So this is going to be the thread where I brainstorm and get mental over equipment lists and stuff for the next 4 months.
It will be late autumn/early winter, about a month after the monsoon.
Its all sketchy at the moment, but I will probably fly in to Kolkata and depart from Delhi
First thing off the list is ...
Kerosense Stove
Even though its easy enough to get food on the go, I like to be able to be cook for myself (especially since I am vegetarian ... mind you its a good idea to be a vegetarian in india even if you aren't ..... any food product that requires refrigeration at some point of its production tends to a gamble of gastronomic proportions ). Its also a good way to fortify your health against the inevitable stomach bugs (eating the wrong thing at the wrong time ... like you are likely to do when touring on the go ... is a good way to complicate stomach trouble). Also if you ever want to make an early start to the day with breakfast under your belt, in many parts that probably won't be happening before 9 - 10 am if you are forced to depend on others for your breakie. Even though its easy enough to get bottled water in most parts,having a stove certainly helps to be able to sanitize the water (especially if you have one of these : MSR MiniWorks EX water filter
This is what I will be taking:
MSR WhisperLite International Multi-Fuel Hiking Stove Burner
Probably be flying with virgin since they enable you to fly with camp stoves
http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/pl ... ernational" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(recall someone saying that its a good idea to copy out the airline guidelines to take with just in case someone hassles you at the counter)
and appear to be bike friendly
http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/pl ... ile-items/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
White gas isn't an option in india. I don't have any experience cooking with kerosene but I understand that it tends to clog up the stove components. It also tends to be a bit more messier (spills don't evaporate as quickly as white gas) which makes it more fumey. No doubt this will be plainly apparent when staying in a single room guesthouse/hotel room (indian architecture tends to take the appearance of jail : brick and mortar with tiny windows ... ie not much ventilation)
Guess I will pack it much like the airplane guidelines so it doesn't get too fumey in the panniers : wrap the stove and bottle in a rag and wrap that in a plastic bag.
Any ideas or experience?
The Bike
Will take my Surly LHT.
26" wheels ( 28 " are as common as cows .... 700 are hard to come by).
No suspension but I have just ordered a thud buster seat post
Even taking a bike with a derailleur is an eye-opener out in the sticks. Hopefully the retro look of the surly (even though it has drop bars) will help me blend in a bit.
This is the standard bicycle in india, of which you can be guaranteed to see at least 10 million
.I used to own one - they weigh a ton, tend to perpetually have loose screws and have a braking system that uses metal rod pullies instead of cables. To their merit they are quite sturdy beasts - seen guys carrying about 150kg of potatoes on them ... also remember an incident where a recycler was called to take away about 25 steel empty twenty litre cooking drums. I was expecting a guy to show up in a small truck - Instead it was a guy with one of these bicycles who tied them altogether on the back pannier rack
Anyway, recumbents, aside from being too weird to ride in india, are definitely not the sort of thing you want to be bouncing around on the roads alongside the company of ambassador cars, tuktuks and suicidal buses.
(definitely not the sort of place to try owning a lane on a bicycle)
The Tyres
In many parts of the flood plains the ground (IOW what you are likely to encounter when you get the hell off the road real quick after hearing an approaching bus) is surfaced similar to fine beach sand (maybe a few inches deep). When it gets wet, it takes a form crossed between grease and paper mache glue - hopefully won't be seeing to much rain after the monsoon anyway ....
Most of the route will be sealed (which can mean potholed tarmac or cobble stones) although I will on occasion hit unsealed stuff.
I am thinking to fit out a Schwalbe Marathon Supreme City Tyre 26 x 1.6 on the rear for speed and something thicker on the front for stability.
I am guessing for 2" (2.35" would slow things down too much). I already have a big apple and knobby nic 26 x 2", but I am thinking that it might be better to invest in a 2" schwalbe marathon for better puncture resistance.
any ideas or experience?
I've used mine overseas multiple times and even if you're near a laundry, it can easily be used for things like that emergency cleaning of a vindaloo stain off your white shirt or similar. 
