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.
| 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 | 0 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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