the Arizona Trail Race 800 in the fall of 2023. I watched a fellow racer, Brad, aka “Ricky Bobby” hop on his bike, dump his gears, and spin in a 28T chainring x 51T up a steep hill. It looked effortless. I sighed, then continued to hike my bike up the hill like I’d done thousands of times over the AZT. That was the moment I started wondering, “Is it time to race with gears again?”
After lots of contemplation, I decided to build up my new Chumba Sendero Ti with gears. I went with a full Shimano XT setup with a 30-tooth chainring for most of my rides, and a 28-tooth chainring for loaded bikepacking, including the Grand Loop race.
The Grand Loop was the first time I’ve lined up for a bikepacking race with a derailleur on my bike since 2018. Here are some reflections about bikepack racing with gears vs. on a singlespeed:
Katie’s Sendero Titanium with XT 1x12, and Dispersed Bikepacking Ultra Kit
Advantages of Gears
It’s easier to manage my effort by shifting to an easier gear, which was especially helpful in the heat.
I can go faster on flat terrain and slight downhills.
I hike my bike less when riding with gears.
My butt surprisingly felt better despite spending more time seated, because I could shift into a hard enough gear that I was putting pressure through the pedals and was never spun out with all the weight on my butt.
Katie’s Sendero Steel with Singlespeed, and Dispersed Bikepacking Ultra Kit
Advantages of Singlespeed
No derailleur to worry about breaking.
I feel more in tune with how fast (or slow) I’m actually going since my speed is directly tied to my cadence.
The feeling of direct action of the chain with no lag
You get impressive quads & there’s no arguing that singlespeed is just cool!
I spent a lot of time wondering whether gears or singlespeed would have been faster on this route. I talked to other racers who rode singlespeed, including Andrew, who won the race overall, and their assessment was that the rugged terrain on the Grand Loop and lack of flat pedaling made this route ideal for singlespeeding. I was appreciative of my gears, especially during the heat of the day, which helped me better manage my effort, but there were times when I knew I was going slower on my geared bike uphill just because I had the option of pushing the “easy button.”
Having the option to switch from gears to singlespeed is a feature I appreciate about Chumba bikes and their decision to build all their bikes with sliding dropouts. For the rest of this race season, you’ll likely see me with gears, but I’m certain I’ll end up on a singlespeed again soon!
-Katie Strempke is a long-time Chumba Ultra Team rider, co-owner/operator of Dispersed Bikepacking, and partner/contributor to The Town Bicycle. She has an impressive race/ride history, including a coveted Triple Crown Finish. During this recent Grand Loop Katie set the pace and led the women's field for nearly the entire race. She is the 4th woman to ever complete the rugged Grand Loop course and the 2nd place finisher this year.
Andrew Strempke at his record setting Grand Loop finish. - photo cred Scott Morris
Andrew Strempke wins the Grand Loop 365 and sets new course record for Singlespeed!
Andrew covered the 365mi and 38K of elevation in record time. A near sleepless race for Andrew he maintained incredible focus!
Sent in this morning from Andrew:
2 days 8 hours 8 minutes. Good for a new SS record!
Really rugged loop with a lot of time spent hiking. I think it's a great loop for a singlespeed to compete with geared bikes because there's very little smooth flat pedaling terrain.
My legs felt good the first day so I decided to make a move on the first major climb. Then I just tried to keep moving all night! Getting the Kokopelli done overnight was great in terms of avoiding the heat out there on the lowest section of the course. A quick resupply at the gas station in Fruita and I set out feeling optimistic about the second half.
I took a series of short naps the second night. Struggling to stay awake in the early morning was definitely the hardest part for me. I was fading that third morning but the end was in sight. The Roubideau section near the end is the crux of the route in my opinion. You cut across 17 drainages right after one another. Chunky descent down, hike back out, repeat.
Feeling grateful for good friends at the finish line and looking forward to seeing other friends complete the loop.
Bike was fantastic! Lubed my chain a couple times. Dry and dusty conditions. 32x20 was perfect for me.
My fork was pretty stiff by the end and making noise when climbing out of the saddle (like half my time ). I think dust got inside the seals? I should've serviced it again for the race, but it was feeling ok. The miles of cow trampled singletrack near the finish were even less enjoyable with a semi rigid fork! I replaced just about every other wear component a couple weeks before and went into the race feeling really well prepared, so thanks for the parts hookup!