LEJOG / JOGLE Equipment list

The main thing to focus on with a bike is getting one that's comfortable for you. The Genesis Tour De Fer 10 was great for me (especially as I prefer straight handlebars), although I'd advise changing the rear wheel for a stronger rim and spokes.

It can also be worth checking out this great guide to touring bikes. It's written by Tom Allen, a cyclist who's been travelling the world by bike for over 10 years and knows a thing or two about bikes.

Ortlieb are the most popular pannier brand and with good reason - they're great quality and 100% waterproof. I opted for the larger ones (the "Pro" range) to be able to pack more stuff in; as I said I'm not a light packer! (although I had loads of spare room)

This handlebar bag was spacious enough to store all the gear I needed easy access to such as my phone, camera, spare battery pack, wallet, inhalers, and suncream. It helped to counterbalance the weight of the rear panniers somewhat, and being quick release with a shoulder strap meant I could take my valuables with me if I left the bike somewhere.

I used this bag, which easily attached to my top tube & seemed to be fully waterproof, to keep energy gels in for easy access throughout the day.

This saddle bag was used for storing all my bike tools (and spare inner tube); it was the perfect size and easy to access when needed.

My rucksack contained a 3 litre water bladder (although I never filled it that full), as well as my jacket for quick access on days when it looked like it might rain (on other days my jacket was packed away in my panniers).

If you prefer cycling without a rucksack (and relying on your water bottles instead of a bladder), then as an alternative this frame-mounted bag looks as if it'd be great for storing your rainjacket with easy access.

These replaced both the original pedals that came with the bike (which were very basic), and the Meetlocks pedals I initially used but which snapped mid-ride. These pedals however were great, giving large surface area for the feet and good grip. Many people prefer clip-in (cleat) pedals but it's years since I've used those and I didn't have time to re-learn them.

A kickstand was really useful as it meant I didn't need to keep putting my (very heavy) bike down on the floor. This particular kickstand is a heavy duty one, capable of supporting heavily-laden touring bikes.

My bike had attachments for 3 water bottles although generally I only ever had two filled at a time; one with just water and one with an energy powder mixed in.

On my European tour in 2018 I had attachments for 5 bottles on my bike. The weather reached over 30 degrees C on many days - and on those days I often drank all 5 bottles dry!

I took a laptop with me to be able to do route planning on the go as well as other work in the evening (obviously not everyone takes a laptop though!). The Surface Pro 4 was ideal as it's small and incredibly lightweight - even with the charger it's still under 1kg.

I would have been quite literally lost without this. See here for how to upload route files to it.

Having two Garmin's was admittedly a luxury, but whilst I kept my Edge 1000 on the map display, I used this one to permanently display various details such as my speed and distance, as well as to record the day's cycling.

The spare battery pack I had proved crucial for powering my GPS when I once forgot to recharge it, and was also really useful for keeping my phone battery topped up during the day too. There's loads of battery packs available; this one has a high capacity (6000mAh giving me about 3 charges of my iPhone), is lightweight, and has a fast output to boot.

This was a brilliant weight & space saving piece of kit! It enabled me to fast-charge 5 USB devices at once (eg any combination of all my bike lights, my phone, my camera batteries, and both Garmins) without having the weight of carrying several plugs. Highly highly recommended!

I love my photography but taking my full SLR kit would have been a bit much. This camera (which took all the landscape photos on this website) is small yet brilliant quality and takes RAW format images too. Don't forget to pack a spare battery and memory card too, as well as any cables or units for charging the batteries.

Since my LEJoG ride I've bought the newer Mark VI version - an even better camera with slightly longer zoom!

No explanation needed!

This mirror is something I won't be without now; it was incredibly useful. This particular one was very stable even over rough ground and could be angled around, enabling me to see what was behind at a glance.

The SeeSense Icon+ lights were extremely bright and useful for ensuring drivers could see me when it was raining, flashing more frequently as cars approached. The battery life was over 2 days.

I took this as a backup to my SeeSense rear light, as well as to increase my visibility from other angles. It's not cheap but is incredibly bright.

As far as D-locks go this seemed to be the best one out there as a balance between weight and security. I got the version that included the EazyKF bracket which worked great for mounting it on my bike.

I took this in addition to a D-lock so I that could secure my bike to almost anything. I was glad I had it, although I rarely used it as my bike was always undercover overnight and I never left it for long during the day. They come in several lengths; I had a 7ft one which was fine but heavy.

This short lightweight cable was useful for helping to secure my panniers to my bike, although the level of security was minimal (thieves could have simply cut the fabric handles of the panniers). See the Safety & Security page for more details.

I took this in case of any extreme situation where I was stranded in remote Scotland (call me paranoid!). As it happened I was never far from a road so could have flagged down help if needed; I don't think I'd take one again.

Great little kit with all the essentials & very light; luckily I never needed it.

Again I bought this in case of an extreme situation where I was stranded in a remote place. Even though my route never did take me anywhere too remote I'd still take it again as it weighs nothing.

I kept these in my handlebar bag where they were useful for cleaning hands, for example after any fiddling with my bike chain. These ones from Boots are antiseptic as well, useful for cleaning any cuts (eg whenever I bashed my shins against my pedals!)

In addition I packed a few other lightweight medical supplies, including:

• Suncream
• Antihistamines
• Ibuprofen
• Lemsip tablets
• Inhalers
• Antiseptic cream

This was superb jacket - not only was it a rare large jacket that I could find that would fit me, it was also lightweight yet warm, windproof, & totally waterproof. My only regret was that it was yellow - a colour that I discovered attracts flies!

Gloves are gloves! There was nothing special about these ones except they fit me well and were padded.

I only wore these a couple of times but they were useful on days where it wasn't cold enough for my jacket but when I still wanted some more warmth. They were also useful when passing through areas of lots of flies for keeping the critters off my arms.

These shoes were another of the items that I was so glad of taking. If you use cleated pedals then your choice of shoes might be a little more limited, however having some that were waterproof was great for light rain showers as there was no need to keep stopping to put my waterproof shoe covers on. The danger of waterproof shoes is that your feet might sweat more but I didn't find this was the case with these ones.

I took these for times when the rain was a full-on downpour, when I thought that even my waterproof trainers might struggle. I have huge feet (size 13) and these were about the only overshoes I could find that would fit, and even then it was tight.

Unfortunately though these proved useless - both days I wore them my feet ended up sat in a lagoon; I wouldn't have been surprised if any tadpoles came out when I took my shoes off at the end of the day! I never did work out how the water was getting in as they seemed waterproof and were tight (and scratchy) at the back against the calves, however next time I think I'd be better without these ones. An alternative choice could be to opt for waterproof socks instead.

These are just genius! They'll make your clothes take up less room (simply zip them up & roll to squeeze the air out), keep them dry should your panniers leak, and help keep clothes sorted (eg 1 bag for dirties, one for still-damp washed clothes, etc). These made unpacking & repacking my bags every night so much easier.

I was extremely grateful for this when it rained heavily, helping keep my head dry and warm. It even fits helmets with sun-visor peaks.

This is a cyclist's secret weapon. Sore bums go with the territory of cycling but this helps avoid chafing in sensitive areas.

These were useful for pretending that I was Tom Cruise. And for keeping the sun out of my eyes.

Some cycle tourists manage to get by on just 2 t-shirts and sets of underwear; I found 4 sets much easier:

• Cycle shorts (x1)
• Waterproof hiking trousers (x1)
• Cycle t-shirts (x2 short sleeve, x2 long sleeve)
• Underwear (x4)
• Handwash liquid

I tried washing clothes every evening but found that items didn't always fully dry out overnight (unless the B&B had a heated towel rail). In those cases I was grateful for an extra set of clothes to give the damp stuff an extra 24hrs to dry. I also got a bit lazy some evenings and just couldn't be bothered doing any washing! The handwash liquid was useful though I could have saved weight by using shower gels instead.

In addition I visited a couple of launderette's en-route too for a thorough wash, even though they took a couple of hours out of the day.

One tip I learnt regarding choice of clothes though - always test any of your waterproof gear before you set off! I didn't and it seems my once waterproof hiking trousers (a few years old) had lost their water repelling abilities! Even washing with re-waterproofer stuff during my halfway stopover at home in Leeds didn't seem to have much effect; with more planning I should have bought some new ones.

Bringing evening wear was a luxury that some people may choose not to do, however I didn't want to spend weeks being in my cycling gear the whole time!

• Spare shoes
• Jeans
• T-shirt

The jeans were a luxury and I should really have taken lightweight hiking trousers instead, whilst my spare trainers (which I was especially grateful for on the really wet days when my cycling shoes needed drying out) did take up a lot of room. If I do the ride again I'll look for some slim pumps instead.

Other smaller toiletry items I packed as well included:

• Toothbrush/paste
• Travel shower gel / shampoo
• Hand cream
• Shaver & shaving cream
• Mini deodorant

Multitools are something no cyclist should be without! Allen keys, flat & Phillips head screwdrivers, and a couple of other tools, are things you'll need several times on your trip. This particular multitool from Topeak was lightweight for its size.

Whilst the multitool had some allen keys I still prefer dedicated ones since they're better for getting at awkwardly located bolts. This set also came with a large 8mm size key, not generally found in multitools, which was needed for occasionally tightening my kickstand.

Instead of a full set of spanners I took this small adjustable wrench for use on any bolts that might need tightening. I used it to tighten my spoke nipples when they came loose, although with them being so small a dedicated nipple tool would have been much easier.

Fingers crossed this is a tool you'll never need, however if you ever snap a chain you'll be glad you brought it. This one had a dedicated hook to hold both ends of the chain in place while you repair the links.

Fortunately I never needed these - these fall into the category of emergency "get me home" kit that help temporarily replace any links in your chain that may break. Make sure you get the correct type / size for the number of gears your bike has.

This is another basic piece of kit that needs no explanation! It has a mount for easily attaching it to your frame next to the water bottle holder.

It's much easier to quickly swap inner tubes rather than faffing around by the road fixing the puncture - leave that until when it's easier. Obviously make sure you get the right tube - diameter, width, and valve.

Does what it says on the tin!

The tyre levers that come with puncture repair kits are often (in my experience) nasty ones; it's worth making sure you have some good ones on hand for when you need them.

Keeping your chain running smoothly is certainly a good idea when cycling 1000 miles! I made sure to get a bottle with a secure screw lid so that it wouldn't leak; some bottles just have a clip-on lid which are probably only intended for storing on upright on shelves.

I brought these to help attach my rear light to the bike (long story) but they can be useful in other situations too, eg to secure any loose cables or help tie things down when transporting your bike.

I'd read a tip somewhere that gaffer tape could be useful - and so it proved! I used it to secure my trouser ankles & stop them catching in the chain before I could buy some trouser clips, as well as securing parts of the bike when transporting it. If you wrap some tape around a very narrow tube (eg an old biro tube) then it doesn't need to take up much room and is very light.

I've sworn by Torq gels for years, especially for hiking. I've tried other brands but always come back to these - they taste great, are relatively compact, and you really can feel the difference they make.

I put a couple of these Electrolyte tablets in my Camelbak each day to help my body absorb the water, as well as giving it a bit of flavour.

These were useful to give my body a quick energy boost in the morning; I'd put one into one of my water bottles and shake it up to dissolve. Again I could feel the difference these made.

In all honesty I have no idea if these worked or not! You're meant to mix one sachet with water & drink it as soon as you finish exercising for the day. They contain carbohydrates to replenish your body stores, as well as protein to help your muscles recover.

I don't know whether they did any good or not, but as I have never cycled so far before I figured my body needed all the help it could get so why not. I didn't take these on my 2018 European tour though and was fine without them.

I did quickly buy a pair of these, making do with gaffer tape initially, to stop the bottom of my trousers from catching in the chain.

Whilst my adjustable wrench did the job, a dedicated tool would have made it much easier and quicker to adjust my wheel spokes.

These aren't particularly light and it was a conscious decision not to take one as I didn't think I'd need one. And whilst I did manage without, that was just due to luck at being able to find a bike shop nearby when my spokes broke (to get at the rear spokes you need to remove the cassette).

There are novel lightweight tools that will remove cassettes too, such as the "Next Best Thing 2" (NBT2), available from Spa cycles. Be aware that there are reports of this device damaging bikes if not used properly though!

No not a razor but a lightweight cycling vest. I wanted one of these but couldn't find any that fit my size; manufacturers obviously think only slim people want to stay warm! There were some days where it wasn't cold enough to need my full jacket yet I could still have benefitted from a little warmth or extra wind protection from a gilet.

Luckily it never got truly cold for me, although there were a couple of days where long fingered gloves (especially waterproof ones!) would have been nice to have.