Ortlieb Roller Classic Panniers

Ortlieb makes one of the best bike panniers in the world. All Ortlieb panniers sell in pairs. In their product listings there are many models but most cycle tourists would recommend the Classic series. The reason is because the Classic is made of PVC coated Polyester fabric and there are no external opening except the main compartment. This design will keep the whole bag waterproof and washing it off after a muddy ride is easy. Dirt will not get trapped in the fabric. You can literally throw the whole bag into the river and wash it with all the items in it and it will stay dry. 

Topeak TourGuide Handlebar Bag

The Topeak TourGuide Handlebar Bag comes in two sizes. The other is the Topeak TourGuide Handlebar Bag DX which I have sold away and replaced with this current handlebar bag. I like this current model because it has many pockets especially the side pockets for organised storage or a quick draw. It is smaller and weighs lesser,the bag has only a capacity of 5 litres, weighs around 670g and the material is of padded Denier Nylon.

Bike Survival Tools

Murphy's Law "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". There are no bullet proof design in our lives, so is your tour camping trip. Many of us would just go with a spare tube, tire lever, a handheld pump and a multi-tool. In my experience from off-road motorbikes and biking, I soon realised what is really necessary to have a complete minimalist Bike Survival tools.

UPDATE FEB 2013
Kindly view my revamped Bike Survival Tools Kit

Topeak Modula Bottle Cage XL

 

Made of Aluminium and plastic, the Modula Bottle Cage XL is ideal for touring camping use. The bottle cage can only fit 1 to 1.5lts bottle. The bottle will stay in place even on off-road condition. However not many bikes can fit such bottle cage onto the bike frame as it is rather long in length. The mounting point is at one third from the bottle cage so to fit it in the mid frame of the bike can be very tricky. Our bike had an external water cage mounting point so it is rather useful to have such bottle cage mounted.

Topeak Modula Bottle Cage

The Modula bottle cage weighs around 75g is unique because of the ability to adjust the size of the cage to fit smaller bottles. Anything bigger than a one litre water bottle will not be able to fit in, even 1lts Nalgene bottle.
This bottle cage is not ideal for off-road action, there are many times the water bottle just felt off the bike. Ideal for road touring when you buy your drink from a road vendor or 7-eleven.

Topeak Alien DX Tools

The Topeak Alien DX multi tools has been in the market since 2007. It has 27 tools and comes with a nylon carrying case. The body is made of harden plastic and most of the tools are of harden steel or stainless steel.

Soft Bike Carrier Bag

The soft bike carrier bag is the easiest way to transport your bike on buses, high speed rail or train. It should take around 10 to 15mins to dismantle a complete bike and store in the bike carrier. The soft bike carrier  bag  is light and do not take up much space when packed. I have friends who had use these bags to transport their bikes on airlines and surprisingly the bike was not damage in such transportation.

Extrawheel Trailer

This is a second generation Extrawheel trailer product, Voyager which is made and design in Poland. A single wheel trailer that you can swap with your front wheel if it is damage. You can have a choice of wheel sizes from 26" to 29". The Voyager is made with the parts provided by the following manufacturers:

Tyres - KENDA

Aluminium Hubs - Yoytech
Quick Release - EXTRAWHEEL
36 galvanised spokes - CN SPOKE
Aluminium conically-shaped rims - Strong Wheel
Inner tube with an AV Scharder valve – KENDA
Trailer Frame- Steel Extrawheel

Helmet Mount Lighting

I been looking at dyno-hub, off the shell bike light and DIY solution (bicyclelighting.com).

Recently on thelazyrando blog where he had discussed dynohub vs battery bike lamp, I decided to write down my own solution for a bike lamp.

Topeak Mini Morph Pump

If you are looking for a bike pump, look no further, here is one highly recommended  bike pump. The Topeak Mini Morph has been in the market for around 4years. Among all the hand held bike pumps, the Mini Morph is the easiest and uses less effort to pump a deflated tire. The design is a single stroke mini floor pump which means you can place the pump on the floor and pump with lesser effort.

It weighs around 170g, size 26 x 5 x 2.8cm and pumps till 160psi. The pump body is made of butted aluminium and the handle is plastic. 

Topeak Explorer Tubular Rack w/disc Mounts

Weight: 620g
Size: 34.5 x 23.5 x 41cm
Material: Hallow Aluminium

This is a simple bike rack from Topeak. Ideal for around the city where you can attached Topeak MTX top bags that slide and clip locking system or attached side panniers.   

Before purchasing this rack, ensure that your bike must have the lower mounting holes for bike racks, otherwise this will not fit your bike. Also note they have a non-disc version bike rack.

Crank Brothers Speed Lever

Weighing 31g, size 155mm x 10mm x 12mm made of polycarbonate, Crank Brothers offer this master piece a LIFETIME Warranty. At first sight before using it, you will feel that this lever will break easily as it is made of polycarbonate. However upon using it, it held pretty well and relatively simple to use. The whole tire change took less than a minute. Watch the below video that I made.

Lotus Pannier SH-409

Weight 1320

Capacity: 36.8Lts

Size: 43 x 36 x 20cm

Material: 600D Polyester 420D Nylon and 1000D Condura

Website

Made in Taiwan, this is a nice set of bike panniers and should not cost more than NT1800 per set. Nothing compare to Ortlieb bike panniers but we liked the design. These panniers are rather spacious, it has front mesh pocket, side, rear and the main storage compartments. On the scale each pannier weighs around 720g and  both panniers holds around 36.8lts of gears. The material on the panniers are water resistance so you might need to waterproof your packing. 

Topeak MTX Beam Rack E-Type

Like most MTB full suspension bike, there is very little option to mount a bike rack. Topeak came out with a clip-on rack which I thought was a genius. Basically it just clip on the seat post and secure your gears on to it. I purchase another Topeak trunk bag which just slide onto the the rack and clip-on by itself.   

Old Man Mountain Bike Rack