The Cross Canada Project

I've just watched Mike Beauchamp's brilliant DVD - The Cross Canada Project. Mike used an improvised camera rig fixed to his bike frame to ingeniously film himself while riding along on his 7292km journey from Vancouver, BC to Halifax, NS in 2005.

The resulting 2009 documentary is very professionally edited and produced. At an hour long, it has plenty of time to convey the length and sheer enormity of his marathon ride. The "director's commentary" is particularly fine. Nice one Mike!

The 7 minute trailer is a good appetiser. Go on, press the play button...

Trailer for The Cross Canada Project: Documenting a Bicycle Tour Across Canada. from mike beauchamp on Vimeo.

Mike Beauchamp's DVD Cover

(You can see the camera arm sticking out in the cover photo)

Draft Kit List

As I've written previously, I've not done any cycle touring before. So, even at this early stage, I thought it wise to draft a kit list. Firstly, I wanted to gain a better understanding of what I might need to take with me and secondly, I wanted an estimate of the weight I'll probably end up hauling.

I looked at quite a few kit lists published on other cyclist travellers' blogs and used their experience (or apparent lack off), to come up with something suitable for my needs and tastes. I've been quite thorough (as you'll see), but I feel that's the only way I can get a estimate that's not woefully short of the actual total. If I've got a good idea of the kit item I'm purchasing, or I already have it, I've indicated that as well.

Now it's all listed, the total weight is sizable (and over ½ my body-weight!), but I've read about people rightly and wrongly taking on heavier loads than this! No doubt I'll refine this list countless times over the coming months, but to me, it's a good start and has been a worthwhile exercise.

(g)	Qty	Item	Make/Model	Total (g)
2,100	1	Tent	Hilleberg Nallo 2	2,100
700	1	Sleeping Bag		700
550	1	Mattress	Thermarest NeoAir (L)	550
400	1	Footprint	Hilleberg Nallo 2	400
220	1	Silk Liner	Sea to Summit (L)	220
140	1	Air Pillow	Mammut Ajungilak	140
			Tent / Sleeping	4,110 g
441	1	Stove	Primus OmniFuel	441
350	1	Pot / Eating Bowl	Primus EtaPower (1.7L)	350
250	1	Knife/Multitool		250
200	1	Containers		200
200	1	Folding Sink Bowl	Ortlieb (5L)	200
120	1	Cup	MSR Ti Kettle (0.85L)	120
120	1	Fuel Bottle	Primus (0.6L)	120
100	1	Water Bag	Ortlieb (4L)	100
100	1	Travel Towel		100
70	1	Cutlery		70
65	1	Stove Repair Kit	Primus OmniFuel	65
50	1	Windshield		50
25	1	Lighter/Matches		25
			Cooking / Camping	2,091 g
850	1	Cycling Shoes		850
240	2	Bib Shorts		480
200	2	Water Bottle		400
175	2	SS Cycling Jersey		350
325	1	Rain Cape	Gore-Tex Paclite	325
300	1	Helmet	MET Stradivarius	300
150	2	Base Layer		300
200	1	Gillet	Assos	200
140	1	Rain-legs		140
140	1	Leg Warmers (pair)	Assos	140
100	1	Overshoes	Pro-Tarmac H2O	100
90	1	Gloves	Gore Bike-Wear	90
75	1	Arm Warmers (pair)	Assos	75
35	2	Socks (pair)		70
45	1	Buff		45
35	1	Track-mitts		35
			Cycling Kit	3,900 g
475	1	Trousers (zipped legs)		475
400	1	Shoes / Pumps		400
350	1	Jacket/Fleece		350
250	1	LS Cotton Shirt		250
100	1	Underwear		100
50	1	Beanie Hat		50
			Other Clothing	1,625 g
1,500	1	Netbook + AC/DC Adaptor		1,500
250	1	Rechargeable Battery Pack	PedalPower+ V4	250
200	1	GPS / Bike Computer	Garmin Edge 705	200
175	1	Mobile Phone + Charger		175
155	1	Camera	Canon IXUS 40	155
20	2	Spare Camera Battery	Canon NB-4L	40
30	1	USB Camera Battery Charger		30
10	1	SD Card Reader		10
5	1	MicroSD to SD Adapter		5
			Electronics	2,365 g
525	1	Folding Tyre	Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 26”x2.0”	525
200	2	Innertubes	26”x1.6”/2.2”	400
150	1	Pump	Topeak Mini Morph	150
125	1	6 in 1 Spanner	S&S Couplings, EBB adj., Pedal, Rohloff gearbox	125
120	1	Allen Key Set	8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.5, 2mm	120
100	1	Oil Change Kit	Rohloff specific	100
75	1	Chain Remover	Park Tools	75
50	1	Chain Lube	Oil of Rohloff (50ml)	50
50	1	Sprocket Remover	Rohloff specific	50
20	2	Brake Blocks	Swissstop Blue	40
5	6	Spokes		30
25	1	Gear Cable		25
25	1	Brake Cable		25
4	6	Chain Links		24
20	1	Spare Nuts/Bolts		20
1	12	Tie Raps		12
10	1	Torx Screwdriver		10
5	2	Tyre Lever	Soma Fabr. Steel Core	10
10	1	Spoke Key		10
10	1	Duct Tape		10
10	1	Tube Patch Kit		10
10	1	Phillips Screwdriver		10
			Tools / Spares	1,831 g
500	1	Bike Lock		500
400	1	Water Purifier	MSR Sweetwater	400
300	1	Toiletry Bag		300
300	1	Book		300
200	1	First Aid Kit		200
100	1	Sun Cream		100
100	1	Mosquito Repellent		100
100	1	Notepad		100
95	1	Head Torch	Petzl Tikka XP	95
95	1	Mosquito Hat	Lifesystems	95
50	1	Wallet		50
50	1	Tripod	Gorillapod	50
40	1	Sun Glasses		40
25	1	Passport		25
10	1	Pen		10
			Miscellaneous	2,365 g
			KIT TOTAL	18,287 g
14,150	1	Bike	Thorn Nomad S&S	14,150
840	2	Rear Pannier	Ortlieb Back-Roller Plus	1,680
720	2	Front Pannier	Ortlieb Front-Roller Plus	1,440
770	1	Rear Rack	Thorn Steel Expedition	770
580	1	Front Rack	Thorn Steel Lo Loader	580
50	3	Cords / Cargo Net		150
			Bike / Luggage	18,770 g
1,500	1	Food	Rice, Pasta, Oatmeal etc.	1,500
750	2	Water	1.5 Litres	1,500
370	1	Stove Fuel	0.5 Litres Unleaded Petrol / White Gas	370
			Consumables	3,370 g
			GRAND TOTAL	40,427 g

My Raven Nomad: Specification & Pictures

Thorn Raven Nomad S&S, Size: 562L, Black

• Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 CC EX OEM (Black), 16T reversable sprocket, 32h
• Schmidt SON28 Dynohub (Black), 32h
• Rigida Andra 30 CSS Rims, 26in x 1.75in/559mm x 19mm, 32h
• Sapim Race DB Spokes, 14g/15g (2.0mm/1.8mm), 238mm rear, 260mm front
• Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Tyres, 26in x 2.0in (50-559), Folding
• Shimano Alivio M410 Crankset, 175mm, 104mm BCD
• Thorn 7075/T6 Reversable Chainring, 40T
• Shimano UN54 BB, 73mm, English Thread, 110mm axle, Square Taper
• Eccentric Bottom Bracket Shell, 51.3mm dia, 73mm shell width
• Wipperman 808 Connex Nickel Plated Chain, 3/32in, 8 speed
• Time Impact S Pedals
• FSA Orbit XL II Aheadset, 1⅛in/28.6mm
• Thorn Alloy Ahead Stem, 1⅛in/28.6mm, 25.4mm Clamp, 130 mm, +/-7°
• Thorn 6061 Alloy Straight Handlebars, 5° Bend, 25.4mm Clamp, 580mm
• Shimano XTR M970 V-Brakes, Swissstop Blue Cartridge Pads
• Shimano XTR BL-M970 Brake Levers
• Ergon GP1-L Anatomic Grips
• Brooks B17 Standard Saddle (Black)
• Thorn Alloy Seatpost, 29.8mm, 300mm length, 20mm set-back
• S&S Bicycle Torque Couplings
• Thorn Expedition Steel Rear Carrier Rack
• Thorn MkV Cro Mo Steel  Low Loader Front Rack
• Profile Design Kage Bottle Cages

Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 Gear Ratios (40x16)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
in	18.1	20.5	23.4	26.6	30.2	34.3	39.0	44.3	50.3	57.3	65.0	73.8	84.0	95.4
m	1.44	1.60	1.83	2.07	2.36	2.68	3.04	3.46	3.92	4.47	5.07	5.76	6.55	7.44

Thorn Raven Nomad S&S, Size: 562L, Black

 

Cheeky rear quarter view

 

And from the front

 

Detail of Down Tube S&S Coupling

 

Detail of Top Tube S&S Coupling

The Rohloff Speedhub - 14 speed epicyclic internal hub gear

 

Rohloff Gear Shifter

 

Transmission detail

40 tooth reversable chainring

 

Eccentric Bottom Bracket (used to tension chain)

 

16T reversable sproket

 

Shimano XTR V-Brakes and Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 2" tyre

Should be very comfortable, once it's broken my bottom in...

 

Close-up of decal on the top tube

Front Low Loader Rack and Schmidt dynohub

 

Chunky rear rack and chunky tyre

Black is the New Green...

My bike arrived today, in a rather large cardboard box. Anticipation had been mounting for a week, following a phone call from Lisa at St. John St Cycles informing me that the Nomad was ready to be built up in the workshop.

A rather large cardboard box...

The call began ominously, though, with Lisa cheerfully delivering that old chestnut: "Well Shaun, there's some good news and some bad news". The good news was that they were ready to build my bike. The bad news was that they couldn't find my green 562L frame!

...with this inside.

Quietly, I sucked air through my teeth. I'd read about another customer suffering a very similar incident, not that long ago. My mind was racing ahead. I'd somewhat reluctantly ordered a green 562L after being told by Dan that it was the only Nomad frame left in my size for several months. And now they can't find it. Yikes!

"We've got a black 562L", continued Lisa, "...but it's got a couple of scratches...I can knock some money off for you...". "OK, I'm not fussed", I said, whilst quietly punching the air! I didn't care about a couple of scratches, the bike will pick up plenty of those soon enough. The money off will come in handy, but most importantly, I'd wanted a black 562L all along! Result.

Also quite heavy.

Before delivery, I also decided to swap the honey Brooks Saddle for a black one. So, the Nomad's turned up looking a bit stealthy...