Inexpensive Gear to set up your Bicycle for a Bike Touring Trip

No, I am not going out of the path, I assure you that this blog is still about minimalism; however:

Here I list gear you may find useful to add on your bicycle if you want to cycle the world, or just have a couple of days on the saddle, even though accessories are not the most important thing in life.
I list what can be useful to take with you for a long, maybe never-ending, road bicycle trip.

It’s a shortlist for a minimalistic bicycle touring set up, starting with the most important items and ending with the gear you don’t essentially need.

One of the most important thing is to have tires—and inner tubes—of great quality. Avoid any unknown brand, stick to top brands (like Germans, Italian, American, or Japanese).
The best tube valve is the one like the car´s tire (´schrader´), so you can pump it at car´s fuel stations too.

Part of a blue touring bicycle and legs of the cycler — I may cycle Naked but I always wear a reflective jacket.

Security – This is the most important gear you need

Reflectors – The more the better!
Reflective jacket – To wear all the time you are on the road
Lights – Solar powered
2x on the front with steady light (even better if they are Powerbanks eg. Titxch), to fasten on each side of the basket eventually
2x on the back, installed on the mudguard
Reelight – Electromagnetic: one on front & one in the back
Bike locks, two – Best with code
Pepper Spray – You will be probably approached by dogs, so you really need it
Strong stick for dogs – Anything light and practical to take with you

A bicycle parked in front of a diamond shaped, colorful, building in the night — Reflectors shining in the night, while I am Parked in front of the National Library in the Belorussian soft Dictatorship

It seems strange, but the lights are the most important accessory.
You need in total of six lights fastened on the bike!

A bicycle hanging by it's right pedal on a wooden bench in a bus stop — If the bicycle is not too heavy, you can lift it for smaller reparation without having to take out all the bags, which is really handy. So avoid bringing too much stuff.

Tools – For repair

Multi-tool – A cheap one will do
Universal Wrench – Lightweight and strong
Pump – Even a small one is good
Repair Set – With the tools to take out the inner tube
Self-Adhesive patches – Much more convenient than the traditional ones
Extra schrader inner tube – Get one of good quality (Kenda, Continental, Schwalbe, Pirelli)
Zip Tie Wraps – Really useful for anything
Carabiners – Just in case
Fishing nylon wire

Bags – Not too many

Two rear side bags – The best ones you can order online internationally from Holland, but you need to send the shop a private email. The bigger the better.
Basket – A basic cheap basket, extremely practical and better than a bag or anything else you can put on the handlebar

The handlebar of the bicycle with phone older, compass-bell and basket — The phone older, compass-bell and basket, really useful stuff!

Accessories, not vital but useful

Mudgards, Really important, no matter which weather you find
Phone holder – High, so you can record videos of the street
Solar Power banks – If you have two power banks and one sets of high quality solar panels, you don´t need to stop to charge your devices
Compass-bell – Two in one, it helps a lot on the way
Extra bel – Make vehicles hear you is vital!
Two bottle´s holders – You need at least four liters of water with you, all the time! You can install it with the zip ties.
Camel bag (so you can drink often without removing hands from the handlebar
Smartphone accessories – Small things that may be useful

Smartphone apps for bike touring, maps

Offline maps – Koomot + Guru + mapy.cz + Sygic + HereWeGo + Google Maps Best to have them all with offline maps.
Ulysse speedometer – to visualize your speed and tracked your lapses
AutomateIt – you can trigger the map automatically if you start cycling
AZ screen recorder – record your screen for afterward nice memories.
Audiobooks – unless you like to meditate on the bicycle

The back side of a touring bicycle — Reflectors and lights, the most important accessories

Optional, for extra comfort

Butterfly handlebar – It takes some time to install it but it’s quite easy to do
Extra accessories – Anything that makes your ride more comfortable and personalized

Two men on two bicycles bike touring in the nature — The most Road Touring Cyclists I have met, travel with full loaded bicycles, which is for me not necessary, it’s more hassle than comfort. Here Jaque on the left and a Canadian cyclist on the right, they were both lovely and extremely knowledgeable; cycling the world.

Which Bicycle for world touring?

In this post I don’t disclose about which bicycle to use simply because it’s not important at all, any bicycle can be good to travel the world, it all depends on your budget and needs.
I can say that the best bicycle is the one you find comfortable to cycle with, possibly a strong bicycle that matches the geography and urbanistic you have to cycle in.

A laptop on the back rack of a bicycle, used as desk — With the use of a simple elastic, you can transform your bicycle in a handy laptop desk

As you may have noticed, most of the gear I have mentioned is inexpensive and can be easily bought.

If you want to know what to put in your backpack, read the post I wrote about it.
I also have a dedicated page about all technical aspects of traveling the world for a long time.

Two bicycles parked in a small street with a men looking at it — My bicycle compared with the one of a traveler friend, Luca, another Luca in Riga. I have much less gear and my bike set up looks almost like a city bike. I have spent much less money than him!

I hope you have found the information on this post useful, feel free to share, comment and write.
I would love to know if you think maybe there are accessories that I missed!