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.

The Carradice Super C panniers are well-regarded as being long lasting and reliable and are a common choice for the long distance cyclist.

Features:

• Weight (grams): 1150
• Capacity: 54 litre capacity per pair
• Dimensions: 33cm wide x 40cm high x 22cm deep
• Fixing system: Carradice Quick-clip pannier hooks will fit racks up to 13mm in diameter
• No of Pockets: Large external pocket on rear
• Materials: Cotton Duck
• Other features: Two panniers can be fastened together for easy off-the-bike carrying
  Deep lid and drawcord top prevents rain penetration
  Adjustable straps can be used as shoulder straps or for additional loads
  LED mounting strap
  Hi-viz reflectives for day/nightime

The pannier material is similar to an army kit bag. The bag opens at the top with a lid with clip buckles and then a draw-string underneath. There is a side pocket with a clip buckle. The pannier is attached to the rack with a hook made from a kind of ABS plastic.

The Chris King Headset is well-regarded as one of the best on the market. I bought a Chris King Headset because of the rave reviews and general consensus that it was the best headset on the market. It has worked without a hint of reduction in it’s silky smoothness for the duration of the journey.

In the past each headset I owned has shown signs of wear over the period of a year, but the King headset is as new, and I expect it to stay like that for a long time with a 10 year guarantee! King products are well renowned and have reached an almost cult-like status. They are the choice of the discerning and seasoned cyclist.

The Extrawheel single wheel trailer (Voyager Model - in the shot below) is a bicycle trailer from polish manufacturer Extrawheel. It features a welded steel tubing frame with steel racks to fit panniers. It attaches to the bike via a sprung steel fork which clips onto the trailer and a custom real wheel axle.

Pros:

The design is simple. It is relatively light (particularly compared to a competitor such as ‘BOB’). The 26 inch wheel can be used as a spare and also works better over rocky ground. It is also less prone to punctures than a smaller wheel and take standard tubes / tyres to fix. Surprisingly, having the trailer attached is hardly noticeable.

The Brooks Chamption Flyer Saddle is a leather, steel sprung saddle from Brooks. It is meant for touring and trekking use.

Features

• Length: 275mm
• Width: 175mm
• Height:87mm
• Weight: 860g

The Flyer and its ladies model Flyer S are classically sprung saddles for long distance trekking and touring. It is directly descending from the B66 Champion, first featured in the 1927 catalogue. Sharing the same leather tops of the B17 models, they combine the comfort of these popular models with the extra suspension granted by two rear springs. Both are available with tubular steel rivets or with hand hammered copper rivets under the names of Flyer Special and Flyer S Special. MADE IN ENGLAND

The Kona Caldera (2008) is a strong cross country frame with good handling. I hadn’t heard of the Kona Caldera before I picked this frame up. It was suggested as a replacement for my Kona Explosif frame which cracked after riding 10000kms. I wasn’t that happy about taking an aluminium frame on my trip to Mongolia but at the same time I had no reason to suspect that it wouldn’t be strong enough for a 1000kms… trip off road across the Steppe. Personally I felt like the only reason that steel is more popular for adventure touring is the contingency that if you in the in the middle of nowhere and your frame breaks you can get it welded up easily.

Are you looking for a mountain bike frame that you can use for adventure cycling? Do you like Kona bikes? Do you have a penchant for niche steel frames. If so read on. However, modern versions of this frame no longer exist in a 26" wheel version, only 27.5 so you will have to look for old ones on eBay and forums.

I have a soft spot for this frame. It was given by Kona to me for the round the world trip. It was so awesome to have this frame arrive at my house, unwrap it and saviour it in all its glory - the fine ping and tuning fork vibration of the steel, the glossy paint, the sexy suggestive name, the relatively high price tag, the weird sliding dropout. At the time I was in awe of Kona. The company for me, embodied the mountain biking scene - creative, unusual, cool, willing to take a risk and with a nice company ethos. Plus many famous riders were on Konas, particularly during the emergence of the freeriding scene.

Magura are not the longest players in the mountain bike fork market but in recent years, their models are at the forefront of the competition. I’ve used them throughout my travels and recent mountain bike excursions.

The fork works how it should; call it reliable German engineering, call it what you like. I’ve done the minimum fiddling and servicing with these forks for the maximum use. The forks are strong and stiff with a smooth action. They are light enough when used on a touring bike and they are strong enough for general mountain biking use. The suggested usage ranges from touring up to light all-mountain use.

The Sun-Ringle Rhyno Lite rim (my version built in 2007) is a heavy duty mountain bike rim. I researched these rims before leaving on my first bike tour in 2007. I had heard about them because they came recommended by some mountain biking friends in the York Uni bike club and from fellow guides when I worked as an mtb guide in Croatia. Pre 2007 they were on my radar as a rim that would survive practically anything you threw at it. They were even a bit over the top for UK riding. However, when the chance came to spec out a long distance adventure touring bike that would potentially be going long distances off road, then I couldn’t think of any other option.

The Schwalbe Marathon XR was the obvious choice for a long distance tour (at the time of choosing in 2007), used by most other adventure cyclists to universal critical appraisal.

Schwalbe says:

The Marathon XR is the true expedition tyre. It was conceived and built to withstand both extreme loads and uncompromising terrain. It provides unsurpassed puncture protection with TravelGuard technology. This progressive technology offers excellent puncture protection with extremely low weight. The XR is constructed with 1A rubber compound, which is extremely resistant to rolling friction for maximum mileage. The versatile tread and application of 3M Scotchlite stripe seals the claim that Marathon XR is the only true expedition tyre.