The Gear
The bike
What kind of bike did Dirk cycle on every day? What does he have with him and why?
You don’t need the latest and greatest in gear out there to do a long trip. Just be sure you know everything works and that if it doesn’t, you know how to fix it and you have some spare parts with you.
99%RIDE has chosen for a chromoly double butted steel frame from the brand VSF Fahrrad Manufaktur, model TX400. Why steel? Because it’s comfortable, strong and durable. Also, in case something snaps there’s always someone in the world that can weld steel. That won't be the case with carbon and aluminium bike frames.
The total weight of the bike depends on how much gear you’re hauling, food you’re storing and water you’re carrying with you. The base weight of the bicycle including the panniers and tent is around 40 kilograms. Add the water and food for multiple days and you will be looking at 50+ kilograms to push forward.
Using SPD pedals and shoes make for very effective pedaling, as well as being able to walk on the same shoes you ride with, keeping the total weight a bit lighter, every gram counts!
Saddle
The Brooks B-17 saddle is the ultimate in touring saddles. After breaking it in about 1000 miles (painful but worth it) your butt will happier by the day. It’s really comfortable and gets even more comfortable over time. Don’t forget to wax it now and again (also the under side!) to give it a longer lifespan and keep it waterproof.
The red bear bell you see hanging at the bottom of the saddle is used when passing through bear territory, on this expedition is was, together with bear spray, mandatory as the first two months were spent in Alaska and Canada.
Front hub
The SON 28 front dynamo hub keeps the B&M front and back light lit, while also charging the battery pack. This is used to charge the batteries for cell phone and GoPro Camera, mounted on different places on the bike and helmet.
It's really a joy to be able to use the dynamo, as it doesn't create a lot of extra drag or resistance (around 1%). It's also maintenance free, which makes it ideal for touring long distances.
Battery pack
Essential if you are using your lights (even at low riding speed), charging your GPS, phone or camera batteries. Let your legs do the work, the battery pack is directly connected to the front hub and stores power. you can connect your USB cable to charge when necessary.
Using a battery pack was particularly useful in remote regions in South America, where sometimes you wouldn’t reach a town or village for a few days. As a back-up, a solar powered powerbank was used, the WakaWaka.
Rohloff gear hub
The Rohloff gear system is simply amazing; modern, durable, easy to use and very low maintenance. With 14 gears are housed in a beautiful hub, which only needs an oil change every 5000km (3000 miles). Self-contained gears mean less moving parts exposed to the elements, providing more reliability.
The back sprocket needs to be switched around when necessary, the front chainring will generally last you about 14,000 kilometers. Rohloff will give you enough capacity for any type of terrain, wherever you are in the world.
Chain & crank
The chain (preferably used) is a single speed from KMC. Tightening the chain is easily done with the eccentric bottom bracket. Be sure to switch between chains to reduce the wear on the sprockets. During the expedition 9 chains were used, broken and/or worn out.
Mainly cycling in dry weather, dry lube was preferred to keep things running smooth. Yet many times a thick oil was used to keep going, especially in Central America where there were plenty of tropical rainstorms.
The tyres used are the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, EVO version. The ultimate in long distance touring. Dirk only experienced 14 flat tyres since he left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Looking at the total distance of 30.000 kilometers, the weight of the bike and the off-road mileage this is a fairly good number.
Brakes
Braking on the TX400 is strong and reliable, thanks to the Magura H-11 hydraulic rim brakes. Whatever the conditions are, these breaks will slow you down and safely stop you when necessary Be sure to have enough brake pads with you when going long distances, in wet weather the pads wear down a lot quicker!
The wheels spinning are 26-inch. Why not 28-inch? In South-America there are (almost) no 28-inch wheels and parts. On 26-inch wheels you can carry more weight and ride on rougher terrain. Extra spokes and a spoke key are always good to have with you, better safe than sorry.
Halfway the expedition all spokes were replaced in San José, Costa Rica.