My "How To" Page

In response to several requests, we are providing this listing for your use. Please note that there is a lot of good gear on the market, and that much of what we use is a matter of personal taste. You will certainly find that what works for us doesn’t for you. Also, keep in mind that we are on a VERY long tour. We selected many items for durability, not necessarily for the lightest weight, quickest drying, style, etc.

There are several published lists of cycle touring gear. REI (www.rei.com) has a comprehensive list. You will need to decide for yourself what items will apply for the tour you have in mind. Also your personal touring style will dictate how much gear and what equipment you will choose. A cyclist that wants to knock down 100+ mile days will not be interested in a lot of extra “creature comfort” items as the weight will deter from performance, especially in the mountains. Conversely, for the cyclist that is out to cruise the countryside at a slower pace and is willing to pack some extra weight to be more comfortable.

In order to keep weight and bulk less than ridiculous, we are sending items ahead. We started out with mid-weight clothing for our trip south along the west coast. Warmer clothing was sent to Phoenix in anticipation of cooler weather during the winter, especially at the higher altitudes in New Mexico and Texas.

Lightweight clothing was sent to Florida, along with “normal” clothing, including formal wear, for our extended stay there and sea cruise to the Caribbean. Some of our lighter weight items will be sent to St. Louis for use next summer and the rest will be shipped back to us next fall when we return home.

Obviously, the most important piece of equipment you need on a cycle tour is your bike! Again, the bike you choose is a matter of personal taste. Before you leave on any tour, make sure you have a contact at the shop where you bought your bike or the manufacturer. Nearly every bike out there has some part that is only available from the manufacturer. We heard a story of a touring cyclist that needed such a part and was able to have it delivered the next day by FedEx to his tent, pitched near the road where he waited for the overnight delivery, miles from the nearest town. You won’t get service like that from a bike shop out of the yellow pages.

We have tried to list everything we have, and have included a comment where something worked well or if there was a problem. Please feel free to email us with questions about specific items. Also, where we could find one, we have included web addresses for items. In some cases the web address is the supplier where we bought the item. Shop around, this stuff is not cheap and you may find a similar item that will work for you at a good price.

Finally, we are interested in discussing the pros and cons of different equipment, but don't expect to engage us in an inane argument (like on T@H) about which is better, chocolate or strawberry.

Needed to change rear spokes to heavier due to weight of panniers and trailer. S&S Couplers. White Industries hubs. Chris King Headset.

We think the Specialized Armadillo is the longest wearing so far. Also like Avocet. Note that the da Vinci has 26” wheels. 26X1.5 on rear, 26X1.25 front. We use the manufacturers recommended max pressure.

We carry a spare tire, zip tied under the Bob Trailer, 1 extra tube for the Bob and 2 extra tubes for bike tires. Also 2 tire patch kits.

Da Vinci offers a mechanical disk, which we understand, is working out well. We went with the Arai for our tour as it is noted for excellent reliability, although it is significantly heavier than the disk.

Remote D-cell battery pack mounts to water bottle braze on. For foggy days and when we are “caught” by sunset. We don’t tour at night.

The Palm is used in conjunction with the Bike Brain software and a wheel sensor. In addition to providing all standard cyclometer functions, it records each day’s ride. Routes can be pre-programmed. See the Bike Brain web site for more info. Newer model Palms have cellular phones built in and will connect to the internet.

Using Verizon service because it seems to have the best nation wide coverage right now. We have had service 99% of the time so far. Our service plan is for national no long distance or roaming charges. The phone will connect our laptop to the internet, which we do from the comfort of our tent in the evenings. This doesn’t work everywhere yet, but service is expanding daily.

It is simple, lightweight and so far trouble free. Our trailer is the “old” model, but we are using the new vinyl coated roll top bag. We carry an extra tube. First tire lasted 5000 miles.

We bought these on sale. They are wearing very well and get the job done. The way they connect to the rack is with straps. It takes a little too long to put them on and take them off. They are not waterproof, so we use covers Sharon sewed. Also we put our gear in separate waterproof bags. For our next tour we will go to waterproof panniers with a better rack connection system.

Expedition grade tent that is a little too warm in summer, but is built to last. We use a cut to size ground cloth to protect the bottom. This is our only “all-season” piece of gear.

Qualliofill. Mid-weight. We are basically using “three season” gear, so we left the sub-zero bags at home. Liners and long underwear kept us warm on those really cold nights in west Texas.

This model is designed to fold in half prior to rolling; also it is thinner than the standard. When rolled it fits into a pannier.

Runs on Iso-Butane. Excellent stove, ultra-light, boils a pan of water in a couple of minutes. Has a built in lighter. We have had problems finding fuel for this stove.

We use both the 220 and 450-gram size canisters. The 450 saves a little money, but is not stable for the stove on rough surfaces. We have had trouble finding this fuel at times. Can be ordered from REI, but can’t ship by air, so it takes some scheduling to get a shipment. We normally carry 2-220 sizes and 1-450 size.

We haven’t used this as much as we thought we would, mostly due to the cool evenings that chased us into the tent. We will probably use it more next summer. It works well and gives a lot of light for such a small unit. Runs on Iso-butane, which can be hard to find.

Zippered Bag that contains our entire kitchen needs. Utensils, Hot Pad, Spices and condiments, dish soap, napkins, matches and other misc. stuff.

Medium size, a little larger than most other cyclists carry. Enough to take care of a severe injury until the professionals arrive.

We carry a couple of day’s supply of dry foods, coffee, tea, a couple of energy bars, etc. We shop almost daily on the road. Breakfast and dinner are simple, easy to fix/cleanup and lunches vary between sandwiches and sit down restaurant meals. We generally avoid Fast Food, but occasionally go to Wendy’s. Simple, fairly bland food seems to work the best for us. We don’t use a lot of Power Bars or other energy supplements. A Snickers bar in the afternoon occasionally.

We both carry back packs, only using the water bladders for long hot days where services are scarce. We use the packs to carry jacket, wallets, coin change, receipts, sunscreen, chap stick, and other misc. items we want to have easily access to.

Bought from Cascade Bicycle club. 2000 STP vest. We have used these extensively. Just right for cool evenings, and as a layer under rain gear in really cold weather.

Full insulated finger and ½ finger. We used the “long” gloves a lot more than we expected on the Southern Tier Route. In case you didn’t notice it was the coldest winter in the last 100 years. What happened to Global Warming?

A collar will get me into most places. Wore for dinner at “The Fifth Floor” – most exclusive restaurant in San Francisco. Have changed from long to short sleeve. Will go back to the long sleeve when we leave Florida.

Used mostly for sleeping on really cold nights in tent. Hard to put tight fitting cycle clothing over. Silk may work better and be a little lighter.