Middle of the night catch-up. The ticket for the Mark Beaumont lecture arrived – see left. No information from AW Cycles as to which bike they have ordered for me; the 52 cm or the 54 cm frame (I’ll call in after work later today if nothing is forthcoming in the next 12 hours). And I found another picture of a Ridgeback Panorama, in fact two of them. It comes from 
Patrick Taylor’s website again (see Ridgeback Panorama in a Gallery post), specifically from a page all about a cycling tour of Denmark which also includes an interesting list of the kit that he took with him. I’ll add his list and comments to the “equipment” section of this site. He is clearly a fan of the Panorama and it is good to see one of the bikes “in action” rather than gleaming in a manufacturer’s online catalogue. If you look carefully at the picture, Patrick is clearly not a fan of the Ridgeback’sย standard saddle, which reminds me that Jim Rawnsley made reference to saddles in a comment a couple of days ago. He pointed me in the direction of Rido Saddles but his suggestion does comes with a caveat; “Never recommend a saddle. All cyclists are different.” Which in turn reminds me of another link that Iain Harper recommends – biketouringtips.com . There is a link on the front page to an article about securing bikes while on tour, a topic that was mentioned in another comment earlier in the week…. Back to bed!
Categories: Cycling
Of course I missed things!!
Bolle contour safety glasses (tinted ESP) Giro monza helmet, 2 pairs of gloves, spd mtb style shimano shoes and cycle kit to wear (shorts, base layer, shirt)
Probably should go in the kit section but hear is my typical touring rig, Don’t think I missed anything????
KIT LIST
Bike;
Ridgeback voyage Standard apart from: Carbon fibre seat post and RIDO R2 saddle, New rear rack that has lower rails to get my big panniers to a lower C of G. Swiss stop brake pads. Superflash rear light, Mounting system and Agu bar bag with small flashing light. Chain replaced with a Whipperman with a quick link, pedals shimano touring spd(A520?) MP3 player (cheap 2gb that takes good old fashioned batteries) mounted to a pair of ยฃ10 tesco battery powered mini speakers bungeed to my stem. โ specialized mountain bike polycarbonate bottle holders. I usually run a trip computer but I broke 4 last year and have been managing without. Frame pump.
Bar bag;
Agu venture 6.5 litres. With Velcro large map case for maps and compass/whistle. Front pocket : Spoke key, allen keys, cable ties, puncture repair kit, tyre levers, Electricians tape, swiss army knife, small tyre boot, chain tool and spare quick link. Main bag: Waterproof Gill event (design now sold by wiggle as DHB) Wet wipes, 1 litre roll top dry bag for wallet/money/passport/phone/keys. Spare tubes, keep me going food. Small note book and pen.
Main pannier, right side;
Snugpack kilo sleeping bag, Gelert x-lite full length self inflating mattress, Gelert solo tent with several modifications (OK itโs nearly Knackered and I should splash on a better lighter, roomier one). Mountain equipment Lightline down jacket (never leave this behind, it is a pillow, evening wear and a warmer sleeping bag in one) Jetboil stove and gas, fork and spoon, tea bags, Tesco laminated placemat (a must in a small tent for sitting on and stopping mud getting into the tent), Parachord, patching kit, spare folding tyre, spare rear drive side spokes, odd tools.
Main pannier left side;
3 base layers, 2 spare shorts, 2 spare cycle shirts, 1 ron hills tracksters or bikesters. 4 pairs socks, waterproof sealskin socks if cold, undies, wash kit, travel bath towel, maps + guides. First aid kit, foil blanket + pain killers, Spare thick bin liner, small amount of food, matches,
Top of rack
Bungees, lock, pair of hi tec lite sandles.
Note: No camera, g.p.s. or computer, the smartphone is as high tech as I get and does most of these functions, although admittedly not as well as a proper one.
I tend to eat out rather than cook.
Jim:-)
Wow, that’s impressively detailed Jim, thanks! Packed full of useful hints and tips. I have posted your comments to the equipment page and you have top billing until I find another useful list from elsewhere! Cheers.
Andrew
Saddles: I live on the west coast of Canada and am proud to say I own two Brooks Saddles. British you know. I hope I got the accent right. ๐