Preparations and gear

I've done this sort of trip a few times, and my gear is mostly sorted out. Nonetheless there are always changes to be made and maintenance to be done.

The most important tool for this trip is my bike. (You might argue that it is actually me, but more on that later.) I'm using my Pangea Rohloff with it's Jones bars, the same as last trip. I've had some issues with my hands going numb while on the bike, and swapped the standard foam grips for some Ergon grips. The Ergon grips don't slide up past the ends of the bars, so I had the bike shop trim a inch from each side. That doesn't let the grips go all the way up to the loop, but closer. The closer position feels a bit more natural to me than the wide spread end position, and narrows up the bars so they fit through doors more easily. I also slid the seat backwards a little bit, which may seem counter-intuitive, but helps maintain the balance point to keep weight off the hands.

My Pangea, with the new Ergon grips and outfitted with the racks and dynamo system for the tour. The tires are Panaracer RiBMos, 2.0 inches wide.

I did some maintenance, changed the oil in the Rohloff hub and replaced the disc brake pads. I re-installed the dynamo wheel and charging system that I had removed for my last big trip. I also replaced the backward-pointing, over-sized stem that I had acquired in Thailand and was using only to keep my handlebar bag in place on the front of the Jones bars with a small, lighter one with a proper shim to the front 22.2 mm Jones bar diameter. Lastly, I removed the front fender, for which the stays were pretty bent up, and replaced it with a very cheap stayless plastic fender.

I installed new tires. I've chosen to use Panaracer Ribmos in a 2 inch width. I hope that they will provide adequate puncture protection. I'm giving up the tread and the infamous durability of my well-used Schwalbe Marathon Mondials in exchange for some weight savings. The weight is more of a concern for packing than for riding, but I hope it will also add a little pep to the bike. If I planned off-pavement riding, I might worry more about the lack of tread.

For panniers, I'm using both front and rear since I'll be carrying camping equipment. My rear panniers are Ortkels (or is that Arkliebs?). I haven't been happy with my Ortlieb back rollers, with the plastic rail that has bowed out and the clips with the pesky shims that wear out and come out and are just annoying. I didn't want to replace the panniers entirely, so I ended up buying the Arkel aluminum rails and using them to replace the rails on the Ortliebs. Of course, the screw holes don't line up. I made new holes and patched the old ones with a combination of tape on the outside and silicone bathtub caulk on the inside. I drilled a hole in the aluminum rail for the central buckle on the Ortlieb. That's the only thing I'm nervous about. The Ortliebs had 2 holes for the buckle, and now the tension will be directly on the single hole. The Arkel rails came with the bungee cord and hook, but I removed it and kept the Ortlieb lower hook. I also took the opportunity to remove the interior grey flat pocket, which I've never found useful. I think it worked out well, but time will tell. The panniers aren't in wonderful condition to start with, so if the modifications don't hold up it will only be a problem if it impacts their short term usability. My front panniers are standard Ortlieb Sport Packers that I've been using for some time.

My Ortkel pannier, an Ortlieb with the Arkel camlock rail.

As for me, as in my body, I would have liked to make sure I'm in good riding shape. I'm sorry to report that didn't happen. The start of the trip will have some big hills in Spain. I'll just take it slowly and do what I can do.

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