Postie trip

Last day into Alice Springs. Some Barrow Creek shots. Sore backsides after 3000km but all happy campers.

Looking good Lang

Puncture Proof tyres on the scraper

We had postie bikes (sort of) on the farm
The non postie bikes were much better than the postie bikes
Both looked the same except the non postie bikes had a high and low range and I believe could cruise along much faster in high range

And low range was good for hard slog around the farm, up and down hills etc

You've done well to get 3000 km with only a numb bum

Paul

All finished. Only two in hospital this year on the first day. One of the best groups we have had. If you look at the first video it is leaving Julia Creek and gives an idea of the numbers.

We had a bloke arrive from Belgium the day before the start and fly home the day after it finished. He was the one putting the daily sayings on his bike. We also had Kiwis, Poms and an Italian.

www.facebook.com/postiebikechallenge/

If anyone wants to go next year contact Dan or Kylie. Average age around 60 and next year is Brisbane to Darwin via the Gulf. There are a number of Postie Bike trips in Australia but ours is the original and by far the biggest into its 20th year. Our bikes have progressed from the old CT110 to the current in-service bike but nothing much different.

And finally if anyone is interested this is a beaut video by one of our regulars, Murray, and gives you a good idea of what happens,

Lang wrote:

. Our bikes have progressed from the old CT110 to the current in-service bike but nothing much different.

Anyone Tried the Electric Gadget Aussie Post now Use Lang..??

The electric bikes are a disaster. Running out of power and requiring full time rescue vehicles but more importantly fall to bits crossing gutters which they have to do a hundred times a day. Australia Post really stuffed up and are currently having about 500 old petrol bikes being rebuilt (at a greater cost than a brand new one) to try to claw back their losses.

The three wheeler trike things are over a thousand roll-overs at this stage. Mostly just tip at walking pace once again trying to do their standard gutter job. Can't figure out why unions are not screaming.

Lang wrote:

Only two in hospital this year on the first day. If anyone wants to go next year contact Dan or Kylie.

How do I do this

Have a look at

www.postiebikechallenge.org

The video of Julia Creek may have given the wrong impression. Just the local cop wanted a thing for the "Police Gazette" or whatever and asked to lead us out of town. Usually after the morning brief they are off and away at their own pace. By the end of the day the first and last are 100km apart as different groups and individuals stop for coffee or in the shade under a tree to eat their sandwiches.

The sweep car with reserve bikes on the trailer never goes past the last rider. Mick our sweep driver has the patience of a saint and just waits for the dawdlers. Any time I have done this job I have the knife out to either slash my wrists or commit murder by lunchtime. I much prefer the roaming vehicle doing bike and people rescues and going ahead in the afternoon to organise the arrival as they start to come in and get them out of their sleeping bags at 5.30 in the morning..

These days my son-in-law Dan is the boss-cockie and being a decisive leader (and psychologist in his real life) with great empathy everybody knows exactly what is going on. They just keep coming back on what is not a cheap holiday.

Lang

Thanks, its debatable if the good wife would grant a leave pass, but the idea if riding a postie bike to Darwin kind of resonates as one of life's adventures.

So you are admin more than participant?

Only time I rode a postie bike was on the test drive. A mate and I rode from Brisbane to Darwin via the Gulf on postie bikes twenty years ago to prove it could be done and as a result I invented the Postie Bike Challenge as a once off event. The first run had 80 riders and I was a babe in the woods expecting 1600km of dirt and 1400km of tar would be OK for the average person. Much pain and anguish saw the dirt sections vastly reduced.

I have the attention span of a 5 year old and once it was done it was done. With more vision than me my daughter Kylie and son-in-law Dan saw the potential taking over to develop it into a world class operation that people from all over the world come back to time after time. - different route and destination every year. My role is just as support driver and elder statesman when I am available, I think I have done about 15 of the 20 annual runs.

lang

great stuff, I need to get out more