- Janne Corax's gearlist.

• Frame: Alpha SL Double Butted 6061 T6 Aluminum. Try to buy a stell frame instead which can be welded if it breaks - bend back if bend + the frame is more "stiff". As said, I now also got a One One steel frame as well.

• Fork: Rock Shox Judy SL, 63mm. Has done a very nice job - Aeroflot managed to bend it during the flight home from Kathmandu in 2001, but my insurance paid another one. A suspension fork is not a must for cycling in Tibet - it can easily be done without, but has an advantage especially on bad washboard roads. Disadvantage: expensive and heavy.

• Chainset : Icon Crankshaft. 22-32-44 rings.

• Shifters: Shimano Deore XT Rapidfire 9 Speed. Generally, go for LX of XT. XTR is way too expensive and not as durable as XT.

• Brakes: Shimano XT "V-brakes". Performes very well. I have used Hydrolic disk brakes without problem, but I want to keep things simple despite the fact it performed fantastic on the long downhills. If any oil problems accured I wouldnt be able to fix it in low-tec Tibet.

• Front derailletur: Shimano XT

• Rear derailletur: Shimano XT

• Cassette: 12-34, 9 speed. Some prefer cycling with high-gearing setup. I cycle best up passes with a low-gear setup.

• Saddle: Specialised "BG comfort plus" My choice for the future, VERY comfortable! I used Selle Italia, "Max Flite" before, but do NOT buy a competition saddle like this, and do NOT start out on a long tour with a brand-new saddle. I stood more up than sitting on the saddle during the first week of cycling in West Tibet in 2001. Buy a comfortable one, test it before take-off and keep the ability to get kids.

• Wheesl: I mostly use 36-spokes Mavic 721 ceramic rims . Expensive, but the rim walls wears down extremely slow! Have also used Sun 0'XC, 32 spokes which did an acceptable job. I have used a Rolf Dolomite Disc wheelset before, but the 24-spoke specialised downhill wheel had problems on washboard roads combined with the weigh of gear -> spokes broke often. Generally, go for 36 spokes on the wheels if possilbe.

• Tires: Schwalbe Marathon XR 26 x 2.00. Highly recommendable! I very seldom run into punctures with those tires. Disadvantage: They are heavy - each tire weights some 850 grams. I once met a German cyclist who did 12.000 km without a puncture on the Marathon XR. I have used Continential Goliath semislick tires across West Tibet and they performed badly. The sidewall blew out on my backwhell and as goes for both of my bicycle partner's tires.

• Bicycle computer: Ciclomaster CM-414 bicycle computer with altimeter, temperature, road steepness,total altitude gained througout day + more. Had some big problems making it work, because the signal sender apparently has to be relatively close to the actual computer itself. Apart from that, it worked very well. Stefan didn't have a bicycle computer, didn't want one, but kept asking how long we had gone... (still, do remember that most main roads got kilometer stones).

• Water bottles: I tend to use two or three PET bottles nowadays(Pepsi/Cola etc) . Sometimes, if going in cold times of the year I also bring a thermo bottle as well. Chinese thermo bottles are normally bad in the sense they loose the heat quite fast.

• Rags/Carriers: Tubus Cargo rear carrier (steel). Labled 40 kg. carring capacity. I tend to believe it as I have had no problems it and consider it highly recommendable (540 g)! Delta Frontloader 2 made of alu and "specially" designed for front suspension bikes is the worst piece of crap ever produced since the stoneage. It completely broke apart and only repairing it with pieces of wood hindered a complete breakdown. Do not buy this one. Buy racks of steel if possible! I have the Tubus "Swing" (550 g) front suspension rack. It performed exellent in northwest Tibet in year 2002 but I have had big problems with it on a couple of trips now - broke apart different place. Tubes has sent replacements but Im looking for another one now. That one might become Old Man Mountain's Cold Springs carrier.

• Bags/Panniers: Two Ortlieb "Front Roller Light" waterproof panniers, each 12 L (1250 g). Two Ortlieb "Back Roller Light" waterproof rear panniers, each 20 L (1550 g). I used two sets of backroller in 2002 for carring more food and will do so again next time if going really off-road. I have used Oritlieb during all my trip and can only recommend them. Some minor problem: 1) their adapters to fit the bags to different sizes of rag thickness have an annoing tendensy of falling off - use tape to fasten them 2) their additional strap system is unnecessary - leave it behind and just close the rolling system on the top of the bag. Some say their "Basic" line is best and I liked their solidness when I tried them. However, I stick to their "light" line to save weight and they also perform excellent. I don't use a handlebar bag - I have tried it and its surely very convenient especially for camera gear, but the space in the bag is simply too small to justify the extra 800 grams. I just carry the camera in a front painner instead.

• Carry bag: Sometimes I bring one - I fx got a 250 g. carry bag. I have used Ortlieb "X-Plorer" 59 L waterproof stuff sack with padded straps for "trekking". Placed on the top of the rear rack and mainly used for food storage and tent poles and possible emergency situations in real off-road situations which involves leaving bike behind. I used it while walking around Mt. Kailash and from that experience I can only recommended it for short walking trips without too much weight. (750 g.).

• Strap: Mountaineering strap for fastening gear on the rear rack. In my opinion much better than elastic straps (40 g).

• Bottle cages: Three.

• Multitool 1: Toppeak "The Alien". This multitool contains about everything a biker will need in handy. Highly recommendable (250 g).

• Multitool 2: Leatherman "Wave" multitool (210 g). Good, but heavy!

• Hacksaw blade.

• Bicycle pump: Topeak Pocket Rocket. Small and expensive pump made of aluminium. It's important to bring a STRONG bicycle pump which withstands whatever!! I didn't do so during my Karakoram Highway trip and two tires were destroyed when low airpressure made the tirewalls blow out! One also losses a lot of energy riding on a partly flat bike. I have met other bikers with the same pump problem.

• Teeth brush: Half of it cut away - for cleaning difficult places.

• Cassette lockring remover. "NBT2 - the next best thing". needed for changing spokes next to the casette.

• Shimano chain separator: The one I have is build into the Toppeak tool.

• Gaffa tape: two metres. A must.

• Tube patch kit: Big one.

• Bicycle tire: Schwalbe Maraton XR foldable for long trip or just a thin foldable tire as backup if short trip.

• Inner tubes: two - sometimes one.

• Bolts: for front and rear rack repair.

• Brake pads: 4 - I use ceramic rims which requires ceramic brake pads as well.

• Bicycle computer: cheap one, very annoing if my only bicyclecomputer cracks!!

• Spokes: different length + nipples. Front and back whell don't have the same length. 12 spokes.

• Chain links: 4

• Grease.

• Oil: "Cross Country" 'wet' (120 ml). It lasts forever. In 2001, I took three 120 ml bottles with me, but one would have lasted all the way from Kashgar to Kunming (5200 km) alone! Don't use dry oil if going rainy season.

• Ball bearings: for pedals and headset.

• Breake cable: 1

• Derailer cable: 1

• Metal wire: 2 meters. A must for impossible repairs.

• Inner screw, going through wheel.

• Rag

• Rope: I'll use the wind stabilisation rope from the tent.

• Wire lock: I use a small one or none. In Tibet I'm mostly worried about people trying to steal something from my panniers - but this risk is surely lower than in other places (120 g).

• Small bags: Set of Tatonka small bags for trying to organise something out of the mess (5 bags).

• Head torch: Petzl MYO XP. Works on two AA batteries (190 g with batteries) .

• MP3 Player. Iaudio G3, 2GB flash player - some 40 hours on one AA battery. Please note that several cylists in Tibet have had problems with their Ipod harddisk players - they stop working in altitude!

• GPS: "Garmin GPSmap 60CSx" with compas and altitude profile. (Incl 2 AA batteries and bag). Not really needed on main roads, but nice to have + a must if going off-road for real (210 g).

• Batteries: 5 AA Alkaline I once wanted to bring superlight and cold resistant Lithium batteries with me, but learned they don't last longer for small power consuming devises like the MP3 player + they are highly expencive (100 g). Use it for my GPS though.

• Peber spray! Not necessary while cycling on normal roads (use stones for mad dogs) - just scared to meet a hungry Tibetan bear or wolfs in Northernmost Tibet :)

• Camera: Canon 5D. Supergood camera but very expensive.

• Lenses: One 16-35 mm F 2.8 Canon lens and one Canon 70-300 mm. lens

• Filters: I use polariser filters. Skylight filter is a good alternative.

• Tripod: 140 cm tripod. Cheap and supercompact Chinese version. Sometimes I bring it with me. Perfect for adding more dept into the photos or nightshots of stars. Minitripod or ski pole with build-in camera attachment has turned out being bad solutions

• Films: None any more!! This alone save me up to 2 kg. Instead I got 2 x 8 gb compact flash cards.

• Batteries: One spare battery + adapter.

• Photo bag: Used a Ortlieb waterprof photo bag before - difficult to access and the waterproffness not nessary in the waterproff panniers. I just use my old photobag and save some 100 g (125 g) I have gone without photo bag a few times, but its too rough for the camera.

• Camcorder: Sony HDCR 1 highdefinition videcamera - lightweight. I sometimes bring it along.

• Filter: UV-filter.

• Battery: Extra battery, (250 g)

• DV tapes: 6 Sony 63 min tapes for HD-camera(220 g)

• Wide angle lensh.

• Stove: MSR XGK Expedition - even yak dung (500 g)? I nearly ended up doing prayers and prostrations each time I wanted to turn on my Primus "Multi fuel Stove" in 2001. Cleaned it a bunch of times but nothing helped. In year 2002 I went with a MSR XGK which should be the best expedition stove on the market. Yet, it spoiled a summit attempt on Mt. Mustagh Ata and I was forced to clean it about every second day on the Kerriya Shankou trip, and was course to frequent frustrations and late departures. Janne's XGK stove performed well with the same fuel and I suspect I just had bad luck with the one I bought in Kathmandu. I have another one now and it performs perfect EXCEPT for the pump. I have had so many problems with it since they changed the pump cup from leather to rubber. It comes of constantly. Heard the same story from other cyclists as well. Gas stoves are too complicated for ordinary cycling.

• Wind shild: . For stove. Saves some 25% fuel.

• Fuel bottle: 0.95 L MSR bottle. A 2/3 L bottle is sufficient on normal roads. I use a soft drink bottle in case I need to carry more. Make sure it does not leak in the bicycle pannier!!!

• Repair kit: for stove.

• Cooking pot: 2 L titanium with lid (195 g). Important to bring a big pot if going at a time of the year where it's nessary to melt snow or ice.

• Cup: 0.9 L (145 g). Also titanium. Superlight, cheap and durable cups and pots can be found in nearly every Chinese supermarket.

• Lighters: Three placed in different bags. Bring some from home and none with electric firestarters!!! Most Chinese lighters are bad - difficult to find anyone without electric firestarters.

• Spoon: Forget the fork - not necessary.

• Water cleaning: Vital consideration!! I normally get water from restaurants or use Micropoor Forte pills. Do notice two hours is needed to kill Girardia.. Take a look at this link on watertreatment and this one as well. I have used MSR MiniWorks water filter, a nice well-functioning filter, but its just too heavy and bulky for me. Clean your water in Tibet carefully. If you get Giardia, which in some versions give strong!! persisting diarrhea, your trip will be no fun. Drink as usual as much as you can in altitude and more. Tasty "Jian Li Bao" soft drinks can be bought even in small villages along most roads. Important with water carrying capacity for up to two days while being on roads as water can be scarce some places (e.g. Aksai Chin) depending on the time of the year.

• Water bag: 10 L Ortlieb (120 g). For back- and off-road adventure or alternatively a 4 L bag

• Multivitamins: The food is mostly instant noodles.

• Tent: I now use Lightwave F2 - a light 4-pole geodesic selfstanding mountain tent which weights 2.6 kg. A bit heavy, but ideal in strong wind and if going for mountaineering along cycling. It's wilderness green colour is perfect for hidding out. Two major complains! 1: A mountain tent dont have massive areas of ventilation fabrics - I had a Chinese tent producer sewing fabrics to cover those areas where the wind could pass right through 2: The tent poles are extremely difficult to force though the tent pole tubes when setting up the tent - takes forever - they are way too narrow!!
• I have formerly used Terra Nova "Voyager" tent, green (2400 g) four-seasons ten, selfstanding, very wind stable. I cut the mosquito net and serveal other unnessary details off in weight fanatism. The Voyager works well, except for the zippers which gave up completely in 2002. Terra Nova fixed it for free. Ground sheet for tent is heavy and unnecessary. Generally, bring a windstable and superlight tent.
• For heavy mountaineering and cycling I have Mountain Hardware "Annapurna". Crossed Tibet's Chang Tang with it - very recommendable tent. Neg: screaming color + it witghts 3,5 kg.

• Sleeping pad: Term A Rest "Ultralite" (650 g). It's also possible to get a 3/4 version of this inflatable air mattress and save some 220 grams, but I prefer the comfort of this one. Foam pads are simply too voluminous for cycling.

• Sleeping bag: Mountain Equipment "Classic 1000" down sleeping bag (1750 g), comfort temp. - 20 C. No sleep - no biking fun. Don't compromise on sleeping bag! I used a Marmot "Cwm" rated down to - 40 C during the Kerriya Shankou trip in september and was actually freezing at night when the sleeping bag was a bit wet from moisture and because of my rapid weight loss. Normally, a -10 C comfort temperature bag should do the trick during a summertrip in Central Tibet.

• Compression bag: for sleeping bag - a must.

• Repair kit for Term-A-Rest

• Cap: Lowe Flapped Hat. Covers also the neck against the sun (Important!). Works really well, but I look like a bumb with it (100 g). Helmet - I don't fell comfortable using a bicycle helmet. Also, I dont want to look fancy while cycling in Tibet. Instead I go slow downhill the passes nowadays.

• GoreTex Cap. With fleece inside.

• Sunglasses: Mountaineering style to add over glasses.

• Spare glasses: I'm next to blind without my glasses. I will be in deep trouble if they are destroyed. Contact lenses is too complicated for me in Tibet (dust problems and weight of contact lens cleaning solution).

• Boots: La Sportiva "Tibet" Gore-Tex boots (size 45) (1400 g). I loved them in year 2001 - now I hate them. They were sucking wet during the Kerriya Shankou trip probably because the GoreTex membram broke. These ones have to be replaced before next trip. I am going for trekking boots again, as it works really good for me even while cycling. Unfortuantely, not everyone feels comfortable cycling with boots. I have been carried sandals during the last two Tibet trips. After some considerations - I don't bring them next time - good for rivercrossings, but to heavy and bulky to carry. I'll bring waterproff socks instead for cold stony glacier rivers. SPD-shoes sucks - at least for me. A Japanese sent the one I used in west Tibet home for me from Lhasa and I ended up using trekking boots instead.

• Socks: Two pairs of thin socks (on pair of them are waterproof) and two pairs of thick socks (not cotton!) Had to dry my only pair of thick socks over my stove every morning in the wet part of the Kerriya trip. That ended up in socks with loads of holes! Never going with only one pair of thick socks again!

• Gaiters: For off-road adventures which involves snow.

• Gloves: waterproof for rain and cold weather: Lowe Alpine " Dr. Strangelove" with inner fleece gloves which can be taken out (300 g). There are better choices than these mountaineering gloves.

• Riding gloves: Buy some with long fingers and covered backside against the sun.

• Shell jacket: The North Face XCR Gore-Tex Jacket - don't know the name of it, bought cheaply in Beijing - not fake (750 g). My old THF Kitchatna leaked on arm parts and the gluing on the back gave up and as did the zipper. The shop where I bought the jacket gave a full refund payment after three years of use.

• Fleece Jacket: Mountain Hardware "200".Don't bring a windstopper jacket - breathing ability is considerably reduced compared with normal fleece (500 g). I also bring a Mountain Hardware "100" fleece jacket. I have used a "300" fleece jacket alone before, but got the two Mountain Hardware very chap in Beijing which makes it easier to dress according to weather conditions.

• Long sleeve shirt for cycling: Helly Hansen expedition shirt. Cotton absorbs moisture instead of transporting it out to the next layer -> avoid cotton!

• Normal shirt: For civiliation.

• Rain pants: Free Style GoreTex. Remember if get a pair which got zippers the whole way up the legs. The zipper on my old rain pants only went halfway up and I had to take off my boots every time I took them on - very annoing.

• Pants: Used for cycling as well for everyday life.

• Cycling shorts: Giordana, one pair - used under the pants. Tibetans will look upon you as coming from outer space if you use cycling shorts alone.

• Long expedition underwear: I bring it sometimes agains cold weather conditions.

• Normal underwear: two pairs.

• Small towel: Thin and 40x30 cm, made of microfibre.

• Lipsticks with sunblock: (F9). Sunblock can also be used.

• Tooth brush and paste

• Soap.

• Shaving gear: use soap for shaving.

• Sun lotion: factor 50, 50 gram.

• Toilet paper.

• Polishing cloth: for glasses and camera lens.

• Swaps.

• First aid package: Plaster, disinfecting, and bindings.

• Sports tape: If feets starts falling apart.

• Flagyl:1 package of 200 mg. tablets, 2 packages of 400 mg. tablets. To fight Giardia which is very common in Tibet. I usually take a 2000 mg. one-day dosage to kill the beast -> no cycling for at least one day as it knocks you completely out. A friend of mine got persisting very strong diarrhea from Giadia in Tibet in 98' which destroyed his whole trip. Don't go without something to fight Giardia!!

• Painkillers: Soft Asprin and some Chinese "cannot fell my legs" ones...

• Diamox: Against altitude sickness. Very important NOT to view this one as the ticket for fast ascent!!

• Ciproxin: Antibiotic against diarrhea with fever.

• Vepicombin: Antibiotic

• Immodium. To stop diarrhea. Its a problem to use it because you get the diarrhea to get rid of bad bacterias.

• Dulcolax: Opposite. Makes your stomac works "faster".

• Bentasil: Against sore throat. I didn't need them in Tibet, but in polluted Kathmandu I did!

• Malarone: (250 mg) against Malaria. There is no Malaria in Tibet, but if I get it outside Tibet and become sick in Tibet, I will be in deep trouble if I cannot deal with it.

• Vaccination card. Most of it cut away to save weight.

• Money belt, waterproff

• Small vallet: for everyday payments. You don't need to show everyone all your money.

• Cash.

• Passport

• Chinese visa.

• VISA card/Master card. Danish banks sucks on this matter. Danish credit cards got some very regid rules on maximum amount of money drawn per day!

• Flight ticket/E-ticket.

• Photocopies: of important documents.

• Research notes.

• Maps! 1) The Tibetan part of the Chinese truckdriver's atlas with kilometers between cities included. 2) Map in 1:2.000.000 scale of Tibet (Geocenter). A bit unaccurate, but gives a nice overview of Tibet with European city names 3) Chinese map over Tibet, bought in the bookshop in the Lufthansa Shopping Centre in Beijing. Really good and amazingly accurate on roads. 4) TPC American military fly navigation maps of the part of Tibet I'm going. 1:500.000. Good for GPS navigation. Not a must for normal road cycling, but I'm a map lover....Generally - EVERYTHING unnecessary have been cut off the maps.

• Frasebook: Mandarin (Chinese) from Lonely Planet. Bring a Chinese frasebook along - it makes life much easier for you and cracks down personal and cultural walls. I have had the Tibetan version with me before, but I seldom used it -> cut away.

• Dairy/notebook Very compact with huge amount of lines on each page.

• Writing pens: Be carefull - the low pressue at 4500 - 5000 meters in Tibet cause most pens to leak all over.

• Waterproff bag: For maps.