About my touring bike

My bike is a 2020 Specialized Sirrus X 3.0

It's considered a commuter hybrid bike, the handle bars are higher than the seat, so it has a comfortable upright position for all day riding. Riding in a forward race position (seat above handle bars) with your neck bent back is not great for touring, nor is it great for being able to look around as you ride.

My bike as it came from the store new weighed 25.7 lbs.
Adding a kickstand (1.36lbs),
Rack (1.28lbs),
Fender (.22lbs),
Aerobars (1.23lbs)
Blackburn triangle bag (0.8lbs)
GPS, gopro and Garmin mounts; bells, lights, grips, tire sealant, larger cassette...

It now weighs 33.5 lbs as ridden, around 58 lbs with rear panniers, tools, spare tube and bike lock.

It sells new for around $800. I also have the carbon fiber version of this bike which weighs 20 lbs, but it doesn't have a mount for a kickstand, which is essential for loading panniers; it's also more fragile with lightweight skinny wheels and tires.





Upgrades - Aerobars

I've added aerobars to the front of my bike, this lets me duck out of the wind. By riding forward on the areobars, you transfer your upper body weight weight off the saddle, and onto your elbows. It also eliminates all weight from your hands and wrists, and lets them rest. Not recommended, but the aerobars do leave both hands free, making it easy to open a granola bar while riding for example. I have a 1" spacer to raise the aerobars so I'm a bit more comfortable.

Pulling up on the aero bars while pedaling also uses a different group of leg muscles, the group of muscles you would use when pedaling out of the saddle.

Upgrades Ergon Grips

The Ergon GP3 grips also allow multiple hand positions, you can hold the horns and your wrists are at a 90 degree angle from where they are typically on flat bars. The more positions you can rotate though, the less fatigued you will get.





Upgrades 1x drivetrain

I've upgraded my bike to a 1x drivetrain with 11-51t cassette and 34t chainring. This range and ratio has been perfect, with a top speed of ~20mph in the highest gear, and excellent low gear (~19 gear inches) for climbing steep grades with panniers. Having just one gear up front means one less shifter cable to deal with when removing the handlebars to box the bike. Having mountain bike gearing on a road bike slots it in the "Gravel bike" category.





Upgrades suspension seatpost

I'm using an elastomer seat post, eeSilk+. It does dampen some of the potholes, but just slightly.



Tire size

The tires I'm using are 42mm wide (actually measure 45mm), I wouldn't want to go any skinnier for bike touring through Europe. With cobble stones, mud and occasional sand, 42mm felt like just barely wide enough. The Specialized Pathfinder tires have a smooth rolling center band, and knobbier profile on the sides. You'll also want a rear fender!

Upgrades - Clipless pedals

I'm using Shimano XT PD-T8000 pedals, one side is clipless, and the other side is a flat pedal. This lets me ride with normal shoes, flip-flops, or clipless shoes. I opted for going sock free on my last bike tour by just using Shimano clipless sandals, and it worked out great.



Boxing the bike for air travel




Adding U lock, packing material, helmet brings the weight to 38.4lbs, brining my total box weight to 50.2 lbs (just under the 23kg limit, 50.6lbs)

I have optimized my bike boxing system. I have an adjustable bracket that holds the fork slightly off center in the bike box. It's off center to make space for the front wheel that gets strapped on the left side of the bike frame. I have a foam spacer to protect the derailleur, and two more foam boards that strap onto the rear rack and stem to keep the bike centered in the box. The pink foam is covered with tape to prevent it from snapping.

The box pictured is 56" x 31.5" x 11.8" and weighs 11.8 lbs, much lighter than the expensive bicycle travel cases which can weigh up to 30lbs putting you over the allowable luggage weight





My pedals, spare parts, and tools store in my triangle bag, so they can't fall out of the box.

Tool kit and spares

Pump, combination tire levers / chain pliers, chain quick links
Hydraulic brake shim, combination spoke wrench / valve core remover
Spare M5 bolts, spare derailleur hanger, tire pressure gauge w. presta adapter
Spare tube, gloves, patch kit
Bandaids, spare credit card, tire boot/patch
Allen wrenches, multitool with chain breaker and M8 Allen for removing pedals
10mm wrench for seat clamp, extra chain lube, crank arm removal tool

Packing

21 liter Pannier (Camera, cables, liquids, lots of extra room for groceries) 12.94 lbs

2.25 lbs bike packer pannier
1.9 lbs Shimano clip in sandals
Liquid bag, charging cable bag, toiletries bag (shaver, tooth brush…)
Canon M6.2 Mirrorless camera w. Lens + 2nd Lens, USB battery, Canon battery (no camera bag)
Grocery bag, face towel, Selfie stick

15 liter Pannier (Clothing, Laptop)

1.70 lbs sport packer pannier
1 Tee shirt, 1 long sleeve base layer, 1 thick jersey, 1 light jersey
1 pair of waterproof pants, 1 rain jacket
1 pair socks, 2 undies
1 padded cycling shorts, 1 pair shorts
Laptop MacBook Air (2.8 lbs)
Pillow (.71 lbs)
Stuff sack for dirty clothes

Wear on plane

1 shirt, 1 pants, 1 undies, Sandals (Tevas)





Stickers

For every country I've biked in, I add a flag sticker to my bike