The gear update
After two months we sent home our winter gear rather than carry it for ten months. It will be sent out to us when needed. We now have two cycling shorts and shirts, and one 'casual' outfit each.
The best bits of gear (other than our Koga bikes) are our 10L ortlieb water bags, Ortlieb folding wash tub, Thermarests, plastic tablecloth, a tiny handlebar compass, and 2 folding cups which we use to offer tea when people give us a place to camp (though our tea making isn't yet Turkish standard). Clothing wise, merino wool shirts and socks have proved superior to any fancy techno fabrics.
Cycling and camping for tall men/big feet: Adam uses SIDI shoes and Seal Skinz socks because we couldn't get big enough overshoes for rainproofing. The Vaude Mark II tent is 2.3 m long.
If repacking, we'd leave out some of the spares, winter gear and toiletries.
The packing and prep
We are far from elite athletes, but tried to schedule a weekly cycle each weekend for the last three months. Though with icy days and frantic DIY at home this became fortnightly... ish...
Thanks to Mark at Bigfoot Bikes we learnt to repair our bikes though the true tests are yet to come. Cat also learnt a valuable lesson about not playing silly buggers and pulling faces at those riding behind her - she bellyflopped into the Thames canal with her bike, and it was a fast ride home on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Not as fast as Adam's ambulance ride on a training day to Brighton, thanks to a daft motorist (Mums, really, there's no need to worry about us...)
Speaking of medical, thanks to the nurses at 1st Contact travel clinic for puncturing us on numerous occasions. Greater challenge has been finding insurance to cover our 18month trip. It seems to be a choice between insuring body or bike. Bikes seem sturdier as barely a scratch despite our training escapades. We´re insured with World Nomads as they´re one of the few insurers for cycle touring
Anyway, everyone has asked about packing, camping, and how we'll pad our tender rears so here's our gear list. To minimise our load we'll have three 'care packages' sent post restante to Turkey and India for maps, malaria tabs, must-have feminine accoutrements, and a few treats like new wool socks. Thanks in advance to our 'home teams' for those!
The essentials
* Our beloved Koga Miyata 'World Traveller' touring bikes with Shimano parts, Brooks saddles, and new comfy handlebars. A hefty15.7 kg but a Koga is "as solid as my girlfriend," according to Adam, "Built like a tank!" A recommendation like that makes every man want a Koga...
www.koga.com/uk/bike.asp?collectionid=10&segmentid=82&id=5028557&FullSpecs=1
* 8 Ortlieb roll-top panniers, 2 handlebar bags & 2 dry bags (one pannier lined with a plastic cooler bag)
* Spares: 2 Continental folding tyres (we switched to Schwalbe tyres after Continental proved insufficient against punctures), 4 inner tubes, 2 gear cables, 2 brake cables, 12 spokes, 4 brake pads sets, few chain links and an emergency hangar part. Not carrying as whole chain as a temporary repair will do. Chain and cassette will get replaced together.
* Bike tools: 4,5,6mm Koga hex tool, 8mm hex, Park tool, 2 tyre lever, small wrench, spoke key, chain breaker tool
* Chain degreaser, lubricants and grease
* Cat Eye mini bike computers for momentous occasions such as surpassing the first 100km
* Leatherman tool
* 2 Ortlieb 10L water bags for the summer and deserts to come - these are the best bits of equipment
* Vaude Mark II Long 3 man tent - it's 2.3m long and that extra 30cm means Adam doesn't have to sleep with his feet exposed to the elements!
* Thermarests, Kathmandu 3-season sleeping bags, silk sleeping bag liners
* Dragonfly MSR stove with two gas bottles, wind shield and flint (and backup lighter)
* 2 super-light cooking pots (Denali brand), plates and mugs (GSR)
* Ortlieb 5L folding bowl for washing up and soaking feet - this is one of our best bits of gear
* Slip slop slap: sunnies, 30+ suncreen and hat
* First aid kit and basic toiletries
* Pegs and long rope for washing line
* A small backpack
* Couple of phrasebooks, novel and diary. We're foregoing guidebooks in favour of Europe's tourist offices for when we want to see something ecclesiastical or monumental. Farther on we'll pick them up second-hand or in a care package.
* Maps with ratios of 1:250,000 to 1:400,000 where we can - except for the vast swathe of empty Central Asia which is 1:1,750,000! Also picking up maps from tourist offices for cycle paths. Reise or Marco Polo maps for the contours and detail
The electrics
* SolarGorilla solar charger with USB cable
* Digital SLR camera and lightweight laptop Samsung NC10 which has proved nothing but trouble.
* Archos 504 media player for tunes and vids when staring at each other across a campfire/cooking pot becomes just too much...
The sartorials
* 1 pair long tights ("real men wear bib tights")
* 2 pairs padded shorts with leg warmers (slinky early-morning cyclist style, not '80s pop stars)
* 3 cycling shirts - various lengths and fibres - favouring wool or wicking for weight, comfort and fast drying. After a few months we were down to 2 shirts each
* 1 fleece vest and wool jumper
* 2 casual outfits for mix & match - we are now down to 1 outfit each
* Cycling shoes, hiking shoes and thongs (flip-flops for those who speak phonetically).
* Cotton trousers for Cat to be worn over the Lycra shorts from eastern Turkey until we leave India, just to keep everyone happy and comfortable.
* Iranian dress for Cat to be purchased before Iran - headscarf, loose trousers, long jacket and eyeliner as is custom. Not a drama to be honest as it's glamorous Persia not one of the burqa countries!
The indulgences
* See electrics list
* The many carpets we plan to purchase on the way
* A plastic table cloth for all our outdoor dining/siesta
* A biscuit tin - also useful for transporting raw eggs in socks!
* Adam's tea tin - "Ahmad of London's finest tea", available Georgia to Iran, but never in London funnily enough...