Once we set our minds on this trip, the first step was to get bikes for it, since our CF road bikes wouldn’t work so well for a 3-month ride with 50+ pounds of gear in tow. After plenty of research, I landed on the Disc Trucker being my favorite out of all the touring-specific bikes I knew of at the time. I mentioned this to Rachel, and before I knew it she had bought the exact bike for herself! Not wanting to be twins, I went back to the drawing board and ended up stumbling upon the AWOL. It isn’t the classic touring ride that the Trucker is (out of the box), but it immediately caught my eye and after reading plenty of stories and reviews I decided it was the bike for me for such a trip. Shortly after, we outfitted our bikes racks and panniers, and began practicing!
Since then, I’ve made several upgrades to the AWOL. I’m most excited about the dynamo hub and USB charger, but I’ve also been very happy with the rest of the changes I’ve made to it in preparation for the trip.
- 2014 Surly Disc Trucker
- Planet Bike ATB Cascadia Fenders
- Blackburn Outpost Front World Touring Rack
- Blackburn Outpost Rear World Touring Rack
- Shimano PD-A530 Pedals
- Arkel XM-15BP Front Panniers
- Arkel Dry Lites Rear Panniers (sent home)
- Arkel Tailrider Trunk Bag
- Underseat bag
- Ortlieb 4L Water Bag (filled only as needed)
- 2014 Specialized AWOL Comp
- SKS P50 Chromoplastic Longboard Fenders
- Blackburn Outpost Front World Touring Rack
- Blackburn Outpost Rear World Touring Rack
- Shimano PD-A600 Pedals
- Supernova Infinity S Hub Dynamo
- Supernova The Plug III USB Charger
- DT Swiss TK 540 Disc Rim, 32H
- SRAM X7 2×10 Crankset, 175mm, 39-26
- Schwalbe Marathon Supreme HS 382, 700×35
- Arkel XM-28 Front Panniers
- Arkel XM-45 Rear Panniers
- Topeak Tourguide Handlebar Bag (sent home)
- Ortlieb Ultralight Compression Drybag 12L (used only as needed)
- Ortlieb 4L Water Bag (used only as needed)