Indian Pacific Wheel Race - IndyPac - IPWR

If you want a flyweight device that'll stop people from simply wheeling it away, I'm finding the Hiplok zip tie perfect for quick stops (I currently live in a very, very low-risk area).

Do people take small locks for races like this? Or is my London mentality too ingrained?

Yeah, what @hippy said. I take the smallest cafe lock there is. Used a few times on TCR but not at all on IndyPac as I couldn't see anyone stealing a bike out there.
Some people don't bother taking them on TCR

IPWR 2017 Blog: Day 3
https://cyclingthere.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/ipwr-2017-day-3-the-nullarbor-my-disc-wheel-but-still-no-roos/

I took a lock in the first TCR and only used it once in front of a few other riders at the start to impressive them with my risk aversion. Second year I didn’t bother and didn’t find it an inconvenience. I felt as the race went on I grew more confident with taking it inside places

Day 4:
https://cyclingthere.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/ipwr-2017-day-4-exhausted-and-ravenous-but-happy-to-spot-a-kangaroo/

I liked (or didn't like..) the bit where the groups of people turned into shadows. Yikes. Great stuff!

Odd. It's usually the other way around.

Draft 1. A working bike at last. Improvements to come.

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what are those bullhorns?

whats tyres you going with? won't you need to change them in the middle of the ride?

Deda Crononero Tri 46cm (o-o). Got a nice flattened middle section (not that I think I'll be using that whatsoever). Got enough of a kick at the ends that I'll feel confident on the grizzly descents. Didn't go with drops because I barely use them and doubt I would even more doing it fixed.

Conti GP4000s II in 25mm (although maybe 28mm rear). Will most definitely probably buy a new pair in Adelaide or Melbourne.

Although, I've been reading a lot about sidewall blowouts on those racier Contis. I usually ride GatorHardshells which have done me wonders but not really race worthy...? I'm considering tubeless - as I'll be using tubeless-ready rims. I just don't want to have blowouts in the back of my mind whilst in the middle of the desert or descending mountains on a fixed gear.

Any recommendations? Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless?

I can just bung an inner tube in there in a bind? Never used tubeless before but seems to have a lot of advantages once you've got it rolling.

I had a Conti sidewall blowout at nullarbor roadhouse!
But tubeless can fail as well.
Yes you can stick a tube in if need be, but they can be bastards to get off so not ideal

Are you using a mirror?

Most of the Aussies do, including fast guys like Jesse. I thought it was daft beforehand but I would take one if I did it again (my last conversation with Mike was about mirrors - we agreed there was no point - often wish I'd argued with him that they were essential. Might not have saved him but who knows).

Road conditions out there are very different from other places I've ridden so I would try to do what the locals do as they have developed a survival strategy.

Jesse and Sarah did a good video on mirrors which will be linked off the site somewhere.

Shouldn't need to change tyres, unless you have a blowout!
The guys on gears will likely want new chains in Adelaide (I did) but you should be fine for the distance.
If you use plastic cleats, take spares. I needed to change my Looks at Warrnambul.

Do you have the Alpina seat post clamp on there? It is notoriously flimsy I realised on my FXE. Also stripped one of the rack mount threads quite easily.

Yeah, really not likely what I hear about the GP4000's despite their supreme rolling and aero advantages (at least in the clincher world). I might just go for tubeless and carry some spare tubes just in case something goes drastically wrong. Some tape, tyre boot(s) and tube repair kit too. I guess I'll use the tyres that Mike did last year. I trust his kit decision making better than mine.

Going to be awkward to fit a mirror with bullhorns. What benefit does it offer despite giving you a little bit more of a warning of approaching traffic? I'll try and find the J & S video.

Yeah, currently have an Alpina post which I have sometimes had issues with (seat occasionally coming slightly loose). Call me crazy, but I'm going to be using a brand new no-brand carbon post. It's one I've used before for ~2 years with no failure. Zero setback.

Won't be using any racks!

This one @frank9755?

Edit: they get to mirrors about 10 mins in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4G9nZSJLYw

@veganjoseph I think the GP4000's would be plenty fine for the entire thing. I don't know what the road surface is like but I presume it's fairly good. Perhaps take the 4 Season's if you're particularly risk averse.

Re: mirrors. Why not fit some drop bars and then you'd get the extra hand positions?

I've never used mirrors so can't speak from any experience but I personally like the looking over my shoulder and staring into the eyes of the driver approach. I'm not sure I'd be able to get enough detail from looking at a mirror. Obviously, you could have a mirror and still look.

I've just never used the drops position touring, ever. And I especially wouldn't see myself doing so fixed - with a fully loaded bike also.

I found a mirror (Zefal Spy) which seems like you would be able to mount to the corner of a base bar / bull horn bar so I think I'll pick one up. Seems like it would come in handy in a lot of instances.

Gp4000 are fine. I’ve never had any problems in the few sets I’ve bought and 6000km covered? One puncture in that time as well..

@skinny approved also. Kristoff also uses and swears by them. 25mm Version.

Bullhorns and tri-bars are my preferred setup for long distance fixed.

This was the original Tempo before LEL 2009: http://www.greenbank.org/bikes/tempo/tempo7.jpg

Here's the replacement (previous one was stolen) at the end PBP 2011: http://www.greenbank.org/audax/pbp_02.jpg (no tri-bars allowed on PBP).

(Both are Profile T2 Wing which have a nice flat section in the middle too.)

I never use the drops on my geared bikes either although, at the moment, this is just because I'm too fat for it to be comfortable.

2017 Blog, day 5
https://cyclingthere.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/ipwr-2017-day-5-the-madura-shelf-and-eucla-pass-pain-heat-food-and-lost-time/

What benefit does it offer despite giving you a little bit more of a warning of approaching traffic?

Aussie drivers generally give you loads of room - usually a full lane. The exception is when there is something coming the other way, which there normally isn't as the roads are quiet (at least the bits I rode on). In that case they just squeeze through whatever the gap is. What they don't do is slow down to time their overtake for when the thing coming the other way has passed.
So, the idea with the mirror is that, when you see something coming the other way, you check your mirror to see if there is something behind you that would squeeze you. If there is, you take evasive action by riding onto the gravel at the side of the road.
Sure, you won't look every time, but the theory is that you might look sometimes and thereby increase your chances of avoiding the driver who would have otherwise clipped you with his wing mirror, or his caravan, or one of his 40-foot trailers.

Quite a lot of rando people use mirrors. Can give you a warning before you can hear the car/truck.
I dont have one because I think turning my neck on long rides is good. But then I also don't do crazy stuff like indypac.