Gear Talk
Here’s a quick breakdown of my equipment, what worked, what didn’t, what I’ll do differently for my next tour.
The Bike
Ivan is a 2021 XL Surly “Krampus” 29’er + steel mountain bike. It has a 1x12 Shimano Deore drive train but with Microshift thumb shifter. I found that the stock trigger shifter was actually injuring my hand. There was something about the repeated pushing under the bar with my right thumb that was leading to growing and persistent pain. The Microshift is a fantastic unit. It provides a number of ways to move the gears—thumb, knuckle, full hand. Also, I find it to be much more precise and less prone to missing a gear. The trigger shifter has a certain amount of slack in the system that makes it likely that sometimes I would not push hard enough and thus not fully make the shift. No bueno. This virtually never happens with the Microshift. Can’t recommend this change enough.
Jones bars: These are fantastic, employing an ergonomic sweep that many find addictive. They also allow plenty of ways to lash on gear, which proved especially useful for carrying the big water bag on the long dry stretches. Love ‘em. Also, I adore Ergon grips, which are a requirement for me, providing a wide platform for my hands. I do have an extra tall steering tube riser to give me a much more upright posture. This totally eliminated hand pressure issues (along with the grips) and very much eased lower back strain. For reference, the ends of my grips are about 1.25” higher than my seat.
Old Man Mtn. rear rack: Bomber. Nice wide platform helped with loading and strapping things down. Get one.
Surly fork-mounted front rack: Oh, boy, do I love this thing. It’s super solid and provided a really quick and easy way to lock down my front load. It was a snap to add extra stuff like a sweater or windbreaker that I needed to shed. For me, the standard front load ended up being my sleeping gear—bag (puffy jacket usually included in that compression sack, sometimes other clothing I’d only need at night like fleece pants), sleeping pad, and the fat, heavy extra tire. This nearly two-pound boat anchor was a drag but seemed like necessary insurance given the remote nature of my ride.
Wheels: These were the stock WTB that, I presume, were wound a little too tight as the holes in the rear rim started cracking—most of them. As mentioned in the narrative, this gave me a good deal of stress, but backing off the tension seemed to do the trick. The wheel held up for the duration. I’m replacing both wheels with another set of WTB’s 40mm but assembled by a different company and using DT Swiss hubs. We’ll see how they do.
Tires: Maxxis Rekon 2.8’s. These are fantastic tires. Light, durable and grippy. Set up tubeless with about 4 oz of Stans sealant in each, these skins never failed me. Roughly speaking, I’d run 20 psi or little below off pavement and 30 psi on pavement. I got many small punctures that sealed immediately. Fantastico! In addition to the spare Rekon (a 2.6” to save weight and bulk), I carried a full complement of tire plugs, patches, sutures, glue, boots, and two tubes, one being the super light Tubelo brand. Very pricey with some dodgy reviews, but I got one anyway. None of these were used. The more beating the tires, took, however, the more the sealant tended to seep through different areas—sidewalls, punctures, etc. The PSI never dropped, but the tires started to look a bit leprotic. I’ve since learned that Orange Seal doesn’t do this, so I’ll be switching over for the next set of tires.
Brakes: These were the stock mid-grade Tektro hydraulics. They have a great feel and, especially with the added 203 mm rotors, good stopping power. However, as noted, the front one did fail me when I needed it the most. I guess the fluid boiled and I lost braking power. When things cooled down, I eventually got almost all the braking power back, but the experience was enough to get me to switch to a cable actuated brake system. These are easier to service, especially in the field, and will not suffer brake fade. I don’t think, under cycling conditions, that steel cables can boil. I’m very concerned about this as most future bike tours will be with our 34 lb. cattle dog, Patchy, plus the trailer and water for him, so on descents, my base load will jump about 50 lbs. Add this to my 185 lbs. + bike + camping gear. I’m swapping out the Tektros for TRP Spyke, which have superb feel and stopping power. I look forward to giving them a real test.
Update: I installed and did a few rides on the Spykes. Fantastico! Quiet, strong, easy to adjust. I’m a fan so far.
Seat post: I’m running a Thudbuster LT shock absorbing seat post. This is another must have. It takes so much sting out of rough terrain, allowing me to stay seated longer. Highly recommended.
Panniers and bags: These were a combination of bags made by my talented wife, Jodi, and commercial offerings. Jodi made the frame bag, the panniers, and the little green top tube bag against the seat post. The front top tube bag is a Revelate, and the feed bags are by a Ukranian crafts person. They’re Kasy Bags, and they’re brilliant. Jodi found them on Etsy, and I hope he’s okay given the madness going over there. Shipping was a little expensive but worth every penny.
Bag: My wife and I are both now using quilts by Enlightened Equipment. These are superb and made in the USA. They offer a bunch of designs with many custom options. Go get one! Or two!
Tent: An ancient Sierra Designs Light Year single person tent. I purchased it back in 2007 for my solo coast-to-coast tour, and it has seen me through many adventures. It’s heavy by modern standards, clocking in at about 3.5 lbs for a single person tent. But I had it, didn’t have to buy a new one, and it worked. The main door zipper is starting to go, however, and I did have to totally re-seam seal the whole tent before leaving. The new version is much lighter, but other options are lighter still. A single person tent shouldn’t weigh more than about 2 lbs. these days.
Pad: As I described in the narrative, my “new” pad failed me—a Nemo Tensor insulated ultralight. When it works, it’s great, but the technology is simply not reliable. Jodi encountered some other campers who have had similar bad experiences with the pad. The manufacturer is good about replacing them, but if you need to rely on it for remote packing, I vote no. My replacement was a now discontinued Thermarest model that worked great. My only complaint is the 20” width. As a 6’4” fella, it feels a bit tight. But it got the job done. I’m shopping around for other options.
Stove: A Soto “Fusion Trek” model. It runs on small gas cannisters with the universal screw connector. This stove has a hose connection, so you can put a windscreen around the burner if necessary. Great stove. I was only using it for coffee, however, going for cold dinners. It turns out I could have got by with a single canister but carried an extra one that I used on the last day. A lighter stove would have worked just fine.
Pot: Old titanium Ever New. Ever great!
Mug: GSI insulated plastic mug with a tight lid. This is the bomb. Doesn’t leak. Get one.
Navigation and Communication
Cell Phone: I’ve been using a basic Android smart phone running a RidewithGPS app for navigation. Keeping the phone in navigation mode EATS battery power, so I carried two 10,000 mAh batteries to keep things topped up. Another key tactic was to NOT leave it on navigation mode. I would turn it off and on depending on the complexity of the route—or my anxiety about distance or elevation profile. By only using the navigation when necessary, I could get lots more time out of one battery charge. I never fully ran down an auxiliary battery, so, technically, I could have gotten by with just one. I did top off all gear at the motel, the only time I did so on the full tour—over two weeks of riding.
GPS locator: For emergencies and communication when out of cell phone range, I carried a Garmin InReach Mini. This thing is FANTASTIC. Weighing in at only 3.5 oz, it can send out an SOS with GPS coordinates if necessary, and it also works to send text messages via email or phone service texting. There are a handful of generic quick messages, but with a Blue Tooth connection to the phone, you can compose more elaborate messages with ease. There is a yearly fee plus a monthly charge, so it’s not super cheap, but you can pay for it by-the-month as needed and then reboot when you head out for your next adventure. Yearly plans are a little cheaper. Tracking points help friends and family keep an eye of your progress. I did use the Mini to check in a few times when cell service was not available, and it worked exactly as advertised. Schweet.
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