Rides 2015 — add yours

[leftpoole]

Interesting tip john, I'll look out for that one. Earlier in the year I did the one from Southampton to hythe which was a delux version of the Knott end ferry.  

That Hythe area is not particularly scenic. I went across 2 weeks ago. Very run down.
John

[Matt2matt2002]

Thanx geocycle.
I remb
Embered I have a set but for the life of me, cannot locate them in the shed.
So annoying.
Why oh why use a torx? What's wrong with an Allen key?
Crazy. Allen key sockets ate all over the bike. What makes the shifter special?

[sg37409]

Nice pics Matt

[Andre Jute]

Love your photographs, especially the one of the little castle with the round turret.

Torx T20 is the standard Rohloff fastener. It provides an extra measure of thief proofing when your bike is immovaby locked to a lamppost and the thief is trying to strip the expensive components. The idea is that he won't have a Torx spanner, or, if he has one, it will be one for disc brakes, and therefore useless to him.

A Rolloff-specific multitool should have a T20 or adaptor included. (Most don't; instead they have a T25, which is common disc brakes.) One or two SKS models have the T20 included. See
http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=tools&i=7001&TOOLBOX%20RACE
and
http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=tools&i=7000&TOOLBOX%20TRAVEL

[Mike Ayling]

Mary and I camped at Molesworth on the Great Victoria rail Trail and did some day rides.


Looking down on Alexandra

Cheviot Tunnel

Echidna

B;ack Wallaby

Mary. Note dust on mudguards!

Mike

[Danneaux]

Simply wonderful photos, Mike! Thanks so much for "taking us along" on your journey.

The bike looks fantastic,  as do the color coordinated jackets. Love seeing the wildlife.

Best,

Dan.

[Slammin Sammy]

Fantastic photos, Mike! I love that part of the world - my wife and I were there last Easter.

I also love the bike - surely the only Thorn S&S tandem in Australia, am I correct?

[geocycle]

I'd not want to hit an Echidna even with marathon plus tyres!  I guess close encounters with wildlife in dark tunnels is one of the joys of riding in Australia. Victoria looks dry.

[David Simpson]

Mike (and Mary) --

Thanks for posting those great photos of your trip. It looks like a fantastic place to ride. I like hearing about old railway beds being turning into biking/walking trails. With their gentle grades and often beautiful scenery (away from roads), they make perfect biking routes. We have some old railway beds here that have been converted to bike/walking trails, such as the Kettle Valley Railway (http://www.kettlevalleyrailway.ca/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettle_Valley_Railway). My dream is to ride it someday with my son, and your photos make me all the more motivated to do it.

- Dave

[Andre Jute]

Thanks for sharing, Mike. Makes me quite homesick seeing an Echidna and a kangaroo!

[Slammin Sammy]

Dave, at your suggestion, I looked up the KVR, and phwoar!!! 600km of beautiful trail - I'm in! When do we start? 

If you haven't already, check out vintagetourer's post today on rail trails in NSW. We've got the scenery and the disused rail lines, but we're (literally) miles behind on RT development.

[Mike Ayling]

Thanks to all who replied.

Mary does most of the photography except for the odd occasion when I can grab the camera from her to take her picture.

We have not encountered another Thorn tandem either with couplers or without in our travels in Victoria.

An echnida's spines are soft, unlike a porcupine and would not damage any tyre, let alone a Schwalbe Marathon Supreme!

Like Slamming Sammy I agree that the Kettle Valley looks a great ride!

Mike

[Mike Ayling]

Why oh why use a torx? What's wrong with an Allen key?
Crazy. Allen key sockets ate all over the bike. What makes the shifter special?

It is a diabolical plot by Rohloff and Thorn to get you to buy another tool!

Actually a Torx driver has a lot more contact points with the fastener than a hex key which has only six so is therefore able to be tightened and loosened with less danger of rounding the faces in the fastner (bolt/cap screw).

FWIW

Mike

[John Saxby]

Mike and Mary, thanks for those Oz-photos.  I've been following the crazyguy thread about the growing interest in railtrails in some Australian states, and they're very inviting ... at a cooler time of year :-)

David, thanks also for the post on the KVR.  I didn't realize it was as long as it is.  I seem to remember that the old wooden trestle was dismantled a few years ago -- no bad thing if the line is now a cycling trail!  Am thinking about a ride in Alberta-BC and Cascadia, maybe next year, and I'll put the KVR into my planning.

[David Simpson]

I seem to remember that the old wooden trestle was dismantled a few years ago

There are many old wooden trestles along that line. You may be thinking of the ones in Myra Canyon, some of which were destroyed in the big Okanagan Lake forest fire of 2003. That fire destroyed 200 homes, 20,000 acres of forest, and 12 of the 16 wooden trestles in Myra Canyon. With a combination of government support and volunteer help, these trestles were rebuilt over the next 5 years. Today it is a very popular recreation site for cycling.
   Photos of the fire: http://www.myra-trestles.com/gallery/fires-and-reconstruction/
   History of the Myra Canyon trestles: http://www.myra-trestles.com/history/past/

My wife's parents live in Penticton, about 35km south of Myra Canyon (as the crow flies). The Kettle Valley Trail passes a couple of kilometres from their house, and I am planning to ride from their place to Myra Canyon this summer (or the other direction). From Pentincton to Myra Canyon along the KVR trail is about 75km, almost all up-hill -- although it is only a railway grade. People normally start at Myra, and ride down to Penticton. I'm not sure which direction I'll ride it, but I'll get a ride in the car for the other direction.

When I do the ride, I will be sure to post photos on this forum (probably in this thread).

My bigger goal is to ride from Vancouver to Penticton, following the KVR, in 4 or 5 years from now. It's about 400km. My son is 10, and he is excited about doing it with me. I've never done such a long bike trip, but with the info that I've learned on this forum, I feel a lot more confident about tackling a 4-5 day self-sustained bike trip.

- Dave