World-trip gear: 2000 vs today — from Aarios Experience to the Roadmachine
Tom · 29.03.2026
The 2000/2001 world trip ran on Aarios Experience bikes: handmade CrMo frames, Shimano XT, SRAM 8-speed, Schwalbe Marathon XR 26×1.75, Stolz racks, Karrimor and Ortlieb bags — a classic heavy-duty touring setup for pavement, gravel, and mud. The Experience name has a backstory: Tom drew the frame; Aarios built our frames by hand to that sketch, which later became the Experience line (see the collapsible section below). The technical summary and the packing list from that era are preserved below in short form as collapsible sections (as documented for Project 2000).
Today, with NorthCape4000 in mind, the logic shifts: less bulk, more aero, electronic shifting, tubeless, navigation and power budgeting instead of nostalgia alone. The current platform is a BMC Roadmachine with SRAM Force AXS 1×12, 32 mm GP5000 TLR, bikepacking bags (including Cyclite and Apidura), and a deliberate cockpit — see Setup for NorthCape4000, Bike & cockpit, and Bags concept.
In one line: 2000 was about survivability on steel and wide rubber with traditional racks; 2026 is about efficiency and time on carbon with slim bags and a lot of electronics. Both are valid — the questions have changed. The full contemporaneous travel journal (in German) is embedded on the German heritage page.
Aarios Experience — technical overview (c. 1999/2000)
How the line came about: The frame drawing was Tom’s; our frames were hand-built at Aarios to that sketch. That concept became the Experience series — in practice, the world-trip bikes were the forerunners of that model line.
From the original write-up (1999 test ride, Switzerland–Cinque Terre–Switzerland): the frame felt very stable fully loaded; fit allowed long days in the saddle. Stolz racks (powder-coated by Aarios) kept the load steady; Karrimor bags with quick releases, Ortlieb Ultimate on a custom-bent Modolo Yuma bar. Four bottle cages per bike (two standard, two large “Pet” mounts for up to 2 L bottles).
Spec table (as published):
| Area | Kit |
|---|---|
| Frame | Aarios, CrMo, handmade, powder-coated |
| Rims | Alesa Sputnik, 36h, 26″ |
| Groupset / brakes | Shimano XT, V-brakes |
| Shifting | SRAM, 8-speed gripshift |
| Mudguards | stainless, powder-coated (Aarios) |
| Saddle | Brooks Professional |
| Bar | Modolo Yuma (custom bend) |
| Racks | Stolz low-rider + rear, CrMo, powder-coated |
| Tyres | Schwalbe Marathon XR 26×1.75, folding |
Workshop photos and geometry notes lived alongside this list; the same bikes were carried into the world trip.
Project 2000 packing list — excerpt
Condensed by category; this reflected planning then, not a modern minimal packing list.
General: Karrimor Aquashield (low-rider front, panniers rear), Ortlieb Ultimate handlebar bag, Ortlieb folding spoon, dry bags for tent and sleeping gear, Hilleberg Namatj 2 GT tent, Ajungilak Compact Summer sleeping bags, Therm-A-Rest seat pads and mats (120 cm ultralight), MSR XGK stove, MSR Waterworks filter, MSR Alpin cook set with jug, silk bag liners, Garmin eTrex GPS, lantern, torches, stuff sacks, med kit including “snake bite” set and high-UV sunscreen.
Clothing: wind/rain jacket and pants, overshoes, helmet cover, helmet, long tights without pad, two padded shorts, knee warmers, baselayers, fleece, cap, Shimano shoes you could walk in, windstopper gloves, zip-off trekking pants, fleece pants for camp, swim shorts, PackTowl, sunglasses.
Spares & tools: tent/fabric repair, sewing kit, Therm-A-Rest patches, stove service kit, batteries, bike tools including speciality bits, spare tyres and tubes, middle chainring, chain, spokes incl. Kevlar emergency spoke, brake pads, universal shifters and cables, oil (e.g. Neoval), headset and BB spares — plus emergency chocolate.