Cycling UK Forum

Gattonero wrote:If you look at the work of Henry Shires, the marker of the brand TarpTent, he makes some very clever designs that would need only a few pegs for reliable designs.

+ 1 My Tarptent Double Rainbow has four pegs [additional pegs are required if tie-outs are used]. Four pegs (not sand pegs) where used to pitch it here on the beach in strong winds which blew through the night. No issues were had.


Camped at Roses-Quallup Beach by Andrew Priest (Aushiker), on Flickr

mercalia wrote:

nick12 wrote:Just tested my speedo temperature gauge. Currently on tour in Indonesia. On nias island. In the shade the temperature reads correct at 31* C. After just 5 minutes in the sun the unit read 44* C.

that would be true for ANY thermometer exposed to the sun?

That was my thinking as well ... shade temperature is going to be different from non-shade temperature and then if one is riding on bitumen you need to factor in the heat reflection.

Gattonero wrote:May I ask how did you find the Duplex for setup and general use, and how are you doing with the Double Rainbow?
I quite like Henry Shire's designs, they are very clever.

You may indeed

Setting up and pulling down the Duplex wasn't a difficult or complicated task, even at the end of a hard day's riding. What encouraged me to move it on despite its weight was

(a) its packed size and packed shaped. It didn't really work well with my bikepacking setup;
(b) and I am getting old or rather more appreciative of home comforts and hence found the Duplex a bit to minimalist for me. That is not a criticism of the design, but rather a reflection of my preference for a few more features, e.g., zips etc.

I haven't used the Double Rainbow in anger yet, will put it to use for the first time on Tuesday next week and then over six more nights, mostly camping on beaches or near the coast so expect a fair bit of wind and maybe some rain (early summer for us). Given my backyard pitch and my experience with the Scarp 1 I think I will be quite happy. It is just that more refined than the Duplex whilst keeping the weight and the packability within reasonable limits for me.

hoppy58 wrote:I take your point, although some would say that the extra space and comfort at the end of the day is a worthwhile price to pay over weight. The quickhiker ultralight is quite a bit lighter than the quickhiker, at 1.9kg

I don't disagree and I also value space which is why I sold my Tarptent Bowfin 1 [1.06 kg] and replaced it with a Tarptent Double Rainbow[1.17 kg] and my tents before that where a Zpacks Duplex [~ 800 grams] and a Tarptent Scarp 1 [1.47 kg] which is a palace despite being a single person tent.

Not a great image but one night on my Chasing the Dirt Tour I had all six of my panniers in the Scarp 1 and its vestibule [hoon alert that night]. I slept comfortably BTW.



and it in action on one of nights early in the ride.

hamster wrote:

robing wrote:How about one of these? The bike is the tent!

https://www.topeak.com/global/en/produc ... -bikamper-

The problem is that it ends up so compromised that it's a pretty dreadful tent...for example what happens if you ride off to the pub...and all to save 200g for two poles...

+ 1 That is my thought every time this time and thier like is suggested. Seems to a pretty impractical idea to "protect" the bike.

Mind you I don't get the "protect the bike from the rain" reason for such a tent either. What do you do when it rains when you are riding?

mercalia wrote:some people here would say it is it heavy - my tarp tent just weighs 1.2kg

+1 I would, in fact I would say it was horredosuly heavy at 2.7 kg. Price is great but for me price does not make my ride day after day a better experience if I am hauling a "ton" of weight.

Nice read thanks for sharing ... to keep the peace I tour in SPDs and bikepack with flats

At least for the Western Australia end I would be very much factoring in the wind ... Perth and the south-west of WA is known for being windy. We even have infamous winds, the Fremantle Doctor and the Albany Doctor [not so famous as to get is own wikipedia page ] [1] are two that come to mind.

Anyway for information on winds I suggest you refer to the BOM wind roses and for temperature data see http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/

[1] I can recall many an evening when I lived in the wheatbelt sitting outside supping on a beer, to hear a roar coming across the paddocks to moments later have anything blown all over the place and grabbing a jumper. That was the Albany Doctor. A blessing on a hot evening, not such a blessing if you had to ride into it .

You also need to consider that WA and the Nullabor are pretty flat so the wind tends to have free range across the paddocks and of course on the Nullabor a southerly is coming from Antarctic straight across the ocean into your face

My regular summer commute is south in the afternoon; 42 km of coastal riding into the Fremantle Doctor. Riding daily into a wind over summer which commonly blows at 40 km/h plus is not fun.

Personally I would be checking those roses

In terms of buying and assuming you wish to purchase a touring bike the answer will in part depend on where you are flying into. Melbourne and to a lesser extent Sydney you shouldn't have to much problem buying a new touring bike, i.e., at least in Melbourne there are a couple of touring orientated bike shops.

However for example I am in Perth ... good luck here on getting a touring bike off the floor.

Also you may find our pricing quite a bit more than what you are used to in the UK.

To get a feel for the options I suggest checking out https://stkildacycles.com.au/ and http://abbotsfordcycles.com.au/ [Melbourne] and http://www.cheekytransport.com.au/main/touring/ [Sydney].

mnichols wrote:Thanks. Lots of good advice and plenty to think about

One thing to also consider, assuming you are flying with your bicycle and particularly if you are flying in India and/or Nepal is your weight limits. I would be checking to see if the your bike is counted as part of your allowance (the local airlines are likely to be quite restrictive with their limits) and hence this may impact on what other gear you can take.

mercalia wrote:They arent particulary heavy, just bulky

2.5 kg or 5lb 8oz I would suggest is a little more than "particularly heavy" I guess but it would be luxury

My Exped Synmat is 439 grams but at least packs small. A Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm would be a better option from their range I would suggest. It weighs in at 490 grams and has a R value of 5.7.

My Exped packed up ...



versus the MondoKing 3D

As you going to the Himalayas I would be looking insulated matts (i.e., higher R value). That would exclude the Alpkit.

Sweep wrote:On sparks, i also have an msr small self contained msr piezo thing. It's great for lighting gas stoves, works every time, more compact than the firesteel which i only carry for use in emergencies. But i don't think i have ever managed to light meths with that.

I have used firesteels for a number of years lighting an alcohol stove, a Trail Designs 12-10 in my case without any issues. No experience with Trangia stoves and firesteels but so maybe they perform differently.

My stove lighter of choice is a Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel ...

My bikepacking/touring gear list is always in progress and is actually getting modified now in preparation for a remote 10 day ride but it might give you some ideas as to how to go reasonably light and hence require less in the way of panniers.