Post Tour, I’m often asked about my gear choices, so I thought I’d post some info about the bike.
I bought a Focus Raven 29” hard tail off trademe. It has 2x gearing on the front and is a fairly light carbon fibre frame. Nothing unusual, but very practical for the purpose. I thought about gravel bikes and custom builds, but for $900 it was a solid and economical choice. With hindsight it was a great decision.
Here’s the bike as I bought it.
I changed the bars to Jones Bars, which is an excellent choice for comfort and provides an excellent place to attach bags and equipment.
Aero bars are highly recommended for comfort and position flexibility. Jones bars were trimmed as the originals are very wide! Some comfy grips added too.
Sleeping bag in a dry bag, sleeping mat, wet weather gear and some food in the front roll bag. Tent attached here too.
I was very pleased with my “cockpit”
The final including a rubber phone holder and a bluetooth speaker for some tunes on the road!
Side view on a test run to Totara Reserve – showing the Pack’n’pedal rack and drybag on the back and the frame bag. That’s the Big Agnes “Fly Creek” tent in the background.
The Thule pack’n’pedal rack was amazing. Solid, light and I had no issues despite some serious bumps along the trails.
The frame bag is convenient for quick access, but don’t overfill. If it bulges out it can rub on your calf and cause a nasty abrasion!
Here is the bike 4 days into the tour. 2 bottles in cages on the front forks and one in a bag on the jones bars. I used inner tubes to bungee the bottles onto the forks. Without the extra grip the bottles tended to bounce out at the worst moment!
Top tube bag for snacks etc.
The saddle choice was a Brooks Cambium C17 Carved. It was a great choice. I had no problems with saddle sores or abrasion. Just make sure you give yourself time to adapt to the new saddle.
Here is the full kit I took (excluding 2xbib shorts and 2x cycle tops).
I took plenty of small light dry bags to pack thing in. Much better to have separate bags for things like toiletries, clothes or electronics than to always be fishing around for what you want in one big dry bag.