I ride a 2000 model LeMond Zurich. I bought it at Sportz Outdoorz in Albuquerque, NM. Nothing special, really. No really exotic materials and no out of this world price tag either. I bought it mostly because I like the feel of steel. Reynolds 853 Pro Steel in this case. It rides nice and does the job. It came with Shimano Ultegra components and Rolf Vector Comp wheels with Michelin Pro Axial tires. For this ride, I downgraded the racing wheel/tires for more durability and maintainability on the road. Since they'll likely take a beating along the way, it was an excercise in balancing price, weight and durability. Currently, I'm riding Shimano 105 hubs with Mavic rims and Specialized Armadillo tires. Hopefully, they'll hold up better and reduce the number of flats. We'll see!

Moving on from the "big deal" to the "so what!" I use an SPD clipless pedal system and have a pair of Shimano mountain bike shoes and a pair of Diadora racing shoes. I prefer Pearl Izumi Ultrasensor cycling shorts and Gel-Lite gloves. I wear mostly ZOIC jerseys. Yeah, I know, they make mountain bike stuff. But, hey, it's comfortable! And besides, they don't have all that flashy writing and those bright colors all over them. Most important...I always wear a helmet on the road...no matter what! I just can't remember what kind it is!

For the photo buffs, I stressed over how to document my trip for far longer than was healthy! My current digital camera, a Kodak DC-260, was far too big and heavy to carry on a trip like this. Of course, a new one was going to have to be better or that would be a step backward. I looked at 3+ megapixel cameras from Kodak, Canon and Nikon that would fit the bill. In the end, I decided I didn't want to risk $600-800 worth of camera and accessories. While, arguably, a considerable step backward, I settled on a much less expensive option. I'm carrying a Canon Elph LT 260 Advanced Photo System camera. It's very small, with zoom capability and enough basic features to get the job done. For processing, I plan to use ClubPhoto.com. I've ordered enough mailers to ship film while on the road. For $1, they process the film, mail back processed film and contact sheet, scan the images at roughly 1.5 megapixel and post them on the web. All for a buck! The best part is they give you web access to the full resolution images for the same buck. Anyway, we'll see how it goes before I make any solid recommendations.