The End

I'm back home now. Uneventful journey - train to London, another back to Sheffield. My house, which has rumbled on in a state of approximate cleanliness for the past few years is now as clean and shiny as a new pin - I've had a friend and his gf staying over whilst I was away, house-sitting, and they've only gone and cleaned the place from top to bottom! I wonder how long I'll be able to keep it like this???

Final Kit List, and notes, follows.

Item	Weight	Quantity	Total Weight
Bags of Stuff
Bag for misc bits	303	1	303
Air mattress repair kit, rubber bands, cable ties, brake & gear cable, general purpose glue, bolts, matches, puncture repair, brake pads, clothes pegs, spork
Toiletries	365	1	365
Electric toothbrush, razor, shaving oil, hand sanitizer gel
Saddle Bag	634	1	634
Pedal spanner, Dumbbell Spanner, screwdriver for adjusting derailleur limit screws, multitool, passport in protective case, nail clippers, coins.
Clothes
gloves	38	1	38
socks	26	3	78
rain legs	146	1	146
Flip Flops - ultra cheap Tesco	166	1	166
hand towel	189	1	189
fleece	271	1	271
normal trousers	373	1	373
Normal tshirt	201	2	402
Normal socks	165	3	495
raincoat	623	1	623
cycling shorts - dhb	318	2	636
Road Shoes - shimano R132	772	1	772
Others
Spork	9	1	9
Phone Cable	21	1	21
Tissues	27	1	27
Strap	28	1	28
Cable Lube	35	1	35
Tyre Levers	36	1	36
Saddle Oil	48	1	48
Hand Protect Cream (grease barrier)	50	1	50
Chain Lube	58	1	58
Playing Cards	91	1	91
Pump	119	1	119
Insect Repellant	130	1	130
Food box	130	1	130
Silk Liner	131	1	131
Suncream	131	1	131
Toothbrush Charger	144	1	144
Chamois Cream	186	1	186
Inner Tube	120	2	240
Battery Charger	282	1	282
Air Mattress - NeoAir	404	1	404
Lock	583	1	583
Batteries	650	1	650
Sleeping Bag - Rab Quantum 250	754	1	754
Tent - Terra Nova Laser	1351	1	1351
Pannier Bag	919	2	1838
TOTAL WEIGHT			12967

I have built up most of this equipment over the last couple of years and used most of it previously.

Generally, the kit did the job as expected. Some of the more expensive items performed extremely well - the neoair air mattress / down bag / silk liner combination make an excellent camp bed; the neoair possibly the best of the three - it's thickness smooths out bumps and lumps on the ground, and shapes, to an extent, to the body lying on top of it.

Some of the cheapest kit worked surprisingly well also. The flip flops turned out to be great campsite shoes, easy enough to walk about in and in the end I wore them in preference to the road shoes for the journey home - all the way from the airport in Bratislava. It helped that the weather was very hot - had it been cold and raining they would not have done so well.

The total weight of 13kg is a disappointment. I had hoped to be lighter, although on the road it felt manageable - even on the very hilly day. The quest continues to get down to under 10kg and preferably nearer 8. I'm deliberately including kit I would be wearing as well as carrying in this figure, as gravity acts on it all equally on the long ascents!

What wasn't useful?

• Rainlegs.
• Playing cards.
• Saddle oil or cable lube - neither necessary. Oil saddle before departure, use chain oil on cables if need arises.
• Spork (a combination knife and spoon).

What would I change?

• Shoes. Although the R132s are great road shoes, they have the spd-sl cleat that sticks out from the base of the shoe and makes walking clunky and damaging to the shoe - not much good for touting in. Replacement would be normal insert spd's.
• Batteries. There's a lot of weight in the many spare batteries I carry for the GPS. Maybe it's time to go down the dynamo / li-ion / headlight / regulator -> gps route?
• Pannier bags. Although the Ortlieb bags are strong as anything and 100% waterproof, together they are the heaviest piece of kit on the bike. There MUST be bags out there with the physical merits of the Ortliebs but without the weight?

Preparing the Bike for Transport on an Aeroplane. I picked up the following hints from a bunch of last minute web searching the day before my flight. Bike preparation is all about reducing the physical size of the bike and taking steps to reduce damage should your baggage handler be in a particularly bad temper.

• Wheels off, deflate tyres. Ensure pump available to re-inflate afterwards.
• Fit spacers where the wheels were. Your LBS should have some from delivery of their own stock. They prevent the frame deforming if the bike is crushed.
• Take off the rear derailleur and cable-tie to the frame.
• Take off the pedals
• Loosen the handlebar and turn 90 degrees so the front of the bike is flattened. Perhaps this is only necessary if a mudguard is fitted?
• Use cable ties to secure the chain around the largest cog at the front. This will lessen damage to the teeth if that cog comes into contact with the ground.

And of course check the web pages of the airline beforehand to determine any other requirements. Bikes will generally need to be boxed or bagged - as I've written previously, I used a shower curtain and a load of Sellotape / cable ties to 'bag' my bike but with better preparation (and not being a sunday in a country where most shops shut at 4pm on Saturday and reopen Monday) could have done it better. It's said that LBSs will have bike boxes to give away, but the web man says to make sure the bike is secure in the box before going down this route.

So, The End. Final thank you to everyone who put us up overnight, feeding, watering and entertaining us - you were all marvellous and added hugely to the trip. Everyone who let us camp on their land a big thumbs up. Everyone who offered directions or other help along the way - thank you.

Final Stats: 16 days of cycling with two rest days. Distance: 944.2 miles, 1519km. Longest day: 91 miles, 146km. The hilliest day, getting to Medenbach, included 5000ft of climbing - about 1,545 meters.