June 12, 2015
Equipment & Gear Opinions at the Half-Way Point: What's Hot and What's Not
This is for the bike enthusiasts, or for those contemplating a long tour. After riding and hauling my gear over about 2300 miles, I have developed some opinions regarding what I like and what I don't. Perhaps this will help you as you assemble your kit for an adventure like this.
The Bike
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the bike. See the Introduction subsection "My Bike" for a detailed description of it. My bike performed quite well, all of the major components functioned as they should, and I have no major complaints. Still, there are issues for your consideration, and these are discussed below;
Tires. Flat tires are the most common mechanical ailment faced by a touring cyclist; if you are lucky this will be the only mechanical problem you have. Everyone wants the "perfect" touring tires, and everyone struggles to find them. I'm afraid they don't exist. With tires you have to make some compromises. My tires for the first half of this journey were 38mm tires with supple sidewalls; the tire can be folded if needed so you can easily carry a spare. I didn't carry a spare, cause new tires should be adequate for the distance. The type of tire I used is great for comfortable riding, as the supple sidewalls easily deflect and absorb shocks. However, the compromise is that they aren't as puncture-resistant as the more traditional "touring" tires. Touring tires usually have a puncture-resistant layer between the tread and the tire casing; sometimes kevlar is used, and sometimes other materials with claimed strengths greater than kevlar is used. My tires lasted for 1,000 miles without any flats, but then I got several. Twice the flat was due to a small shard of glass penetrating the tread and puncturing the tube; a tire with a puncture-resistant barrier may have prevented these flats. Tires such as the Schwalbe Marathon or the Panaracer Tourguard Plus have puncture-resistant layers from bead-to-bead and offer the greatest flat prevention. However, the sidewalls of these tires are very stiff and the ride is reported to be relatively harsh. (Note added in 2018; having now ridden Panaracer Tourgard Plus tires for some 4,000 miles of loaded touring, I can attest that they actually ride quite comfortably)
There are tires that fall in-between the two extremes of comfort and puncture-resistance. Tires such as the Panaracer Pasela offer puncture-resistant layers only beneath the tread and still have supple sidewalls. Most likely I will try such tires for the second half of my journey. I have noted that others have dealt with numerous flats in the western half of the Transam route due to thorn punctures from "goat-head" plants, so I'd like to have a stronger tire for that.
Lights. I have discovered an issue with the B&M Toplight Line Plus Brake Tec taillight I am using. The taillight will only stay on for about 5 minutes when the temperature is 85 degrees or higher. It may be that the heat sink for the LEDs is inadequate in hotter weather. This is only a concern for folks like me who use daytime running lights for safety. I am the first person to note this malfunction, and the U.S. distributor and the B&M folks (Germany) have not heard of this failure before. I know it's real cause it has happened to me with two different taillights now. So I need to get this resolved and perhaps get a different model taillight before I start the second half. Otherwise, I'm quite fond of my lights.
My headlight has a USB charging port available to charge up cell phones, GPS, etc. While this seemed like a nifty idea, in practice it is not needed as you can usually recharge at night. Even most campgrounds have electricity available at the camp office or in the laundromat.
Leather Saddle. I've always been fond of Brooks leather saddles, and I still think this is the way to go. But I met several other touring cyclists who were unhappy with their Brooks saddles. I would say that you should never attempt to start a tour with a new Brooks saddle; the saddle requires an extensive break-in period before your rear can ride comfortably on it. I recommend that you have at least 500 miles on any new Brooks saddle before starting a tour; 1,000 miles would be even better, and you should have ridden several 70+ mile days before you begin the tour. Otherwise, there is no chance you will be comfortable with the saddle.
Arkel Large Handlebar Bag. You must torque the handlebar brackets quite snugly, or else they will rotate forward with the weight of the bag and contents. One drawback of this bag is that it is indeed quite large, and it's easy to load it up heavier than you should. The bag is easy to remove and re-install, and I oftentimes would remove the bag and carry it with me when I entered a store. The bag is indeed quite waterproof and mine has been through several hard rains without any moisture getting inside. The front pocket is NOT waterproof, so only put things that don't need protection from the rain in it, but the very large main compartment is completely encased with waterproof materials.
Tubus Racks. I'm very happy with them, but be sure and check the tightness of the mounting bolts every few days. Road vibrations will loosen them and you could have a real disaster if you don't check periodically.
Ortlieb Panniers. They are 100% waterproof. I have no concerns about any of my gear stored in the panniers; when it rains, things on the inside stay dry. One thing that you must check is the tightness of the bottom clips that hold the pannier against the racks; these will loosen up from road vibrations. They can be tightened using a quarter, so check them every couple of days. I didn't purchase any spares of these, but after seeing how they do get loose I will purchase a spare for my second half. You don't need the carrying straps while you are on tour; the straps just add weight and the hassle to store them. I mailed mine home after a few days and won't take them on the 2nd half.
Click-Stand. I'm very happy with my click-stand. It allows me to stand the bike up anywhere without needing to find a wall to lean against. Others I met weren't as pleased with theirs. I think one reason I liked mine is that I purchased the carrying bracket that attaches to water bottle braze-ons (and still allows you to attach a water bottle), and having the click-stand always readily available means that I'm more likely to use it.
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The Click-stand uses a stretchy loop for setting "parking brakes" to hold the bike so it doesn't roll when using the stand. These are handy devices, but they fail over time as they stretch out too far. Three came with my stand, and one of those failed so I still have two left. I will purchase another for a backup for my next half of this journey.
Clothing Accessories
Nut-Case Helmet. The Nut-Case helmet is different from the typical minimalist lightweight helmet that most riders wear. I like mine for these reasons; 1.) the bill on the front of the helmet helps protect your face from the sun - I use it in the same sort of way you use a visor to shield yourself from the sun while driving, 2.) the bill also protects you from the rain; other helmets allow water to drip down directly onto your face and sunglasses, but the Nutcase bill keeps the water from dripping directly onto you, 3.) the helmet keeps most of the sun from entering and prevents sunburn on the top of your head, and 4.) the Nutcase helmet is distinctly different and offers the rider a chance to be stylish in their own manner. The downside of the Nutcase design is that it isn't as well-ventilated as others, and isn't as lightweight. But it works well for me, and that's the point.
Skull Cap/Neck Drape. I bought this to have a neck drape to protect the back of my neck from sunburn. It does so, and allows me to cycle in the midday sun without fear of neck burn. It does increase the heat load a bit, but that's the sacrifice you have to make for the sun protection.
Monkey Mirror Rear-View. It attaches to a helmet and gives you a small rear-view. While it works, it isn't as convenient as similar mirrors I had in the 70's because the stem that protrudes out from the helmet is too short. The mirror isn't quite as far out towards the front as it should be, which means you have to divert your eyes farther to the left to focus on the mirror. It's not something most folks would notice, because most folks have never had a mirror with a longer stem. It works, and I'd certainly rather have it than to not have a mirror, but if the stem were only about 1 & 1/2 inches longer it would work much better.
Camping Equipment
Kelty Salida 2 Tent. All good so far. The 2-man tent is the perfect size for me and my gear. I can set up in it so I can change clothes. The vestibule holds panniers that I don't need inside with me. I have been fortunate so far to not experience any heavy downpours, so I can't yet say how well it will work in a hard rain. However, I do know that it works well to keep out heavy morning dew and light rain. It pitches quickly and when it is staked down feels quite secure.
Big Agnes Sleeping Bag and Nemo Air Pad Combination. No complaints. The BA bag is a summer lightweight bag and will not be warm enough for Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado camping on my second half, so I will purchase a liner to use with it. The BA bag has a sleeve that holds the air pad, and this works very well for me; otherwise I would tend to slip off the air pad during the night. That sort of setup is highly recommended by me.
Nemo Inflatable Air Pillow. I like it, I need a real pillow, and this does the job. It's not as comfortable as a real pillow, but it's close enough, and it packs down really small.
JetBoil Slash Stove. It worked great. I like mine because it boils water VERY fast (about 2 minutes) and it has a slash on the side that changes color to yellow as the water heats up so you know when it is done. You can only boil water with this stove (unless you buy a separate attachment to hold a pot), but that's all you need to make instant oatmeal, instant grits, instant mashed potatoes, instant coffee, hot chocolate, etc. I discovered that you can insert an unopened can of food into the water and then heat up the water as a means of warming whatever is in the can. But the main function of this stove is to boil water, period. The stove was a compromise for me; I would prefer to travel without the weight of a stove, fuel, and plate/bowl/cup and rely on restaurants and stores to obtain food I didn't have to prepare. But that just isn't practical for a lot of the Transam route where you are in isolated places and have to camp. Having the stove along and keeping packets of instant oatmeal and hot chocolate means that I always have something warm to eat, and it can be rather nice to hide under a shelter from a cold rain and fire up some hot chocolate. Cheaper hotels that I stayed in don't have microwaves or even coffee makers, so I used my stove inside as much as I did for camping outside.
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Pack Towel Personal. If you camp, hopefully the campground will have showers. If not, you may end up taking a quick dip in a cold stream, or even washing off using a hydrant or hose. Regardless, you will need a towel. Normal fluffy towels are just too bulky to take along, so I use a micro-fibre-type towel called "Pack Towel." It does the trick. It's not as nice as a big fluffy towel for drying off, but it works and it dries out quickly so you can repack it.
Dorcy Headlamp. Absolutely necessary for camping. It's nice to have the various colored lamps to choose from, so you can "dial down" the intensity of the light so as to not disturb others or attract unwanted attention. Also, should your bicycle headlight fail, the headlamp could serve as an emergency alternative.
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