Pedaling South

Gear

Lucie’s riding a brand new Surly Long Haul Trucker.

Torrey’s riding his trusty Trek 930. Last one ever made (2000?)

Tent: Big Agnes Emerald Lake SL3

Our home for the year is a lightweight 3 person tent with a gigantic 2-car garage vestibule that we could theoretically drag our bikes into if need be. Roomy! Packs up small! Keeps us dry! We added the optional “footprint” double floor to make it extra durable and waterproof.

Racks: Tubus Cargo and Tara

Big, tubular chromoly. No wobbling! Lots of locktite on rack bolts.

Panniers: MEC

We have an assortment of MEC panniers: Aquanots, PF 43’s, and 4 15 litre front panniers. Thanks to Tom in Palmer for bending our j-hooks so the front bags don’t fly off our lowrider racks!

Sleeping Bags: MEC Drake Down barrel bags, rated 0C

Nice for warm/cold, zip together into a queen-sized bed! The two bags fit into one 20 litre dry bag. Light, plush, compact, hard to get out of on cold mornings.

Stove: Optimus Nova Plus

Runs on gasoline! Costs about 60 cents a week to run.

Other stuff: Water filter, netbook, camera, pots n pans, spices, raingear, journal, bear spray, etc etc. Write us for details.

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F.A.Q.

Q: How can you afford to live on your bikes for a year?

A: We obtained most of our cycling and camping equipment with the help of our sponsors. We left Montreal with meagre savings, figuring that if we didn’t jump on the chance now, it would pass us by forever (or at least until retirement).

Traveling by bicycle can be really cheap. By preparing and eating basic local foods, sleeping in our tent or with hosts and maintaining our equipment ourselves, we manage to stay healthy and happy on just a few dollars a day. We’re also writing articles and working on photo projects to help fill our bellies and fix our bikes. Feel free to encourage us by making a donation.

Combien de km roulez-vous par jour ?

Cela varie en fonction du type de terrain et des tâches prévues (lavage, douche, épicerie, etc.) Sur les routes asphaltées relativement plates avec un vent neutre ou favorable, nous pouvons rouler au-delà de 120 km. En Alaska, nous avons rouler en moyenne 85 km par jour sur un parcours montagneux.

À quelle vitesse roulez-vous ?

En Alaska, notre vitesse moyenne est d’environ 18 km/heure.

Combien de livres pèsent vos bagages ?

Environs 110 livres chaque incluant le poids du vélo, de la nourriture et de l’eau pour 4 jours.

Comment vous est venue l’idée de cette expédition ?

Depuis deux ans, nous étions à la recherche d’un projet de voyage qui nous permettrait de concillier nos passions de vélo et notre désir de découvrir une culture étrangère. D’une idée à l’autre est née le projet Pedaling South. Il nous a fallu 6 mois de préparation.

Q: Is this blog in English or in French?

A: Both! We’ll each be adding posts in our own language, but we’ll make sure the main details appear in both French and English. Think of it as a 2 for 1!

Q: Do you have a website?

A: Yes, yes we do.