Day 461 | Almost to the Barkly Highway: end of the dirt
82 km | zzOz total: 14,409 km
24 hours of troubles.
Never had it so bad.
Maybe it was some premonition for the day when I found a broken clip on a pannier even before I crossed the fast flowing Gregory River yesterday on its preposterously slippery smooth causeway, slimy beyond belief, but it was inconsequential once I lashed it together with twine in comparison with what was to come.
The saddle has been a known dodgy proposition since the original bolt broke back before Chilligoe, I was still on the asphalt at that stage, but the first major event was finding my back tyre, the you beaut Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tourer, had developed quite the bulge with a split developed along the wire bead. That hadn’t lasted long, the rip was just 30 mm but it looked as if it might progress for the full 200 mm where the tyre was seriously weakened, with 2 spares I thought I’d cut my losses, not blow the tube as well, and I left it hanging on a sign at the O’Shanessy River, the kinda thing people do out here.
I adjusted the seat, readjusted, sometimes getting 10 km, the clamp isn’t keeping the two broken rails in place and the seat keeps sliding back with the bumps, it’s pretty chunky today, I’m putting my weight on the pedals as much as possible, although the quads are taking some punishment, coasting downhill when that presents itself, but it’s almost all upwards, I’ve realised I’m heading to Mt Isa.
Finally just before the very dry Thornton River there’s a pop, I’ve stripped the thread to the alloy nut holding 10 pieces of saddle together. I shove 9 pieces into my handlebar bag and ride the last 7km on the thick Brooks leather just sitting on the top of the seat post, mostly downhill with the first 5km stretch of asphalt I’ve seen since the Doomadgee road.
This morning I found the reason for the stripped bolt, the threads of the bolt are just slightly different and the only nut I have for the Chilligoe high tensile bolt is one from my spare nose tensioning bolt and it’s also a different thread. So I resort to the nose bolt in the alloy nut, now partially stripped, but it’s pretty thick and 40% is all good.
That’s at least’s got the seat post sort of sorted. Fingers crossed.
Next, I had found a section of aerial on the side of the road yesterday, handy, eh, it’s fibreglass, I cut that down, the Swiss Army knife is useful here with the little used hacksaw blade component, and use hose clamps, 6 of them, to tie the two saddle rail sections together, I’ve been carrying the clamps just for this moment from those wrecked cars on the Tanami.
It doesn’t, ie, hold together, after 13 km they slide apart again, the saddle dropping off its perch.
I feel like I’m about to as well, it’s already 11 30, and I’ve come just those 13 kms, but at least I’ve managed to load up with water.
I apply another two clamps, off the mudguards, tighten them up and, whammo, I’ve lasted the rest of the day.
Somehow in all this stopping and starting I’ve left a bungee behind and the original nose bolt and attachment has dropped out.
The old Brooks Flyer is on its last legs, I’m limping that last 175 km into Mt Isa in a sad way, but by nightfall it’s only another 125 km, the road is tar all the way now and life is looking up.
Strangely, despite the bike collapsing all around I’ve never felt in the least frustrated, just happily applying each option as I think about it, the fallback of flagging down a passing 4WD not required, frankly I’m happy as.