Bicycle touring equipment kit list

Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.

The idea is to design your bicycle touring equipment kit list so well that you don't even need to think about it when you go on your cycle trip. To begin with you will have to get used to being on the road and living out of your panniers but you should soon get used to it and good system going which allows you to concentrate on the experiences of traveling by bike without your equipment distracting you. It should not be a distraction or frustration.

As soon as Tom and I set ourselves the goal of doing a massive cycle trip, it became apparent that we would have to consider our equipment carefully. We would need the right clothing, bike equipment, camping and survival equipment for life on the road.

We are both essentially mountain bikers which is why the kit we decided to take leaned towards mountain biking rather than skinny-tyred road touring. The list here reflects that. In hindsight I would recommend tailoring your personal kit list to the type of touring you will be doing.

Ideas, Limited time, and Making a plan

When I go on a cycle tour I feel that I am opened up to a huge amount of possibilities and have the perceived freedom to go and do whatever I like which is an inspiring way to think.  Perhaps it's the flood of endorphins from riding a bike all day, the numerous daily meetings with people or the new and exciting scenery and things to take in.


Travel triggers lots of ideas. From the initial conception of the idea there is a process required to choose which idea is worth pursuing which can be a difficult process. It's a worthwhile one, though, because we have a limited time on the planet (with present technology and cosmetics) and there is a certain amount of time needed to do projects properly and dedicate time to the ones we really care about.

How to Cook Georgian Khinkali - list of recipes.

One of my favourite foods of all time is Georgian Khinkali. Here are some links to recipes:-

Britain in Tandem, length, height and width of the UK - the Video

Congratulations to the Britain in Tandem team for completing their length, height and width of the UK for http://www.enaikishomi.org/. Read more on the site here: http://www.britainintandem.com.

Magic Mongolian Moments

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="335" caption="Tom pedals through a stream at full speed."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Gnarly route down to the river for a dip and a wash."]

Interview with Tim Moss from The Next Challenge

I recently began following Tim Moss on his website The Next Challenge which aims to help people to be more adventurous in their everyday lives. I find Tim's approach inspiring because it focuses on the fact that you can have adventures wherever you are and inexpensively. What comes across strongly is Tim's energy to consistently get out there and do exciting things and inspire and help others to do the same.

I heard about Tim through one of his recent challenges to run the length of all the tube stations in London. I also enjoyed his blogs on wild swimming and doing mini-adventures on the cheap, but hang about here for the moment. I wanted to know more about the man himself so I asked if he would mind being interviewed for the Ride-Earth blog and here are the results:

[caption id="attachment_1053" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Tim- Cycling in Norway"][/caption]

An Armenian Couchsurfer and a selection of wise quotes

I continue to edit the travel book of the journey from England to the Caucasus and the experiences of living in the Caucasus. I am finding myself removing quite a lot of content which would better suit the blog.

These are some quotes that I scribbled in my diary, taken from a book I found at the house of a Couchsurfer I stayed with in Armenia.

They are selected based on my thoughts and feelings at the time so to read them back makes me wonder whether I chose them for a reason.

I like maxims because they trigger ideas and they inspire. I am aware that I interpret them in my own way.

• A woman's guess is much more accurate than a man's certainty - Rudyard Kipling.


• The only one who is wiser than anyone is everyone - Napolean Bonapart.


• Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from imdomitable will – Mahatma Gandhi.

Portable Drum 'n' Bass using a bicycle on the streets of London

Cairo to Cape Town to raise money for cochlear implants for children

I just recently got an email from these guys who are planning to do a bike ride through Africa, Cape to Cairo, to support an organisation called Hear Us which raises money to sponsor cochlear implants and provide deaf children with the gift of hearing.

Normally funds are raised per individual operation. Our goal is to raise a large sum of money and place it in a trust, the interest raised off the capital with sponsor 1 operation per year initially. As the trust fund grows more and more operations will be possible. This is a sustainable initiative and lies close to my heart as my brother was born deaf (and incidentally received his cochlear implant a little too late in life to provide full benefit).

Weekend in Switzerland, Scott, Moulton, and 'The Ride' Journal

I recently spent a fantastic weekend in deepest Switzerland; near to the city of Bern with an engineer at Scott bikes who has just recently finished work on the new Scott Genius LT full suspension bike which is the most advanced do-all mountain bike available on the market today with suspension travel settings that allow the bike to behave like a fully rigid, cross-country or near full-on downhill bike.

Get more information about the Scott Genius LT here

I was lucky enough to go for a couple of lovely morning rides with Joe and got to ride last year's Genius frame- a carbon, full suspension beauty.


[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Switzerland"][/caption]

Wisdom from the Dalai Lama 'Ancient World, Modern Wisdom'

[caption id="attachment_1015" align="alignnone" width="148" caption="bixentro /Creative Commons via flickr"][/caption]

Whilst cycling I read the book 'Ancient World, Modern Wisdom' by the Dalai Lama and I wrote down a list of maxims in my diary:-

1. Develop patience
2. Inner peace arises within the context of others
3. Happiness is closely connected with the happiness of others
4. cultivate positive qualities
5. Sopa means patience or 'able to bear' in Tibetan.

Strange bike designs and the experience of cycling

In the past my mind has wandered onto alternative types of bike design particularly in the context of expeditions. Would a four wheeled 'quad' bike be feasible. Perhaps it would offer the ability to carry more luggage or be more suitable for certain types of terrain. Perhaps two people could ride the same quad - a quad tandem...  The two wheeled bike is the most popular design for a reason - it is tried and tested!

However, Tom joked when we were in Mongolia of a cycle powered bus! Joke he may, but someone already beat him to the idea. Looks like a lot of fun!



Picture from http://jagadees.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/busycle-a-zero-emission-vehicle/