Some numbers from our bike trip, in case your interested:
(updated October 3, 2014)
Kilometers cycled: 19,500
Number of days: 490
Days cycling: 285
Average KM/Day: 68
Punctures: 10
Blown tires: 2
Repairs and Maintenance:
• Changed complete drivetrain on both bikes (rings, chain, cassettes) in Germany after about 7,000 km, but both bikes already had about 5,000 km on them from cycling at home and previous trips.
• new brake pads (Koolstop Salmon) in Berlin. They are still on the bikes after 14,000 km but need to be changed now.
• 2 new rear tires (Schwalbe Mondial). Paul’s in Iceland after blowing the Marathon; Jan’s in southern Germany. Paul’s Mondial now has 19,000 km on it and still has lots of life and never had a puncture. The Schwalbe Marathons on the front have rolled more than 25,000 km and are still good to go.
• installed new bottom bracket on Jan’s bike in Barcelona.
• 1 new rear rim on Paul’s bike in Antofagasta, Chile.
• replaced both rear hubs in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Our Phil Wood hubs failed. Cause to be determined. They were completely refurbished by Phil Wood under warranty. Thank you!!
• installed Tubus QR axle mounts after rear rack mounts broke off both our frames. Rodriguez Cycles repaired this by designing and adding a new rack mount to the rear drop outs. Thank you!!
• replaced 3 shifter cables and 1 brake cable.
2 l o v e c y c l i n g 
Hi I am just wondering if you think Mondials are the better choice. Particularly after the unpaved roads recently. And are your Mondials the same widths as the Marathons were. Cheers, Noel
Hi Noel, We have marathons on the front and Mondials on the rear wheels. Jan’s are both 26″x2″ and my rear is bigger, 26″x2.15″. I like the tread on the mondials for the gravel roads. They have good grip and seem to spin out less than the marathon used to when I had it on the rear wheel.
Checking out the progress Paul and Jan, it certainly looks like a great journey you are both on, SA is an amazing place a recreational paradise, so keep it up and keep the wheels in motion.
Best wishes from Chris and Barbara
Hi guys,
looks like an amazing experience.
I am trying to see what kind of equipment you took with you (bikes, tent, etc). Do you have something on your site that I missed?
Serge in Kelowna
Hi Serge, There is a post near the beginning of the blog about the bikes. Just look in the archives. Probably April last year. We have been using Hilleberg tents: a Keron 4 and now a Keron 3. In Oman we used a Big Agnes 3-person but found that one to be too cold and not suitable for a potentially wet climate like southern Chile so we got the Keron 3. Our stove is an MSR Dragonfly. Loud but great control so you can actually cook with it. We just burn gasoline in it. -Pv
Hi I was googling the Rodriguez UTB and stumbled on your site which is very nice by the way. I’m wondering how tall Paul is and if he had any thoughts about how the 26 inch wheel size ride compared to a 29er for what your doing and his size? I’m tall too and have been going back and forth about which to get.
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike, I am 195 cm – 6’4″ – and feel no difference between riding a 26er or a 29er. I have a 29er I ride around Vancouver. The main reason we went for the 26″ wheels is that it can be packed into a case or bag for air travel when the bike is broken down. The largest size luggage allowed on most airlines is 158 cm or 62 inches: length+width+height or 26+26+10=62. Since the wheel is the largest part of the bicycle, a 29er would be 68 inches triggering oversize charges. The other reason for 26er is that wheels, tires and tubes are available everywhere, even in the most remote places. On a trip in Morocco, we were able to buy two 26″ tires in a few minutes from a little shop in a small town in the middle of nowhere.
Because of my size, my bicycle frame is big but it would be for a 29er as well. My trek 520 is a 25″ (63cm) frame. My Rodriguez UTB, a custom built frame, is slightly smaller than that but has a different geometry with a very long head tube because I wanted to be more upright than I was on the 520.
Hi Paul Thanks for taking the time to reply. The information is really helpful. I can see how practicality is the important thing especially if there isn’t much difference in the ride. Me and my wife are planning a long tour and need new bikes. She’s 5ft and would benefit from going with the 26 inch wheels. I’m considering getting the same bike as her, basically to share parts. You’re a little taller than me. The wheels on these big frames just look out of proportion. Also there aren’t any 26 inchers in my size to try out around here.
Hi Mike, I know my bike looks funny because of the big frame, long head tube and small wheels but it is comfortable and that’s what matters, especially for a long tour. Jan and I have identical bikes with identical gearing. The UTB came with completely inappropriate gearing which we changed over the years to a more suitable setup for touring. The bike came with a 28-38-48. No good for climbing. For our tour we changed them to 24-36-48 on the front and 11-34 (8sp) on the back. I’m now going to 9sp with a 22-34-46 and 11-34 or 12-36 on the back.