I'm planning a ride across the Nullarbor to Adelaide and perhaps continue further on to Brisbane.
The following are some random thoughts and needed purchases... some of it will make no sense, but will hopefully keep my thoughts on track:
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Having a hard time picking a sleeping bag. My intention is to start the ride late Autumn or early Winter, so I want a ~0 degree bag under 1.5kg. Light, Warm, Cheap... pick two! shit.
Just purchased a sleeping mat, Exped Downmat 9 rated to -40 degrees weighing in at roughly 980grams. Its filled with goose down and packs down super small. Sweet! ... now $200 poorer
With a good mat, I may not need such a warm bag... could be some weight saving benefits here. I could even get away with buying a quilt, something along the lines of a GoLite Ultra 20 quilt, essentially a sleeping bag with no bottom. The theory being that there is no need for insulation as your weight compresses the insulation anyway; with a -40 degree mat, this would make one epic combo.
Apart from that, my budget is around $250 for a sleeping bag. A purchase I don't want to rush, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to sleeping bag. Do your RESEARCH!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upgraded to a triple crankset. Made an impulse purchase on some Shimano Ultegra SL cranks here. 75% off and couldn't resist. Kinda have a little buyers regret as the gearing is nowhere as low as I want it (30/40/52)... hopefully they'll be some gail force winds which will allow me to use the 52t chainring! now $107 poorer
Thinking something like a 32/46 combo should be adequate for general touring around Australia. All depends on your rear cassette though... rode to Esperance with a single 42 chainring and survived (just), my lowest gear ratio was ~35gi.. which sucked on those long hills!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bordem, riding solo will be extremely boring at times, I need entertainment! A radio should make riding a lot easier. God bless ABC radio. Solar powered and dynamo capabilities would be ideal. Narrowed it down to this radio, just need to find a decent retailer with reasonable shipping prices.
The only downside to this beast is that it weighs 700grams... which is a little stupid since I'm trying to buy a sleeping bag sub 2kg and spend an extra $100 for every 200g I save. Buy a lighter radio maybe?
Set Budget: $80
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clothing is another issue altogether. Havn't really started my research on this matter, but traditionally I would just wear cotton shirts with some $20 cargo pants... but I'm having second thoughts, sweat patches, stinky clothes and forever drying pants are undesirable qualities. Perhaps time for an upgrade my wardrobe.
These touring shorts by Rapha seem tempting.
What, 130 bucks!? Okay, might look for some other alternatives..
Set Budget: $90 for pants
$200 for 3 shirts
*EDIT* I should add that I am not looking for padded shorts, moreso shorts that are extra durable and have good drying/wicking properties. The tally of shorts I own that have holes in the rearside is starting to grow, which is why I'm thinking the investment in better shorts is worth it, otherwise I'd just wear some boardies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHEELSET.
A definite purchase I want to make before I leave. My current wheels, as much as I love them (32h Mavic CXP33 laced to standard shimano hubs), are starting to die. Time to upgrade. At first I was thinking something along the lines of 36h Chuckers laced to Deore hubs.. but I've come to my senses, Chucker rims would be overkill! The worst place to have weight is on the wheels... so I better look for something else.
The dream wheelset would be along the lines of phil wood or chris king hubs laced to some double eyelet rim with dt swiss spokes... I would end up being 2 weeks salary poorer. No thnx.
So in the meantime I'm set to purchase something along the line of Mavic A719 or A319 laced to Shimano Deore LX hubs with DT Swiss spokes. I'm stuck between purchasing such a wheelset locally or buying online. I could buy the above combo here for $300 + ~$100 postage, which is dirt cheap! Id estimate such a wheelset, if custom made at my LBS to cost double that; seems to be the modern day dilemma these days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having fairly overprotective parents means that paranoia sets in if I'm out for more than 3 hours. I happened to come across the perfect thing after watching a 4x4 tv show:
Spot Satellite Messenger, basically a GPS that allows friends and family track where you are anywhere in the world.. pretty sweet huh? It costs roughly $300 a year, I don't really want to spend any money on it, but hopefully I can convince the family to chip in and they can purchase it for me.
Spot Satellite Messenger = Peace of mind
Peace of mind = Priceless
soo... Spot Satellite Messenger = Priceless ?
better deploy some better sales tactics...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haven't payed much attention to the route I'll be taking, I definitely won't EVER want to ride the road that goes towards bunbury (Old Mandurah Highway?) ever again, it sucks balls, its dangerous and it sucks balls.. have I said that already? I got hit by a carpet that was hanging sideways off a Ute last time I rode down... and yeh.. it sucks balls. Too busy, too bumpy.. just... crap...
Think I might take the Munda Biddi trail down to Collie and ride east. Should be sweet...
as for riding across the nullabor, I think June is a good time to do it, its really the only time in the year when the prevailing winds go East resulting in what should be a slight tailwind all the way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tyres?
32c Schwalbe Marathon plus... not sure if I want to go any wider or any smaller.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's all for now I guess... will update the blog as I make more purchases and increase my research and planning.
ciao!
The following are some random thoughts and needed purchases... some of it will make no sense, but will hopefully keep my thoughts on track:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having a hard time picking a sleeping bag. My intention is to start the ride late Autumn or early Winter, so I want a ~0 degree bag under 1.5kg. Light, Warm, Cheap... pick two! shit.
Just purchased a sleeping mat, Exped Downmat 9 rated to -40 degrees weighing in at roughly 980grams. Its filled with goose down and packs down super small. Sweet! ... now $200 poorer
With a good mat, I may not need such a warm bag... could be some weight saving benefits here. I could even get away with buying a quilt, something along the lines of a GoLite Ultra 20 quilt, essentially a sleeping bag with no bottom. The theory being that there is no need for insulation as your weight compresses the insulation anyway; with a -40 degree mat, this would make one epic combo.
Apart from that, my budget is around $250 for a sleeping bag. A purchase I don't want to rush, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to sleeping bag. Do your RESEARCH!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upgraded to a triple crankset. Made an impulse purchase on some Shimano Ultegra SL cranks here. 75% off and couldn't resist. Kinda have a little buyers regret as the gearing is nowhere as low as I want it (30/40/52)... hopefully they'll be some gail force winds which will allow me to use the 52t chainring! now $107 poorer
Thinking something like a 32/46 combo should be adequate for general touring around Australia. All depends on your rear cassette though... rode to Esperance with a single 42 chainring and survived (just), my lowest gear ratio was ~35gi.. which sucked on those long hills!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bordem, riding solo will be extremely boring at times, I need entertainment! A radio should make riding a lot easier. God bless ABC radio. Solar powered and dynamo capabilities would be ideal. Narrowed it down to this radio, just need to find a decent retailer with reasonable shipping prices.
The only downside to this beast is that it weighs 700grams... which is a little stupid since I'm trying to buy a sleeping bag sub 2kg and spend an extra $100 for every 200g I save. Buy a lighter radio maybe?
Set Budget: $80
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clothing is another issue altogether. Havn't really started my research on this matter, but traditionally I would just wear cotton shirts with some $20 cargo pants... but I'm having second thoughts, sweat patches, stinky clothes and forever drying pants are undesirable qualities. Perhaps time for an upgrade my wardrobe.
These touring shorts by Rapha seem tempting.
What, 130 bucks!? Okay, might look for some other alternatives..
Set Budget: $90 for pants
$200 for 3 shirts
*EDIT* I should add that I am not looking for padded shorts, moreso shorts that are extra durable and have good drying/wicking properties. The tally of shorts I own that have holes in the rearside is starting to grow, which is why I'm thinking the investment in better shorts is worth it, otherwise I'd just wear some boardies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHEELSET.
A definite purchase I want to make before I leave. My current wheels, as much as I love them (32h Mavic CXP33 laced to standard shimano hubs), are starting to die. Time to upgrade. At first I was thinking something along the lines of 36h Chuckers laced to Deore hubs.. but I've come to my senses, Chucker rims would be overkill! The worst place to have weight is on the wheels... so I better look for something else.
The dream wheelset would be along the lines of phil wood or chris king hubs laced to some double eyelet rim with dt swiss spokes... I would end up being 2 weeks salary poorer. No thnx.
So in the meantime I'm set to purchase something along the line of Mavic A719 or A319 laced to Shimano Deore LX hubs with DT Swiss spokes. I'm stuck between purchasing such a wheelset locally or buying online. I could buy the above combo here for $300 + ~$100 postage, which is dirt cheap! Id estimate such a wheelset, if custom made at my LBS to cost double that; seems to be the modern day dilemma these days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having fairly overprotective parents means that paranoia sets in if I'm out for more than 3 hours. I happened to come across the perfect thing after watching a 4x4 tv show:
Spot Satellite Messenger, basically a GPS that allows friends and family track where you are anywhere in the world.. pretty sweet huh? It costs roughly $300 a year, I don't really want to spend any money on it, but hopefully I can convince the family to chip in and they can purchase it for me.
Spot Satellite Messenger = Peace of mind
Peace of mind = Priceless
soo... Spot Satellite Messenger = Priceless ?
better deploy some better sales tactics...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haven't payed much attention to the route I'll be taking, I definitely won't EVER want to ride the road that goes towards bunbury (Old Mandurah Highway?) ever again, it sucks balls, its dangerous and it sucks balls.. have I said that already? I got hit by a carpet that was hanging sideways off a Ute last time I rode down... and yeh.. it sucks balls. Too busy, too bumpy.. just... crap...
Think I might take the Munda Biddi trail down to Collie and ride east. Should be sweet...
as for riding across the nullabor, I think June is a good time to do it, its really the only time in the year when the prevailing winds go East resulting in what should be a slight tailwind all the way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tyres?
32c Schwalbe Marathon plus... not sure if I want to go any wider or any smaller.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's all for now I guess... will update the blog as I make more purchases and increase my research and planning.
ciao!
Very interesting post and a great ambitious mission!
ReplyDeleteI am about to do 11 days around Tassie which will be my longest tour so far but fairly cruisy I'd imagine due to no lack of small towns.
Compared to the Nullarbor, it's a snack.
More updates as please! It's interesting to see the gear that you've chosen and why.
What bike will you be riding?
Oh yeah, check out the SWRVE pants. Some might suit and only just above your budget.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.swrvestore.com/servlet/Categories?category=-%3E+FOR+MEN
I've toured in a pair of the chicks 3/4 length. Comfy!
Cheers for the link Caff. Tassie sounds fun, good luck with it! My mate Yohei just came back from a tour in Tassie, he's got a nice day by day report of his travels on his blog, http://ridedownunder.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI'll be riding my trusty Surly Crosscheck; which is currently sitting with no front wheel and several missing parts. Gah!
You do realise there is a nice new highway from perth to Bunbury? complete with seperate bike lane for over half then a massive shoulder for the rest.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I didn't know of this on my last ride and took the old mandurah road thinking I would be avoiding the traffic.
ReplyDeleteRode ~2km on the new road once the two roads combined, but it was back to the less than 1m shoulder shortly after. nonetheless, something to consider.
thanks