antokelly

what's the biggest improvements you have made to your entire touring rig.
bike
cloths
camping
bedding
wheels /tires
do you use gps.
whatever it was please list.
myself only in the past few weeks i bought the thermarest compressible pillow excellent piece of kit as is my optimos crux stove .
I'm working now on getting the lightest strongest set of 599 wheels to replace my heavy sun rhyno wheels, great wheels no doubt but to heavy. so if you know of a great wheelset please let me know

Spatulor

I'm still in the process of acquiring a touring rig, so the only improvements I've made so far have been a Brooks saddle, a rear rack, (with only one pannier so far) and a hammock - I'm planning on doing a tour across Canada next summer, so I intend to spend this fall/winter getting both prepared and in shape.

I didn't really know what I was getting myself in for when I decided to do this!

antokelly

better start saving your pennies can get quiet expensive but worth it. best of luck .

zzOtherlandzz

I don't know if this is my best buy.... But I bought it this morning... Still planning and getting ready for my first tour later this month... https://www.geartrade.com/item/207738

Click here to see my LONG WINDED tale of getting gear and setting up my bike for my first tour.. (in the Southeast forum here on bikeforums.net).. https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...irst-bike-tour...

Jay....

Blues Frog

I added front rack, front and rear battery lights, dynamo hub and light, Planet Bike fenders, B17 saddle, racktime panniers, and tireliners. If you carry much weight and ride very far you will know why the wheels are "heavy". You might want to carry the spokes and tool with you and learn to use them. Other ancillary things were to make an alcohol stove and cook kit, Hennesy hammock, and added LED flashlight, bike tool kit and tubes, CO2 inflator, and energy chews. I have a goodly supply of home made energy bars with me at all times. Water bottles and cages with extra one liter bottles to carry water gave me some choice as to rest stops. The panniers have an external one liter pouch per side. I need front panniers now to spread the weight evenly front to back.

Speedo

Hmmm. A toss-up. LED headlamp (just about any smallish model) or MSR pack towel. Okay, the towel gets the nod. I love my pack towel.

Speedo

reed523

Keen commuter sandals. Priceless.

escii_35

1. When I lived in an area with fugly chipseal roads I bought a "softride suspension stem."

2. 48-36-24

3. Paul shorty V-break on the front.

zzOtherlandzz

Strip of velcro for holding the front brake.... Learned that on here.. Haven't even went on tour yet.. just test rides and i KNOW i don't want to leave home without it.. LOL

cyccommute 

Hands down, the bike. I purchased a Cannondale T800 in 2003 to replace my 1984 Miyata 610 and it was like night and day. The T800 is a far superior machine. Lighter, stiffer, hauls the load better, etc. All the other stuff is just gravy.

rekmeyata

My best buy hands down is the Brooks B17 saddle, without a comfortable all day saddle under you, your ass is grass, you ain't going to be touring that's for sure, at least not for long because you'll be on the grass and not on the bike.

Kip

Cyclebum

Aerobars. Wouldn't leave home without them.

MassiveD

B17 might be the best improvement that isn't just too personal. My favourite gear are the bamboo fenders I made, and the racks I made.

I have a totally custom set up in the works. The wheels are White industries, and wheelsmith, and the rims are aeroheat, or whatever the equivalent you want for the size you will run. I also have a white/ rohloff set, but I don't have a frame for those yet, or really a trip.

Stuff I really like but hasn't really helped is probably lead by Paul brakes. I find the best simple brake for touring is the petersen self energizers. The problem with all brakes is that the drop levers lack the leverage we are used to with MTB brake levers, and the petersens use bike loading to clamp on the wheel. They aren't made any more but they are pretty easy to find.

TimmyT 

This is a good question.

There are things I don't notice (waterproof panniers, for example), that would be indispensable. I've had non-waterproof, too, and they are a pain.

In terms of the cockpit, I would go with the B17, too.

The other thing that is super, super, super useful is a handy change of shirt, preferably to something that does not hold water (like nylon or equivalent).

My $0.02...........

sam21fire

The B17 gets my vote also. There are other items that make life more comfortable but the B17 makes the difference between GO and NO-GO.

antokelly

good stuff ,i never hear of the keen commuter sandles must look them up but i take a pair of crocks there pretty good.yeah the brooks would take some beating thats for sure.
when i first started this touring lark only about 5 years ago now i decided to try and buy the best i could in bike and gear so far i've done ok. the only thing i don't like in the lightweight gear it the blow up pillows just cant get on with them at all. also the marathon plus tires would not be my favorite tire .if i was to change anything on my thorn sherpa it would be the wheels and front fork .the wheels are sun rhyno on xt m770 hubs 36 spokes great wheels dont get me wrong but to heavy for my liking , the front fork on the sherpa weighs as much as the frame. so i will change it for a carbon fork when i can afford it.
btw did i mention alpkit down sleeping bag excellent bag just thought I'd mention that LOL.
keep it coming folks nice to know other tourers favorite piece on gear.

Machka 

For touring ...

-- Brooks B17
-- Axiom panniers
-- MEC handlebar bag
-- Carradice Nelson longflap
-- Shimano PDM324 Multi-Purpose pedals
-- Convertible pants
-- Wicking T-shirts

rekmeyata

Keep in mind when you say "the best you can buy" you need to be asking yourself a question: is this purchase for a one time tour, or is this purchase for a lifetime of touring? In other words are you only going to tour once or are you planning a hundred tours. There is no need to have the best if it's only going to get used once, so a $1,200 set of panniers for one tour is a waste of money when you could a set of panniers for $300 from Performance that would work very well on one and probably two or three long tours. Same is true with length of tours, if you only going on a bunch of overnight tours then again you probably don't need the best, but if your going on a bunch of month or longer tours then you should buy the best. The Performance line of touring gear is not bad stuff by the way, it won't last 4 or 5 several month long tours but it's more then adequate for a bunch of overnight or a couple of month long tours.

antokelly

emm kinda have to disagree with you on this one sorry. but the way i look at it you get what you pay for.
besides what if it rains for a week on a a short tour better to be dry and warm with your top of the range gear that soaked and freezing cold just for the sake of that few extra bucks. nah i really don't believe in buying crap it's just not wort it in the short or long term.IMHO.

backwheel

Have to agree with rekmeyata on this one, the amount of people who spend fortunes buying top of the line gear and sitting at home talking about their gear and touring on forums proves that its best to make do with cheaper kit until you get to the stage where your needs demand better kit

antokelly

but thats we all do for god sake buy gear and talk about it on forums ,isn't that why we are all here talking to one another. every bit of quality gear i've bough i've used ,i bough a rain jacket for my france tour i binned it on the third day absolutly useless so much for buying cheap gear.
anyway we could get all kinds of arguememts on this subject lets stick to whats your best buy.

backwheel

Would have to disagree with you on buying gear and talking, I prefer to spend more time touring.

And again when you talk of arguments, I don't consider talking and questioning someone's responses an argument, after all it was you who opened the whole thing up for debate by quoting and disagreeing with Rekmeyata.

If you were to total up how much your touring kit (inc bike, tent, panniers, sleeping bag and pad ,cooking equip, stove.) How much would it total up to?

zzOtherlandzz

Even the cheap stuff can be considered a lot of money..... to some.... When I first started riding I didn't know if it was something I was going to like... Bought a Mart bike rode it till it died... Bought what I thought was a better Mart bike at the time... rode it till it died.... Decided I liked riding & was going to continue doing it.... Bought good bikes.... Now trying the same thing with touring (better bike to start, thought not a touring bike).... If I like touring..... I'll buy better stuff as time goes by.....

Either way without this forum I would be WAY more lost than I am setting up the bike and planning my first tour.......

Thanks to all on here..

bradtx

autokelly, By far the pre owned Cannondale T700 has been my best buy (I paid the same price for it as I would've asked!). Next was the wheelset followed by a sturdy carrier. To me the 'best buys' are made on those items you don't want to think about when touring on a bike.

Brad