Back to the future?
After last weekend's two day "tour" on The Black Magic, I am considering making my change to my touring set up. Apparently Australian PM Kevin Rudd wants to buy me a new MTB some time around April. I actually think it's a little early for the Rudd government to be engaging in vote-buying, after all, John Howard used to wait until the year of the election to start. It may be because the Rudd government are relatively inexperienced, but I suspect they'll get the hang of it by their second term. Either way, if the walking metaphor wants to buy me a new bike, I'm not going to refuse the offer.
I am considering using the new MTB as my primary tourer in future. While The Black Magic was only brought out this weekend due to The Blue Flame (the hybrid I usually use) still being unavailable, it performed extremely well for a bike that has had the benefit of no maintenance for almost four years, including a slaughter of the last climb of Tomewin on the Sunday. While there is undoubtedly a weight and rolling resistance penalty in using an MTB vs a hybrid or touring bike (another option I could consider in future), it's not really that significant when compared to the weight of a full touring load regardless. Indeed, when I toured on an MTB in Victoria some years ago, I completed two fully-loaded imperial centuries (rides of 100 miles or more) in the high country in four days.
The MTB also offers greater versatility and durability than the other options, and the smaller wheels make it easier to pack for air travel (Yes, it's a minor difference, but having packed both wheel sizes, I can appreciate the difference). Furthermore, the GEAX Evolution tyres I use on The Black Magic are the most robust I've ever owned. I once got 15,773km between flats on one set (which is pretty good considering the amount of debris on Gold Coast roads). I hope to have my new wheels on the road by April so I can test things out over the Easter weekend, somewhere in Northern NSW, and if that works, I might just take it to Western Australia in September of this year.
Alternatively, I could just hold out for a higher price for my vote. Over to you, Kevvie.
posted by Chris L @ 8:31 pm
2 Comments:
Hiya Chris,
where is that road in the pic on top of your last posting????
It looks like a great ride, have you thought of planning to do any dirt Audax rides in this area??
m/
Hi Mark,
The pic in the last post is Urliup Road, between Bilambil and Murwillumbah in NSW.
There is certainly a possibility of running some dirt Audax rides in the area, in fact, I have a route in mind, but I'll need to ride it first to figure out what the distance is likely to be.
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