Gear Talk 3 months in….

Gear talk 3 months into Shane Cycles Africa

A subject close to all cyclists heart : gear, gear, gear. What works what doesn’t and are those expensive luxury items worth the money? So here is my gear fashion parade or Oscars if you will 3 months in, the winners, losers, surprises and things I can’t do without.

 The extra’s

We all start every trip no matter how long or short with too much gear. The advice I give to all cyclists who email for tips for their first trip is take a small fold up cardboard box with them……then they don’t have to look for one to post 3kg of crap home after week 3 or the first high pass.

This isn’t my first trip but still a few items where added that eventually got left behind, all of which I knew I’d leave behind but as I had room in my baggage allowance and no home to clutter up thought I’d give it a go. Most of them went after three weeks.

1. Sea to summit plastic plate : nice idea but  there’s no meal that can’t be prepared and eaten with one pan and a frying pan, the frying pan also makes a great plate when going posh and having a cheese and wine party for one.
2. Travel kettle : one of those heating element things you plug in the wall to heat up a cup or pan of water. Great when sleeping every night in a cheap guesthouse in SE Asia, fairly useless when camping most of the time and have a stove with you ( they don’t have smoke alarms in the rooms in Africa).
3. Clothing : I always tell people to take as little clothing as possible, that extra T-shirt and underpants wont stop you stinking in Africa. Here it’s not about who stinks but who stinks the most. So some of my heavier warmer clothing has been passed onto hotel cleaners since I got out of the mountains of Lesotho, I hope to spent the next 18 months being rather hot and sweaty rather than cold.
4. Walking poles: Kindly donated by my last intern Michael, they where great for a couple of day trips and my 5 day hike in the Drakensberg when I hiked the Giants Cup Trail. Unfortunately I’m in Namibia too early to do the longer hikes here and from here there’s not a lot of big hikes I plan to do, so I donated them to some Americans in Lesotho saving 700g.

The losers

Things that died before they should have, things I’m not impressed with or worried about.

1. Stove hose: more of a near miss than a looser, the quick release started leaking fuel early in the trip. I contacted Optimus and asked where I could buy new O rings and within 2 weeks had a new hose and quick release delivered to an address in Bloemfontein by courier for free so great service from Optimus. (Thanks to Paul Morris and his connections for the logistics this end).
2. Lowa Renegade GTX hiking boots: Unfortunately during my hike on the Giants cup trail the sole became loose, the boots where only about 9 months old….Customer services didn’t react via twitter(which most companies do nowadays) and I didn’t have the time or patience to go through normal channels because I needed new boots the next week, so bought local cheaper hiking boots which are less comfortable and not waterproof.
3. Schwalbe Marathon Extreme : I hadn’t been too impressed with these tires in Uganda but with the price and having only done 1000km  I thought I’d bring one with me hoping I could spare my XR’s the first 4-5000km. About 2000km (maybe less) into this trip the tire was looking pretty trashed, full of cuts and had 4 punctures, Extreme please leave stage left. My front XR has had no punctures and the new rear one is also puncture free after 1000km. The Extreme was supposed to be the follower of the XR though I suspect its been a big flop, as they recently released the Mondial as the new touring tire. Such I shame I had to spend almost €100 to find out that the Extremes are crap for touring. Luckily I managed to get a hold of 3 new XR’s second hand before the trip, so hopefully they’ll make it to Europe (1 front, 2 rear). Some people claim the XR’s run a little heavy, but as I intend to ride mainly dirt roads it really makes no difference.
4. My Nokia 6500 classic Phone : Kindly donated by Ton a colleague, unfortunately through no fault of my own it had a fight with gravity and came second. This thing was ideal, long battery life, simple and could be charged with USB, such a shame.
5. Belkin Dual USB charger It had 2 USB ports and was ideal, it proved not to be Africa proof and died after 2 months. For now I have to charge most of my stuff via my laptop, far from ideal, but it works.
6. Wellgo platform pedals: My last set got some play/wear pretty quickly but stayed stable after that for 10,000km and where still fine. I bought some new ones for this trip and its not looking good, the left one already has alot of play and a ticking sound, the right one is still really stiff. I had them cleaned and lubricated a few weeks ago with little success, I think these won’t last more than the next 5000km, though I hope I’m wrong, I really do prefer to cycle with platform pedals and don’t want to pay the shipping costs of getting new ones.
7. Flip-flops: My 3 euro flipflops finally died, So I’ve bought some 4 euro ones this time:)
8. Brake blocks : First set are dead, but I’d call it normal wear and tear after the mountains of Uganda and Lesotho.

Special guest appearance

Things I bought on the road  that I love.

1. Pink Nokia c3 : It’s pink because it was on sale! Not a smart phone and without the I-phone prices. The keyboard makes keeping social networks up to date and writing short emails possible. With the price of internet cafes in SA and Namibia, this thing saved me alot of money (mobile internet is dirt cheap). 
2. Machete : Not the Bear Grylls merchandised model for €50 but a “corn cutter” from a garden centre for €5. Many people email asking if they should take a machete through Africa for protection …NO…NO..NO..It’s not heavy enough to stop big game, you’re not fast enough to stop a snake or Lion and if you pull it out when locals are hassling you you’ll just make things worse. However it’s great for clearing bushes out when hanging a hammock, clearing the ground when camping in the desert, as a hammer for tent pegs and very handy for digging a toilet.

The winners

Some expensive gadgets and some cheaper items that make life on the road easier and more comfortable.

1. Garmin etrex  : I use a huge scale paper map for my general planning and this thing for the day to day stuff, I haven’t been lost yet and I’ve been pleasantly surprised which roads have been on these open source maps. Powered by my Son hub dynamo via an E-werk my batteries last about 5-6 days of cycling(longer if I remember to turn it off during breaks). Though I must add it took us about 2 years to start understanding each other. So don’t buy one a month before your trip, it’s not worth the hassle and money.
2. Rohloff speedhub: I’m not one of those people that just because I have one say you have to have one. These things are expensive and from time to time need sending to Germany for repair (for me twice in 20,000km). If you plan on sticking to tar/asphalt roads in Europe or America or for commuting its just not worth the money. If you plan to cycle the worst and steepest dirt roads you can find and have the money then do it! There’s nothing like hitting a pothole while cycling uphill fully loaded and being able to drop down a couple of gears at an almost standstill. With a conventional system you’d come to a grinding halt then have to somehow change into your granny gear. I love the range the thing has and the fact the gears are evenly spaced, if you can’t find the gear you want with 1 up or 1 down then forget it…simple.
3. Lightweight Hammock: I bought this thing back in 1995, always plan to take it with me then cut it out at the final pack because of the extra 500g. Here I’m loving the comfort it gives during long breaks (like in the desert) or even for a short break if the ground is wet or full of ants. So much comfort in a little bundle.
4. Lafuma chair: Quite a heavy item and difficult to get a hold of (they often stop producing them). I got one second hand before my trip because I think that Chairkits for Exped mats reduce the life of the mats (my theory, no proof). This thing is quite big and heavy but is easy to setup and gives great back support and is ideal for long sitting breaks or an afternoon snooze. The only downside is that you sit on the floor, not ideal if wet or surrounded by biting ants.
5. MSR Hubba Hubba footprint: Yup that thing you put under your tent hoping it will protect your tent floor. But it also doubles as a groundsheet during breaks and a sunscreen or mini tarp in warm places. My footprint is getting used alot and it getting quite tired and full of holes but my tent floor is still waterproof after 60 nights.
6. Msr Hubba Hubba: I’ve said for a while this is the best tent for Africa  and I stand by that, so pleased I have the green version rather than the yellow one though. What’s it missing? Just inbuilt airco I guess.
7. Chuck Harris helmet mirror(very difficult to find if you dont live in Ohio): I only wear my helmet on busy tar/asphalt roads. On the quiet dirt roads I have enough confidence in my cycling skills not to fall off, its usually external factors that make people crash. Because the mirror is close to your eye you can focus alot better and see further. It also allows you to scan around when you move your head. This thing has saved my life numerous times and is often the main reason I put my helmet on. Drivers in Africa have no idea what to do with cyclists so will usually just drive past at 120km/h with 50cm of space so they don’t have to leave their lane. With a mirror you can see when it’s time to take a dive in grass or gravel…..
8. Exped Synmat 7: 7cm of pure luxury at just under 1kg. A soft nights sleep or if on very rough ground pump it up really hard and if just floats on top. I don’t like the new internal pump that they use, the old bag was much better. People say it’s not that much effort to pump it up but if you’ve just cycled or walked 8-10 hours then have to put your tent up, cook, eat, filter a couple litres of water then that little bit of pumping can just be too much. But the comfy nights sleep make it all worth while.
9. S+S couplers : An expensive extra on an already expensive custom frame. But not only do they allow for a smaller box when flying, they also meant I could hitchhike when I got stuck in Baviaanskloof. Without the couplers the bike would not have fit in the car that offered me a lift, and would of left me trapped for hours or days.
10. Kindle E-reader: I  currently have 430 books on that thing waiting to be read. Not very gravity friendly (on my second one already) but a great lightweight library .
11. Brooks saddle : Speaks for itself, love them or hate them, I wouldn’t leave home without one.
12. Optimus Terra pan set without the big pan: This going strong after about 12,000km of cycle touring, most of the teflon coating is still intact even though I often use sand to clean my pans in the desert.
13. Titanium Spork does what it says on the tin plus ice cream and soup.
14. Opinel pocket knife: Also speaks for itself, the most valued part of my kitchen bag, a cheap good quality knife instead of an overpriced gimmick.
15. Baby wipes: For the hard to reach places,  smelly bits and war wounds or cleaning pans/hands when on water rationing.. Don’t leave home without them.
16. Buff : I always found these things a little expensive for just a piece of cloth, but my works as sweatband, hat, dust mask and has even kept a bandage in place for a couple of days.
17. MSR Dromedary watersack (2x 4L) great for storing that extra water and easy to attach to my MSR water filter.

The crew

Anything I haven’t mentioned from my original packing list is doing “what is says on the tin”. Though I’d like to change my backpack for a smaller lighter canoe bag now that I won’ t do any more big hikes. 

What am I missing?

The only thing I sometimes miss apart from airco in my tent is a beard trimmer, keeping all those hairy bits short and tidy with nail scissors just isn’t handy.

If you have a magic tip or piece of gear you don’t leave home without let me know, this old dog love learning new tricks….