Actually I’m not sure that I am, but it is too late now to get any fitter or stronger. It is only a few days until I head back to the ferry and again start riding the South Island. I know the first ~200km and perhaps 10km of the Crown Range I rode while down there with the family 2 weeks ago.
Perhaps it was unwise, but I have made a couple of changes to my bike setup. Nothing was wrong (except the drink bottles getting dirty), and I solved that by getting caps for the tops! I have swapped out the handlebars in the name of handling. The Jones bars were really comfortable and let me mount everything I wanted. But the altered cockpit has much better handling and provides 6 different hand positions.
I think I’ve finalised my setup. I’ve got another 4 days before I leave so it is possible it may change.
Everything attached and ready to roll
I’ve still got to record a video detailing the setup so I can’t claim it was perfect from the start without proof! Plenty of space under the luggage net at the back for an extra bottle (or 3) of fluids of necessary too.
Another talk to myself about the camp and kitchen you’re taking. Hopefully you’ve struck the right compromise for comfort on and off the bike. Watching this and the clothing video makes it feel like you’re carrying way to much. However, it all fits on the bike nicely (next video will be how you’re packing everything on the bike).
I was surprised at Otaki Forks when everything came off the bike to be used how much stuff was scattered around! I was stunned at the volume of clothes and equipment and how it was ever packed so neatly and compactly on the bike.
Old Mark talking to future Mark about the camp and kitchen equipment he needs.
Despite just a couple of overnight rides with the longest at around 230km, I’m comfortable that future Mark will report he had everything necessary to be comfortable, missed nothing, and didn’t wish some items had been left behind!
I completed the WTB saddle sizing and it recommended a medium width saddle, so I ordered one! My current saddle is a wide WTB Rocket but the new one (arriving next week all going well) is the WTB Volt. It will be interesting to see if I notice any difference.
With cromoloy rails for additional compliance
I’ve got several worries about taking on the TA and saddle sores – not soreness – is probably top of list! Other worries are likely more psychological and less likely to prevent completion. Saddle sores may stop me…
Well, 3 days of 100km and 1 of ~85km … Some things (hills in particular) are psychologically more challenging than physically. As we rode from Paekakariki towards Pukerua Bay we had ~8km of being able to see the Pukerua Bay hill. I was dreading it and seeing it rise up in front of me as we approached psyched me out a little.
As I changed down gears and began riding it I wondered how long it would take and how much it would hurt. This was all pointless because the hill rolled under my cadence and wheels and after a toilet stop (not for me) we were rolling downhill on the other side.
Lesson 1: Figure out a way to not let what is ahead not get in the way of the stunning coastline, views of the South Island, and incredibly clear water washing over rocks!
Lesson 2: Slowdown! Everyday I rode the distance in between 5 & 6 hours. During the tour I’ll have 10 – 12 hours (easily) each day to complete the distance.
Lesson 3: Check saddle width. It wasn’t horrible BUT with another ~24 days it could be.
Lesson 4: There is plenty of time during each day to dry the tent – unless it is raining – so you won’t have to sleep in dampness!
Lesson 5: Take another couple of dry bags to keep clothes and other items isolated and dry!
Overall the 4 days got me excited about the tour and the shape I’m in as I approach it. I’ve got 43 days to maintain my fitness, freshen the legs up, and finalise the faffing of the setup.
I was awake early, drinking coffee and eating breakfast before the other two came out of their tents. It wasn’t that I hadn’t slept well, just that I woke up and was more inclined to get moving than lay about dozing!
The tent was really wet from dew and it made me wonder what I’ll do when that happens on the tour! Packing it wet is alright for the day, but if the inner gets wet then I’ll be putting my mattress, sleeping bag and myself into dampness at night. Surprisingly they dry quickly when there is a little bit of sunshine on them. I also realised while riding that assuming it isn’t raining I’ll be able to pull them out to dry during the day. Any break of 20 or 30 minutes will provide good drying time and if that isn’t enough the longer break over lunch should suffice.
The same gravel road to get homeWe took a minor detour to ride this suspension bridge
To get to 100km I turned off ~2km from the start point and where I had left the car. I then had ~4km of down hill before ~12km of flat with a tail wind. Then up my hill home stopping at 104.6km 😬
Day 3 was already planned to ride to Otaki Forks with everything, camp out, then ride home. There were several options of routes to get there but we couldn’t leave until early afternoon due to commitments both Keith and Alastair had. This meant we took the most direct route:
I had ridden ~6km earlier with the boys, but still well short of 100km
We were all loaded as if this was the tour although I was testing the seat pack and still don’t have the full frame bag (another week or 2 before that arrives). I also rode without the phone holder on my handlebars – I think this was a mistake as having it visible and usable is better than tucking it in a bag or pocket – definitely going to ensure I have the option of it on my bars next time.
The setup I rode with
We stopped at the Te Horo Fire Station for a break and to fill up with water which was around the 65km mark. As we left I found it difficult and the average speed dropped several km. Every hill had be changing gears sooner than I normally would but not really getting left behind.
One of the gravel sections of the Otaki Forks Road
I was left behind on one of the downhill sections (unheard of)! This was because some how my tent fell out! Nothing else came off from the handlebar harness and I hadn’t noticed anything move. The straps were a little loose either from the ~70km or not being tightened properly at the start!
We pulled in, swam in the river – delightful – then made dinner and setup camp before settling in to sleep. Day 3 of the challenge kind of complete!
I’m changing setup! I decided that is like a full frame bag but can’t find one that meets my requirements so the options are DIY or custom design. I intend for it to be my pantry and determined that filling the entire frame was going to add enough additional capacity to be worth the investment.
Initially I was going the DIY route with a friend who is a good seamstress. However, after conversations and working through the intricacies of what we were trying to achieve we didn’t proceed.
I really liked the Blackburn Outpost Elite Frame Bag, of course, they didn’t have a size that was a good fit 😥
So I settled on the more expensive option of a custom bag from local maker, Stealth. Now I’m waiting a couple of weeks to get the finished product and am looking forward to testing it out. By that time I’ll likely be into my final rides to check everything is hanging together well.
Over the Rimutaka Hill I rode with everything I intend taking on the tour (except my toothbrush – forgotten – and a 2nd pair of cycling shorts). I set off later than planned (as is often the case) with Alastair and Keith. We all had different setups and gear while all still carrying mostly the same stuff.
Keith had a bivvy bag, while Alastair had a groundsheet and tent fly. Alastair and I had cookers while Keith bought a pie on route (eaten cold later) and had a cold breakfast. We all had different handlebar setups on similar 29″ hard tail bikes and we definitely rode at touring pace.
Everything worked well for me apart from a strange squeaking at high speed (above 40km) bumpy sections (i.e. downhill). I thought it may have been my carrier flexing a little but in hindsight wonder if perhaps it was my cutlery moving around inside a bag!
Packed and racked, ready for riding!
The night was really windy (close to gales) so none of us slept much. However, it did prove to me that my tent should be able to withstand whatever the weather does during TA.
Not taut as the door isn’t fully closed
Water will be a challenge at times so the bottle with the UV lid was an essential piece of kit on this short trip. While there may be some minor setup changes everything seems like it is in the right place and doing its job (apart from my mattress which has a slow leak)!
All that matters is fitness and training. The details of living from the bike are fairly trivial compared to needing to ride 100km a day (for someone like me). O am training and feeling like I’m on track to be able to complete the ride, but I’m also obsessed with bike setup and kit!
Where things go, what they’re packed in, how waterproof the need to be are all matters I’m thinking about. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking and tweaking the cockpit of my bike.
I figure this is quite important because in addition to comfort, it is where I’ll be navigating from, hanging onto, and making accessing snacks and information (weather forecast, distance, speed, gradient, etc) in order to determine whether to stop or ride on.
What I’ll see
I decided that the phone will be on the bars when being used (music, podcasts, communication, navigation). It holds well and doesn’t get in the way of the many places I hang on to the Jones Bars.
You can see my mini bell and most of my headlight
Most of this isn’t important to me being ready, but it is taking up mind space! I guess this is a good thing though because I’ll make a little change then head out riding for an hour or 2 to assess whether the tweak is good or not!
And before posting this entry I purchased a different phone holder! It won’t make much difference but it symbolic of the kind of things in messing around with. I should be riding, lots, but have been away with work and not on the bike for 2 weeks so I decided to faf about with setup again!
My Tour Aotearoa 