Ride Earth

A great number of companies have become involved in supporting this epic adventure, and without their help we would probably still be underprepared, overworked, and skint!How will these reputable brands and products stand up to the challenge of a round-the-world bike expedition? We’ll be reviewing products throughout the journey to give future expeditioners the information they need to make the best decisions when preparing for an expedition like ours.

Bikes, Parts and Spares

We all spent months looking for the right bike. We shortlisted a few that fitted the bill - steel hardtails with a reputation for toughness - and started trying them out. Several eBay purchases and subsequent sales later, we were still no closer to getting our perfect bike, and it was only a month ’til we left.

Suddenly, after months of our phone calls and emails being rudely ignored by numerous reputable bike companies who shall not be named, we found ourselves in luck. Our labours have come to fruition in the near perfect combination of Kona’s renowned bike-making expertise, Magura’s brake- and fork-engineering prowess, and the mammoth range of spares and componentry available through Chain Reaction Cycles. The Kona Explosif will be twinned with Magura Odur forks and Louise disc brakes, together with a variety of XT and XTR drivetrain components and Kona finishing kit, and we thoroughly look forward to demolishing everything on the ride itself.

Outdoor Equipment

“ExtremeGB welcomes adrenaline junkies! If you get a kick from big air, insane overhangs - or the sound of white water, then ExtremeGB is for you. Whatever makes your pulse race, on land or sea, our focus is to provide you with high specification land and marine equipment and proven clothing designed for optimal performance and durability in the real world.”

We started looking for outdoor and camping equipment early on in the preparation process. In February 2007, 5 months before we left, our pleas were lucky enough to find their way onto the desk of Rob at ExtremeGB, and we now have kindly been donated a selection of outdoor and survival equipment, including Vaude Hogan Ultralight II tents, Snugpak Elite 3 sleeping bags, a Trangia multi-fuel stove, Leatherman Blast multi-tools, Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Classic bar-bags, and a Garmin eTrex Venture Cx.

Wheels, Tyres and Trailers

We debated trailers or panniers for months, looking at all the options. Finally, as a result of our off-road ambitions, we plumped for the Polish-made Extrawheel. The construction is light but tough, it’s easily transported, and it takes a 26-inch wheel. It carries two 60-litre drybags, which takes a huge load off the bike and puts it onto a specifically-designed appendage. The trailer handles wonderfully off-road and carries all of our camping gear and clothes!

Next up was a bomb-proof wheelset for the bikes themselves. We have taken the advice of many previous hardcore touring cyclists, going for 36-spoke Sun Rhyno Lite rims on Shimano XT hubs for durability and easy servicing. Leisure Lakes generously offered to hand-build these wheels for us at their Daventry workshop. Finally, we went for the tried and tested Schwalbe Marathon XR tyre, which is the connoisseur’s choice for long-distance extreme touring, and a Schwalbe Smart Sam folding knobbly tyre each for when the going gets really rough!

Really Cool Stuff

Buff have provided us with numerous Buffs to keep the chill off our necks, heads or wherever depending on how we wear them! An incredibly cool piece of fabric, we never realised how versatile such a thing could be - until we saw the video on their website! Check it out here!

Carradice have been making panniers since before we were born and their Super C pannier has been reported to have survived over 25 years of touring, as well as allowing the contents to breathe whilst being pretty waterproof. Thanks to Carradice for supplying two pairs of Super Cs to carry what the trailer can’t!

Ecotopia are supplying us with a Solio solar-powered carbon-neutral charging device for our gadgets, and a solar battery charger for our lamps, headtorches and GPS unit. This means our gadgetry will continue to work in the remotest areas of the world, using the free energy given to us by the sun.

And More…

• Lyon Equipment Ltd graciously awarded us their Expedition Award 2007 grant, supplying a plethora of invaluable items including pannier racks by Tubus (the Logo Expedition rack), Exped 7 Downmats for comfortable camping, Ortlieb Rackpack waterproof holdalls for extra waterproof storage, and enough Energizer Rechargeable batteries to power a small LEDC for a year.
• Muc Off have provided a variety of cleaning products to keep our parts moving mud-free.
• Unicycle.uk.com will be assisting the avid unicyclist of the team - Mark - with a wide variety of kit, including spare spokes, t-shirts, cycling shorts, tyres and repair kits.
• ODI have sponsored the team with 3 pairs of Yeti Hardcore lock-on grips.
• Terrapin have donated pairs of waterproof overshoes to keep our feet dry and comfortable.

Thank Yous…

We want to say a massive thank you to the following people and companies who have assisted us in so many ways, shapes and forms that it would be impossible to list, and we haven’t even left the country: Ben and James at String Films, Helen, Anna & all at One Life Live 2007, Marcus & Gina at Reach4TheAlps, Decland at National Bike Show 2007, Rob and Ed at ExtremeGB, 34 Main Street Middleton for printing services, Katie from OneGreenEarth and Sally from YourSafePlanet (both of you will go far), Steve Chapman of MakeTravelFair, Ian Clarke from Volunteering.org, Hans Rey (the legend), WD-40, Market Harborough and Kettering public libraries (we’ll bring them back soon), Miles at Ecotopia, Jo at I-Genius.com, anyone who ever said anything nice about us on Facebook or Myspace, Cafepress.com for the free upgrade, Lee Fogarty, John at Outdoor Review, Jon at Suite101.com, Jo & Richard at WFUK, Szabolcs Sipos and Bela Horvath from Hungary for the Blue Tour info, Bob Thatcher, Andy at the MBA for the newsletter, Tracey at ePhotoZine, Pawel at Extrawheel, Luce at Chalet Alpin, Al Humphreys, Paul Rose, Paul Deegan and all at RGS/Explore 2006, so many people from Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum (”On Your Bike”), Grant (nice one), Tony at Magura Bike Parts UK, Michael at CRC, JP and Sally in Switzerland, Jimbo at Kona, David Carter, Adrian at Pace, Kat Sutton at BBC Radio Leiceter and also Julie Mayer, Brady Haran at East Midlands Today, Lindsay Burns, Iain at Leisure Lakes… and last but most definitely not least, our long-suffering parents!