Rationalising touring equipment

[in4]

Whilst in the bike shed and having a bit of a tidy-up I was thinking about how much ‘stuff’ I carried last year. I like to think I prepare well before heading out and hope to cover most hiccups by doing so. That said I wonder if I’ve hit the overkill/ too much button. Two pumps, do I need two? Three spare tubes? Bungee cords and straps? Pocket multi-tool, penknife with tools on, another set (like Andy Bs in the mega brochure) Tea bags by the score, batteries, tent pole repair kit and so on. Then there’s clothes!
Of course much of what we carry is based upon experience and where and when we intend to ride.
You don’t need a 4 season tent in Thailand but you sure need good cold weather gear in Scotland.

Putting it out there for others to share what their ‘must haves’ are together with the stuff they’ve happily jettisoned or left at home. Apart from teabags, that would be sacrilegious act  in the extreme.

[WorldTourer]

People are packing a lot less on the road these days, and famous expedition tourers from a decade-plus ago who remained active, like the Pikes or Pete Gostelow, completely overhauled their packing approach. It comes down to basically three things:

1) The bikepacking revolution. Once some cyclists started using only frame bags and had no racks or panniers, they obviously could only bring along what would fit in that limited space. Even when panniers are (sometimes) coming back in fashion, bikepackers might choose micro panniers like Revelate Design’s Nano Panniers or use the Ortlieb Gravel-Pack instead of the old-school Ortlieb Back Rollers.

2) No more laptops. People who want to blog on tour or keep in touch with back home, just use their phone for that.

3) The development of ultralight gear. From water filters to cooksets, the popular high-end outdoor equipment for bicycle travel not only weighs less these days, it also takes up less space.

What do you pack batteries for? My Garmin GPS is my only remaining item that takes traditional batteries.

As for tea, I just buy 100 g of tea and carry along a tea ball; I used to take metal tea balls, but kept accidentally leaving them behind after hanging them to dry. I just got a very colourful silicone tea filter that hopefully will always catch my eye.

[Andyb1]

Two pumps?   If you fit Schrader valves instead of presta then someone else always has a car pump.
Take old worn clothes  shoes you can throw.   And buy new as you travel.
A bungee net works well instead of individual bungees / straps and 4m of thin rope weighs nothing but can do multiple jobs from being a washing line to tieing bits back on.

[martinf]

Two pumps, do I need two? Three spare tubes?

Two pumps might be a good idea if crossing an uninhabited desert. But IMO overkill anywhere I have been.

It is already unlikely that I will break a pump and have a puncture at the same time, and even with Presta valves I reckon I could find a compatible pump fairly quickly, in most European settlements there is probably someone with a road bike.

I do take two spare tubes if doing a very long trip with a Brompton, as 16" isn't all that common and Brompton tyres puncture more often than full-size.

For large-wheel bikes I take only 1 spare inner tube, it's the same reasoning as for the pump, I reckon it is unlikely to have a puncture and destroy both the spare inner tube and the original before going close to a town where I could get a spare. 26" is still reasonably common, even my local supermarket has them, and I expect 27.5" would do if there was nothing else. Most of my rims are drilled for Schrader valves, l use adapters and Presta valves but could easily revert to Schrader if necessary.

For clothing I take stuff I can layer, and wash frequently rather than taking a lot of changes. It is less easy in winter if camping, but even in bad weather it justs needs a stopover in a hostel or hotel every few days. 

So far I don't take any sophisticated electrical equipment on cycle tours. I have an old dumbphone from 2005 that is quite small and lasts for a month of careful use if I take one spare battery (lighter than the charger). On the two occasions that I needed Internet access on tour I used a computer in a hostel and a shop that let me use a computer for a small fee.

[Andre Jute]

On the two occasions that I needed Internet access on tour I used a computer in a hostel and a shop that let me use a computer for a small fee.

Public libraries have computers for the use of their clientele you can either rent for a small fee per hour or use for free.

You can keep your Presta valves and still use a Schrader automobile tyre pump if you have a common adaptor, which should be in everyone's toolkit.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/search/?term=presta+adaptor
A bit awkward to use -- you have to unscrew the adaptor to get your pressure gauge on -- but we're talking about emergencies, not routine operations.

OFF THE WALL OF THE ASYLUM – MAYBE A TIP FOR TOURING CYCLISTS

A literary character invented by Lee Child, Jack Reacher of no fixed address, owns only the clothes he stands up in, a credit card and a collapsible toothbrush. He has one good pair of shoes (from Cheaney, a British maker), which are on his feet. For the rest, every few days he buys a new t-shirt and jeans at a bargain shop and bins the smelly old ones. His creator doesn't say whether he stretches to underwear. His cheapest available zip-up jacket lasts longer.

[mickeg]

My comments below are oriented towards a solo trip, not one for two or more people.

I brought a 7 inch tablet or a small computer on some trips, but for the past decade have only brought my Android phone.  Screen size is 5.5 inches.  My foreign trips, I planned on getting a sim card for local internet, but in both cases did not get one, thus my phone was a wifi device only.  But it was adequate for that.  The trip I am planning now, my USA based cell phone company charges an extra $10 per month for international plan, I plan to pay the extra $20 so my phone works there.

Never even thought of bringing two pumps, until my upcoming tour I am planning now.  I store my pump on my frame, and my next tour that I am planning will be in a lot more urban areas than my past trips.  I have a very tiny emergency use only pump (90 grams, about 25cm long) that I might bring in case I come out of a grocery store and find my good pump is no longer attached to my frame.  Urban areas are where I think a pump theft may be more likely.

On a tour, only once have I actually needed my spare tube.  But, I still always carry two because sometimes a tube will fail in a way that can't be patched and then I would still have one.  If that happened, I would pick up another tube at the next bike shop.

That said, I carry a pretty complete tools and spares bag.  I have had to use my cassette lock ring tool on a tour.  Carry spare spokes.  I sleep better knowing that my heavy tool bag is with me.  I also sometimes carry a spare tire, sometimes not.  If I am using 26 inch tires, I most certainly carry one, but 700c selection at bike shops is pretty good.  If I carry a spare tire, it is a light weight folding one that is not intended to do thousands of miles, it is intended to get me to the next bike shop.  That said, I might carry a better long distance spare tire on my next tour, one of my tires is already quite well used and the planned tour is a thousand miles, so the probability that I may need to replace it is high enough that I would rather carry a tire capable of being a replacement and not just an emergency spare.

I usually carry a very complete multi-tool (Crank Brothers, 17 tools).  But I also carry a tiny one that is so small I do not notice it is there in my pocket, the big multitool is in the tools bag in the bottom of a pannier.  Otherwise I try to minimize redundancies.

If I bring my S&S coupled bike, that takes a lot of time to unpack and assemble, and later disassemble and pack.  I bring more shop sized tools for that to same time.  But in that case I do not install the dyno powered lights, instead only use battery lights and only use the dynohub for battery charging.  I have almost never needed a headlight on a tour, thus a small one that straps to the handlebar with an elastic is more than adequate if I need one.

My tours are multi-week, I bring stuff accordingly.  If I was going to use only minimalist bikepacking gear, I could not carry more than a few days of food, would have trouble packing even my tiny one person tent with sleeping bag.  I would be doing a trip measured in days, not weeks.

Clothing, I usually bring two sets of on bike clothing and two sets of off-bike clothing, intended for the weather extremes I may be exposed to. 

One pair of bike shoes, one pair of hiking shoes for off bike, and one pair of light weight thin sandals.  Pedals allow the hiking shoes to be used on one side, SPD cleats on the other side.  There have been days when I biked in the hiking shoes (stiff enough for biking) instead of my bike shoes.  Bike shoes might be really wet. Or, the terrain might be so rough that I do not want to be clipped into my pedals.

Without food, I can usually do all of this in a pair of Ortlieb Front Rollers, a pair of Ortlieb Back Rollers, and a large handlebar bag.  That is no more than 70 to 75 liters of stuff, excluding food.  I also carry a dry bag on top of the rear panniers for more volume, as sometimes I had to carry weeks of food.  But without food, if I can't do it all in four panniers and a handlebar bag, I try to reduce stuff so that it will all fit. 

Camping, I am not a minimalist, usually use a two person tent.  But there are extreme minimalist bikers out there that use a bivy sack instead of a tent, no cooking gear, only eat stuff that does not need cooking, etc.  I would rather enjoy a trip than to be one of those minimalists that seem to thrive on deprivation.

I really think about the likelyhood that I will use something often before I bring it.  But I also think about the trouble I would be in if I do not have what I need to fix something.  It is a balancing act.  Since I built up all my touring bikes from parts, I know what is needed to fix them.  But somethings, I feel no need to bring, like a bottom bracket wrench.

My Rohloff bike, I still am using threaded sprockets.  I carry the sprocket removal tool, that was stressed in somewhere on the Thorn website as something to bring.  And the odds of a bike shop having that is minimal.  But if I needed to actually use that tool, I would probably be at a bike shop and they have chain wrenches, so I would not carry one.  I describe this in this much detail because it explains my thinking, something that even a bike shop might not carry, maybe I should carry it in case my hub needed work.

I usually use a liquid fuel stove on my trips that do not involve flying, a butane stove on trips where I fly.  But my next planned trip has no flying and I am leaning towards butane for that.  It is hard to find liquid fuel stove fuel in quantities less than a gallon in North America and I do not want to carry a gallon of fuel.  Since butane stoves are so tiny, I plan to bring two, one sits very low and it is easier for my short windscreen to work well.  The other is more convenient to use in the morning for fast coffee.  I also plan to be able to use both types of butane canisters, the nozzle or bayonet type and the threaded mountaineering type ones.  But will not need the French non-threaded type ones.  I find that stores in North America are more frequently selling the nozzle or bayonet type canisters.

I planned to quick write out a short note, but I completely failed in that.  Sorry for the long read.

My comments on butane canisters might be confusing here, so I attached a photo.  On the left is what I refer to as the French type, the canister is not threaded, next one to the right is a puncture type canister that is becoming nearly impossible to find in North America.  The green one is the one I consider to be a threaded mountaineering type one.  And the one on the far right is rapidly becoming popular to use in North America on larger stoves.  My next tour, I plan to be ready to use either of the two on the right, but not the two on the left.  The one on the right is missing the red plastic cap on top, it has to be carried with that plastic cap, otherwise if the top nozzle is depressed in your bag, butane can come out.  When I took the photo, I did not notice the cap was missing, I took this photo at a time when I was testing stoves and had not yet put the cap back on.

[Danneaux]

I am a big proponent of the two-pump philosophy. Here's why...

• On old Zéfal HP (not the later HPx) pumps, the rubber ball that served as a check valve behind the head of the pump could dislodge from its seat with vigorous pumping. The solution was to unscrew the head to reseat it and then reassemble. Simple enough, but this required a screwdriver with a shaft as long as the bump body, not easily found while touring in the back-of-beyond.

• Old Silca Impero pumps worked great and built arm muscles when skinny-tire pressures were needed, but...their styrene barrels could crack, fracture, "explode" after aging and sun exposure. Their leather gaskets tended to dry out unless recoated periodically with petroleum jelly or oil and their sealing gaskets would expel their rims after one too many of the direct fist-strikes needed to remove them from a presta valve. In compensation, they were the lightweight champs, were pretty and available in a variety of colors or easily took paint to match (choice of custom builders), were available later and exclusively to fit frames directly without umbrella clips, and -- provided you replaced the plastic head with a steel one made by Campagnolo - were reliable as long as they lasted.

• With time and age -- especially if you are lucky enough to avoid any punctures and so don't check regularly -- pump seals age, dry, harden and crack and then you get more air leaks than air. UV exposure and heat are factors eventually even with synthetic rubbers. Storing a small spare pump inside panniers protects them from all such. If you have an old pump, it might not be a bad idea to replace it before a long tour away from services, testing it a few times before leaving.

• It sure is hard to get a good valve seal when the pump head is dirty or muddy. This is why Zéfal developed little plugs or caps for the heads of their early MTB pumps in the Early Days.

• One time while riding at altitude on a very hot day and dehydrated, I had just finished repairing a puncture and removed the pump, laying it on the ground behind me. I then stood up, dizzy, and stepped back directly onto the barrel, which broke. Oops. Fortunately, I had a touring partner and we shared his pump the rest of the trip or I would have been in Big Trouble, as I was a long way from anywhere and the nearest bike shop was a couple hundred miles away.

Generally, I prefer full-length frame-fit pumps on all my bikes; because of the large volume of air they push with each stroke, I'm back on the road and riding again soonest, a real boon if the weather is bad. My preferred "backup" pump for all the frame-fits is a slew of first-generation Crank Bros PowerPumps, the kind with the double head, circular lock, and switchable valve. I start using the High Volume setting to move the most air possible till it becomes difficult, then switch to the High Pressure setting thereafter. This was the only pump I took with me on my European double-crossing and I employed it for top-ups every few weeks and for the one puncture I had -- a 50mm roofing staple in Giurgiu Romania. It took over 700 cycles to fill my 26x2.0 Duremes to riding pressure, so I did it in stages. Got the job done but reminded me why I prefer large frame-fit pumps. At just under 150mm, the PowerPump rides inside my underseat tool bag, ready when needed.

I second Andre's recommendation for a screw-on emergency presta-to Schraeder valve adapter. I have a lightweight, o-ring gasketed, black anodized aluminum one permanently screwed onto the presta valve of my rear tire, capped with a black plastic Schraeder adapter. Nearly weightless, always available and seldom used, it has saved the day on occasion and is unnoticed by casual pilferers.

Best, Dan.

[JohnR]

Lezyne make a range of small pumps with reversible connector hoses that fit presta valves at one end and schrader valves at the other https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/hand-pumps-1. They come in two diameters: Fatter for low pressure higher volume and thinner for high pressure tyres. I have one on each bike and they have worked OK when needed. Perhaps a good choice for those who want a 2nd pump on their expeditions. 

[WorldTourer]

I was about to recommend a Lezyne myself. Hardly much more expensive than popular touring pumps, but beautifully made and durable.

Taking two pumps along is real overkill. Even most cyclists riding rather more remote terrain than the norm on this forum, don’t do that.

[mickeg]

My Lezyne Micro Floor Drive pumps (both high pressure and high volume) are great.  Mine have the gauge that I need my reading glasses to see.  I just opened that link and now see the gauges are digital.

Lezyne pumps, the chuck threads on, not clamps on.  And that means that if your Presta has a removable core, that core can stay in the chuck when you unthread it, losing all that air you just pumped into it.  I tighten the removable cores with a wrench.  And Dan has mentioned a thread locker on them too.  If you use a thread locker be very careful it does not get on the valve seat, any contamination on the valve seat could cause a slow leak.

I remember reading a story about someone on a bike tour over two decades ago, in the middle of nowhere, maybe Mongolia?  It was a young couple that was touring, each had a pump.  And they rode into a small mountain village where a bicycle tourist was stranded because his pump was lost or broke, and there was no pump in the village.  He had been stranded for days.  One of the couple gave theirs to the stranded guy, thus the couple only had one pump after that.  That is a good reason to carry a spare.

I mentioned I have a tiny one, about 90 grams.  I found that on the side of the road one time, I suspect someone had it in a jersey pocket and it fell out.  I can see that as being the thing that could keep me from being stranded if my other pump failed.  Might take a half hour to pump up a tire, but I would not be stranded like the guy in the middle of nowhere that was so far off the beaten track that there was not another pump in the entire village.

My next tour, I am planning on using a Road Morph G, not the Lezyne.  Both are good pumps.  I keep a Road Morph G on that particular bike.

[martinf]

Lezyne make a range of small pumps with reversible connector hoses that fit presta valves at one end and schrader valves at the other https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/hand-pumps-1. They come in two diameters: Fatter for low pressure higher volume and thinner for high pressure tyres.

I have one of the thin versions, it is the pump I usually have with me on most rides. It still works well after at least ten years, but generally only gets used when I get a puncture or when I lend it to someone. Small enough to go in a side pocket on a saddlebag or elsewhere in luggage. Not too bad for inflating a 16" Brompton tyre, but it takes a long time with a 26" x 2" tyre.

I have a second Lezyne Micro Floor Drive pump that I take on long trips with my large-wheel bikes. It gets used for topping up tyre pressure every day or two (I use latex tubes on my main touring bike), so I should notice quickly if it stops working. Not so compact as the first one, but it still fits easily inside a pannier bag. Not quite so efficient as the full-size track pump I have at home, but much quicker to inflate a fat tyre than the smaller pump.

I don't take both.

I stopped using the long frame-fit pumps, along with "proper" water bottles, before I moved to France more than 40 years ago. In England at that time these would be regularly stolen if left on the bike, sometimes even on a short toilet stop.

[Mike Ayling]

I stopped using the long frame-fit pumps, along with "proper" water bottles, before I moved to France more than 40 years ago. In England at that time these would be regularly stolen if left on the bike, sometimes even on a short toilet stop.

I have a long frame pump on three of my bikes. Never had one stolen. possibly because you can't fit them on modern frames or people prefer pocket pumps or air cannisters.
I must lube the washers soon.

[martinf]

I have a long frame pump on three of my bikes. Never had one stolen. possibly because you can't fit them on modern frames or people prefer pocket pumps or air cannisters.

I suppose it depends on the neighbourhoods where you ride. IIRC the filching happened in a suburb of Liverpool and somewhere near Bristol.

I doubt the thieves had much use for the pumps and bottles, they were probably taken because it was easy and quick. I suppose I was lucky they didn't steal my pannier bags (at that time an old style with several straps and buckles to undo).

[mickeg]

I have old Zefal frame fit pumps on two bike, no theft problems so far.  These are bikes that are rarely locked up somewhere for very long.  But frame fit pumps are so rare these days, perhaps the younger thieves do not even know what they are?

[Andyb1]

.

I remember reading a story about someone on a bike tour over two decades ago, in the middle of nowhere, maybe Mongolia?  It was a young couple that was touring, each had a pump.  And they rode into a small mountain village where a bicycle tourist was stranded because his pump was lost or broke, and there was no pump in the village.  He had been stranded for days.  One of the couple gave theirs to the stranded guy, thus the couple only had one pump after that.  That is a good reason to carry a spare.

The world is a different place now.   If the guy had no pump today he could probably use his Sat phone to order from Amazon and get a drone delivery!   Small motorcycles are the replacement for beasts of burden and really are everywhere.   If there is a track to cycle on there will be a vehicle.
Cycles do have a few exotic parts - like skewers and seat frames which might be difficult to replace if lost or broken.   But one of the advantages of cycle touring is that you can always become a pedestrian and walk out to arrange recovery.