A year in...

[hubbike]

November 7th will mark my year of cycle touring in south america.

here are the things that are a bit worn out.

sleeping bag - repeated compression, a few (unavoidable) soakings, has left very few feathers left in the bag. used to be always too hot (even at -10 I didn't need to wear more than shorts and t-shirt). now its no warmer than a sheet. tempted next time to go synthetic as I don't feel the cold to badly and then I can allow the think to get a soaking now and then without destroying it. plus they're cheap! tell me I'm an idiot.

tent. zips are wearing out and the ground sheet isn't waterproof (hence soggy sleeping bag) and has a few holes from when I used the trangia inside (to try and warm the place up) and spilt alcohol, whoops! otherwise still good.

clothes: worn out a pair of hiking trousers, covered in grease, loads of holes and finaly a split up the groin! worn out loads of socks and two pairs of swim shorts both have umteen repairs.

lots of little plasticy things that just snap like sporks.

panniers... rear ones (revolution) have holes, one caused by a dog bite. front ones (crosso) are made from very strong material but have a lousy attachment method using a bungy, both wore out and improvised repairs were made.

things that are still going strong...

goretex jacket
trangia stove. although the newer lighter aluminium is much more maleable than the old one so it has lots of dents..
bike. albeit with new rims.
me!

 

[Peter10]

Sounds like a mixture of ups and downs. Are you still out there? Do you have a blog or anything alike that I can read? I always enjoy reading about peoples touring experiences.

 

[hubbike]

yep blog is peterhubbard.blogspot.com

 

[Crankarm]

It would be handy if you gave the makes and models of your sleeping bag, tent, etc. Congrats on your year away cycle touring. What bike and spec have you gone with? How many tyres, chains, brake blocks, rims, chain rings have you got through? Have you got a blog on CGOAB.com?

 

[asterix]

Good post, interesting (envy-inducing!) blog.

 

[andym]

yep blog is peterhubbard.blogspot.com

I was going to say that you should put a link to your blog in your signature - but you already have. Was it there before and I just didn't spot it?

I'm planning to go to Latin America in 2012 so it will be particularly useful.

Stove in a tent. Definitely not a good combination.

 

[John Ponting]

I was going to say that you should put a link to your blog in your signature - but you already have. Was it there before and I just didn't spot it?

I'm planning to go to Latin America in 2012 so it will be particularly useful.

Stove in a tent. Definitely not a good combination.

I'm sure I linked to petesblog right at the start - but I may have been dreaming.

 

[hubbike]

yeah, its always been there but perhaps a bit to subtle for my own good! would have used crazyguy but at the time i started blogging was unaware of its existance. also I like to ramble about non-cycling related blether which i'm not sure is what cgoab is for...should i make one retrospectively?

crankarm, ok here are some of the makes that I can remember...

bike. roberts roughstuff with rohloff hub. my only real splurge, second hand but only with a few hundred kms on the clock (i.e. new) in a year i went through 3 sets of vee brakes, 2 chains and countless local tyres and tubes untill a mate brought out some marathon xrs. they are still on the bike with only 3 punctures since cusco. never changed chainrings or sproket. second rims are big mamoth fat, first ones (that cracked) were mavics. avid vee brakes, the levers seise up rather quickly now. can't find wd40 out here so just use chain oil (one bottle lasted me the whole trip). don't have any proofhide for my brooks saddle either and a few small cracks have appeared which i am sad about.

tent. no idea what make it is. i was fobbed off with it in 2003 when a climbing mate didn't have the cash to pay for a shared hire car I payed for. Think he bought it in new zealand, and it was a few years old then! lightish, 1 alu pole, easy to put up, but its replacement will rock!! here's photos if anyone can identify the make that'd be cool! http://www.flickr.com/photos/27474601@N07/sets/72157624638513911/

sleeping bag was OhVee http://www.ohvee.co.uk/index_files/Page1291.htm 75quid off ebay... as I say, very very warm to begin with. now just a nylon sack. think I will get a supermarket cheapo to see me home...

andym, trangia stove is great, yeah i know using it in a tent is dangerous...whatever, apart from one near death raging inferno, its safe enough I think. I would never try it with a gas or petrol stove but alcohol is so benign...if you are super careful, and it is REALLY cold outside, I think you can get away with it...Any other trangia fanciers hark back to the old more solid ones? good luck in 2012, if you need any advice or tips just let me know...I look forward to reliving vicarioiusly thru you!!

The last leg of my trip is to fly to Madrid from Caracas at the end of november and frantically cycle home via barcalona, pyranese, france etc in time for xmas...

 

[andym]

andym, trangia stove is great, yeah i know using it in a tent is dangerous...whatever, apart from one near death raging inferno, its safe enough I think. I would never try it with a gas or petrol stove but alcohol is so benign...if you are super careful, and it is REALLY cold outside, I think you can get away with it...

Don't forget that as well as the risk of setting fire to the tent there's the double whammy of carbon monoxide. OK now some stoves are better than others, but all combustion produces CO. It's better to have warm clothes and a decent sleeping bag.

The story about swimming across the river and the bike floating, buoyed up by the waterproof panniers, was a good read.

 

[albal]

yeah, its always been there but perhaps a bit to subtle for my own good! would have used crazyguy but at the time i started blogging was unaware of its existance. also I like to ramble about non-cycling related blether which i'm not sure is what cgoab is for...should i make one retrospectively?

crankarm, ok here are some of the makes that I can remember...

bike. roberts roughstuff with rohloff hub. my only real splurge, second hand but only with a few hundred kms on the clock (i.e. new) in a year i went through 3 sets of vee brakes, 2 chains and countless local tyres and tubes untill a mate brought out some marathon xrs. they are still on the bike with only 3 punctures since cusco. never changed chainrings or sproket. second rims are big mamoth fat, first ones (that cracked) were mavics. avid vee brakes, the levers seise up rather quickly now. can't find wd40 out here so just use chain oil (one bottle lasted me the whole trip). don't have any proofhide for my brooks saddle either and a few small cracks have appeared which i am sad about.

tent. no idea what make it is. i was fobbed off with it in 2003 when a climbing mate didn't have the cash to pay for a shared hire car I payed for. Think he bought it in new zealand, and it was a few years old then! lightish, 1 alu pole, easy to put up, but its replacement will rock!! here's photos if anyone can identify the make that'd be cool! http://www.flickr.co...57624638513911/

sleeping bag was OhVee http://www.ohvee.co....es/Page1291.htm 75quid off ebay... as I say, very very warm to begin with. now just a nylon sack. think I will get a supermarket cheapo to see me home...

andym, trangia stove is great, yeah i know using it in a tent is dangerous...whatever, apart from one near death raging inferno, its safe enough I think. I would never try it with a gas or petrol stove but alcohol is so benign...if you are super careful, and it is REALLY cold outside, I think you can get away with it...Any other trangia fanciers hark back to the old more solid ones? good luck in 2012, if you need any advice or tips just let me know...I look forward to reliving vicarioiusly thru you!!

The last leg of my trip is to fly to Madrid from Caracas at the end of november and frantically cycle home via barcalona, pyranese, france etc in time for xmas...

Hey Barca is east of madrid, best turn left at Medinacelli (140KM east of Madrid) then head north _ Pamplona, Irun,Hendaye.
Good luck

 

[Crankarm]

I read some of your blog hubbike. Thanks for providing details of your equipment. It looks like you've had a real adventure and some tales to tell. Enjoy the last couple of months of your tour. You might have to go around the Pyrenees rather than over them as the Cols maybe closed by the time you get there due to snow. I would recommend the Basque side meaning passing through Pamplona, Saint Jean de Luz up to Biarritz then up the Atlantique coast to Bordeaux. Bear in mind France is in a state of emergency at the moment with demonstrations and riots due to Sarkozy wanting to implement pension reform by raising he retirement age to only 62!!! You shouldn't have any difficulty if cycling.

 

[andym]

I read some of your blog hubbike. Thanks for providing details of your equipment. It looks like you've had a real adventure and some tales to tell. Enjoy the last couple of months of your tour. You might have to go around the Pyrenees rather than over them as the Cols maybe closed by the time you get there due to snow. I would recommend the Basque side meaning passing through Pamplona, Saint Jean de Luz up to Biarritz then up the Atlantique coast to Bordeaux. Bear in mind France is in a state of emergency at the moment with demonstrations and riots due to Sarkozy wanting to implement pension reform by raising he retirement age to only 62!!! You shouldn't have any difficulty if cycling.

It's going to be pretty cold going through the uplands of northern-central Spain and when I was in Spain in May northern Spain had some friggin awful weather. I'd suggest going by train - in Spain you'd need to work your way north using the regional trains. Once you get to Irún you can book you and your bike on an SNCF sleeper to Paris (assuming of course that they aren't on strike)

 

[HelenD123]

Have you tried washing and tumble drying your down sleeping bag? I'm just curious whether that failed to restore it as I've just bought a down bag after one too many cold nights with my synthetic bag.

 

[hubbike]

I am going to barca to visit my sister who lives there. then plan was, vaugely, to cut across via tolouse, bordeaux and along the coast to home...
need to get to barca by 25th November (my birthday) so will probably get a train from madrid...don't really mind if it is cold and wet

helen. tumble drier, eh? I hadn't thought of that...might give it a go if i can find one...still, there'll be fewer feathers than before but it might just do...

got to love the french. always love a good riot!

enough talk of trains, I might just be tempted! any improvements on my suggested route would be useful

 

[HelenD123]

helen. tumble drier, eh? I hadn't thought of that...might give it a go if i can find one...still, there'll be fewer feathers than before but it might just do...

Apparently you need to put some tennis balls, trainers or similar in the tumble drier with the bag. Definitely worth a try.