Critique my kit list please?

[Crackle]

Well why is it necessary to go so far away from civilisation you're 100 miles from a mobile signal let alone any other people or a village? Why do you need to trek to the unexplored reaches of the forest of outer borneo to have a good time?
People forget that 'wilderness' and 'beautiful countryside' aren't necessarily synonymous. It isn't necessary to get away from all traces of human civilisation to enjoy a new and interesting part of the world. In fact often it's more interesting if there IS civilisation. A tree's a tree, we've all seen forests and rocks and beaches before. Whether they're 100 miles from the nearest mobile phone signal or just on the outskirts of a picturesque little village is immaterial really

Aha! Right I've cracked your first tour for you.

Packed up and ready to go, just PM your address, is a turbo, a very big fan, a shower attachment and a laptop.

You will need to setup the turbo in your bath with the shower attachment and fan pointing at you and in site of the laptop.

Once setup, you are ready for your first tour. I will be your guide and the tour you are doing is the highlands of Scotland (you're going to be making a lot of use of the shower). Instructions will come via the laptop which will have transmitted to it, pictures, resistance settings, wind and rain instructions and heatstrokes (you'll need your own fan heater, sorry). Being as it's your first tour, we will do no more than 6 hours in the saddle over a 5 day period. Normal sleeping and eating patterns will apply and you can nip down the local for a swifty at the end of the day. Just be ready for an 8am start.

So that's the Highlands, volunteers required for other areas please?

 

[Over The Hill]

Condoms? And a Bike will be handy!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

There is a village in France called Condom

 

[summerdays]

Good Luck - I know you have already gone. I've not done any cycle touring so I can't comment on the kit list on the whole, but some questioned the tikka headlamp. Is it not worth having a head torch for when you need to do things like pitch the tent in the dark/cook etc, or go out and check guy ropes in the middle of a storm?

I think the list was useful together with all the debate about various items, and if I was going to try a bit of touring I would find it a useful list to look at (the more so because of the comments).

 

[Danny]

Having not visited BR for months I thought I would have a look and see if anything was going on. Discovered that JC had started the same thread there, but had only received half the number of responses. And overall the discussion was much less excited than here - though I guess this may have been partly to do with an absence of posts from Bonj and the inevitable vehement counter-posts.

Overall there were few signs of life at BR so have no plan to visit again any time soon.

 

[P.H]

Why take a cassette tool, and no spare cassette for instance?

You're unlikely to wear a cassette out without expecting it. On the other hand spokes go without any warning, often on the drive side and I don't know how to replace them without removing the cassette.

 

[vernon]

You're unlikely to wear a cassette out without expecting it. On the other hand spokes go without any warning, often on the drive side and I don't know how to replace them without removing the cassette.

Of course one could take some emergency spokes and dispense with the cassette tool altogether. All academic really as the original poster is on his way.

 

[jay clock]

I am in fact here safely, after 27 hrs of travel!

So far so good

I have bought a new titanium stove which weighs 88g (bottle of gas is more!) so that's a few grams off! The cycling starts in earnest tomorrow

www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nz for more info

 

[longers]

Have a good holiday .

 

[Kirstie]

This has got to be one of the best threads in 'tour and expedition'
Well done team!!

 

[Chuffy]

I am in fact here safely, after 27 hrs of travel!

So far so good

I have bought a new titanium stove which weighs 88g (bottle of gas is more!) so that's a few grams off! The cycling starts in earnest tomorrow

www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nz for more info

Good man, keep us posted on your progress.

 

[wallabyhunter]

This maybe OT, but if so I will re post where directed. However in light of CGOAB excellt web site, what is the best way to maintain/update a website while on tour?

gb

 

[Tony]

I think I've spoken to you over on CGOAB?
There are a wide range of facilities depending where you are, to state the obvious. I can't speak for North America, but in Western Europe there are cybercafes everywhere. Some allow photo uploading.
Ditto in Australia, but most of the places I found were limited to coin-op terminals in garages, with little or no upload facility.
Obviously, the wilder the tour, the less facilities there are.
At least one friend has kept their site up by way of a palmtop, with a sat link, powered/recharged by folding solar panels.

 

[Tony]

Jay, enjoy!!


And Bonj, you really, really don't understand. I assume you never leave the UK; why would you want to? I've done lots of the UK and am still doing more of it. I have toured extensively in Western Europe. My last tour was one hell of an experience, and if you can tell me where in the UK i can sit out at 3am looking at the Southern stars, in a semidesert, surrounded by feral horses, possums and kangaroos, and, more importantly, ENTIRELY self-reliant with no alternative, you can act as my guide.
I don't spend ages on an mtb, Bonj. I also don't offer any advice to people who fancy giving it a try...

 

[jay clock]

Hi there. all going well. For a tour update go to www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nz

On the kit front, a few comments.

Whilst cycling round Auckland on Day 0 my gears started to play up, chain running into the spokes, and off the small rear cog too, and indexing up the spout

So when I got off the ferry in Coromandel, I up-ended the bike to sort it out. The problem was that the lockring had come off! As a result the two smallest clogs were flapping around, and the cassette was sliding left and right. Luckily I had ignored the advice of those who suggested saving the 50g that my cassette tool weighed, so was able to replace the lockring as tight as poss with the leatherman pliers, then stopped at a garage to borrow a wrench and do it properly. The nearest shop with a Shimano tool was about 140km away (Whangamata) and without the tool I suspect I would have been finger tightening it every 2-3 miles...not my idea of fun

Other than that, no kit issues. I have bought some new lightweight canvas shoes I liked, and posted the trainers back to Auckland, saving about 400g, plus a couple of the pans, keeping one pan for water boiling and can then always do noodles or pasta if pushed, but I plan to eat out anyway. There was nothing else that on reflection I thought I wanted to ditch of any significant weight.

The drybag for the tent was not 100% essential, but it was useful when I went on a speedboat, meaning I could take all my valuables, towel etc and keep them bone dry.

Comfort-wise, sleeping well. Only two tent nights so far, but the pillow arrangment is good, supplemented by an Air NZ pillow I got. The temperature at night allows use of the silk liner until about 4am when i get into the sleeping bag.

I think I now have a few days of slightly less mad hills!