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Bike, rucksack on my back and a tent on the rear rack - no panniers. A tin of spam, some bread, crackers,bottle of water, bottle of vodka, aluminium pot and a lighter. We'd nick some potatoes from the fields. Ask farmers for a couple of free tomatoes or cucumbers. Sometimes hunt for pheasants.
Back then I didn't know any better.

I don't know why but I'm picturing that sung to music.

I'm not sure why so many people seem convinced that if you go touring everything is going to spontaneously explode as soon as you get somewhere remote. :]
The chances of things breaking are far less likely than them not breaking.
People run components for years on commuter bikes, in all weathers...likewise, i know folks who have kept the same equipment on their mountain bikes for years, and ridden hundreds and hundreds of miles through shitty mud and gravel without things breaking.

You can't prepare for every eventuality. What if your 2x6 friction setup breaks in the middle of nowhere and you drag your bike to the next village only to find the bikeshop guy isn't anywhere to be found? You'd be no better off than the person who had the more modern kit. :]
If you're going somewhere so remote that modern kit might be difficult to find, you should ideally take spares anyway.
Pretty much everything can be bodged well enough to get you rolling anyway.

It's as i said...it comes down to finding what works for you, through real world experience and doing plenty of shakedown rides before setting off.

Or alternatively, just ask Ed. ;]

...but even then...what is just right for me may be too hot, or too cold for someone else.

I'm as guilty as anyone for trying to make the perfect bike for long rides, for me. But It's been done by using the same bike and trying out different setups on decent length rides. It's like the three bears situation...eventually you'll get it just right. :]

Fair play to you that you're planning this ride of yours in south America or wherever...but until you've done it, even you don't know how well the equipment you have is going to work for you or anybody else.

I know you love bikes, but you seem to spend more time convincing yourself that you need another specific bike to do a specific thing, and then buying all these specific components that you never actually seem to go on any long rides to test them out properly.

Why don't you settle on one bike for a while and one set up and give it a good amount of time on some actual tours so that you can give some proper, real world experience based opinions on how good or bad they are?

As i said, i'm not meaning any offence, but there are times on here where it's like the deaf leading the blind
...and i know you have a sense of humour so will know i mean that tongue in cheek. :]

Pretty much every bike you've put together in the past year would be perfectly fine for doing some touring on...so why not do some?

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that there are people that have toured all over the world on some of the shonkiest equipment around, and they would put us all to shame with their achievements....they don't worry about whether they have the right this, or the perfect that...They use what they have and enjoy the riding part of....if something breaks, they fix it...if something is no good, they don't use it again.
There comes a time where you need to stop worrying about every single little detail and just go out there and ride and enjoy yourself and gain your own experience.
Nine times out of ten when you tell people they should 'sell this bike' and 'buy that bike instead' and 'change to this handlebar' and 'use a barbag'...they would probably do just fine with what they have...and would be able to spend the money on having fun in all the places they could ride to.

Whatever happened to 'It's all about the ride' ?
Lecture over. :]

That's exactly how I roll too.

Fuck those garmin and their electronic gizbot, ol' paper and compass still work wonder despite being a lots less convenience.

Ed...How much proper touring have you actually done? Serious question.
How many miles have you actually put in on any of the equipment you recommend...how many centuries/double centuries/multi day rides/camping rides?

I'm not trying to be a dick here...but I haven't read any ride reports from you on any of the touring you've done.
It's one thing to tell people that you recommend this and that and that certain things are difficult to get or will break or are so comfortable or uncomfortable....but if those opinions are only formed by reading things on the internet or taking a certain product out of the box in evans, fitting it to you bike, and taking another photo of it, it's not experience....it's personal opinion.

Shame there isn't some kind of company that can, you know...ship anything, to any part of the world.

Since when did surly make any frames with pivoting dropouts?

Maybe i should have included the big wheeler in question too? :]

The 29'er reminds me of the old Monolith mtb from about 17yrs ago.

I'd say that's a given...maybe staying more to the anti side of things. :]

Personally I'm looking forward to seeing how his new BMW turns out once it's been caressed by the brazing torch and the spraygun. ;]

I'm not THAT ashamed!

1. Sparky
   
2. Branwen
   
3. kboy
   
4. Shinigami
   
5. Cafewanda + 1 (bruv 2 now aims to do this)
   
6. pt
   
7. Digger
   
8. Oliver Schick
   
9. machineisbored
   
10. Cg
    
11. Fox
    
12. braker
    
13. shambolic
    
14. dicki
    
15. FridayMarch26th
    
16. Blackforessghetto
    
17. conker (riding home - from Smithfields)
    
18. Ark Minor
    
19. JAH tim-on-sea - no coach required thanks...
    
20. leifal
    
21. pascalo
    
22. JaRyder +1
    
23. mr lunch +1
    
24. Sniffy + some mates who probably wince out soon...
    
25. tom k&e
    
26. S/J
    
27. Spenceey
    
28. stupidPony
    
29. stupidPonys imaginary friend G.Love.
    
30. Clever Pun
    
31. nneil
    
32. Ramaye
    
33. Bikeman
    
34. Mark Cult
    
35. mattty +1
    
36. PaulR
    
37. Rossi75
    
38. TSK (silly oop norf route)
    
39. upstart
    
40. juanito
    
41. Tiswas
    
42. The Original Mexican Bob (common list fucker upper)
    
43. Katie-Coo +1
    
44. friar tuck
    
45. laner
    
46. Stonehedge (If I am ok after my 350mi ride a week before)
    
47. Soul
    
48. alexmckerrell + my dad is he's up for it
    
49. dimi3
    
50. 105champ
    
51. ChainBreaker
    
52. middleofnowhere
    
53. Sumo - on a bmx
    
54. jenny j
    
55. Loafheads
    
56. nelaii
    
57. MissMouse
    
58. FixedCheese + cheesey work colleagues
    
59. MA3K
    
60. KRZ
    
61. Rod Munch
    
62. fotochap - probably fixed, with several kilos of flapjacks
    
63. KT Bee + friend
    
64. fotochap's friend
    
65. jcgarcia
    
66. betty
    
67. Carson
    
68. Tomsie
    
69. peterhughes
    
70. Dumps
    
71. Samuelson
    
72. Scott Not Scot....somehow.
    
    

After hearing the tragic news about Barry Mason it would seem rude not to.

What an absolute shame. RIP Barry.

Really looking forward to this one...cos i'm weird like that. :]
300 Miles of Gravel Trailer on Vimeo

Ha..that'll teach me to not click links. shamefaced

Two posts up...that's terrible! :]

ROCK AND ROLL!!!
http://youtu.be/eaIvk1cSyG8

I wouldn't worry...Soon enough you'll have a page full of quotes and +1's telling us how shit the last page was, and that will be much more enjoyable.

Yeah, a page full of people posting bikes which THEY consider to be porn and then discussing them with other people who were also interested. What a load of shit.

If only we could have people to jump in after every bike and correct peoples own opinions for them....that would make it much better.

This would have seemed like a great idea when stoned. Trailer and panniers on a Surly LHT would be are boring and conventional but would ride heaps better.

Judging by the use of Surly Larry tyres it's intended to be ridden on the beach and sandy beach paths too. Even pushing a LHT with a trailer on soft sand would suck.
Also...I would personally take a well built longbike over a trailer any day.
If you intend venturing off smooth roads at all, and even if you don't, a trailer isn't fun to have bouncing around and snaking behind you when it hits bumps...whereas a longbike is far more stable, and handles much more like a regular bike than you might expect...even fully loaded.

As an example...riding this sort of stuff with a trailer wouldn't be fun...
http://youtu.be/KXX4OYsyJio

That makes more sense then. :]
Sadly it's no longer my BMW anyway. :[

From an aesthetic point of view I'd prefer a Moulton any day of the week

I'm trying to understand the comparison here, but I can't.
They're two completely different types of bike.

Really really want that!

Me too.

Well seeing as he still makes them, why not buy one?

He's producing updated versions now with disc mounts, In 26" and 29" wheel sizes.
I'm pretty sure he offers the old paint styles too if you ask.

I always loved the black, orange, yellow and white tiger striped finish...

I'm donating one of my as yet unreleased INDIGO hip pouches for this, so sign up and you could be one of only 3 people in the world to own one. I don't even have one myself yet. :[
You know it makes sense!