France to Spain cycling holiday - what kit?

tomo13
tomo13 Posts: 7
edited June 2009 in Tour & expedition
Hi,

I am planning on joining my friends on a two week cycling holiday down to Spain. I've never done touring before so would like some advice. I have a Giant Defy 2 road bike.
1. Will this bike be OK to tour with?
2. Can you recommend the kit I will need to take [we are camping/ B&B so I'll need to carry everything on the bike. The frame will take a pannier rack. My budget is tight so I'll need resonably priced kit. I've already purchased an ultralite sleeping bag and 3/4 matt.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • 1footedninja
    1footedninja Posts: 269
    http://www.bikebins.com/

    They are built really nice and so good as a rigid bag, easy to strap stuff onto and best bit you can just leave on your bike and put a lock thru them and your rack, then lock em and will deter potential robbers. Ok they add a little weight but I weighed them and my soft pannier bags and give or take they was about the same, weightwise.

    If you can get some of that water stuff that puts electrolytes back in your system, you can buy a little bottle of the stuff then just add a few drops when you need it, should keep you on top of things.

    a good set of waterproofs helps.

    take some euros with you.

    plastic bags as well, use em for lots of stuff, from waterproofing stuff, to making rope.

    have a gud un
    'since the flaming telly's been taken away, we don't even know if the Queen of Englands gone off with the dustman'.
    Lizzie Birdsworth, Episode 64, Prisoner Cell Block H.
  • rjh299
    rjh299 Posts: 721
    Don't know how much weight your bike will take. It's got eyelets for a rack but isn't designed for fully laden touring really, esepecially if your carrying a tent and 2 weeks worth of kit. Are you sharing a tent with your friends? Would save weight all round and especially save your bike from carrying it. Possibly still look at a trailer. One's on ebay for £40+pp ish. But if you don't have to carry tent and can keep kit to a minimum a rack might be ok.
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    rjh299 wrote:
    Don't know how much weight your bike will take. It's got eyelets for a rack but isn't designed for fully laden touring really, esepecially if your carrying a tent and 2 weeks worth of kit. Are you sharing a tent with your friends? Would save weight all round and especially save your bike from carrying it. Possibly still look at a trailer. One's on ebay for £40+pp ish. But if you don't have to carry tent and can keep kit to a minimum a rack might be ok.

    A tent and 2 weeks worth of kit should come to less than 15 kg.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • rjh299
    rjh299 Posts: 721
    andymiller wrote:
    A tent and 2 weeks worth of kit should come to less than 15 kg.

    If he can keep all his gear to a minimum. It's just that i had a couple spokes break on my Giant SCR 3 on my 5 mile commute (don't know how much weight i was carrying though, but it was quite a bit!). By the looks of it, the Defy 3 has 32 spoke count which may not take to too much weight. I've now fitted 36 spoke wheel with 3 cross pattern.
    If you can share your equipment with your friends, like tent and cooker, it would decrease the weight your carrying.

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