equipment on the trip

several stats for those who like these things...

I wore only one pair of socks to pedal in the whole trip. They are still in great shape. The Earth,Wind, Rider people gave me a pair and told me they would be my favorite sock ever and maybe I wont go that far, but they sure held up... and btw I washed them out almost every night... for those who were worried.

I did not use several items I brought, like bike tools and extra bungee chords, but I would say my list was kind of spartan, but I didnt miss anything. (except my bed) I would have brought a smaller sleeping bag for after the rockes if I had thought of it, but the extra weight just made me stronger.

My bike: what can I say... for what I paid for it... it was perfect. The tires Bruce Gordon sent with it were dry rotted and needed to be replaced in telluride, and I replaced the chain as a precaution, but the bike worked flawlessly. It needed very little maintence. I would suggest this kind of bike to any one considering the trip.

The Brooks Saddle: if you get one. Expect it to take a while to break in... or maybe your bottom to break in. (I'm not sure which it was in my case) the springs on the seat were invaluable... I was very satisfied. Again... buy it early and ride with it as much as you can before you take off for a cross country trip.

The Gordon bags and racks: they worked great. One of my pannier bag developed a rip along the way, but I am not sure if that was user error or poor materials... I am guessing it was my fault...

My clothes: I wore a long sleeved wool sweater by EWR for the whole trip. I brought two and washed one and wore the other every day. Not only did it save my skin from sun damage, save money on sunblock, but it provided a steady tempurature whether it was 19 degrees at the top of Monarch Pass in CO or 100 in the humids sections of Virginia. When I was hot it got wet from sweat, but the wind that was genenrated by riding at ten miles and hour+ gave me a cooling effect that made it feel nice. OK it was 100 degrees and it would have been hot no matter if I were naked or in my sweater, but the wool gave me the sensation that I was cool... That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I brought three bike shorts with me... I basically used two. The third was a cheap pair and mas kind of uncomfortable so I kept it to wear while I washed the other clothes at the laundromat.

Bike gloves: they didnt do squat, but make my hands smell and polish my palms to a shiny leather look. I bought an expensive pair in Missouri and they promptly fell apart. My hands still got numb from the hours of riding huntched over. so wear them to save your bar tape from smelling too.

My nike SPD shoes... besides being very comfortable... NIKE sucks... my shoes started to fall apart the first week and after several e-mails to NIKE they informed me that they were doing nothing to help me and that I was SOL... the good thing is that they held up long enough to finish the ride, but I will never buy another NIKE product if I can help it!

what else? ask away.

much love
t