Genesis Croix de Fer
Long ride good excuse for new bike.
Old bike, gears and wheel bearings wearing, also added to my excuse. Sandra has a one in one out policy so I needed to replace my road tourer.
As I do like my off road, and don’t like being restricted by which of my bikes I am riding at the time, it seemed sensible for me to get a steel frame cyclocross bike.
Steel for longevity and luggage bearing capacity, and seeing the Genisis with disc brakes (which I like from my mountain bike) made it ideal.



It's even the holder of a Guinness World Record since in 2010. In pursuit of an often-contested record, Vin Cox rode his Croix De Fer around the world faster than anyone has managed before.
To prove this bikes versatility further, in August 2011 the Montane Icemen (Pete Sissons and Paul Cosgrove) used a pair of Croix de Fers to circumnavigate the 1600 mile coast line of Iceland in just 14 days.

Shimano Dynamo Hub
To complete the ride I need to be very flexible on where I stop, and they will be short stops, so booking accommodation will not be practical.
If I am rough camping charging phones etc, will not be possible, so I started looking at charging options.
Bottle dynamos are cheap but can cause lots of drag on the wheel, due to the friction to keep them in contact not the force needed for generating electricity.
So I decided to go the dynamo hub route. The SON28 at £200 sounds like the bees knees, but being a cheapskate I decided to go with a Shimano one at £55.
My reasoning being price, trust in the Shimano Deore brand name (the Deore mountain bike range I have found to be very good), plus it matches the other equipment on the bike.

AXA Nano Light
Looking at charging equipment and lights was another can of worms.
It appears few items can be charged directly, needing a battery between dynamo and device to ensure steady voltage to the device. These range from £75 to several hundred.
Looking at them and lights that were available I found information on German Lighting legislation, that would make some of the available lights illegal there, as they lack permanent reflectors.

Then I found AXA Nano light, which complies with all the European Regulations, and has a built in USB charging port.
A bit more searching found a British shop that specialises in Dutch cycling that could supply it, even though it appears new out this year.

So Dynamo front hub and light sorted, the minor off shoot being a more complete knowledge of differences between disc brake rotor mounts, and how to calculate spoke lengths to enable me to build a new front wheel.

GT-600 Motion Detecting GPS Logger (recommended by Puffing Loiterer)
Built-in motion sensor enables automatic track logging upon detection of movement and sleep mode with no motion (improves battery life and memory usage).
Can store up to 262,000 waypoints. Has a battery Life about 30 hours and the USB Cable serves as a charger as well as data transfer, which enables it to be charged on the bike.
Fully waterproof (as tested by the Puffing Loiterer in the Grand Union Canal).

Blue LED = Power on, Blue and Red LED = GPS Logging, Red LED = Power off, or battery low, or memory full

Luggage
Sandra thinks I am carrying too much stuff!



Packing List
Whistle, Compass, Panic Alarm, Clothes Line, Suncream, Toolkit, Phone, Phone Charger, Phone Case, GT-600, GT-600 Charger, Camera, Camera Memory Cards, Toolkit.
Passport, Driving Licence, E111, Pad, Pen, Highlighter, Money Belt, Water Purification Tablets, Energy Gels, Sandwich Bags, Bin Bags.
Reflective Jacket, 2x Cycling Shorts, 2x Cycling Tops, Track Mitts, Cycling Helmet, 2x Socks, Jogging Bottoms, Walking Trousers, Fleece.