So on Saturday I decided that I would do a 'dummy pack' where I actually sat down and looked at all the stuff I was aiming to take, and then load it onto the bike. Above is the majority of the kit needed. I'm missing a few bike spares, and there will be a First Aid kit and some food to join it, as well as a camera and go-pro (thanks very much Toby) joining from the UK next week. Volume-wise it was OK, but once loaded up the bike and cargo came in at a rather daunting 45kg. That's more than I was hoping, but I suppose fairly in line with what was to be realistically expected. I think there is a bit of fat on the bone - for example the torch will probably not accompany the headlamp, and I shan't take 3 knives, even though I'd like to. I've since upgraded my trowel to a sturdier metal folding one, and got a very slim first aid pouch. Bike spares I think I'll just wing it with a spare tyre, spare tube (or maybe 2), patches, glue, spare cables and spare chain links. Oh, and some lube, haha. My King of the Mountains cap might get binned too, although I planned to put it on for special occasions when I was about to overtake someone on the uphill. There is also some paperwork and maps to add to the mix. I think closer to 50kg is going to be my fighting weight, so my swift progress with 38kg baggage has taken a blow. With that in mind, I decided to do a short ride to see how things went. The plan was to head to Walter Sisulu Botanical gardens with Chloe & Ben. I plotted a 35km route on backroads, and packed picnic stuff in my panniers.
The rest of the ride was pretty straightforward really. Some steep hills, some robots, and a rather boisterous driver in a Range Rover Evoque - a close pass and a beep for no reason, prompting the old middle finger treatment from Ben & myself. To be fair, he was probably rushing to his next hair appointment, but still no reason to honk us. We were back on track and going well until we came to a golf-course/housing estate that Strava had routed us through. I was keen to keep Chloe off the busy roads, but knew when we saw the fancy boom gates and a rather plump security guard, that we were likely to have problems getting through. It turns out the guard was called Victor, and he was as pompous as he was fat. Didn't catch his second name, but I believe it could well have been Jobsworth. Things weren't going well, and my attempts to make up names and addresses we were visiting made an unfavourable impression. I was close to getting the rage when a guy on a racer came by, so I flagged him down. Cue some spiel about cycling brethren and being impressed with his 85km average speed, and he agreed to give us an entry code. Alas, it wouldn't come through so we just entered under his fingerprint. After flashing Victor a sly smile we coasted through. The racer guy sped off and we turned the corner to another boom gate - balls! This one we just went up on the pavement and dodged though. A friendly wave and determination not to stop normally gets you past the average security guard. The estate was pretty surreal, like those big American estates where it's all the same and fake. Nice roads though. We then hit some busy stuff, which wasn't too bad, and got to the park. Chloe swiftly decided that a return cycle was off the cards (requests for uber vans were running through my mind as we went along a dual carriageway) so we put her bike in Kate's car so she could get a lift home. The next obstacle was getting the bikes into the park - not allowed as per the sign, along with guns, braais, booze and a lot of other things besides. It all got rather confusing with a lot of double negatives and pawing at my handlebars, but eventually we ascertained that the bike would not be allowed, and they must be handed over. We put them behind the ladies' loos in the end - a safe spot as they were still there upon our return.
The rest of the ride was uneventful and we zoomed home in about an hour. Good to try Tina out fully loaded and the main takeaway was that the difference between 38kg and 45kg is quite significant. The granny ring went from no use at all, to heavy usage. Very glad I got a triple ring on the front, that's for sure.
1 Comment
Kate
22/3/2017 05:35:16 pm
I think you need a separate gallery to document the road kill.
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AuthorSam Brook - A mildly Africanised Pom about to cycle from Joburg to Nairobi. Archives
August 2017
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