May 25, 2010
Due to a one thing and another, and Ben and I exchanging emails all of last week, and my frame didn't leave the shop until Friday 21st May. Fedex estimated a delivery date of 31st. I was hopeful, but thought it might take longer, but checked their tracking site almost hourly :)
This morning it surprised me. While I was thinking it was just leaving Sydney, it arrived. How is that possible - from USA to the middle of no where so quick. Four days!!! I order stuff in Australia, and it takes longer than that. Needless to say, I'm very happy right now.
I wasted no time unpacking and starting assembly. Thanks heaps Ben. It was well wrapped and padded in the box. It was so exciting unwrapping each item and finding what was there. I can't say enough good things about Ben at Yuba.
See below for all unpacking images.
Finally it was unwrapped and on the floor. Initial impression - its solid. Just what I ordered. I'm happy with the finish - it is what it is. A good value, cargo bike frame. For the record, there were no scratches on the paint before I started. But as this is going to get a work out touring, I'll be buying some touch up paint at some point. I also assembled with the help of grease. My reasoning is this is a metal frame, its going to spend pretty much all its life outside, a bit of grease on parts will help slow any rust down. The insides of the frame will also get a squirt of something oily also.
First order was getting wide loaders on. Then start to transfer other components from my MTB to it. Wide loaders just went on without any problems. Just slide on and tighten up the bolts.
Then things got interesting. Some things I thought would be a problem, weren't. Others that I thought would be no problem at all - are.
For the problems - at the moment two standing out:
I had planned on using my existing front hydraulic brake, and was leaning towards just using v-brakes on the back to get rolling. But the front hose hose is too short, and its going to need a ton of spacers and longer bolts to fit the caliper. That blew the option of getting it ridable. Time to either get a new front brake, or find spacers and a longer hose. Thinking about it now, I was probably overly optimistic thinking I could use my existing front brake - it was for a very special fork setup, and I did want to raise the handle bars on that bike anyway - so of course the brake hose would be too short!
Next was the Rohloff. I ordered the axle adapters as the Mundo dropouts are 14mm and the Rohloff axles are 10mm. After taking a drill to the adapters, they fit the axle.
Time to drop the wheel in. I had thought that I'd just drop the wheel in, make an clamp to hold the torsion arm, and be done. This isn't to be. Using the torsion arm and external gear mech on this frame, it is not going to work. Both parts need to be below the frame and so don't fit together.
The dropouts are 7mm steel plate. Looking from the rear with the wheel out, the left hand dropout is flush with the tubing the forms the frame. The right hand side is mounted about the middle of the tubing. This means that there is only the width of the dropout, before the tube bulges out. On the other side of the tube is the disk mount.
After a lot playing with different angles on the axle plate I have, I think that either the OEM axle plate will just work, or the OEM2 axle plate will work with some help. Not 100% certain just yet. I need to find dimensions for the Rohloff drop outs to see how they compare to what metal is available on the Mundo. The Mundo dropouts are long with lots of thick steel - so the OEM is probably going to be the best bet.
I will be taking a welder to the frame though what ever happens. With lots of putting the back wheel in, and taking it back out again, the axle adapters got annoying real fast. They are small, round, and both want to drop off when your not expecting it, and roll away. The other thing that bugged me about them is that the drop out is 7mm thick, but the axle adapters are 4mm wide. I'd like to get a bit more axle in the dropout.
More installing tomorrow.
All the pics I took:
Apr 25, 2010
Well I arrived at my parents place at 10am on Friday 23rd. So now for a big update.
Dululu to Yaamba - the riding in the night was awesome!! It was a no moon night, and out of the streetlights there is so much of the night sky to see. I annoyed my neck with twisting around so much while riding to look at the milky way.
Yaamba to St Lawrence;
Marlborough. I meet another cyclist outside of Bowen -> Colin. Talking with him about camping at Marlborough Hotel - he had a much better experience than me. He also got water off them.
St Lawrence - Thanks to the couple that gave me the tin of baked beans and some bread. That was dinner when I arrived. Another couple gave me some fruit and veges from a food hamper that they had won earlier up the coast. They didn't have a fridge and couldn't eat all the food. It was much appreciated. Food prices at St Lawrence shops where much more reasonable - so I bought other food there. Actually, when I left the I had much too much food in my pannier. But this was soon fixed.
St Lawrence to Sarina; Well the day was to have stopped at Ilbilbi. But when I arrived it was blowing a wind - a wonderful tailwind.. What can you do - you keep going. It was showering by this time also, with heavy rain just outside of Sarina. The ladies at the Sarina Information Center were very helpful - and found a caravan park 10km further North that only wanted $10 for an unpowered site. It also had the advantage of being opposite a fruit and vege shop and was out of town. It was a good spot. I ate a bag of mandarins and bananas for dinner :)
Sarina to Proserpine: Well actually I camped about 30km from Proserpine. More tail winds and showers.
Proserpine to Guthalungra: More tail winds. This was when I caught up with Colin. We rode from Bowen to Guthalungra. Colin had started in Melbourne and was doing the round Australia trip. But was travelling to fast for his plan. So we parted company the next morning. I got to check out his tent and gear. His tent was only 1.5Kg - was so envious!! Mine weighed in at just over 3kg.
This was the day that one set of clothes died. The shirt and shorts had rotted too much, and had too many holes in them by this time. With it damp, and no chance to dry them it wasn't going to be safe to wear them another day. Now they were both worn when I started, so it was to be expected. Still it was a bit sad.
Guthalungra to Alligator Creek: Stopped in Home Hill for a bit, but had the "want to keep pedaling" urge. So kept going. It was still showering on and off. I was in a mood that I just wanted to get North. Was wondering about this cycle touring business. And probably more importantly was tired.
Alligator Creek to Kennedy. This was my biggest day. 197km. A definite "keep pedaling". Though the travelling after Ingham was not energetic. I had planned to wild camp outside of Cardwell - but it was low lying land and very very wet. Yes it was still showering, but there had been recent heavy rains I was told, and all the water was still lying about the land. I thought about cycling up and down the road to get 200km for the day - but was too tired to be bothered to do this. I also thought that I could have finished the trip to my parents that day by continuing to cycle as it was only 70km to go - but arriving after 9pm would have been a problem for my folks.
It rained during the night and I was clear that my tent was leaking again!!! Hard to miss the large drops hitting you in the head. Doh!!! Moved over and then put a container for the drops to splat in.
Kennedy to Parents Place :) Managed to get a leech on me riding along the road. How was that possible - did it drop from the sky - or is it a gliding variety? Met a Scottish couple just outside of Silkwood. The first that I've meet travelling south. They had wet gear on. I didn't. It was cooler riding in the rain.
The Future.
Okay so now that I'm here, now what? Title of this post says it all. Just stopping pedaling for a couple of days now has improved my thinking. I was travelling fast. Too fast in hindsight. A bit obsessive compulsive of me. In future need to have more rest stops and not go so far each day.
Parts of me a sore and hurt. Legs felt a bit tired. But with the 197km day that was to be expected. Bum wasn't as bad as you might think - I was used to the saddle. Been on that one for years now. Bit tender, but nothing that painful. My left shoulder hurts. Pinched or twisted something and it hurt for most of the ride. Colin when trying my bike commented that the position was a lot of weight on the arms. This might be right - will have to look at this and change the riding position. I notice that my new grips - the right hand one has a worn spot, the left one not-> me leaning more on my right side to take the weight of the left arm.
I need to send my tent back for another warranty claim. My Thermarest is also in problems - so it goes also.
I was thinking about vans and travelling with petrol/diesel for stretches of the ride. But now that I'm rested, sanity has returned. I'm looking at how to lower the weight of the gear I have, and perhaps increase the luggage carrying to have more luxuries with me.
Things that I found important on the ride - being able to dry my clothes. This would have been helped if I'd stopped and rested more days.
Being able to sit out of the rain and away from all the ants. Some places lying on the ground out of the tent wasn't comfortable for all the ants that wanted to check me out for food.
Books - I missed reading.
Charging the mobile - I had ebooks, but the phone needed charging at times. This is part of the reason for the missed posts. Stopping and resting would have helped this also. But will sort out some charging off the dynamo for next section.
Need to chuck out the stuff that sat in the bottom of my panniers - or at least examine it closely. If it didn't see use in a month of the east coast - what was I carrying it for still!!!
Water purification - will look at some filters to see how to get water from all the ground sources.
So, at the moment sitting about, eating, looking at new bike frames like Surly Big Dummy and Xtracycles. Looking at two wheeled trailers. There are bicycle mobile homes. Thinking of options.
Apr 17, 2010
Yaamba turned out to be nice roadside stop. The pub had a good feed on also. I couldn't bring myself to stop in Rockhampton. The only shops i saw was in Stocklands shopping complex. Think of a brick with doors.
I had planned on stopping at Marlborough and did initially. But the town so annoyed me i left. Had to pay for water there. The pub or the shop would not give me any.It takes my worst town award. 151km to St Lawrence it was. I arrived at 6pm.A much nicer place. Been resting today. Might move on tomorrow.
Apr 15, 2010
Well Banana had only two servo's, and a post office. No big or little bananas.Since i'd arrived early (8am), haven riden since 4.30am i decided not to stay and headed to Wowan. It wasn't that nice a place when i arrived. And the only person i saw wasn't that nice, so i headed to Dululu. And there i stayed as that was 140km for the day. I was tired.
This morning i left early. It was a no moon night. The milky way was visible. Oh so beautiful! I twisted my neck a bit looking up and around.
Just before Westwood the Leichhardt highway came to an end. I'd riden the whole length of it. I was sorry it was over.
Rockhampton- not nice. The drivers are bad. Heaps of traffic.Noisy. I'm missing the country roads.
Stopping in Yaamba today at 120km. Enough for today.
Apr 13, 2010
It showered today. Its cooler. And hopefully this cool weather will continue. Tomorrow is an easy 60km to Banana. Reckon it will have a giant banana?
I ate up well today again. My chickpeas sprouted. More yoghurt. Corn. And some biscuits.:)