First Tour

nick4320

Hello
I'm off on my first tour in august, I have 5 weeks of work. I'm flying to Cairns queensland australia and will ride through the daintree national park then head down to brisbane.
I've attached a photo of my bike and I've attached a list of the gear I'm planning to take on tour. I'm wondering if I have missed any items or what you wouldn't take from my list.

Thanks for all the info I have read on this forum, its been inspiring.
Nick

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philso

the pic's a bit small, but the bike looks like an "average" touring setup.

about the list:
- i never bring spare tubes, just a patch kit. it only take about 3 or 4 minutes longer to repair.
- it's unlikely that you'll need a peddle wrench

other than that it looks like you've got all the bases covered

Jono L

tubes and a patch kit. if you wreck the valve a patch kit will get you nowhere.

__________________
Classic1-
Don't get me started on triathletes. Sluggo wearing, mechanically inept, dirty, dribbling, elbow steering spawn of Satan. Anyone who sticks food to their bike is a disgrace IMHO.

geoffs

Hi Nick
I have a couple of recommendations for you after seeing your list.

I'll second the spare tubes. Take 2. I had a valve fall off a couple of weeks ago when I removed my pump.
Take extra patches in case you run over some cat eyes and end up with 10 puctures in a row.
You will need your pedal spanner put your pedals back on after the flight.

A hypercracker or a similar tool so you can remove your cassette if you get broken spokes on that side of your wheel.

Multi tools seem great but you will find that the equivalent loose tools weigh less and are easier to use.
Tyre levers
A spoke key preferably a "Spokey"

I wrap duct tape and electrical tape around a 5mm allen key


Chain breaker and some spare links. On the Woodford to Glenbrook ride last Sunday I repaired a broken chain for a cyclist who would have had a long walk to the next drink stop and his race would have ended.

Don't Take Jeans. This contravenes rule Number 1 of traveling light!
If they get wet, they take ages to dry and weigh a ton.They take up too much space. There are plenty of alternatives that look smart and dry quickly. I have some Kathmandu convertable pants with detachable legs so they double up as shorts.

Take one t-shirt if you must but use coolmax type shirts for cycling in. They dry quickly and pack well. They also shift the moisture away from your skin so if you stop you dont have this cold clammy thing against you that will make you cold. It is possible to buy plain ones if the bright colours scare you.
I prefer to be seen and where bright tops.

Use one of those twisted elastic clothes lines that you can buy from a camping store so you dont need pegs.

What do you need a thermos for?

Zip lock bags can come in handy for herbs, curry powder etc.

You don't need 2 knives. Use the knife that you use for cutting things up as you eating knife as well. Use a spork instead of a fork and spoon. You can buy lexan or titanium versions!

Good luck on your tour. We'll be up that way in September for the Queensland Bike Ride http://www.bq.org.au/cq/.
We will spend an extra week riding around the area before we fly back to Sydney.

Cheers

Geoff

stokell

1. I'd drop the pillow. A ditty bag full of dirty clothes does well.
2. Don't take meths on a plane. Buy some when you get there

Have a great time. Let us know how it works out. Write a journal!

__________________
Allan Stokell
one less car
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/stokell

xilios

Hi there, instead of a casete removing tool you can cut the knob from the end of a (longer) spoke and bend it into an (almost open ended) "S" shape and thread it through when one breaks, they will last you till the end of your tour. Your LBS can make them for you.
I cary 2 of them, in the seat tube of my bike.
I also cary an inflateble pillow, works great, light weight and very comfortable, nothing beats a good nights sleep
cheers

philso

hi again.

guess i wasn't paying attention when you mentioned flying, so of course you will need the pedal wrench. as for the tubes, in almost 35 years of cycling, i've never had a valve problem, niether with prestas nor schraders. maybe i've just been lucky. i don't know about where you live, but here in japan where prestas are the norm, anyplace that sells tubes also sells the replacement kit for the valves. cost about a dollar or so and weighs about 4 or 5 grams.

xilios made a good catch on the cassette removal tool. one spoke will do, but with two, you can tension it up as much as you like.

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nick4320

This info in great. Thanks.



How often have you had broken spokes? I’ve ridden to work for about 12 years and it only happened once. The chain jumped off the cassette and broken about ½ the spokes! I let the brakes off a bit and managed to ride 10km home! But this was just me, with no extra weight. How do spokes usually break? I weigh about 65kg and my luggage etc will weigh about 20 – 30 kg, I’m using a touring bike(cannodale t800), with 36 spokes. I would assume this weight etc would be well with in what the bike should be designed to carry?

xilios

I bought my bike used and have done over 10000kms since and I've never had a broken spoke (yet) but it's nice to have a spare or two.
I weight 95kgs and had up to 35kgs on the bike on previous tours.
The picture below is what I meant by an (open S) bent spoke.
You can thread this through the hole from the inside of the cassette without having to remove it, and it will last you a while. I had my LBS make a couple for me, also measured my chain before going on tour.
cheers

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philso

in about 35 years, i've had 2 broken spokes. one hitting a pot-hole at high speed and another for no apparent reason (although i had been hearing a squeak for a while that i couldn't locate. my guess is that the nipple had come a bit loose and the spoke was flexing until it broke through fatigue).