Sunday, October 25, 2009

Gear list

With only one week to go before our departure, we have managed to gather most of the gear we will need for our latest cycle tour of South East Asia:

Bikes: Vanessa rides a Cannondale Touring 2; Elisha rides a Surly Long Haul Trucker. We have long discussions about the benefits/disadvantages of aluminium Vs steel frame construction, but all in all, both fantasitic bicycles to be travelling with!

Tyres: After some research, we were torn between Continental Contact and Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. In the end, we decided to go with the Schwalbe tyres - although heavier, they (claim to) offer better protection from punctures and side-wall blow outs. We plan to put them to the test, so will report back later...

Panniers: We have committed to travelling (sort of) light and using rear panniers only. Vanessa uses Axiom (45 litre) panniers and Elisha uses Phillips (35 litre) waterproof panniers.

Tent: MacPac Nautilus - perfect for 2, and good sized vestibules for hiding/storing panniers. We have made the decision to take the tent/mats/sleeping bags to stay at Thai national parks but also as insurance because you never know when you will end up between towns when the sun starts going down....

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