My 5 Favorite Bike Touring Goodies

compose Logan Watts
time Mar 1, 2013
comment 4

For any gearheads reading, I thought I’d compile a few ‘splurges’ from my touring kit which I would now never leave home without. Aside from my Surly Troll, these are some of my favorite things that were a little bit excessive, but I am extremely glad I decided to pack them.

1. Lemolo Baggage toolkit

This is probably, hands-down, my favorite thing where I decided to spend a little extra. Strapped to my Selle-Anatomica saddle, it is accessible anytime. The pocket design is perfect and this bag is burly… I expect it to be around for a long time. Get one.

2. Alite Monarch Chair

This was definitely a last minute splurge as I thought, ‘Do I really need a chair and the extra weight that comes with it.’ Yes I do. Perfect for reading, sitting on the beach or just resting your back at camp after a long ride, I love this thing. It weighs in at 1.3 lbs and packs up small as well. More info.

3. Amazon Kindle 3G

I was reading one day at a hostel and a british guy passed by and said, ‘Ah the Kindle… the travelers best friend.’ I couldn’t agree more. At first I thought I’d miss the tactile experience of pages, but being able to download a 500 page book in seconds, from a small village in Guatemala, pretty much rules. Here’s my reading list if anyone is looking for some book recommendations (*): Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma and The Last Stand of The Aztecs (non-fiction); Killing Pablo (non-fiction)*; Several Chuck Palahniuk books (fiction): Rant*, Survivor: A Novel*, Lullaby*, Pheonix; 2 B R 0 2 B (Vonnegut); John Dies At The End (David Wong, fiction)*

4. Snow Peak Titanium 450 mug

I was thinking light and something I could both eat and drink from. This cup is the right size and makes the absolute perfect amount of morning coffee.

5. Rohloff Speedhub

Being a mountain-biker, I thought I might miss finessing the deraillleurs, but the perfection of ratios for touring and lack of maintenance make it worth the money. I expect 30,000 KMs out of this thing.

NOTE: The cover picture of the post is a wall advertisement for Maya Tour bikes (the local bike that everyone in Guatemala rides).