Thoughts on a Round Europe Trip

[rich p]

I'm with smiffy on this in theory apart from the fact I have never weighed my bike or kit.
I pack the bare minimum, as I see it, then fit it into the front and rear panniers. If there is some space left over don't be tempted to fill it with stuff you didn't originally deem necessary.

 

[andym]

Well I'm looking at bout 45kg in total, 17kg for the bike including lights, rack and mudguards then 28kg kit including 3 full water bottles and the weight of the various bags and panniers. If I ignore the water and count the bags etc as part of the bike then I'm still looking at 21kg of luggage.

4.5kg - tent and sleeping stuff and that's a pretty darn light tent

You could get your sleeping kit down to 1225g eg:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/a100-ultralight-camping-sleeping-mat-blue-id_8029334.html
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/15-light-hiking-sleeping-bag-left-blue-id_8242015.html
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mummy-silk-liner-for-sleeping-bag-white-id_8242798.html

and a tent that weighs less than 2kgs. (I'm assuming that you'll also have a decent set of thermals and a down jacket you can wear at night for sleeping when it's cold).

2.5kg - electrics, smartphone with bracket, tablet, solar panel, MP3, headtorch and kindle, plus cables/chargers(though sharing these where possible)

You can get your devices to double up - eg your phone will play MP3s, and you can read ebooks on a tablet (OK it consumes power faster than a Kindle). Do you need a smartphone and a tablet - as opposed to a tablet and a basic phone?

You can get chargers with multi-tips so you only need one charger.

You won't power all of that with a solar panel. Personally I wouldn't bother. Although I would carry a euro-standard adapter you use at campsites.

7kg - clothes and shoes - though I suppose this includes what I'd be wearing at any given time and it includes waterproofs, hats, gloves etc

You can cut that if you work at it. The trick is to use layers - for extra flexibility. You only need one set of spare clothes plus thermals. Shop around for a pair of light shoes you can use off the bike - not easy but do-able. Be prepared to invest in teh best quality stuff - if you're travelling for several months you can justify it.

Tyres. What smiffy says: get a pair of whatever Schwalbe are calling their extra-durable tyres at the moment. Swap front and back mid tour they should last you unless you do a really big mileage. Carry a Park Tools Emergency Tyre Boot.

 

[psmiffy]

Tyres. What smiffy says: get a pair of whatever Schwalbe are calling their extra-durable tyres at the moment. Swap front and back mid tour they should last you unless you do a really big mileage. Carry a Park Tools Emergency Tyre Boot.

I didn't realise the OP was using a 29er

 

[andym]

I think it is worth spending time researching equipment options. Most people refine their equipment choices over several short trips, but in your case you are going to be stuck with your equipment choices for a long trip. There's always Decathlon, but in general if you're looking for specialist lightweight gear it's best to get it here. I don't know what your touring experience is, but it's worth thinking about whether you could do a short shakedown trip to see how it all works. After a few hills you might be less likely to say 'what the hell' about a camping chair (or after sitting on wet ground you might decide it's something you can't live without).

I didn't realise the OP was using a 29er

¿Que? (Where's the smiley for that went *way* over my head?)

 

[psmiffy]

¿Que? (Where's the smiley for that went *way* over my head?)

My experience in buying tyres on the road on the one occasion that I could not repair an outer was that it is hobsons choice - I suspect that outside of city centre specialist shops* a suitable 29er tyre might be difficult to come by - therefore my criticism was somewhat flawed (the way over my head smilie has a pigeon in it )

*giving city centre specialist shops the benefit of the doubt

 

[Crackle]

29er is 700c. I reckon he could manage if push came to shove, so long as he didn't have to shove it too far.

I've never weighed my kit but I've never needed too. I also don't have suitable bike camping kit because i prefer not to camp, so when I do I have a rack full of plastic bags with sleeping bags and mats in. Not much of a weight penalty to it but money buys smaller kit as well as better.

 

[psmiffy]

29er is 700c. I reckon he could manage if push came to shove, so long as he didn't have to shove it too far.

my ignorance of the 29er is resolved - so Im not flawed after all - awaits response from Mr P

(I was lucky I pushed for about an hour to a campsite - then an hours walk to the nearest town and back - was easier when the rim on my rear wheel detached - just took tyre off and rode on the bare rim for 25k)

It is prudent tho to have within reason spares for things that may be a bit uncommon in bike shops - I use magura hydraulic rim brakes - generally have 4 sets in lining of one of my rear panniers

 

[Ticktockmy]

Seems to me this thread is now just going round and round in circles, for the OP unfortunately it does not matter how much information we post on here to assist him in his planned endeavours, at the end of the day his best bet is to load the bike up with all the kit and go for a practise ride for a few days, this allow him to get a feel of things.

 

[fimm]

On the subject of chairs, I have something a bit like this:
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/seating/chair-kits/trekker-chair-kit/product
which I carry on backpacking trips (and carrying all your kit over Munros turns you into a serious weight weenie... in my case, I find sitting on the ground so uncomfortable that I prefer to take the weight penalty and carry the chair kit).

 

[snorri]

Electronics will continue to haunt me -

Yeah, electronics have been the bane of the 21st century cycle tourist.
How did they manage before?
Food for thought?

 

[theclaud]

- I'm not a weight weenie

No sh*t

 

[MacB]

Yeah, electronics have been the bane of the 21st century cycle tourist.
How did they manage before?
Food for thought?

most definitely food for thought, as @andym points out I have duplication in the electronics...also, which will be a huge relief to some of you, I have no intention of a fancy blog, book or a gazillion photos. Sacrilege as it may seem to some I can quite happily travel and take no photos whatsoever, I quite often forget a camera. I've also read quite a few of the CGOAB blogs now and there is a repetitive theme of searching for charge points and making sure the 'essential' daily tasks of photo and blog updates are done.

I did a quick list earlier of all the options and realised that the most essential for me is the Kindle, I know that the other options can all act as readers but there's a marked difference in battery life. However I do have a Nexus 7, as well as a Kindle, and have read quite a few books on that and found it perfectly fine. I don't have a smartphone having changed to a really cheap basic clamshell as I found the smartphone I did have, a Nokia 925, was great at everything but phone calls.

I think, though it's hard to verify, that a Luxos U would be able to keep charged a Kindle, 7" tablet and phone/smartphone or any combination of those three. If it can then a Nexus/Kindle/Basic phone combo seems to cover all the bases for me.

 

[MacB]

No sh*t

I believe you missed out the Sherlock there

 

[Pale Rider]

You appear to be wavering between lots of panniers and a trailer.

How about a cargo bike?

This one is steel, ideal for touring in far flung places, and the double length load deck would make mounting your stuff a doddle.

You could probably track down a Rohloff one, but there's something to be said for the wider range of a mountain triple.

Derailleurs can always be bodged/repaired/replaced wherever you are.

http://yubabikes.com/cargo-bikes/mundo/#!prettyPhoto

 

[MacB]

You appear to be wavering between lots of panniers and a trailer.

How about a cargo bike?

This one is steel, ideal for touring in far flung places, and the double length load deck would make mounting your stuff a doddle.

You could probably track down a Rohloff one, but there's something to be said for the wider range of a mountain triple.

Derailleurs can always be bodged/repaired/replaced wherever you are.

http://yubabikes.com/cargo-bikes/mundo/#!prettyPhoto

I think I can safely say that I won't be going cargo bike, I did try a spin round the block yesterday with 5kg strapped to the handlebars and I didn't find any issue with the handling, and that's nearly double the weight I envisage having if I go down the Sweetroll option:-

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Handle-Bar/Sweetroll

next step is to mock up a tube the same sort of size to see how I'm going to solve the cabling issues and whether it will still allow for a fork crown mounted light. Though the Sweetroll comes with spacers to push it away from the bars allowing tight cable runs that would seem to work best with flat bars, plus Rohloff cables are more challenging. As I use Mary bars then the cables exit more forwards and it will probably make more sense to lengthen the cables and have them go round and under the front of the bag, avoiding sharp kinks. Loading unloading can be by entire removal via bracket or just using the side access, so it can be fitted snugly and left on. It will accommodate any of the tents I've been looking at.

This may be overthinking but I've ordered bits before that haven't worked as I hoped so I'm trying to assess each as fully as possible before committing the dosh. Frame bag is on order and should be here next week and I hope to order the Sweetroll next week. My actual camping dry runs are going to begin in December.