Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Keeping up with G.J. Coop's zig zag across Australia on CGOAB, he mentioned on his page, Bethunga Bridge: the tide is high in Lake Hume, a plumbers tap handle which reminded me of why I carry one. There are towns where the parks etc. tap handles are removed, presumably so that those with little imagination and too much time on their hands can't turn the tap on and waste water. Some of the country towns have a nice little park where one can pull up and make a cuppa or have lunch and at the same time, top up the water supply for later in the day if bush camping.
I bought mine from Bunnings, about $10 if I remember. In the shape of a cross, it fits four types of taps most commonly seen.
Managed to find it on the Bunnings site:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_pro ... and+Valves" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Great idea!

Happened to me last weekend at Kinglake looking around the parks, though that might have been for safety as the tank water up there isn't safe to drink according to some. There is only one public tap in town that anyone could tell me about, after I asked several people. I will get one for the times around the suburbs when I can't find water quick enough at a fountain tap.

A mate of mine lives in Melbourne's inner suburban St.Kilda. He says that the residents there remove the tap handles to stop the heroin addicts mixing up their hit in their front yard. Nice.

As my first ever post on this forum, i thought i'd offer some advice instead of asking a question thats probably been answered 1000 times before. Its ok, I'm a plumber.

These little gizmos are indeed used on taps with modified "anti-vandal" spindles installed. Yes they are normally in public places, schools etc for obvious reasons.

I can tell you that if you are carrying a shifter or spanner of a specific size, you do not need these "keys" to undo the tap, you can simply loosen the spindle as if you are taking it off, and water will indeed flow due the washer being lifted from its seat.

So now can you please tell me whats the best bike and accessories for touring. I've got short hair if that helps.

Festybiker.

I carry one of these and have done for years there a touring need that is for sure and well done for bringing this to peoples attention FB never gave it any thought to raise it as a subject.

Ricky

festybiker wrote: So now can you please tell me whats the best bike and accessories for touring. I've got short hair if that helps.

Festybiker.

Festy, You are asking for trouble with an open question like that. How long have you got?
Have a look at the Touring Australia forum and a thread called "Thorn Raven Nomad Coming Together" or under the Cycling Brands Vivente forum for the "Vivente Randonneur" thread for starting points.
Also Google "Loaded Touring Bike" and you will have hours of day dreaming.

redned wrote:Also Google "Loaded Touring Bike" and you will have hours of day dreaming.

Endless photos to dream over here at Fully Loaded Touring Bikes as well

Festy, to get an idea of the basic features of a touring bike before you start consider which bike to get, I think a good start is this link from the site of the UK Cyclists' Touring Club that gives a brief sketch of what they consider constitutes a 'touring bike' (by which they really mean a road touring bike with drop handlebars that can be used on tarmac or gravel): http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/ ... uring-bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Variations such as an expedition bike can then be considered, for example see this page http://www.adventure-cycling-guide.co.uk/bike5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and this one, amongst others: http://www.adventure-cycling-guide.co.uk/bike2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It’s also helpful to read the information on the Vivente bikes website (the brand mentioned by redned above), starting with their home page http://www.viventebikes.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and then clicking on “Choosing a Bike” http://www.viventebikes.com/main/page_c ... _bike.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and reading in particular the the material under the heading “The parallel between touring and urban bikes”.

Then click on the “Technical” tab, which brings up a page with various technical topics listed in the tabs in the LHS margin that go through the features of a touring bike including frame design & materials as well as individual components, starting with the handlebar options http://www.viventebikes.com/main/page_t ... tions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greg

My road touring bike doesn't have drop handlebars, and I have not had them on any touring bike for the past 20 years

Here is an archetypal world touring bike (probably the greatest touring cyclist of recent times)

Thanks fellow forum people for your responses. I was mostly joking with my question about a touring bike, hence my comment about short hair, which obviously has no relevance. Hopefully you will come to learn that my sense of humour is somewhat over developed.

I did stumble across BNA in doing months of research about touring bikes and thought i'd sign up to get invloved. Thanks to the advice from this forum and others, trawling through what is good advice and not so good advice, i have today hopefully secured a very low mile 2nd hand Disc Trucker at a very good price (sub $1200), with pedals, racks and bar bag.

I did look at and test ride the Vivente Randoneur (not sure bout the spelling), and it is a great bicycle, but i do feel the trucker to be a better quality bike. I know the extras on the (somewhat price point based) Vivente are terrific and it did ride very well, however for the price i got the LHT, i can now add a Son dynamo hub and decent light and be in the same paddock price wise as the Vivente.

For a first tourer, i reckon i've done pretty good.

I am however having trouble doing search's on this forum. e.g if i wanted to find something related to lightweight touring racks, would i type in the advanced search [+lightweight +touring +racks] or is there a better way?

Tubus are the best & lightest racks you are liable to find.

festybiker wrote:I am however having trouble doing search's on this forum. e.g if i wanted to find something related to lightweight touring racks, would i type in the advanced search [+lightweight +touring +racks] or is there a better way?

I find BNA's search function a bit teak, returning a lot of superfluous hits and confusing layout.
It works for other sites as well, but use Google like with a search string like this:

lightweight touring racks site:bicycles.net.au

This will give you search results with the specific string in quotes:

"touring rack" site:bicycles.net.au

This sorts out duplicate thread references for you automatically, and can be readily used for other site names, like the Seppo competition (eg. substitute the 'site:' bit with bikeforums.net)

Tubus do seem to be getting all the good oil Baalzamon. Looking at their website is a little awkward but i may trust in the LBS on which Tubus rack best fits a 700 Disc trucker.

Thanks Happy Hunter for the searching tips. This will indeed help researching.

one might say we are now "off topic" but as a plumber, i think i am now getting a handle on this site. Wow, thats really bad and im not sorry.!!

Nighty night ya'll.