The clothes that we’ll be riding with
It seems obligatory that touring cyclists post photos and lists of their kit. So as to not stray too far from the norm, and also to demonstrate just how minimalist we’ll be traveling, the photo below and the lists that follow it detail just about all of the clothes that we’ll be starting our trip with.
That’s almost all of our clothes!
Mike’s clothes:
- Down-filled puffy jacket
- Merino wool base layer (pants)
- Merino wool long-sleeve 1/4 zip top
- Dryfit T-shirt
- Sleeveless T-shirt
- Cycling shorts x 2
- Merino wool socks x 3
- Rain jacket and pants (not pictured)
- Long underwear for sleeping (not pictured)
- Merino wool buff
- Warm gloves/mitts, hat (not pictured)
- Flip flops (not pictured)
- Trail running shoes (not pictured)
Rebecca’s clothes:
- Down-filled puffy jacket
- Merino wool base layer (pants)
- Merino wool long-sleeve 1/4 zip top
- Sleeveless cycling shirts x 2
- Bully Market leggings (gift from daughter)
- Shorts x 2
- Bikini
- Merino wool socks x 3
- Rain jacket and pants (not pictured)
- Long underwear for sleeping (not pictured)
- Merino wool buff
- Warm gloves/mitts, hat (not pictured)
- Flip flops (not pictured)
- Trail running shoes (not pictured)
That’s it. Pretty minimalist, wouldn’t you say? Today we’ll pack most of it, minus the stuff that we’ll be wearing, into our Rogue Panda bikepacking bags. We’ve done a test fit already and it’s surprising how much we can carry. When we consider the hills that we’ll be riding up, perhaps we can carry too much!
You can reduce even further – day clothes and night clothes. Did this when I hiked the Appalachian Trail but putting on wet smelly clothes in the morning was never fun.
Stay safe,
Jeff
That’s pretty much what we have done, although we have (almost) two sets of day clothes. The reason the sleeping clothes aren’t pictured is that they’re in a separate stuff sack in the handlebar bag, along with our sleeping bag. The clothing pictured is for day wear. If we were racing, maybe we’d only have one set of day clothes. 🙂
I may have missed it in a previous post …will you ride with cell phone attached to stem or handlebar and if so what system is used to attach the phone?
Hoisting a jigger of maple syrup to your safe travels…looking forward to reading your updates on this adventure!
Yes, you can see the iPhone mounted in the cockpit here:
http://www.zerotocruising.com/big-surprise-weve-changed-plans
We have the Pro Series mount made by Rokform:
https://www.rokform.com/biking
Is that a bottle opener machined into that phone mount? If not, it should be.
No, but you’re right, it should be. 🙂
I wish you both the best on your ride south. Just after I sold my restaurant in 1996 I drove my 1991 Pontiac Safari wagon to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Spent 2 months there the first time and 4 months subsequently the next 3 years. I enjoyed every minute of it. Still have friends there and made lots of traveling friends along the way. I did it by bus and walking but I like the idea of cycling. Looking forward to reading about your adventures starting tomorrow. Buenas Suerte!!
Sounds like a cool adventure!
Am I mistaken, or are there no cleats or gloves?
For me, riding more than a few miles without bike shoes is close to incomprehensible. The increase in efficiency is considerable, not so much because you pull up, but because you can pedal in circles rather than squares, with no need to maintain pressure on the pedals. It is well worth carrying a second set of shoes. I always did.
If it is fear regarding release, typically the flip side has no cleat, and release soon becomes instinctive. For very technical (flying through the air) trail riding, flats are better, but not for what you are confronting, IMO. Not even close.
Just trying to help. Likely I have this all wrong.
You’re right, no cleats. Contrary to what you might think, it is pretty common for those touring to simply use platform pedals. As neither of us have ever used clip-in style pedals, we’re not so interested in adding that to our “things to learn” list, nor in being forced to carry an additional pair of shoes.