Final Equipment Tally

These photos show the complete and final set of equipment and supplies that I'll be traveling with, with the exception of my two water bottles that will be kept in their cages on the bike itself.

I've managed to streamline the kit as much as I dare. In the process I've shed several pounds from the load by omitting bags and containers that accompany many items like sleeping bags, Leatherman tools, etc. Also, I've replaced numerous items with lighter weight substitutes wherever possible.

Final Weights including the weight of the panniers themselves.
Handlebar Bag: 3 lbs 7oz
Front Panniers: 14 lbs 11oz
Rear Panniers: 16 lbs 2oz
Seat Wedge: 1 lb 15oz
Rear Add-on bags: 2 lbs 2oz
Dry Bag: 15 lbs 3oz

Empty weight of panniers: 13lbs 1oz
Total equipment weight: 40lbs 7oz
*Total carry weight: 53lbs 8oz

*Not listed is the varying weight of the water needed at different times of the trip.

As I mentioned I believe that I've eliminated everything I can... what I will find interesting is just how much more will find it's way into bins at rest areas as it becomes obviously unnecessary!

Test Ride

The Memorial Day weekend saw some pre-trip testing and a little fun. I always make it a point to test all my equipment prior to a trip and the fact that two of my former students, Jerica Olson and David Johnson, were planning a motorcycle trip to the west coast and needed to test equipment as well was all the excuse I needed for an overnight campout. The three of rode our motorcycles to Lake Bronson state park and there we put our kit through it's paces.




Breakfast- but no cold cereal for David!




Jerica giving the universal sign for "Good morning! Why yes, I did sleep very well on the cold, hard ground in that f***ing tent!"


As usual, there were some glitches that emerged during the equipment tests, including David discovering that a 40-degree "comfort" rating on a sleeping bag is really just two lies strung together! Jerica realized that white pants and the woods simply don't do well together. And for myself, I learned that encircling a Coleman Expedition stove with a wind screen is a great way to melt ALL the knobs off it and effectively render it useless... Furthermore, I was alerted to the fact that my MSR XGK stove desperately needed a little maintenance. The gaskets were badly worn in the pump and while under pressure the valve shot fuel everywhere- always exciting!

Of course the biggest lesson is simply re-enforcing the idea that a person should ALWAYS test their equipment BEFORE setting out on the road.

...And it snows!

Again with the snow today... unbelievable!
So its back on the trainer in the basement for today. Fortunately it doesn't sound like the snow will stick around with the temperature expected to reach 48f by late afternoon. I'm morbidly curious about what type of weird weather anomalies I might encounter in Australia on the trip...!

Maps

Until recently I've been planning this trip as best I could using the internet and a country map of Australia that I purchased on a previous trip to the continent. The map was enough to get me started, but not enough to adequately prepare for an unsupported bicycle tour. My original map lacked any indication of rest stops, and other such bicycle-important items. However, I eventually found an excellent source for maps, the Royal Automobile Association of Australia:

http://www.raa.net/shop_products.asp?SecID=56&CatID=4

These maps are a great resource for the touring cyclist, including accurate distance markings, rest stops, road houses, Railway sidings, etc. For this particular trip I ordered the South Australia and Northern Territories State Road Maps, as well as the Outback South Australia map.

You can contact the RAA directly by writing to them at:
Automobile Association of the Northern Territory Inc.
GPO Box 2584
Darwin NT 0801
Australia

It Snows...

I've had another minor training setback today that came in the form of about 8 inches of SNOW last night...And so it snows, aaand it snows. As such I again find myself riding my trainer in the basement at the end of April--amazing!



More of a concern is that I'm also experiencing some pain and instability in my left knee. This has me somewhat worried. I'm guessing that there is stress on the knee due to poor spinal alignment or poor hip alignment and that a chiropractic adjustment or two will set things right. I'll be making an appointment to see Doc Walton this coming week.

My countdown timer indicates only 40 days until I leave for Melbourne, and the closer the departure date looms the more I find myself fretting about even the smallest things. It will be a great relief to have the first day of peddling behind me.

The New Wheels!!

Of course the sex-appeal of these photos is probably lost on all but the biggest bike geeks, but I had stars in my eyes when Dave Sears (Ski and Bike Shop, Grand Forks, ND) unveiled them for me!!




I'll be putting them through their paces this coming week, and I can hardly wait!

Spring Training

Well the snow has been gone all of two weeks in northern Minnesota... or at least mostly gone. I'm currently putting about 100-150 miles a week out on the road, in any weather. This past Tuesday was a treat with constant 30mph winds gusting to 40mph!! Fortunately the typical winds are between 12 and 20mph and a bit more bearable, if generally irritating.

I'll be doubling my mileage within the next two to three weeks, ultimately ending each week with a century ride by the time I leave for Australia. I have not yet began riding with panniers, but that too is coming in the next couple of weeks as soon as I get all my gear sorted and packed in it's more or less final "trip" form.

I'm told that my new wheels will be ready this weekend at the Ski and Bike shop in Grand Forks, ND and I can't wait to get miles on those Phil Wood hubs! Dave Sears has generously come out of "semi-retirement," imposed upon him by his grad school commitments, and built the wheels for me. Pat is rehabing a his post-surgery collarbone after his winterbiking crash, and so wheel-building would have been a new form of torture for him! I'm also having a Phil Wood bottom bracket installed, and I've decided that the bar-end shifters are going on as well.

My big concern is just basically staying healthy. Everyone in TRF seems to be getting the annual transitional season colds, flus and such. I really can't afford to get sick at this stage of training. So it's early to bed, super healthy eating, and enough vitamins and suppliments to kill a charging rhino...and of course no "fun" at all. God, do I LOVE training!!!