Equipment Review
This is a review of the equipment that I used during my ten month cycling trip from England to South Africa.
Bicycle - I chose to ride a Dawes Super Galaxy during my cycling trip from England to South Africa. A traditional touring bike such as the Dawes is not the normal choice for such a journey, but it worked out really well for me. The frame was strong, and the larger wheels meant that when I was riding over sealed roads, I used a lot less energy and could go faster than if I was riding a mountain bike with smaller wheels and larger tyres. Before I started my journey to Cape Town, I had reservations about how suitable it would be in the sands of Sudan , but again, it performed excellantly, and I had no problems at all. Everything has its drawback of course, and with riding the Dawes with adult size wheels (!!!), the main problem that I had was in finding replacement inner tubes and tyres. In fact, it was impossible to find anything after leaving Sudan until I reached South Africa, and even there, if I wanted tyres 32 x 700, I would have had to order them from Cape Town or Joburg.
Chains were also a problem. My bicycle was a nine speed Shimano, and the last time that I saw any chains for a nine speed was way back in Ankara, Turkey. Fortunately I bought a couple there to last the journey.
The Dawes came fitted with Mavic rims, and the rear rim developed cracks around the spoke holes. This is a common occurrence for touring bikes fitted with Mavics on the rear wheel, and if I were to do the trip again, I would choose a different rim for the rear.
I carried two panniers on the front and two on the back, where I also carried my tent. I broke one spoke during my journey, which is not bad for 10 months. If I were to do the trip again I would consider using a BOB trailer, as this would distribute the weight more evenly and place less strain on the spokes.
All in all I was very impressed with the Dawes, and despite the hassle of trying to locate suitable tyres and chains, I will be using it again on future trips (after a rebuild!).
Tent - Before I left England I knew that my choice of tent would be just as important as my choice of bicycle, as I would be spending a lot of time in it. Camping whenever I could saved me a lot of money during my trip!
My tent of choice was a Taurus 1 made by Vaude. At 2.5 kgs it's reasonably light, and the way that the inner and outer sections are connected means that it can be put up in a minute. Although it says that it is a two man tent, it's really only suitable for one person and gear. The tent performed well, but I found that the poles were a bit lightweight and developed cracks, and that the sewn in groundsheet was perhaps a little too thin. During heavy rains, the water would soak through. During my previous trips, I used a Vaude Hogan, which although slightly heavier was of much better quality. If I were to do this trip again, I would try to see if Vaude still made the Hogan and use that.
Camera - For this trip, and my South American adventures, I have used a Kodak DX7440 camera. Its hard to find fault with this camera - The Li-ion battery lasts for weeks and recharges quickly, its tough, strong and reliable. I'm not a professional photographer, and have been happy with the results it produces. There is also a video option which I have used a couple of times which is adequate but not brilliant. The camera has been ideal for this trip, however, in the future, I would consider replacing it with a superior model in order to take (hopefully) better photgraphs. I would also consider buying a seperate video camera.