Touring Equipment

just to give heads up I'm clearing out some nice 10s campag triple stuff, including 10s Record Bar ends, Ortlieb classic rolltop front panniers in black and a cheapy 7s Deore biopace triple group, in my sells threads. prices slightly negotiable for frequenters of this glorious thread. Ta!

I've seen quite some touring bikes out there using bar end shifters on drop bars. Apart from them possibly being more reliable than integrated shift levers, are there any other advantages/reasons why people use them for touring?

I've seen quite some touring bikes out there using bar end shifters on drop bars. Apart from them possibly being more reliable than integrated shift levers, are there any other advantages/reasons why people use them for touring?

Cheap and mechanically simple if anything goes wrong. Friction shifting makes for a nicer ride too IMO. Action of shifting gears doesn't interfere with any front mounted luggage even if the cable routing sometimes needs to be a bit creative.

It's also relatively modular - you don't lose brakes AND gears if something happens to the lever or shifter.

another reason is when considering them vs downtube friction shifters, but having them on the bars means you don't have to reach down so far and can keep control a little better when riding with a load.

Only if you're pretty tall, the reach felt pretty fine up to 57cm.

Paging edscoble, I guess:

I'm looking for something like the Nitto lamp holder. Ideally it would fit a 31.8 bar and be black, and be available to buy in the UK. Any ideas?

Topeak bar extender? Cheap and cheerful.

Paging edscoble, I guess:

I'm looking for something like the Nitto lamp holder. Ideally it would fit a 31.8 bar and be black, and be available to buy in the UK. Any ideas?

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/images/products/Lights/nitto-light-bar.jpg

Get some of these and swap the bent bar bits for some cheap flatbars or a bit of pipe.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRI-BARS-EXTENSION-SET-FOR-RACING-CYCLES-ROAD-BIKES-ALLOY-YELLOW-HUGE-DISCOUNT-/181395993544?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2a3c0b33c8http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=181395993544&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

Nicer looking clamps.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIATHLON-TRI-BARS-TRANX-X-FOR-ROAD-BIKES-RACERS-ALLOY-HANGER-TYPE-BLACK-/181408981334?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2a3cd16156http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=181408981334&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

Planetx have some.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBSPEUROB/cinelli-spinaci-euro-bar-extension

If it isn't holding anything heavy then maybe torch mounts?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-Degree-Rotation-Flashlight-Torch-Bicycle-Light-Lamp-Mount-Holder-Clip-/171309987309?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item27e2def5ed

Thanks for the recommendations, clockwise.

I'm planning on hanging a (relatively light) alpkit drybag from the extensions, so they'll need to be sturdy. The things you've posted look great but all seem to have ~26mm clamp sizes. I have come across this from BDOP which might do the job though:

Lucky you. Well I haven't much experience with different mats, so from personal experience Exped do a very good price/quality/weight ratio. Thermarest could be better. Guess you can't go wrong with either really.

I ended up with a Basic Ultralite Exped. Rode to my camp two weekends ago, it did the job nicely, and small to carry on the bike.

Hoping to ride to my next camp too, this weekend.

Cheap and mechanically simple if anything goes wrong. Friction shifting makes for a nicer ride too IMO. Action of shifting gears doesn't interfere with any front mounted luggage even if the cable routing sometimes needs to be a bit creative.

It's also relatively modular - you don't lose brakes AND gears if something happens to the lever or shifter.

Wish I'd stayed with friction for the front rings, switched to RSX brifter things recently and the front is tricky to shift/trim.

I've never understood the move to non-friction front shifting, especially on doubles.

Triple in my case. Nothing but trouble.

Shimano shifters don't handle triples unless they are triple specific, no?

Yep, it's all about the money.

Is there a sleeping bag recommendations thread somewhere? I have searched but not found anything, other than a post saying 'go to the sleeping bag thread>>>>>>>>>>>>'

I'm looking for something light and small, probably comfortable to 5 degrees C, which I can pair up with a bag liner to use it in late spring and early autumn.

PHD sounds like the answer but I'd be looking at around £200-250 for a bag. I'm fine paying for quality but it's tricky figuring out where the cost/benefit tails off. Super light and super small kit can only get so light and so small before the £/gram ratio gets silly.

Any thoughts appreciated...

Snugpak Traveller.

Alpkit are pretty good for that sort of thing. I have one of their lighter weight down bags and it's awesome- cost me £100. Sky high 600 I think - you might want to go to the next one up.

These are good, had one but I got too old and too cold.
They weigh about a pound for the medium size.
Western Mountaineering

Get a bloody good compression/dry bag too. That'll do more than anythign else.

I got one of these, it's great.
http://www.woodland-ways.co.uk/buy-online-sea-to-summit-compression-dry-sack-medium-371.html

You need to decide if you want down or synthetic, obviously both have pros and cons.

Rab, Mountain Equipment and TNF are widely available.

Adding a liner (or wearing extra clothes) when needed, as you mentioned is a good way to save carrying a warmer bag in the summer

There were some good offers on Moutain Equipment down bags I saw earlier this month

I recommend whichever Vaude sleepingbag suits your requirements best.

Thanks for your suggestions. Lots to think about.

Western mountaineering look great, but not in the UK (or at least not at a reasonable cost). Alpkit have been out of stock of bags for about a billion years, sadly. Vaude stuff looks nice too.

I might actually go for a North Face Lynx, which I now see was discussed a few pages back. It looks to be the best cost/volume/warmth match to the bag that my girlfriend has (a now-discontinued REI thing) and as we're going touring together there's not much point in carrying something much warmer or much cooler.

The bag she has is allegedly rated to 30 degrees F, which caused me a lot of confusion since it weighs 850 grams and uses synthetic fill... until I decided that the rating must just be marketing hype. Still, it's about right for where and when we're going, so other synthetic bags just under a kilo should be in the right ballpark.

Thanks for the recommendations, clockwise.

I'm planning on hanging a (relatively light) alpkit drybag from the extensions...

Should anyone else be looking for this kind of thing, I also found this which might (ive not tried!) work - a KCNC smart mount.

Looks a bit fragile mount. How much are they?