Susan and Brice's Bike Blog

We each carried four panniers, plus another bag that attached on top of the rear rack. The panniers were split half-and-half between black Nashbar Waterproof Panniers (both front and back) and yellow Ortlieb Bike-Packer Plus panniers (again, both front and back).

The Ortliebs cost four times as much as the Nashbars. For that extra cost, you get something that is much better made and better thought-out: The heavy-duty plastic attachment system that the Ortliebs have is extremely durable, will not accidentally come off your rack, and are a snap to take on and off. In contrast, the Nashbars are attached using two rubber-covered metal hooks at the top, two velcro loops at top as back ups, and a metal hook through a bungee at the bottom. The system breaks apart one by one: the rubber comes off the top metal hooks; the velcro back-up loops rip off from the pannier; the metal hooks at the bottom, which are not securely fastened to the bungee, fall off and get lost; and it’s just matter of time, I’m sure, before the bungees will snap.

Some of these problems with the Nashbars could be prevented: We could have used some preventative twist-ties on the bottom hooks, for example. And one could probably replace the bungees after they snap.

Even with these faults, the Nashbars kept our stuff dry and attached to our bikes the whole trip (and on previous shorter trips, too). So if you already have Nashbars, there’s no reason to replace them with Ortliebs or another nicer brand before your big tour. However, if you’re looking to buy panniers for the first time, consider whether you want to make the investment in the O’s. I really do think our Ortliebs will live longer than we will, and completely intact, too. They are really awesome bags, but are they $$$$ more awesome? I don’t know. Maybe not.

One problem we had with the Ortlieb model we chose is that the cinch-and-cover tops it has are not raccoon-proof. It was fine because our Nashbars were roll-top and we just kept our food in those. Make sure you have enough roll-top panniers, of whatever brand, to keep your food in.

You don’t need to be equipped to camp out, or to cook your own food, to take a bike tour. However, in rural North Dakota and eastern Montana, it would have been something of a challenge to plan our route so as to hit a town every day with a motel. We also would have eaten much worse on several occasions without the ability to cook ourselves a real meal, since many towns have no restaurant, or have no restaurant that’s capable of making better food than you could with a campstove. Even more unlikely is a grocery store. Needless to say, you also save a lot of money by camping and cooking yourself.

Here’s the camping items we brought and our thoughts about them:

Tent

We used the REI Half-Dome 2, which we wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who is looking for a new tent. That tent kept us snug and dry in a couple vicious rainstorms on the trip. It sleeps two comfortably, and there’s plenty of room under the fly for a couple panniers, shoes, etc. It’s not ultralight, but light enough. The set up is nice and simple, color coded with two colors.

Sleeping bags

We both had REI down bags, rated to 10-15 degrees F. We had the male and female versions respectively, which were great because they actually zip together. Since we left so early in the spring (April 10) and traveled so far north, the warmth was necessary, but summertime tourers needn’t bring anything so hardcore.

Sleeping pads

The inflatable thermal pads we brought on the trip were a new purchase for us, as both of us had previously used Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol foldable foam sleeping pads, which are eminently uncomfortable and leave your body covered in marks from the foam bumps. In contrast, the new inflatable pads that are out are a revelation; I slept very comfortably on mine and they were much more durable than older generation of inflatable pads, though Brice’s still eventually sprung a slow leak. I had a Therm-a-Rest ultralight pad that I got on clearance and now seems to be out of manufacture. Too bad, since it’s something I’d definitely recommend. Brice had the REI Stratus, which was negligibly heavier. Halfway or so through the trip, Brice’s pad sprung a slow leak, such that he would wake up after three hours of sleeping and find himself laying on the ground and have to reinflate the thing. The leak wasn’t visible so he couldn’t patch it, but I think despite all that, he’d still prefer it over the old folding foam pads.

Stove/Fuel

We used an MSR Pocket Rocket stove — a tiny little thing that screws on to a pressurized fuel canister. It was small enough to fit inside our cooking pots, with plenty of room to spare. The only potential problem with it is that the flame is relatively exposed, so if it’s windy it take longer to cook unless you rig up a wind block. Overall not a big deal. We didn’t have trouble fuel-wise, either — any outdoors store will carry the fuel canisters and they each last a couple weeks, depending on what size you get and how much you cook, so it will be easy enough to stock up at each opportunity.

A reminder for those who are not starting their bike trip from home: You CANNOT bring fuel canisters on an airplane, ever, even in checked baggage, and you CANNOT bring a stove, either, unless — maybe — you can show that it’s never been used before (i.e., still in its original, sealed packaging). You have to ship them ahead or buy at your destination.

Cookset

We had a couple non-stick MSR backpacking pots. They nested inside each other for storage and had 1 lid between them. We definitely used both pots per meal a lot (e.g., cooking pasta in one and then cooking the sauce in another). We just ate right out of the pots with plastic utensils. Plastic utensils are easy enough to come by and we replaced them once during the trip. By the last night of the trip, the final tine snapped off one of the forks, so I guess we timed it perfectly. The system seemed to work quite well.

Bear bag

We were lucky in that our roll-top Nashbar panniers were raccoon-proof as well as water-proof, so they worked great for food storage for most of the country. (The raccoons noticed when we accidentally had food in our cinch-top Ortlieb panniers.) Once we got to bear country, we had to get a little more hearty of a system. We got some small-diameter woven cord from a climbing-gear shop in Minneapolis and stole one of our friend’s carabiners. Whenever we were camping in a potentially beary spot, we attached all our panniers containing food or toiletries into the ‘biner and hauled it all up a tree. We weren’t staying in many places with bears, but we didn’t have any incidents with this system.

Susan and I both use the Shimano SPD clipless pedal system with mountain biking shoes. We both strongly recommend a clipless pedal system for bike touring; it’s hard to imagine doing a long trip without them. Clipless pedals save a lot of energy by keeping your foot exactly at the optimal position on the pedal; with practice they’re much easier to get out of than traditional pedals with toe cages (touring with platform pedals with no cages/strap would be insane).

Any of the many clipless pedal systems will probably be fine, but SPD offers a few advantages in my opinion. First, it’s probably the most widely used system and if you have problems you’ll be able to find parts. Second, you can get SPD compatible shoes that both extremely stiff soled (which maximizes performance), but still have a recessed cleat. This allows you to walk around reasonably comfortably while in your shoes, which is a big advantage when touring. You can get shoes that are very comfortable to walk around in because the soles aren’t stiff but I don’t recommend these as they’re much worse for cycling and that’s where the most time is spent. The sweet spot price/performance wise is usually something like this with a hard plastic sole, a recessed cleat, and 3 velcro straps. See also Susan’s shoe post. The final advantage is that the pedals themselves are cheaper than other systems. I got a pair of SPD compatible pedals from REI for less than $20; ask at the bike department if they have any OEM pedals that were traded in.

Tires are great. They’re the best. Per usual, Sheldon already wrote a million words on the topic. We rolled on pavement with 32mm width tires, and I wouldn’t recommend loaded touring on a narrower tire – I’ve done it on 25mm’s and the ride was noticeably much more harsh and we weren’t any speedier. Note that it’s non-trivial to determine the correct target inflation pressure – don’t just inflate to the rating on the side of the tire. The tire should noticeably bulge a small amount when you’re on the bike; inflating past this point will make the ride bumpier without actually decreasing rolling resistance.

Ideally, road tires should be completely smooth, but they are extremely hard to find, especially in wider sizes. The less tread you can find the better. For the first week of the trip we were on gravel/dirt paths and I used a 35mm cyclocross tire; Susan rolled on her 32mm knobbier-than-they-should-be road tires. Having a cyclocross tire is extremely nice on non paved bike path services, but Susan did just fine on her tires.

I think it’s worth the money to get tires with Kevlar or some other anti-puncture layer; in my experience they really decrease flat incidence. Susan already had tires without Kevlar so she used a Kevlar tire liner; these seem to work fine for preventing flats but are heavier and occasionally annoying if you do need to change a flat.

We both wore out our rear tire ~3000 miles into the trip. If you’re going cross country you probably won’t want to drag a spare along the whole way so keep an eye on tire wear so you can get one shipped ahead or replace while in a town with a bike shop. 700c tires wider than 28mm can be hard to find on the road.

(Recommended items are starred. Disrecommended items are X’d. Product names noted where known.)

Susan:

• *Shimano Women’s SH-WM50 Mountain Bike Shoes
• flip-flops
• *Onitsuka Tiger sneakers

I bought the Shimanos in Sandpoint, to replace a pair of crappy, lace-up, streetwear-style Lakes whose cleat screw base had started to disintegrate. The Lakes simply weren’t meant to be used seriously, and I don’t hold it against Lake themselves; it’s more that I just had the wrong style of shoe. The Shimanos proved to be really nice on the last leg of the trip and I had no complaints. Note that both Brice and I have mountain bike shoes rather than road bike shoes because the cleat doesn’t stick out on mountain bike shoes and you can walk around in them easier while still having a nice, rigid sole. Although we met a couple people touring in street shoes, we really pitied them. Riding with cleats is much more efficient and it could be the difference between hating the ride and enjoying yourself.

The flip-flops were for use around camp, on days off, and while taking camp showers. We also each brought our Tigers for use in camp and on days off since they’re better for walking a lot and for cold or rainy weather. They’re totally awesome sneakers and I’ve recommended them in a general sense, not specifically for biking trips. They’re as comfortable as your favorite pair of slippers. You probably don’t need two pairs of non-biking shoes, though—or really, any at all—so this is a good area to economize on volume and weight if needed.

(Recommended items are starred. Disrecommended items are X’d. Product names noted where known.)

Susan:

• REI zip-off hiking pants
• REI all-purpose polyester shorts
• *3 pa. Ex Officio bikini brief underpants
• Everyday cotton t-shirt
• Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Parka – Women’s

The pants and shorts were for use around camp and on off days. I could have gotten by without the shorts, since the pants zip off to become shorts, but they were of trivial size and weight and were more comfortable. The t-shirt was just a regular t-shirt, which one could also do without, but it’s nice not to look or smell like a cycling dork all the time.

Brice talked me into the Ex Officios, which turned out to be a great idea. They are so easy to rinse out at the end of the day and dry very quickly. Although I was skeptical that anything but cotton could breathe well enough, these are very breathable. I will be taking them on every vacation here on out. As noted in our ABCs of biking video, they are not to be used while biking, due to the very uncomfortable chafing that will result. A major downside is that pads/pantiliners do not stick to them, so prepare accordingly.

The Mountain Hardwear parka was a down jacket rated for use in the deepest depths of winter, and it doubled as a pillow. I wore it around camp at the beginning of our trip, in the chill of early spring, and occasionally thereafter, but I do think that I would have been fine without it; however, we kept it around in caution, wary of the weather on the high mountain passes. But given how much traffic goes by up there, if we had been going hypothermic there were plenty of drivers who could have rescued us. Assuming you have a couple other layers that you could put on altogether if it’s cold at camp, I’d say you wouldn’t need to bring something this extreme.

(Recommended items are starred. Disrecommended items are X’d. Product names noted where known.)

Susan:

• *2 Moving Comfort Alexis sports bras
• 2 pa. thin SmartWool or REI merino wool socks
• 1 pa. REI merino wool heavy hiking socks
• SealSkinz waterproof socks
• Pearl Thermafleece headband
• Amphipod Full-Visibility reflective vest
• Giant short-fingered gloves and Pearl long-fingered gloves
• Lowe Alpine long underwear (used as tights)

Maybe I’ve just never had good sports bras before, but these were great. They had supportive, breathable fabric that dried quickly and they were actually sized separately for rib circumference and for cup size, which is usually my main problem in fitting these things.

It’s important to have only non-cotton socks for riding, in a couple different weights. SmartWool or REI’s generic version of SmartWool dries quickly, wicks moisture, and is non-scratchy. There’s no reason to spend more for the SmartWool brand name, in my view.

As for the waterproof socks we brought, which feature a layer of GoreTex between two knit layers, I was ambivalent. They weren’t at all breathable, so to the extent that they kept your feet dry from rain, your feet got wet from sweat. They weren’t warm in and of themselves; you had to wear them over another pair of socks, which is nice because then you can vary the warmth level depending on the weather. I guess all in all I would probably have been worse off without these, but there might be a better solution out there than these. I do know from Brice’s experience that the alternative, waterproof shoe covers, don’t work at all. There may be a good profit in here somewhere if someone can actually come up with a good foot-waterproofing solution for cyclists.

There’s a lot of headbands on the market and they all seem to be pretty much the same, but it’s a good idea to bring one, I think. I usually needed only this to keep my head warm on cold days, but occasionally supplemented it with the hood of my rain jacket and/or softshell.

Unless all your biking clothes are eye-poppingly bright, you should bring a reflective vest. You look like a dork but it’s of ultimate importance to be as visible as possible to cars and trucks.

All of these vests are pretty much all the same, so get whatever’s cheaper. I liked this one because it had a zipper pocket to make up for my lack of jersey pockets.

I rarely wore my long-fingered gloves, but when I did, I was glad for them. Do not even think of attempting a long tour without cycling gloves—they make the ride more comfortable, provide you with a ready solution for mopping sweat or wiping up snot, and keep your hands from getting shredded if you wipe out.

I brought along my Lowe Alpine long underwear to use as tights and they worked excellently for this purpose. Probably not any pair of long underwear would work; mine were some fancy schmancey highly breathable synthetic fabric. They were comfortable in a range of temperatures and conditions due to their breathability and kept my legs perfectly warm even when they were soaked in a cold rain.

(Recommended items are starred. Disrecommended items are X’d. Product names noted where known.)

Susan:

• *2 pa. REI breathable all-purpose exercise t-shirts
• Louis Garneau Women’s Speed Jacket (windbreaker)
• REI zippered fleece with breathable underarm panels
• Red Ledge hooded soft-shell jacket
• (X)Marmot rain jacket shell with zippered underarm vents

The list above is somewhat misleading because the Red Ledge softshell replaced the REI fleece, which I tragically left in a North Dakotan motel room. I bought the softshell at the Farm ‘n’ Fleet in Bismarck; I’d meant to get another fleece, but they didn’t have any non-cotton fleeces in small sizes. The softshell is heavier than my fleece was, so it wasn’t an exact replacement, but I made do. One note, the softshell was significantly cheaper than the equivalent jacket would have been at REI or another yuppie outdoors store. I’ve always heard that to save big on outdoorswear, you should look for the same product in camo; although the Red Ledge jacket is a pretty blue, I bought it in a store that caters to hunters, farmers, and people who work outdoors, which seems to have the same effect on the price. In short, this softshell is not perhaps ideal for bicycle riding since it’s not built with underarm vents or other features for extreme exertion, but it’s a great jacket for all-around outdoors and everyday use. Look for a Farm and Fleet or similar store in your area to shop for this sort of clothing and you’ll save big.

The REI exercise shirts were cheap and I’ve had them for a few years. Being all-purpose, they didn’t have the little back pockets or the tight fit that cycling jerseys have. They worked absolutely fine and I would wear them again, especially for the few bucks I paid for them on clearance. There’s no reason you need anything fancy for your base layer as long as it’s made of a breathable, quick-dry fabric meant for sweating in. The main downside is that the smell doesn’t really wash out; don’t plan on wearing them to meet the Queen.

I loved my LG windbreaker and I wore it every day that the weather was a little nippy. The fabric was very breathable but kept a good amount of heat in as needed. The reflective spots washed off with use and in the washing machine, however, even though I washed it on cold and delicate cycles. Also, putting it on shortly after applying sunscreen caused the fabric on the arms to discolor in an ugly, but ultimately trivial, way. I could see myself getting the jacket again but there may be something better out there.

My stupid Marmot rain shell was the most disappointing thing ever and I plan on returning it to REI next time I have reason to go there. (That is the best reason to shop at REI, other than the dividends—you can return anything at any time for any reason.) It had just one job—to be waterproof—and it wasn’t. Even after I re-sprayed the thing with waterproofing spray, it still soaked up rain, instead of letting it bead off the fabric. In addition, the fabric is that non-breathable plastic-y stuff that makes you feel instantly sweaty as soon as you put it on, despite unzipping the vents. Brice had a really really nice rain jacket that he really liked so check that out instead.