I recently did a 3100 mile tour with a Bianchi Boardwalk(a college bike) loaded with about 50 pounds of gear. it broke......so i'm getting a new bike.

new bike is going to be a trek 520. my bianchi has a dual layer aluminum rim so i'll keep that as a spare for this one. spare rear rim will be velomax(if i can find one). i found a sleeping bag(good to zero) and a 1 person, all-weather tent that weigh 3 pounds a peice. possibly getting a bob trailer to.

now, the advice i need is the for the following;
1)panniers:needs to be -good hooks(metal if possible), nylon
if possible -roomy, multi-compartment, waterproof(or resistant)
2)clothes:needs to be -different temps. cold, moderate, and hot.
3)rain gear: needs to be -me resistant. i bought a $50 top and ripped it in a week.
4)stove: needs to be -small and light. also be able to take the 16.4 oz propane bottles
unless someone knows a better fuel source(besides campfires) that
I can get at the local sporting goods or hardware store.
5)anything i'm missing?

I would not buy a 520, its overpriced and comes with chintzy racks etc. the LHT is better. I would build my own from an older MTB frame or 1980s tour bike, but thats what i like to do...

I would not tow a BOB if i did buy a 520. Bikes meant for panniers should take advantage of that fact. Why tow a 17 pound anchor too?

look at waxed canvas rain gear, like carradice duckbax. its much tougher than any plastic stuff. otherwise, get thick vinyl or thrift store finds and wear them out without spending too much.... I got a 299 $ e-vent jacket for 7 bucks a few months back.

I really like my snowpeak giga-stove. I also have an alcohol stove i made which is nice...

panniers, i like carradice super c stuff.

Equipment lists vary from person to person. If you do some searches -- "packing list" or "equipment list" would be a start -- here and on other bike touring sites, you can find out more. Backpacking and Bikepacking sites would also have relevant information.

I've tried a variety of stoves -- isobutane canisters, propane bottles, alcohol stoves, wood-burning stoves, solar, and others -- and the best ones I've found are the quality multi-fuel stoves (MSR Whisperlite International and DragonFly, for example; or some of the other multi-fuel stoves -- Primus would be my first choice). The best fuel for them is white gas. Having the option of using other fuels (like gasoline) is a good backup if white gas is unavailable somewhere.

Ortlieb panniers are a safe bet. Jandds are not waterproof (last I checked), but they are well made.

You can also do searches on individual items. There is a lot of discussion available online.

FYI, Novarra brand bikes on sale at REI for the next 10 days, includes Randonnee and Safari touring bikes.

The LHT Complete is a great choice. You don't need to spend a bunch on a rack,
the basic ones that are about $30 in bike shops are fine.

Personally, I didn't want to pay extra for the fancy panniers. I got good ones, but they aren't waterproof. so I use waterproof stuff sacks to put things in. Any camping store will have them.

I don't know where you live, but the LL Beans outlets have a nice selection of raincoats at the moment. Do some shopping around.
https://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/2...t-For-Men.html

I prefer gas stoves to propane. I am sure there are comparisons somewhere on the internet. Speaking of which, you can find reviews on the Backpacker website.
Don't go cheap on the sleeping pad if you can help it.

Check out Campmor.

And I really like the BakePacker
https://www.bakepacker.com/

Don't listen to them, the Trek 520 is a great bike. Excellent choice.

+1

Equipment decisions depend a lot on how constrained your budget it, all the way from the cheapest you can get by with to the best that money can buy. Where do you fit on this scale? If money is tight, you can really get some good deals on "adequate" stuff. If money is loose, there's not much reason not to buy the best.

Oh its a good bike allright. It just costs too much, and has crappy accessories...

if i can find a 520 frame, i will build from that. as for sleeping gear, $100 for the bag and tent apiece.

money is not an issue, i will be saving(if at all possible) for the next year or 2.

bob trailer is a maybe. it all depends. didn't like the last trailer i had.

i have front and rear fortress, stuffy, waterproof panniers and the plasitc hooks broke. as i said before, multi-compartment, stuffy, good hooks.

i'll be looking at the stoves mentioned. multi-fuel is prefered.

anybody know any cold-weather(yes i'm starting in cold weather, feels better) bike clothes that i can combine with underarmor?

I'd be looking at wool clothing if I were you. It's good stuff.

instead of a trailer, how about one of these https://www.xtracycle.com/cargo-utili...eeradical.html ?

Xtracycles are those people who realise they made a mistake when they got their bike. If you get a bike that can carry things, then you don't need it.

You don't want your front wheel to be in one state while your rear wheel is two states behind you.

You can tour with front and rear racks; just how much do you need to carry?

get an extrawheel trailer. forget all others. (donning flame proof suit)

lol..........

As for the bike, fit is most important, so if the 520 fits, that will help. There are other bikes that work too, the Surly LHT for example, the Rocky Mountain Sherpa series if you can find one. Just about any bike can be used, if you want to use racks and panniers then you need rack/fender mounts. I plan to use a converted mountain bike.

As for stoves, I have done some research here, pick the fuel that is most readily available in the places you plan to tour. Propane may not be the best option, the cylinders are heavy, even when empty, the ones used for stoves are not refillable and need to be disposed of as hazardous waste, which may not be easy on a longer tour. White gas is another common fuel, sold in metal cans, the cans are fairly thin steel and can be recycled through normal channels. There are also alcohol based stoves, which can actually be made at home, just look for soda can stove online, these are very small and compact, if your not sure of fuel sources you can make one for the price of 2 cans of beverage, just keep it in your pack for times your regular fuel is hard to get. If your over 21 you can get alcohol just about anywhere Alcohol does not contain as much energy per litre as gasoline or white gas, so boil times are longer, there are commercial alcohol stoves, such as the Trangia, but they can be quite expensive.

There are multi-fuel stoves, they typically can burn white gas, gasoline or kerosene, white gas is common in North America at least at sporting, camping and hardware type stores, gasoline is common, but filling a 1L fuel bottle from a gasoline pump can be an exercise in frustration at best. Easier if you can borrow a gasoline can used for lawnmowers and emergency car filling, fill that from the pump then, fill your bottle from it. Gasoline is a fairly dirty fuel, and may require a different jet and frequent cleaning on some stoves. Kerosene also known as paraffin and lamp oil is not as common as it used to be, again you may need a different jet and to clean your stove more often. For the most flexibility you want a multi-fuel stove and carry a soda can stove as a backup.

I vote 520, but an old one, if you can find it. The older the better, unless you can find a 620 or, better yet, a 720.

What are you gaining by using an Xtracycles? 20 lbs?

Are you missing something?

I take an airmat for a sleeping pad but since you are doing cold weather touring you may want some sort of insulated mattress pad.

Towel - MSR ultralite towel

cookware - I eat a lot of Ramen so all I need is a pot

Yes, the Xtracycle would probably be a better choice, if the choice were limited to those two.

But if you include the option of strong, well mounted racks and panniers, that would be preferable.

-- unless you have some special need(s) that would be met by having an Xtracycle.

If I had the choice of any of the above, it would be (for most touring situations at least) good racks and panniers.

i don't mind taking the extra bit of weight for the xtracyle for the extra room it offers. there are going to be parts of my tour that it will be a day to 3 between towns. i will be doing maybe up to 100 miles a day so the comfort of knowing i have enough water and food to keep me going is a good thing.

i have a camping mat but aren't air matresses a pain to get all the air out? it just seems like alot of trouble to be comfortable.

as for the towels, i'll look into the ultralite but i was thinking of trying that shamwow thing.

as for trailers, i think just adding a little extra weight to my bike, not extra weight and a wheel...

and about rims for the bike, should i try to get velomax or just stick with double layer aluminum?

You can carry a lot with a full set of racks and panniers -- if you set the bike up properly, it is amazing how much you can carry. Enough for a week at a time.

You might still prefer the Xtracycle for your own reasons; and I don't mean to try to talk you out of it. It is well made, and has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Bikes handle in a more relaxed way when they have the extra length.

I've tried a lot of towels, and the ones that have come out on top are the sage-green kitchen microfiber towels from Kmart. They may sound like they aren't the best, but they are surprisingly good. They're only about five dollars for two; they're a good size; they're light and very absorbent, and they work better than anything else I've tried, including some of the backpackers' towels and a variety of other microfiber towels.