Calories are on my mind. How can we bring more of them?
There is limited storage capacity on a bicycle. The ‘trunk’ is the rear rack. You can hang a pannier off of each side. For temperate climes this is about adequate: one needs only a spare change of cycling shorts, shirt and the rest of it. Tools and spare parts also go in. Water and food round out the list.
The ‘glove box’ of the bike is the handlebar bag. Camera, maps and other daily use items go in here.
Our trip will be through sparse land. We will need capacity to carry several litres of water and some food, and a water filtering pump. A summer in Tibet will also feature all four seasons. We need to carry a tent, heavy-duty sleeping bags, and several fleece and woolen items. It is clear that the trunk and glove box will be full.
Those willing to forego suspension forks, or ‘shocks’, can hang another pair of panniers over the front wheel. This is standard practice for European riders. We however are wedded to the mountain bike approach, which includes front shocks. Thus for extra space I have brought two large nylon backpacks. They have a Nike logo so we call them the Nike bags. They are nearly perfectly square so fit atop the rear panniers.
The only space not utilised is the centre of the bicycle frame. Surely we can exploit it.
Which brings me back to calories. I have brought from Florida two large plastic Ziplock baggies of glucose powder to mix into water for extra energy. But this will not be enough. What we need is a store of candy: in 1995, a handful of candy got us through three days of desert cycling. It had been a lifesaver. This time, why not stuff a plastic tube full of candy and hang this from the top tube of the frame? It would be a kind of emergency reserve.
While Brice is away sorting through affairs to do with his new employer, who has agreed to wait for him to return from Tibet, I am plying the city looking for plastic tubes. A camera shop finally presents a solution: it has plastic mailing tubes for documents. They are telescoping and very sturdy.
“I’ll have two please.”