Gear

If you are reading this to figure out what to take on a cycling tour, there really shouldn't be any surprises in the gear section. At least, I hope not. I traveled relatively light during my tour. Nonetheless, I had trouble lifting my bicycle; and riding over a single mountain pass took the large part of an afternoon. This is what I brought:

Handlebar bag: Two regional maps ; cash; sunglasses; cell phone; camera; extra camera battery; extra memory chip for camera; US to UK power converter; cell phone charger; camera charger; journal; credit card; ATM card; passport; pen; corkscrew; multitool; blinking lights (for night); extra batteries (4 AAs); micro dictation recorder (for notes);

Rear Panniers: 3 pairs of bike shorts; 3 shirts (I used light-weight running shirts instead of jerseys because I didn't need the pockets); Showers pass rain jacket (great jacket); full-fingered gloves; toothbrush; toothpaste; sunscreen (55 SPF); contact lens solution; glasses; two cycling magazines; one book; 2 spare tubes; patch kit; tire lever; pump; antibacterial gel; small pack of tissues; antibiotic ointment; washcloth; soap.

On my rack: Sleeping bag and tent, strapped (securely) with an elastic cable.

If I had to repeat the trip, there are a few items that I would omit and at least one that I would bring. There are also a couple of items that were indispensable and deserve special note.

Next time I will leave: books and magazines (I didn't open my book once and it weighed more than my sleeping bag). I would love to leave all of the electronic crap at home too but I've accepted that, at this stage in my life, when I take off for the mountains of France for two weeks, I need to be somewhat available.

Next time I will take: (1) Some sort of light-weight pad to sleep on. The ground is hard and often irregularly bulgy and lumpy- Either an inflatable or rollable pad would have been a more than welcomed half pound of luggage; (2) a French-English dictionary - I was an idiot to think that I could buy one in France (it took me a few days to find one and it was written for a French speaker who needed to use English). To be honest, I would seek out a cheap electronic French-English dictionary to save weight and facilitate rapid translation.

I could not have lived without: (1) high-test sunscreen- Yes, I know... I tan easily too... However, 14 hours in the sun at altitude fried my tan-easy arms like I was the subject of a barbeque- Next time I will take 70 SPF; (2) Camera - I couldn't begin to capture what it felt like to be in the center of the Alpes. However, while my pictures don't show the scenery, they remind me of it, which is better than nothing; and (3) Maps.

Carrying Good Maps is Essential

One essential tool that I carried with me was a good map of my surroundings (actually two maps). In Europe, the Michelin maps are excellent. These maps are available for a staggering number of large and small sections of France. I found it best to buy the regional maps for the area that I was touring. In the Alpes, I used Michelin map no. 527 (Provence-Alples-Cote d'Azur) and in the Pyrenees, Michelin map no. 525 (Midi-Pyrenees). Broader spectrum maps, such as "Southern France" are available and these maps may cover both smaller regions in one map. However, I advise spending the extra $8 and buying two regional maps because the best roads for touring (and several used by the tour) are small, regional roads that are only covered on the regional maps.

June 20, 2007

Since I knew nothing about bicycle touring when I decided to take this trip, I have documented how I developed enough knowledge to spend two weeks touring through France. My hope is that the few entries below will convince the reader that bicycle touring is easy to do and also easy to learn how to do. Thanks to a couple of great friends, my minimally-planned trip was a tremendous success. I have gone camping by myself once and I borrowed gear. I emailed my friend and cycling mentor from Ithaca, Glenn Swan.

June 25, 2007

When I bought my plane ticket for this trip, I knew that I could use my mountain bike, somehow, and that things called "panniers" (bike bags) existed. However, I confidently went ahead because I knew for a fact that Glenn would know exactly what I needed. I emailed him and asked when I could visit him in Ithaca. We decided on the very next weekend. We decided to go for a ride around 10 am that Saturday. After the ride, we went out to the barn and sifted through Glenn's touring gear. Within ten minutes, we had compiled:

I left Glenn's house on Saturday with pretty much all of the equipment that I will need for my tour (and no more, e.g., spoke, tire, ). I still need a tent and a smaller/lighter sleeping bag. Glenn is also sending me clip-on eyelets to support the rack because my bike doesn't have eyelets in the dropouts. Bicycles designed for touring have eyelets as part of their frames. However, bicycles designed for racing do not have these because such bikes are not intended to be loaded with gear. Similarly, I understand that Porsches and Ferraris typically don't come with tow-hitches. Fortunately, Glenn is a master craftsman in the machine shop and is willing to put my intentions above those of the designer of my bike. Some day I'll ask him to put a tow hitch on my Ferrari. Some day.

July 2, 2007

I get a package from Glenn in the mail, with custom-made parts for mounting a rack on my mountain bike. The pieces are made to support a race by clamping onto the frame. By themselves, the pieces look like this (note, the right piece is curved to allow for the passage of the chain):


When clamped onto the frame, they hold the rack on the bike, as pictured below:

July 5, 2007

I leave in eight days and I still haven't fulfilled my equipment needs. I have no tent and no sleeping bag, which will probably make camping pretty unpleasant. Additionally, my career in patent law has not required me to do much camping on business trips, so I don't know the first thing about what considerations should go into selecting these items. Fortunately, my friend Dan (a professional bicycle racer) <> has done a considerable amount of self-supported bicycle touring. In addition to crossing the U.S. by bicycle, Dan's attention to detail for all-things-bicycle is truly remarkable. If there were such a degree, he would have a Ph.D. in bicycle touring. I sent Dan the following email:

Hi Dan:

Can you help me choose a tent for my trip?

I've been looking at REI and there seem to be a bunch of similar 1-person tents. I don't know much about 'em so I was hoping that you might take a look.

His response was:

Be glad to.

you basically have two major options. A non-freestanding or freestanding. That meaning, whether you need to use stakes or not. I have a two pole non-freestanding tent made by Kelty. I never had a problem but the disadvantages of the non-freestanding are:

-if your on rock or really sandy soil, the stakes don't always work well (I have never had a problem finding good soil)

-they buckle under the weight of snow if your in that sort of weather. (never used it in the winter)

my friend used to have the Sierra Designs one on the REI site.

http://www.rei.com/product/718455

it is a two pole non-freestanding one just like mine. he liked it alot. I actually liked his better because it was a more subtle color. Mine is a bit brighter, which hasn't been a problem, but could possibly be an issue when camping in yards or ditches. You'd get noticed easier. If your going to get a non-freestanding, this is the one I would recommend. I've thought about getting a freestanding tent, just cause, but so far, the non has worked great for touring and summer camping. Here are some freestanding tents that look pretty good and are all the same price pretty much.

http://www.rei.com/product/732202

http://www.rei.com/product/731428

http://www.rei.com/product/737059#specs

The non-freestanding ones are a little bit lighter, but not much. You should be psyched about the trip. It's gonna be awesome and your going to be all over touring on bicycle.

keep me posted,

Dan
I looked into Dan's suggestions and opted for a green, non-freestanding tent because I figured that (i) I might try stealthily camping in some suspect locations (eliminating the blaze orange tents) and (ii) the wind on the mountains might make stakes desirable. I chose the Sierra Designs Light Year CD Tent, which cost $149.00.
I also purchased a sleeping bag from REI. I selected the Marmot Pounder Plus +25 sleeping bag because it was a 3-season bag, reliable for temperatures above 25 ?F. I did not expect to camp in conditions colder than 25 ?F.

July 29, 2007 (follow-up):

REI delivered the tent and sleeping bag promptly, without problems and I was very happy with these items on my trip.