There are some things that I have been trying to figure out through research on this forum and searching on the internet that I have not been able to find. 1.When I am touring, what would I do with my bicycle/panniers, in terms of security, while I go to museums, restaurants, shops etc during my ride? 2.For an extended tour of ALL of south america, what tires are suggested for a 26" LHT? I was going to stick with the standard rims. 3. What is a good water bottle brand that doesn't taste like dookie after the water has been sitting in the bottle in the sun all day long? I want to carry alot of water, because I drink alot of water. 4. What are the best water storage solutions for touring? 5. How do you fly with all of your panniers/gear to your beginning destination if you are riding in a far off place? 6. What would be some good lights to have on a bicycle for SA?
Thanks

I have no experience with South America, but for where I have toured...
1. I have always avoided big cities when possible and gotten a room when not. In smaller cities/towns I just leave my stuff on the bike.
2. I have no idea.
3. There is no such thing. It does help to keep your extra water in a pannier where it stays a bit cooler. For that I use either bottled water bottles, sport drink bottles, or Nalgene bladders. Also depending on where I am, if there are cool mountain streams I consider taking a filter to have cool water along the way.
4. See item 3.
5. I put all my panniers and their contents in either a cheap thrift store suitcase (around $7) or a cheap expandable duffel bag. The duffel can be carried or mailed home and the suitcase can be discarded. Alternately the gear could be sent ahead via UPS, Fedex, USPS, or what ever method delivers to your start location.
6. I typically use a cheap blinkie light on the rear and a strap on headlamp on the front. That said I usually am in camp well before dark. I do like to start out in the dark in the morning sometimes. For that I sometimes only use the blinkie and nothing on the front but only where there is light traffic, very few cross roads, and a decent shoulder.

1) In small villages in South America I just left all the panniers on when I went into a shop. In most places the shops are tiny, and you just keep an eye on your bike. I kept my passport, wallet, camera in a handlebar bag that I would carry with me.

If I wanted to leave my bike for any longer than that I would find a safe place indoors. This worked out because I always stayed in some kind of lodging in cities. People always let me bring the bike inside.

2) Schwalbe Marathon XRs, 2.0 are the best for mixed use. They last a really long time, and they are versatile. Keep the pressure high on the pavement, and lower it significantly for comfort on dirt roads. They are pretty much the gold standard for touring tires.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...?ModelID=24540

3,4) I like Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles. The water always taste just like water. I regretted not bringing mine on my trip. I kept 3 water bottles on my bike, if I needed more I just bought a jug of bottled water and strapped it to the top of my rack.


5) what staehpj1 said

6) Just bring a rear blinkie (planet bike superflash), and a head lamp that will double as camp light. I barely used my lights. It's a really bad idea to cycle at night in SA, your chances of getting robbed go up significantly.

Will the 27 oz kleen kanteen fit in a standard cage, or only the 18 oz?

3. Another option for bottles is the Soma Crystal Polypropylene Bottle--inexpensive and no more plastic tea taste.

They do. They work best with the kleen kanteen cages, where they don't rattle at all:

https://www.kleankanteen.com/products...teen-cages.php

The only problem with those, is that they are plastic. I broke one once, but I think it's because I was constantly throwing that bike over my shoulder and bending the plastic.

This happens to be Lisbon, but it works universally. The bikes and empty panniers go in the bike boxes, the other gear goes in the large black light weight duffle (my wife's gear) and the red rack pack. The duffle and bikes go as checked baggage. The rack pack and yellow handlebar bag (camera, passport, tickets etc.) go as carry-on. We've used this on all modes of transportation where there is the opportunity to check baggage. The duffle bags are rip-stop nylon and weigh about 5 ounces. They look frail, but have held up remarkably well. It is just stuffed in the bottom of a pannier until the return home.


These are 3/32 wire "string" deterrents that I fabricated for my Ortlieb classic rollers. They are modelled after the ones Ortlieb sell for their Packer series. They will discourage the opportunistic thief, but someone with big scissors could probably cut through the small cable. I will make a bigger loop on the next iteration so a regular sized cable will pass through the loop. It would make them a lot more useful. I have only used them a couple of times in uncomfortable situations.

Myself I went over to wearing a money belt, under my clothing,
for the cash and card, return ticket, and passport.

got someone to build me some raincovers, the rear one covered everything in one cover.

My sewn bags tend to leak let water in, , the welded ones, the very popoular Ortlieb, don't.

Conch-guy sounds like they need to do some local practice tours,
before flying off to distant lands.

I plan on doing several different trips with the bike before I leave. I am getting advice on parts so that I don't have to buy different gear when I decide to leave for SA. I want to purchase adequate gear at the beginning, that way I can practice with the equipment I will use on my SA tour. I appreciate all of the advice so far.