The 2016 Cape Town to Cairo Setup:
As I knew Africa would include a fair amount of rough dirt roads, I decided to get a new mountain bike when I landed in Cape Town in January 2016.
The setup for the African part Cycling The Globe includes:
Bicycle: Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29’er, Shimano Acera 27 speed
Tires: Ground Control Flak Jacket, inner tubes with sealant
Bicycle Extras: Garmin Edge 510 GPS (uploading to Strava), 2 x Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic Waterproof Cycle Bags (2nd set since leaving home), Ortlieb Classic Handlebar Bag, Ortlieb 5L Drybag, Chain Lock, 2 Drinking Bottles (+ usually 2 x 1.5L plastic bottles as well), Foldable 29′ Fast Track Extra Tire, 4 Extra Inner Tubes, a 1$ Chinese pump bought in Tanzania (works great!), Tire Levers, Screwdriver, 4 Allen keys, WD-40 oil.
Camping: REI Quarter Dome 1 Tent, GoLite 2010 Adrenaline Sleeping Bag, Thermarest Inflateable Mat, Trekmates Mosquito Net, Headlamp, MSR PocketRocket Stove, 230 g ISO-Butane Gas, Alu Pot, Plastic Plate, Knife and Spoon.
Electronics: Acer Aspire One 14′ Laptop, Canon EOS 500D DSLR Camera, Canon 24mm and 50mm Fixed Lenses, GoPro Hero, Huawei Ascend P7 Smartphone, Kindle Ebook-reader, Goji Headphones, Extension Cord, Travel Adapter.
Clothes and Other Stuff (as per April 2016): 1 Pair of Cycling Shorts, 2 Cycling Shirts, 4 non-cycling shirts, 2 Pair of Shorts, 1 Pair of Jeans, 1 Pair of Black Training Shoes, 1 RAB Jacket (almost destroyed by the sun), 5 Boxer Shorts, 5½ Pair of Socks, Microfiber Towel, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Small Deodorant, Shampoo, Sun Protection, Libello with Sun Protection, Multi Vitamins, Malaria Pills, Cortizone Anti-Itch, Nail Cutter, Razor + foam, Sunglasses, Pencil, Leather Wallet, Vaccination Papers, Passport (3rd for the trip, the two others full).
The Original Setup used in Europe, Asia, Australia, South and North America
I’m making an effort to travel as light as possible. Especially on the climbs, every gram counts. By saving weight, cycling will be less fatiguing, and I will have more energy to enjoy the landscapes and meet people at the end of the day.
Total weight of the bags per 27/3/2011: 13.2 kg
Bicycle: Bianchi Via Nirone 7 C2C Ultegra/105 mix, 2008 model
Tires: Continental Super Sport with Anti Puncture belt (more than 3000 km in Egypt and India with only 1 flat!).
Bicycle Extras: Garmin Edge 705 GPS Cycle Computer, Shimano Cycling Shoes, Bell Helmet, 2 x Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic Waterproof Cycle Bags, Deuter Cross Air Backpack, Chain Lock, 6 Extra Inner Tubes, Pump, Tire Levers, Screwdrivers, Multi-size Allen key, WD-40 oil.
Camping: MSR Hubba HP tent, GoLite 2010 Adrenaline Sleeping Bag, Multimat Adventure Superlite Self-inflating Matress, Plastic Knife and Spoon.
Electronics: MSI Wind Netbook, Canon EOS 500D DSLR Camera, Kindle 3G Wireless e-book Reader, Sony Ericsson w890i Mobile Phone, Cheap MP3-player, Phillips Headphones.
Clothes and Other Stuff (as per March 27, 2011): 1 Pair of Cycling Shorts, 2 Cycling Shirts, 1 non-cycling T-shirt, 1 Pair of Shorts, 4 Boxer Shorts, Microfiber Towel, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Small Deodorant, Shampoo, Sun Cream, Nail Cutter, Gillette Razor + foam, Notebook, Pencil, Thailand Roadmap, Leather Wallet, Vaccination Papers, Passport.
