Equipment

Equipment for a long distance bicycle tour

That’s everything I own. I lost the helmet actually.

Altogether it’s about 33kg including the bike.

I’m trying to stay part of the “three bags only” club, it’s hard.

My Current Equipment List

“How much does he lack himself, who must have a lot of things” – Sen no Rikyu

People think that you need the best and most up to date equipment to go on a long distance cycle, which is nonsense. I would say that 75% of my equipment is more than 4 years old and around 30% is second hand. The bicycle itself is 80% second hand. You don’t need the “best” stuff to go on a bike tour. You just need the stuff. My first tent was a Gelert Solo bought for £25. I still have my original sleeping bag and stove. Once you get the cheap things you can think about upgrading later. If you do feel the need to buy new and expensive things, splash out on these things first:

• Fully waterproof panniers
• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• Ground mat
• Cooking equipment

Some handy tips:

• Put your valuable things like your laptop or camera in a polystyrene bag…if anyone raids your bags it’s harder to find and noisier (and it’s more waterproof).
• Make your things look old and worthless by sticking tape on them to make them look broken.
• Cover your bike in tape, or at least cover or remove the branding to deter thieves.
• Take some earplugs for the noisy hostels or sleeping next to roads/railways.
• Cut longer items in half like spanners, toothbrushes and razors to save space and weight. (It all adds up!)
• Take a bar of soap instead of body wash. It lasts longer and you can use it to wash your clothes in sinks too.
• Take roll-on deodorant instead of spray; it’s smaller and lasts longer.
• Get a multi adapter for your cables so you only have to carry one or two for all devices.
• Take less than you need; your legs will thank you later. I also find when you have less garbage you become more creative with the little you have.

…want some more?

Tie your spare spokes to the chainstay, front forks or put them in your handlebars or seat post…

Take a bungee cord!

This is one of the most useful things I have. I piece of elastic cord I bought in Vienna for a Euro. Tied to some carabiner clips, it can expand for taking extra water or quickly sticking some clothes on the back of the bike to dry. You can even make a bike stand from it to do some maintenance with the help of a tree, or lamppost. Or you can tie it between the wheel and the frame for a super quick bike lock.

Some U-clips for emergencies

You don’t exactly want to be on an island with nobody or anything around or at 2000m in the Alps when a bolt snaps. But that’s exactly what happened to me.
There are 2 common types of screw bolts for bicycles: M5 and M6. The number 5 or 6 corresponds with the diameter in mm. It’s better to have a bicycle that supports a rear rack with an M6 bolt, as this reduces the risk of it snapping.

Taking U-clips / P-clips means if anything happens, you can attach your rear rack (or front rack) back onto your bike with ease.

And that’s it for now. Think I’ve missed something? Let me know in the comments.