Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

Several year old Specialized Tri-Cross

(aluminum frame)

Several year old Focus Mares (aluminum frame)

2014 Gravity Liberty CX

(aluminum frame, $399)

Aaron: We all rode ‘cross-style’ road bikes that gave us the benefit of road-bike efficiency and mountain-bike durability. When the roads were smooth we could paceline like roadies, and when the roads were rough, dirt, and filled with washboard and potholes, we could charge on with the confidence of a mountain biker. I already had this bike and used it as a commuter and rain bike bike at home. For Cuba, it fit the bill perfectly. Not overly fancy, comfortable geometry, bomb-proof, and fast. All three bikes worked fine. Good to coordinate that all the bikes can utilize the same tools should adjustments or repairs be necessary repair set (headset, pedals, cranks - now can mostly be maintained with allen keys).

Tires, rear: 700 x 32,

Continental Gatorskin

700 x 32,

(Continental) Gatorskin

700 x 38, Specialized

Hemisphere Armadillo

Aaron: These tires have good reviews for durability and so I bought a set and rode them at home on my road bike for 1,500 miles with no flats so I purchased a set for the Cuba tour. No flats. No issues. They are slick style so they roll rally fast. I highly recommend these tires. I’m back home now and have logged many more miles….to date 2,500 miles on these tires and zero flats!

Tires, front: 700 x 28, Continental Gatorskin

700 x 28, (Continental)

Gatorskin

700 x 38, Specialized

Hemisphere Armadillo

Gearing: Front: Triple crank (50/39/30). Rear: 9 speed, 11/30

double crank in front: 50/34. Rear: 9 speed, 11/34

triple front 52/42/30.

11/34 rear

Alex happy with his gear choices and not having to use a triple. Aaron liked his gearing choice.

Bottles & cages: 2 cages for long bottle, and another spare in the bag

cage for long bottle, cage for 1.5 liter bottle

cage for long bottle cage for 1.5 liter bottle

Alex liked his bottle set-up - happy to have bigger

volume capacity in the cages. Aaron was fine with his.

Pedals: SPD

pedals that have SPD one side, platform on the other (and spare toe clip set)

SPD

Aaron likes his. Alex likes the fault tolerance of the platform side, coupled with a spare set of toe-clips (but has never actually had a pedal failure that would necessitate its use).

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

rear rack

rear rack

rear rack, Blackburn EX-1

Bags: two rear panniers. Overland Expedition brand (no longer made), Capacity EACH side estimated at 1700 cm^3 (total capacity = 3400^3)

A single Avenir Excursion Rack - Top Bag. 830 cm^3 capacity

2 rear panniers. Overland Equipment (no longer made), 1700cc each. These are two of the four bags I carried on the Arctic Expedition in 1992

We all had a slightly different setup. Aaron: I ran a rear rack, two Overland panniers, and a handlebar bag. I was happy with my setup. We were traveling light and so I had ample room for my gear in my two panniers. The handlebar bag was convenient for food, wallet, map, camera/phone, etc…. and it detached easily so I could keep my valuables with me at all times. My capacity was probably a little more than necessary, particularly by the end (after we had given away things that we were not using). Rob ran a rear rack, two Overland panniers, and a small bag mounted on his head tube. Alex ran a rear rack, an expandable trunk bag, and handlebar bag. He was pleased to push minimalism to an extreme, but the bag was a little too low on volume (had to stuff it tight in the beginning of the trip), and it was not durable (multiple seams came undone).

Handle bar bag: REI Topeak compact

Handle bar bag: REI Topeak compact

Frame bag, Timbuk2 Goody Box

It worked well as a handlebar bag. The bar-mount is great and was able to fit in amongst a lot of other gear (dual-action brake levers, cyclometer). However, two complaints: It would be great to have a clear, waterproof pouch on the top to fit either a map or (preferably) an iPhone. The unit comes with a waist-belt and it easily de-taches from the handlebar mount, but it has a massive plastic bracket that digs into your back, making it strangely non-viable as a real fanny pack.

Front light - Cygolite, rechargeable, with helmet mount

Front light - Cygolite, rechargeable, with helmet mount

Front light, Cygolite, 280 lumens, rechargeable, bar mount

Aaron: Touring Cuba in December with relatively short days, lighting was imperative as we often departed at dawn or arrived at dusk. On a 120 mi/200km day into Havana we ended up biking the last 20 miles in full darkness, and with our lights and reflective gear we were ultra visible. Another night after hiking Pico Turquino, the tallest peak in Cuba, we rode 30 miles on the remote South Coast in full darkness, and our lights worked great, though they were fading after 3 hours (manufacturer stated life) and mine actually died - I hooked it up to my spare battery pack (see more info on spare battery pack below). Overall, I’m very pleased with these lights. They are easy to charge on a usb cord and standard 110 wall charger, hold their charge well, and when used last as long as Cygolite states. Alex: Worked well and the ability to recharge ut of a socket was great (loved that all of our gear was wall-chargeable (no disposable batteries!), but the light’s duration would ideally be longer - definitely cutting it close several times.

rear LED flasher

rear LED flasher

rear light, Cygolite rechargable LED flasher

Great. FYI, did not see a single LED rear bike light flasher on the island.

cyclometer

cyclometer with cadence

light cable lock

light cable lock

light cable lock, (combo, no keys to lose)

Each rider brought one. Alex gave his away. We used the locks a couple of times as a precaution in cities or more conspicuous locations (often to the laughs of Cubans and the comment heard more than once “...there is no crime in Cuba!”.) One lock would be sufficient for group.

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

pump

pump

pump

Never used them, but everyone should have one. They keep getting better and smaller.

tire levers

tire levers

tire levers

Never used them, but everyone should have a set.

multi tool

multi-tool

multi-tool

Tons of great multi-tools out there.

small vice grips

small vice grips

A little on the heavy side, but a great tool to get you out of a pinch. We used them and I recommend them.

duct tape

duct tape

casette remover

casette remover

drill bit for rims

drill bit for rims

We brought a drill bit for the odd chance that we used up all of our tubes and patches, could not find any spares, and had to go to Schraders. Never used it.

packing (filament) tape

packing (filament) tape

When you are back in Havana and need to re-pack you box, great to have this ready. You will not be able to find it there!

mini bottle of chain lube

mini bottle of chain lube

Don’t need much! Bring one for the entire group.

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

spokes

spokes

spare spokes, 3 each, front & rear

We used one spare spoke for the group.

chain links

chain links

spare chain links and pins

tubes: 3 spare 700cc x 28-32 (presta)

3 heavy tubes (presta)

3 spare tubes (Presta). Also brought Shraeder adaptor just in case

We had 9 tubes for the group (3 each). We used zero. Best to plan for the worst, then give them away as it becomes clear that you wont need them.

patch kits

patch kits

patch kit with extra patches

Did not use any of them, but of course should bring them

spare tire

Never used the tire (gave it away), but definitely recommend bringing one.

film canister full of all sorts of bolts, nuts, parts

The spare nuts and bolts is a good idea - we ended up using the spare SPD cleat and mouting bracket with bolts. Things rattle loose. Easy to put together a small collection of parts in the US, a nightmare to try to find replacement parts in Cuba.

zip ties

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

helmet

helmet

helmet

Don’t need a lot! Sun protection is a big deal. If you stay at CPs, can do laundry (you or them for you) easily. Alex: Only biked in long sleeve shirts. In the spirit of minimalism, he only had one pair of biking shorts, one other pair of shorts, one pair long pants, one short sleeve shirt, a fleece, and would have been fine with only one long sleeve biking shirt. Aaron and Rob brought a little more. Aaron: I thought about clothing/gear a lot before the trip, especially knowing that once I left, I couldn’t change my mind since Cuba has nothing to offer a cyclist. I felt like I pretty much nailed the clothing. I could layer up on cool mornings with my long-sleeve jersey or shell, and off the bike I had what I needed. My biking jerseys were great, one short sleeve and one long sleeve, but I chose to bring a bright yellow short sleeve jersey for visibility, and a white long sleeve jersey for visibility and also to stay cool in the sun. Looking back I wish I left the yellow jersey at home and brought a dark jersey simply because they get so dirty and show it. I hand washed my clothes the whole trip, and even though they were clean, you can’t hand wash out the road. My two favorite ‘off the bike’ clothing items were my comfortable pants with zip off legs and my long sleeve button down shirt. This was of course my ‘uniform’ on our trip.

bike shoes

bike shoes (SPD)

cycling shoes

light running shoes

light running shoes

light running shoes

baseball cap

sun protective hat

cycling cap

2 jerseys. 1 long sleeve. 1 short sleeve.

2 long sleeve jersey

1 short sleeve cycling jersey

1 poly-pro t-shirt

1 nice short sleeve

2 REI short sleeve tech T-shirts

1 button down long sleeve traveler shirt

1 light fleece pullover

2 long sleeve sport shirts (non cotton)

1 ultra light cycling shell

1 lightweight wind/rain shell

1 swim trunks

speedo

1 pair shorts (for off bike, swimming)

2 lycra bike shorts

1 lycra bike short

2 pair lycra bike shorts

1 baggy bike shorts

1 pair running shorts

1 pair light long pants w/ belt and zip off legs

1 belt

1 short sleeve button down shirt

1 poly pro boxers

no underwear (free-ball for maximum ventilation)

1 pair REI boxer/briefs

1 ultra light pants w/zip off legs

1 ultra light long pants

1 light fleece (left in Havana, used only on airplane)

2 pair socks

2 pair socks

2 pair cycling socks

biking gloves

biking gloves

biking gloves

headband

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

small bottle Dr. Bronners liquid soap

soap

small bottle liquid soap

toothbrush

toothbrush

toothbrush

dental floss

dental floss

Ran out and could not find more in Cuba

toothpaste

toothpaste

toothpaste

2 disposable razors

disposable razors

disposable razor

sunscreen

sunscreen

sunscreen

Had just enough for 15 days but sunscreen was available for purchase in all the ‘tourist hotels.’

nail clippers

nail clippers

hand lotion

ibuprofen

bug juice

deet

half roll of toilet paper

partial roll toilet paper (glad I brought it)

Small roll on “bug juice” Deet stick.

Small pill box with Advil/Ibuprofen, Tylenol/Acetominophene, Pepto Bismol tablets, Aleve/Naproxen

lip balm

lip balm

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

REI ultralight flash daypack

REI ultralight flash 22

backpack

This was an optional item I’m glad I brought. I had a small pack for the airline flights, and it was great to have on hikes and city walks.

biking glasses & case

biking glasses

prescription sunglasses and regular glasses w/chums

REI ultralight bivy

REI ultralight bivy

Old habits are hard to break. Having always camped on previous bike tours, and feeling the need to be self sufficient in an emergency situation, I brought this small ‘space blanket’ bivy that I purchased at REI for about $16 and only weighs a few ounces. We never used it and would not bring it again.

iPod/iphone & charger

iPod mini with 200 songs

IPod

Alex: I was very pleased with my mini. Lasted all day. Much better to have 200 great song as compared to 10,000 marginal songs. Falco was good for the hills. Billy Squire for dropping people. Led Zeppelin best for long pull out of Guantanamo.

2 headphones/earbuds

Extra pair not needed and eventually given away.

110 plugs and USB cords

110 usb cords and plugs

110v charger w/ USB cords for camera, Cygolite(s), iPod

Great that this all now works - no more disposable batteries for iPhone, Cygolites, and GPS watch. The only problem with all the technology is ‘chasing the charge’ but fortunately there were outlets everywhere we stayed.

Garmin Fenix 2 GPS watch

Timex Ironman watch

I used this in place of a cyclometer and was able to track our entire route including hiking and driving sections. I loaded our route on Strava.com (follow me—Aaron Riggs, Issaquah, WA on Strava and visit ‘my activities Dec 2014’ to see detailed maps of our exact riding path.)

external USB battery

Aaron: I purchased this for about $30 right before we left and I used it twice when I was in a pinch for power. Once at night when my cygolight ran out of charge I strapped it to my helmet and plugged it directly into my Cygolite with a USB cord, and the other time on an overnight Viazul bus ride from Bayamo to Sanct Spiritus, I used it to recharge my Garmin GPS watch.

camera with SD cards

point/shoot camera, Fujifilm XP70 (waterproof, shockproof)

See this question on our FAQs PAGE. Camera less effective than I would have thought. All hail the iPhone.

iPhone 6

iPhone6. I chose to bring a brand new iphone 6 as my only camera. It was a good choice. I was able to keep it in the back pocket of my jersey and whip it out for quick photos and video while riding. I also had all of my music on the phone, two digital books to read, and kept my trip journal in the notes section. In Havana I was able to purchase a wifi card and use the internet, email, and even ‘check in’ on Facebook. At night lying in bed, I could write in mine. It felt like it was the ultimate trip assistant. The true limitaion of the iPhone is the camera. It is great for a smart phone, but the flash feature sucks, and the zoom capability of the lens is not very good. Still, for vacation shots on the fly, and web resolution photography, iphone fits the bill. The HD video camera on the iphne is remarkably good.

knife

knife

spork

spork

spork

Did not use/gave away.

maps

maps

maps, proof of health insurance, copies of all passports, emergency contact info, flight info, immigration/customs info, Lonely Planet Cuba

Maps were great (see the ROUTE PLANNING & MAPS section of our website ), but next time get it digital and everyone carry the full set on their iPhone.

passport

passport

passport

wallet

California driver’s license

credit cards

Credit cards were useless in Cuba, but good for Cancun on the way there.

cash

cash

cash

See our FAQs PAGE.

ziplocks & trash bag (waterproof sack)

ziplocks, 20’ nylon line, elec. tape, zip ties

lighter

Tupperware

Tupperware

Theoretical good option for stashing extra food

Swim goggles

goggles

Goggles worked well. A cheap, small option to use in place of a mask. We saw people on tour with a full set of fins. For minimalist touring, it sure looked silly.

first aid kit

first aid kit

Great to have along, but we used virtually none of it, with the exception of the Cipro

passport photocopies for entire group

passport photocopies for entire group

Good back-up

guide books - Lonely Planet

guide books - Lonely Planet

Guide book was great (see that section of the site), but next time get it digital and carry it on the iPhone.

Aaron

Alex

Rob

Group

Conclusions

tent

sleeping bag

cold weather gear

cooking gear

stove

scuba mask

credit cards that you intend on using in Cuba