Investing In Luxury Items

When bike touring, the dogma echoes out that less is best. But is it? Is forsaking some pleasurable luxuries worth a few extra grams saved. Honestly, when you look at it, most weight saving is less than a good morning's dump behind the tree.

I suppose I don't get the whole weight weeny things. Even when I was entrenched in MAMALia a good light carbon bike was good, but I could never justify the few grams of weight saved with carbon tid bits like rims etc. I suppose being a bigger guy, durability always came first. A strong set of aluminium rims that were slightly heavier always trumped an over expensive pair of carbon rims, handlebars etc, that could decay rapidly under my weight and local road conditions.

I think the same way when touring, a steel bike is heavier and more robust. Yes titanium would be wonderful, but really by the time the bike is loaded can the end justify the means...no. I'm like this with my luxuries. When I go away I want to be comfortable. After all it is my legs that are doing the work, nobody elses'. So why should I be told that I should take less? I shouldn't. I hear all the time of how "your bike should be under this weight to tour successfully", cods wallop.

I, like my convictions, never tell anyone what they should or shouldn't take. Yes there are the norms of course, such as bike...duh! But really, what you take is up to, umm, you and you alone. Yes, you will work out over time what works for you. Yes, you will gather the knowledge of what you need and use, verses what you just take for taking's sake.

But luxuries aren't this. You don't take them for the sake of taking them. You bloody well use them and they make your life a hell of a lot more comfortable whilst on the road. So I say #luxuriesonabike...lol.

Some of the stuff I take I have decided to take over time. You all know by now about my knee issues, plus I'm not young anymore, hence Old Bum On a Bike. So things like a folding chair make sense to me. It saves my knees, my arse from sitting on the ground and my bones from the strain of getting up and down all the time. One kilogram is worth it. I used mats to sit on the ground for a while but found a delightful three legged folding chair, with backrest, at Bunnings for $14.95. How could I resist?

Good cookware is another. I like to cook and so I would prefer to have more than just a titanium cup and a micro gas stove. I take two stoves, my Colemans One Peak gas stove along with my Suto multi fuel stove. Why two? well one could die, I could run out of gas, or I may just want to use to stoves when cooking like at home with more than one hotplate. You know, cook a steak in my frypan, whilst cooking the vegies in my pot. In my cookware kit I have three different sized pots and a frypan. My largest pot acts as a good washing up sink, plus bath...see it multi tasks.

That brings me to food. I like to take a range of fresh, tinned and dried food with me. 1. it's cheaper 2. it's tastier. The dehydrated hiking food is quite expensive in comparison, and who wants to live on two minute noodles. Being able to pull up on the side of the road after a day in the saddle, and having the ability to cook up a good meal is heaven to me. A cup of tea, that's my afternoon drink of choice when beer isn't available, whilst a curry or creamy pasta dish is on, just wow.

Electronics are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity these days. But I like my Garmin, my phone, my cameras (especially now I've upgraded) and accessories, and my tablet. My Garmin, well if it's not on Strava it never happened...lol. My phone is essentially my lifeline and navigational tool. My cameras, rather self explanatory, and my tablet...my little Samsung A8 has done me proud. It is my computer basically. Coupled with a small wireless keyboard, I post, blog, transfer photos to USB drives, and it's much smaller than a laptop. No, it might not do what a laptop does, but with newer apps coming out it is fast catching up.

I probably take more clothes than I need, but in Australia weather can change quickly. It's like that everywhere I suppose. It's not so bad in Queensland, but the further south you go, cool or hot changes can happen. Here in Central Coastal Queensland we just go from hot to wet.

I like to take my trekking poles with me. They come in handy for the rain as well as a walk. "The rain" you may ask? Yes, they are extremely helpful as a set of tarp poles if rain sets in. My little Outdoor Expedition Falconette 1800 doesn't have much in regards to a large enough vestibule to cook in during bad weather. The tarp lays over the tent and ties to trees, or my trekking poles giving me an awning to sit under.

My tarp...like I said...lol

I have to take my trail runners with me. I probably don't need them given that I wear thongs as much as possible. No, not the thongs you may be thinking of, in Australia we wear our thongs on our feet. You may know them as flip-flops...never, they're thongs. The trail runners are a comfortable winter slipper, good for walking after a day in the saddle which I like to do; and in the case of tackling a rough track I'm not sure of, off come the FLR Bushrangers and on go the New Balance All Terrains.

Coffee is not so much a luxury as it is a necessity. It is not possible to survive life without coffee, yes I am well and truly addicted...so sue me. It's not so much the coffee that is the luxury but more my equipment that I use to produce such a gorgeous nectar. I have to have my Aeropress and my grinder. OK, I'm a fully fledged coffee snob, and I'm proud of it. I can't do instant, instant isn't coffee so notice how I referred to it as just 'instant'. Coffee bags don't do it, although I can suffice on a small over night hike or such, but no way long term. I just love freshly ground and perfectly pressed black coffee, and if I had to leave this gear behind I think I'd rather not go at all...lol.

So this is just some of my luxury items that I take. No, they are not necessary. Yes, they add weight. No, I will not ever leave them behind. They are mine and make my trip far more comfortable than they do restrict my riding ability on the road.

No-one can tell you what to take, or not to take. This is something that you figure out as you go. Yes, advice is good as a guideline only, but at the end of the day a bicycle trip is meant to be a holiday, and holidays are never meant to be miserable.

Cheers guys, and as always, ride safe.