Update 01 - Autumn 2023
Last updated 2023-04-17 | Word count: ~2,500 | Reading time: ~ 11 minutes
Monday 19th December 2022. 1345hrs heading northwest on Mount Granya Road (Strava link). I am almost at the summit of Mount Granya (the views are spectacular). The day is hot and the climb is hard, with 400m of elevation gained in 7km. None of the climb is unreasonably steep, but it is unrelenting. I am more concerned about the decent down the Bridle Track based on how this was described to me by the person I picked up water from in Granya.
I had planned to ride home from Melbourne after visiting for a wedding. My plans were put on hold when, even with last-minute additions, I did not have suitable riding clothing, or sleeping bag for the snow that was falling on my planned route back to Sydney. My girlfriend flew home on Monday night, I agonised about what to do. I ended up spending three days living with my girlfriend's parents (my first time at their place) whilst they kept asking 'when are you going to leave?'. Finally on Friday the weather cleared up.
We're still speaking to each other. They have made it clear they will not come on my bike rides (I've offered to use the family tandem).
Partners - I had hoped to be back from my first ride and be sharing our story of success. Alas, I have not left (yet). I wrote this update to explain the delays and present the revised 2023 plan. I realised there was more to cover.
I plan to send out four a few updates each year. They’ll probably all be this long. Haikus are my nemesis.
First, let me say thank you. I owe you all more than I have repaid and am keenly aware that you would ideally have liked to have seen results by now.
If you don't believe in my ideas, philosophy and rides at the end of this update, please send me an invoice for what has been supplied. I'll happily pay retail. You can hold me to this at any point in the future. It's the least I can offer. I believe brand partnerships need to be much better. That starts with me not taking your support for granted.
In this update, I will cover the following:
Friday 16th December 2022. 1200hrs heading east on Humevale Road (Street View from March 2014 shows how much the hedge has grown). There's a cyclist in the image.
I've finally left Melbourne, in a couple of days I'll realise I probably will not make it back to Sydney in time to fly back to Melbourne and I'll have to catch the train. Right now I am grateful the sun is out.
1. What's holding me up
Sunday 19th February 2023. 1545hrs heading north on West Portland Road to ride Wheelbarrow Ridge Road to film content. Today was the first official ride. The van offers a sense of perspective to the bike and trailer.
One of the earliest decisions in the design process of the bike was to run an internal gear hub. Kindernay was selected as their design solved several well-known problems with the Rohloff system. Kindernay had the bonus of their products being manufactured in the same building as the head office - this was when stock was difficult to source from Asia.
The frame had been designed around the Kindernay system. Bossi Bicycles were assured by Kindernay would have stock in mid-2022. As the frame design was about to be signed off and production was secured, Kindernay stated they ‘should’ have stock later in 2022. We decided not to risk Kindernay failing to produce a hub and reluctantly switched to Rohloff. Switching suppliers was the right decision; as of April 2023 Kindernay is still not stocking the hub.
The move to Rohloff necessitated changes to the frame design and months of delays as the factory was short on staff. Combined with the various COVID restrictions in China this meant the frame did not arrive until January 2023. Since the frame's arrival, the difficulties of the Rohloff system have continued. Rohloff knows their shifting system is inadequate; instead of working to solve this, they have left third parties to sell 'supported' add-ons. The most popular option requires you to disassemble SRAM shifters (not recommended). The system has been installed but needs further work, which is complicated as no one brand supports this system.
The kickstand and trailer purchased from well-known manufacturers require custom manufacturing to have these installed. This work has been time-consuming and expensive. The machining costs are currently over $2k.
Since January, I've probably done more research and development than Rohloff and Extrawheel combined. I've designed and built custom bolts that allow the Extrawheel nuts to be mounted onto the frame into the Rohloff speedhub ‘thru-axle’.None of this would be required if Rohloff had updated their hub to use a thru-axle, which they haven't, for reasons I can't understand. If I had used the Kindernay system, I could have purchased the correct axle from Extrawheel.
Whilst I had always anticipated that work would be required to integrate the various parts. I saw this bike as all the bikes I have had before - a finished and refined product that 'things just work' to which adding or swapping parts would be straightforward.
I have (slowly) come to realise that I have a prototype that I have refused to compromise on. The lack of comprise will serve me well in the future, at the moment this comes at the cost of time (and money). I decided not to accept narrower tyres; this decision causes issues with clearance of the kickstand (why doesn't everyone design around 29x3.0 tyres...?). This same tyre width meant the custom mounts built into the frame did not work, as the trailer swingarm was designed too small. I choose not to run a traditional external gearing system and have had the problems of shifting with Rohloff.
Although an enormous amount of time and effort has gone into designing the frame (and it shows), other companies with established products have not done this work.1.
I contrast these companies with each of you who have put in the time and effort to make products I am proud to talk about.
(L-R) The newly machined M7 (yes, M7...) extended bolts that Rohloff describes as "thru-axle compatible". I had a spare set made. As a bonus, the bolt for the drive side and non-drive side are different lengths. Next to the new bolts is one of the 'axles' Rohloff supplies (only one of each, of course - don't lose it!). Through multiple emails to Rohloff and precise manufacturing tolerance, Bossi Bicycles were able to design a custom dropout that could use this very specific size. Usually, you have to send your frame over for custom shims to step down a 12mm hole to an M7 bolt. Sometimes I have to remind myself it's 2023.
You can see the additional boss designed into the dropout for the trailer connection on the right. The swingarm is so short that the 20mm difference between holes meant we couldn't install the nuts for the trailer into the specially designed boss. Also in the photo is the Gelba Rohbox, which is ‘officially’ sort of supported.
The past three months have been emotionally exhausting. I was tired, frustrated and, at times, angry. In hindsight, I see this is because I had not accepted the bike as a prototype. I'd worked hard and sacrificed my training and preparation. Many people had done everything they could to help me, and still, the bike was not ready.
I needed to stop planning in two-week increments and get on with my life. I felt in a perpetual holding pattern, unable to commit to anything because if I didn't know when I'd leave, I didn't know when I'd be back. The experience was straining my relationship with my partner. I began, at some level, to resent the project.
I could have left with a bike that wasn't ready, and everything probably would have worked out okay. I know that I need to turn up on the start line not just in excellent physical condition but mentally ready for periods of isolation and difficulty. My goal is to still be doing this in a decade. Longevity is not sustainable unless I regain my sense of awe and wonder. I've made a few decisions in the past couple of weeks.
- First, I'll head off on my test ride when the bike is ready. I'm still waiting on parts from a few partners.
- Second, my test ride will be from Sydney to Adelaide. I'll save Port Augusta to Townsville (with the 6m high sand dunes) for another year. Leaving from my door when I'm ready makes life much easier.
- Third, I just rode down to Geelong (most of the way) for fun. This ride did not support all of the brands you represent as I am using an older bike for practical reasons of speed. 3-inch tyres are not your friend on hilly roads. Maybe with the state of NSW roads you could make worse tyre choices.
What is the plan for 2023
Sunday 5th February 2023. 1800hrs heading south on the Pacific Highway looking back towards the Hawkesbury River. This is the final climb in my favourite 200km loop around Sydney. Once you're at the top it's a fast ride back into the city.
2023 is centred around the ride from Adelaide to Broome, leaving 1st November 2023. There's so much that’s hard about this ride that it's difficult to convey. Is it the 200km of pushing through the sand on the western edge of the Simpson Desert? Maybe the hundreds of kilometres between water on the Tanami Track in late November? Or riding the Gibb River Road in December when the crocodiles are out, the humidity is stifling, and one cyclone will be enough to leave me stranded (assuming I'm alive)?
Am I making this sound fun yet?
The 2023 ride program for the new bike is as follows:
May - Test ride: Sydney to Adelaide Ride with GPS route.
July - Old Ghost Road in a day (NZ). This is New Zealand's longest single track, 85km of rugged west coast riding.
I ran the Old Ghost Road in February 2020 at the official race. My girlfriend and I will be riding this in a day in the middle of winter. The ride is recommended as a 2-4 day ride. I am sure it will rain, there will probably be snow. The next day we'll ride back. My girlfriend has never ridden a mountain bike. Aren't you glad you're not her?
There's a 26-minute documentary that "follows a keen group of enthusiasts as they transform plans for a gold miners road from the 1800s into New Zealand’s longest continuous single-track." Muscle and Dreams - Creating the Old Ghost Road.
November - The Prelude: Adelaide to Broome Ride with GPS route.
This is an exciting and ambitious program. The combined distance of the two main rides is over 6,000km which will require 50+ days of riding. That's a lot of content.
This is the working Ride with the GPS route for the Test Ride. There is still flooding around Menindee, and I may need to look at an alternative route from Ivanhoe to Broken Hill. Finding accurate information is difficult. Live Traffic states that the roads I plan to travel on are closed. The Central Darling Shire Council shows these as 'Use caution'. A PDF of the road status is available here.
What I have been doing & what can we do?
Monday 19th December 2022. 1600hrs heading west on Lake Road back to Albury. The road is quiet, the afternoon is hot, and I am here as there were no trains back to Sydney today (Strava link). Tomorrow I'll spend most of the day moving slowly from Albury to Central on a train that is old and decrepit. NSW should be ashamed to be still running the XPT. My bike box will be limited to 20kg, and I'll need to buy a second ticket to take home the rest of my stuff. Halfway back to Sydney, I'll realise I could have caught a flight.
I recently posted on Instagram the work I've done with Bossi Bicycles to redesign their warehouse. You can see the post below (or here). This is a project we've been discussing for a while, and we achieved the intended outcome. As I said in the post "we're proud".
I spent five years designing warehouses and manufacturing facilities; I taught this at university and worked on projects that won awards. I look at warehouses the way artists look at a blank canvas. I can intuitively see the possibilities.
I've spent the last decade using my expertise in statistical analysis to help companies make money from data (in which I have a PhD). This has spanned bespoke research, consulting and training.
I'd like to do this work for you and the companies you distribute.
This offer is open. Let's talk.
In September, I'll be riding from Queenstown to Christchurch. I planned this trip mostly for fun and training before my November trip. I'll be riding my old gravel bike as it's more suitable for the terrain. As I have started planning this trip, and thinking about both what I can gain from this and the potential benefits to my partners, this type of ride could be a unique opportunity to run a private bespoke experience for a small group of guests invited by you.
- The experience would be special as:
- It's a guided, self-supported ride
- You can't book this experience and
It would be run at zero cost to the participants (apart from the obvious transport and food expenses).
This ride could be an annual event. You might want to invite someone from an important brand you want to distribute, a bike shop you want to stock products or a race director. I'd find and develop a series of routes that take about seven days in Australia and New Zealand. I would plan for the rides to be self-supported. This means no vehicles; we all carry our own stuff.
The obvious business model is to charge each participant a fee paid to me by the partner sponsoring the rider. This is an outdated model - I would propose a more collaborative approach. Once my costs are covered, the financial contribution is invested in documenting the trips that define my approach and your support.
This documentation needs to be commercially aligned with you, the partners. We could showcase the brands you distribute in a way that no one else does. Could you imagine the content that could be created from a full day of filming in the northern Flinders Ranges, Oodnadatta Track or around Finke? Few people visit these locations on a bike, none have high-quality content. I'd be willing to take time out of my trips to have these shoots take place if the funding is provided to have the right people meet me. With a videographer, we could potentially develop individual stories from the ride as short films for a specific brand.
This is a starting point for a conversation, not a final plan.
Although the ride from Queenstown to Christchurch is a test ride to see if the route is suitable, I would be open to having a few people come along as sponsored guests if there is interest.
Cool stuff I have been working on
Sunday 9th April 2023. 1430hrs riding east on Benwerrin Mount Sabine Road (Street View - March 2010) heading back to Geelong (Strava link). Earlier in the morning, I'd become stuck in mud and wondered if I'd ever make it through the loop. I received some good advice at the Tourist Information Centre and, with a few adjustments, avoided the 4WD tracks and connected the roads. The signage implies you shouldn't be on these roads.
I've spent most of this year working on The Hard Way website. I now have Part I - III up from my Melbourne to Sydney trip in January 2022. Here are the links:
These three pages have 20,000 words of content, details on how to ride the exact routes, and transport options to and from each location. This has been a labour of love because I believe documenting these trips makes them possible for others to consider. Without detailed notes, I doubt anyone will go out and ride these routes in summer. With the content I've provided, people might wonder if it is something they could do.
Part IV will be completed before I head off on the test ride.
The second project I am working on is with a graphic designer, building a detailed visual model of the bike that can be customised into different configurations for each partner. The level of detail is astounding, down to correctly drawing the different brake rotors. Below are a few images of the prototype.
