This is a post about the bicycle spec. To see more about other touring gear and equipment, see this post.
The bike is finally sorted. It’s changed a lot in the last few weeks, from something which was more ‘cycle-to-the-shop’ than ‘cycle-round-a-continent’ to something, I hope, a little more robust and up for the job.
It’s had a revamp: upgraded wheels, upgraded saddle, upgraded pannier rack.
Took it out for the first time fully loaded yesterday. It’s, umm, quite a shock to the system when it comes to ascending. Down hill and flat, it really doesn’t feel so bad at all. It was surprising how nimble and controllable it is. Up hill is a different kettle of fish altogether though, so that’ll be interesting.
Anyway for those into their gear specs, here it is:
- Trek 7.5FX frameset
- Bontrager Nebula carbon fork
- Tubus Smarti Front Pannier Rack
- Tubus Cargo Rear Pannier Rack
- Shimano Deore Groupset
- Shimano Dual-Sided SPD pedals
- Bontrager bar & stem
- Brooks Flyer Saddle
- Tioga bar ends for 3 handlebar positions.
- Wheelset – Shimano XT 36 hole hubs, Salsa Delgado Cross rims and DT double butted spokes w/ brass nipples. Both handbuilt by Ghyllside Cycles.
- Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres (honestly, don’t waste your time with any other tyres but these)
- Avid SD-3 brakes.
Accessory wise, there’s:
- Gemini Olympia LED light system.
- Met Stradivarius 2013 helmet.
- Ortlieb Pannier Bag Setup – Back Roller Classic’s | Front Roller Plus’s| Ultimate Bar Bag
- Magellan eXplorist 710 GPS