Spec List

Alfine-11 Rear Hub
Like a much cheaper Rohloff without quite the gear range and a non-quick release mount.
Patterson Metropolis 2 speed crankset
It's a particularly weird bit of kit with a particular lack of being discussed or marketed but it's made by FSA and designed by Sam Patterson so I figured it was safe.
Dynamo Front Hub
Powers my headlight and a powerbank charger that powers my phone and my music.
26" wheels
cause I'm sick and tired of dealing with trying to get tour spec 700c in China
Microshift Road Brifters
A Alfine-11 specific right brifter and a random left brifter from a 3 by 7 set of Microshift brifters that they found in stock after not, as they had said they would, contacting Microshift to specifically get me a 2 speed brifter. Some of the many rounds of arguing with them were over them trying to give me a thumb shifter for the crankset.
Cowchipper type randonneur bars
Actually not cowchippers but some other brand that's more specific and less well known, I've had these for five or six years now.
MKS Quick Release pedals
Absolute godsend when touring as these allow me to comfortably leave my bike in all sorts of hotel lobbies with no fear that someone is going to grab it.
A Gyes sprung leather saddle
Expensive enough to be nice. Cheap enough that I don't feel guilty not taking proper care of it.
An LKLM stainless steel rear rack
Because once upon a time I asked LKLM about buying "only one" of their waterproof panniers to check out if a) I wanted waterproof panniers and b) a Chinese brand was worth spending that much money on. When hearing about the amount of touring I do, they countered by sponsoring me with a free set of 4 panniers, a rack pack, a handlebar bag, and a rear rack. They would have given me a front rack as well but I was using something by Tubus and they weren't so cocky as to think their product was better than that.
I'm not so cocky as to think that I'm the only person who made those suggestions but some of my suggestions are in current iterations of their panniers and handlebar bag.
An LKLM handlebar bag
When my friend Myf and I were in Shenzhen in 2015 (after riding there from Shanghai via Changsha), the owners of LKLM took us out for expensive dim sum. On top of everything else they've done awesome, I figure they deserved my actually paying for something.
Blackburn Manything cages for the front
Part of my goal to carry less shit involves my making less space available for me to carry shit. The frustration of all those straps plus no good way to carry a laptop means that I'm still going to continue having full sized panniers on the back though.
Mismatched Vaude panniers
For things that need to be kept dry, I prefer the weight of cloth panniers matched with ziploc bags.
Homemade waterproof front panniers made out of upcycled pretzel containers
Unlike the bottlebags from my last two tours, the original contents of these containers were actually used as intended.

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