After two days of riding straight into head winds once, I decided most of the things in the handle bar bag could go elsewhere on the bike, so I went in search of a smaller handle bar bag to hold my valuables and other frequently needed things. I was able to get an Ortlieb handle bar bag which is a lot smaller than most standard handlebar bags. Continue reading ‘Review – Ortlieb Bar Bag.’ »
Topeak Road Morph Pump
I have had the Topeak Road Morph pump for several years now and apart from the pressure gauge reading incorrectly when it’s not plugged into anything, I have not had any problems with it. I don’t think the gauge is wrong, it just won’t go back down to zero. It stops at 20. When I pump a tyre up to 80 psi and check it with another pressure gauge it is correct. Continue reading ‘Topeak Road Morph Pump’ »
Brakes and Touring
If you’ve never ridden a loaded touring bike before, be aware, that like a loaded truck, they take longer to stop. Always anticipate when you will need to stop, and start braking before this. You also need to make sure that your brakes are well adjusted, and if on a long tour, that you carry spare brake pads as they wear out quicker when used with a loaded bike. Continue reading ‘Brakes and Touring’ »
Bicycle Touring Tips
These are some general tips to keep in mind when touring by bicycle anywhere in Western Australia. Be aware of the heat and signs of heatstroke. Continue reading ‘Bicycle Touring Tips’ »
Getting Yourself Ready For A Tour
You have the bicycle set up, the racks on, a list of what you are packing, but what about yourself? How do you get yourself ready for your big tour? Apart from the obvious things such as knowing how to ride a bicycle, and at least having some level of fitness, there are some other things you need to do. Continue reading ‘Getting Yourself Ready For A Tour’ »
Types of Bicycle Touring
There are many ways to tour Western Australia on a bicycle. This is just a short introduction to some of them, and some highlights of each. There may be other ways available, or you can mix and match to suit your schedule. Continue reading ‘Types of Bicycle Touring’ »
Touring In The Heat
For those of you that are thinking about bicycle touring in Western Australia and live in a cooler climate, the heat here may be a shock. I will quote all temperatures in Celsius, but 38 Degrees Celsius is around 100 degress Fahrenheit.
During summer in Perth, there may be days on end where the maximum day time temperature is above 38 degrees. The minimum overnight temperature in summer may only drop to 22 degrees. Yes it does get hot enough to melt the bitumen, and to cook eggs on the barbeque plate without lighting the barbecue. Continue reading ‘Touring In The Heat’ »
Slime in your tubes!
You may have heard the term “Put some slime in your tubes”!. You can actually buy bicycle tubes with the slime already in them. They are sold as “Self Healing Tubes”.
The advantages of using tubes with slime in them is that the slime will fix a puncture should you get one. The slime tends to harden on exposure to the air, so if you pull a large thorn out of your tyre and it has punctured the tube, the slime usually fills the puncture hole and stops the leak. Continue reading ‘Slime in your tubes!’ »
Tyre Levers
This is not really a review of tyre levers as there is not much to review about them. This article is here so that you can get an idea of what they look like. Continue reading ‘Tyre Levers’ »
Pedal Spanner
My left hand crank split. Luckily I had a spare, but getting the pedals off of a bicycle can be a problem. A normal shifter sometimes has jaws that are too wide to fit the gap between the pedal cage and the crank. That is when you need a pedal spanner. Continue reading ‘Pedal Spanner’ »
