Kit Reviews 2013

If you expected some of my usual musings and yarns then I'm afraid you will have to wait until I'm back on the road. This month I've been based in Anchorage in Alaska where I've been making new friends, giving presentations and eating, sweet Jesus, so much eating. So here's a long overdue piece on how my gear has fared, or in reality, an account of how much has actually survived. Hopefully this proves useful for anyone entering the quagmire that is kit selection for a bicycle tour.

A quick admission though - I'm not the kind of all-knowing technical wizard that frequents online communities and opines about the latest products. I don't spend hours bemoaning the durability of specific brands of pannier. I'm not mechanically-minded or very bicycle savy at all. But I can offer a run down of my personal favourites, of what has performed well and what has left me wishing I had run with an alternative.

My kit is well tested. Not a great deal of the gear I started with has survived the 33,700 miles, 42 countries and three and a half years I've been biking. Tents have seen nights of - 20 °C and my clothes have been steeped in sweat in the furnace of deserts. My bike has transported me through humid jungle and windy desert, and over corrosion-inducing salt flats and frosty wastelands. Some of my gear has survived disasters it should never have - a punchy gust of wind heaved my tent skyward and carried it at least 200 metres across the Patagonian plains (my fault). My IPOD fell off my bike and was run over by a car (also my fault) but amazingly still functioned for a year afterwards, albeit with a broken screen. Some gear has even met a gnarly death and in the crocodile infested, roiling waters of an African river resides my MSR stove that one pleasant evening turned into a fireball before and my foot punted it into the murky depths.

So enough about my irresponsible misadventures, let me start with my trusty steed...

Belinda, my bicycle

A custom built Santos TravelMaster



My Santos Travelmaster bicycle came with a price tag roughly the size of a celestial sphere. So the question of course is whether it was worth the colossal dent in my wallet. In a word, Yes.

Generally speaking the Santos has been reliable, sturdy and has lived up to it's reputation (full spec here). I have had no issues with the strong steel frame (I will be very surprised if this ever fractures) and the Chris King headset is, as anticipated, holding out very well. The weight of my bike has been an issue, 20 kg (44 pounds) is definitely a dose heavier than I'm happy with, Santos will probably say it's as heavy as it needs to be, but you can decide whether you believe that's true or not.

I have replaced the Rohloff hub, which houses 14 internal gears, whilst in Africa when part of the shell cracked spontaneously - a fault that allegedly occurs in around one in five thousand hubs. True to form Rohloff and Santos posted a fully built wheel and hub for free to Khartoum within a week so whilst it was frustrating that this problem occurred in the first place, the customer service was exemplary. Personally, even after this, my advice would still be to go with a Rohloff, especially if you're touring for a significant period of time and if you're not a champion mechanic, as I'm not. In spite of the obvious drawbacks (principally the price tag, but also the weight, the lack of a granny gear and the complexities of getting it fixed if it does break) the ease of use trumps all of those things and any other criticism you may make of it. If you're touring for an extended period in more remote locations the draw of the mechanism is even more apparent and when frozen mud in Alaska adhered to every part of my bicycle I was especially grateful to the God of Rohloff hubs.

Perhaps the most impressive components of all have proved to be my rims - which are super strong Tungsten Carbide ones from Ryde (formerly Rigida) and, amazingly, are the ones I started with - so far they have clocked up more than 33,000 miles, a very large portion of which I have pedaled on rough, bumpy roads on a comparatively heavy bike (60 kg of bike and gear and 75 kg of me) - testament to the fact that they do indeed fall into the 'Bad Ass' category and are worth the investment, especially considering I have rim brakes. You can get these in the UK through Chicken Cycles or MSG Bikes. I'm replacing them in Australia before they eventually fail in some tiny, dusty Asian village. My front rim is a Ryde Grizzly, rear is a Ryde Andra 30 Rohloff Specific.

I'm on my 6th chain now, most seem to last 10,000 km or so. I started with an expensive KMC Gold (Titanium - Nitride anti-erosion) which lasted 17,000 km, so better than average, but arguably not worth the extra cost. My first set of pedals were Shimano 530 SPD / Normal which lasted 23,000 km to South Africa, a pretty good endorsement. Afterwards a cheap set lasted less than 3000 km. I'm on my third front and rear sprockets and my third bottom bracket.

My saddle is a Brooks B17 - the vast majority of cycle tourers I've met use a Brooks and for good reason. I'm still using the original saddle I started with and it's still comfortable to ride if I regularly tighten the bolt on the underside (I needed to replace the bolt once after it had rusted). The rivets on the upside of the saddle are rusted and the leather is beginning to break so I'm not sure it will last the entire trip, but it may.

The Cane Creek Thudbuster Longtravel gives you a little suspension in the seat and I reckon it's worth the investment, especially for those determined to ride rough roads as I am. I replaced the rubber corks inside the Thudbuster after an impressive 40,000 km. I was actually wondering whether the Thudbuster had a hand in preserving the rims for so long.

The Canecreek Thudbuster

I have snapped several kickstands - they never last very long - and I can't recommend the one that came with my bike. I've never trialed a double stand, perhaps they fare better. I've recently met bikers using a click-stand and I'd love to try one out - if I do I will report back. Anyone with a good experience with a specific type - please post in the comments section below.

My general advice for anyone contemplating a long cycle tour in out of the way places would be to think very carefully about compatibility and what's likely to be available locally. I don't regret my Shimano V brakes or my 26 inch wheels after meeting other bikers who couldn't find parts for fancy disk brakes or tubes for larger diameter wheels. My bike came with small holes in the rim to accommodate a Presta valve - this makes no sense for anyone on a world tour and after Europe it became impossible to find tubes without Schroeder valves so I used a leatherman to widen the holes in the rim. My advice would be to insist on rims that are designed for tubes with the larger car valves (also better because if you have a bad pump or if it brakes you can use gas stations to re-inflate).

Anyone interested in a Santos should contact MSG bikes who will do Ergonomic Bike Fitting for you. Anyone based in the UK who wants to brush up on their cycle maintenance and repair check out the courses offered at London's Cycle Systems Academy.

Panniers, racks and bags

I use Ortlieb roller plus panniers - I'm on my third set of front panniers and my second set of rear ones and I reckon they did pretty well. The material is extremely tough and waterproof and they are lightweight compared to competitors. I've only ever torn one pannier. If I had any criticism it would be of the plastic clips, some of which eventually snapped and I had to improvise replacements. Also the plastic U shaped clips that you insert and which fit onto the rack always come loose and fall out at some point as the clips themselves bend very slightly. Overall though I would definitely recommend these panniers, there's are plenty of good reasons that they are still the most popular brand around.

I have Tubus racks - a Front Tara which is still going strong and a rear Logo Classic which has just been replaced (after 54,000 km). Tubus racks are the best around and I certainly don't have any regrets running with these.

For the last year and a half I have used a very large (60L) Overboard dry bag which sits on my rear rack - this has reached the end of it's days now but has proved itself I think considering what I put it through. I really like my handlebar bag - an Altura Orkney which has a great design and lets me compartmentalize my stuff inside. I would certainly rate this more rigid bag above the soft handlebar bags made by Ortlieb. I can't really comment on durability yet but it's one year old and going strong.

Schwalbe tyres have lived up to their high reputation and my record is around 17,000 km on a Marathon Plus tour - from London to Tanzania. I particularly rate the Marathon Plus Tour, The Dureme and The Mondial. In Mexico I cycled over a three inch nail which penetrated the tyre but was deflected by the puncture resistant layer. It came out the other side but didn't puncture the tube - proof they also reside in the Bad Ass category!

Camping Stuff

The Exped Downmat - These are very comfy, keep you warm and pack down pretty small. I get about 200 nights camping out of one of these - so whilst certainly not as durable as a thermorest which can last for years, they are a lot, lot more comfortable (test both and you will see what I mean). The material is thick and tough to break, with over three years using exclusively these downmats when camping I have only had one puncture. But there is definitely a weakness in the seams, eventually these fail which distorts the mat and down starts clogging up the air release valve, necessitating a replacement. Once the company finds a way to solve this problem, I am sure they will become even more popular. The hand pump is not a great feature either - the idea is that dry air rather than moist exhaled air is better for the mat, but the pump doesn't really cut it and the mat takes ages to inflate this way.


I'm using the Hilleberg Staika tent, which is a great choice for two people. When I ride solo I always go for a 2 man tent so I can get my gear inside, but the Staika, although marketed as a two person tent, could easily fit three - it's a palace. So for me on my own it's a little spacious but for a couple I can't think of a better alternative. Hilleberg is probably the best tent maker out there so the debate is whether the price is worth it. The Staika has a thick groundsheet, tough material, high quality zips, two doors and a great design. For me it's important that the tent is free standing so that I have the option of pitching on tarmac / sand / snow should I have to. Ideally it's nice to be able to pitch the inner on its own as well, especially when biking through hot countries. Overall, if you have the money, it's a great option.

My sleeping bag is a Marmot Pinnacle - it's one of the few items that has lasted the entire trip. No zip problems yet and I'm still toasty at night. I use a Sawyer water filter which is certainly the best filter I've ever used - its utilises nano-technology so all you do is fill a bag and squeeze the bag so that water passes through the filter into a bottle. Fast, easy, effective (apparently) and much better than pumps with moving (breakable) parts and tablets (which may not kill everything and which require you to wait half an hour or so until the water is potable). I can highly recommend it.


Overall favourites (in no particular order)

1. Leatherman Wave - good for trimming beards, opening beers and scratching arse
2. Schwalbe Tyres - I get much fewer flats with these than other brands
3. Hilleberg Staika tent - Perfect for two
4. Petzl MYO RXP headtorch - Very cool gadget
5. Ryde rims - 54,000 km and counting
6. Endura cycling clothing - probably the best cycling clothing out there
7. Buff - Never leave home without at least two of these. Great for all conditions.
8. IPOD Classic - 160 GB of memory so you'll never get bored of your music, podcasts and audio books
9. Cameras - Panasonic Lumix G1 camera, the machine with which I won this year's Adventure Cycling Association's annual photo contest.
10. A Go Pro - high quality footage for such a dinky camera and the well deserved leader in the field of sports cameras. Make sure to also buy the waterproof housing, spare batteries, plug in mic and figure out a way to attach it to your handlebars.
11. Tubus Racks - Almost unbreakable
12. Sawyer water filter - cool new technology

Other stuff I would recommend

• A thermos flask - I use this not just for it's more obvious purpose of keeping fluids warm but also for keeping water cold. In the tropics, when you are sick of the taste of warm water, you will cherish the decision to pack one of these.
• Business cards with your contact details and blog and ideally with a map of your route on one side so that you're not forever explaining it to people.
• A combination lock - one for your bike with a cable and one padlock for hostels etc. The less keys you have the less keys you lose. Try and get a padlock that's big and sturdy enough not to be easy to break but not so big that it won't fit through the holes in hostel lockers.
• Handlebar mounted compass
• P20 suncream
• Sandals for cycling in hot countries instead of running shoes. I like the Shimano SD66L SPD sandals but they last about nine months - perhaps there are sturdier ones out there. It's best to get sandals specifically designed for cycling - a rigid sole is important.
• A side mirror - makes cycling a lot safer because you can manipulate how people pass you. Here's a great article which describes how - Backward Vision: The Case for Mirrors
• Something that measures altitude if you're planning mountain riding so you know roughly where you're at and don't get stuck camping higher than you would like.
• Moisture wicking t-shirts. Get rid of all your cotton t-shirts in hot countries. That seems really obvious advice since cotton soaks up sweat and takes a while to dry, but it's amazing how many drenched cycle tourers I met in Mexico wearing cotton and suffering because their sweat wasn't evaporating. I have Craghoppers Base T shirts which wick away moisture and are ace.
• A cotton sleeping bag liner - easy to wash, stops your sleeping bag smelling of cyclist, adds warmth and you can use it instead of the bag when its really hot at night.

A note about stoves...

Ask yourself whether you really need a multifuel. If in Mongolia obviously you do because it will be impossible to source gas cylinders, but many places in the world have gas easily available.

The pros of a simple gas stove over a multifuel:

• No maintenance /repair required (my multifuel was forever breaking, esp the pump to the fuel bottle)
• Quick and easy to ignite (no priming)
• Safer (if absolutely necessary you can use them in a tent porch in torrential rain)
• Cheaper (the stove itself, not the fuel)
• Quieter (useful when rough camping and hiding from farmers!).