Re:
I think it depends on how far and how remote are you going. Spares might be useful if you're somewhere remote like parts of Africa, South Amerca, etc., but for Europe, the US, etc. there will be plenty of places to buy them and get them fitted. Modern external BBs are pretty light, so you could carry a spare set of bearings, but unless you're covering a lot of distance, one should last the whole journey and square taper cartridge BBs like the Shimano UN55 last for ages, thousands of miles, maybe tens of thousands. If you're doing a really long trip, you could always fit a brand new BB, wheel bearings, headset, etc., before you set off.
Last weekend I went for another over-nighter, no spares other than an inner tube, although I did also have a small tool kit, mini pump and some patches.
It was a nice ride out, but the home stretch the next day was quite gruellig, it was only about 45 miles but we had a strong head wind that didn't let up for the whole journey, so it felt like more.
I changed my set up from last time. I bought a frame bag that holds almost everything I carried in a rucksack last time. I used a couple of dry bags as panniers, took a warmer sleeping bag, an inflatable matress and a small stove, so I could have a coffee before we set off in the morning.
Do you think its better to run old square tapered BBs and cranksets (which are harder to replace these days and take more tools to take on off out in the field) or change to modern, external BBs and either 3 speeds or singles cranks for more availability and less carrying tools?
I think it depends on how far and how remote are you going. Spares might be useful if you're somewhere remote like parts of Africa, South Amerca, etc., but for Europe, the US, etc. there will be plenty of places to buy them and get them fitted. Modern external BBs are pretty light, so you could carry a spare set of bearings, but unless you're covering a lot of distance, one should last the whole journey and square taper cartridge BBs like the Shimano UN55 last for ages, thousands of miles, maybe tens of thousands. If you're doing a really long trip, you could always fit a brand new BB, wheel bearings, headset, etc., before you set off.
Last weekend I went for another over-nighter, no spares other than an inner tube, although I did also have a small tool kit, mini pump and some patches.
It was a nice ride out, but the home stretch the next day was quite gruellig, it was only about 45 miles but we had a strong head wind that didn't let up for the whole journey, so it felt like more.
I changed my set up from last time. I bought a frame bag that holds almost everything I carried in a rucksack last time. I used a couple of dry bags as panniers, took a warmer sleeping bag, an inflatable matress and a small stove, so I could have a coffee before we set off in the morning.