Cosmic Pets Playpen:
This is the best investment that I have made for my dogs (other than spend time with them). It's given them a safe place to go and my younger dog prefers sleeping in the pen rather than in my bed!! It is also super light so I can take it when we go to people who don't have fences or places they don't know - it gives the dogs a comfy spot whilst the adults socialize.
Toshiba Netbook:
Now this little baby took a beating and held up. Initially we struggled with power but it turns out it likes to be powered up every now and then so our leaving it until the day I arrived in George on a day with no electricity was not so great. But, once we started using it, it surprised me! Loads of memory, fast, light, can handle being strapped to the back of a bicycle. To be honest, I was did not expect it to hold up on day 1 with going up and down Montagu then the strapping it tightly to the bike and the weather we encountered. Overall: if you need a netbook / laptop that can handle punishment yet have power and capability of a regular laptop, this is THE device.
Update: This device has been on many adventures over the years with GSS and it is still going strong!!!
GPS Unit - Bryton Rider 40:
Having real time information at my fingertips, I was able to train smarter and thus my fitness improved significantly. This device takes all the great of the 35 and gives you a really nice look (like the buttons) and adds some awesome training tools!! My favorite is how you can set up a workout for the indoor trainer, and then let it tell you what you need to do. It also has cool training tools like a Max Heart Rate Test and some built in training programs like the really fun 60min interval training session I did recently. I could go on about how much I love this device but will leave that to my Twitter feed!
If you just want a tool that will help you succeed or if you just want to know where you have been, then look at the Bryton range! They are awesome tools and come at a great price.
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Bike:
GSS Route 62 Tour: Once again, my
trusty Schwinn Moab did the trick -it may be old with an entry level shock but
man oh man this bike is bomb proof. The setup I used is the same as I always
use: so Mavic Crossmax wheelset with Conti Mountain King / Race King combo
(hint: make sure you occassionally top up the sludge in your tires).
For my Europe Trip, I was sponsored a Ghost road bike. It was an ultra light dream to ride on!!! I had Vittoria tyres on and they stuck to the road like glue. Uphill and downhill, this bike was amazing.
Day packs are a
nice option if you are going to be doing your first tour – they are cheap, you
can pick your size, colour and pockets and can be used for more than just a
tour. The only niggly is the fitting as purpose made panniers will have an
easier setup, but think my setup wasn’t too bad.
Gadgets:
I am a gadget geek
– poor Johan and Tessa had to deal with my geekyness. What we had: i-Got U gps
units; Toshiba Netbook and Johan had a Kindle.
Kindle:
So wish I
had taken mine. Having something to read in the afternoons is critical.
i-Got U GPS:
Nifty
little gps bike computer that as a computer rocks.
What I liked: the size of
the speed and distance display, fact that you can geotag your pictures when you
upload to your pc and it has a battery life that will knock the socks off any
other gps unit! The software is also awesome because you can see everything you
want to see if you suffer analysis paralisis or just what you want if you not
phased.
Downsides: the bike mount broke on day one of the ride so a thicker,
stronger mount is needed; the running / arm attachment is nice but gets uncomfy
after a while if running / walking (perhaps a modification of this will be nice
for the bike), I think a nice webbing strap would be so much nicer; another
negative (that maybe there but I havent found it) is the ability to go back and
check previous workouts on the unit itself; then, the unit takes a while to
find gps so you need to put it outside whilst getting ready.
Overall, its an
amazing unit and is priced better than any other unit on the market. I look
forward to future software upgrades cause I know they are committed to
improving.
Polar F6 Heartrate Monitor:
My trusty hrm that I have had for many years went along so I could try
get vitality points. My experience post tour: don’t buy Polar. Seriously, it
kept telling me I am heartless.... On top of that,
it lost half of my tour’s data before I could load it onto the website. Harsh
review, yes but unless you have upwards of 4k you cannot get a Polar with a
decent strap / monitor connection. Since the tour, I have discovered that
Suunto make quality heart rate monitors with technology that you would find
only in the upper levels of Polar for under 2k.
Food and Nutrition:
I can only speak
for what I personally used…
Route 62 Tour:
Food on the trip
was generally what we found along the way but for a good on the bike meal,
cheese rolls rock!! Days we had them, I was strong. Also, filter coffee is a
must for an on the road stop.
My brand of choice
for this trip was 32Gi and despite the fact that I am pro another brand for my
more intense stuff, I think that 32Gi is PERFECT for touring. I used the Endurance
for my 1st bottle and Accelerate for my second. I also had a backup
sachet of one of them for if I needed an extra. Endurance is nice cause it
sustains you and then Accelerate just gives you that boost later. In the
evenings I would have Recover which helped me wake up feeling awesome.
Europe and other adventures:
I have subsequently moved over to Biogen and am finding it on a new level to any other brand. The recovery shake is not only yum but also works well. The Diet Protein Shake has also become a staple food source in my home.
Sleeping Equipment:
My tent was an
elcheapo I bought from Game many years ago. It is light and worked like a bomb.
So, there is no need to go buy an expensive tent, just find a cheap and
cheerful light tent.
Pillow choice was a
First Ascent self inflatable. Nice, comfy and small. Felt like a pillow and not
like a camping pillow so this will definitely be a regular in my holiday
packing.
Sleeping bag: I
have an old faithful but it weighs in at 1.8kg so for the tour I got a K-Way
Chamonix Eco 850. At a mere 850g I would have thought it was going to be a
summer bag – I was wrong. Its warm and comfortable. Another must have in my
holiday kit as its also nice and compact.
Sleeping mat.: A
traditional old blue mat. Next tour I am getting something better as if
sleeping on grass, its nice but sleep in a normal campground and eeek….
I bought a cake of
Dis-Chem’s Home Butler soap which I cut up for us for the Route 62 trip. This stuff is amazing! My
clothes were clean and smelled nice and they were nice and soft after washing.
I also had a little
gimmick bottle opener I got from Cape Union Mart as well as a clothes line.
These are must haves! Both items despite being bought as gimmicks, were both
used. In fact, if you see a small gadget you like, get it cause you will likely use it.
I could go into
reviews about clothing etc but generally, I had everyday clothes and my normal
riding gear. Only thing I would do differently on a tour is pack more winter gear (ie a
warmer top, gloves, toe caps), I would take 1 extra stove and pot (so you can
make hot choc or oats whilst coffee is on), I would also pack less cycling kit
– you only need 2 shirts and 2 shorts MAX! In fact, the last 4 days I rode in
the same shirt (I just washed the top each day).
