Bicycles
Santos 4.29
We were looking for a bike which would allow us to go more off-road and which we could also use when our Santos Travelmasters were somewhere else, waiting for us to continue a trip. We opted for the same technology and stayed with Santos and the Pinion drive.
Bike Details : Linda's bike = L / Dirk's bike = D
Frame : Santos 4.29
Color : L: Deep Black - D: Forest
Fork : Lauf Trail Racer Boost - Full Carbon
Rear carrier : Tubus Vega
Bottles : L: 1 Santos Hold-all / D: 2 standard bottle cages
Handlebar : L: FSA Metropolis / D: Santos M10
Grips : L: Brooks Ergon GP1 Leather-Honey / D: Ergon GP3
Saddle : L: Brooks B17 short / D: Brooks C17 Carved
Gear system : L: Pinion P1.18 - black / D: Pinion P1.18 Green
Shifters : Pinion Turn-shifter - L: Black / D: Green
Crank : Pinion Alu - L: Black / D: Green
Chain : Gates CDX carbon belt drive
Brakes : Disc brakes Hope Tech3-X2 with 180mm Santos discs
Pedals : Shimano PD-GR500
Wheels : 28 inch sport rims with sport spokes, black
Tyres : Schwalbe Racing Ralph/Racing Ray 2.1/54mm
Tubes : Schwalbe Aerothan 29"MTB tube
Total weight : +- 16 kg
Rear Panniers : L: Brooks Suffolk Rear Pannier - Green/honey / D: Ortlieb - Back Roller Urban - Pine
Fork : Twofish 3-bolt cage adaptors with Santos Hold-all, with L: Drybag Exped M-8l - rust / D: Drybag SeaToSummit, big river 8l - yellow
Rack : L: Drybag Karrimor, 13l - yellow / D: Drybag SeaToSummit, big river 13l - yellow
Handlebar : L: Brooks Glenbrook Saddle Holdall - Green / D: Restrap small bar bag + 2 Epidura Food pouches-small
Handlebar : L: Ram Mount with X-grip for phone / D: Ram Mount for use with Garmin GPSmap holder / GoPro cage / X-grip for phone
Lock : Bordo Granit xPlus 6500 SH - D:110 / L:85
Bike details
Frame
Color
Fork
Rear carrier
Bottles
Handle bar
Grips
Saddle
Gear system
Shifters
Crank
Chain
Brakes
Pedals
Wheels
Tyres
Tubes
Total weight
Rear Panniers
Fork
Rack
Handlebar
Lock
Linda's bike = L / Dirk's bike = D
Santos 4.29
L: Deep Black - D: Forest
Lauf Trail Racer Boost - Full Carbon
Tubus Vega
L: 1 Santos Hold-all / D: 2 standard bottle cages
L: FSA Metropolis / D: Santos M10
L: Brooks Ergon GP1 Leather-Honey / D: Ergon GP3
L: Brooks B17 short / D: Brooks C17 Carved
L: Pinion P1.18 - black / D: Pinion P1.18 Green
Pinion Turn-shifter - L: Black / D: Green
Pinion Alu - L: Black / D: Green
Gates CDX carbon belt drive
Disc brakes Hope Tech3-X2 with 180mm Santos discs
Shimano PD-GR500
28 inch sport rims with sport spokes, black
Schwalbe Racing Ralph/Racing Ray 2.1/54mm
Schwalbe Aerothan 29"MTB tube
+- 16 kg
L: Brooks Suffolk Rear Pannier - Green/honey
D: Ortlieb - Back Roller Urban - Pine
Twofish 3-bolt cage adaptors with Santos Hold-all, with
L: Drybag Exped M-8l - rust / D: Drybag SeaToSummit, big river 8l - yellow
L: Drybag Karrimor, 13l - yellow
D: Drybag SeaToSummit, big river 13l - yellow
L: Brooks Glenbrook Saddle Holdall - Green
D: Restrap small bar bag + 2 Epidura Food pouches-small
L: Ram Mount with X-grip for phone
D: Ram Mount for use with Garmin GPSmap holder / GoPro cage /
X-grip for phone
Bordo Granit xPlus 6500 SH - D:110 / L:85


Our 4.29 mtb's are just like our Travelmasters virtually maintenance free.
The gearbox is again the Pinion P1.18 with a gates belt.
The Pinion gearbox has a range of 630%, each step being an 11.5% increase.
One crank rotation covers a distance of a little less than 1.5 meter upto more than 9 meters per rotation.
To attach an extra bottle holder or small luggage on places where there are no bolt holes in the bike's frame, we use the TwoFish Quick Cage adaptor.
(on the photo with the Santos hold-all)
It's a removable holder with 2 or 3 bolts which can be strapped on the frame with 2 velcro straps.
We bought the new 3 bolt version directly from the factory in the US as it was not available in Europe yet.

Linda's 4.29 hereabove has a Brooks saddle, grips, panniers and the handlebar bag is a Brooks saddle bag.
Brompton foldable bike
Attaching stuff to the Lauf fork

The Bromptons are used when we need to be somewhere by car or on citytrips. They fit nicely in the trunk of the car and we save a lot on parking fees by always parking the car outside the city.
Bike details - L = Linda's bike / D = Dirk's bike
Frame : Brompton - Steel
Color : L: Black - D: Metallic Graphite
Lighting : Shimano Hub dynamo with Brompton front and rear lights
Rack : Front Carrier block + Mudguards/Rear rack version R
Handlebar : M type
Grips : L: Brooks slender grips Leather honey / D: Brompton standard
Saddle : L: Brooks B17 / D: Brompton standard saddle
Gears : 6 speed - BWR (Brompton Wide Range) + derailleur / minus 12% ratio
Wheels : 16 inch
Tyres : Schwalbe Marathon
Weight : 10.5 kg
Front carrier : L&D: T-Bag (Touring bag) / L: Roll Top bag Khaki waxed canvas / D: Roll Top bag Grey
Handlebar : L: Ram Mount ball for X-grip for phone / D: Ram Mount ball for Garmin GPSmap holder or X-grip for phone
Bike Details
Frame
Color
Lighting
Rack
Handlebar
Grips
Saddle
Gear system
Wheels
Tyres
Naked weight
Front carrier
Handlebar
L = Linda's bike / D = Dirk's bike
Brompton - Steel
L: Black - D: Metallic Graphite
Shimano Hub dynamo with Brompton front and rear lights
Front Carrier block + Mudguards/Rear rack version R
M type
L: Brooks slender grips Leather honey / D: Brompton standard
L: Brooks B17 / D: Brompton standard saddle
6 speed - BWR (Brompton Wide Range) + derailleur / minus 12% ratio
16 inch
Schwalbe Marathon
10.5 kg
L&D: T-Bag (Touring bag)
L: Roll Top bag Khaki waxed canvas / D: Roll Top bag Grey
L: Ram Mount ball for X-grip for phone
D: Ram Mount ball for Garmin GPSmap holder or X-grip for phone
Air Travel
Vincita makes handy and lightweight carry bags for the Brompton. It includes a clothing poach which you can use to protect the bike. You can as such check in 1 bag of 20 kg which contains both bike and luggage.

Santos Travelmaster 2.9

Our requirements were pretty simple, we wanted a bike which :
- is as maintenance free as possible (otherwise, we would get in trouble anyhow)
- would allow us to ride up a mountain with a smile on the face
- could take a big load of luggage, as we like our gadgets
- is going to last for a lifetime
Bike Details L = Linda's bike / D = Dirk's bike
Frame: Santos Travelmaster 2.9
Color: L: Dark Grey / D: Charcoal
Fork: Santos steel 29er front fork
Lighting: SON headlight and rear light Black
Rear carrier: Santos travel rack SL
Lowrider: Tubus Dua Black
Lock: Trelock frame
Bottles: 1 Santos Hold-all + 1 standard bottle cage
Handlebar: Trekking
Grips: L: Ergon GP5 Biokork / D: Ergon GP5
Saddle: L: Brooks B17 short, pre-aged / D: SQ-lab 602 active
Gear system: Pinion P1.18 - black
Shifters: Pinion Turn-shifter - black
Crank: Pinion Alu Black
Chain: Gates CDX carbon belt drive
Brakes: Rimbrakes Magura HS33
Pedals: Santos Touring
Wheel front: 28 inch holiday wheel on Santos hub with SON-SL dynamo
Wheel rear: 28 inch holiday wheel
Tyres: Schwalbe Almotion folding tire 50mm
Weight : +- 20kg
Rear Panniers : Ortlieb Back-Roller Plus. L: Granite-Black / D: Moss-Green
Front Panniers : Ortlieb Sport-Roller Plus. L: Granite-Black / D: Moss-Green
Rack : L: Ortlieb Rack-Pack 24L-Asphalt / D: Ortlieb Rack-Pack 24L-Red + 31L-Black or Sea to Summit Hydraulic 35L + harness
Handlebar : L: Ortlieb Ultimate Six Plus Granite-Black / D: 2 Epidura Food pouches-small
L: Ram Mount with X-grip for phone
D: 2 Ram Mounts for use with Garmin GPSmap holder / GoPro cage / X-grip for phone
Bike Details
Frame
Color
Fork
Lighting
Rear carrier
Lowrider
Lock
Bottles
Handle bar
Grips
Saddle
Gear system
Shifters
Crank
Chain
Brakes
Pedals
Wheel front
Wheel rear
Tyres
Total weight
Rear Panniers
Front Panniers
Rack
Handlebar
L = Linda's bike / D = Dirk's bike
Santos Travelmaster 2.9
L: Dark Grey / D: Charcoal
Santos steel 29er front fork
SON headlight and rear light Black
Santos travel rack SL
Tubus Duo Black
Trelock frame
1 Santos Hold-all + 1 standard bottle cage
Trekking
L: Ergon GP5 Biokork / D: Ergon GP5
L: Brooks B17 short, pre-aged / D: SQ-lab 602 active
Pinion P1.18 - black
Pinion Turn-shifter - black
Pinion Alu Black
Gates CDX carbon belt drive
Rimbrakes Magura HS33
Santos Touring
28 inch holiday wheel on Santos hub with SON-SL dynamo
28 inch holiday wheel
Schwalbe Almotion folding tire 50mm
+- 20 kg
Ortlieb Back-Roller Plus. L: Granite-Black / D: Moss-Green
Ortlieb Sport-Roller Plus. L: Granite-Black / D: Moss-Green
L: Ortlieb Rack-Pack 24L-Asphalt
D: Ortlieb Rack-Pack 24L-Red + 31L-Black or Sea to Summit Hydraulic 35L + harness
L: Ortlieb Ultimate Six Plus Granite-Black / D: 2 Epidura Food pouches-small
L: Ram Mount with X-grip for phone
D: 2 Ram Mounts for use with Garmin GPSmap holder / GoPro cage / X-grip for phone
Tool Box
When we are on a day-trip, we take the following:
- inner tube (different type per bicycle)
- self adhesive patches, pen and tire levers
- Silca T-Ratchet set
- Leatherman multitool

On a long trip, we take the following in addition:
- spare drive belt + drive belt care stick
- small pots with ball-bearing grease and assembly paste
- pinion lockring tool
- 2 fiberfix spokes + spoke wrench
- repair patches for outer tire
- pincet + small cleaning cloth
- heavy duty masking tape and tie wraps
- spare parts for the panniers
- some spare screws of different length
- 10mm hex key for crankshaft + some shortened hex keys for places where ratchet cannot reach.
- spare rubber for kickstand
- rescue blanket
Burley Flatbed Cargo Trailer
We were looking for a multi-purpose bike trailer. While we were perfectly happy with our panniers for our daily shopping, touring and bike-packing trips, we also frequently were missing the possibility to transport a bigger load when it comes to the more bulky stuff.
When it comes to bike trailers, there is of course also a wide variety of possibilities but looking at our specific needs, we decided that we wanted a 2-wheel trailer and we came to a short list of 3 brands, whereby the Burley seemed to deliver the right mix of quality, affordability and multi-functionality.
Specifically for our shopping, we made a wooden crate which fits perfectly on the frame and between the side bars.
To secure the trailer while left alone, we use the long version of the Tex-Lock eyelet with U-lock. It secures both the bike and trailer and the lock is ART2 approved.
tex-lock locks

Linda discovered some nice looking locks for the bikes. A little bit suspicious, Dirk checked out the tex-lock website to discover that they were not only nice but also practical and secure. Having the ART2 label, they are also approved for our bike insurance against theft.
Except for the frame locks which are bolted to some of our bikes, we have changed all our different locks in to the tex-lock locks in combination with the tex-lock eyelet.
The locks are textile based and are very flexible and easy to use. They are not damaging the bikeframe and still provide the same type of security.
To us, the major advantage is that we can use the lock in different combinations depending the circumstances, while keeping the same lock cilinder for a specific bike (which is a requirement for the insurance).

cilinder
250 gr
small U-shackle
200 gr
large U-shackle
370 gr
80 cm eyelet
780 gr
120 cm eyelet
1050 gr
160 cm eyelet
1300 gr

Other cycle things

When we started bicycle touring, we were looking for a GPS holder which could be used as well on our bicycle as on our motorbike. After seeing a review on Youtube of a Ram Mounts set up on a dirt motorbike, we were convinced that this would be perfect for as well GPS, mobile phone and GoPro.
Ram Mounts work with a standard ball mount or claw to which you can attach different holders.
We have the ball mounts standard on all our bikes and use the claws if we need an extra temporary holder.
Ram Mounts

Tips
One of the benefits of the Ortlieb waterproof bags are that you can buy different accessories and spare parts.
We added extra anchoring hooks (on the small bag with an extra anchoring bracket) and extra bottle holders, also convenient for your fuel bottle.
From the original carrying strap, we made little extensions making it easier to open/close the bag when it's on the bicycle and to tighten extra bags on the rack.
Brooks bags use the Ortlieb Q2 system so you can also add the additional anchoring hooks.