our gear
last updated October 12th, 2011Figuring out what gear to bring on a long bicycle tour can be a daunting task. We've compiled a detailed list of just about everything we brought; we hope it helps! We've done our best to keep this list up to date—if you're looking for something you saw in a photo or mentioned in our journals and you can't find it here, just drop us an email and we'll add it to this page and let you know exactly what it is too!
The items we have chosen are not always the cheapest, but the last thing we want to be worrying about while we are on the road is our equipment. You could certainly spend less, and, as is often the case with any interest, quite a bit more. We feel that this listing should give a good idea of what one can expect to spend in preparation for a two-person multi-year bicycle tour while bringing mid-range to high-end gear. Thankfully, with few exceptions, all of our gear is standing the test of time.
We purchased almost everything online with 20% off coupons from retailers like Nashbar.com and Backcountry.com. All listed prices include taxes and shipping where applicable.
Lastly, we feel it is worthwhile to mention that our component selections were equal in cost to the Surly LHT Complete with the exception of the Chris King headset and handbuilt wheels which we felt were very important for touring. You absolutely can build a custom touring bicycle for a competitive price if you wait for the right deals.
tara's bike
bike / seat | ||
| frame / fork | Surly Long Haul Trucker (52cm) | $450 |
| paint (metallic green) | All Pro Powder Coating | $80 |
| seatpost | Thomson Elite | $55 |
| saddle | ||
| Brooks Champion Flyer Sread review | $90 | |
drivetrain | ||
| crankset | Shimano Deore LX FC-M580 (44-32-22) | $105 |
| cassette | Shimano Deore LX CS-M580 (11-34) | $33 |
| chain | SRAM PC-991 | $36 |
| front derailleur | Shimano Deore LX M581 | $20 |
| rear derailleur | Shimano Deore LX RD M580-SGS | $43 |
| pedals | MKS Sylvan Touring | $23 |
| clips | Power Gripsread review | $25 |
controls | ||
| headset | Chris King 1-1/8" NoThreadSet | $100 |
| stem | Nashbar Adjustable | $15 |
| bars | Nashbar Trekking | $15 |
| bar tape | Fizik | $16 |
| brake levers | Shimano Deore LX BL-M571 | $40 |
| brakes | Shimano Deore LX BR-M580 | (2x)$30 |
| brake pads | Kool Stop Salmon | (2x)$5 |
| shifters | Silver Downtube | $42 |
| steering stabilizer | Hebie Stabilizer 695 | $15 |
wheelset» show old wheels | ||
| wheel build/spokes | Velocity USA | FREE |
| front/rear rim | Velocity Chukker (40h)rear rim failed, read here | (2x) FREE |
| rear rim | Velocity Psycho (36h) | FREE |
| front hub | Velocity Front ATB Disc Hub | FREE |
| rear hub | Velocity Rear ATB Disc Hub | FREE |
| tires | Schwalbe Marathon XR 26"x2.0" | (2x)$70 |
old wheelset» why we replaced this | ||
| wheel build/spokes | Peter White Cycles(awful customer service, great wheelbuilder) | $130 |
| rims | Velocity Cliffhanger (36h) | (2x)$58 |
| front hub | Shimano Deore XT HB-M760-S | $38 |
| rear hub | Shimano Deore XT FH-M760-S | $60 |
| tires | Continental Travel Contact 26"x1.75" | (2x)$23 |
| tubes | Continental Light 26" | (2x)$5 |
touring stuff | ||
| cycle computer | Cateye Micro Wireless | $35 |
| front rack | Tubus Tara | $85 |
| front panniers | Ortlieb Front Roller Plus (black) | $120 |
| rear racks | Tubus Cargo | $107 |
| rear panniers | Ortlieb Back Roller Plus (black) | $175 |
| racktop bag | Ortlieb Rack Pack Medium (black) | $67 |
| handlebar bag | Ortlieb Large Handlebar Bag (black) | $105 |
| fenders | Planet Bikes Cascadia (silver) | $36 |
| water bottle cages | Forte Strada Lite Stainless Steel | (3x)$8 |
| water bottles | Polar Insulated 24oz (blue) | (3x)$8 |
| tail light | Busch & Muller 4D Taillight | $30 |
> total:$2,541 | ||
|---|---|---|
tyler's bike
bike / seat | ||
| frame / fork | Surly Long Haul Trucker (52cm) | $450 |
| paint (two tone black) | All Pro Powder Coating | $40 |
| seatpost | Thomson Elite | $55 |
| saddle | Brooks B-17 Standard | $70 |
drivetrain | ||
| crankset | Shimano Deore LX FC-M580 (44-32-22) | $105 |
| cassette | Shimano Deore LX CS-M580 (11-34) | $33 |
| chain | SRAM PC-991 | $36 |
| front derailleur | Shimano Deore LX M581 | $20 |
| rear derailleur | Shimano Deore LX RD M580-SGS | $43 |
| pedals | MKS Sylvan Touring | $23 |
| clips | Power Gripsread review | $25 |
controls | ||
| headset | Chris King 1-1/8" NoThreadSet | $114 |
| stem | Dimension 35° Riser | $30 |
| bars | Modolo Gran Fondo (43cm) | $50 |
| bar tape | Fizik | $16 |
| aerobars | Profile Design Airstryke | $50 |
| brake levers | Cane Creek Drop V (linear pull compatible) | $40 |
| brakes | Shimano Deore LX BR-M580 | (2x)$30 |
| brake pads | Kool Stop Salmon | (2x)$5 |
| shifters | Silver Downtube | $42 |
| steering stabilizer | Hebie Stabilizer 695 | $15 |
wheelset» show old wheels | ||
| wheel build/spokes | Velocity USA | FREE |
| front/rear rim | Velocity Chukker (40h)rear rim failed, read here | (2x) FREE |
| rear rim | Velocity Psycho (36h) | FREE |
| front hub | Velocity Front ATB Disc Hub | FREE |
| rear hub | Velocity Rear ATB Disc Hub | |
| tires | Schwalbe Marathon XR 26"x2.0" | (2x)$70 |
old wheelset» why we replaced this | ||
| wheel build/spokes | Peter White Cycles(awful customer service, great wheelbuilder) | $130 |
| rims | Velocity Cliffhanger (36h) | (2x)$58 |
| front hub | Shimano Deore XT HB-M760-S | $38 |
| rear hub | Shimano Deore XT FH-M760-S | $60 |
| tires | Continental Travel Contact 26"x1.75" | (2x)$23 |
| tubes | Continental Light 26" | (2x)$5 |
touring stuff | ||
| rear racks | Tubus Cargo | $107 |
| rear panniers | Ortlieb Back Roller Plus (black) | $175 |
| racktop bag | Ortlieb Rack-Pack Medium (black) | $67 |
| front rack | Tubus Tara | $97 |
| front panniers | Ortlieb Front Roller Plus (black) | $135 |
| fenders | Planet Bikes Cascadia (silver) | $36 |
| water bottle cages | Forte Strada Lite Stainless Steel | (3x)$8 |
| water bottles | Polar Insulated 24oz (blue) | (3x)$8 |
| tail light | Busch & Muller 4D Taillight | $30 |
total: $2,516 | ||
|---|---|---|
camping gear
the essentials | ||
| tent | Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 | $400 |
| tent footprint | Big Agnes Footprint | $47 |
| sleeping bag | Big Agnes King Solomon (doublewide) | $255 |
| sleeping mats | ||
| Therm-a-Rest ToughSkinread review | (2x)$100 | |
| dry sacks | ||
| towels | MSR Packtowl Personal (body/hand/face) | $30 |
| survival knife | SOG Seal Pup Elite E37 | $60 |
| shovel | ||
| fire starting | "Survival" Fire Steel | $8 |
cooking | ||
| stove | MSR WhisperLite International | $64 |
| oven | Campers Oven (we designed it!) | - |
| oven pan: flat | Parrish Magic Line 6 Inch Round | $6 |
| oven pan: pie | Fat Daddio's 6-Inch Mini Pie Pan | $10 |
| fuel bottle | MSR 22oz Fuel Bottle | $10 |
| water filtration | ||
| cutting board | Large Green Cutting Board | $15 |
| cookware | ||
| GSI Outdoors Pinnacle 2Lread review | $60 | |
| cooking utensils | ||
| silverware | Snowpeak Titanium Spork | (2x)$7 |
| cups | ||
| dishes | Sea to Summit X Bowl | (2x)$12 |
| dishwashing | Shaklee Get Clean Dishwash Concentrate | $8 |
total:$1,188 | ||
|---|---|---|
technology
gps stuff | ||
| gps unit | Garmin GPSMAP 60CSxread review(replaced by 62s) | $250 |
| mount | Handlebar Mount | $15 |
| gps tranceiver | Spot Satellite Messenger | $95 |
electronics | ||
| laptop: tara | Lenovo x200s (2GHz C2Duo/4GB/200GB HD/1440x900) | $1,800 |
| laptop: tyler | Lenovo x201s (2.13GHz i7/4GB/64GB SSD/1440x900) | $2,000 |
| netbook | ||
| networking | CAT6 Crossover Adapter | $7 |
| webcam | Logitech Quickcam Pro For Notebooks | $60 |
| wifi finder | ZyXEL AG-225h | $50 |
| storage | Seagate FreeAgent Go | $120 |
| laptop case | BUILT Cargo Small | $30 |
| netbook case | BUILT Laptop Sleeve 10" | $20 |
| cellular phone | Unlocked Nokia 6100 | $65 |
| global cellular service | Mobility Passread review | $30 |
power | ||
| plugin adapter | Conair All-in-One | (2x)$15 |
| campsite mains adapter | "Commando" 3-Pin Plug to Single Outlet Socket | $15 |
| extension cord | 40ft Green Extension Cord | $15 |
| outlet splitter | Leviton Tripler | $3 |
| battery charger | La Crosse Technology BC-700 | $30 |
| rechargable batteries | Sanyo 2700mAh NiMH AA (4 pack) | $13 |
| portable power | ||
> total: $4,667 | ||
|---|---|---|
photograhpy
camera / audio equipment | ||
| camera | ||
| Nikon D700(bought used after year one) | ||
| audio recorder | Zoom H4n(would not get again, see Marantz PMD661) | |
| wide angle lens | ||
| 14-24mm f/2.8G | ||
| standard angle lens | > 50mm f/1.4D | |
| telephoto lens | 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED | |
| lens reverse ring | Nikon BR-2A(mounts 20-50mm prime lenses in reverse for macro photos) | |
| camera case | ||
| ThinkTank Digital Holster 40 | ||
bike gear
tyler's clothing | ||
| baselayer: bottom | Under Armour Bottoms | (old)$0 |
| baselayer: top | Under Armour Top | (old)$0 |
| boxers | ||
| Icebreaker Beast Boxer Briefs(holding up well, one pair is enough!) | $35 | |
| short sleeve shirt | Smartwool Microweight NTread review | (2x)$30 |
| long sleeve shirt | Smartwool Microweight Crewread review | (gift!)$0 |
| long sleeve shirt | Smartwool Midweight Crewread review | $60 |
| shorts | Pearl Izumi Slice Ultrasensor | (2x)$55 |
| shorts | Arc'Teryx Palisade Cropper | $85 |
| pants | (old)$0 | |
| pants | Russel Cotton Lounge Pants | (old)$0 |
| socks | Smartwool PHD Cycling Ultra Light Micro | (3x)$9 |
tara's clothing | ||
| baselayer: bottom | Patagonia Capilene 2 Bottoms | (old)$0 |
| baselayer: top | Patagonia Capilene 2 Zip Neck | (old)$0 |
| underwear | ExOfficio Give-N-Go Boy Cut Brief | (4x)$15 |
| bra | Patagonia Barely Bra | $22 |
| Patagonia Active Mesh Bra | $21 | |
| tank top | Sugoi Fizz Tank | (gift!)$0 |
| riding jersey | ||
| short sleeve shirt | Smartwool Lightweight Sport NTSread review | $35 |
| long sleeve shirt | Smartwool Microweight Crewread review | $60 |
| hoodie | Patagonia Cotton Fleece Hoodie | $50 |
| capris | Shebeest Shindigger | (2x)$35 |
| riding shorts | Craft Hot Shorts | $40 |
| pants | Mountain Hardwear Mesa | $50 |
| dress | Icebreaker Saturn Dressread review | $45 |
| skort | Shebeest CycloSkort | $10 |
| socks | Smartwool PHD Cycling Ultra Light Micro | (3x)$9 |
outerwear / protective | ||
| helmets | Giro Xen | (2x)$70 |
| rain jackets | Showers Pass Elite 2.0 | (2x)$170 |
| jacket (tyler) | Gore Cosmo Windstopper | $140 |
| jacket (tara) | ||
| Zoot ULTRA Softshell Thermal Jacket | $180 | |
| hat (tyler) | Hand Knitted Hat by Tara | (priceless) |
| hat (tara) | Knitted Hat from United Colors of Benetton | $15 |
| shoes | Keen Targhee II | (2x)$75 |
| sandals | Keen Venice H2 | (2x)$40 |
total: $1,917 | ||
|---|---|---|
tools and stuff
tools | ||
| frame pump | Topeak RoadMorph G | (2x)$25 |
| pocket knife (tara) | Benchmade Mini-Griptilian | $50 |
| pocket knife (tyler) | SOG Mini X-Ray Vision | $70 |
| vise grips | Irwin Curved Jaw Locking Pliers w/ Wire Cutter | $10 |
| chain tool | ||
| multi-tool | Park AWS-10(also carrying a few full size allen keys) | $10 |
| cassette removal | Unior Cassette Lockring Remover | $10 |
| lubrication | Park PolyLube 1000 | $5 |
| miscellaneous | show list »
| $10 |
stuff | ||
| headlamps | Black Diamond Icon | (2x)$40 |
| tent lights | ||
| bike lock | Kryptonite Evolution 4 Disc Lock | $33 |
| lock cable | Kryptonite KryptoFlex 1007 Looped Cable 7' | $8 |
| first-aid kit | REI Hiker | $30 |
| travel chairs | Walkstool Comfortread review | (2x)$45 |
| daypack | GoLite VO24 | $80 |
| all purpose cleaner | Shaklee Basic H2 Concentrate | $12 |
| toiletries | show list »
| $5 |
women's stuff | ||
| menstruation | Diva Cup | $15 |
| adventure peeing | $15 | |
| contraception | Paragard Copper IUD | $0 |
spare parts | ||
| tires | Schwalbe Marathon XR 26x2.0 Foldable(now riding these) | (2x)$55 |
| tubes | Continental Light 26" | (2x)$5 |
| patch kits | Park Super Patch Kit GP-2 | (4x)$2 |
| shift/brake cable/housing | Local Bike Shop Stock | $10 |
| spokes | Fiberfix Kevlar Spoke | (2x)$7 |
| brake pads | Kool Stop Salmon | (12x)$5 |
| chains | SRAM PC-991(used to replace old chains @ roughly 10,000km) | (2x)$36 |
| derailleur hanger | Wheels Manufacturing Emergency Hanger | $15 |
total: $861 | ||
|---|---|---|