LEJOG equipment advice

johnson1985

Hello,

I will be cycling from Lands End to John o'Groats over 14 days at the end of august, but do not have much equipment. I've recently bought myself a decent bike, but now need a helmet and a pannier rack and bags, to be bought on a VERY tight budget...

Does anyone have any advice on buying these items (i.e. how cheap can I go, and where can I buy them from?). Also, are there any other important items I should also be looking to buy i.e. kevlar tyres?


any help would be much appreciated...


steve

Hoopdriver

A bit more information would help. For instance, are you camping, and thus carrying tents, bags, etc or are you staying in B&Bs? That makes a big difference in what you are going to need. I've done LEJOG in B&Bs and carried only a Carradice Super-C saddlebag and a Super-C bar bag; I've also done it camping with a set of (Ortlieb) panniers.

However you carry your gear you'll want your bags to be waterproof or highly water resistant (and then keep you stuff inside in plastic bags).

Giro make excellent helmets - they're my preference, but others such as Bell are good also. All of them will meet safety standards; some have better ventilation and adjustability than others.

Schwalbe marathon plusses are good tyres if you really want to avoid flats. Panaracer Paselas are also good touring tyres and I have done LEJOG on them (with no flats)

I've used Tubus racks and Blackburn racks and never had any troubles; the one on my expedition bike now is handmade and cost a bit more than your budget implies you'd like to spend. You want a good rack though - you done want it to break en route.

I assume you have pump, patch kit, spare tubes? A multi-tool of some sort? Spare links for the chain and a chain tool that you know will work. A lot of the ones on multi-tools are just there for form's sake and don't perform all that well in the field. Park makes an excellent folding chain tool. Hopefully you will not need any of these things - and probably you won't but it pays to be prepared. Most of the time you end up helping out others who weren't so prepared

Cycle touring is not expensive, but it does pay to get decent gear - at least the basics.

Good luck

MichaelW

Does your bike have threaded eyelets for a luggage rack.
How much luggage do you plan.


I like MET helmets, the fitting adapts to any shape or size of head.
A bar bag with quick-release fitting is really useful on any tour for carrying valuables and as a map-holder.

priory

how cheap do want?
pound stretcher have helmets and undershorts and a carrier and throw-over pannier and hi-vis jacket at the moment really cheap. and they would do the job.
since the effectiveness of helmets is a matter for debate i hardly see how how the quality could matter if it feels comfortable. You may not wear it for many of the miles in remote places.
cheap carriers and panniers are heavy, not particularly fragile. My favourite handlebar bag is a cheap strap-on from lidl, as are my panniers. I say get what you can easily afford and take string and duck tape and zip-ties. I always put my stuff in plastic bags in the panniers, best is see-through. You could just drape a large bag or double thickness rubble bags over the pannier-rack and secure with bungies.

Argos do stuff as well.
PS they seem to have helmets from£10! The £20 throw-over pannier would be fine. No rack on-line that i could see. the pound stretcher one is on sale at £10 near me.

Dervla murphy set off for india on a shopping bike with no idea how to fix a puncture ( not that I recommend that,but it can be done). Doug Scott pinched his dad's tow-rope and went to black rocks with his pal who had his mum's washing line to start to climb.
Do take tools and and 2 tubes and zip-ties and string and tape and lights.

Murphy had a pistol to shoot the wolves, but you will not need that unless those camapigners for re-introduction get their way in the highlands.