My planning for this trip was limited as far as gear goes. I treated it like a bushwalk with a bike. In many ways this worked perfectly fine, I had a very light set up (although going up hills it didn’t feel like it). In other ways I was under prepared or just had the wrong stuff.

Bike Touring Special Gear

Shoes –

I wore normal ASICS running shoes. These were an old pair I’ve had for a few years. They are comfortable for wandering around town or gentle bushwalks. I have never had a pair of cycle shoes, although the pedals my bike came with (and still has) are road bike clip pedals. The ease of being able to jump on and off the bike, whether that be for walking around town or pushing my bike up a steep hill, was very much appreciated. I would use running/walking shoes again. The pedals have never caused me a problem as they are quite wide, but as I haven’t tried anything else I won’t comment on this.

Knicks –

I had only ever done one ride before this of any distance, 90km between Sydney and Wollongong. I did this ride without knicks and didn’t have a problem. I bought a pair of knicks for this ride because it what everyone tells you to do.

I only took one pair. They were amazing. I would highly recommend a good pair. I bought a pair in the sale for ~$100. They had nice wide braces, I’m not a big mid ride pee-er and I liked that the braces held up my shorts and tucked in my gut. No underwear and no wedgies. I wish I could wear them to the office. They are essentially your underwear, so only taking one pair did mean I had to find somewhere to wash them everyday. Luckily it was hot, so they dried reasonably quickly, but I definitely pushed them to their hygienic limits. I was ok with this, but if you’re less feral it could be worth taking 2 pairs.

Tops x 2 –

I took a tank top and a high performance t-shirt. I only wore the tank top from the airport to the hostel before deciding it was far too thin to wear on the bike, in the case of a tumble. This logic may not have made total sense, as I’m sure the t-shirt would also have disintegrated. Anyhow I kept one for riding and one for camp/town. This meant I had something “clean” to put on each evening which was nice. The t-shirt was a Christmas present from my Mum and it was also amazing. It’s from Mountain Warehouse a pretty budget hiking store but it fit well, quick drying, breathable and most importantly didn’t smell.

Jumper –

A nice warm lightweight RAB fleece (also a Christmas present, from my brother).

Bike gloves –

I brought some gloves quickly after I started commuting to work. Even at slow and short distances the idea of having nothing between my hands and the road scared me. They are cheapish gloves with a bit of gel in the palm and cut off fingers. I don’t know a lot about gloves, but they were comfortable and held together well. To date I’ve had them about a year and they are just starting to lose a bit of their stitching.

Helmet –

Luckily I never had to test this one.

Back light –

Front light –

Light Charger –

Although I was riding in the day it was important to have lights. I would recommend taking a power pack if you like riding slowly and don’t intend to always get to somewhere with an outlet.

Bike D lock and key –

Lock cable –

I didn’t use this that much.

Multi tool –

Once again luckily I didn’t have to use this as there was a bike build station at Launceston and my warm showers host had tools to take my bike apart in Hobart.

Puncture repair kit –

Literally on the way to the airport I picked up a new set of Schwalbe Marathon Performance Wired Tyre – 700C. I put them on for the first time in Lauceston airport (the reasoning was poor planning). Puncture free trip, even when off-road! As I had never put wired tyres on before I did have a moment of concern in the airport when I couldn’t get them to fit.

Chain link –

Spare tube x 2 –

Tyre levers –

Good for the airports. Note Hobart doesn’t have a bike build station (2016).

Spare tyre –

A bit of over kill maybe, but it was light, small and it gave me peace of mind. If I had done the trip with my old tyres it may have been required. The spare tyre wasn’t wired.

Pump –

Only a little hand pump, so I was pleased to see a proper pump at the bike build station at Launceston airport. If this hadn’t been there, I’d planned to go into a bike shop in town to start the trip with full tyres.

Travel towel –

I rarely take a towel hiking, but as I was in and out of lakes etc it was really nice to have on this trip.

Panniers x 2 –

I borrowed these from a friend. They were bright blue with reflective strips on, plus fluorescent yellow rain covers. Great for being seen and keeping your things dry.

Seat bag –

This was another last-minute purchase, however it was rarely used. It got in the way of my packing system, so mostly it lived inside a pannier filled with my bike repair kit. But the 2 days I took my panniers off and did return journeys it was nice to easily be able to take the essentials with me.

Bike –

And then there’s the bike itself. I took a road bike. It’s what I owned and I couldn’t figure out what else to take. The Internet didn’t seem to help. It’s hard to find information when you don’t know what you’re looking for. The main difference I discovered between a ‘touring bike” and a “road bike” are the gears. The road bike has only the higher ones making it quicker and lighter but harder up big hills.

I survived on a road bike, so it is possible on a road bike. That said, I sure walked up my fair share of hills. In all honesty if I were to do it again, I would probably do it again with my road bike, because I’m not a committed cycle tourer with the money to throw in to a touring bike. With this knowledge though, I’d feel less pathetic when I saw other cyclists slowly, but happily working their way up hills, while I sat on the side of the road exhausted. It would have made a big difference to the trip so if you can get hold of a touring bike it’ll save you a whole lot of pain.

I just had a road bike seat. Narrow and hard (nothing extreme). This wasn’t a problem for me, but a few people commented. Possibly this is another knicks situation, where if I converted I’d see its glory. Just something to think about if you’re planning your own trip.

My Normal Hiking Gear

Sleeping bag –

Tent –

Head torch –

Sleeping Mat –

I took my large foam thermarest. I tided it under my seat and it fit well, but such a large item on a bike can get annoying.

Dry Bag –

Stove/Gas –

I didn’t cook a lot during this trip, as I believed my stove had broken half way though (it turned out just to be a dodgy gas can). I bought food as I went, ate out a few nights and used public BBQ’s. You can do without a stove if required.

Lighter –

Water bottle x 2 –

I had two water bottle holders and for the most part this was all I needed.

10l water bladder –

After my second day when I ran out of water, I always carried extra even though is was rarely required. 10l is very excessive, I never filled it up more than 3l.

Rain coat –

It’s Tasmania, this is required.  I didn’t ride in it, as it’d be too sweaty, just good for the evenings.

Thermals –

During my trip I was lucky that the nights were consistently hot.

Buff –

Great item. Kept the sun off my neck while I rode and the sweat out my eyes when I took my helmet off.

Trousers –

Nice to have in town. Although I rarely felt out-of-place in knicks in Tasmania, it was nice to be able to blend into a pub or to just wear something other than Lycra for a bit.

Socks x 3 –

Thick ankle socks.

Undies x 1 –

As I didn’t wear undies during the day, I just brought one quick drying pair for the evenings.

Bra x 2 –

Just normal bras, the same as I wear hiking. Comfortable.

Sunnies –

Good for sun protection and bug protection.

Camera and charger –

Phone and charger –

Out west signal is rare.

Map –

4 x Tasmap 1:250000 I bought from Paddy Pallin.

First Aid –

All my standard things. I used the needle and thread a few times and I threw in some cable ties just in case.

Toothpaste/ Brush –

Cord –

I always carry this, but it was particularly useful this trip for strapping things on, such as my mat.

Sun cream –

Inspect repellent –

Leatherman –

Wallet and cards –

Carry cash is Tassie. Things like campsites and small stores wont take card.

Diary/Pen –

Book –

Even though you are around more people than hiking, I spent a lot more time alone. I got through 2 and a half books on my trip. Some larger campsites have book swaps.