I still take too much!!!! I take a lock. But in Europe, where you almost always take your bike in your hotel room, or in India, where the innkeeper takes responsibility- a lock is unnecessary. Next trip, no lock (and it is a heavy item).
4,600 some kilometers and I didn’t have a single punctured tire! Can you believe that? Luck ……. But should I be taking an extra tube, plus puncture kit? Somehow I don’t think so. There are places and times when a puncture would be inconvenient and demoralising, but maybe an extra tube and the patch kit is too much, considering that any cycle shop that could repair a punctured tube would not be too far away.
I take with me 1 pant (lightweight and wrinkle-free), one shorts for sleeping (jockey), 2 tshirts- 1 nice for going out in public, and one for sleeping etc. 2 cycling jerseys (must be washed along the way) and 2 cycling shorts. One pair of flip-flops, and toiletries. I never carry a towel or soap and even in some of the dives I stayed in it was always found.
Very important…….I take my ipad, along with my samsung galaxy phone. The ipad is essentially for evening entertainment. If I have arrived at my destination, bathed, done my navigation studies, had a drink, and it is only 7 or 8, and even if there might be a tv there are no English channels, I have tv shows uploaded on my ipad! Foyle’s War, may not be culturally relevant, but ir is good! And I sleep early…..
I love my Apidura bikepacking gear. Brilliant design. I really love it.
Things can be bought, and discarded along the way too. At Champawat in Kumaon, in the morning, the first thing I did was shop for a sweater. To my surprise, at this stall I found a zip sweater that I really loved, for about 650 rs. In Pokhara, Nepal, before the Annapoorna trek (cycle) I had to buy about 10000 rs. Of cold weather gear for the Thorung La pass (5,500 meteres). I was glad I had that, and afterwards I could give the stuff away.
What to listen too?
Frankly, sometimes it is boring…. it is after all many hours on the bike. I have one playlist that I listen to over and over, over the years. I don’t know who I got it from –jyoti says not from him- it is 1200 film songs from the 1940’s, superhits of the time, but forgotten now when Laxmikant-pyarelal is consiodered old. These songs that I really love are sung be Kursheed, Saigal and orhers. The magic of these songs are the beautiful melodies and the emotive singing. It is perfect for cycle touring. This playlist is quite a revelation because it predates by years my previous favorite songs of Naushad, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Shankar jaikishan. Besides Kursheed (who went to Pakistan in 1947) I don’t know who the female singers are, except for the ocassional distinctive voice of Noorjehan, or even of Lata Mangeshkar who started singing in the late 40’s. It is great music…
I wish I had a good novel to listen to, but I don’t. Podcasts are good, but I could prepare better with audiobooks. Next time…..
Even before your experience if I stopped for thought which bike part best to carry a spare for on an epic journey such as yours I would say bottom bracket or at least its bearings. Its the axle that gets most variation of pressure per rotation and the most annoying part if not right mile after mile, since the most active contact with your body (not counting saddle sores but no spares to fix those) + least likely axle to be easily replaced or substituted by your average bike shop. Given the pollution crisis in Delhi at the time I think you were very lucky dodging going there to get yours fixed.
IN my misguided youth, when ordinary beaded tyres typically much heavier than average tubs I toured France and Spain one summer with tubs. Big mistake, tub/rim glue and needle and thread needed to mend a puncture. I ended up carrying over 20 tubs in various states of disrepair in case they were least worst solution to the next tyre crisis. Not light weight touring … I also had pretty much full general repair kit including change of gear cogs and tools to do that according to the lie of the land in days of max 10 gear choices.