Kit preparation for london to kenya cycle

[del]

Hi guys,

Ive been ordering in loads of kit lately since its my first tour, i didnt have any of it.

Im currently debating on whether or not cycle clothing is going to be useful to me...
I was planning on buying windproof and waterproof gear, but is it necessary to buy cycling tops? do they really make a big difference over other sport or even normal clothing ?

The other thing im debating is tyres.
Im going to be gone for at least 3 months and cover 5000ish miles, so obviously a good tyre could really be beneficial.
Ive done some research, but it would be great if anyone could testify to any decent tyres good for road touring and tough enough to handle potential dirt roads in Africa. Im thinking more towards road tyres (slickier, smoother, thinner ones) than dirt road tyres (MTB tpye fat ones, with loads of tread).
Apologies for the bad use of descriptive words!

Any thoughts?
cheers!

 

[willem]

Not sure I would do this for a first cycle tour, unless very experienced otherwise... Anyway, here is a link to someone who just did this kind of thing: http://www.shanecycles.com/
Willem

 

[Monsieur]

Completely unable to help with any of your requests Del as I've never done any trip remotley as long as your planned one but I can offer a tiny, little advice.....DO IT!!

The trip sounds great and my envy runs over!!

 

[pkeenan]

I've not done anything as long as this (though have plans) - however I would say cycling clothes do make a difference when you're on the bike day in day out. I'm sure many people can tour in normal clothes, and I can cycle in them, but to rack up the miles I have to have a chamois... (Just done a 1500 miles tour, didn't get saddle sore at all - doing 100 miles a day.)

As for tyres, the Schwalbe Marathons are probably your best bet for what you described. They offer a range of different marathons - Marathons, Marathon Plus, Marathon Supreme, Marathon XR, Marathon Tour Plus (and more, I think!) Your best bet would no doubt be to investigate which of these is the one most suitable for your trip.

Your trip sounds awesome!! Good luck

 

[hubbike]

Get Shwalbe marathon XR. mine have lasted more than15,000km with no punctures and they coped briliantly with south american gravel tracks so I expect they'll be fine in africa.

Lycra cycle clothing is a matter of choice but I think it makes you look like an idiot. I wear normal swimming shorts as they are cheap, long lasting, light and generally made from synthetic materials. avoid cotton as it hold moisture against your skin which can lead to chaffing. not cool.

Then get some lightweight trekking trousers, a few t-shirts made from synthetics (the ones designed for running/hiking are fine) or cycling tops if that floats your boat. a light fleece and a goretex or event jacket.

The key is to have things that multiple uses. When you are off the bike exploring a town, you probably don't want to look like you just stepped off the Tour de France. Comfort is key.

I like having a long sleeved silk shirt. It means you have something vaguely smart for the occasions that warrant it. In hot weather its nice to cover up your back and arms, but leave the front open for plenty of air flow.

for hot conditions a wide brimmed hat is essential. as are sunnies.

Darren Alf's blog often talks about this sort of thing see here

 

[amaferanga]

I'd use the Schwalbe Marthon Extreme (which is the replacement for the XR). I've done over 20,000km in Africa on Marathon XR and they are simply the best tyre available for rough road touring. Heavy and not quick on asphalt though. I'd use something much lighter for the Europe leg and then switch to the Marathon Extreme/XR once I got to Sudan. One bit of advice - don't just trundle down the main roads on your way to Kenya. Getting away from the main routes and meandering is SO much more interesting. Ethiopia is an absolutely zarking amazing country so don't just dash down the main roads and miss out the high mountains (Bale mountains - Sanetti plateau crossing at around 4000m is one of the best bits of road I've ever ridden).

And DO NOT wear lycra in Africa. You'll look like a complete tool and people are much more likely to be friendly if you look vaguely normal (difficult when you're riding a bike) and for Muslim countries having your nads on show in figure hugging lycra is not a great thing to do IMO.

 

[EuroRider]

I'd use the Schwalbe Marthon Extreme (which is the replacement for the XR). I've done over 20,000km in Africa on Marathon XR and they are simply the best tyre available for rough road touring. Heavy and not quick on asphalt though. I'd use something much lighter for the Europe leg and then switch to the Marathon Extreme/XR once I got to Sudan. One bit of advice - don't just trundle down the main roads on your way to Kenya. Getting away from the main routes and meandering is SO much more interesting. Ethiopia is an absolutely zarking amazing country so don't just dash down the main roads and miss out the high mountains (Bale mountains - Sanetti plateau crossing at around 4000m is one of the best bits of road I've ever ridden).

And DO NOT wear lycra in Africa. You'll look like a complete tool and people are much more likely to be friendly if you look vaguely normal (difficult when you're riding a bike) and for Muslim countries having your nads on show in figure hugging lycra is not a great thing to do IMO.

I have to say that was a very good post, and I'm still laughing a bit.

 

[del]

Cheers for the info guys

Those links were great! think il check out the Schwalbe tyres.
I did think of changing tyres once i got into africa, but i wasnt sure whether my continental contacts should be used for the African part and therefore I should use a tyre suited more to tarmac for the european leg... Or the otherway around, continental contacts for europe, and buy something hardcore for Africa.

Either way ill check out all the ones recommended so far!

 

[jay clock]

www.crazyguyonabike.com would be a great place to look

 

[Shanecycles]

First of all hello everyone, (this is my first post),

@Wim, thanks for linking my site.

Del,

Lots of good tips here already, and here is my 5c too

Clothing: Keep it too a minimum, you will stink anyway the extra 3 t-shirts really won't help. I'll be doing it with 4 shirts (2 cotton, 2 synthetic, 1 each of short/long sleeves), a fleece and down body warm. This covers me down to just above freezing point (wearing almost everything I have to add). Dont take a gore-tex jacket and a wind stopper for example, a gore-tex works fine as a wind stopper too for the couple of times you need it. Legs I have 2 pairs of zip off pants and 1 pair of cycling shorts (wouldn't wear then in a Muslim country as already mentioned). Plus leg warmers that double as long johns on cold nights.

Tires: continental/schwalbe/skinny/fat good luck finding a good answer, every one has their own ideas...and I'm usually wrong. I'd agree that Marathon XR are pretty much the best for Africa but are like tractor tires for europe. BUT....There's a good chance you'll be taking a spare folding tire for emerencies, so why not make best of use of this.....Eg, make sure this is a more Europe friendly tire and used it in Europe then swap it once the roads get bad. I.e front XR/extreme(for the whole trip), back Supreme or similar and swap it with an XR/ Extreme when needed (or just take 3 extremes, they aren't too bad on asphalt).

I have stocked up on XR's for my trip (they're getting harder to find), I also have a couple of Extreme's which I'm going to use up in the first 5000km through South Africa.

Good luck, have fun and enjoy the preparation

Dont forget to take a small cardboard box with you, its saves you buying one in france to send back the 3kg of crap you discover you dont need after a week when you hit the first big climb

>Here's< my gear list if you want an example : still a work in progress though.....

Shane

 

[Ticktockmy]

Firstly I will echo Williems comment about taking on such a expedition first time, however there many cases of people who have done such expeditions and have survived, albeit a lot wiser of their shortfalls.
Whilst it is normal to worry about equipment and the bike, all too often people do not worry too much about preparing themselves.

Ok, they get all the recommended injections, go out training; but do nothing in preparing their stomachs and immune system for the myriad of bugs which will attack them when the strange and magical combinations of poorly prepared foods hit the Stomach and association with the great unwashed.

I would suggest to you that it pays to de-sanitise the food you eat for a few weeks before setting off, for myself it means I tend to reuse cooking oils, so they progressive build up the Bacteria, I try not to eat the sanitised meats you get from the supermarkets but buy from the local butchers where meat will have been hung and matured for a few days.

I start eating hot curries, again to help fortify my stomach against whatever food it might have to suffer, likewise I start eating cream cheeses for the same reason, because the Bacteria it produces will help build up my immune system.

I would suggest that you try to get at least one short tour in before you leave, so as to shake down what you really need for your trip, you will find plenty of kit lists on the web, but we are all different and require different things and different levels of comfort to survive.

Finally “Culture Shock” as much as we see the poor standards of living of a good percentage of the world shown on the television, when we are actually in amongst it can be quite a eye opener, to the point it can make you feel quite vulnerable.

After a few expeditions you build up a gut feeling about your surroundings and the people you are associating with, I was lucky as a child and a teen my parents were colonial administrators for the British government, so I spent much of my youth following them around the waning empire, so when in later years when I toured Africa and Asia, it was not a new experience.

I would suggest, learn to blend in, try not to appear to ostentatious, forget the Lycra, and opt for cargo type shorts, and sports/tee shirts etc, the more battered you look the more the locals pay less attention to you, even when the crap is hitting the fan with the jobs worthy bureaucracy, remain calm, be humble, but be firm.

 

[del]

thanks guys more great tips!

I did check out your list shane, had some things i missed out which I thought could be useful.

Yeah im really focusing on travelling light, I always take crap with me on holiday that I never wear or use, so im making a huge effort not to do that on tour.

Ticktockmy, some really good points there, advice not many have given. Always helps to see things from a slightly different perspective. I have thought about the immune system a lot actually, and am hoping i have done as much as i can to prepare myself without getting food poisoning...Ive become quite accustom to raw meats (apart from poultry) now with my stomach coping fine. But im sure nothing can really prepare you for what its going to be like.

The culture shock is shouldnt be too bad, 2 of the lads have been to kenya (the poorer areas) before and have filled us in on what to expect, im expecting the worst but hoping for the best... as long as we dont have a machete thrown at us then we should be able to wiggle our way out of most sticky situations.

 

[hubbike]

machetes no. but many cyclists travelling through Ethiopia have rocks thrown at them. My sister was robbed at gun point in South Africa whilst working as a volunteer teacher in a township school. I followed a blog recently http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/ and the cycle tourer Pete Gostelow had most of his things nicked from a locked hotel room. You won't have to look far to find many stories of similar "sticky situations".
It was a very interesting reply from Ticktockmy. psychological and physiological preparation are often neglected. On my own big tour in south america I was lucky to be introduced to poverty in increments. Argentina and Chile were fairly westernised. NW argentina gets progressively poorer till you reach Bolivia where the level of poverty is more full on. This made things easier in some ways (I could afford to eat in restaurants and stay in cheap hotels) but difficult in others.


In Bolivia (the poorest country in South America) about 20% of the population earn less than a pound a day. In many african countries it is more like 90%. I'm not sure there is anything you can do to be prepared for poverty. but it will undoubtedly effect you on your trip.

 

[amaferanga]

If you make it through Ethiopia on a bike without having rocks chucked at you then you'll be the first. Its an annoyance as are the kids shouting at you constantly, but its a f'ing AMAZING country. In Ethiopia people are either really, really horrible, or incredibly nice. There are very few people in between. I think the nice people just about outnumber the horrible ones, but I still have a lot of respect for (most of) the horrible ones cos Ethiopia is a tough country to live in (and I'm not just referring to the droughts/famines cos in many parts of the country it rains (and even snows) plenty).

 

[del]

Not painting the most attractive picture here guys... nah its good to have a reality check!

Yeah I've heard about the kids and stones of Ethiopia, but im prepared to take a few hits so i can check out the beauty of their country.

Just loaded my bike with i would say a quater of my kit, and was pretty surprised at the weight of it. Think im going to start putting weights in the panniers and going for cycles to get me used to the load.

The schwalbe marathon supremes seem to have pretty good reviews, so might think i'll opt for those, unless....?