Before we started this adventure, hours were wasted scanning blogs as we researched what gear was needed to live on our bikes for months on end. It´s easy to be scared once you see all gear used by some people out there. But then we (Manon) realised you don´t to spend thousands of dollars on fancy gear to have an adventure of your own. We´re not professional, and we´re not trying to break any records, so we´re trying to keep things simple.

Bens bike

I got a little too excited looking at all the best bikes on the market, but wanted to find a no-frills touring bike for under 600 euros. I found exactly that in my well-built german machine:

Manons bike

Manon went for a different approach, and when looking for a bike had 1 principle: As cheap as possible! She managed a killer deal at the local bike co-op, picking up an MBK greenfield bike with luggage racks, suspension and disc breaks for only 200 euros.

Our trusty steeds enjoying a day off in İstanbul: Ben´s on the left and Manon´s on the right.

Camping, cooking and luggage

  • MSR Hubba Bubba Tent
  • MSR Whisperlite international stove. This uses petrol, so it´s easy to fill up in any country.
  • MSR 2.5 litre and 1.5 litre pots
  • Quechua forclaz air sleeping mat (best buy for only 30 euros)
  • Simond Makalu I sleeping bag. Great buy: goes to -4 degrees and cost 120 euros at Decathlon, half the price of most bags out there. Keeps you warm and toasty at night!
  • 2 x plastic plates from Decathlon, 2 coffee mugs, knives and forks from home
  • Lifestraw mission 15 litre - We couldn´t recommend this highly enough! It makes any water safe to drink, and saves us buying endless plastic bottles.
  • 4 x 24L Thule panniers (2 each). Great waterproof luggage that has got us through a few storms already
  • 1 x 40L and 1 x 20L backpack

Bens clothes

  • 3 x organic cotten T-shirts from Patagonia (absolutley love, don´t smell after sweaty days)
  • 2 x merino wool long sleve tops
  • 1 x Kathmandu soft shell jacket
  • 1 x Quechua rain jacket
  • 1 x Duck down jacket (for those -10 days we´re expecting in Armenia)
  • 2 x pants
  • 1 x shorts
  • 8 x socks and underwear
  • 1 x beanie and gloves

Manons clothes

Pretty much what was in my cupboard that I thought could make it through the bike trip and was not scared of trashing:

  • 5 T-shirts- not cotton, unfortunately, so I do happen to smell worse than Ben
  • 1 Quechua rain jacket
  • 1 Quechua fleece
  • 1 Btwin warm cycling top
  • 2 pants, one given to me in India and one given to me by a kind Turkish woman
  • Socks and underwear
  • Beanie and gloves

Extras

  • Ukelele (Manon´s learning some killer skills)
  • 1 x Kindle - Absolute winner since we´ve run out of books and can´t find any along the way
  • 1 x iphone 
  • 1 x Panasonic Gx7 digital camera (bought in Georgia, and still learning how to use)
  • 1 x dodgy chinese powerbank for iphone charging

Spare parts

  • Basic tool kit
  • 1 spare inner tube
  • Puncture patching kit
  • Spare brakes for Manon (discs) and Ben (V pads)
  • Brake cables