Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

il padrone wrote: On the recent outback tour it was pretty pointless and switched off for long periods - no reception most of the time.

I was very frustrated on much of my Mudgee to Perth trip by the lack of reception over much of the trip.
Certainly some of it caused by the floods but Telstra has certainly made my old 5510 Nokia redundant in mostly all but the biggest cities/towns. Still I cant really complain as I've mostly resided in places it has adequately worked and I have had it now for around 10 years. It is pre next G after-all.

A wilderness medical kit.
An MSR Miniworks water filter ... with a packet of coffee filters and several rubber bands.
A Next G capable phone, with patch lead, 10 metre cable, 5db high gain antenna, solar charger and thin cord for hoisting the antenna high into a tree.
Three spare Canon camera batteries and three spare 8 meg cards.
A GPSMap 62S GPS with four Sony Eneloop batteries and relevant topo maps.
A 16x12cm (2mm thick) sheet of clear glass ... an unusual addition to take touring. This allows me to photograph aboriginal artefacts that I find along the tracks.

Like these bits of yellow ochre, a piece of ceramic insulator used by the Old People as a core for napping flakes when tool making and a .22 cal Hollow Point bullet that I found at the same site, on the The Rock Travelling Stock Route, two weeks ago.




Warren.

WarrenH wrote: A 16x12cm (2mm thick) sheet of clear glass ... an unusual addition to take touring. This allows me to photograph aboriginal artefacts that I find along the tracks.

I'm curious about that, is it something to do with the flash?

And technically it's illegal to be in possession of that cartridge without a licence, so i wouldn't put it on display.

Idrcycles. thanks for the advice absolutely, but to be in possession of that cartridge I would need to go back to The Rock and pick it up. It is also illegal to remove artefacts from sites be they Aboriginal or European.

That's why I take the glass, so I can photograph the artefacts in the field and then put them back. If I find anything significant, it will be recorded. In the past I've added sites to the Aboriginal Sites Register. It only takes two Aboriginal artefacts within 20m of each other to qualify as an Aboriginal site. I added Devils Peak to the sites register. Devils Peak is the second largest Aboriginal quarry site (Metadolerite) in SE Australia, second only to Victoria's Mount William (Greenstone) quarry. When I find Metadolerite artefacts in the bush it is a hoot because before Devils Peak was registered the archaeologists didn't know the origin of the Metadolerite ... http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page ... 86258&v=DZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Going touring to see the sites for me ... is a bit different to most who go to see the sites.

The thing about the glass is I can place small artefacts on the glass, lift the glass off the background so that the background is out of focus and the artefacts then aren't casting shadows. This shot was taken in hazy bright conditions, without flash. I can change the location of the shading on the artefacts to show better modelling by using black card or fill deeper shadows using a white card as a reflector. The pale blue back ground in The Rock shot is only a sheet of white A4 paper about 30cm below the glass.

Warren.

Sprocket wrote:
Be nice if you could use a couple of legs of a camp stool to make a click stand

The click-type-stand for my bike is made from an aluminium tent pole and it still does duty as a tent pole when I need a pole for my fly. I made it many years ago before click-stands existed. It weighs 140gms. A genuine Click-stand weighs 75 grams.

This pole goes everywhere with me. Tools on tour should do at least two jobs.

I'll photograph it tomorrow.

Warren.

This is my pseudo click stand that pushes together rather than snaps together. Made from sections of an aluminium tent pole.

I selected the three lightest bits from a five piece pole. The steel spike that would normally go through a cringle on the tent, to reduce weight was cut down to save a few grams. The saddle that supports the bike is made from fibreglass resin and glass cloth.

The three pieces of the stand can be turned around and still made into a taller pole, for my fly.






I haven't used shock cord like the Click-stand uses, despite having the swaging tools to do the job (I'm an ex-boat wright ) because that would limit my stand to having only one purpose. I use to refit racing yachts and design and make Carbon and Kevlar modifications. I'm currently making a carbon fibre fairing for my Extrawheel Solo Voyager trailer. One shouldn't waste one's old skills, hey.


Warren.

How do you find that rear rack? I have a quick release rack similar to that (except it comes straight out from the bracket, not up like yours) on my shopping bike and i don't really trust it to take too much weight or to stay in exactly the same spot, i've got it clamped down pretty tight but maybe not enough.

Idrcycles, G'day.

After I cleaned the mould lubricants off the rubber gaskets with acetone, then roughened them up with 320 grit wet-and-dry, then cleaned the seat post with acetone, tightened the beam rack's quick release to above what seems overly tight, I haven't had it shift sidewards for the last few tours. When I first purchased it, it would shift when cornering or I'd knock it off centre, when mounting the bike. The manufacturer only recommends a maximum of 8.5kgs on the beam rack. Rarely do I exceed 6 kg on the rack with clothes, sleeping bag and other bits, like a pair of Dunlop Volleys (for non-slip river crossings) and a tripod.

I looked at the stay mounted alternatives for boing-boings, like the Freeload. The Freeload has very good reviews but I like to set up camp for a few days at a time. Then strip the touring gear off the bike and go exploring without any weight. Then when I've seen enough, simply refit the touring gear and move on. Every thing for touring for my bike is a simple clip-on or clip-off or it's Velcro fastened.

Once I learned how to fit the Topeak QR Beam Rack Type A correctly, it has been well worth the bucks. With the side rails it was all-up about $100.

Warren.

WarrenH wrote:. One shouldn't waste one's old skills, hey.

Nice work. Are you taking orders?

WarrenH wrote:

I've got a spare front mudguard like that if anyone wants it for free. Pickup in Como, South Perth.

elStado wrote:I've got a spare front mudguard like that if anyone wants it for free.

... and I've got a spare mounting bracket for a Topeak Defender FX fender. elStado we're about 5,000 kilometres apart ... snap!

If anyone wants the mounting bracket or has destroyed their bracket, possibly destroyed by over tightening it, I'll post one to you. I've a spare bracket because I double armour locked my bike on the bike rack, drove to the shops ... returned to the car and the fenders were missing. I would have preferred that the thief sole my car and bike and did me a big favour, rather than create a cheap inconvenience.

Warren.

WarrenH wrote:[

... and I've got a spare mounting bracket for a Topeak Defender FX fender.

Warren.

Good on ya Warren

May that thief receive the fleas from a thousand camels in his neither regions.

Beard?

Yes! Almost forgot; ESSENTIAL!



(yes, the pictures taken in a car, right at the end of the tour...)

I grew a beard before I set off on my tour in America - beats shaving!

HAHAHA, yep a beard is definitely the number one, top priority absolutely essential must have bit of touring equipment .

And that is one seriously fine lookin beard there cheesewheel .

ldrcycles wrote: HAHAHA, yep a beard is definitely the number one, top priority absolutely essential must have bit of touring equipment .

And that is one seriously fine lookin beard there cheesewheel .

Its not mine - its just an image I picked from google to embody the essential beardiness of touring (actually it was from an article to discover England's manliest cyclist http://singletrackworld.com/2011/06/bri ... st-wanted/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - it was a promotion for "blue beard's revenge" - some sort of rub on hair removal cream which its manufacturers had targeted at cyclists (needless to say I am guessing that Bluebeard's revenge hair removal cream wouldn't be top of the list for touring equipment you wouldn't leave home without ...... but might fall in the equipment lists of another sort of cyclist with a certain required "equipment" essential in mind



http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Env ... of-006.jpg

/envious angst
... bet those nancy boys never rode with a god damn pannier rack in their lives ....
/sob

ldrcycles wrote: HAHAHA, yep a beard is definitely the number one, top priority absolutely essential must have bit of touring equipment .

And that is one seriously fine lookin beard there cheesewheel .

Is mine not impressive enough LRD?

Cheesewheel wrote: /envious angst
... bet those nancy boys never rode with a god damn pannier rack in their lives ....
/sob

racks, panniers and adoring female fan - but facial hair not required ...on the Crown Range Road, South Island, New Zealand.


PS - after this tour there is one item that I will never go on tour without. My Showers Pass Elite 2 rain jacket.

WestcoastPete wrote:
Is mine not impressive enough LRD?

Hahaha, well it's a solid start but needs more time to get to "epic" level .

RonK wrote:
PS - after this tour there is one item that I will never go on tour without. My Showers Pass Elite 2 rain jacket.

I thought you would say the little bear thing .

I agree.



If touring blokes don't have a beard ... then their kids have two Mums.

Warren.

I couldn't find the one that has sheldon brown on the end captioned 'maximum level'.

This is the one I think...

WarrenH wrote:
If touring blokes don't have a beard ... then their kids have two Mums.

Warren.

Love the reference Warren...

Beards huh?