while out riding

I’ll get round to a complete gear overview at some point, but here’s something to get started with… As ever, the caveat’s the same. People tour in all kinds of ways, with all manner of kit and at every price point. This is what I like, and works for me.

Camera

Taking photos is a big part of the way I like to travel, and the space and cash I dedicate in my gear reflects this. I can rarely resist throwing down my bike and grabbing a quick photo, whether it be to try and capture a vista, a change in light or an inspiring ribbon of dirt trail. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I like to travel in this way – there’s always a spot by the roadside with room for a bicycle.

So my camera is important to me, both because I love taking photos and because it helps generate income to keep me travelling. On this journey, I’ve used two distinct kinds: a Nikon D300 Digital SLR and a Panasonic Lumix GF1, from the Micro 4/3rds (MFT) mirrorless family. I’ve flitted between them at various points when friends or family have come out to visit. Aside from my naturally indecisive nature, this is mainly because I have a different collection of lenses for both cameras, and because there’s aspects of each system that I really like.

The Panasonic GF1, a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses, is small, light and low key, with impressive image quality for its weight. There’s never a reason not to have it with me. The Nikon D300, with the clutch of fast lenses I own (12-24mm f4, 50mm 1.8, 17-55mm f2.8, 50-150mm f2.8), offers incredible image quality (especially in low light). It’s great for action photography and feels very responsive to use. But as it weighs more than all my camping equipment combined, it’s hardly ideal for bike travelling.

It’s inevitable that when I have the GF1, I miss the feel/fast shutter speed/write speed of the D300. And when I have the D300, I miss the size, weight and subtlety of the GF1. Such is life… At the end of the day though, both do a great job and although they’ve have been superseded by newer models, the results from are still amply good enough for printing in the bicycle magazines I submit to.

If I had to make a recommendation, I’d say that if you’re a keen photographer with an eye on both image quality and the scales, Mirrorless Cameras are where it’s at. There’s a real burgeoning range, including Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Nikon and Fuji. If you want to keep a hand on what’s in the pipeline, check out Mirrorless Rumors.

I wrote a short ‘real world’ review on the GF1 here, with the lenses I carry and the way I make backups. Although more long winded than in-camera JPEGs, I always take photos in RAW format, and process them into JPEGs using Lightroom.

If both an interchangeable lens camera seems too bulky, the following high end point and shoots are ideal for more minimal bike touring, each with its own pros and cons, depending on what you’re after. The compromise you’ll be making is in low light performance and the degree you can control your depth of field. Inevitably, there’s new stuff coming out all the time, so this is just a pointer of what’s around.

Panasonic LX5: fast and wide 24-90mm lens, RAW compatibility

Olympus ZX1: super fast and long 28-112mm lens, RAW compatibility

Canon S95: 28-105mm, tiny but good image quality, RAW compatibility

Canon G12: 28-140mm, chunkier than the above but very solidly built, RAW compatibility.

I’d add that even an iPhone can capture amazing images, and it can be fun to run it through one of the many Apps and accompanying filters available, like Instagram.

Of course, you don’t need an expensive camera to take good photos – it just depends on what you want to do with them afterwards, and the enjoyment you get from the whole process.

Camera maintenance on the road

The routes I ride are often rife with mud, dust and sand, so keeping a camera in good working order is no easy task. I should add though that my Nikon, after a few years of sterling service, is nearing the end of its life, especially after my last muddy run-in. This said, a camera like the D300 is very customisable, so if any function buttons do fail, they can often be re-assigned elsewhere.

The first thing I do is to plaster the camera with black electrical tape, both to protect it and give it a more low key, old and beaten-in look in public. Cover up those logos!

While riding, I carry my camera in an Ortlieb Ultimate 5 waterproof bar bag, fitted with an Ortlieb padded camera insert.

I clean the lenses regularly with a specialist lens cloth, and replace the UV filters once they’re scuffed or scratched. I recommend a Giottos Rocket Air blower to help keep the sensor clean; hold the camera upside down when you use it. It’s also good to get in the habit of changing lenses with your back to the wind.

My other brain

To keep this blog and process photos, I have an 11in Macbook Air, a computer of both great beauty and performance. It’s replaced my Samsung NC10, a very capable Netbook, though considerably underpowered compared to the Mac – reflected in the price. Given the amount of photos I take, it’s been a very worthwhile investment, speeding up my workflow considerably. It’s now been camouflaged with gaffer tape and old stickers in some kind of effort to tone down its glitzy finish.

My bike

It’s a Surly Troll, fitted with a Rohloff, 14 speed hub. You can read more about it here. I’ve actually ridden three frames on this journey, and you can read about the evolution of my setup in the Wheels section of this blog.

I’ve played around with various framebag/pannier/trailer setups. For rigid-forked travel, I’ve used an Ortlieb bar bag, Arkel panniers and Porcelain Rocket framebag. If framebags are new to you, have a look at this post.

Most recently, I’ve been trying out a Tout Terrain Mule. This is an interesting option if you want to run suspension, but also need to carry a substantial amount of kit – whether this be food, winter gear, or to help a riding partner out. A trailer can be a good solution if you enjoy unladen mountain biking side trips. You can read more my initial impressions of the Mule here.

While I see the many advantages of traditional derailleured gearing in their omnipresence around the world, I’m a big fan of the Rohloff Speedhub. They don’t come cheap, but for long distance, dirt road touring, it’s a worthy investment.

I’ve been running a combination of Schwalbe Marathon XR (while they were available) and Extreme tyres, with a Dureme as my spare, or when the roads were smoother.

Handlebars

Some people prefer drop handlebars. I’m more into flats – with a generous sweep.

I delight in trawling through bike shops in towns I pass through. It was while visiting Speedway Cycles in Anchorage, Alaska (of Fatback bikes fame), that I chanced upon owner Greg’s titanium handlebars. Since the production runs are small and Greg was out of stock at the time, I ended up buying his own pair of him.

They’re very wide bars and I love them – great for a fully loaded bike, and surprisingly suited to mountain biking too. I’m not sure about the precise angle of the sweep, but it’s plenty, and enough to take all the pressure of my wrists. In fact, they’re so comfortable I rarely miss not being able to run Cane Creek Ergo 2s, my favourite bar ends.

They work nicely with a Rohloff shifter, Ergon GP1s paddle-style grips, with room for a bar bag too. If you’re interested getting a pair, you’re probably best emailing Speedway cycles for prices and availability. They were a lot cheaper than the Jones H-bars I’ve always hankered for, and more bar bag friendly too.

If the Fatbacks seem too wide, or the angle of sweep too great, then have a look at what Groovy Cycleworks has on offer too. The Luv Handles are available in chromo and ti, and follow a similar design principle.

There’s also some interesting, and cheaper handlebars with lots of sweep – providing a more, natural, anatomical position – from the likes of Surly (the Open Bar), On One (the Mary) and Ragley (the Carnegie). I’ve had a chance to try out the Carnegie, and think it woud be perfect for touring. It’s the same width as my Fatback handlebar, with a touch less sweep – and a more wallet friendly price tag of £40.

Kit list

I’ll get round to a kit list at some point, in the meantime, here’s what I carried for my lightweight tour of Cuba.

Cooking

I started with a MSR Whisperlite, a versatile multi fuel system stove. Since then, I’ve moved to the Swedish made Trangia, which burns denatured alcohol. Although it boils up water more slowly than the roaring MSR, the advantages to denatured alcohol include that it can be stored in any plastic drinks bottle, and it burns quietly and cleanly. Plus, these kind of stoves don’t require any maintenance or replacement parts.

Denatured alcohol is relatively easy to find, once you figure out the right word for it in the country you’re travelling through, and the kind of shop that will stock it. For instance, in the US, it can be found in the yellow HEET Fuel Line Antifreeze bottles, available in most gas stations.

The Trangia complete system works extremely well in high winds, but it’s on the heavy and bulky side. The best compromise I’ve found is the Clickstand ($45, inc windscreen), which is effectively an ultralight, more packable version of the classic Trangia. I have the Stainless Steel S2, but hanker after the titanium version…

You can easily make a similar stove yourself – have a look at this site for a wealth of cheap, innovative ideas.