Hi Lewi, great video and bringing back some memories from my world tour years ago. Remember that the most important part of your bike is your rearwheel. That is where most of the luggage and bodyweight is centered. With only 32 spokes it is pushing the limit! The freehub body has already given you some grief so make sure NEVER to submerge your hubs. VThat is asking for trouble. If you ever have to replace the rearwheel go for a DT SWISS/Pinion H3R single speed hub or the slightly lighter DT Swiss 240 single speed hub. They both have the excellent DT swiss ratchet freehub which is way more reliable than a pawl system. I have 50000km experience with the pinion gearbox and be aware that also water can get into the system, particularly the cable accentuated planetary shift system. You need to take the cover plate off every now and then and make sure everything is clean and greased up. I changed the pinion oil every 5000 kms and found that there was always some water in the oil. Take the freehub body off your rearwheel every now and then and clean up and lubricate (light grease) the pawl system. The conditions that you are and will be encountering on your trip through Africa require ongoing maintenance. You will be far away from any parts or help. All the best and take care..... Baz in Tasmania
@BastiaanKruisselbrink thanks Baz, yeah I realise now not to submerge rear hub in water and I reckon that's what caused the problem. I've screenshot your comment to add to my maintenance guide for the bike. Thanks alot
Cheers Lewi!! You just popped up in our feed! We just finished watching this video and will go back and watch the first one. Thank you for sharing you adventure. So that Gates belt!!! Yeah my youngest brother joined us in Deadhorse, Alaska and he had issues from the start with his fancy Gates belt too. After a few days and as we began the climb up Atigan Pass his belt broke. Luckily he had a second belt with otherwise, his cycling trip down the Dalton Highway was over. He had the issue with mud and tiny rocks. Anyway hope that is your only issue with the belt but looking at your outro you're rear wheel failed. Happy cycling and looking forward to following along! ~Ron & Petra
@PedalPowerTouring thank you. Yeah to be honest, that's the main critique I have with the belt, is because there is no derailleur there isnt any give when too much mud or rocks get caught underneath and yhe belt can fall off. With that said, it's only happened to me 3-4 times in the 20,000km I've ridden the bike, and I've been riding 80% dirt. Otherwise I like it, just takes some time to get used to. Thanks for following along. I hope to go up to Alaska one day too. Must have been amazing
Great to see you at the Orange River. On my 2010/11 London to Cape Town tour, along Africa's western edge I entered South Africa crossing it . . after the Namibian border police let me go . . . detaining me for an hour mistakenly as a 'wanted man'. Great memories.
Thank you for your reply Lewi. Pinion gearbox oil is difficult or actually impossible to find in Africa unless you have it couriered. Instead you can use synthetic 75W90 automotive gearbox oil which is exactly what the pinion oil is. (honestly!) Changing the oil is really easy (you just need a plastic syringe) and 1 ltr of synthetic 75w90 oil from a renowned brand will cost you less than 30ml of "Pinion gearbox oil" That way you can change the oil more often. The pinion gearbox is a fantastic piece of German engineering but it needs extra maintenance while in heavy duty conditions. Also condensation can get into the gearbox while having hot days and freezing nights. I am not trying to be a know it all but want to help you! I have a mechanical engineering background and am also a qualified bike technician. Good luck Lewi and write to me if you need some advice or a second opinion. Baz in Tasmania
@BastiaanKruisselbrink yeah I've changed the oil once now and it dod have water in it. I still have 30ml of oil but will look at getting this synthetic oil you're talking about. Appreciate the advice mate
Naive question, but are there crocodiles in those rivers? Regardless, really, really enjoying your videos. A lot of similarities between the areas you're cycling through and the desert southwest in the USA (Utah, Arizona, southern California... minus lions, crocs, etc!). Good stuff and real-deal adventure cycling. Tony, Carbondale, Colorado, USA
@agmartin2127 apparently there are crocs in the orange river but because the current is quite strong, they aren't in that area...at least that is what I was told haha. I'll have to get to the states one day. Thanks for watching
Mate I think being surrounded by those monkeys would have made me nervous as hell ... I'm kinda wanting me a Sonder broken road I've heard nothing negative about the Pinion drive system but you seem to be having a few worrying events whats your opinion on the pinion drive system Lewi?
Hi Lewi, great video and bringing back some memories from my world tour years ago. Remember that the most important part of your bike is your rearwheel. That is where most of the luggage and bodyweight is centered. With only 32 spokes it is pushing the limit! The freehub body has already given you some grief so make sure NEVER to submerge your hubs. VThat is asking for trouble. If you ever have to replace the rearwheel go for a DT SWISS/Pinion H3R single speed hub or the slightly lighter DT Swiss 240 single speed hub. They both have the excellent DT swiss ratchet freehub which is way more reliable than a pawl system. I have 50000km experience with the pinion gearbox and be aware that also water can get into the system, particularly the cable accentuated planetary shift system. You need to take the cover plate off every now and then and make sure everything is clean and greased up. I changed the pinion oil every 5000 kms and found that there was always some water in the oil. Take the freehub body off your rearwheel every now and then and clean up and lubricate (light grease) the pawl system. The conditions that you are and will be encountering on your trip through Africa require ongoing maintenance. You will be far away from any parts or help. All the best and take care..... Baz in Tasmania
@BastiaanKruisselbrink thanks Baz, yeah I realise now not to submerge rear hub in water and I reckon that's what caused the problem. I've screenshot your comment to add to my maintenance guide for the bike. Thanks alot
This was a good ep - looking forward to number 3
thanks mate, they will keep getting better. You must be close to the end now!?
Looks like the ride of a lifetime. Lovin it.
@@kelvinblake911 thanks
Cheers Lewi!! You just popped up in our feed! We just finished watching this video and will go back and watch the first one. Thank you for sharing you adventure. So that Gates belt!!! Yeah my youngest brother joined us in Deadhorse, Alaska and he had issues from the start with his fancy Gates belt too. After a few days and as we began the climb up Atigan Pass his belt broke. Luckily he had a second belt with otherwise, his cycling trip down the Dalton Highway was over. He had the issue with mud and tiny rocks. Anyway hope that is your only issue with the belt but looking at your outro you're rear wheel failed. Happy cycling and looking forward to following along! ~Ron & Petra
@PedalPowerTouring thank you. Yeah to be honest, that's the main critique I have with the belt, is because there is no derailleur there isnt any give when too much mud or rocks get caught underneath and yhe belt can fall off. With that said, it's only happened to me 3-4 times in the 20,000km I've ridden the bike, and I've been riding 80% dirt. Otherwise I like it, just takes some time to get used to. Thanks for following along. I hope to go up to Alaska one day too. Must have been amazing
Excellent video thanks . You are a legend as there won’t be many wanting to undertake this trip that’s for sure 👌🚴♂️🥇🎥🇬🇧🇬🇧
@@ronniebiggs4026 thank you
Great to see you at the Orange River. On my 2010/11 London to Cape Town tour, along Africa's western edge I entered South Africa crossing it . . after the Namibian border police let me go . . . detaining me for an hour mistakenly as a 'wanted man'. Great memories.
@@vinyltheif haha why did they think you were a wanted man
Awesome video Lewis. Loving the journey so far
@@tomblake6743 thanks
Great video thanks for sharing
@@tomasdiera thanks
Great video Lew ❤
@@wendyblake8207 thanks
Thank you for your reply Lewi. Pinion gearbox oil is difficult or actually impossible to find in Africa unless you have it couriered. Instead you can use synthetic 75W90 automotive gearbox oil which is exactly what the pinion oil is. (honestly!) Changing the oil is really easy (you just need a plastic syringe) and 1 ltr of synthetic 75w90 oil from a renowned brand will cost you less than 30ml of "Pinion gearbox oil" That way you can change the oil more often. The pinion gearbox is a fantastic piece of German engineering but it needs extra maintenance while in heavy duty conditions. Also condensation can get into the gearbox while having hot days and freezing nights. I am not trying to be a know it all but want to help you! I have a mechanical engineering background and am also a qualified bike technician. Good luck Lewi and write to me if you need some advice or a second opinion. Baz in Tasmania
@BastiaanKruisselbrink yeah I've changed the oil once now and it dod have water in it. I still have 30ml of oil but will look at getting this synthetic oil you're talking about. Appreciate the advice mate
Very good storytelling.. really liked the filming just wish it was longer than 10 minutes
@@Bikepacking thanks. They will start getting longer the more videos I make. Still learning
Naive question, but are there crocodiles in those rivers? Regardless, really, really enjoying your videos. A lot of similarities between the areas you're cycling through and the desert southwest in the USA (Utah, Arizona, southern California... minus lions, crocs, etc!). Good stuff and real-deal adventure cycling. Tony, Carbondale, Colorado, USA
@agmartin2127 apparently there are crocs in the orange river but because the current is quite strong, they aren't in that area...at least that is what I was told haha. I'll have to get to the states one day. Thanks for watching
Mate I think being surrounded by those monkeys would have made me nervous as hell ... I'm kinda wanting me a Sonder broken road I've heard nothing negative about the Pinion drive system but you seem to be having a few worrying events whats your opinion on the pinion drive system Lewi?
@@dannyk3718 ive ridden 20,000km worh the pinion and havent had any problems so I really have nothing bad to say about it haha
Always a worry when there are people with guns around in the middle of nowhere.
that's what I thought, especially since they were the only people I saw for 2 days