Alpkit Gear Reviews: Hunka Bivvy, MytiPot, Headtorch and Lantern
I have a number of items of gear from Alpkit on this trip and they are all getting well-used. In summary, I am very impressed. Especially when you consider the…
Gear Advice and Lessons Learned – Equipment
GEAR You can see the list of gear I took on the Equipment List page here. I’m no expert, but here’s a list of things I learned and did. Duct tape…
Review of Aquapac Waterproof cases and Exped drybags
There were two reasons I wanted to protect all my gear in waterproof bags and cases. Firstly, my Ortlieb panniers are no longer waterproof, being scarred with small holes from…
Review of Nemo Obi 2P Lightweight Tent
Update: Having now completed my cycle through North and Central America, I figured it’s time for an update on how the tent fared over the 8 months. Looking back at…
Bike Review after 25,000km
I’ve just written a detailed review of how my Thorn Raven Tour (with Rohloff hub) held up during the 25,000km Take On Africa bike ride. Take On Africa – Bike…
Bike Equipment Review – After 25,000km
I wrote a review of the bike equipment after a year on the road, from Yaounde in Cameroon, after 17,000km. Now, having completed my ride to Cape Town, after 25,000km…
Clothing Review
Keen shoes – Targhee II I just love Keen shoes! These lasted the duration of the trip – that’s over 24,000km of cycling and walking when the roads were too…
Camping Equipment Review
Tent – MSR Hubba Hubba This tent was a great choice – a two-man tent which is free-standing and can be put up inner only meets all the needs of…
Thoughts on a Rohloff-Equipped Bike
I debated a long time whether to get a bike with a Rohloff hub, or a regular dérailleur system. In the end, not knowing much about bike maintenance and being…
Equipment Review
This is quite a thorough list of how the bike, panniers and racks have held up and problems I have had. Most people won’t want to read beyond this intro,…
Cycle Touring Maintenance Essentials
I have written another article for my sponsors Webtogs about some equipment I’ve found particularly useful for maintaining my bike… in particular, a toothbrush! You can read the article here:…
Equipment List – updated
Below are three photographs showing all the gear and equipment I arrived in Africa with on my bike. I have since got rid of the MSR stove and fuel bottle…
The Birth of Joliba II
(Joliba Fila – Joliba meaning ‘Great River’ and Fila meaning ‘2’ in Manding) Travels down the Niger River – 350km, Faranah to Kouroussa (Guinea) 6th – 22nd February 2010 The…
Interview with Brian from Korean-World
I’m hoping to do a podcast interview with Brian in the coming months, but for now the internet connections in this part of West Africa are too slow. So, for…
The Best of Times, The Toughest of Times (Part 2)
3 weeks, 4 countries, 7 boat rides, 1200km cycled. There have been good days and bad days, the best days and worst ones. At times it’s been tough and tiring,…
Trans-Saharan Crossing Begins
Gateway to the Sahara Guelmim, the ‘gateway to the Sahara’ as it is known, which hints at it’s former importance as a trading post on the caravan routes of old,…
The Sum of all Troubles
One dedicated reader commented recently that I’ve not mentioned many troubles encountered. The simple reason for this is that, so far, I’ve not encountered many problems. Well, nothing that has…
Taking the rough with the smooth
The sun’s out but the cycling’s hard… Since leaving Rochefort on Monday, rather late it has to be said… the campsite was lovely and the owners lovelier. I also had…
Learning from my mistakes
The Story of the Leatherman and Other Things… The Leatherman I stop for a snack at a forest cross-roads – a nectarine and apple ought to see me through to…
Getting organised, getting excited
I have just bought a ferry ticket to France – and so on the 20th July I shall be arriving in St. Malo; looking forward to two years cycling across…