Here is an interesting graphic comparing the shape of Salsa bars...

how are you liking the spyres? Mine have been pretty good but i am hoping recabling might firm the up a bit.

They work well enough for cable brakes, but I have discovered the stock pads wear very quickly on steep descents - so much that I run out of lever travel. I'll be looking around for a better pad once the originals wear out. Also I found that the stock rotors cause a lot of vibration and I've replaced with a set of less wavy discs.

I would love to go hydraulic, but the price of S700 lever and brake sets is outrageous.

Hey RonK,
what tent or tarp is that? the bag looks familiar

It's a Tarptent Protrail.

I don't know about the other bar, but I also prefer to ride on the hoods, and the bend of the cowchipper allows a comfortable lever mounting position that I could not achieve with a woodchipper.

You did it. Great read Justin.

Gee, that's a nice looking anti-sway device on your seatbag.

Great stuff Adam. The Tasmanian Trail has been on my todo list for some time.

Tell us about the bikes you are all riding.

Keen to read about the rest of the ride.

Oh, and get some Voltaren for that knee.

The 1000km Munda Biddi Trail should be just what you are looking for - and it's located in the cooler and wetter south-west corner.

Definitely won't fit in a Bedrock bag.

A Macbook Air is not a practical choice for bikepacking. That is why I use an iPad Mini.

I don't, but have you considered approaching warmshowers hosts in the Christchurch area?

The backpacker sites are your best guide. NZ has a well established backpacker network. There are accommodation options to suit any budget - backpacker lodges, youth hostels, motor camps with campsites or cabins, motels, pubs, DoC campgrounds etc. Most town have a "domain" where camping is permitted.

Also the are quite a few Warmshowers hosts in NZ.

You do need to take care camping, there is a serious backlash in NZ against freedom campers who camp, litter and defecate in public camping areas.

You can get a good guide to prices from the many sites like this:

What is the Cost of Backpacking in New Zealand?

How Much To Budget For A Month In…New Zealand

For camping food, you can get Back Country freeze-dried meals in shops almost everywhere in New Zealand, and there are plenty of supermarkets if you are more ambitious about your camp food.

I highly recommend you get the Wikicamps New Zealand app - it is a fantastic resource.

During my Xmas break I set out on a mini tour I've been planning for some time. Unfortunately my departure coincided with the arrival in SEQ of the heat wave that has had the rest of the country sweltering. Combined with SEQ humidity it was a killer so after the hard climbing in the heat on the first day I decided to postpone the rest of the ride until the cooler months.

But it was a very useful shakeout of the bike and the bikepacking bags. You can read more about it here.

Yes I am. Atlanta, Georgia is half a world away from me.
That is not at all likely. The repairs are expected  to take at least a year as I understand it. I suggest you consider the Great Southern Brevet instead. It is actually much nicer scenery in the highlands and lakes districts. Unfortunately I cannot get there until April but I'm going to ride the course anyway.

I went back for another look at the ELEMNT. The Wahoo web site is frustratingly lacking in detail about navigation but I decided to take a chance and order one. Hopefully, rerouting capability will be provided in a future update.

I should mention that what I found convincing was the Wahoo ELEMNT Software Updates page, which lists the bug fixes and new functions which have been deployed. It is a comprehensive list and shows a high level of commitment to support and enhance the device.

My ELEMNT has arrived and I must agree the setup was simple. I will use it for the first time tomorrow.

Bikepacking 101

They all sit around one table in Atlanta, Georgia; you're not calling some center in another country.

Yes I am. Atlanta, Georgia is half a world away from me.

Yeah, I know about the Kiwi Brevet re-route. It also made it 100 miles longer than in the past. I'm not worried about it - I ride in city traffic all the time. It's only about 60 miles of roads that are higher in traffic than usual. In any case, would love the NZ govt to fix the coast road and railway just before we arrive!

That is not at all likely. The repairs are expected  to take at least a year as I understand it. I suggest you consider the Great Southern Brevet instead. It is actually much nicer scenery in the highlands and lakes districts. Unfortunately I cannot get there until April but I'm going to ride the course anyway.

I went back for another look at the ELEMNT. The Wahoo web site is frustratingly lacking in detail about navigation but I decided to take a chance and order one. Hopefully, rerouting capability will be provided in a future update.

I uploaded the route to RideWithGPS and then added all my cues to the route (so, water on left, turn right, camping, resupply). I did a cue on every major turn or junction.

I've been looking for a better navigation device myself, and took a long hard look at the the ELEMNT just this week. It has some very nice features and I can understand your enthusiasm.

I also read through DCRainmaker's review several times as well. It seems pretty clear from his review that the ELEMNT has only rudimentary navigation capabilities, and reading your comments does nothing to make me think otherwise.

There is nothing I would want to do less than edit in cues for every significant point on a 700m route, then ride with my eyes glued to the screen to ensure I don't loose the track, knowing that if I loose the track, the ELEMNT can't recalculate a way to get back on to it.

As an aside, have you checked the Kiwi Brevet web site recently? Due to the major earthquake in November which closed the major state highway and railroad, much of the traffic has been rerouted through roads typically used by the brevet. it's estimated that some roads are carrying 5 times more traffic than before the earthquake. To avoid this traffic there have been route changes and there are likely to be more, the route won't be finalised until just before the event so there may not be much of an opportunity to edit cues into your route.

I don't see how this situation is different from an MTB with a flat bar.

If you look at this Revelate SweetRoll you will see it uses stackable spacers to gain clearance for the levers.



You can easily make your own spacers from rubber tubing, for example short lengths of car radiator or heater hose with a large enough inside diameter to pass the webbing through.

Another option would be to use a Revelate Harness or a Specialized Burra Handlebar Stabilizer Harness with a drybag.






It's also fairly common practice to lengthen and/or re-route control cables to clear the bag. Google Images has many examples of handlebar bags for your inspiration.

WTB Nano

I've checked the Tour Aotearoa site, and notice there have been some route amendments to avoid the increased traffic in the areas I mentioned in my previous post.

The amended GPS route files are located here. Tour Aotearoa GPS Files

Thanks for that RonK.  I have an idea to create my own version of the Railwing ;-)

Let me know if you want more pictures, dimensions.

Before you bail investigate if the no-stock situation could get worse.