Re: cycling

Category: Lessons learned

  • Changes

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    in

    Having completed the not so big “big ride”, I am going to change my approach a little.

    1. I uninstalled Strava. I was too hung up on times and I think it was detracting from my enjoyment. It certainly served a purpose in helping motivate me and get me riding.
    2. I will not update this blog for my regular commute, but I will update it for lessons learned or out of the ordinary rides, such as new tracks or leaps forward.

  • Gear wins and fails

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    in ,

    These are a few thoughts on stuff that worked well on my truncated, but wet, Heaphy Track bikepacking experience, and things I’d probably reconsider.

    Wins

    Kathmandu Mono v2 one person tent

    Kathmandu Mono v2
    • fairly cheap
    • weighing in at ~1.7kg
    • compact
    • fast and easy to set up
    • survived a long downpour
    • pretty comfy, but I’m short!

    Ground Effect Helter Skelters

    Ground Effect Helter Skelters

    • lightweight
    • seemed to be completely waterproof
    • seemed breathable
    • survived a couple of days of heavy rain and kept me dry

    Ground Effect Tardis Bag

    Ground Effect Tardis (the old model)

    I have the old (pre-2012 version) which was not designed for my bike. But, it did fit, just not quite as intended. I understand that the post-2012 model caters for plus tyres and 29ers.

    • I got one for a good price on Trade Me
    • with a little practice I was able to disassemble and get the bike packed in pretty quickly
    • the bike is in one piece
    • I will use it again
    • it packs down for compact storage
    The Ground Effect Tardis packed with a medium/large bike with 27.5+ wheels and plus tyres and cardboard.
    The Ground Effect Tardis with 27.5+ wheels and plus tyres. I didn’t use the wheel sleeves as the wheels just would not fit, so I left them in loose and packed in a bunch of cardboard. It all fitted well and survived the short flight. I would add a lot more packing if it was being transported further, and also remove the disk rotors.

    Ground Effect Underdogs

    Ground Effect Underdogs
    • light
    • comfy
    • fast drying
    • work well with “chamois cream”
    • easy to clean and dry (apparently cleaning them is what you do as soon as you arrive at camp)
    • they really helped save my butt

    Trek Roscoe 7 (2020)

    Trek Roscoe 7

    The Roscoe just worked perfectly – and is very forgiving. I had it converted to tubeless and ran pretty low pressure, and it performed flawlessly. I am very very very happy with it.

    Deuter 32 Litre backpack

    I had it loaded with a weight of 7kg, and I could barely feel it on me – it fitted so well. I got an old one on Trade Me and it was perfect.

    Merrell Men’s Chameleon 8 Storm GTX

    Merrell Chameleon 8 Storm GTX

    These worked really well, they were good enough to pedal in, coped well on the track, and did partially dry each night after they got a good soaking with each stream crossing.

    Fails

    Northface Millerton Jacket

    I have a version of this that is about 3 years old, and maybe is just no longer waterproof.

    • it didn’t breath and I was soaked from sweat
    • it did appear to absorb rather than repel the rain, but again, perhaps due to its age
    • Pro: it did dry very quickly

    I will be shopping for a new jacket for outdoors use.

    On the fence

    So these are not exactly fails, they were adequate but with a few issues.

    Equinox long sleeve thermal top

    I have had one of these for a couple of years and found it really good, BUT, it just would not dry. I had one for the day and a dry one for sleep, but I was concerned that it didn’t dry sooner. I’d say good for day trips or multi-hour activities rather than multi-day activities in wet conditions.

    Newboler saddle bag

    It fitted OK with a second strap that I added. It looks flimsy, and while I knew I could only put things in it that could get wet, it was also letting grit and sand in which is something to be aware of. I wish I had put the ~$50 I paid for it towards a Cactus or similar, as I feel I will not use this very much. It was also not easy to figure out how to attach it.