The bike I used was my Cannondale tourer which performed admirably.
When packing for this trip the emphasis was very much be on as light weight as possible, we are talking cutting the handle off the toothbrush territory here.
I used a pair of Halfords small panniers (approx 20 litres) and an Altura Arran bar bag (5 litres) to carry all my stuff. The panniers are modified to use to Karrimor hooks (pictured) after I snapped one of the originals off cycling through a gate. The Karrimor hooks seem to be slightly securer; previously the bags had a tendency to hop off when going over big bumps. The hooks were simply bolted onto the stiff backing of the pannier through the original holes, and the extra holes covered up in the traditional manner - duck tape.
Listed below is the all the gear that I took with me and how I carried it.
| Pannier 1 ("wet" kit and tools) | Comment |
|---|---|
| Altura Nevis waterproof jacket | Superb waterproof, breathable cycling jacket. Tried and tested over several years. In attractive commuter yellow. If I had more cash I would have got the NevisLite in swish grey for this trip. |
| Altura waterproof trouser | Reluctant as I am to cycle in waterproof trousers these fit better than most and were needed on a few occasions. |
| Camp shoes - flip flops | My best Bogan thongs all the way from Aussie. Lighter than shoes - and you don't need socks. |
| TopPeak Alien Multi tool | Includes chain tool and bottle opener. |
| Puncture repair kit | Wouldn't leave home without one. |
| Spare inner tube | Of course I won't be needing this... |
| Zefal ATB pump | Full length, plastic, light weight pump that straps under my cross bar. Both types of valve adaptor. |
| Cable combination lock | A balance between weight and security. Combination so that there are no keys for me to lose. |
| Rear LED | Only used in the fog on Dartmoor. |
| Pannier 2 ("dry" kit) | |
| Outdoors Designs large canoe sack | Rather than use fiddly, leaky pannier covers I prefer placing my spare clothes in this 100% waterproof stuff sack with roll top. Fits snugly in the pannier. |
| Peter Snow travel trousers | The height of sartorial elegance these may not be but they are light and dry quickly when washed. |
| Cotton T shirt | Even I got bored of wearing the same shirt every evening for 2 weeks but there was no need for another. |
| Spare underpants | One pair for on, one being washed. All you need. |
| Wash kit | Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, disposable razor (barely used). |
| Travel towel | I bought one of these fancy ones from Millets after getting bored of lugging a large, soggy bath towel around. Didn't exactly dry me but is light and drys quickly itself - due to the lack of moisture it absorbs. |
| Bar bag | |
| Maps | 26 pages of road atlas cut into strips. I posted some on to friends that I visited to save me losing them in a gale on Dartmoor. |
| Wallet | Took the library card and wadge of petrol receipts out before I set off. |
| Snacks | I ate literally hundreds of muesli bars, Snickers, jelly babies and bananas mainly through boredom. It was a miracle I didn't gain weight. |
| Mobile phone | Didn't really want to bring this but due to the number of people I met/stayed with I suppose it was useful. |
| Cycling clothes | |
| Specialized Sonomo cycling shoes | Comfortable touring shoes that didn't survive mountain biking very well but that's another story... |
| Socks | Those little gay ones that hide inside your trainers. They dry very quickly. |
| Gore bike wear baggy shorts | Not lycra. |
| Lowe Alipne wicking T shirt | Wicks sweat, drys in no time, smells like a tramps vest (which it kind of is). |
| REI long sleeved fleece top | Scotland was cold. |
| TREK cycling mitts | Sadly these got shunned when the weather turned and I never got that cyclist's tan. |
| Giro Pneumo cycling helmet | Lance wears one of these - or at least he used to before he they brought out a more expensive one. In Stormtrooper white. |
After the first 4 days of good weather I hit prolonged cold head winds, rain, snow and hale for most of the rest of the trip. The bad weather was all forecast so I spent my day off in Worcester buying some Ronhill leggings, Marmot full finger gloves, warm socks and an Assos skull cap to wear under my helmet. I was very grateful to all of these new purchased and my shorts were only seen again briefly one afternoon in the Lake District.