Gear Talk

Mr. Nice Guy Takes a Few Minutes to Discuss His Least Favorite Subject

I apologize for adding a third pre-tour page. I know they can get a bit tedious. With that in mind, I promise you will not hear from me again until after I've gotten off the Amtrak train in North Dakota and I'm ready to actually start touring. Honestly, my original intent was to address the cycling gear topic at some point in the midst of my tour, but this morning I wondered, "why put myself through that kind of pressure while on the road? Let's just get it out of the way right now."

I know a lot of people are interested in writing about their touring gear and in reading about what others pack in their panniers. I'm not.

In previous journals I've avoided writing much about my bike, bike components, panniers, clothing, electronics, sleeping and cooking equipment, etc., except in the most cursory way. On this page I'm going to tackle my fear of gear issues head-on. There still won't be much information regarding specific items I carry, so consider this page more of a confession. Or maybe it's more of an apology. Or therapy. Perhaps it's all three.

Admit it all you bike touring enthusiasts, when you read a gear page you compare that person's gear to your own--and usually less favorably. You believe your system is either more efficient, more comfortable, more economical, more minimalist, or of higher quality.

Yeah, I do it too. "That's totally unnecessary" is the judgement I'll make about the big boom box somebody brings on a tour. Occasionally, I'll pick up a helpful hint and think to myself, "Hey, that inflatable sleeping pad seems like a pretty good idea and that lightweight camp chair could come in handy. I should get those things." But then I decide not to. I remember that my inexpensive foam pad works fine for sleeping and a big rock works good enough for sitting. Plus, one of my greatest fears is buyer's remorse.

Yes, I'm a little guilty of the minimalist-superiority-complex, but there are a couple of exceptions. Like when it comes to packing up and carrying the last couple of beers that I couldn't drink the previous night. Throwing them out would be wasteful. The only thing worse than weight is waste. A smart phone is another luxury I carry. It's my camera, my emergency GPS, and my calling & texting machine all rolled into one compact unit.

I also don't think I could tour without my 1970's-era transistor radio. It entertains me and keeps me connected to the world. News, sports, music, NPR, and best of all, no earbuds or chargers required.

As you can see, the reason for my disinterest in the gear topic might derive from, in equal parts, pride AND embarrassment. The "pride" part stems from my rejection of some of the things other cycletourists consider essential. The other half--the "embarrassment" part--arises from the quality of the gear I DO carry. That's the part that deserves a new paragraph.

My gear is better than nobody's and I know that. I think I can honestly claim that nothing I own is considered to be "top-of-the-line." In fact, it's likely none of my gear even reaches the level of second or third tier, with the possible exception of my tent. My bike is nothing more than a Surly Long Haul Trucker with stock parts. I've spent more time naming it (twice) than I have modifying it (never.)

I come from a hiking/backpacking background so when I first got into this bike touring thing I assumed I could obtain all of the gear I needed from REI. A $30 pannier rack and a set of Novarra panniers looked like good buys to me. The next year, REI discontinued those panniers and started selling the same Ortliebs that so many other bicycle tourists seem to have. I LIKE my Novarra panniers and they work for me. But then, I've never had anything else to compare them to. I'm sure Ortliebs and Arkels are as fantastic as the reviews say they are. They keep your stuff dry and they probably last forever. My Novarras aren't completely waterproof, but they come with bright red raincoats and, combined with my propensity to put everything in trash bags, I've never had a problem with wet gear.

I've never run into anybody else using them. I've never seen them pictured in anybody's journal. I never see them in REI stores anymore. I think they're groovy. (In this case, "groovy" means spacious enough, sturdy enough, and gray enough.)

My tires aren't Schwalbes and my seat isn't a Brooks product, but what I have seems to work. Perhaps I just don't know any better. I wouldn't even know how to rate bicycle gear except to say "this worked for me" or that didn't work for me," but so far everything has worked for me.

I always like seeing pictures of gear spread out on living room floors. This is everything I'm bringing on my tour, spread out on my lawn. By sheer coincidence it spells out my new name.

Of course I am aware that many bike tourists carry less than I do. And I am willing to admit that if I ever find enough time or money to conduct an epic off-road tour, or an around-the-world tour, or a wintertime tour, I would likely do some research and invest in some upgrades. For now, however, I'm doing just fine.

There you go. I hope to never have to address the gear topic again. In future journals I will simply refer my readers to this page. That is, if I HAVE any readers left after this page.

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