On 03/02/2010, at 9:46 AM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:
This time I don't want to deal with a derailleur and all those gears so I
will go with an internal hub system with only enough gears so the lowest
ratio will get me up those mountains.
Cool - Rohloff Speedhub 14 is the daddy. Got one on the trike, it's done
25,000km now and hasn't missed a beat. If you want extra range, get a mountain
drive (internal bottom bracket hub which changes with a tap of a button with
your heel - awesome bit of kit). If that's above budget, SRAM 8-speed hub and a
dual chainring.
I will probably order a bike from bikesdirect.com and have it shipped ahead.
Hmm. I'd be wanting to get it at home, and play with the set up on a couple of
mini-tours (couple of hundred km to run the bike in and see how it all goes
together) before you go for real.
I want to be REALLY light with two panniers, Goretex sleeping bag, Bivysac
with Thermorest, a really good helmet torch and of course iPod and iPad. Last
time I was weighed down with books, tape player and cassettes and a one man
tent that was a pain to erect. I like your suggestion for either a dynamo or
little solar charger.
Swag-style 1 man cycling tents are cool - roll them out, shove a hoop in the
head end, sling your sleeping mat in, and get in. Panniers - the Arkels I had
for my tour (Canadian-built) are the absolute bomb. Other than some sun fading,
they're as good as new after a lot of kms.
You *must* have front and rear lights, so either a battery set for bad
weather/occasional after dark rides, or a dynamo so they're always available -
I have a Busch Muller 12V set which is car-dipped-beam bright, but that's 5
years old now and LEDs are brighter and way more efficent than halogens these
days. Riding with a helmet light is at best frowned upon, and may be illegal
(it's certainly illegal to dazzle other road users...). So a head-torch is
vital for camping but I'd never ride with one.
Books - loads of second hand bookstores, and all campers swap books about.
Carry one or two and trade them! :D Carry the essential library as ebooks on
your netbook/ipad.
I don't ride with music most of the time - need my ears too much to listen out
for cars and trucks. iPod was only used 3 days on the road out of 181 days, but
used in the tent a lot of an evening!
Now you've got me thinking about touring again - I should get the trike
roadworthy again (one of the brakes no work) and get outback for a few days.
Charlie.
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