About the bike

Some notes about the bike and some changes about my setup for this cycling trip versus what I did in New Zealand.

1. Total equipment: less. Since the ratio of campgrounds to hotels/hostels in Europe seems to be much lower than in New Zealand, I opted to leave the camping gear (sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad) at home. Or rather, some of it is in Freiburg, in case I need any for any trips in the Alps (i.e. when I'm not cycling).

2. Gearing: easier. From what I've read about the mountain roads in Europe (especially the alps), they have some very very very very very long climbs. Since I'm carrying my own gear, it seems like it only makes sense to change my gearing so that I would have a chance of making it up these climbs. I had already installed a triple chain ring (that is, there are 3 different gears in the front) for New Zealand, and for this trip I installed a new rear derailleur so that I could use some bigger gears in the back (which makes it easier to go uphill). The biggest gear in the back now has 32 teeth. I believe that the smallest in the front is 28. This means that now, in my easiest gear, one turn of the pedals turns the wheels less than one full revolution!

3. Baggage: different. Yesterday I bought a bag for my handlebars. It seems to restrict my hands a little bit when on the tops of the handlebars, but maybe not too badly. I've never tried this before, but it seems that the roads here in Europe are far more complicated than anything I've tried to navigate by bike before. Thus, I want to have a map as accessible as possible at all times. My experience with maps is that if they're not easy to reach, you won't reach for them. The same goes for cameras, incidentally, so I intend to keep one of those in the handlebar bag as well. I'll also keep my GPS and maybe a snack or two in the handlebar bag.

I've only brought one pannier with me. I actually used this setup (i.e. one pannier, no camping gear) for most of my Land's End to John O'Groats trip in the UK in 2004, so I think it will work fine. Additionally, I have a small backpack (think Camelback, even though it's a different brand), which is large enough to carry about a liter of water and some snacks for short hikes or walking around town. It's worked pretty well for my time here in Granada and the outings I've done from Granada. I plan to either bungie-cord this to the top of my rear rack or carry it on my back while I ride.

4. Tires: bigger. I'm really not sure that this was necessary. but riding on a 32 cc tire, instead of the 23's that I normally use for riding unladen, makes me feel a little more stable and safer. Also, when riding on dirt roads (which I did a bit of around Frieburg) it's a little better. For most of my bike trips I've used 23 cc tires and been fine, but I ended up with a 32 in New Zealand when the guy at the bike shop in Nelson recommended it (after my existing tire gave up the ghost), and decided to match that one with a new tire before heading off for Europe.

I'm still riding the same bike that I picked up for cyclocross racing back in '03, the Fuji Cross. It's travelled with me for bike tours in Vermont, Colorado, the UK, and New Zealand, and I did some riding on it in South Africa as well. So I guess you could say that it's well-travelled! Most of it has been replaced over the years: the parts you'd expect, like handlebar tape, brake pads, tires, cassettes (rear gears), and chain, as well as chain rings, derailleurs, pedals (yup, they wear out too), and wheels. I haven't replaced the shifters yet, but I think they're the next thing to go. I'm wondering how much longer the frame itself will last... I'll keep my fingers crossed for now!