T minus 16 days: preparation I (public entry)
So I bought my ticket yesterday. The date has been set: 22/1... 16 days. I haven't bought a return ticket. I'm waiting until I'm down there and I know when I'm going to be back in Hobart/Launceston before I book that, so I leave my options open. Plus I keep hoping that something will happen and I'll either keep on going or stay there :D
Most of the prep work has been done. Over the past few weeks, I've bought some front pannier bags, a suitable pair of tires, a new cycling jacket with windproof lining, and various "technology stuff" including a bluetooth keyboard for my phone for email/journalling and a solar phone charger (that has yet to be modified so it works with my phone). All of the big stuff I already had from my last trip: a tent, -10-degree-rated sleeping bag, portable burner, etc.
Tires I bought yesterday, after careful consideration. Tires are one of the most influential choices you have to make for a trip like this... a set of knobblies will be great on off-road but are SO slow on tarmac (on a heavily-laden bike you're probably talking 6km/h difference when you're averaging 22-24km/h)... a pair of slicks are so much faster on the road and not too useless on dirt, but the moment you hit sand (again, moreso with a heavily laden bike - we're talking between 30 and 40kg plus your own weight) it's literally impossible to control. Last time I ended up having a 20km walk because I simply could NOT ride it through the sand - every time I tried the front wheel would dig in and it would all be over. I ended up settling for, as you do, a compromise between the two: a pair of Geax Evolutions. Look something like this:
The idea is that on road it rides on the ridge so you don't get drag, but in something soft like sand as it sinks in it gets some grip and hopefully doesn't make the bike act like a horse that wants to roll over without letting you off first.
Another difference in strategy I'm trying this time is using front panniers as well as rears. The idea here is to keep the weight down low, which makes the bike a lot easier to handle, especially when walking it. I found that out the hard way last time, when I lifted the front wheel off the ground and suddenly the bike was upside down, with a large piece of skin from my ankle on one of the pedals. Not so much fun. When there's 15kg of weight over your back wheel, it's very difficult to stop this! And having the front panniers also makes it SO much easier to pack everything - I'll actually have excess room, which means I'll be able to carry extra food when required.
Those Space Bags you see advertised on TV are a wonderful thing for touring. There's a version that doesn't require a vacuum cleaner, but you just roll it and squeeze the air out. These are awesome because not only do they make your clothes fit in a much smaller space, but they're also 100% waterproof. (Hmmm, I might even see if I can pack my sleeping bag in one... *ponders*)
So yeah. Most of it's done now... I still need to buy a folding chair (my last one broke - these things fold up into nearly nothing), a few more drink bottles (I need to be able to carry about 7-8 litres of water), some new cycling gear, a new set of riding gloves... I've arranged to borrow some rear panniers from one of the guys at work which is awesome (will save me about $300-400).
Well, that's it for now... more later.
Most of the prep work has been done. Over the past few weeks, I've bought some front pannier bags, a suitable pair of tires, a new cycling jacket with windproof lining, and various "technology stuff" including a bluetooth keyboard for my phone for email/journalling and a solar phone charger (that has yet to be modified so it works with my phone). All of the big stuff I already had from my last trip: a tent, -10-degree-rated sleeping bag, portable burner, etc.
Tires I bought yesterday, after careful consideration. Tires are one of the most influential choices you have to make for a trip like this... a set of knobblies will be great on off-road but are SO slow on tarmac (on a heavily-laden bike you're probably talking 6km/h difference when you're averaging 22-24km/h)... a pair of slicks are so much faster on the road and not too useless on dirt, but the moment you hit sand (again, moreso with a heavily laden bike - we're talking between 30 and 40kg plus your own weight) it's literally impossible to control. Last time I ended up having a 20km walk because I simply could NOT ride it through the sand - every time I tried the front wheel would dig in and it would all be over. I ended up settling for, as you do, a compromise between the two: a pair of Geax Evolutions. Look something like this:
The idea is that on road it rides on the ridge so you don't get drag, but in something soft like sand as it sinks in it gets some grip and hopefully doesn't make the bike act like a horse that wants to roll over without letting you off first.
Another difference in strategy I'm trying this time is using front panniers as well as rears. The idea here is to keep the weight down low, which makes the bike a lot easier to handle, especially when walking it. I found that out the hard way last time, when I lifted the front wheel off the ground and suddenly the bike was upside down, with a large piece of skin from my ankle on one of the pedals. Not so much fun. When there's 15kg of weight over your back wheel, it's very difficult to stop this! And having the front panniers also makes it SO much easier to pack everything - I'll actually have excess room, which means I'll be able to carry extra food when required.
Those Space Bags you see advertised on TV are a wonderful thing for touring. There's a version that doesn't require a vacuum cleaner, but you just roll it and squeeze the air out. These are awesome because not only do they make your clothes fit in a much smaller space, but they're also 100% waterproof. (Hmmm, I might even see if I can pack my sleeping bag in one... *ponders*)
So yeah. Most of it's done now... I still need to buy a folding chair (my last one broke - these things fold up into nearly nothing), a few more drink bottles (I need to be able to carry about 7-8 litres of water), some new cycling gear, a new set of riding gloves... I've arranged to borrow some rear panniers from one of the guys at work which is awesome (will save me about $300-400).
Well, that's it for now... more later.