'To almost 11010% of people, the Binary System is a complete mystery' I will admit that in the past, I have scoffed at tales of travellers who have cut the handles from toothbrushes in order to save weight. However, I've been doing some maths and things really don't add up, ... and this time I don't mean the budget, Poor Circulation needs to loose some weight. In the past 10 years, the longest time I've spent away from home on a bike trip is 3 weeks. Even then, I suspect I was never more than an hours ride from the nearest McDonald's or Pizza Hut. For that particular trip the bike was heavy with all of the luggage that it carried, ... but at least it all stayed on and I eventually got used to the handling. Poor Circulation means that the Triumph Tigers will be our transport, homes and pack-mules for months on end. In western Europe and America this really isn't going to be a problem as we can 'Replenish' as we go. Our biggest concern is crossing Russia where 'Western Essentials' will be A: Hard to find, ... and B: Impossible to have delivered. We're not going to starve to death, or run out of fuel, ...... but the things that we take for granted here in England, we need to 'Plan' for through Siberia. Between the cities of Irkutsk and Vladivostok, everything we need we will have to carry with us on the bikes. It doesn't sound like to harsh a task if you say it quickly, ...... but Irkutsk is as far from Vladivostok as London is from Irkutsk, ...... and that's a bugger of a long way.
It's alright though, it can't be a major problem because we already have a 'List'. The only hassle is in making the 'Essentials' on our list actually fit onto the bikes. We've got Panniers, Top Boxes and Vetura Tail Packs, ... the sleeping bags and mats will sit on top of the panniers, ..... which works fine for Western Europe. On the advice of a Security Adviser (complete with 'Pixelated Face'), we've also decided to take a pair of tents. Apparently, it can get quite chilly in Siberia and hypothermia is not like cholera, .... we can't just have a 'Jab' before we leave home. Anyway, from Irkutsk to Vladivostok, ... we need to add a further 20L of fuel and 10L of water. My maths is not great, .... but those liquids add up to a total of 25Kg (without containers), ... which exceeds the 'Recommended Capacity' of the racks on which they sit. Add in a few clothes, food, stove, pots, plates, tools, spares, cameras, laptop, spare tyres, stuffed toy and feather pillow, ..... and we might be a few ounces over the weight limit. There is however a plus side to all of this extra weight, ..... because at least with the suspension fully compressed, using my tiptoes, I should be able to touch the ground at last.
Somehow, we will fit everything that we need onto the bikes. Other people have done it before us, ... and lots more will do so in the future. We've got as much carrying capacity as anybody, ...... so I guess that along the way we'll just work out how to squeeze the quart into the pint pot. (Those titanium trinkets from Touratech are beginning to make much more sense to me now).
Posts
1 comment:
Watz Binary Dude?
Post a Comment