We already own a lot of gear from previous trips. On our 2018 bike tour across the United States, we did remarkably well staying warm/cool/dry as needed, camping comfortably, and not carrying too much weight.

Why change anything for a trip across Europe? Conditions might be a bit cooler and wetter, but our existing gear should work just fine.

However… we’re going to make some changes, anyway.  There are a few things we thought we might be able to improve, and there are some things we wanted to get more experience with for future trips that might be more remote. The primary changes are:

1. cooking gear (we previously relied exclusively on ready-to-eat food)

2. a bigger tent (to provide more room for keeping luggage “indoors”)

3. a more complete bike repair kit

4. a few other miscellaneous changes you’ll see below.  

So, here’s the new-and-improved list of equipment that we’ll lug along on this tour.

The Bikes

• Surly Long Haul Truckers (2). No change. The same, trusty, bikes that we rode across the U.S. (steel frames, 36-spoke wheels, Tektro CR720 cantilever brakes).

• Saddle (his):  Brooks B17 Standard and Thomson seatpost. Replaced the Brooks Cambium C17/Thudbuster combination used previously which turned out to be one of the least comfortable saddles PedalingGuy has used (saddles are a personal thing so your mileage may vary). At this point, PedalingGuy has about 500 miles on the B17, and despite its reputation for being uncomfortable until broken in, it was more comfortable on the first day than the C17.  The interesting thing is that Brooks claims if you like the B17 you should also like the C17.  That was definitely not the case for PedalingGuy.

• Saddle (hers):  Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow. No change.

• Pedals: Catalyst Pedals (Pedaling Innovation). Yes, it’s true. We’re making the switch from clipless pedals to flat pedals. It’s a pretty big deal, considering we’ve used clipless pedals for 20+ years. The Catalyst Pedals are relatively new on the market and are a little unusual in that they are HUMUNGOUS and require a slightly different position on the bike. They have gotten good reviews so we decided to give them a try. So far we like them after about 400 test miles before this trip.  The one downside we have found is that they do tend to get in the way when storage room is tight such as when trying to fit both bikes into the corner of a hotel room.

• Tires:  Schwalbe Marathon Supremes (26” x 1.6”). No change. We like the lighter weight and lower rolling resistance (compared to other Schwalbe touring tires), especially when riding on mostly paved roads.

• Rear Racks:  Tubus Logo Evo. Replaced Topeak Explorer racks to support carrying heavier loads.

• Front Racks:  Tubus Duo Lowrider. No change.

• Front and Rear Fenders:  SKS P55 Chromoplastic Longboard fenders. New. We never rode with fenders before, they were a pain to install, but we’re expecting more rain on this trip - which also means more road splatter from our wheels. Adding fenders seemed like a good idea.

• Rear-view Mirror: Ortlieb UltraLites. No change. They’re super-light (1.7 oz). And although it takes some fiddling to find a good position for them on the handlebars, we’ve now tried other mirrors, and the Ortliebs still work best.  We don’t like helmet mirrors, and other handlebar mirrors we’ve tried either don’t fit our bikes well or vibrate too much, making it hard to see.

• Kickstands:  BV double-leg (adjustable and foldable). No change.

• Steer Stopper.  No change. We wouldn’t hit the road without them. They keep the front wheel from turning (and destabilizing the bike) when parked. https://steerstopper.com

Luggage

Here, we’ve mostly added stuff to carry the expanded gear.

• Ortlieb Back-Roller Pro Plus, back panniers. No change - 70.4 oz each

• Ortlieb Sport-packer Plus, front panniers. No change - 53.4 oz each

• Ortlieb handlebar bag (medium). No change. Weight includes shoulder strap - 22 oz each

• Ortlieb rack packs (large). New. This is where a lot of the extra gear is going - 24.8 oz each

• Day packs (1 each). No change for her (HikPro Ultralight - 7.5 oz). PedalingGuy will also bring one this time (Pacific Northwest - 5.8 oz). Ideal for carrying around a few things, off-bike.

• Extra zip-locks and stuff bags. Reduced weight by replacing previous stuff sacks with lighter materials (Sea-to-Summit Ultra-Sil dry sacks and HyperLite Mountain Gear cuben fiber sacks).

• Bungee Cords and Velcro Straps. No change.

TOTAL LUGGAGE WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 11.4 lbs. PedalingGal = 11.7 oz

Clothing and Shoes - On Bike

The overall weight of our clothing kit hasn’t changed that much, but there are some important substitutions, particularly related to biking shorts, socks, arm/leg warmers, jackets, and shoes.

• Jerseys (1 for him, two for her). Taking the same number as before. But PedalingGal will replace one of her lightweight jerseys with a style that’s a bit heavier (and warmer), for those cool nights in the Spanish Mountains - His: 6.4 oz.  Hers: 9.6 oz.

• Shorts (1 pair each). We’re going lycra-free this time, hoping to look more like regular people. His:  Myles Apparel Everyday short - 8.1 oz. Hers: Dakine Siren- 5.8 oz.

• Underwear (3 pairs each). Padded, to go under those shorts. PedalingGal also needs 2 sports bras - His: 9.0 oz.  Hers: 14.5 oz.

• Arm warmers (1 pair each). No change for him. PedalingGal replaced her Pearl Izumi arm warmers with lightweight, Louis Garneau arm-coolers for sun protection. A fleece pull-over will warm her arms when it’s cold - His: 2.6 oz.  Hers: 1.3 oz.

• Leg warmers (1 pair each). PedalingGuy replaced his aging Pearl Izumi leg warmers with lighter-weight, RION leg warmers. PedalingGal replaced hers with full-length, fleece-lined leggings for more overall warmth, and fewer distractions from the leg warmers falling down. His: 3.7 oz. Hers: 5.9 oz.

• Warm top layer (1 each). He’s taking a new Enlightened Equiptment synthetic vest. She’s adding a fleece pull-over. His: 4.95 oz. Hers: 7.4 oz.

• Wind-breaker (1 each). No change. His: 2.7 oz. Hers: 1.6 oz.

• Waterproof jacket/shell (1 each). No change. His: 6.5 oz. Hers: 5.6 oz.

• Waterproof pants (1 each). No change. His: 5.9 oz. Hers: 5.4 oz.

• Biking gloves (1 pair each). No change. His: 2.0 oz. Hers: 1.6 oz.

• Full-length gloves (1 pair each). No change for her. PedalingGuy is adding a pair of lightweight gloves (he didn’t take any before). His: 1.0 oz. Hers: 1.9 oz.

• Wind-proof mittens/shell (1 pair for her). No change - 1.4 oz.

• Socks (3 pairs each). No change for him. PedalingGal replaced her Coolmax socks with lightweight running socks that she hopes will dry faster (the Coolmax took forever to dry). His: 3.3 oz. Hers: 3.2 oz.

• Waterproof socks (1 pair each). A new addition for both of us. His: 2.1 oz. Hers: 3.1 oz.

• Waterproof shoe covers (1 pair for her). No change. The Pearl Izumi Pro Barrier shoe covers did a fantastic job keeping my sensitive feet warm last year - 3.8 oz.

• Skull cap (1 each). No change. His: 0.8 oz. Hers: 0.6 oz.

• Neck muff (1 each). No change for her. PedalingGuy added a Buff. His: 1.4 oz. Hers: 0.9 oz.

• Biking shoes (1 pair each). Now that we’re riding on flat pedals, we both replaced our clip-in bike shoes with moderate-weight hiking/walking shoes. This eliminates the need to bring along an extra pair of sneakers for off-bike. His: 28.7 oz. Hers: 25.7 oz.

• Bike helmet (1 each). PedalingGuy got a new helmet, but it’s a lot like the old one. So, basically no change. His: 11.0 oz. Hers 9.2 oz.

TOTAL ON-BIKE CLOTHING WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 6.7 lbs. PedalingGal = 6.8 lbs.

Clothing and Shoes - Off Bike

There were fewer adjustments for these clothes. Probably the biggest change results from using the flat pedals. Now we can use our biking shoes as walking-around shoes, and that means we have room to each bring a pair of sandals. We feel like that’s going to be a great trade-off.

• Short-sleeved shirts (3 for him, 2 for her). PedalingGal added one. His: 17.2 oz. Hers: 9.5 oz.

• Long-sleeved shirts (1 each). No change. His: 7.9 oz. Hers: 5.7 oz.

• Long pants/leggings & belt (1 for him, 2 for her). No change. His: 15.8 oz. Hers: 15.9 oz.

• Shorts (2 each). No change. His: 12.7 oz. Hers: 7.7 oz.

• Underwear (2 for him, 4 for her). No change. His: 4.9 oz. Hers: 5.7. oz.

• Socks (1 for him, 3 for her). No change. His: 1.2 oz. Hers: 3.3 oz.

• Wool socks (1 for her). No change - 2.5 oz.

• Lightweight baseball cap (1 each). No change. His: 1.1 oz. Hers: 1.0 oz.

• Down coat (1 each). No change. His: 12.9 oz. Hers: 10.7 oz.

• Sandals (1 pair each). New item. Replaced sneakers carried on previous trips. His: 27.3 oz. Hers: 12.8 oz.

• Base Layer top (1 each). No change. His: 7.3 oz. Hers: 4.9 oz.

• Base Layer bottom (1 for him). PedlaingGuy’s sleeping bag is “quilt” style (meaning it doesn’t zip up), and is not quite as warm as PedalingGal’s. So he’s adding some base-layer warmth for cold nights - 7.0 oz.

TOTAL OFF-BIKE CLOTHING WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 7.2 lbs. PedalingGal = 5.2 lbs.

Toiletries

The biggest change here is the addition of 10 months of medicines, which we didn’t need to carry in the USA because we could easily purchase items along the way. On the flip side, we were able to shave a couple of ounces elsewhere.

• Bathroom bag (1 each). No change. His: 25.9 oz. Hers 45.1 oz.

• Medicines and documentation. New items - 24.4 oz.

• Travel towel (1 each). We both got new towels that are lighter weight than our old ones. His: 2.2 oz. Hers: 3.9 oz.

• Clothes line (1). No change - 1.2 oz.

• TP, tissues, cleaning wipes and mini-shovel. Added the shovel - 15.2 oz.

• Sun block (1). No change - 18.7 oz.

TOTAL TOILETRIES WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 1.8 lbs. PedalingGal = 6.7 lbs.

Sleeping Gear

Since we might be camping more on this trip, we decided to make a couple of big changes that will increase our camping comfort. In addition to a bigger tent, we’re also taking travel pillows and folding camp chairs.

• Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL4. Yes, that’s right. We’re lugging a 4-person tent for two people. The idea is to be able to bring all of our gear “indoors” for safety, and in cases of bad weather - 92.8 oz.

• Tent footprint: for Copper Spur HV UL4 - 11.6 oz.

• Sleeping Bags: Sleeping bags are the same, but we both changed to waterproof stuff sacks. His: Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 degrees - 21.0 oz. Hers: Feathered Friends Flicker 20 degrees - 27.3 oz.

• Sleeping Pads: Z-Lite Sol closed foam pads. We replaced our previous Therm-A-Rest inflatable pads which were far too noisy even after being broken in. The closed foam pads won’t leave you stranded on the hard ground with a leak and pack up much faster. - 15.8 oz each.

• Sleeping bag liner: Sea-to-Summit silk liner. No change - 5.5 oz each.

• Travel pillow: Exped air pillow, large. New. No more sleeping on clothes crammed into a stuff sack. We’ll have a little bit of luxury in the tent - 3.1 oz each.

• Camp folding chairs: Helinox Chair Zero with ground sheet. What luxury! Another addition to improve camp comfort - 24.0 oz each which includes the ground sheet which is poorly designed and increases the weight of a really nice 16 oz chair to a total of 24 oz.

TOTAL SLEEPING GEAR WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 9.9 lbs. PedalingGal = 5.7 lbs.

Toolkit

We’ve seriously expanded the toolkit for this trip. We will have the ability to handle a wider range of repairs, if needed. Hopefully, we won’t need it all.

Tools:

• Topeak Alien II multi-tool - New, more complete set of tools than our previous multi-tool.

• Leatherman - No change

• Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HPG tire pump (1), tire levers (2) - No change

• Cassette removal tool - (the Stein Mini Cassette Lock tool www.steintool.com). New. For those occasions when you need to replace a drive side spoke on the back wheel, this tool gives you the ability to remove your cassette without a chain whip, lock ring tool and wrench. It only weights 1 oz. We used it to install new cassettes before leaving and found that it works well for occasional use.

• Schrader/Presta nozzle adapter - No change

• Duct tape (small amount wrapped around a section of paper towel tube) - No change

• Nylon rope, hose clamps (2), small binder clips (2), rubber bands - No change

• Assorted zip-ties - No change

• Loctite, crazy glue, tenacious tape - All new. Should be able to get anything to stick.

• Cooking stove repair kit - New, to go with new cooking stove.

Spare Parts:

• Chain master links (3 pairs) - Carrying more this time.

• Wet-lube and towels for cleaning chain. No change.

• Assorted spare bolts - Carrying more this time.

• Spare tire tubes (4), tire patches (25), emergency tire boot, CO2 cartridges (3) as emergency backup to our pump which has seen some abuse. Extra spare tubes and patches. The tire boot is new, and is a lot less cumbersome than carrying spare tires

• Brake pads (4) - New. We got all the way across the USA on one set. But they’re getting old and the European trip is twice as long.

• Emergency spoke replacement kit, 10 spare spokes - Same kit, with extra spokes, two sizes to fit both the drive side ,and nondrive side of back wheel.

• Ortlieb pannier clips (2) - No change.

TOTAL TOOLKIT WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 3.5 lbs. PedalingGal = 1.9 lbs.

Eating and Drinking

• Water bottles (2 each). No change - His: 4.8 oz. Hers: 4.1 oz.

• Extra water storage: Platypus 2L collapsible bottles. (4). New. Will allow dry camping - 5.2 oz.

• Water filter (coarse filter): FitsAll by SteriPEN (1). New, for filtering out larger particles - 2.0 oz.

• Water filter (fine filter): Sawyer Mini (1). No change - 3.1 oz.

• Chlorine water purification: Katadyn Micropur tablets (20 tablets) - New. For simpler water purification when we’re not in a hurry or if the filter gets clogged. 0.5 oz.

• Cooking Set. All new. Includes: MSR 2.5 L ceramic pot, MSR WhisperLite International multi-fuel stove, heat disperser, fuel filter, matches/lighter, Sea-to-Summit collapsible X-bowls (2), Humangear GoBites spoon and fork (2), Opinel knife, cutting board, and pot-scrubbing brush - 46.7 oz.

• Fuel Bottle: 20 fl. oz. MSR bottle (1). New. Because the stove won’t work without fuel - 28.4 oz.

• Electrolyte tablets: S-caps (bottle of 80). No change - 4.0 oz.

• All other food: estimated at 10 lbs. No change.

TOTAL EATING AND DRINKING WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 12.2 lbs. PedalingGal = 4.0 lbs.

Accessories & Miscellaneous

Here’s the list of everything else we’re bringing, with items grouped to (hopefully) make the list seem somewhat logical.

• First Aid Kit in waterproof stuff sack. Includes: appx. 60 assorted bandages (band-aids, 2-inch latex, Aqua-heal multi-day, 2-yds stretch bandage and 4 yds gauze), bandage tape, butterfly closures, sterile pads, moleskin, blister cushions, alcohol pads, benzoin tincture, antibiotic ointment, “after bite” (for insect bites), ibuprofen, Benadryl, acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, tweezers, sterile sponges, safety pins, razor blade, waterproof matches, and space blanket. Main change from previous trips in addition of more bandages - 16.5 oz.

• Sewing Kit (1). Includes assorted thread (incl. upholstery thread for heavy-duty repairs), regular and large needles, and a few straight pins. We have a scissors on our Leatherman (in toolkit) - 1.6 oz.

• Cables and Locks: TiGr titanium locks (2), KryptoFlex 4’ double-loop cable (1), 98” braided steel cable (1), mini luggage locks (6 to secure panniers to bike, plus one for the braided steel cable) - 57.9 oz.

• Bike Lights: Magnus Gear Vision II headlights (2), spare lithium batteries for headlights (2), Cygolite Hotshot 50 rear lights (2 each so we have spares if the batteries get low and we don’t have a place to recharge) - 24.4 oz.

• Phones, camera, tripod, batteries, power packs, etc. - 190.6 oz. So that we can post to this blog.

• Cords, adapters, etc. - 52.4 oz.

• Eye glasses. Sunglasses in case (2), reading glasses (1). No change - 6 oz.

• Camp lights. Head lamps (2), Luci Lux Pro inflatable solar lantern (1). The Luci lamp is new - 10.9 oz.

• Head nets (2) New. To make camping more bearable when there are bugs - 1.2 oz.

• Scrubba (1). New. Portable clothes-washing bag, because sometimes the sink doesn’t work so well - 5.8 oz.

• Halt pepper spray (2). Because dogs like chasing bikes. No change - 4.8 oz.

• Binoculars. No change - 12.7 oz.

• Wallet, passport, keys, etc. Added the passports 14.6 oz.

• Contact cards. (120) No change - 7.2 oz.

• Note paper, pen and pencil. No change, except less note paper - 1.8 oz.

TOTAL ACCESSORIES WEIGHT:  PedalingGuy = 17.0 lbs. PedalingGal = 10.4 lbs.

And the Grand Total Is…

Total weight for PedalingGuy = 69.8 lbs, an increase of 14.1 lbs from our last trip.

Total weight for PedalingGal = 52.4 lbs, an increase of 13.8 lbs from our last trip.

Those totals don’t include the weight of our bikes. In fact, even our bikes will be a little bit heavier because we added the Tubus back racks (which are heavier than our old Topeaks), and fenders (to reduce splatter in the rain). So, we’re definitely upping the weight factor for this trip.

We took a test-drive around the neighborhood, and we think we can manage the loads - although we would definitely like to be lighter. We’ll find out how hard it is to handle the bikes once we get rolling in Portugal. After that, we’ll be looking for ways to reduce the weight to a more comfortable level as we go. If we’d had more time before leaving for the trip, we probably would have weeded out more of the gear before getting on the plane. But since that hasn’t happened yet, it will have to be done along the way.

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