Touring - good gear- bad gear list '05

I thought that it would be a good idea to share gear that we love and gear that we hate
so here we go:
snow peak gst 100a pocket stove (ti /w starter)so tiny yet soo powerful.
western mtn versalite 10deg bag at only 2lbs soo warm.
msr velo tent 9lbs, but worth every ounce imo.
bike packer plus...nuffsaid.
burnton nova stove three thumbs up
ok so that was the good gear I dont have any bad gear yet but ill post it when i get it

bad gear = dawes super galaxy 05, touring bike my arse, wish i spent the extra and got thorn so far i have replaced handle bars, pedels twice, stem. had to get new wheels built as they just were not up to the job. i put a touring seat on it to replace the racing 1 that was on there to start with. & this was soppossed to be the best tourer money can buy!!! i have a rear brake that has no adjustment what so ever & i'm still waiting to hear from the lbs what dawes r going to do about it.

f****** bollocks thats what i say.

Is the 9 pound tent on the bad gear list? How small does a 9 pound tent pack up to, about the size of a pony keg?

no, in fact that 9pound baby is on the top of my list cause it keeps all my other good gear inside and TOTALY DRY including 2 bikes 4 panniers 2backpacks and two people... with space to spare.
and yes it is smaller than a pony keg.. but only buy a little:)
i will post a pic as soon as i find out how..

On the bad gear list - Slime Tire Liners, those green liners that are supposed to prevent flat tires. I know it's tough to stop thorns, but the Slime liners are pretty much worthless. I just took mine out and through them away after running over a thorn patch and finding 5 holes in each tube. I've had much better luck with Mr. Tuffy's in my other bike.

The 9 pound tent would have to go on my bad gear list. It's just too much weight.

I have Schwalbe Marathon 700x37s on my bad list, one puncture, and the whole thing unravels. While I intend to stick with 700c for tourning, I have to say that as far as I can see there isn't a replacement tire for my bike east of Quebec city, and my tour is pretty much over as a result. By replacement, I am talking anything 700x32 or more that can take more than 50 pounds, preferably with some puncture proofness in the casing. I mean I made my destination east of Fredericton, on some Hybrid tire junk, but I got to thinking of breaking my train return, in Montreal, and cycling back to TO, and I won't probably do it cause I can't find a tire (finding one in Montreal is an option, but if I waste a half day doing it, it will cost me a lot of money). I don't think I have to tell you how many more options I would have if my tires were 26", literally hundreds, including some decent slicks.

On the bad gear list - Slime Tire Liners, those green liners that are supposed to prevent flat tires. I know it's tough to stop thorns, but the Slime liners are pretty much worthless. I just took mine out and through them away after running over a thorn patch and finding 5 holes in each tube. I've had much better luck with Mr. Tuffy's in my other bike.

The 9 pound tent would have to go on my bad gear list. It's just too much weight.

I found that the Slime liners actually cut my tubes the first and only time I used them. Tuffys are way better (and cheaper).

Edit: on the plus list

1. Orikaso dish (http://www.rei.com/product/47907748.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CAMPING_TOC). They store flat, don't weigh much and are tough as nails - even had one as a cutting board.

2. Fuji tour bicycle. Bought one for my kid and it worked like a champ!

3. Big Angus pad and sleeping bag.

4. Aztec handle bar pads. I thought they were too thick when I first put them on but I didn't have any hand numbness when I was done with the tour. Not something I've been able to say before (including the 6 weeks it took for my hands to regain feeling after a mountain bike tour several years ago.)

Six weeks! That is what I was figuring I would have to wait for the feeling to return to my left foot's toes. Did something weird to them on the pedals. I use old fashioned clips, but they didn't work with my Look sandals (otherwise great), and I didn't make a change soon enough.

Six weeks! That is what I was figuring I would have to wait for the feeling to return to my left foot's toes. Did something weird to them on the pedals. I use old fashioned clips, but they didn't work with my Look sandals (otherwise great), and I didn't make a change soon enough.

The feeling in myfingers usually comes back over a few weeks. In 2003, I had one "spot" on my right middle finger that felt like someone was pulling the numbness out of it at that spot. Feeling came back from the palm to the finger tip and eventually left one little spot, about the size of a pencil tip, that tingled which gradually got smaller and smaller. Was a really weird sensation.

new gear for me on the plus list this year:

black diamond lighthouse tent - 3lb 3oz, sleeps 2 people and tall enough to do the standing crouch when you put on your trousers.

Though this is a little obvious, I love the combo of a Quick stick tire removal tool, a Road Morph tiny stirup pump, and the new stick on patches. That combo is so fast it's unfair. I grew up taking tires off with spoons, this stuff spoils me.

I should have qualified my Schwalbe criticisms by saying I'm just as possibly the one at fault.