A few of our favourite things

2nd February 2019

After a year on the road we’ve come to the conclusion that apart from our trusty steeds & our indispensable tent, these 11 items are our most savoured. From top left, additional notes are below:

Steripen Ultra – we carried a water filter the whole time yet we used it once. Clear water was luckily almost always available. You get to learn a variety of sources – mosques, cemeteries, village wells. To make it safe we used the Steripen, a UV light which can clean 1 litre at a time. It was our next best friend. Also has an internal battery to recharge via USB

Busch & Muller cycle star (903) – they say 3,000 repetitions forces habit. We unconsciously refer to our mirror even when we’re walking on the road now. It’s become vital to our safety. Thanks to the tip from @nowwecycle, this model fits our setup perfectly

Crane bicycle bell – this thing is loud. In fact out of all the bells & whistles on our bike, this tempted the most locals the world over to test & be amazed

Elite Maxi Corsa drink bottle – just a drink bottle? It’s just under 1 litre so it’s perfect for the Steripen volume, it’s BPA free, solid as a rock, nice to drink from & cycle tourers the world over seem to have this bottle

Click-stand – effectively a glorified tent pole, it’s a stand for our bike which raises the centre of gravity from a traditional kick stand & means you can have very heavy loads (where kickstands break). You can also use a branch, bamboo etc. We just love the ease of this pocket rocket though

Garmin fenix 3 – Jules loves maps. So he loves to see where we’ve gone (especially in a few years time). This watch is ideal as it has a tiny battery yet it records routes all day no problem & recharges in no time

Kobo - our surnames don’t lie. We love to read. Books are heavy. This kobo weighs a few hundred grams & carries a small library

Mpowered Luci solar light – light as a feather & surprisingly bright, this inflatable lantern recharges easily during the day & gives us plenty of reading time at night. Milly sister is called @lucy_forster so she also loves the companionship this brings all around the world

Quad lock – navigation via smartphone is a prerequisite for JRQR’s (Jules Read Quiet Route). This thing hasn’t skipped a beat. Tiny & light with an adaptor that fits to your phone it has sustained some awful roads & hasn’t come unstuck

Swissstop brake pads – these things are maintenance beating beasts. Were running Ryde Andra rims which are tough as nails & have a ‘CSS’ coating (tungsten spray) which enables you to run these ceramic like pads which have a shelf life of 20,000km. We got both bikes second hand with 50% worn pads & we’ve run them for a further 17,000km. Milly’s rear wheel is the only replacement so far a few weeks back

Topeak cargo net – the cheapies are often the goodies & this is certainly the case here. Purchased for £4 (with carabineers for attachment for £1) they have kept a variety of stuff strapped to the back of our bikes. Watermelons, waterproofs, water bladders & water bottles (amongst other stuff)

Set up on leaving the UK

7th March 2018

The bikes loaded for the road test to Cornwall - we’ve used the same set up minus a few non-essential items e.g. the picnic blanket!

Bikes

Thorn Raven Tour (Milly)
Thorn Nomad (Jules)
Ortlieb panniers (4 back & 4 front - Classic)
Ortlieb rack packs x 2
Ortlieb Ultimate 6 bar bags x 2
Click-stands x 2

Camping gear

Tent - Terra Nova Ultra Quasar
Sleeping bags (Rab & Terra Nova)
Sleeping mats (Mountain designs & Thermarest)
Katadyn Vario water filter (+ Life Systems water purfication solution)
MSR Dragonfly
MSR Seagull 2 pan & lid set
 Victorinox Swiss Tool
 Petzl head torches
Sea to Summit folding bowl & mug set x 2  Titanium Sporks x 2
Ortlieb folding wash bowl 5l
Lomo sit mats
 Dry bags

Electronics

Power Monkey Extreme solar chargers x 2
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Lumie light
Samsung Galaxy S5 x 2
Cateye Adventure odometer x 2
DeLorme inReach SOS device
Garmin phoenix 3 watch
 Canon EOS 550D camera

Clothes

Jules’ clothes:
Two pairs shorts for cycling
Two pairs lycra shorts
Three t-shirts
Five pairs socks (2 long, 2 short, 1 waterproof)
Three pairs underwear (Icebreaker)
Thermals (top & bottom)
Swimming trunks
Down jacket (thick)
Waterproof jacket & trousers
Hat & headband
Long gloves (+ liner)
Two buffs
Shimano SPD cycling shoes + overshoes
Shimano SPD sandals
Flip Flops
Helmet  

Milly clothes:
One pair shorts for cycling
One pair lycra shorts
Three t-shirts
Two tank tops
Five pairs socks (2 long, 2 short, 1 waterproof)
Six pairs underwear (2 padded)
Three bras
Merino dress
Merino jumper
Leggings
Thermals (top & bottom)
Bikini
Gillet
Down jacket (thin & thick)
Waterproof jacket & trousers
Hat & headband
Short & long gloves (+ liner)
Three buffs
Shimano SPD cycling shoes + overshoes
Trainers
Flip Flops
Helmet

Spares

Four brake cables
Four gear cables
One tyre
Three inner tubes
Twelve spokes

Other

Food & snacks
Water bottles x 6
 Reusable shopping bags