Well it’s probably of interest to some of you what we’re riding and what changes we made to the manufacturer’s specs. We did hours of research on what we needed and then consulted some experienced cyclists we met on the road and trust implicitly. I figured a table would best explain things in a logical manner so I hope it all makes sense.

We are both riding Surly 2013 Long Haul Truckers. Mine is 42cm (I’m 163cm tall), and Tim’s is 56cm (He is 180cm.)

By the way. Mine is called Sakura and Tim’s, Radmilla. If you want to find out why you can find out HERE

Both retailed at $1799 (AUD) from Elite Racing Cycles in Northbridge, Perth. It was the best price we could find online at the time, and it meant we had hands-on support in Perth while we prepared, rather than going it alone if we had them shipped from further East. They also gave us a 15% discount on everything but the bikes themselves, so they lowered the costs quite a bit. NB: Where the cost in the table is $0, that means the bikes came with them.

Once we cycled the 7000 km, we evaluated what gear was invaluable. You can check out what we think are our TOP TEN “can’t do without” bike bits after cycling over across Australia HERE.

 Bike Specifications  
Component Make and Model  Cost /Bike (AUD)
Brakes  Shimano V-Brake Front and Rear. BR-M590 BLK Deore 59.42
Brake Levers  Shimano BL-M590 Deore 42.50
Shifters  Shimano SL-M590 Deore 9 speed 102
Crankset Andel RSC6, 26/36/48t. 0
Rear Cog  Shimano HG-50, 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-32t
 Handlebars  BHB – 30 Trekking MultiBar  34  
 Bike Computer  VDO C2 12 Function computer  23  
 Pedals (Sharyn)  Shimano PD-A530 SPD Touring  85  
 Pedals (Tim)  BBB BPD-15 Mount and Go 30  
 Stem (Sharyn)  Pro Stem Road LT 110mm Blk  40  
 Bottle Cages  BBB BBC-03 BK Fuel Tank (x3) 13  
Mudguards  Planet Bike Speedez MTB 26 x 45 68  
Front Rack Surly Front Nice Rack – Black 225  
Back Rack Tubus Logo Rear Rack – Black (from Wiggle.com) 113   
Tyres (Sharyn) Continental Comfort Contact (Manufacturer) 0  
Tyres (Tim) Schwable Marathon Plus 26 x 1.5 inch (x2) 130  
Bike Accessories
Supplier Equipment Make and Model Cost Per bike AUD
St Kilda Cycles Back Panniers Ortlieb Back Roller Classic 179
  Front Panniers Ortlieb Front Roller Classic 139
  Handle Bar Bag Ortlieb Ultimate 6M Classic 119
  Extender for B-Bars Ortlieb 4/5 Ultimate Mounting Extension 25
  Rack Pack (Sharyn) Ortlieb Medium Rack Pack  99
  Security Cable Ortlieb QL2 25
Mountain Designs Rack Pack (Tim) Mountain Designs, Expedition Duffle – Medium 80
  Tie Downs STS Tie Down Hooks 11
 Elite Racing Cycles  Lights  Smart Light Rear 1W Superflash  34
   Locks  Maxx Pro Lock Tiger 8 x 150cm Padlock  15
   Toolkit (Tim)  BBB BSB-02Quickpack Saddlebag  27
 

Wiggle

 Mirror  Zefal Spy Mirror  15
   Pumps  Topeak Turbo Morph with Gauge  41
 BCF  Stand  Magnum Fishin Stix Rod Holder  7
 Elite Racing Cycles  Spares  Replacement Tubes 26 x 1.25/1.5 PV (4)  7
     BBB BBS-12T Quadstop Replacement Brake Pads  31
    BBB BCH-09 Smartlink 9sp (Chainlink) (2) 12
    BBB BCB-51BK Brake Outer Cable 1 m 5
    BBB BCB-43S S/S Brake Cable 1700mm (2) 5
    BBB BCB-31 S/S Shimano Gear Cable 5
  Punctures Tafong Rubber Glue Solution 4
    Cold Patch 20mm (16) 0.25
    Velow Tyre Levers 9
 Dubai Multi-tool Topeak Alien III   34