Hugged the coast. Rode heaps of sand, back tracks, national parks, state forests, rail trails, fire trails, avoided roads. Got 6 boats; Manly ferry, Bundeena ferry, Myola ferry, hitched a fishing boat across Sussex Inlet, water taxi across Lakes Entrance, and of course the Spirit of Tasmania.
60/40 wild camping to paid camping. 52W solar panel could 75% charge a battery in one rest day (had 2 batteries). Also had a mains charger and a 100% success rate of ordering from cafe’s then asking “is it ok if i borrow a powerpoint while i eat/drink that?” “Of course darling….”
Sooo many people stopped and stared/asked “Is that solar powered? YEP! Where are you heading?” TASSIE!
Didn’t have an end date, so if it was too wet, windy, hot, cold, nice, I stayed for another day.
Only got soaked once, but i did stay at the very isolated (zero reception) Little Marley beach for 13 nights cause it rained every day, but i knew it was coming and had heaps of food, and paradise all to myself.
Surly Troll, rohloff, bbshd, dynamo, suspension post plus sprung seat, racks, bags everywhere. Rim AND disc brakes, 4 cables, 4 levers, front and back on each hand, highly recommended for such a heavy bike but good luck without a Troll.
Front tyre is 2.6 maxxis aggressor knobby. Rear tyre is 2.5 maxxis holy roller. Both with tannus armours. No flats. Very happy with both, the front constantly proved the correct choice, so much traction on the steering and braking wheel of a crazy heavy bike. Ran lowish pressure, difficult to give a number as the tannus armours distort relative pressure.
Hilleberg allak, you cannot beat this tent, simple, strong, airy, 270⁰ view even when raining. Perfect size for one person, and they now make a 3-person version that would be perfect for 2 people.
Only cooking gear i took (from a stupidly big range of stoves i own) was the 1L Kelly Kettle. Uses wood, so unlimited fuel, provides entertainment, and a true sense of self-reliance. Also had a bowl, cup, spoon, knife, fork, and a 5L folding bucket that is always at the top of my packing list.
Had to replace my rear rohloff cog in Batemans Bay, but it had done about 12,000kms as a pedal bike before i converted it to electric, so no surprises there. But i did replace the 16 tooth with a 17 tooth which gave me an extra low gear which was perfect. I knew i was pushing the warrantied torque limits of the rohloff, but i had programmed the bbshd for gentle delivery and low power for long battery life.
I put in heaps of peddling effort and started every day on level 1, only increasing motor power level as the battery got low (the level settings work on amps, so as the battery voltage drops so does the wattage). The motor probably carried the weight of all the electrics, offset the extra rolling resistance of the 10kg of rubber around my rims, and air drag of the bags etc. I rode like it was a normal bike. Flat pedals too, so no loss of momentum during each pedal stroke was really really nice on the knees. That said, i’d happily flip a coin to go back to a normal bike next tour.
Thought i fried the solar controller so spent 2 weeks in Kiama waiting for a new one from Canada. Turned out the Genasun controllers go into a shutdown mode when you short circuit them and you just need to leave it in the sun for a few minutes to reset. So now i had 2 good controllers.
Stopped and talked to a dozen cops, asked about camping spots, roads, borrowed sunscreen, etc. Although most of them asked questions about electric/solar powered, none of them asked about legalities. NSW has good laws, the 250W is measured on a dyno at the rear tyre patch at 25kmh, and you are specifically allowed “more” power to get up to 25km/h, amd up hills. Victoria and Tasmania don’t have that law yet, the 250W relates to the actual motor.
What surprised me more, only one cop, in tassie, mentioned my lack of helmet. I didn’t even take a helmet, I had a big straw sun hat and a flouro yellow beanie. I rode 2000kms without a helmet in this nanny state of a country and nobody had a problem because i was being sun smart. I also wore a long sleeve hugo boss business shirt with the collar up, and gloves. I rarely went over 20kmh. I had lots of brakes. I avoided roads, but rode way over on the shoulder if i did, i had a mirror, dynamo lights, flouro vest, and i could hear traffic clearly which i can’t when wearimg a helmet. I whole-heartedly know i was much safer than a dark lycra-clad, head down, tucked-in, lane-owning, speed-chasing, no mirror, no lights, road cyclist. Just sayin.
Met a chick down south of Hobart, and that was the end of the ride…. for now. I only did the wild western side of Tassie (crossed the 4 inch wide suspension bridge at Montezuma Falls) need to go back and see the rest. Beautiful place.
by Town-Bike1618