DEAR READERS

Click here if you'd like to donate.

Hello and welcome! Some of you may have seen and skimmed over, even read, an article on Ada and I in any one of the local Geelong newspapers this week. If so, thanks for checking out our blog. Feel free to browse over some of our earlier posts about the charity and the preparation for our journey, and be sure to follow us on the trip itself: we'll be updating the blog from our August 25 kick-off, plus the Bellarine Echo has expressed interest in writing up an update every month or so.

If you're inspired and would like to support the great work Bicycles for Humanity are doing, there are a few options. You can donate money via our link below, you can visit their website (www.bicyclesforhumanity.com) where you can find info on how to help at working-bees or even start your own fundraiser. It's all good stuff.
Luke & Ada

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity

NEW BIKES!

We bought new bikes! Ada and I are now the proud owners of Surly Long Haul Truckers. These bikes are legit: tough, reliable, comfortable, useful. Nothing showy. Nothing stupid. They are designed specifically for what we're doing: to carry heavy loads all day every day up whatever hill into whichever element is thrown at us. They're black (and yes, matching, but we like that cute-Japanese-tourist-couple-in-matching-outfits look, so we'll give it a try). We'll fit them with fenders (Planet Bike Cascadia), thickish bullet-proofish tyres (Continental Contact) and some beautiful comfy Brooks leather saddles. We'll post a photo when we pick them up.

The bikes are waiting for us at Saturday Cycles in Salt Lake City, Utah. Thanks to Mark Kennedy, who runs the show, for his help in having the bikes setup and ready for us on a Sunday (when he'd otherwise be closed).

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity

BBQ FUNDRAISER

We hosted a BBQ fundraiser attended by 40 friends and family to generate some more money for Bicycles for Humanity. Ada and her sisters (note Luke's lack of cooking-related involvement) cooked up an absolute storm: besides the meaty BBQ obvious, there were salads, breads, dips and snacks to boot. We had a dirt-cheap smorgasboard of home-baked goodies, and raffled off some incredible donated gifts and any leftover said goodies.  For a mere $10 entry, one recieved a raffle ticket or two and could feat til their hearts content. The raffle was drawn towards the end of the BBQ, with major prizes donated by Knogg, Paint my Picture, and VA Glass gallery

All in all the fundraising cost us approximately $250, and we raised about $600!!  So an extra $350 into the kitty for Bicycles For Humanity. Great job!

Many thanks to Melanie Poole, Angie Conron, Emma Fulgenzi, Betty Martin, Marlene Martin, Valarie Hodgson and Amy Blazewski for their extra special efforts pre, during and post the event!

The day itself and the organization and planning required was surprisngly draining. It made us realise just how hard fundraising is.  Not to be discouraged however! Good onya to all involved

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity

PACKING A SHIPPING CONTAINER

This is where Bicycles For Humanity keep all their donated bikes.  When they get enough money together, they buy a shipping container, fill it to the brim (with the help of wonderful volunteers) and ship it off!!

This is what 410 bikes, 80 odd helmets, and plenty of spare parts and tools looks like.  Pictured is Luke talking (read: not lifting a finger) with Andy and Matt from Bicycles for Humanity.

If these bikes weren't getting a second life, they would all be going to landfill.  Doesn't that make you sad that we don't recycle all of these precious commodities?? All of the donated helmets were likewise to be sent to landfill after trivial tinkering to local helmet laws made them redundant and unsellable here. Luckily Bicycles for Humanity caught wind of this, and found these perfectly good helmets a good home.

Some of the bikes had such personality and were definately pre-loved! From the 90's fluro mountain bikes to the childrens trike to the quite beautifully detailed steel framed road bikes of old, it was good to know these bikes would be used and loved by new owners on the other side of the world, perhaps creating a new generation of passionate cyclists.

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity

LUKE'S GEAR

As I've done a bit of cycle touring around Victoria and New Zealand before, commute almost everywhere daily and love a rec ride on weekends, I've got a lot of gear already. But I've still been busy bargain hunting, trolling E-Bay and generally wasting time to get what I haven't got and upgrade whatever needs it. Here's a look at some of the equipment I'll be taking...

Like Ada I'm planning on cycling (pardon the pun) through about 3/4 outfits. As there'll be periods on the trip where we'll be camping night after night, clean (or at least cleanish) sets of clothes for on and off the bike will be pretty important. We want to keep some dignity and hygiene standards. I suppose you can get used to anything...

You'd be surprised how much is needed for all the different conditions, the heat, the cold, the wind, the rain, all have to be accounted for in a variety of differing cycling tops, shorts, leg/arm warmers, booties, vests, rain jackets, beanies, gloves and sunnies! In a nutshell: we're taking a bucketload of gear for whatever the elements throw at us.

The panniers I use to commute at the moment are Deuter's Rack Pack model, but the seams are starting to split and I'm not going to rely on them holding up over 6,000 km's. So I've got myself new front and rear Ortlieb Classics. They're tough, waterproof and pretty much perfectly designed to clip on and off the rack with ease and sturdiness. Have a geeza...

The shoes I'm taking are my Most mountain biking pair. Unlike road bike shoes they're easy to walk around with off the bike, they're designed more like footy boots with studs rather than the stiff and flat design of road shoes. For those of you unfamiliar, the shoes have cleats which clip into your pedals, making pedalling much more efficient. It's amazing how cold my tootsies seem to get on the bike, so as usual I'll be wearing an insulating pair of booties most of the time, with a backup waterproof pair for when it's bucketing down. Check em' out...

Like Ada I've splurged a bit on sleeping gear. Comfort and warmth will be paramount in the desert environs, especially with sore and tired bodies. I've bought a Neo-Air Thermarest (the warmest, thickest and lightest inflatable mattress of the market) and a Sea to Summit Trek 3 sleeping bag (down filled, comfort to -8 degrees). Both are light and compressible, two qualities worth their weight in gold when hill climbing. Have a squiz...

So that's the long and short and boring of it. Of course we'll be squeezing more than this into our bags, so a complete equipment checklist will be up before we depart. Unfortunately the only thing it seems we won't be taking is my (other) pride and joy, my Look 555 carbon roadie. It'll be staying at home in the garage with strict instructions not to be ridden. Just to show it off...

Luke

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity

DONATIONS

A very big Thank You to all those who have donated money to our cause, Bicycles for Humanity.  Bikes can change lives, and we're very excited for all the people who will now be able to get to food/water/school/work on their pre-loved bikes from Melbourne.

Luke and Ada

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity

ADA'S EQUIPMENT SO FAR...

As Luke has a good amount of touring gear from his previous trip, I have been madly researching and purchasing.  I have made a list that is 6 pages long of everything we may need or want... I will have to cull it down of course...  Many people have asked me why I'm buying it all now in Australia, and not waiting until we get to America as it is much cheaper over there, even though the AU dollar is about on par with the US dollar.  

Well, it's because A.  I don't have much experience cycling or camping and I want to know my equipment inside and out before I get there.  I want to be able to finish a days ride and snap my fingers and a tent and camp kitchen appear, without struggling to learn how to set it up/pack it up on the trip!  This will also mean I can have confidence we have everything, and it all works accordingly. 

B.  I hate shopping, and it would put a huge downer on the trip, if for the first few days we were madly rushing around a new city (Salt Lake) trying to procure everything for our obscure needs.

And why not support some Aussie retailers!!

I have devised a practical system of having 3x outfits that will be on rotation, so whilst I have to wash every 3 days, it's pretty economical for weight.  So far I have two Netti cycling tops, one short sleeve, the other long.  They are seriously sweat-wicking and sun-shielding, and seriously fluro yellow.  High visibility is a big priority for being on the road such long distances.

I've also picked up some snazzy Sugoi padded bike pants.  Restrain yourselves boys!  One pair is just your average bike short with a chamois, the other is a really sexy thing called a Bib Knicker.  It's like a wrestling outfit, or for those rowers, a zoot suit.  Regardless of just how good it looks on, this item is full of fabric technology.  It's insulating and has 'perforated forward ventilation'.  It's all good stuff and I hope it keeps me warm during those colder rides.

I now have some shoes that clip in, and a very bruised knee to show for it.  Picked up these Shimano bad boys that you can clip into my new Shimano pedals.  These are a versatile pair that you can also walk around in.  I got home and immediately went for a spin.  And then immediately went for a topple over, as I wasn't used to the whole being attached to your bike as you ride scenario.  I haven't put them on again since, but I will!

I now have 2 Ortlieb 40L panniers.  Fully waterproof and rip resistant fabric.  The silver bag is a Topeak handlebar bag, for quick access to food and camera and food whilst on a ride. 

Finally I have some sleeping equipment.  This is most important as we will be camping alot, and I feel the cold!!  I have a small inflatable pillow, from a $2 store, a Kathmandu silk liner, which is good for warm nights, and also adding some extra warmth on a cold night.  It is very light weight and packs down to nothing.

I went all out with my sleeping mat, comfort will make a huge difference to my overall happiness when camping!  It inflates in 20 breaths to 2.5 inches, has a honeycomb inner to trap warm air, weighs 730g and pack down very small. YAY!

I will update purchases and make a final list of all equipment before we leave!!

Ada

Click here to donate.
Every cent goes to Bicycles for Humanity