Carry as little weight as possible.
Make sure that the bike is set-up right, heel flat on pedal for seat height etc. Get it adjusted correctly at a bike shop, this will save you A LOT of discomfort on a long days ride.
Use a reinforced pannier rack
A touring bike is best, there are bound to be times on a long trip when you will have to leave the road – A racing bike will not be strong enough for this.
Carry as little weight as possible.
Think twice about everything you intend to take, try and think of a situation in which the piece of equipment becomes essential. By essential I mean life saving. If you cannot imagine a situation then the chances are you don’t need to take it.
Be prepared for your pannier rack to fail you. Wire, cable ties and 9-inch nails (or some sort of metal brace) and epoxy resin will fix just about anything.
Take spare cables (gears and breaks). Our went at about the 5000 mile (8000km) mark.
Take spare spokes
Tools, A cassette tool is necessary if you break any spokes on the gear side of your back wheel. We carried a bottom bracket removal tool all the way around the world and didn’t use it once. But a bike with old bearings may call for one. The parts of our bikes that called for the most attention were gears and breaks so I would make sure that you have the tools necessary to make any adjustments to these. Pliers, Box spanner, Allan (hex) keys are must-haves!
Take a Chain link remover and spare links, can be useful if your chain gets twisted.
Take a high-pressure pump
Puncture repair kit. The quick patches (no glue required) are great if it’s an emergency/raining. If you look at the puncture counts on the two ‘leg’ pages you may be surprised to see how few punctures we suffered. We were lucky in the Gobi dessert (thorns can be a nightmare) but I put this down to the Kevlar banded tyres we used.
Cycling shoes especially when used with foot straps definitely provide benefit over long distance; ask at your local bike shop. They are available without cleats in the soles.
A good (light) tent will save you a lot of money, especially if you borrow farmers land!
Sleeping bag liner (Silk is best, no question) this keeps your bag clean and provide extra warmth.
Gloves are handy for down hilling when it is cold.
Cotton clothes take AGES to dry, using nylon/polyester materials will keep you warmer and dryer for longer.
Carry as little weight as possible.
Cycling on paved roads will keep your puncture count to a minimum.
Keep your tires pumped up to the max (80psi +)! This makes a huge difference, try it and see.
Remember to have extra water carrying capacity for when you need it.
Take care of your chain, I’m not the right man to ask, but I’m told there are certain oils you should/shouldn’t use/mix! Keeping it clean helps a lot, too much grease will attract dirt.
Taking spare tyres will guarantee you good quality Kevlar banded replacements; we did not see this kind of tyre outside of Europe (well maybe once or twice). I think once you have experienced the joys of cycling with few punctures you will be not be keen to use any other kind of tyre!
Learn how to true a wheel, any one in a bike shop will tell you how; it’s not that hard, just don’t forget a spoke nipple key!
If a spoke has been stretched in a crash DO NOT use it for rebuilding wheels! (You’ll only have to replace it later!)
A physiotherapist advised me not to use cleats (SPDs) for very long trips, because they can restrict the movement of tendons within your knee, which eventually cause problems after several thousand miles of cycling. Having said that Christ used cleats to cross the U.S. and he still seems quite sprightly! You could try checking an online journal for the latest professional thoughts!
If you need to get visas for the country’s you intend to visit be sure how long they are valid for, when they start and when they run out. We got caught out on all three of these!
Be careful when choosing your insurance policy some travel insurance does not cover you for “Cycle touring”.
In the United States it is worth getting “personal liability” cover, just so that if you run someone down on your bike you are covered when they try to sue you!
We took a water purifier pump with us across Asia and didn’t use it. If you know that it is necessary to purify the water in the region you are going to then I would recommend one, otherwise a few water purification tablets should suffice in those instances when no bottled water is available. We found it was available everywhere in Asia.
When it is cold sleep in as few clothes as possible (with-out being cold in the night) Putting more layers on in the morning will then make a bigger difference.