The Self Sufficient Bike Camping Thread.

pi11wizard

pi11wizard

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Carlin said:
Hey, nice thread.

I'm trying to figure out a way to strap a 13L dry bag with a 2kg tent to my bars. I don't have time to order a nice harness from Alaska.

http://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.catalog&CategoryID=3

Has anyone got any tips? I've tried strapping it a few different ways, but it swings all over the place.

Cheers
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I put a sleeping bag plus clothes plus some other stuff in a compression sack on the bars. I think it probably weighed about 3kg. I just used a tied down strap like this:


It lets you put heaps of tension on the system and with some alternative cable routing for the mechanical brakes, I managed to get it all to fit and hold tightly over some pretty rugged terrain.

YMMV
 
tomacropod

tomacropod

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Gotcha straps are great for this sort of application. They come in heaps of sizes, up to really big ones - and are lighter than straps with those steel buckles.

http://www.gotchastraps.co.nz/photos.php

I reckon cargo carrying is another great reason to use Aerobars - not only to be able to keep up with Spoonboy on the descents. I recently grabbed myself a set of these:

http://ovalconcepts.com/productsGenereDett.php?idGenere=99&idCat=1

which bolt straight onto the stem, replacing the faceplate. Lighter and less hassle than traditional clip-ons, and quicker to install/remove. Strapping a bundle under and between the aero extensions keeps it out of the way of the headtube, front wheel/fork crown etc, as well as giving it two points of security so it won't swing around. A bivvy/sleeping bag combo bundle will account for about half the weight one carries on multiday rides, and this placement will equalise weight distribution nicely.

- Joel
 
DaGonz

DaGonz

Eats Squid
tomacropod said:
I reckon cargo carrying is another great reason to use Aerobars - not only to be able to keep up with Spoonboy on the descents.
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70km/hr max on a dirt road on the aero bars ;)

They also take a lot of load off your hands, give you a place to mount extra shit like lights, computers, wee map boards etc...

I have a set of Pro brand somethings (lowish end) which seems really solid and sturdy at a weight penalty. If you're going to go something like that where the arm rests mount directly above the handlebars, you'll need to get something like a fred bar made up to get the position right. This is where the faceplate mounted ones might be a bit iffy. Currently I'm looking for a set of syntace C3's or something with adjustable arm rests so I can get the arm rests further back.

You can get away without it, but you'll either put more pressure on your forearms than you need too or just generally be in a bad position. It's surprising how much you can torque and control the bike on the bars. I even got air born on them at one stage.

Cheers
Spoonie
 
DaGonz

DaGonz

Eats Squid
Matt Mead said:
The Colorado Trail Race is currently on see race updates here http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,959.0.html


Makes me wonder if a 600-700km route could be developed in NSW for a simliar race???
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Sure, I doubt it'd be as hard or scenic, and certainly wouldn't have the altitude to contend with. Half the challenge with CTR is it's at 3000m asl for most of the race :)

I'm about to ride 800km's from Canberra to Newcastle. The plan is over 5 days. Equally you could do 1000km's or so quite easily from canberra out around the brindies, the kozi, and back again....

Cheers
Spoonie
 
pi11wizard

pi11wizard

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Matt Mead said:
So in other words it could be pretty easy to create something in NSW, someone just needs to make it happen haha.
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The liability issues need some exploration on an event of this type. Is anyone out there a law-talking-guy who can offer some expert advice as to how far liability extends in a self-supported event of this type?

I'd love to help organize something like this, but not if it means I will lose everything I own when some muppet hurts themselves and decides I am to blame for their incompetence.
 
ebuk

ebuk

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There's got to be something re the liability with the Audax events in Australia. Perhaps Joel can best advise.
 
tomacropod

tomacropod

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ebuk said:
There's got to be something re the liability with the Audax events in Australia. Perhaps Joel can best advise.
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Audax events have public liability insurance like any other event, membership of some sort is required for any participant in an event just like an mtb race.

The question is - Who would be prepared to take on the insurance risk of a multi-day, non-supported, off road event, and would the event organiser be able to get the access permissions and safety/risk assessments the insurance company would need before they accepted the risk.

Kiwi Brevet was run without insurance and without any entry fees being paid - access to private land was secured, however, and Simon Kennett was clearly the organiser and, I guess, responsible. I suppose there's just a different legal environment over there, one I wish we had over here. Nobody seemed concerned about legal liabilities.

- Joel
 
DaGonz

DaGonz

Eats Squid
I think the Americans get away with it by saying "Hey we ain't not organising n'utt'n. w'ere just a website telling you a bunch of guys are doing this thing at this date from here to here..."

I wondered whether you could do the same here with a Wiki style website. "here's this route, these guys have done it in this time, leaving at this date" "I take no responsibility for this route or what you do on it..."

I think if you did it that way, it would only take a small amount of time to go from word of mouth and friends chatting on face book to everyone knowing that on the 2nd weekend of June, a bunch of guys are going to ride from Canberra to the Coast (or whatever). It becomes like critical mass, techincally no one is organising anything. If the route is a well known published one then all the better!

As long as it's pulic access stuff, no commercials are involved, it's not "organised" and the groups are small (likely in Aus) then I don't think Land access will be an issue.

But yes, I think untill someone speaks to a lawyer, this sort of racing will remain a little underground in Aus. Many of us have plans and may share them reasonably publicly but yeah...

Cheers
Spoonie
 
ebuk

ebuk

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I think the Wiki idea is a good one, it lets the event get out there and kind of works around who organised it. Even mates events like the Canberra 2 Coast have potential liability issues. All it takes is for someone to get injured and then that persons family may want to go after the person who 'organised' the event.

However, the Americans are doing it so there is no reason we can't be running events as well.
 
Pizzaz

Pizzaz

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Its the liability issue for the land owner thats the stumbling block... as soon as the word 'race' enters into the conversation most public liability policies go whimpering into their corner. The bicentennial trail (I think) uses private land for bits of it which would probably require individual landholder permission and insurance.

Organising the land access for a 'race' would make the issues about getting access for capital punishment childs play! Not to mention that (in NSW at least) cycling events that go near public roads need a risk management plan etc. Thinking about the logistics makes me feel a little ill!

The 'at this time I'm at this place going to...' is a much simpler option and of course, if you're a MTBA member then their insurance policy would cover you if something happened (assuming you were training of course :) ).

Hmmm... but a race would be interesting and do a lot to raise the profile of the sport with a different audience.
 
DaGonz

DaGonz

Eats Squid
Pizzaz said:
Organising the land access for a 'race' would make the issues about getting access for capital punishment childs play! Not to mention that (in NSW at least) cycling events that go near public roads need a risk management plan etc. Thinking about the logistics makes me feel a little ill!

The 'at this time I'm at this place going to...' is a much simpler option and of course, if you're a MTBA member then their insurance policy would cover you if something happened (assuming you were training of course :) ).
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*but* a forum and wiki logging the times people did a route in and when they started in some ways would be no different to us going "hey, I'm heading out to manly dam on sunday at 9am... pace will be fast, you're welcome to come join me... Last week I did it in 30mins!" especially if it's a pre-organised mapped and/or public access route. Who "organizes" the colluzi ride every week?

I'm pretty sure that's how things like GDMBR started and even if you look at races like the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

The word "race" seems to be legally a bit hazy on many fronts. but if I'm doing a personal challenge of riding the BNT south to north as fast as possible, leaving healsville 1st of April, and a bunch of characters join me in healesville on that day then so be it. *shrug*

for this sort of thing to fly in Aus, I think that's where it's gotta head. People logging their adventure, not you organising it...

Cheers
Spoonie
 
ebuk

ebuk

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I think having a network of available rides is equally as important to get people interested in doing SS rides.

Who's going to put there route down on internet ink?
 
M

Matt Mead

Likes Bikes
sounds like a general website is needed like bikepackingaustralia.org

i can set it up pretty easily.
 
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M

m_g

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calcualting ascent of a trail

does anyone know of a way to digitally calculate the metres of ascent for a given trail? I've got a route picked out through the barrington tops, and I have the topo map, but if there was some software where you could, for example, export a google earth trail, and calcuate ascent, that would be awesome...otherwise the clmbing (and hence actaul time needed) will be very rough..

getting very excited about all the talk on this thread...every time i flick through the XXC magazine, i get inspired to get something like their underground "races" going here

cheers

mg
 
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