We had first met Ben via email when he was gearing up to take on the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel race in 2017. We helped deck him out with some Apidura kit and Dynamo power for the long stretches in the dark.
On his way though Melbourne he came past one afternoon for a quick service and we got his bike prepared for the mountains.
Not content with his ride across Australia last year he recently took on the Transatlantic way, a bikepacking race around Ireland. He had also begun planning for another upcoming event, the inaugural Terra Australis bikepacking race starting on September 14th. This spans the length of Australia mostly off road, a distance 6500km.
For Terra Australis a new bike was required. Ben had his heart set on a Salsa Fargo but wasn’t into the bright Purple, opting for a more subtle gum leaf green custom paint job from Bikes by Steve.
Having toured on a Koga bike with a Rohloff previously, Ben opted for the same reliable gearing system.
The Fargo rolls on the new Maxxis Ikon 2.6. This will help on the rougher tracks from Cape York down to Cairns whilst still rolling fast on the black top.
The Rohloff Speedhub should be good to complete the entire course without a service!
The Hubub shift mate provided a neat way to mount the Rohloff shifter on the Salsa Woodchipper. It also leaves the top of the bar free for a plethora of devices that will get mounted on it.
TRP Hylex brakes take care of stopping power.
Sinewave Revolution USB charging device will help keep devices charged while on the road.
SON28 15mm thru axle Dynamo Hub helps power lights and USB device.
When I asked Ben what decals he wanted painted on with the repaint, he said “if it said Mangorider (his Instagram handle) that would be cool”, so we made it happen.
We wish you the best of luck on this adventure Ben!
If you want to follow Ben or the Terra australis as it kicks off on September 15th:
Check out the event tracking page: http://trackleaders.com/terraustralis18
or
Ben’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mangorider/
I just have to say what a beautifully understated colour that it. Really nice decals, it all ties in wonderfully. Hats off to a great looking bike