TravelGravel
Pack Dog
There are a few indicators of a really good day on a DS bike ride. After such a day you come home eager to drag your tired butt through a nice warm shower â?? largely because you are too dirty to sit on the couch until you do. Then sinking into that couch with that long cool drink you promised yourself the whole day, feeling smug about the skill you had learned / improved on during the ride. I got home on Saturday evening feeling all these things and moreâ?¦ except that I had not been on a bike ride. I, along with a few other wild dogs and dogettes, had in fact been taking in the hospitality of Adventurer, Peaches and Stephen King at the Tech Day.
The morning started off with a bracingly chill ride from Centurion to Adventurerâ??s HQ. When I arrived the coffee and rusks where waiting for me. I partook of some warm refreshment and we were ready to roll - well, so to speak as we only needed to walk across the grass to get to the staging area of our training.
The Tech Training idea had started off (as I recall) as a request or a suggestion for the ladies in the group who would like to be somewhat more self sufficient when riding, especially amongst those who commute and spend some solo time on their bikes. However to everyoneâ??s delight there was a fair mix of guys and gals riding a variety of KTMs and BMWâ??s at the training. There was also a bicycleâ?¦ but it didnâ??t belong to a wilddog pup so letâ??s just leave that story thereâ?¦. :biggrin:
After a brief introductory speech and an outline of the day, we moved over to the bikes and stood waiting for instruction to begin, when one of our auspicious facilitators announced we that should commence by removing the back wheelâ?¦ but here I have to back up a bit. The whole idea of the training day was DIY - literally. Firstly, the variety of bikes did not allow for procedures to be explained bike-by-bike within the allotted timeframe. Secondly, it is agreed that we learn more by making our own mistakes and receiving the appropriate guidance from the facilitators as you go along. In this environment teaching from the book would not have had as much effect.
So to get back to the day itself, when we were told to remove our back wheels from our bikes I thought that I may have bitten off slightly more than I can chew, but hey as I said there was more than enough experience in the room to save even me from the rigorous demands of mechanicsâ?¦ plus Sanet was hovering with her camera, so you better look professional. :mwink: I took one look at all of this and with great enthusiasm started removing the nut from the rear axle (hey I may be a newbie but even I can isolate the one piece of equipment that should not be tampered with by the inexperienced :imaposer
. Then I happily banged away at the rear axle to move it out, allowing the wheel to come away from the bike. I was doing marvelously and was convinced I was born to this, that deep within me lay a hidden mechanic ready to rise like Phoenix from the ashes, when from behind me I heard â??You should try removing the rear mudguard or you wonâ??t be able to get the wheel outâ?â?¦ And all my dreams of being a world class mechanic came tumbling down around me. In retrospect it is so obvious, but at that point I realized exactly why I was there and it was marvelous that I could do this in a controlled environment (sorry Splash for the plagiarism).
For most of the party we started off by removing our rear wheels. Next we removed the tubes (for those of us who had them). Then a spare tube was provided and each of us was given the opportunity to fix a puncture in it. Some of us even got to do this exercise more than once - you know we know who you areâ?¦ot:. As for those who had tubeless tyres, they were shown how to ream holes in the tyres. There were also those who had purchased Heidenau tyres from Adventurer and the fitting of these were added to their training.
At that point (about one-ish) I actually lost track of the progress of the exercises as I was removing my front wheel and was having so much fun that I was only vaguely aware that Malibuâ??s new tyre needed balancing, that Splash had managed to turn his KTM into a skeletal version of itself, that Stephen was showing some of the guys how to replace the brakes on the KTM without removing the wheel, and that Misty had arrived and needed to start off her day. Oh and Smithey and RipCur were wrestling Smitheyâ??s KTM to order. (BTW thanks Stroom for the handy help with the front axle and that size 12 spanner :thumleft.
At some point during the very well-structured chaos of the day Peaches decided that we needed to be fed, and all too soon only Misty and I were alone working on the bikes as everyone else had finished off on their bikes and gravitated towards the lapa where boerie rolls and cooldrinks were on offer. When we finally decided that we had had enough of checking bikesâ?? our coolant levels and battery water we too sat down to probably the best boerie rolls known to mankind. I am always astounded how great food is when you have had a bit of physical exertion.
After our late lunch we tackled the final topic for the day, preparing for an extended trip. With Hel_Bent and Action Ant off to the GSC, and JustBiking and Splash on their way to the Rallye Raid there was some interest in clothing and equipment requirements and best of allâ?¦ those really good tips that you only get from the seasoned adventure rider - thanks Adventurer. And tips there were, even for those of us heading towards the Groot Marico trip next weekend and Malibu and Smithey who are preparing their own longer trip in a few weeks.
The second most meaningful part of the day started unfolding as we all were given an opportunity to share our best learning of the day and ask any final questions. Amazingly not one person repeated the same learning and all the questions were answered. I then realized that I had just experienced a totally customized course in a group environment. As a trainer myself I realized how much Adventurer and Stephen had put into ensuring each of us had exactly the information we needed. It must have been an exceedingly difficult day and my hat is off to them for pulling it off with such success â?? not too mention fun.
We had come to the end of the training day and I had to leave, and as I approached my bike I realized the extent of what I had done in one day. I had for the first time ever removed sections of the bike and replaced them.... and reality hitâ?¦.. if I screwed this up the consequences could be disastrous. So with some trepidation I hopped on and headed home and after the first few kilometers, when I realized that I may have done a good job, I was filled with the greatest sense of satisfaction and achievement.
I returned home a new person. I felt as if I could have a new sense of pride in myself and my bike. And I realized that not only had I been left empowered and able to deal with some very sticky situations, but felt as if Ihad a better understing of this machine that I spend a few hours on every day of my life. I was elated - exhausted but elated.
And now for the bit that everyone was hoping to read aboutâ?¦ the KY Jelly, as they say, what happens in training stays in trainingâ?¦. :lol:
The morning started off with a bracingly chill ride from Centurion to Adventurerâ??s HQ. When I arrived the coffee and rusks where waiting for me. I partook of some warm refreshment and we were ready to roll - well, so to speak as we only needed to walk across the grass to get to the staging area of our training.
The Tech Training idea had started off (as I recall) as a request or a suggestion for the ladies in the group who would like to be somewhat more self sufficient when riding, especially amongst those who commute and spend some solo time on their bikes. However to everyoneâ??s delight there was a fair mix of guys and gals riding a variety of KTMs and BMWâ??s at the training. There was also a bicycleâ?¦ but it didnâ??t belong to a wilddog pup so letâ??s just leave that story thereâ?¦. :biggrin:
After a brief introductory speech and an outline of the day, we moved over to the bikes and stood waiting for instruction to begin, when one of our auspicious facilitators announced we that should commence by removing the back wheelâ?¦ but here I have to back up a bit. The whole idea of the training day was DIY - literally. Firstly, the variety of bikes did not allow for procedures to be explained bike-by-bike within the allotted timeframe. Secondly, it is agreed that we learn more by making our own mistakes and receiving the appropriate guidance from the facilitators as you go along. In this environment teaching from the book would not have had as much effect.
So to get back to the day itself, when we were told to remove our back wheels from our bikes I thought that I may have bitten off slightly more than I can chew, but hey as I said there was more than enough experience in the room to save even me from the rigorous demands of mechanicsâ?¦ plus Sanet was hovering with her camera, so you better look professional. :mwink: I took one look at all of this and with great enthusiasm started removing the nut from the rear axle (hey I may be a newbie but even I can isolate the one piece of equipment that should not be tampered with by the inexperienced :imaposer
. Then I happily banged away at the rear axle to move it out, allowing the wheel to come away from the bike. I was doing marvelously and was convinced I was born to this, that deep within me lay a hidden mechanic ready to rise like Phoenix from the ashes, when from behind me I heard â??You should try removing the rear mudguard or you wonâ??t be able to get the wheel outâ?â?¦ And all my dreams of being a world class mechanic came tumbling down around me. In retrospect it is so obvious, but at that point I realized exactly why I was there and it was marvelous that I could do this in a controlled environment (sorry Splash for the plagiarism).For most of the party we started off by removing our rear wheels. Next we removed the tubes (for those of us who had them). Then a spare tube was provided and each of us was given the opportunity to fix a puncture in it. Some of us even got to do this exercise more than once - you know we know who you areâ?¦
ot:. As for those who had tubeless tyres, they were shown how to ream holes in the tyres. There were also those who had purchased Heidenau tyres from Adventurer and the fitting of these were added to their training. At that point (about one-ish) I actually lost track of the progress of the exercises as I was removing my front wheel and was having so much fun that I was only vaguely aware that Malibuâ??s new tyre needed balancing, that Splash had managed to turn his KTM into a skeletal version of itself, that Stephen was showing some of the guys how to replace the brakes on the KTM without removing the wheel, and that Misty had arrived and needed to start off her day. Oh and Smithey and RipCur were wrestling Smitheyâ??s KTM to order. (BTW thanks Stroom for the handy help with the front axle and that size 12 spanner :thumleft
.At some point during the very well-structured chaos of the day Peaches decided that we needed to be fed, and all too soon only Misty and I were alone working on the bikes as everyone else had finished off on their bikes and gravitated towards the lapa where boerie rolls and cooldrinks were on offer. When we finally decided that we had had enough of checking bikesâ?? our coolant levels and battery water we too sat down to probably the best boerie rolls known to mankind. I am always astounded how great food is when you have had a bit of physical exertion.
After our late lunch we tackled the final topic for the day, preparing for an extended trip. With Hel_Bent and Action Ant off to the GSC, and JustBiking and Splash on their way to the Rallye Raid there was some interest in clothing and equipment requirements and best of allâ?¦ those really good tips that you only get from the seasoned adventure rider - thanks Adventurer. And tips there were, even for those of us heading towards the Groot Marico trip next weekend and Malibu and Smithey who are preparing their own longer trip in a few weeks.
The second most meaningful part of the day started unfolding as we all were given an opportunity to share our best learning of the day and ask any final questions. Amazingly not one person repeated the same learning and all the questions were answered. I then realized that I had just experienced a totally customized course in a group environment. As a trainer myself I realized how much Adventurer and Stephen had put into ensuring each of us had exactly the information we needed. It must have been an exceedingly difficult day and my hat is off to them for pulling it off with such success â?? not too mention fun.
We had come to the end of the training day and I had to leave, and as I approached my bike I realized the extent of what I had done in one day. I had for the first time ever removed sections of the bike and replaced them.... and reality hitâ?¦.. if I screwed this up the consequences could be disastrous. So with some trepidation I hopped on and headed home and after the first few kilometers, when I realized that I may have done a good job, I was filled with the greatest sense of satisfaction and achievement.
I returned home a new person. I felt as if I could have a new sense of pride in myself and my bike. And I realized that not only had I been left empowered and able to deal with some very sticky situations, but felt as if Ihad a better understing of this machine that I spend a few hours on every day of my life. I was elated - exhausted but elated.
And now for the bit that everyone was hoping to read aboutâ?¦ the KY Jelly, as they say, what happens in training stays in trainingâ?¦. :lol:
