By the time I moved out of the States, I had dipped my toes into some endurance bike racing by signing up for (and completing!) the Trans-Indiana 250, the Stagecoach 400, the Tour Divide GDMBR, and the Dirty Water 300.  I was still in pretty good shape when I arrived down under and wanted to cross a few Aussie bike events off the list, so I signed up for two; the Thunderbolts 250 km Adventure and the HUNT 1000. I was using a different bike for each ride, but both of them were going to be remote and long so it’s always a reassuring feeling to have your rig sorted before you head off for an adventure like that. I was excited to give the Thunderbolts up in the Barrington Tops a crack, but the spring of 2022 had been one of the rainiest on record, so the route was going to be pretty muddy.  When Rob scoped out my Lynskey gravel bike, he suggested I swap out the tires for Teravail Rutlands, a tire with better tread for the sloppy conditions.  With the service, new tires, chain and cassette, the ride was as easy as climbing 6000 meters in a day could be.

Next up was the HUNT 1000. The HUNT was going to work out better on my Salsa Timberjack—a nice cushy hardtail that had seen it’s fair share of love since taking me across the finish line of the 3500 km Tour Divide Route.  Upon inspection the Salsa was well overdue for some time in the stand, it needed rear wheel bearings, headset, bottom bracket and drivetrain as well as some updates for reliability and to better suit the adventure ahead. Rob addressed the issues and replaced what was needed to get me through the full 1000km hike including another great tyre recommendation, a Wolf Tooth angled headset for a touch more stability and little things like fresh pads for all the wet and gritty days. The bike rode flawlessly the entire 2 weeks I was out there --most of those miles being off road, to boot.

Since the arrival of my little boy Cazimir, we set out to prep my trusty ol’ Surly Long Haul Trucker for Dad duties by way of fitting Surly Corner Bars. This suggestion was a great way to get more upright and comfortable whilst also being able to ditch the ancient Avid bb5’s for some Shimano hydraulic disk brakes. I wanted to keep the bike as safe as possible for the kiddo and I’ll let you know how it goes as soon as the little guy is ready to hop in the seat and go for a ride. That being said I’ve already noticed a huge difference in the braking and they’re far less fiddly. I’ve much appreciated Rob’s advice and enthusiasm about dialing in my different bikes’ set-up—it’s always a treat to find a mechanic who understands giving a service for the way you choose to go out and ride.