Icebreaker Merino Clothing

Anyone who has bothered to look at my list of camping gear might have noticed the huge amounts of 'Icebreaker 100% Merino' clothing that I plan to buy. I cannot recommend their gear enough.

Icebreaker gear is great for a number of reasons.
1) they look great*,
2) you can wear them cycling/camping for multiple days without washing them** and they just smell like wool,
3) the 150 weight is very breatheable and could comfortably be worn on Australian summer days,
4) the merino wool wicks your sweat away so they never become saturated, even if you are wearing a backpack and cycling hard up mountains,
5) you are directed to wash them in cold water with a small amount of soap! (great if that's all you have)
6) it is merino wool, and doesnt give you the brutal 'wool itch' - though for people who are ultra sensitive they may want to try one on at a camping store first. I hate the wool itch, and while these feel like wool when you first put them on I dont notice it after about 2mins.
7) they are sustainably made, carbon neutral, 100% natural, etc. You can even plug in the 'baa code' and check which sheep 'donated' the wool!

I bought my first icebreaker shirt about 3 weeks ago and have barely taken it off while riding. I have even warn it out, as it is nice and warm, and will definitely be replacing many shirts in my wardrobe with these.

UPDATE: I've just re-read this and I feel the need to disclose that I dont actually work for Icebreaker or know anyone that does! I'm also not the only one that loves these shirts, google them or check out these more thorough reviews.

The cheapest place I have found to purchase them is 'mi woolies'. I have been told by Iomandra on the Surly Google forum that Bivouac have discount icebreaker store - not all sizes/styles are discounted, but I'm sure I'll grab a few bargains if I keep my eyes open - thanks for the tip!

* I read an article in the Australian where a guy documented his round the world business trip on just carry-on luggage, he raved about these shirts and said they often got mistaken for Armani. The article is very wanky but interesting to read.

** At the risk of repulsing people, I have actually done this... I dont think they smelt bad, honestly.

Worried about bicycle fit?

When buying odd bikes like surly LHT's over the internet it is always a bit daunting thinking about what size to get.

Here are two valuable resources:

Bike fit calculator.

A Table from the Google Surly group of the size of LHT users got and whether it fits! (what a great idea!)

My Current Surly Build

My build can be seen here on google documents. I think I will also put up some costings when I can be bothered as Andrew has on his fantastic blog here.

I got the Surly

Well after much over analysis, at one point even considering a Kona Sutra, I bought the LHT (54cm). I live in Brisbane and there is only one shop that actually stocks the LHT (Epic Cycles, great shop with nice people) and they didnt have my size. I ended up purchasing the bike from brunswick street cycles in Melbourne. They stocked it for $1999 and shipped it for free in 4 days! Needless to say I was very happy with their service.

Another option I considered was to purchase the LHT from wiggle (around AU$1550), but I did more calculations and realised that with the $170 postage, GST and customs duty I would have to pay the dollar difference amounted to about $50.

I will post some photos up once I get my upgrades on (and my camera back from my sister). I have already added the SKS Chromoplastic fenders (P55), I intend changing the drop bars (I don't like the curve) and adding a Brooks B17 saddle. I also am getting a Tubus Cargo rack.

I have also got Time ATAC LOC pedals.

All in all I love the look of the bike, it is noticeably heavier than my roady (duhh) but feels solid and not overly 'truck' like. The granny gears are crazy, but I assume will come in handy when I belt up the alps hauling 70kg of gear!

Front Light

I think I'm going to go a flashlight for my front light. Just read this review of the Lenser LED P7. It sounds like an awesome flashlight, though a tad expensive!

It has 130 hours of battery life and 4.45 wats with 167 lumens! That's pretty insane. Going for ebay for about $100.00, when compared to a decent bike light that is very reasonable.

UPDATE: Ebay is actually more expensive than bike lights which sells them for $98. Additionally, they seem to work well in a combo with the Two-Fish cyclo-block velcro attach system which is available for about $13.

These two-fish cyclo-block thingys look kinda handy for strapping things to your bike, anything from torches, u-locks to pumps etc.

Touring Shoes

Ideally I want shoes that I can wear on and off the bike. I have gone for Time ATAC cleats/pedals for this reason (they are small and low profile, no clipety clop!). At the moment I am thinking the Exustar Stelvio SPD commuter/touring shoe. They are leather, look like fairly normal (click the pic for a full view) and are walkable!

If possible I don't want to have to bring a spare pair of shoes... so these would have to get me into restaurants and wherever else I want to go. They also need to be stiff for long rides... a bit much to ask for just a pair of shoes?

Sleeping Bag

I think I've found the perfect sleeping bag! 640 grams!

It fits the temperature range nicely and is rated to an extreme of -4 degrees...but I would be hoping not to be anywhere that cold.

The Vango Venom 150:

Specification:
Suggested Usage: +7 to +25oC
Performance: 2 season
Maximum User Height: 185 cm
Dimensions: Length 210/ Chest Width 75/ Foot Width 50 cm
Total Weight: 640g (Excl sac 575g)
Fill Weight: 1x90 top/ 1x60 base g/m2
Pack Size: 20x12 cm
Zip: Left-hand



Prices:
ebay has them on buy it now for about $169 + $10PH
UK shops have them for about 50-65 pounds which would be cheaper but postage tends to be hefty...

Jackson online (a UK store) have it for about 160 including postage.

Outdoor Action have it for about $130 including postage from the UK...