Equipment, etc...

Equipment:

Terry and Janet are sharing equipment and Ross will have his own. Ross has done extensive backpacking and most of his backpacking equipment will be used for this tour. Over the past 2 years Terry and Janet have upgraded most of their equipment so that it is more compact and lighter. Terry and Janets equipment list:

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 tent
REI Igneo 17 Degree sleeping bag
REI Air Rail 1.5 sleeping pad
Neo foam pad
Axiom panniers -Seymour Oceanweave P35+ plus older model panniers.
MSR Whisperlite stove GSI 2 person pots plus an old fashion Aluminum Nesting Mess Kit.

One of the biggest decisions was whether to take Terry's CPAP machine. The machine is fairly large and bulky. Terry really needs it to get a good night sleep. Since our plan is to spend approximately 40-50% of nights in either motels or tenting with electricity, Terry decided to take it along (with a 50 foot light weight extension cord). For nights with no electricity, he is going to try a mouth adapter that prevents snoring.

Bikes:

Terry is riding a 2014 Surly Disc Trucker with Surly racks and a Selle Anatomica H2 saddle.

Janet is riding a 2011 Surly Long Haul Trucker with Jandd racks. Ross is riding a legacy bike.

It is a 1990 Trek 520. This bike was originally owned by Terry’s brother Doug who toured with it in the 1990's. In late 1990 or early 2000 he sold the frame to Terry, who added all the components and toured with it during the 2000-2014. Terry gave it to Ross who used it as a commuting bike and will now take it on his first major tour.

All the bikes have Schwaube Marathon Plus Touring tires.

Training:

On our previous bike trips, the first week is always rough. It is hard to simulate the work load of riding a loaded bike for up to 8 hours a day for many days in a row. We anticipate this trip will not be any different and will probably be worse because we are climbing mountain passes in the first week. We are planning the first couple of days to be shorter riding days to get our bodies use to the strain. In regards to training, we have been riding bikes pretty regular for all our lives. We typically ride between 1500 and 2500 miles per year so we are in fairly good bike riding shape most of the time. This past winter Janet and Terry spent time in Arizona and were able to do 30+ mile rides 2-3 times a week. They also played pickleball 2-3 times a week. Since returning from Arizona, they have continued with pickleball and have been taking longer rides. They have also started riding with loaded bikes. We expect to have 700-800 miles on the bike this year prior to the start of the tour. Ross commuted to work every day for over a year. He does extensive backpacking over the summer and does extensive back country skiing during the winter. This past winter he was able to ride his bike on the indoor trainer.

In addition, he is a young man so he does not need to train nearly as much as the more senior members of the group :-)

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