The first order of business is to show you how we're hauling ourselves around New Zealand for three months. Last summer we ordered a pair of folding bicycles made by Green Gear Cycling in Eugene, Oregon.
The Bike Fridays are custom-sized steel bikes that fold into hard-shelled suitcases. I ordered the beefier New World Tourist model while wee Carrie got the Petite Crusoe. The only significant difference between the two bikes, aside from their size, is that the main tube on Carrie's bike uses a thinner, butted steel to save a little weight. Carrie also uses a different type of handlebar because it's easier for her small hands to use mountain bike style brake levers.
The bikes are set up specifically for touring with comfort being more important than efficiency. Compared to my road bike, a Soma Smoothie ES, the steering is a bit twitchy and I can definitely feel the bumps in the road more. This is due to the 20-inch wheels, which give the bike its distinct look and help it fit into a standard suitcase. However when loaded down with panniers, the steering slows and the road vibrations are dampened. Read our review of the bikes.
The other thing that sets our bikes apart is the saddles. Finding a good saddle is like finding a good wine; there's too many to chose from and everyone's tastes are different. I've been riding on a Brooks B-17 saddle for a couple of years now. The unpadded leather molds to and supports your sit bones, making this the most trouble-free saddle I've ever used.
Carrie struggled to find a saddle that fit her well. She tried Terry and Brooks saddles with no success. Finally, after scouring the internet, she found a saddle sold by Tandems East called the Pave. This saddle has a wider-than-normal cutout through the middle, which gives relief to the sensitive parts.
Below you'll find nearly all of the things that will be slowing us down while riding up the hills. While we've tried to keep the load as light as is reasonable for an unsupported trip, there are a few luxury items that I refused to leave home. Most of those fall in the gadgets category. My fancy-pants DSLR and laptop add about 8 pounds of extra weight, but without them, you wouldn't get to read this totally radicoolawesome photo blog.
