Category: Miscellaneous

Garry’s camera is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 which he had to buy rather quickly in Munich in 2010.

It was May 2010 and Garry had just started his tour of Italy. He had just cycled along the French coast from Calais to Amsterdam. And it was while he was in Holland his old camera gave up the ghost and decided that it had had enough!

With no camera (phone cameras were nowhere near as good then as they are today.) He had very little choice but to go and buy one. He was now in Munich after catching a train from Amsterdam. And had some time to kill in between getting his next train to Venice. So off he went in search of a camera shop. He soon found one near Munich’s Neues Rathaus, the Neo-Gothic town hall. The shop itself was a general appliance shop. The shop sold everything electrical but it was good enough for Garry. He just wanted a point and shoot camera!

Not having a clue or any idea about cameras! Garry decided to go for same make as his broken camera. A Panasonic, and simply bought the first one he saw!

This turned out to be a rather good choice as apparently it had one of the widest lenses on the market at the time and had a good zoom function too.

It has now sat happily on the front of Garry’s bike for over 40,000 miles! And has never given him any problems! He had to have it serviced once as there were black spots coming out on the photos. But apart from that. The only fault that Garry can find with it is that it doesn’t take very good pictures at night! But that maybe down to operator error!

 

Garry’s medical kit

Garry’s original medical bag, which was shop bought and consisted of;

• Paracetamol (Acetaminophen in America)
• A few plasters
• Bandage
• Micropore tape
• Hygienic wipes
• Burn gel sachet
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Safety pins

He has since added the following the items. Which seem to grow every time he goes on another trip! (What with all his ailments and that!)

• Inhalers for his asthma
• Ibuprofen (anti inflammatory tablets)
• Antihistamine tablets
• Imodium (for those upset stomachs)
• Sudocream (very useful anti-sceptic cream)
• Co-Codamol (strong codeine and paracetamol based tablets for Garry’s back)
• Diclofenac (strong anti-inflammatory tablets again for Garry’s back)
• Gabapentin (for nerve pain, sciatica)

 

A list of the tools and spares that Garry Carries with him.

(Garry’s not particularly mechanically minded but is very practical and can usually get by somehow he may not know what to do with half the tools and spares he carries but his philosophy is that somebody will!)

• Topek Multi tool
• Rohloff sprocket remover; Specialist tool, as said above!
• Pliers
• Link remover; Garry has actually managed to use this once but it was at home!
• Saddle spanner; For tightening up the saddle.
• 8mm socket; Used when dismantling bike ready for flying, it makes it all a lot quicker and easier
• Puncture repair kit; Garry can use this!
• 3 tyre levers
• Tyre; Schwalbe Marathon Mondial folding tyre x2 on longer trips.
• Inner tube; Schwalbe x4 again on longer trips.
• Spokes; Both front and rear as their different sizes, they are just strapped to the cross bar, again it would be a case of finding somebody to do it for Garry!
• Gaffer tape and cable ties; Anything can be fixed with these!
• Chain
• Rohloff rear sprocket: Possibly hard to come by in some countries.
• Spare brake blocks; You never know!
• Oil; Used all the time.
• Spare chain links
• Nuts and bolts; Only a couple ever since one snapped when he was in Ireland and couldn’t find a replacement.