by Lon Haldeman
We will be cycling 475 miles over a wide variety of road conditions. 30% is perfect blacktop, 30% is rough pavement, 20% is fine gravel and 20% are rough rocks.
When we end our bike tour at the river we will need to load all the bikes on the bus and send the bus and bikes back to Lima. We will not have bike cases or bike boxes with us when we arrive in Pucallpa. We will need to arrange all the bikes in the bus and pad them with local blankets (we can keep the blankets for souvenirs). We will be able to protect all the equipment so it is secure, but I know the bikes will jiggle around when being transported across jungle roads. So basically, donıt bring your mountain bike with the custom paint job.
You will need tires and wheels for the worst conditions while having a bike that is fast and light for the good sections. The most common bike we will see in Peru is a low cost mountain bike with 26 inch knobby tires. Replacement parts for these bikes are fairly common even from small market street vendors. If you need a cheap wheel, tire or derailleur, replacements are available in several of the towns we will pass through.
For this reason I would recommend 26 inch wheels instead of a 700c hybrid bikes. We will bring some replacement tires, tubes and wheels with us, but it would be helpful if we were all using the same size wheels. Many USA bike shops have used mountain bikes for under $300 that would be perfect for our trip in Peru. Just change the tires to a smoother tread design and add handlebars with more hand positions.
The bike I will be using has 26 x 1.75 tires with a fairly smooth street style tread. I can pump these tire to 80 psi for pavement or ride them at 50 psi on the rough stuff. I will carry a good frame pump so I can change my tire pressure during the day.
I wonıt be using a frame with suspension but I will probably use a Softride stem and a suspension seat post. Suspension forks are fine if they are well maintained. A full suspension bike probably isnıt needed, but that is a matter of personal comfort.
Iıll use derailleurs and shifters that will still work in the friction mode if the indexing breaks. Iıll carry a spare shift cable and know how to install it if I break a cable. Iıll use a Shimano sealed bottom bracket that has been adjusted and tightened well before the tour.
My brakes will be basic cantilevers with new brake pads. Iıll use drop style handlebars but could also use mountain bike bars with bar end extensions for more hand positions.
Most importantly, I will use this bike for several hilly 100 mile training rides on gravel roads to be sure I am as ready to go as my bike.