wormblood

Hey guys i am new to everything here including mountain biking. I am currently in grade nine and i want to mountain bike from cairns to sydney which is about 3000 k's i think. anyway, I was thinking of doing this just after i leave grade 12, of course i will have to train and plan it out and everything. Does anyone have any ideas, tips, things that they think i might not know before i should do this? EVERY answer is appreciated. Thanks

BearSquirrel

If you're riding on roads (paved) you should consider a road bike instead.

If your planning on touring off road and going over those nasty washboard roads I've read about, then you should go with an MTB. Look for wide chainstays as you will want to use wide semi-slick tires.

There is a bloke (I hope my vernacular is correct) out there who did a 1200 mile Outback ride on a bike called a Surly Pugsley. You can pick up a link on his trip here: https://www.cyclelicio.us/2006/01/surly-pugsley-and-40-days-in.html . A Pugsley basically is a monster wide 26" bike. Building this bike takes about $1500 (U.S.).

You may want to discuss your options with the local bike shop.

jcook1989

I talked to some dude who did that and he built a sick trailer with suspension. You should defiantly consider some kind of trailer to haul all your carp.

Zan

+1

Oleanshoebox

mountain bikes are cooler.

junkyard

I'm going to suggest getting a bike and deciding if you enjoy cycling. You have a few years yet to prepare, so start slow and find out if the sport is something that will keep your interest. No point in building up a bike now for a 3000K ride that may happen in 3 years.

wormblood

ok, thanks for your opinions guys. Junkyard, the closer I get to the day, the more i will be sure about this. umm just wondering, does or would, anyone know how much water i should drink, what and how much food i should eat, anything else?

Ted Danson

Fixed it

Zan

you're not going to do 3000k in one day... it might be easier for you if you plan out a route where you can stop by at stores to get more food/liquid (if possible).

TGMBG

Mountain biking is currently closed through November 14, 2013.

Please check back after that date.

mtnbiker66

Crap! I just picked up a new bike.

Chris_F

Drink a lot, eat when you're hungry. Sleep when you're tired. It's really pretty easy. Recommend starting with short distance rides (maybe 40km) and working your way up to metric centuries, then 100 mile centuries. A 3000km ride is substantial but not un-doable. Once you get to the point where you can do back to back 100 mile days (160-ish km) I'd say you're physically ready. I know a bunch of folks who have riden coast to coast across the US which is about the same mileage, maybe a bit longer. I think the bulk of their days were 130 miles or so. I really recommend a road bike if this is going to be on paved roads. They're much more comfortable and efficient over long distances.

wormblood

Ok thanks Chris. Zan I didn't say I am going to do it in one day. It will be done in about 2 and a half months

Cave

Have a look at the Touring forums. Lots of info there.

Look at
https://www.bikeforums.net/hosted-travelogs-stories-road/252098-bike-africa-please-help-me.html
and
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/262432-can-my-mtb-make-pacific-atlantic.html
for some inspiration. Both beginners, both on crappy MTBs!

Cairns has some good trails, enjoy riding your bike, do some day trips eg. up onto the tablelands and back.
Do some overnight trips, camping in the bush with some friends.

Once you're riding 6-8 hrs a day on the weekends, you'll work out eating and drinking. Join the MTB club there and you'll work it out faster. Dan the MTB man can get you in touch with some of them, he runs guided MTB tours but I bet he'll tell you how to contact some of the local riders. Or just go out on the trails and say hi to people.

There's a guy called ChrisL on the forums who does a lot of touring and I think lives in north Qld. Look up his website.

Maybe go on a group tour with friends/school/family eg. Great Victorian Bike Ride or equivalent in Qld or NSW. Costs quite a bit, though.

Have the big trip in mind but don't commit yet, if you don't like touring that's fine. You'll probably want a different bike then to what you ride now.

Get around on your bike instead of asking for lifts. You'll get a lot of experience and fitness that way. Keep safe, have good lights / helmet / bike lock.

Cave

If you want to do the ride on a MTB then you probably want a lightweight hardtail with long chainstays (something like a Cannondale 29er or the old Cannondale Terra; or, something like a Merida that isn't the bees knees in MTB terms, but has rack attachments at the back).

But, this isn't always the best bike for hitting the hills. So don't spend big yet.

You will want narrow tyres (eg. Richey Tom Slicks in 1.4" are not too expensive, should be fine with the weight of camping gear, roll OK; you can get narrower eg. 1.25 or 1.3 but all the decent brands will probably cost you more than the Richeys)

Bar ends are good. You want to be able to move your hands around so they don't get numb from nerve pressure after 2 hours in the same position! Also worh trying out aero bars on the road.

When getting your camping gear, think compact and light weight. You want to be looking online and at the bushwalking shops for ideas. When you find something on special, or 2nd hand and good quality, you can get it. Otherwise you will be spending many hundreds of dollars EACH on tent, panniers, sleeping bag. Have your big plan in mind when shopping for equipment - you have 3 years to get everything together.

Cave

You haven't been here long have you?