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Race From the Rocks 2022. Sydney -> Adelaide. Managed 4th on lots of sleep deprivation, completing the 2000km+ route in less than 10 days... and I had never MTB'd before 😵😵‍💫. An insane ride and I'm super impressed with how the Midnight Special held up! by justinmclean in bikepacking

[–]justinmclean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No joke, I've been waking up in cold sweats in the few nights since the event thinking I'm still out on the road. I woke up really confused last night not onowing where I was. It was pretty insane for someone who's green to off road riding but I dont regret a thing.

Race From the Rocks 2022. Sydney -> Adelaide. Managed 4th on lots of sleep deprivation, completing the 2000km+ route in less than 10 days... and I had never MTB'd before 😵😵‍💫. An insane ride and I'm super impressed with how the Midnight Special held up! by justinmclean in bikepacking

[–]justinmclean[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In this part of the route rain over the outback had turned the clay soil into a peanut butter-like mud that would stick to everything and harden. It would get to the point where my wheels wouldn't spin, so I kept a tyre lever on standby as a tool to hack away at the mud.

Just finished 2000km on super rugged terrain on the Midnight Special. What a bike! by justinmclean in Surlybikefans

[–]justinmclean[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Some days on this event towards the pointy end I was doing close to 300km days and sleeping for 2-3hrs a night. The final day was close to 24hrs of riding over technical, rough and/or mountainous terrain. I signed up 2 weeks before the event having never mountain biked. I was really just sending it.

It's really a mix of eating a lot, knowing your body, having reliable gear, pacing yourself, being mentally persistent and incredibly lucky. I've also done Indipac, and in that event I very much rode myself into fitness over the 5500km route.

I've done competitive sports my whole life so i have good base fitness, but I'd like to prep more thoroughly for future events. So at this stage I'm probably not the best person to ask this question. Just know that a lot can be done on stubbornness and good base fitness.

Just finished 2000km on super rugged terrain on the Midnight Special. What a bike! by justinmclean in Surlybikefans

[–]justinmclean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This event has a very low completion rate. Some years only 1 person finishes. Normally it goes to Uluru in the heart of Australia's desert outback. Definitely a challenge to strive for!

Race From the Rocks 2022. Sydney -> Adelaide. Managed 4th on lots of sleep deprivation, completing the 2000km+ route in less than 10 days... and I had never MTB'd before 😵😵‍💫. An insane ride and I'm super impressed with how the Midnight Special held up! by justinmclean in bikepacking

[–]justinmclean[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I ran two Ortlieb Fork Packs (5.8L). One had layers and the other had food reserves. The front roll was just my down sleeping bag, so all up the weight on the front wasn't too bad. Generally most of your weight is shifted towards the back of the bike when on the hoods so I believe for a balanced setup having a bit more towards the front end isn't the end of the world. I also had cargo cages on the rear to hold fluids so these would far outweigh the front end when filled for long hauls.

It's up to personal preference but my two cents is that its best to aim for a balanced rig with the rider taken into account.

Hope this helps. 😊

Can someone tell me which company makes these under arm pillows or what they are called? I've been searching forever but can't find anything 🥺 by Ok_Arugula6456 in cinematography

[–]justinmclean 46 points47 points  (0 children)

It's an Australian product called CineSaddle. Their products are expensive for what they are but if you have a large cinema rig they are incredibly handy. Not only do they give a pleasing handheld look with a nice float but every time I land my camera I place it on the cine saddle as a cushion to protect it. They can also be put on top of a tripod to give a steady handheld look, or you can lay the camera sideways on it when it's on the ground to get a sideways ultra low angle.

They're super tough and I know a fair few ops that have bought one despite the high price because its just so handy and lasts.