PTRSAK lives in Australia. Queensland is also in Australia.Queenstown is in New Zealand which is where he is planning to do the trip. The map is of NZ's South Island / Te Waipounamu / Te Waka a Maui.I'm guessing he would fly into Christchurch first and start his trip near there.
The east option would begin pedaling straight from Christchurch but the West Coast route would require a bus trip to Hokatika or possibly just to Arthur's Pass if I don't mind adding about 60km to the distance (mostly downhill so not that big of a deal)
The bike is coming together slowly. Got most of the luggage sorted out with only the front toptube bag to come but I ordered that this morning.The tail bag is 12L, the front is 6L, the triangle bag is about 2 L and the toptube bag I'm getting is 3L. I don't really want to take a backpack as well as it's not so comfortable riding with one on. I have a tent sorted and am now looking at sleeping bags. Unfortunately they are a bit like women's swimwear. the less material used in making them, the higher the price. I could get a bag that would do the job perfectly for about $20... but it would take up most of my luggage space on its own. To gt something warm enough and lightweight/compact when packed you could easily add another zero to that price. Fitted the carbon fibre forks this morning, they only weigh 450g and replace the budget suspension forks that were on the bike originally which must weigh nearly 3kg on their own. Got a pair of DZR mountain bike sneakers which look like "normal" shoes but have Shimano SPD cleats recessed in the soles. Single pair of shoes for the trip plus a pair of jandles/thongs/flip-flops saves space.
... sleeping bags. Unfortunately they are a bit like women's swimwear. the less material used in making them, the higher the price.
Quote from: PTRSAK on July 28, 2018, 10:41:47 AMThe bike is coming together slowly. Got most of the luggage sorted out with only the front toptube bag to come but I ordered that this morning.The tail bag is 12L, the front is 6L, the triangle bag is about 2 L and the toptube bag I'm getting is 3L. I don't really want to take a backpack as well as it's not so comfortable riding with one on. I have a tent sorted and am now looking at sleeping bags. Unfortunately they are a bit like women's swimwear. the less material used in making them, the higher the price. I could get a bag that would do the job perfectly for about $20... but it would take up most of my luggage space on its own. To gt something warm enough and lightweight/compact when packed you could easily add another zero to that price. Fitted the carbon fibre forks this morning, they only weigh 450g and replace the budget suspension forks that were on the bike originally which must weigh nearly 3kg on their own. Got a pair of DZR mountain bike sneakers which look like "normal" shoes but have Shimano SPD cleats recessed in the soles. Single pair of shoes for the trip plus a pair of jandles/thongs/flip-flops saves space.Thinking about this some more (and I am super jealous BTW!) I was wondering what the plan was for food? Are you planning to stop along the way and eat at restaurants/cafes etc or are you planning to bring food with you? That of course translates into how long you are planning to ride each day and how many days you are planning for this trip. Water will also be a concern- are you bringing water or planning on getting it along the way too? If you average 50km/day then you are looking at 11 days, which means a lot of food and water, especially with the physical exertion of cycling. That having been said, if you push for 100km/day then it will only take you 5 days, but you'll see and do a lot less, but you won't need to bring nearly as much food and water along with you.Of course, if you want to do a Tour De France style marathon and do it in two days, you could save a lot on water and food, but not see much AND lose that 10kg you wanted all at once! Def
The weapon of choice has changed for this trip. While the bike I had been building up would have been perfectly adequate, I chanced upon a better option that was a sore dick deal (you couldn't beat it). A Giant Cross-City 0 disc. Less than two year old, flat bar hybrid with higher end Shimano componentry. A $1200 bike for $239 in a local pawn shop. Like I'm going to walk past that.Swapped a few items over, like the better wheels and Continental tyres. Also upgraded the derailleurs from the Deore to the 105 units I had. I'll be fitting a new cassette and chain before I set off, just to be on the safe side. All the luggage fits well, I have relented and installed a small rear rack which will do duty carrying tent on the top and sleeping bag one side with sleeping mat on the other. In the interests of comfort I ended up going bigger on the mat thickness than I originally planned. It's now the largest single item but these old bones can't get comfortable laying on the ground like they used to.Bought one of these new fangled Sawyer Mini water filters, removes 99.997% of bacteria. Supposed to last 100000 lites. (with back flushing). Have a mini gas stove but will need to buy the cylinder for it over there. Single man tent that cost 4x the price of my three man tent, (priced under the same rules as bikinis).Crossed to the dark side and bought a pair of MTB shorts. Far more practical than nicks and hopefully just as comfortable. Two and a half changes of clothes for three weeks. I'll have to buy something there if it turns cold.Hoping to get a one nighter practice run in one of the remaining weekends, or I might just sleep in the yard one night. Apparently you can put this tent up in the rain... Mat, fly, then inner groundsheet/liner. I'm sceptical, but hopeful. Assuming that I might get about 1/3 rainy days. Hoping for less, but that'll be a bonus. Will post some pics of the gear I've assembled later.
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