There are as much opinions as there are bikers about the choice of a bike for such a trip. Some want to use a mountain or racing bike while others leave on a trekking bike. You will find a lot of useful information about this subject on the internet to make your own choice, but it is also important what you feel most comfortable with.
We have chosen for a custom built trekking bike, which is also called a randonneur. Yes, it costs a little bit more than ordinary bikes, but surely not more than the top brands, and then you have a bike which is specially built to your measure and completely hand built. We chose for Laurent Vlerick because of his renowned reputation and his long experience (www.vlerickfietsen.be). Being a cyclist traveller himself, he knows what he is speaking about. You can have the bike assembled completely to your wishes, till the smallest detail. Till now we’re still very pleased with our bikes that have more than proven their really high quality and sturdiness during our trip from Brussels to India and Southeast-Asia.
We were also very pleased with our Schwalbe Marathon XR tires. Christine rode the whole trip with the same tires and without even one flat. The only disadvantage is the rather high rolling resistance. This made us decide to try out the Continental TravelContacts for this trip.
For those who are interested, find the specifications of our Vlerick bikes below:
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Frame: |
chromolybdeen |
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Group: |
Shimano LX (9-speed, V-brakes) |
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Pedals: |
Sakae Ringyo Hybride CTP-400 with foot cage Zefal 45 |
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Rims: |
Alesa ATB 9021 559-21 mm (26 inch) |
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Spokes: |
Sapim Strong 13 g. (2.34 – 2.00 mm) |
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Inner tires: |
Vredestein (previous trip Michelin 26-8m 54-559/571 |
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Outer tires: |
Continental TravelContact 47-559 (previous trip Schwalbe Marathon XR 47-559 RF) |
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Saddle: |
Brooks Team Prof (Marc) |
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Brooks Team Prof S (Christine) |
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Saddle tube: |
Selcof Team 7000 320 mm |
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Handlebar: |
Tioga HBA-H101 |
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Handlebar tube: |
ITM (Marc) |
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Batavus Ergo (Christine) |
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Luggage carriers: |
Tubus Cargo (rear) |
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Tubus Duo Lowrider (front) |
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Mudguards: |
SKS Chromoplast P65/26" |
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Front light: |
Busch&Müller Lumotec Oval (with dynamo Axa HR+) |
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Rear light: |
Busch&Müller DT Toplight (with batteries, with on/off switch) |
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Drink bottle holder: |
Minoura big size (1,5 liter) |
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Minoura regular size |
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Bell: |
Bibia |
| Mirror: |
Busch&Müller Cycle Star (Christine) |
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Support: |
Hebie (at the rear) |
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Lock: |
Axa ring lock SL-7 (mounted on the bike) |
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Pump: |
SKS Matrix |