Planning: Gear

In my previous blog post I wrote about planning the itinerary for my 4000-mile trip this summer. In this post I will discuss the gear I will take. Whenever possible I have included a link for the exact piece of gear I'll use.

Although I know all of the types of items I need to take, in some cases I'm not sure of the exact item. For example, I have not yet decided on the phone mount and cover to protect my phone from rain. At the end of this post there is a list of all such items.

At the end of this post there is an outline of how I will pack my gear, a complete list of my gear, and a list of gear still to be chosen.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

Gear

I consider there to be seven types of gear for a bike trip:

1. Bike and Accessories
2. Clothing
3. Personal items
4. Electronics
5. Tools, Parts, and Supplies
6. Camping gear
7. Bags

My intention is to take a bike trip on which I do a lot of camping, rather than a camping trip on which I do a lot of biking. So in choosing gear I always look for the lightest and smallest pieces required to do the job, and to take only what is essential. The total weight of my all of my gear, other than the bike and accessories, will be about 17 pounds. 

1. Bike and Accessories

I'll be riding the 1989 Centurion Ironman I bought from my brother Greg in 2009. All that remains of the bike he sold me is the frame and the fork, as I've upgraded all the other parts. The handlebar and stem are both Cinelli; the hubs, brakes, brake levers, derailleurs, and shifters are all Shimano Dura Ace series 7400; the pedals are Dura Ace series 7800; and the saddle is a Specialized Toupe Expert. The Holdsworth 48/34 crankset allows for lower gearing than the original 52/42 crankset, and the cassette with cogs of 12, 14, 16, 28, 20, 23, and 28 teeth allows for the widest possible range of gears with my Dura Ace RD-7400 rear derailleur. I'll be riding foldable Continental Gatorskin 700x25 tires which do a great job of resisting flats.

Centurion Ironman in 2014

I will carry two water bottles in cages mounted on my frame. The pictures above shows one water bottle, with the second cage occupied by the air bottle that is part of the Airzound Horn which I love having in Manhattan but for which I will have no use on my trip this summer.

Although I don't plan to ride at night, I will need lights for dark days or riding through tunnels (Here's a list of them on the Blue Ridge Parkway). My front and rear lights, both made by Topeak, are small, bright, lightweight, and easy to mount. They each use a pair of CR2032 lithium batteries.

My Lezyne air pump with a digital pressure gauge is mounted on the down tube of my bike. Previously I used a pump without a built-in gauge. In order to check the pressure I would remove the pump (losing some air), check the pressure with a separate gauge (losing perhaps a lot of air), and then reinstall the pump (losing more air) before again pumping. So this pump with its built-in gauge is a huge improvement over my previous pump, and well worth the additional cost. It's hard work to get the pressure up to 90 or 100 pounds, but I am able to do it with this pump, and I will need to do so every day I don't have access to a floor plump (which will be most days). It uses a single CR1220 lithium battery. 

I have not yet determined which phone mount I will use. Because I'll use my iPhone for navigation and will sometimes be riding in the rain, I need a cover to protect my phone from water.

I will take a light cable lock but I don't know which one. I plan to keep my bike with me, or near me, at all times, but sometimes I might need to lock it up. For example, when I sleep in my tent I plan to lock my bike to my tent.

2. Clothing

For riding I will take two lycra compression short-sleeve t-shirts, a white one for hot days and a black one for cool days. I will take two pairs of custom-made lycra shorts and two pairs of Swiftwick Pursuit Zero socks. All of this clothing is comfortable to wear, even in a downpour, and dries in a few hours after being wrung by hand. I will wear the SIDI road shoes I've worn since early 2010, a Specialized Propero II helmet, and Specialized Body Geometry Sport Gloves. My rain jacket, made by Bontrager, is designed to fit well while riding (extra-long rear and sleeves) and breathes well.

For off the bike I will take a t-shirt, a pair of convertible pants that I will usually wear as shorts, two pairs of lycra underwear which will dry quickly after washing or rinsing, and a pair of shoes (perhaps Vivo Barefoot).

I'm thinking about taking a swimsuit, cap, and goggles, although I wonder whether I'll use them often enough to justify carrying their weight of 7.5 ounces.

The extra riding clothes (shirt, shorts, socks, and rain jacket) weigh 18 ounces, the swimming gear weighs 7.5 ounces, and the off-the-bike clothing will probably weigh about 2 pounds, so the total weight of the clothing to be carried on my bike is about 3 pounds 14 ounces.

3. Personal items

My personal items consist of my wallet, change purse, Adidas Supernova sunglasses and clear goggles, cleat covers, sunscreen, toiletries, and food. My toiletries consist of contact lenses, contact lens cleaner, a contact lens cup, saline solution, a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, Dawn for removing grease from my hands, a razor and blades, a finger-nail clipper (straight so it can be used with toe nails), and Aquaphor.

I need one third of an ounce of contact lens cleaner every day and a new pair of contact lenses every month. I will take three pairs of extra contact lenses but only one three-ounce bottle of contact lens cleaner into which I can put four ounces of cleaner. That means that every twelve days I will need a new bottle of cleaner. I have not yet decided how I will replenish my supply.

The total weight of my personal items other than food (which will vary from day to day and throughout each day) is 2 pounds.

4. Electronics

I will use my iPhone SE for navigation and recording of my rides and for blogging. I will use a waterproof Bluetooth earpiece so that I can hear the directions when there is a lot of ambient noise (waterproof for use in the rain), and a Bluetooth keyboard with full-size keys weighing 10.4 ounces to make blogging easier than typing on my phone. I will recharge all my electronics devices with an external battery.

The total weight of my electronics is 21.8 ounces.

5. Tools, Parts, and Supplies

Tools

The Crank Brothers M17 multi-tool contains hex drivers ranging from 2mm to 8mm, both straight and Phillips screwdrivers, four sizes of spoke wrenches, and a chain-breaking tool. It will allow me to change my chain and perform any adjustment needed (except for that of the brake levers, the hex drivers being too short).

I'll carry three Prestalevers, the best tire levers I've ever found.

My tools weigh a total of 7.6 ounces.

Parts

Besides two spare tubes and two spare pairs of brake pads, I will carry spare CR1220 lithium batteries for my air pump and CR2032 lithium batteries for my front and rear lights and headlamp. I will use a Wipperman Connex Link in the chain on my bike and will also carry two spare pairs of Wipperman Connex Links so that I do not need to take my Park Tool MLP-1.2 chain pliers (weighing 5.3 ounces) in order to change my chain. I will not carry a spare chain (weighing 12 ounces) but will instead buy a chain from Amazon when needed and have it shipped to the next home where I'll be staying.

My spare parts weigh a total of 10.5 ounces.

Supplies

I will take a tire patch kit, an air mattress patch kit, 2 ounces of Tri-Flow lubricant, a few pairs of shop gloves, a rag, and a roll of electrical tape.

My supplies weigh a total of 8.8 ounces.

The total weight of my tools, parts, and supplies is 1 pounds 11 ounces.

6. Camping gear

I will not do any cooking, so all my camping gear is for keeping me comfortable while sleeping. My tent, the Nemo Hornet Elite 1P, weighs just a little less than two pounds. It has a mosquito net and a separate rain fly and is large enough for me to sit up in it. The fabric of the tent stuffs down to just a little larger than a grapefruit, while its pole folds into a bundle about 19 inches long. The pole, stakes, and lines are all stored in an ultra-lightweight bag.

I will use a footprint weighing 5.3 ounces in order to protect the floor of the tent from rocks and other debris. An air mattress weighing 12 ounces, an air pillow weighing 1.6 ounces, and a sleeping bag weighing 25 ounces will keep me comfortable while sleeping on the ground. I will also take a sleeping bag liner weighing 4.7 ounces to use in place of the sleeping bag on warm nights or inside the sleeping bag on cold nights. My final piece of camping gear is a headlamp, weighing just one ounce, which will allow me to use both hands in the dark or will function as an overhead light inside my tent, which has a diffuser pocket attached to the highest point of the bug screen. The headlamp uses a pair of CR2032 lithium batteries.

The total weight of my camping gear is 5 pounds.

7. Bags

To carry my gear I will use three bags, all made by Ortlieb and all waterproof.

Ortlieb Handlebar Bag Ultimate 6 Plus 8.5 L

Ortlieb Top Tube Frame Pack

Ortlieb Seat-Pack Saddle Bag - Large

The total weight of the three bags is 3 pounds 1 ounce.

* * *

What I'm Not Taking That I Considered Taking

I will not take a towel, not even a micro-fiber towel, because I discovered that my biking shirts are great for drying off after a shower. I will not take a hair brush. I will not take a Park Tool AWS-1 (4, 5, 6). I will not take any cone wrenches.

* * *

How I Will Pack My Gear

Not only do I follow the adage A place for everything and everything in its place, but I consider it important that the places be chosen in order to make accessing items as easy as possible. My handlebar bag will contain gear I need throughout the day, my top tube bag will contain gear I use only when camping, and my saddle bag will contain gear I need only at night (except for the pole, stakes, and lines, which will not fit in the top tube bag).

1. Handlebar Bag
1. Personal items other than toiletries
2. Rain jacket (in a stuff sack)
3. Electronics (in a mesh bag)
4. Tools, Parts, and Supplies (in a mesh bag)
5. Cable lock
6. Headlamp (move to top-tube bag?)
2. Top Tube Frame Bag
1. Tent except for pole, stakes, and lines
2. Footprint and air mattress (in a stuff sack)
3. Sleeping bag liner (move to saddle bag?)
3. Seat-Pack Saddle Bag
1. Air pillow
2. Sleeping bag
3. Toiletries (in a vinyl bag)
4. Clothing except for rain jacket
5. Pole, stakes, and lines

* * *

Complete List of My Gear

1. Bike and Accessories
1. 1989 Centurion Ironman
2. Water bottles (2)
3. Lights
1. Front
2. Rear
4. Air pump
5. Phone mount and cover
6. Cable lock
2. Clothing
1. Bike
1. Shirts (2)
2. Shorts (2) 
3. Socks (2 pairs) 
4. Shoes
5. Helmet
6. Gloves
7. Rain jacket
2. Off-bike
1. Shirt
2. Convertible pants
3. Lycra underwear (2)
4. Shoes
5. Swimsuit, cap, and goggles
3. Personal items
1. Wallet
2. Change purse
3. Sunglasses and clear goggles
4. Cleat covers
5. Sunscreen
6. Toiletries
1. Contact lenses
2. Contact lens cleaner
3. Contact lens cup
4. Saline solution
5. Toothbrush
6. Toothpaste
7. Floss
8. Shampoo
9. Dawn for removing grease from my hands (3 ounces)
10. Razor and blades
11. Straight finger-nail clipper
12. Aquaphor
7. Food
4. Electronics
1. iPhone SE
2. Earpiece
3. Keyboard
4. Battery and cables to charge phone, earpiece, and keyboard
5. Tools, Parts, and Supplies
1. Tools
1. Multi-tool
2. Tire levers (3)
2. Parts
1. Tubes (2)
2. Brake pads (2 pairs)
3. Lithium batteries
1. CR1220 for air pump
2. CR2032 for front and rear lights and headlamp
4. Wipperman Connex Links
3. Supplies
1. Tire patch kit
2. Air mattress patch kit
3. Tri-Flow lubricant (2 ounces)
4. Shop gloves
5. Rag
6. Electrical tape
6. Camping gear
1. Tent
2. Footprint
3. Air mattress
4. Air pillow
5. Sleeping bag
6. Sleeping bag liner
7. Headlamp
7. Bags
1. Ortlieb Handlebar Bag Ultimate 6 Plus 8.5 L
2. Ortlieb Top Tube Frame Bag
3. Ortlieb Seat-Pack Saddle Bag - Large

* * *

List of Gear Still to be Chosen

1. Bike and Accessories
1. Phone mount and cover
2. Cable lock
2. Clothing
1. Off-bike
1. Shirt
2. Convertible pants
3. Shoes
3. Personal items
1. Toiletries
1. Razor and blades
2. Straight finger-nail clipper