THE KIT
MY BIKE: ATHENA
THE BIKE BUILD
When choosing a bike there are constant trade offs between weight, strength, reliability and cost. Thankfully, most people who do these things choose to bore others with their stories at the same time which means there is a ton of useful research (e.g. cyclingabout.com; bikepacking.com).
I decided to build the bike myself (ok, with plenty of help from Jono at Linden Cycles) rather than buy a complete bike so that I have an idea how to fix it and also because it was more fun.
I decided to build the bike myself (ok, with plenty of help from Jono at Linden Cycles) rather than buy a complete bike so that I have an idea how to fix it and also because it was more fun.
For those that really want to know:
- Frame & fork: Surly Disc Haul Trucker. Not the lightest by any means, but a sturdy steel frame which can be welded back together anywhere (unlike aluminium or carbon) and designed specifically for touring. At 64cm and dark grey, it is more akin to scaffolding.
- Wheels: Rigida Sputnik rims with 36 triple laced spokes. Heavy, but in theory bomb proof.
- Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Mondials. These things are Kevlar lined to make them super durable and should be fast enough on roads, but able to take dirt roads too when needed. My friend Sam rode these from Joburg to Nairobi last year without a single puncture!
- Gearing: Rohloff 500/14 DB CC OEM2 Internal Gear Hub. This is an extraordinary piece of German engineering (see below) which houses 14 gears inside the wheel hub, replacing the need for regular derailleur and group sets. With everything inside the hub, no dirt or dust can get in and the only maintenance required is to change the oil every 5000kms so it should be extremely smooth and reliable. The downside (other than the expense) is that if it breaks, I can’t fix it. However, it seems that they very rarely break (they seem to be stolen or you die before they give up the ghost) and Rohloff have a worldwide customer service policy to repair/replace it wherever you are. A friend had one break in Khartoum, Sudan and had a replacement sent to him within 48 hours.
- Dynamo: SP PD-8. Housed in the front wheel, this should generate up to 6V or 3W. Then a converter (Igaro D1) will switch the variable AC output into a more consistent DC output (up to 1.5A depending on how fast I’m going) suitable for charging my phone, battery packs etc.
- Seat: Brooks B17 Special. While like sitting on a brick initially, this should mould nicely to my bum and hopefully not threaten my fertility.
- Shoes: Shimano SD66 sandals. Sandals with cleets is a questionable look, but extremely comfortable and no socks needed. Plus the tan lines are going to be quite something.
- Storage: Ortlieb and Carradice panniers. A mix of the Rolls Royce Ortliebs (100% waterproof and their design and build is exceptional - thank the Germans once again) and the lighter Carradice panniers should keep everything attached.
OTHER KIT
Bedroom
- Tent: MSR Hubba Hubba. Nice and light with loads of ventilation to help with hot nights as well as my inevitable pong.
- Sleeping mat: Mountain Warehouse. Will have to watch out for thorns or it'll be a rough night.
- Sleeping bag: Northface Blue Kazoo. On the heavy (1.3kg) and warm side (comfortable down to -7C), but an old friend of 13 years.
- First aid kit: the usual patches and mobile pharmacy.
- Half a toothbrush: huge weight saver to edge my fully loaded bike in under 45kg.
- Other: Suncream and mozzie repellent
- Stove: MSR Whisperlite. Burns almost any liquid fuel (petrol, whisky etc) so easily refuelled.
- Other: Some army mess tins, salt & pepper and tabasco, and cutlery etc.
- Sat phone: Inmarsat Isatphone2. To get me out of trouble in emergencies.
- Tracker: Spot Gen3. This little gadget is another safety device which tracks my GPS position and has a nice big SOS button which I can use to summon all the King's horses and all the King's men to my rescue.
- 9mm: I'd probably shoot myself by accident so will stick to pepper spray.