I'm 95% in .

For those that know: How quickly does this sell out? Need to Register on the first day?

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
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I've done the Waffle the past two years, and I don't believe it sold out either year. I'll likely do the Wafer version this year.

Regarding bike, I used my roadie (Specialized Secteur) with 28s, which was the largest I could fit. Really no need to go crazy with big tires for this race, I'd say 28-32 is plenty. Just make sure you do some training rides on local gravel and dirt trails, not just for practice and confidence, but to shake out your bike setup. Last year, there were like 25 ejected water bottles on the very first dirt section. Also, both years, my bars rotated forward a little bit after going through some of the rougher terrain.

I'm sure Tom A. will comment here too, I think he's done BWR a couple times also.

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TEAM F3 Undurance

I've done 3 out of 6...missed the inaugural 2012 version (I heard of it but wasn't "invited"), but rode it in '13, '16, and '17. I wanted to do it in '14 and '15, but had conflicts on those dates...and in '15 had actually registered for the original date planned, but then they moved the date and it was a conflict again...doh!

-In '13, I did it on my old aluminum Soloist with 23c Conti GP4000S tires...that was just fine for that course, but there was a lot less dirt/singletrack in that edition, and a higher percentage of pavement.

-In '16, I decided to do it on my old '86 Bianchi (steel, dt shifters, etc.) and ran Turbo Cottons (24c front, 26c rear, 70 psi F/R) which was OK...but the longer dirt road sections they had added out near Sutherland Dam got a bit tiresome with that setup.

In '17, they added even MORE dirt road out near Sutherland Dam AND more single-track near Lake Hodges on the return. Since I had just finished building up a new Fuji Jari "all-road" bike, I decided to use that and put some 44c Compass Snoqualmie Pass tires (35psi front/45psi rear). That setup was "the bee's knees"...I was able to comfortably bomb all the dirt and didn't give up anything on the road, especially when riding within groups.

So...basically, it's "do-able" on pretty much any road bike (including a 30 year old steel bike), but it's more enjoyable being able to run lower pressures, and wider tires allow that without the worry of pinch-flatting.

I'm most likely going to pass on it in '18. They managed to pick the same date as the L'Eroica California event up in Paso Robles, and I think I want to go back and ride those stellar dirt roads again :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

I've done BWR twice. Great, very fun, very hard event. I was on my Cervelo R3 with tubeless 25s (the widest tire that will fit) both times. I would go to 28s if possible. I finished in 2015 and DNF'd in 2016 after my derailler hanger broke 20 miles in on the second dirt (single track) section. On the one hand, my DNF experience makes me want to ride my cross bike or a better gravel setup next time, but most riders are on road bikes with wider tires.

I have raced the waffle in '14, '16 and '17 ('15 is was actually in belgium, eating waffles, riding LBL)

'14 Specialized Amira, Zipp 202s, 25mm tires, Red mechanical 50/34 - 11/28
'16 Specialized Amira, Zipp 303s, 25mm tires, Red mechanical 50/34 - 11/28
'17 3T Exploro, Zipp 303s, 28mm Tubeless, Force hrd 1x 46 - 10/42

never a flat or a mechanical, not even a dropped chain. with more and more new 'all road' disc brake frame offerings, the tire width / air pressure discussion could take longer than the ride itself.

pinch flats are probably a bigger issue in the dirt sections, rather than traction or comfort, so riding a 28-30mm tubeless set up is probably the best all arounder given the amount of fast paved miles the race will cover. i would be more concerned with my gearing than my tires. by the time you get to Double Peak, you will have wished you had more gears, not more millimeters of tire width.

Would a 52/36 11-28 gearing be sufficient? I'm a fairly strong rider. I've climbed Haleakala with a 39-25 granny gear...

I saw pics of sand... do I use my MTB shoes and eggbeaters in case I have to walk?

both years, I ran 50/34 with 11-28. and yes, an 11-32 would have been appreciated when it came time to clime double peak.

I did use my mtb pedals (spd), but the pics you're referring too...that was probably the only spot that had to be walked. In '16, there were a couple short climbs very early in the ride that got backed up and I had to walk because of the backup of people. This year, road pedals and cleats probably would have been fine. (although I was doing some bonk-time walking this year. the heat and course were rough, hence the high dnf rate)

more tire talk...I don't have tubeless ready wheels, so I ran latex tubes with sealant. I actually rode with a huge construction sized staple in my rear tire for about 60 miles.

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TEAM F3 Undurance

You don't need the low gear for anything off-road...you need it for Double Peak. This year I ran a 39-42 low gear...and still wished I'd had something lower for that ;-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Yeesh. I just looked at the Strava segment. Maybe MTB shoes so I can run it.

Does the Wafer do Double Peak? My wife was thinking of doing the Wafer... I'm not sure she's strong enough to make it up that.

I rode in Speedplay SYZR last year, a great pedal option for that course or anywhere you want the power transfer of a road pedal and the mud clearance of an mtb set up.

Eggbeaters are never the answer

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

Yes...but it's not so much how steep it is, but more about how late in the ride AND how steep it is that can be a problem

BTW, one of my pet peeves I've had since they added the wafer ride is that in the past pretty much all of the Waffle riders had a pretty similar experience at the later rest stops and at Double-Peak. Now that they've added the Wafer, while all the Waffle riders are out in the east county, the large mass of Wafer riders are going through all the later course stops and Double-Peak (the courses overlap at the end), so that by the time the majority of the Waffle riders get there (i.e. anything behind the absolute front pack) you can tell that a bit of "fatigue" has set in by the folks manning/spectating those spots. I had my best finish this past year relative to the field in the Waffle, but at the "Oasis" and going up Double-Peak they were comparative "ghost towns" to years past for me...which seemed weird for being in the top ~30% of Waffle finishers...but, that's all just a bit of whining on my part :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Due to separated shoulders, kids being born and other miscellaneous excuses, my only BWR was the 2014 edition. One of the hardest days I've ever had on the bike - for me, it's a toss up with the climb from Hilo up Mauna Kea.

I'm not the strongest rider that's for sure, but my moving time was 7:47:51 (hopped off for two nature breaks, otherwise no stops) with NP of 235W and that was barely enough to get me just inside the Top 50. And from what I understand, the top of the field has only gotten stronger the last few years. Pretty sure my low gear was 34/28.

First thing I did when I showed up at the start that year was to find the bike of MMX (Michael Marckx, the ride's founder) and see what he was running. Conti GP4000S in 25mm. Once I saw that, I was happy with my choice of 27mm Victoria Paves. I run tubeless now, so I probably would run 28mm Pro Ones if I was to do it again. But no need to go any bigger than that - most of the ride is still on the road and the majority (though not all) of the offroad sections are on hardpack dirt.

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Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Any insights into on-course nutrition this year?
I haven't been able to come across any info and thinking about my nutrition plan.

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

No shame in walking it. I cramped, walked up, still finished in the top 30 or so overall (waffle).

I decided not to sign up. The move to the April date makes it tough for me. Maybe next year...

Eat lots of waffles, race, eat more waffles.