It’s not all about the bike… but on a journey like this, it’s certainly an important part of the ride.
There are those that embark on their travels with little interest in their actual bicycle; it just needs to get them from A to B.
I’m the opposite. I admit to being a cycling kithead. I’m always tweaking the way I run things, playing around with racks, pannier, trailer and framebag combinations. It’s probably as much for the curiosity of dabbling and experimenting as for the search for that ‘perfect setup’.
In fact, I’ve used different three frames over the last couple of years, and the pictures below document this evolution. For the first six months of this journey, I rode a Santos Travelmaster, which I reviewed for the UK bike magazine Cycling Plus. From Utah to Central America, I was aboard a Thorn Sterling, also reviewed, running Arkel panniers and Porcelain Rocket framebags. You can read an overview of the pros and cons of both these bikes here. Last but not least is the Surly Troll, which I built up from a frame and fork in Costa Rica and I’m currently riding. On each bike I’ve run predominantly the same kit, including Rigida Andra hoops and a Rohloff Speedhub internal gear system.
But as much as I like to try new stuff, I’m a firm advocate that at the end of the day, you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a great adventure. A second hand steel mtb, a strong set of wheels, a reliable rack and a couple of panniers are enough to delve into the wonderful world of bike touring.
Mountain biking flavour
As a footnote, I’d add that everyone’s journey, and the way they go about it, is unique – stamped with their own interests and flavour. My mountain bike-inspired setup reflects the fact I like to ride dirt roads, both to escape the hectic traffic that plies the modern highway, and for the simple joy of weaving my way down a quiet and remote backcountry trail.
The evolution of my setup:
This is the Santos Travelmaster I began the journey with - fully loaded up at Deadhorse, Alaska, with 9 days of food and way too much kit. Except for the lack of disc tabs (which may or may not be an issue for you) its hard to find fault with this bike.
Pushing through deep snow in Montana... With its oversize tubing, the Santos felt confident and stable down the roughest dirt road descents.
Here it is in Wyoming. After hitting my fourth snow storm, I decided to divert away from the Rockies and head to Utah instead, famed as a mountain biking mecca.
In Utah, I returned the Travel Master to Santos, and moved over to a Thorn Sterling - a lighter frame that suited the singletrack side trips I was planning in the American South West. Compared to the Santos, the Thorn Sterling felt sprightlier. The downside is that its only rated to carry 15kg at the back.
I had to pack lighter with the Sterling, which suited the challenging jeep tracks I wanted to ride, that linked one incredible trail hub to the next.
Here's the Sterling, caught out in a snow storm in New Mexico, when temperatures dropped to -20c at night. This bike is not designed to carry heavy loads, but at a pinch, it will do so.
Before crossing the border into Mexico, I sent much of my cold weather kit to a friend in the States, to be forwarded to the Andes at a later date. This meant I could loose my front panniers and enjoy the trails that much more.
I met Scott, the designer of Porcelain Rocket framebags, in Banff. He sent one of his early prototypes, as well as an expandable seat pack, to the warm climes of Chiapas, Mexico. This setup worked great for lightweight, off road detours.
Honing my setup with the Sterling in the Guatemalan Highlands. I realised that ultimately for me, a combination of a framebags and rear panniers suited the dirt road riding I enjoy. I could carry enough supplies for several days out on the road, the bike felt perfectly balanced, yet just about light enough to seek out the most challenging trails. I tried to keep the bulk of the weight in the centre for optimal handling; framebags hold a lot more than you think.
The advantage of this setup is how versatile it is. I can strip down the rear panniers and rack, swap out the tyres and have a lightweight setup for fast road rides. Which is how I ran the bike in Cuba. At this point, I'd traded in the by-now-knackered Magura suspension Odur fork for a rigid Voodoo offering.
Framebags are great ways to maximise use of space and distribute weight across the bike. One advantage of the Sterling was its large frame size, allowing for a cavernous framebag. I tended to fill it with food, and items I didn't mind leaving on the bike. It could even fit my netbook and camera kit.
Another chance to try out a different bicycle came up, so I returned the Sterling to the UK. From Costa Rica onwards, I've been riding this Surly Troll, a disc and rack compatible mountain bike with monster tyre clearances.
Here it is, initiated to adventure touring with some low tide beach riding in Costa Rica. Incidentally, this stretch went on for ten incredible kilometres...
And on the Panamerican Highway in Panama. By now, I'd had my front tyres sent back out to me, to give me extra stowage, in preparation for the Colombian Andes. At this point, I didn't yet have a framebag, as the one I used on the Thorn was too big for the Surly's more compact geometry.
Testing out the Troll's clearances on Colombia's backroads, using a particularly tacky mixture of mud and donkey shit.
Several thousand kilometres of rough dirt kilometres down the kine, and I can report that I'm really happy with this bike. It strikes a great balance between handling all the kit I need to carry, and being great fun out on the trails. This setup, with panniers and a framebag, felt ideal for long range, dirt road riding.
This said, returning to the UK for health reasons opened up the chance to experiment further... With aspirations to ride more singletrack on my return to the Americas, I replaced the rigid fork with a set of 2004 Marzocchi MX Comps I'd used on previous bike tour. I also took the opportunity to try out a Mule trailer, kindly loaned by Tout Terrain. The main benefit for me is that I can haul extra kit - such as for friends who might come out to join me - and still have a fun mountain bike to ride unladen too. The added bonus is that I still have a full 'bikepacking' setup for short, ultralight trips.
A reminder: you don't need to spend a fortune on your bike. This second hand Mongoose Alta cost $100, and made it across the roughest dirt roads between southern Mexico to Honduras, sin problema. It's simple, reliable and easy to repair locally too.
Bookend: whatever bike you end up with, it's all about getting out there...
Dude…just wanted to let you know that I have really enjoyed your blog and photos. You are definitely the most interesting group to follow. We are a bit south in Nicaragua. Keep on keeping on my man. Cheers from the road. Godspeed.
Hi Cass,
Awesome Blog/ photo’s – inspirational stuff. When are you going to rpoduce a book ?
Also curious to how are you finding the Sterling? How does it compare to your old Catalyst?
Keep up the good work
Adrian
( Remember me? (ex)SJS cycles )
great to hear from you adrian! The main difference is in the sizing – this bike feels a bit bigger. Good in that I wanted lots of room for the framebag. Smaller bike frames are more fun to throw around, but this one suits bigger distances better I think.
I´m 6 foot and half an inch! I fell between the two sizes. The 20 feels good though.
Couldn’t find your email directly on the site, so hope this gets to you..
We’re staying with Jamie in Silver city until we’ve finished getting ourselves sorted for the push south – like you we’ve followed the GDMBR and will do similar on our way south towards the very bottom. The ridingthespine boys beat us to the originality and for various reasons we didn’t start at the very top, but….
Jamie said you were heading back here, so hope to catch up if we’re still around and pick your brains.
He’s doing some amazing puppetry stuff for the Day of the Dead on Saturday if you’re going to be here then.
Anyway – hoping to get us much detail from your blog as possible to aid our route finding south of Antelope Wells.
All the best
Tom (and Sarah – also riding a Charge Duster like your recent companion on the Arizona trail)
Say hi to Jamie! I’m hoping to make it down that way next week – if I can get a ride somehow – so if you’re about, we can have chat. Sounds great re your trip. I’m sure we’ll bump into each other at some point as I’m progress south is a leisurely one… I’m looking into kayaking between Colombia and Panama, a la ridingthespine…
Hi Cass,
Great blog. I came across your article Cultural Revolutions in Cycling Plus mag, and I have an interest in cycling from S China, thru SE Asia and hopefully into Indonesia.
Just wanted to ask you a few questions about China, if you have time. Would you mind flicking me your email address?
Cheers
Mark & Hana.
Just wanted to say that if was good meeting you briefly in moab, and I enjoyed the photos and your blog. I can certainly agree with the wonderful statement about ‘while out riding.’ The simplistic streamlined outlook and not worrying for the unknown is a theme i talk about in the book I’m self-publishing. “Riding the Guerrilla Highway” a stroy of a tour my sister and I did across Colombia in 2007. I’ll send you the code for the ebook..
Great Blog
Thanks for that Mike, I’ll email you. And thanks too for the DVD, which I look forward to watching. All the best.
Hey I’m a friend of Susie Moberly and she passed this blog to me and I just loved it…we bike in Thailand all the time and used to live in Florida and would bike 40 miles a day on a very nice trail…but what you guys do is off the charts…I’m from Cuba and loved that blog…wow amazing..tried to subscribe to this blog but no where to do so…so I hope I continue to get your post…Happy trails to you both!!! Donna
Hello hello,
Harriet Pike (Pikes on Bikes blog) referred me to your blog. If you haven’t met them personally, they are epic riders and people. I rode with them a year ago in Chile and Argentina. If you are coming through the Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica area let me know. I’ll try to keep a pulse on your ride. Great blog, Pura Vida!
Mateo.
Hi!!
Enjoying your site.. I was looking at your bike revieuws.. and wondering; How did you like the frontsuspension, also combined with the front panniers??..Had any problems with it and what kind of fork is it?? Your new bike, the Surly Troll… Why no frontsuspension?? You mounted a frontdisc… but no caliper and you did mount a v-brake??
Thanks for a responce… and enjoy the ride!!
I think a simple, coil sprung front suspension and front panniers works fine, but you need to keep the weight as light as possible (just pack light, bulky stuff. Inevitably, this setup will effect the handling a bit, and, given all those moving parts, a suspension fork will will eventually wear out. So there are pros and cons.
No front suspension on the Surly as the stanchions on my Magura Odur fork, after 1 and a half years of intense use, has worn out. The Surly comes with a rigid fork with massive clearances, so I am trying this for now. At some point, I’ll probably go back to suspension when I can find a suitable replacement. Running fat tyres, as I’m doing now, is also a good way of getting extra grip and comfort.
As for discs, when the photos were taken, I was waiting for my front caliper to arrive from home. It’s now here and has been fitted, so I have a full set of disc brakes which gives lots of mud clearance. I’m using Avid BB7s, simple and reliable. But I like having the option of running V brakes if I need to at some point down the line.
More here…
http://whileoutriding.com/2011/02/23/a-troll-is-born-in-costa-rica/
Hi there,
Asking about another piece of your equipment (apart from your bike) that has accompanied you through your journey – which camera are you using, and which lens do you bring with you? I am amazed at your pristine photos especially with the journey being so rugged.
I travel alot with a camera as well, are you able to provide tips on camera care while on the road, especially in places that are dusty/full of debris?
thank you!
Katherine,
I’ve used two cameras over the journey, a Nikon D300 and a Lumix GF1, alternating between them at various points, for one reason or another.
I wrote a short ‘real world’ review on the GF1 here, with the lenses I carry and the way I make backups: http://whileoutriding.com/2010/10/27/camera-talk-panasonic-lumix-gf1/
It is indeed hard to keep my camera in good working order on the road, with all the mud/dust/sand it’s subjected to. I replace the UV filters every once in a while, and keep the sensor as clean as I can with a Giottos Rocket Air blower. This is a great gadget, and shifts most dust particles on the sensor. I always change lenses with my back to the wind, but that’s about it.
Cass–
I stumbled upon your site recently and found myself reading it for hours. The site’s aesthetic and your approach to touring and life all resonate with me. Thanks for the tremendous blog
I am curious to get your impressions of the Surly Troll. Any idea when you might post your review of it? Also, have you ever used a dynohub or similar such hub? If so, might you offer your thoughts on them?
Thanks.
Fritz
Thanks Fritz. I’ll endeavour to get some more thoughts up on the Troll soon. Overall though, I’m really happy with it. As a diehard tourer, I’d like to have seen a third water bottle mount on the downtube, and even on the forks (like the Salsa Fargo). But in terms of the ride, the clearances and its adaptability, it’s great. More soon…
I’ve only ever used a Schmidt Dynamo hub, and this was some time ago.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/hubs/product/hub-dynamo-system-28258/
Cass–
Thanks for your prompt reply to my query. I doubted if I would get a reply at all and then to have one come so quickly made me even more impressed with you. From all I can tell, you’re a class act.
I am really looking forward to your review of the Troll.
I am curious why you don’t use a dynohub. They seem perfect for what you are doing. I do not see any lights on your bikes so perhaps that is why. Do you recharge your batteries and stuff using a power outlet when you can?
Thanks again.
Fritz
Hi Fritz,
A couple of spare batteries and power points, which come very regularly, have been fine so far. I had a solar panel initially, but sent it home as I never ended up needing it.
Except for the extra weight, I like the idea of a dynamo hub, particularly one like the Schmidt, used in conjunction with one of these:
http://www.tout-terrain.de/2/products/components/the-plug/
‘Some people embark on their travels with little interest in their actual bicycle; it just needs to get them from A to B. I’m the opposite. I admit to being a cycling kithead. I’m always tweaking the way I run things, playing about with racks and panniers and framebags, as much for the curiosity of dabbling and experimenting as for the search for that ‘perfect setup’.’
Hey Cass
I so empathise with this sentiment. I have just been knocked off (in Turkey) and now looking a new bike. Thanks for your write ups on the frames you are using. I still cannot decide though.
Keep on riding, Mark
Sorry to hear the Kona is done for. What are you considering? Everything would probably move over to a Troll pretty easily…
You seem pretty keen on the Troll – more than the Santos Travelmaster, Thorn Nomad, Tout Terrain Slikroad?
I’m confused now? but a nice confusion? Can you clear up my thoughts?
I guess I see the Troll as a quick, easy and relatively cheap way to transfer all your existing kit – and it’s still in the same mountain biking vein as your Kona.
Some thoughts:
Santos – lovely frame. Pricer, and might take a bit more time to get hold of. Different seat tube diameter I guess. Lots of water bottle mounts, good for desert riding ahead!
Nomad – tough as a tank…definitely on the more overbuilt side of things. Rohloff specific though.
Silk Road – I haven’t tried one. Looks really nicely thought through. Disc only – so you’d need a new set of brakes/wheels. Integrated Tubus rack is a nice touch, though could make packing it up more awkward.
A great article and blog! reading your stories and seeing your photos was a major inspiration for my journey which has now brought me into Mexico
I love reading the bike details and I have just written about how I converted my old Rockhopper into my current touring machine (http://www.longwaysomewhere.com/resources/converting-a-mtb-to-a-touring-bike/).
Now that the new Afline 11 speed hub is available I’m tempted by a new front and back wheel combo with a Son Dynamo as well…
Keep up the great writing and happy travels!
Nico
http://www.bowcycle.com/bikes/blogs/viks-picks/2009/01/26/surly-pugsley-review/ is also a really interesting touring setup!
Thanks for the link. I did my first big tour on a Rockhopper, and it’s still doing me proud. I’ve since converted it into an Xtracycle.
Have you seen the Tout Terrain’s Plug 2?
http://www.en.tout-terrain.de/accessories/electric-power-supply/
As for Pugs, I’m a big fan… one day…
http://joecruz.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/gear-carry-on-south-america-tour-revised/
Really enjoying the blog, very helpful for trip planning.
I am looking to buy a Surly Troll. Looks like I will need to buy a mail order frame so it will be difficult to check the size. Above you mention ’20′ but I am not sure if you were talking about the Sterling or the Troll. As we are about the same height, can you confirm what size you are riding and its comfort for longer tours.
If you have a second, I would also be interested to know if you think your trip so far would have been any different, easier or harder if South to North.
Hi Graeme. Yes, I’m riding a 20in frame. I probably could have gone up to a 22, but I’m a mountain biker at heart, so opted for the 20 – all things being equal, it should be a little more manoeuvrable.
I’d say the majority of riders head North to South. The winds are supposed to be more favourable, though it doesn’t always feel that way! Patagonia could be a different story… The Great Divide ride works out best heading south, and that’s the way the Adventure Cycling Org maps it. One advantage of going south is that you can adapt to the road and hone your kit before you hit Central and South America.
To some extent though it depends on when you want to leave. It has to be summer for the north, and christmas for the south.
Hey, I’ve been following the blog for several months while building up a very similar Troll for a similar type of tour. What kind of life are you getting out of your drive chain? Chairing/chain/cog? Do you carry spares of any of these?
Hi Mike,
The wear really depends on the weather and the conditions. I’d hard to give a distance, as I often don’t have a cycle computer. The main thing I do is to try and change the chain pretty regularly, to eek out as much life as I can from the cog and chainring. In theory, I should flip both of these too, but sometimes I’m too late for that. I don’t carry any spares. Chains are easy to pick up locally, and the intervals are big enough that I can plan for when I need a new cog/chainring and get them sent out. Same goes with the Rohloff tool, though I did carry it at one point.
Excellent blog, just excellent.. I found it while looking for information on the Surly Troll and I’ve found it very interesting reading.
Thanks. I can definitely recommend the Troll as a do-it-all bike. Tough and versatile.