London to Istanbul Race

[martin.lh68]

Hi Sean ,
thought I would leave it a couple of days before asking for information about your travels and kit.
My friend who has not long completed Canada to south Mexico off road has shown me his basic kit for the 'Transcontinental Race' and I suppose I am a little shocked at how little he is taking .

I would like to bounce a few ideas with you starting with the bike which as I mentioned I was looking at the 'genesis Day1 Alfine8 Di2' topped with a hub dynamo. Did you have any views on the hub gears and or the Di2 set up?
 

I also saw the designer of Genesis bikes today and have confirmed that the bike is up to the task in hand of the 'Transcontinental Race' .

they are offering some ideas on the gear ratios available for the Alfine hub so it is not over torqued .

Again there is a possibility of further assistance off them but that might have been show talk, we will have to wait and see.

Martin

[Sean Barker]

This really is an exciting challenge you have undertaken Martin and one I shall follow with interest.

As for gearing I really would look for as wide as possible, you have some challenging climbs and will want to get up and over them as comfortably as possible.

As for  hub gears, that’s not the way I went but with the knowledge I now have and if my budget would allow it that’s the only way I would go. I met up with fellow tour cyclists from time to time and was seriously impressed with the Roholf gearing so many of the German tour cyclists’ use. They simply avoided so many of the problems I had to deal with. I assume the Alfine system is comparable.

As for the hub dynamo again that is something I would highly recommend. I used solar panel chargers that were not as effective as a dynamo hub. As I mentioned I saw the Son 28 hub in action and was seriously impressed, again I assume the one on your bike is comparable.

Taking a closer look at you bike on the Genesis web page it really does look a dream of a bike and should be a delight to carry you to Istanbul.

You asked for a copy of my touring packing list which I shall include at the bottom of this post. But bear in mind that my touring equipment was planned around surviving for an average of three months at a time and often weeks without the possibility of getting to a shop to get provisions.

Your friend is absolutely right in carrying as little as possible; you will be riding against the clock and will not want to be burdened with extra and unnecessary weight. Remember if needs be you can always buy stuff you need on the road.

I know you wanted advice on cookers and various equipment which you will see in my packing list, any further questions just ask but if I was doing what you are undertaking I wouldn’t bother with cooking equipment it is extra weight and time consuming. I would just buy coffee and food along the way, on the roads you’ll be taking you are never too far from a garage or road side café and they will have everything you need.

Also don’t take more clothes than you absolutely need remember you can clean and dry your clothes on the road. I would clean my clothes using public water taps (there are loads of them in southern Europe and Turkey) and even mountain streams, rivers and lakes and then secure them to my back panniers and let them dry in the sunshine as I cycled.

I have no hands-on knowledge/experience of the D12 shifters but they do look cool and if given the choice I would certainly want them

 

I’m rabbiting on a bit here so I’ll let you absorb this lot and get back to me with any further questions you may have.

 

Here are some photos of my ride to Istanbul and back to get you in the mood http://www.cheevie.webspace.virginmedia.com/Photos/Cycle%20Tour%206.htm

Here is my packing list
 

1 bike> Dawes Galaxy Ultra front and rear racks, 
2 water bottle cages,
Front and rear lights,
2 large Ortleb 40L rear panniers 
2 Ortlieb 25L front panniers
1 large Ortlieb handle bar bag with map holder. 

Large Ortlieb bag to hold tent, sleeping bag and mat which is lashed to the top of the rear panniers.
New Shawble marathon plus 700/35C tires
Brooks leather saddle
Garmin 800 with complete European mapping
1 cycling helmet
1 kryptonite medium sized cable lock
2 water bottles large


Clothes
3 pair lycra cycling shorts.
1 pair humvee cycling shorts 
2 pair cycling under shorts 
1 pair cycling tights 
1 cycling jacket
3 cycling tops 
2 gortex cycling jacket (1 heavy 1 light) 
1 pair gortex cycling trousers 
2 pair of underwear 
6 pair of low cut socks 
1 Berghouse fleece 
2 Helly Hanson thermal vests. 
2 pair cycling gloves 
1 pair cycling shoes
1 pair overshoes
1 Pair cycling glasses


Camping equipment 
2 person Hilliberg tent (large for more comfort) 
1 Thermarest self inflating sleeping mattress 
1 down sleeping bag
1 Silk sleeping bag liner 
1 Primus omnifuel camping stove 
2 containers of fuel
2 light weight pots and a kettle that fold away in each other 
1 plastic dish (deep) 
Fork, spoon and knife. 
2 lighters 
1 stainless steel mug 
pack of batteries 
Duct tape
Travel radio 
Ipod Touch
3 Power Monker solar energy packs with Solar panels for charging phone and Ipod 
Lantern 
Mobile phone and charger 
Carbon Water filter pump
Stenapen water steriliser 
Bear spray

 

 

Personal hygiene
Packet of wet wipes 
Deodorant 
shaving equipment
1 tooth brush and case 
1 tooth paste 
Dental floss 
2 rolls of toilet paper
nail clippers 
1 camping towel 


First aid
paracetamol pills 
diarrhoea pills
insect repellent spray
insect bite stick
10 medium sterill pads
1 roll of tape
1 pack of plasters
1 small tub of sudocreme
Factor 30 sunblock


Tool kit and spare parts 
Pump
Cycle repair kit
Multi bike tool
6 small plastic ties
1 spare chain link
chain removal tool
3 spare 5mm stainless steel bolts with washers
valve adaptors
bicycle oil 
2 pair brake shoes
1 spare brake cable
1 spare gear cable
1 swiss army pocket knife
3 spare inner tubes
1 spare folding tyre 


Personal items
passport 
insurance details 
European health card 
Digital compact camera with spare battery and charger 
Selection of road maps 
1 journal
2 pens
1 pair reading glasses


Laundry
Clothes pegs and line


Food
Enough food to last me the first three days
2 packs dried pasta
2 jars of pesto
6 sachets or cup of soup.
6 museli bars
Multi vitamins and minerals 
Jar of coffee
Earl Grey teabags
Fruit (bananas and apples)

 

And this is what it all looks like loaded up

[martin.lh68]

Hi Sean thanks for the reply , the photos look truly amazing , but I feel I have to run a lot lighter on the luggage.

Did you research your choice of camera for this or did you just go with what you had?

Starting with the choice of bike do you feel 700x32mm race tyres would be ok or would you not risk it and put some puncher resistant tyres on?

I also understand 2014 model of the genesis day1 will have a rear inboard disk brake for easier pannier rack mounting, but will have carbon forks up front.

Do you have any views on the carbon forks ?

[Sean Barker]

Right Martin a few questions and points there, so let me take them one by one.

As for running a lot lighter on luggage, that really is imperative. Let me put it this way, when I toured I would look to average 125km a day, so consequently am very aware of what cycling 125km fully loaded takes out of me. Now over the last year or so I have been riding Audax events (lots of Audax events), in fact I have been averaging about one 200km Audax a week over the last eighteen months and I can tell you with absolute certainty that a 125km ride on a fully loaded bike is a hell of a lot tougher than a 200km Audax on a lighter Audax bike, such is the effect of the weight you carry.

As for the camera, I am quite a keen photographer and as much as I would have loved to have my SLR and assorted lenses with me at times that was never going to be practical, so I took a compact with me. Now camera choices are quite a personal thing but my choice of compact was the Panasonic Lumix DMC Tz5 with 10x optical zoom. This camera takes excellent photographs in all conditions and with the zoom allows me to get the shots a phone camera wouldn’t.

This is what it looks like, although it has been superseded a few times now so the specs will have improved considerably.

 

When it comes to tyres it is to a degree down to what you feel comfortable on. I would always favour a hard wearing high puncture resistant tyre, especially on those poor southern European roads. My tyre of choice would be the Schawlbe Marathon Plus. They are available in 700x32mm, in fact I used that size when I rode from Land’s End to Jon O’Groats and back to Land’s end a couple of years back. Despite being so puncture resistant they roll exceptionally well and I would say your chances of completing the ride without a puncture are very high riding those bad boys.

 

When it comes to carbon forks they would certainly be my choice on a road bike but I would just not feel confident with them on a touring bike, I certainly wouldn’t want to be hanging low-rider panniers on them. I’d be just too aware how front forks can get scratched up with panniers and how the structural integrity of carbon is compromised when badly scratched, I would be afraid of a catastrophic failure and what a disaster that would be out in the middle of nowhere.

I would just say if you are going to go with carbon forks just make do with rear panniers, which should be plenty enough anyway.

[Mrs DAVIES]

This really is an exciting challenge you have undertaken Martin and one I shall follow with interest.

As for gearing I really would look for as wide as possible, you have some challenging climbs and will want to get up and over them as comfortably as possible.

As for hub gears, that’s not the way I went but with the knowledge I now have and if my budget would allow it that’s the only way I would go. I met up with fellow tour cyclists from time to time and was seriously impressed with the Roholf gearing so many of the German tour cyclists’ use. They simply avoided so many of the problems I had to deal with. I assume the Alfine system is comparable.

As for the hub dynamo again that is something I would highly recommend. I used solar panel chargers that were not as effective as a dynamo hub. As I mentioned I saw the Son 28 hub in action and was seriously impressed, again I assume the one on your bike is comparable.

Taking a closer look at you bike on the Genesis web page it really does look a dream of a bike and should be a delight to carry you to Istanbul.

You asked for a copy of my touring packing list which I shall include at the bottom of this post. But bear in mind that my touring equipment was planned around surviving for an average of three months at a time and often weeks without the possibility of getting to a shop to get provisions.

Your friend is absolutely right in carrying as little as possible; you will be riding against the clock and will not want to be burdened with extra and unnecessary weight. Remember if needs be you can always buy stuff you need on the road.

I know you wanted advice on cookers and various equipment which you will see in my packing list, any further questions just ask but if I was doing what you are undertaking I wouldn’t bother with cooking equipment it is extra weight and time consuming. I would just buy coffee and food along the way, on the roads you’ll be taking you are never too far from a garage or road side café and they will have everything you need.

Also don’t take more clothes than you absolutely need remember you can clean and dry your clothes on the road. I would clean my clothes using public water taps (there are loads of them in southern Europe and Turkey) and even mountain streams, rivers and lakes and then secure them to my back panniers and let them dry in the sunshine as I cycled.

I have no hands-on knowledge/experience of the D12 shifters but they do look cool and if given the choice I would certainly want them

I’m rabbiting on a bit here so I’ll let you absorb this lot and get back to me with any further questions you may have.

Here are some photos of my ride to Istanbul and back to get you in the mood http://www.cheevie.webspace.virginmedia.com/Photos/Cycle%20Tour%206.htm

Here is my packing list

And this is what it all looks like loaded up

[Mrs DAVIES]

Wow! Respect!

[martin.lh68]

A little update on the alfine di2 - so far all is pretty good if you understand what you have.

There are biggish jumps between the gears (compared to new 10 speed set ups), but this is no hi end racer.

Get on and pick a gear, then ride that's it , going up hill change down as required. The 3rd, 2nd and1st gear take you up the long climb up the back of Clent no problems and that's with a full , heavy Carradice bag on. But going down has a lot to wish for -  I have 8 gears but find I am looking for 9 and 10. 

     But wait for it , an on coming car in the middle of the road wow nothing unusual there until you use those disc brakes and boy are they good . I thought at one point I may upgrade them but no need . I have even dragged them all the way down to see if they over heat and ------------ no they don't they are just awesome.

     what I did find with the gears is that occasionally gear 4 played (what they call) catch up after a shift (say 1 in 8 shifts) and some times so did gear 8 ( even less). I have updated the software and this has solved most of these issues. BUT oddly enough on my last ride after 12 miles the 8th gear started to play catch up again . why ? I don't know , may be the hub had just warmed up. But as technology goes it is so far very water proof and there is about 500 miles of heavy shifting per charge (with an internal seatpost battery ). As for the gear ratios, personally think they are bang on for the average person / 80% of cyclists . understandably they are not for every one , yes they cost a lot but if you work the maths out compared to the maintenance of 10 and 11 speed setups they work out as being quite cheep . 

[Sean Barker]

Thanks for the update Martin, I must confess to finding this whole project absolutely fascinating.

Also I have to agree with you on the disc brakes, they are just so reassuringly responsive.

I soon got used to them on the Genesis bike you set up for me and when using my rim brake bikes afterwards I felt altogether less assured when braking especially in the wet.

[martin.lh68]

I am also starting to find this project more and more interesting. I have found a face book  community to do with this very same race and in this it is fascinating to see how other riders are approaching this challenge . One person that interests me is going to us a Trek Domane , now in all fairness this is a lovely bike fast and very comfortable , but when you look at his setup this starts to tell another story.

1, he is using a full carbon frame and fork setup - these do have weight limits.

2, he is using bike packing kit - very large (18litre) saddle bag , frame bag and handle bar bag, including 2 top tube bags for food.

This cannot help the balance / handling of the bike.

3, he is using light weight racing wheels and 700cX25mm tyres. Fast but I can for see broken spokes and a lot of punchers.

 

I some times feel that slightly sturdier equipment might mean heavier but less time making repairs or even failure. This is a fine balance hence the long term trial on the alfine di2 - which quite a few people have already said is a non starter, I feel more then ever I have to prove them wrong. Lets see.        

[rovi]

Some of the Pros. used 28mm tyres in Paris Roubaix this year.

Comfort counts for a lot.

Best of luck Ivor.

[Sean Barker]

I'd definitely go 28's. Some of the roads you will cycle on particularly in Bulgaria and around that area have to be seen to be believed.

[martin.lh68]

I don't know if any one else did the v-sprint 'tour of the west midlands' , but it was an interesting day. Needless to say I road the Genesis part loaded with mudguards and pannier racks. The bike handled the gravel sections well and in 1st and 2nd gears the front wheel was popping/skipping on the few climbs. Thankfully I did not puncher, but if I am going to carry a little more weight I will need a lower gear and a higher gear for the descents.