Gear Update - April 10, 2021

In this post I describe changes I've made to my gear since publishing Planning: Gear (Update IV) in September of 2019 other than the changes I described in Gear Update: Saddle, seat post, and cassette which I published in December of 2020. I also describe a few changes I plan to make.

See also Complete List of My Gear and How I Pack My Gear, both of which reflect all the changes I've made.

1. Bike and Accessories

Since my Clean Bottle water bottle developed a crack last December, I've been using two Gran Fondo New York water bottles. One was given to me by Nelson Diaz when I stopped by Casa Hudson on a hot day and he told me I needed a second bottle. The other is the bottle I received when I participated in the Gran Fondo New York in 2018. Both of these bottles have sentimental value but do not complement the color scheme of my bike. I bought two Clean Bottle water bottles whose colors I find perfect for my Ironman.

The Cinelli Via Folli seatpost has arrived and it is beautiful! Its installation will have to wait for a repair of the seat tube which I damaged in December. See my blog post December 10, 2020 - Preparation for the trip December 11-13, 2020 for the full story. The Cinelli seatpost, 50 mm longer than the Dura Ace seatpost currently installed, will prevent any damage to the seat tube from the rear rack.

Cinelli Via Folli seatpost

I'm still using the 4-bolt version of the Delta Post Haste rear rack (now discontinued), but I've bought the quick-release version of that rack (also discontinued) for easier installation and removal. I will install the new rack after my frame is repaired and the Cinelli seatpost is installed.

Delta quick-release Post Haste rack

2. Tools, Parts, and Supplies

I bought a Prestacycle PocketRatchet which is rated to up to 60Nm of torque and is therefore strong enough to be able to remove and install pedals. The handle of the PocketRatchet contains hex bits of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm, a Phillips bit, and T20 and T25 Torx bits. The PocketRatchet replaces the ratchet but not the tire lever of the Prestaratchet Multi-Tool – Ratchet with Prestalever Handle, so I now carry three Prestalever Quick-on / Quick-off Tire Levers rather than two. In addition to the bits in the handle of the PocketRatchet, my portable toolkit includes hex bits of 2.5 and 8 mm, flat bits of 1/8 and 3/16 inches, and the 5mm hex bit from the Prestacycle Professional 6 piece 50mm 1/4″ Hex Bits Set, all held in a vinyl carrier. I've also added a 4-inch adjustable wrench to the kit. The other items I continue to carry are a spoke wrench, the Aven 4.5 in. Chain Nose Pliers with Smooth Jaws, and the PrestaRatchet Chain Accessory which can also be used to remove or install valve cores.

My updated portable tool kit weighs 11.6 ounces and fits in a 3.5" x 5" mesh zip case.

I now carry a few Prestacycle PrestaWrap Tire Boots which are superior to the Park Tool TB-2 boots I used to carry with regard to both weight and function.

3. Electronics

I had been planning to replace my iPhone SE with an iPhone 12 mini. Its barometer would give me better elevation data when recording my rides with RideWithGPS than my iPhone SE which does not have a barometer. I had also been planning to carry my iPhone SE as a backup because my phone is an essential piece of equipment for navigation (and also recording, communication, and blogging). I don't carry paper maps, so I'd be screwed if my phone were to fail during a trip. But when my iPhone SE fell out of my saddle bag and was crushed when run over by a motor vehicle, I found several used iPhone SEs on eBay. I bought two of them for $60 each, and will not buy an iPhone 12 mini at this time. I'm grateful to my brother Mike for asking, "Do you need a new phone?". His question saved me hundreds of dollars. 

My iPhone SE after being run over

When I'm not carrying my handlebar bag, I use my Specialized Top Tube Pack (see section 7 below) which sits on top of the top tube to hold a battery to power my phone while mounted on the handlebar. In order to avoid the stress put on both ends of the 1-foot cable which connects the battery to the phone, I used a pair of 90-degree USB adapters (one vertical up and down and one left and right). But when I removed the USB adapters from the battery, a part of the battery broke off and stayed inside the adapter. I have returned the adapters and expressed my upset at the destruction of the battery.

Because of the importance of my phone I now carry a second 1-foot Anker Powerline II Lightning Cable to charge my phone in case the first cable fails. Another option would be to take a lightning to micro-USB adapter so that I could use a cable with a micro-USB plug with my phone.

When the "2", "W", and "S" keys of my iClever Bluetooth Keyboard stopped working the vendor sent me a replacement for free. How's that for customer service! I suspect the location along the hinge of the three non-functioning keys has something to do with why they failed. I was told that the hinge has been improved, so I'm optimistic that the replacement will fare better.

iClever keyboard open for use

The one feature of my Cygolite Streak 450 front light I don't like is its mini-USB port. My rear light has a micro-USB port, as do my keyboard, earpiece, and external batteries, so I have carried a cable with a mini-USB plug that works only with the front light, and I should carry a second such cable in case the first one fails. So that I don't have to take those cables I bought a pair of mini-USB to micro-USB adapters.

Mini-USB to micro-USB adapters

I now carry a pair of dual adapters for charging my electronics. These adapters double my charging capability and are just a little larger than the adapters I used to carry. I also carry four USB cables with micro-USB plugs for charging all my electronics except my phone.

4. Clothing

The two pairs of shorts Miguel Llaguer Restituyo at Alteration Specialists made for me in May of 2019 have both stretched out a lot. I plan to have Miguel make me two more pairs and also a pair of lightweight tights.

I have an earlier version of the Bontrager Circuit Softshell Cycling Jacket which I wear when the temperature drops below 50. Unlike my fitted Bontrager Velocis S2 Softshell Cycling Jacket I wear when the temperature drops below 30, this jacket is semi-fitted. The back is loose and so long that it sometimes gets caught on my saddle as I am coming to a stop. I eliminated this danger by having my wife sew the elastic at the bottom rear in order to shorten it and make the jacket snugger.

The bottom rear of my jacket with its elastic shortened

The neck of this jacket fits rather loosely, so I bought a Smartwool neck gaiter to prevent cold air from entering. I also installed a snap to close the neck for when it's not cold enough to need the gaiter.

5. Personal items

I now pack my FIXBODY Nail Clipper Set in my toiletries bag rather than storing it on the underside of the top of my trunk bag.

I carry a 1.75-ounce tube of Aquaphor on my bike trips and a use a 14-ounce jar at home. As of this writing amazon has a 14-ounce jar for $13.74 ($0.98 per ounce) and a three-pack of the 1.75-ounce tubes for $13.47 ($2.57 per ounce). I do not like the idea of paying a high price per ounce for the small tube, so I bought a pack of five 20-ml syringes for $6.29 and used one of them to transfer Aquaphor from a 14-ounce jar to a 1.75-ounce tube. It was a messy operation but successful. This is one of those situations where DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME applies. If you insist on doing it be ready for a mess. I'm hoping that I will also be able to use a syringe to transfer grease from a 16-ounce can to my grease gun.

6. Camping gear

The day after I returned from my 4,500-mile trip in August of 2019 I had Uriel Gurgov of Uriel's Shoe Repair Shop repair a tear in the stuff sack for the footprint of my tent and shorten the tab at the foot of the footprint. I also had him divide the pocket on the inside of my NEMO Hornet Elite 1P tent so that I could store my contact lens case upright on one side of the pocket and my phone on the other side of the pocket.

I bought a Sea to Summit Spark SpI 40 Sleeping Bag (14.4 ounces including its stuff sack) for use when the temperature might drop below 60 at night. I will continue to use my Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme Sleeping Bag Liner when I'm confident the temperature at night will always be 60 or higher. The sleeping bag is rated to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and is just a little larger than the liner and just 1.2 ounces heavier. It's more difficult to pack because the air has to be squeezed out of it. So far it takes me about five minutes, and I don't expect I'll get substantially faster.

Sea to Summit Spark SpI 40 Sleeping Bag

Sleeping bag on the left, sleeping bag liner on the right

I plan to continue to also carry the very small and light Cocoon Silk Mummy Liner.

7. Bags

In cold weather the battery of my phone drains quickly when mounted on my handlebar. To prevent that from happening I keep the phone connected to an external battery that I put in my Ortlieb Ultimate 6 L Plus LARGE (8.5 L) Handlebar Bag. Sometimes the movement of the battery in the bag disconnects the cable from the battery. I had Uriel Gurgov of Uriel's Shoe Repair Shop shorten an extra velcro strap that came with my Ortlieb Top Tube Frame Pack and then I inserted the strap inside the handlebar bag to securely hold a battery.

Inside of the handlebar bag

The strap inserted

The battery secured and connected to my phone

During the summer on a trip when I'm not camping I use my trunk bag but not my handlebar bag or top tube bag. On such trips I've used my Specialized Top Tube Pack which sits on top of the top tube to hold a battery to charge my phone while mounted on the handlebar. This small bag is also useful for carrying snacks.

Original

Modified

I removed the strap on the front of the bag and had Uriel Gurgov of Uriel's Shoe Repair Shop add a strap at a higher position so that the bag will sit squarely on the top tube. This also eliminated the side-to-side movement of the bag that has plagued me for years. As with so many of their products I have come to love, Specialized has discontinued this bag and replaced it by one I don't like as much. That seems to be their specialty.

The day after I returned from my 4,500-mile trip in August of 2019 I had Uriel Gurgov of Uriel's Shoe Repair Shop fix the zipper of my XLC trunk bag. Previously I stabilized the trunk bag with a 12-inch bungee cord run through the two loops on its front end, around the seat tube, and hooked onto the rails of my saddle, but I discovered that I could use an 8-inch ball bungee run through the two loops and around the rails of the saddle. It's much easier to install and remove the ball bungee than the 12-inch bungee cord.

I've made a few changes to how I use Walker mesh zip cases of various sizes to organize my gear. One 3" x 4" case serves as a change purse and a second case of that size serves as an emergency-cash purse. A 3.5" x 5" case holds all my tools and another case of that size holds my sewing kit, extra contact lenses, and extra shaving cartridges. A 3.5" x 7" case holds camping supplies. A 4" x 9" case holds electronics accessories, and a second case of that size holds bike supplies. A 7" x 9" case holds my toiletries.

Walker 3" x 4" mesh zip case