What I learned

The whole point of this trip was to ask a few questions of myself and my kit.

• Am I able to ride all day with a loaded bike and manage 200km?
• Am I able to do that day after day – physically?
• Am I able to do that day after day – mentally?
• Is the bike fit for purpose?
• Is the bike setup fit for purpose?
• Is my clothing fit for purpose?
• Which kit needs to be where?

Am I able to ride all day with a loaded bike and manage 200km?

Yes. And I average about 20 kph moving with minimal effort (and an eye on the whole day, and the next day) and 16 kph with regular stops.

Am I able to do that day after day – physically?

Well, two days for sure and I felt fine this morning. And I know from the Pyrenees I get better day by day though setting off is hard. One thing I did learn though is I don’t eat enough. I am burning about 400 kcal an hour so need a bar every 30 minutes to keep up with that. I was nowhere near that and already very hungry on the second day despite huge dinner and huge lunch with cousins.

Am I able to do that day after day – mentally?

I felt after two days that I was cycling for too long. I need time to recover and be not on a bike so keeping the moving hours down or having a nominal stopping time makes sense. When touring I would not have to “get” somewhere so can go more at my own pace.

As for my own company all day every day. I managed it before the advent of the internet and imagine it will be easier now!

Is the bike fit for purpose?

The bike has been great.

• I can get up 12%+ ramps with the gear ratios and a full load on flat pedals with no problems other than the fact it is quite hard work.
• The chain was thrown once for unknown reasons but otherwise it has been very reliable.
• Whipping off the tailfin bags and rack in 30 seconds to make a “round the island” bike was a dream.
• The dynamo lights are great – you just forget about them. The main beam is VERY bright, I was playing with it in the very gloomy conditions to see if it made a difference and a rider coming the other way said it was too bright!
• The dynamo can charge the battery pack whith the lights on but it is, as expected, slow at about 1% per hour.
• I like the cockpit with the two screens. Quadlock is very very secure.
• My Karoo is still really good at navigation and climb information but there are some annoyances:
  • the elevation is wildly wrong most of the time
  • the screens popping up from the bottom become annoying
  • not all the tiles work reliably – well, the elevation/distance bar chart worked until the end for 0 out of 2 of the rides.
• The 3D printed mudguard bridge I designed has made a big difference to my confidence in the mudguard stability but I have no idea if is really needed.
• Cycling with flat shoes is definitely the way to go. The big giant pedals are good – I can push and scrape back and only can’t pull up. I will take that for the convenience. It is liberating being able to leap of the bike and feel like a human.

Is the bike setup fit for purpose?

The bike rides along well, though it inevitably feels heavy at the back! With one hand off the handlebars the bars oscillate wildly but I think that is due to imbalance in the loading. I am optimistic I can fix it.

I am not sure I can carry enough food and water though. Yes, I can stop for it but I am wondering about sticking two small bags on the fork to get some of the weight forward and give me more room for food. More testing required for that.

Flat pedals are a win.

Is my clothing fit for purpose?

This was a win. Very happy with what I have. Annoyed I left the show covers behind at Bella’s before I hit the rain because I got reasonably soggy feet. Not terrible, but damp. Overshoes would have made it more comfortable. But in the rain in 8°C I was snug and dry albeit with four layers (vest, t-shirt, fleece and rain jacket). The pockets on the not-bib shorts from Le Col are useful. I slightly minded the no bib element and I felt there was more room than I would like in the region where I would like everything packed in securely thank you very much. I could pull them up tighter though and that did work.

Which kit needs to be where?

I got this pretty right too apart from the balancing issue.

Kit in the frame bag (gloves, gilet, raincoat all were used. Arm and legwarmers were not and I wonder whether I need them.

Power and snacks in the top tube bag makes sense – I also kept my glasses in there.