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What Kit Do You Need To Go Adventure Cycling?

This post is one of a series about Adventure Cycle Touring that formed part of the foundation for my ebook Prepare Pack Pedal.

It is ideal if your bicycle touring equipment kit list contains only what is needed so that you don’t even need to think about your gear on your cycle trip.

A good kit selection will allows you to concentrate on the experiences of traveling by bike without your equipment being a distraction or frustration.

I come from a mountain biking background and wanted a set up that would be robust enough to handle some rough roads and perhaps some off road. Also my pre-existing knowledge of kit meant my selection leant towards mountain biking gear.

I would recommend tailoring your personal kit list to the type of touring you will be doing. If you know for a fact you will only be on the roads then you’ll benefit from a bike with skinnier tyres as it will be more efficient.

If you are staying on the roads you will also likely come across way more opportunities to restock and therefore shouldn’t have to carry so much stuff.

Long distance “do everything” kit list

This is my kit selection for a long distance, do everything kind of tour. This kind of gear let me be away from civilisation for days at a time and allowed me to be completely self-sustaining for that period. The bike was slower on the road but the tyre choice still meant that I could make good progress and I never worried about punctures.

Bike

  • Kona Explosif or Caldera Frame
  • Sun Rhynolyte Rims on Shimano XT hubs with DT swiss butted stainless spokes
  • Schwalbe Marathon XR 2.25 touring tyres
  • Magura Odur touring forks
  • Adjustable stem
  • Yeti lock on grips
  • Cheap pair of bar ends
  • Shimano 8-speed rapidfire gear shifters
  • Shimano XT front mechanism
  • Shinano XTR rear mechanism
  • Fibrax, Clarks, or Shimano XT gear cable inner and outer
  • Magura Louise Brakes, levers and discs
  • FSA X-Drive ISIS cranks
  • Wellgo V12 copy flat-pedals
  • SRAM 8-speed chain
  • Shimano XT 8-speed cassette
  • Bontrager, Easton or Thomson seatpost
  • Brooks Champion Flyer Saddle
  • Tubus Logo rear pannier rack
  • Carradice Super-C Panniers
  • Extrawheel Voyager single-wheel trailer with Crosso panniers
  • Chris King Nothreadset

Bike spares

  • Additional 8-speed chains

Bike Fixing kit

  • Topeak Alien Multi-tool
  • Puncture repair kit with spare glue and patches
  • Cassette tool

Additional Luxury items

  • Mini adjustable spanner
  • Bottom bracket tool
  • Crank extractor tool
  • Cone spanners
  • Spare tube
  • British army issue poncho
  • British army issue bivvy bag

Camping Equipment

  • MSR Dragonfly stove (or Trangia multi-fuel) - will burn petrol, diesel, alcohol, meths, parafin
  • MSR Miniworks water filter
  • Vaude Hogan Ultralight tent (weighing in at 1.4kg) or alternative lightweight tent
  • Mountain Equipment sleeping bag
  • Silk sleeping bag liner - bought off ebay.
  • Multi-tool (Gerber or Leatherman)
  • First Aid Kit
  • Czech ex-army pan set (from Ebay)

Additional luxury items

Clothing

  • Lycra shorts
  • Long sleeved breathable base layer
  • Short sleeved breathable base layer
  • Sports-style shorts (for casual and over-the-top of lycra wearing) such as the Kona Stuff shorts.
  • Pair of sturdy boots (can go for the Shimano Trans-Alp boot or perhaps a comfortable walking boot) – whatever is comfortable is best, but you will be living in them.
  • Couple of pairs of cotton socks
  • A breathable fleece jumper / jacket from a reputable brand
  • A waterproof jacket - cycling specific shaped is ideal
  • Waterproof trousers
  • 1 pair of underwear
  • 1 smart cotton shirt - perfect for cocktail parties and champagne receptions
  • 1 pair of lightweight cotton trousers for loafing
  • Gloves - I had fingerless for the summer from Decathlon but full finger gloves for the winter.
  • Oakley sunglasses or equivalent high quality pair - sunglasses are an essential piece of kit and it’s worth investing in a decent pair
  • Helmet
  • Buff headwear

Additional luxury items

  • Pair of waterproof socks from Sealskin (not that waterproof but warm - they melt well in fires too)

Conclusion

Less is more so bear in mind that you wouldn’t want to take everything here, not least because it would be a tad heavy. Please be selective and remember that you can always pick things up on the route.

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