The Bike and Gear

The Bike and the Gear

The bike is a Dawes Galaxy, while knowing what brand it is or isn't isn't too important, the features of this bike are for this kind of trip. It is fitted with burrs for a carrier (and came with the carrier installed). It has drop style handlebars which allow you a few different riding positions. It has plenty of gears and on this trip its the super slow motion gears that you really really need. Its pretty much completely adjustable with two allen keys, one 15mm spanner and a set of pliers. A bike like this is described as a touring hybrid. Its a bike for touring with some characteristics of a road bike. Its actually pretty fast, though you don't actually want to be going all that fast. All loaded up this bike was twice its factory weight (I was guessing around 28kg) and when you are very much depending on those brakes to work well for a week, you don't want to be putting yourself in a position where you really have to strain them.

While I packed way more stuff than I needed, by about day five i'd figured out what was useful and what was dead weight. Speaking of weight – you'll have to become a bit of a weirdo and start weighting your possessions, you'll want to be bringing the lighter stuff and balancing the load across the left and Right of the bike. Here's what was still considered useful after 5 days:

What you need to carry on trip breaks down into four basic categories - Tools, On the Bike and Spare Parts, Tourist Stuff and Clothes.

Laying out everything for the trip, empy panniers/bags on the left, Electronics, Clothes, Tools, Helmet etc.

Tools

Bike Multi-Tool – you need to be able to remove or adjust everything on the bike. There are loads of these on the market. Alternately you could pack each tool separately – Allen keys, spanners, pliers, chain breaking tool. As long as its lightweight and you can trust it for a field repair or two.

Mini Bike Pump – The airlines require you to deflate your tyres for transit, so you'll have to be able to re-inflate them on arrival. Totally vital.

Lock – Bike thieves are very talented people. When your entire world is attached to your bike you wont take your eyes off it for more than about 5 seconds at a time. A lock is a must for some peace of mind if you do have to leave it for a few minutes.

Spare Lights – I didn't use my spares, but i still recommend bringing them.

Small digital Clock/watch – for telling the time without taking your stupid phone out of your stupid pannier for the hundredth time.

Packing tape / cardboard – the airline I used allows bikes to travel in cardboard and tape. Bring your own tape and forage for cardboard at supermarkets and grocers. Its an adventure in itself.

Everything from the previous image in a combined 32L

On the bike and and spare parts

2 x bicycle tubes and tyre levers and a puncture kit – for making balloon animals to entertain goat herders and lizards.

Water bottles – minimum total of 1.5 liters. After one day I upped it to 3 – 4 liters on the bike at all times. Spain is warm. Stay hydrated my friend. Move the water toward the front of the bike any time you are stopping for a break.

2 x panniers – durable panniers. 32 liters holds all the stuff on this list.

Wedge bag – it goes under the seat and will hold a chain lock or a tool kit.

Frame bag – Ends up being your purse / wallet. A camera, 5 euro and a notepad in here will make life really easy.

Lunch boxes and plastic cutlery – so you can drop by a supermarket in the morning and load up on food to get you to the next town, and then eat like a king beside some road sign with a bunch of lizards staring at you.

Plastic bags – strong plastic bags. You do not want yesterdays laundry mingling with tonights clothes, or your cottage cheese working its way into your camera, or a passport made of sunblock.

Tourist stuff

Wallet, ID, Flight and accommodation details, Maps.

First aid pouch – band aids, large bandages, tape, antiseptic cream, painkillers, sunblock.

Camera and charger – Look, I know your phone has great filters, but you'll need that to call your mom when you get lost. Bring an actual camera that isn't living off the same power source as your phone.

USB cable and 4 way adapter (phone/ tablet charging) – Most places I stayed in spain had one socket in the room. The 4-way was a life saver.

Multi region power adapter – Spanish plugs are not irish plugs – its obvious but just for the sake of writing it down.

Notebook and pen – list of things you need in the morning, list of directions to the next village, list of stuff that needs to be ready for the airport, train times from the capital, the spanish word for beer, looking artsy and intelligent in the coffee shops. This is a very useful tool. Find a compact one.

Auxiliary batteries – emergency batteries for the phone, tablet and lights (if you have the usb sort) – one with a high milliamp rating might do the trick.

Phone / Tablet – you at least need a phone for emergencies. The tablet was great in the evenings and sometimes as a map though was one of the heaviest things I carried. Top-tip- place your vital apps on the home screen. Maps, lists, camera, torch and remove the things you don't use. Any little thing that makes you use up an extra 1-2% battery like messing about looking for apps is just going to feel like a waste of time on the road.

City and regional maps made of paper – technology is stupid and breaks, paper is made from trees and does not need to be charged to be used.

Clothes 

In very simple terms you need clothes to cycle in, clothes to be a tourist in and clothes to sleep in.

2 x cycling vests - At least one long sleeve and one short.

2 x cycling shorts – lycra should be illegal in fairness, but after a few hours in La Sierra in 20 degree heat you'll be glad you dressed like a person who is basically naked.

Cycling shoes – shoes that you will just wear on the bike and that will probably get ruined.

Packable trousers x 2 – I used the lightweight type that convert to shorts with zips and take up very little bag space.

Thermal vests x 2 – they take up little space and while you are recovering from that 7 hour haul to Ronda you'll think yourself to be a genius for bringing them.

Fleece top – warm, comfortable and formal enough to wear around town in the evening.

Long sleeve tees – like t-shirts except with wonderful adjustable sleeves built in for forearm sunburn protection.

Bedwear shorts / tees – for not creeping out the hostel dwellers.

Underwear and socks – what am I your mom?

Social shoes – shoes for looking suave walking the streets of spain that take the attention off how pale Irish people actually are when you put them beside any other people.

Washbag – I'm a male and trimmed this down to toothbrush / toothpaste / razor / soap / comb.

Travel towel (microfibre cloths) – While a lot of places provide a towel its best to have one of these little guys with you.

Packable rain shorts and jacket – It didn't rain once across the whole trip, but I don't care. You want to have enough clothes to basically be able to sleep in if you have real trouble on the road. A packable rainjacket and shorts takes up not too much space.

Gloves – or take pictures of your super raw day three hands for sympathy likes on instagram.

Sunglasses – Spain. It is sunny.

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