Brisbane Valley Rail Trail

[blizzard]

BVRT is now fully open again. I rode Fernvale to Esk return the other day, for the first time. It was a good ride.

[vbplease]

Will be interesting to see. At this juncture the cycling infra around SEQ has been mauled. The "When we get around to it" attitude shouldn't be tolerated.

Near me there was a landslide which covered the bike track and went over the road. The road was cleared and cleaned immediately. The bike track of course.. not so much.

I imagine they'll be investing in some engineering design to stabilise the banks to make them more flood/erosion proof.. and very unlikely to be finished, or event started until next after wet season. Apparently we're in for a 3rd la-nina summer in a row. It would be a shame to see the brook rebuilt to the same condition as before and see it washed out again.

[Comedian]

Will be interesting to see. At this juncture the cycling infra around SEQ has been mauled. The "When we get around to it" attitude shouldn't be tolerated.

Near me there was a landslide which covered the bike track and went over the road. The road was cleared and cleaned immediately. The bike track of course.. not so much.

I imagine they'll be investing in some engineering design to stabilise the banks to make them more flood/erosion proof.. and very unlikely to be finished, or event started until next after wet season. Apparently we're in for a 3rd la-nina summer in a row. It would be a shame to see the brook rebuilt to the same condition as before and see it washed out again.

As we write.. coming up three months. BCC has done absolutely 0 repairs on Kedron Brook. Just cleaning so far. There is some work on the bridge behind stafford city but that was being done by the army - and doesn't really fix the problem (people will then have to go via shopping centre and industrial streets to bypass the broken bit)

[vbplease]

As we write.. coming up three months. BCC has done absolutely 0 repairs on Kedron Brook. Just cleaning so far. There is some work on the bridge behind stafford city but that was being done by the army - and doesn't really fix the problem (people will then have to go via shopping centre and industrial streets to bypass the broken bit)

Yes, I know it's frustrating, but I'm pretty sure the hold up would be they're organising engineering to make the brook more flood-proof for future events, or could be in shock with the amount of damage and have thrown it in the 'too hard to deal with' basket.

[Comedian]

As we write.. coming up three months. BCC has done absolutely 0 repairs on Kedron Brook. Just cleaning so far. There is some work on the bridge behind stafford city but that was being done by the army - and doesn't really fix the problem (people will then have to go via shopping centre and industrial streets to bypass the broken bit)

Yes, I know it's frustrating, but I'm pretty sure the hold up would be they're organising engineering to make the brook more flood-proof for future events, or could be in shock with the amount of damage and have thrown it in the 'too hard to deal with' basket.

I want to believe you're right but I'm afraid I've been around too long. There is probably an element of truth in that - but I think for the most part it's just BCC doing what they do. Priorities and all. Shaw road had substantial damage.. yet it was repaired in a few days if I remember. Shand St had a landslide.. the stuff on the road was cleared within 24 hours, and the broken bikeway still sits untouched.

Road outages are measured in hours, bikeway outages are measured in months, and years.

[Lukeyboy]

Road outages are measured in hours, bikeway outages are measured in months, and years.

While yes but it all depends on the circumstances as there are multiple infrastructure parties involved each with quite extensive networks with already established in disaster recovery/repairs. Take the Gympie road damage at Chermside. That was simply a washout that was quickly repaired by roadtek/tmr. Bit of fill and new tarmac and that was all that was required. It was just another regular job for them using their existing equipment. Nothing difficult about it other than some higher ups using it as a "look what we are doing" tool on social media. It was also something media could get to and make a quick story out of it for a news segment.

Shaw road had temp fill added to stabilise the damage, tarmac over the top to act as a cover to prevent further damage to the bridge and bank and fence it off. It's not in a stable condition and cars driving over the top will cause ruts as its only a temp fix (think of the Gympie Road transit corridor being done. They are resuming/redoing the shoulder because it wasn't designed to handle moving traffic. The same with many highways and roads where the road shoulder isn't built to the same standard to where cars travel). That will need to be dug up and a proper fix done. And there's still a significant amount of road damage around the area aswell. You can even see this with urban utilities on Sandgate road. It took a while to repair the bike lane near Virginia and some side streets further north because they missed 2 of their resurfacing windows due to rain so it sat quite bumpy for a while until they had an available spot for crews, traffic hire and machinery to do the job.

A lot of street lighting issues wasn't fixed by council or tmr but by energex. Energex regularly have crews move all across the state to quickly repair damage.

One problem council has is that they don't have any reserve lighting infrastructure to deal with the total damage caused. This is poles, cabling and light head units which all need to be fabricated and manufactured - in a time which it is already struggling with demand and costs. And most of the time this has been done under contracts so not a BCC fitout. They also have legal problems. If they clear the land that's slowing the water flow how does that then impact the unstable banks further along the canal or areas where fill has raised the water height (we have already seen this with some areas flooding quicker compared to previously). Also these works won't be done by council. They will be contracted out and thus need to follow accountability guidelines such as the tender process which adds quite a bit of time to the timeline.

And its not just one council that are all doing repairs. You have multiple councils and multiple levels of government, you have conditions attached to disaster relief payments (NDRRA/SDRA/DRFA are great examples of this), you have insurers, existing contracts, private contracts, collab contracts etc etc. Quite frankly its going to take time.

[Comedian]

Road outages are measured in hours, bikeway outages are measured in months, and years.

While yes but it all depends on the circumstances as there are multiple infrastructure parties involved each with quite extensive networks with already established in disaster recovery/repairs. Take the Gympie road damage at Chermside. That was simply a washout that was quickly repaired by roadtek/tmr. Bit of fill and new tarmac and that was all that was required. It was just another regular job for them using their existing equipment. Nothing difficult about it other than some higher ups using it as a "look what we are doing" tool on social media. It was also something media could get to and make a quick story out of it for a news segment.

Shaw road had temp fill added to stabilise the damage, tarmac over the top to act as a cover to prevent further damage to the bridge and bank and fence it off. It's not in a stable condition and cars driving over the top will cause ruts as its only a temp fix (think of the Gympie Road transit corridor being done. They are resuming/redoing the shoulder because it wasn't designed to handle moving traffic. The same with many highways and roads where the road shoulder isn't built to the same standard to where cars travel). That will need to be dug up and a proper fix done. And there's still a significant amount of road damage around the area aswell. You can even see this with urban utilities on Sandgate road. It took a while to repair the bike lane near Virginia and some side streets further north because they missed 2 of their resurfacing windows due to rain so it sat quite bumpy for a while until they had an available spot for crews, traffic hire and machinery to do the job.

A lot of street lighting issues wasn't fixed by council or tmr but by energex. Energex regularly have crews move all across the state to quickly repair damage.

One problem council has is that they don't have any reserve lighting infrastructure to deal with the total damage caused. This is poles, cabling and light head units which all need to be fabricated and manufactured - in a time which it is already struggling with demand and costs. And most of the time this has been done under contracts so not a BCC fitout. They also have legal problems. If they clear the land that's slowing the water flow how does that then impact the unstable banks further along the canal or areas where fill has raised the water height (we have already seen this with some areas flooding quicker compared to previously). Also these works won't be done by council. They will be contracted out and thus need to follow accountability guidelines such as the tender process which adds quite a bit of time to the timeline.

And its not just one council that are all doing repairs. You have multiple councils and multiple levels of government, you have conditions attached to disaster relief payments (NDRRA/SDRA/DRFA are great examples of this), you have insurers, existing contracts, private contracts, collab contracts etc etc. Quite frankly its going to take time.

I hear what you're saying - but it if was a major road outage I still think they would move heaven and earth to just make it happen. Whatever it took. It's just priorities. We've not seen BCC even do any temporary fixes, three months out....

[Lukeyboy]

I hear what you're saying - but it if was a major road outage I still think they would move heaven and earth to just make it happen. Whatever it took. It's just priorities. We've not seen BCC even do any temporary fixes, three months out....

Until a point. For example Mt Nebo. How long was the goat track up there closed for??? Roads are different because there's already multiple levels of infrastructure established to deal with that across multiple levels of governments and different organisations. They are also built to a quite high standard and don't require as much work or upkeep or if there needs to be a pothole filled that can be a quick job (not including outside brisbane where water flows are stronger). Council can also outsource this operation which they do as they have agreements with multiple private businesses. And repairs are easy if you have the infrastructure in place to do so. Take your own bike workshop. If you have the right tools the work is easy and quick replacing the bearings in your hub in a matter of minutes. If you don't have the right tools you'll just fart around wasting time or you have to wait and take it to your local bike shop - who might have to then order in bearings if not in stock further prolonging your time without wheels.

You don't have that same flexibility when it comes to the active transport network as there is no uniform standard and everything is handled differently - usually via tender process and at times via different parties such as local/state/federal so not much when it comes to spares along with location and secondary effects such as drainage and lighting. Take the Kedron Brook bikeway from Shaw Road to Nudgee road. That section alone has 5 different lighting systems that I'm aware of from different contractors and projects. Damage to the bikeway under the railway bridge at Toombul needs proper engineering work to be signed off on (FYI the pathway under the railway line will be demolished and materials removed, repairs to the existing gabion, a new gabion installed to prevent further wash outs, large rocks installed to firm up the foundations, new electrical work for lighting in the area and a new pathway rebuilt to a good standard (similar to what is in place now as there is now nothing under it and the slab is moving/dipping despite people ignoring/actively damaging and removing the closure signs) to cope with flooding. The bridge on the other side to the east needs to have the entire top removed and a section of the pathway on either side removed - so not a quick or cheap fix and that's not addressing the issues with the bank inbetween the two bridges. That's just this one area. There are many more areas across Brisbane that have similar issues.



To the left you have damage to the bikeway under the railway bridge from this February and to the right in 2013 you had this damage to the bridge. This is 10m east of the current issues and that took more than 7 months to repair.





It's interesting to note that you can see how well the repairs to the bank in 2013 were in stopping erosion and prevented further damage. The area went under several times in quick succession with the final event being nearly at the bottom of the railway bridge/bottom of Sandgate Road.

Temp fixes. What do you want from a temporary fix? You aren't the only person that wants a temporary fix for something damaged from the floods be it a damaged footpath, a damaged road, clogged drains, damaged road signs, missing railings, creek erosion etc. Depending on the nature of the damage there is quite a lot of red tape factors preventing anything from happening. Take general bikeway and shared path cleaning. That's not a BCC job. They outsource that and when there is a big damage event to the network they can't rapidly get more cleaners to clean the bikeway or footpaths (Specialised Pavement Services are the BCC contractor for road and footpath sweeping services). If the bikeway is damaged between a join you'll get someone from BCC come out to identify the trip hazard, they'll put a request in and a private operator would come out and then perform the grinding job. Same as a footpath. IIRC Australian Grinding Company has the BCC contract for all footpath grinding services. Even with temp pathways comes with a lot of strings attached from a legal perspective which is why many try to avoid them until the ground dries up a bit or they get removed. Lets use Corbett park. The only temp pathway they could do wouldn't meet disability grade requirements without zigzagging or becoming a mess with any rain (which we saw with the temporary footpath during the original bikeway works). You also have issues with tree branches falling (there was a fatality a couple hundred meters east a few years back after the 2013 floods where a tree fell on a kid next to the bikeway and just recently a few large branches fell from the gum tree where the ride to EJ ended resulting in that tree being chopped up and turned into mulch last tuesday/wednesday) and the rainy season isn't over yet. Toombul car park has flooded quite badly as far as late May in the past - or last week to use another example). If any temporary pathway goes in expect it to be after the rainy season has officially ended, the ground has firmed up and works can actually be considered.

I understand where you are coming from but you can't snap your fingers and have a magical fix. Government procurement takes time, costs money and involves a lot of resources both in terms of people undertaking the procurement work and the design/construction/fabrication.

[Comedian]

I hear what you're saying - but it if was a major road outage I still think they would move heaven and earth to just make it happen. Whatever it took. It's just priorities. We've not seen BCC even do any temporary fixes, three months out....

Until a point. For example Mt Nebo. How long was the goat track up there closed for??? Roads are different because there's already multiple levels of infrastructure established to deal with that across multiple levels of governments and different organisations. They are also built to a quite high standard and don't require as much work or upkeep or if there needs to be a pothole filled that can be a quick job (not including outside brisbane where water flows are stronger). Council can also outsource this operation which they do as they have agreements with multiple private businesses. And repairs are easy if you have the infrastructure in place to do so. Take your own bike workshop. If you have the right tools the work is easy and quick replacing the bearings in your hub in a matter of minutes. If you don't have the right tools you'll just fart around wasting time or you have to wait and take it to your local bike shop - who might have to then order in bearings if not in stock further prolonging your time without wheels.

You don't have that same flexibility when it comes to the active transport network as there is no uniform standard and everything is handled differently - usually via tender process and at times via different parties such as local/state/federal so not much when it comes to spares along with location and secondary effects such as drainage and lighting. Take the Kedron Brook bikeway from Shaw Road to Nudgee road. That section alone has 5 different lighting systems that I'm aware of from different contractors and projects. Damage to the bikeway under the railway bridge at Toombul needs proper engineering work to be signed off on (FYI the pathway under the railway line will be demolished and materials removed, repairs to the existing gabion, a new gabion installed to prevent further wash outs, large rocks installed to firm up the foundations, new electrical work for lighting in the area and a new pathway rebuilt to a good standard (similar to what is in place now as there is now nothing under it and the slab is moving/dipping despite people ignoring/actively damaging and removing the closure signs) to cope with flooding. The bridge on the other side to the east needs to have the entire top removed and a section of the pathway on either side removed - so not a quick or cheap fix and that's not addressing the issues with the bank inbetween the two bridges. That's just this one area. There are many more areas across Brisbane that have similar issues.



To the left you have damage to the bikeway under the railway bridge from this February and to the right in 2013 you had this damage to the bridge. This is 10m east of the current issues and that took more than 7 months to repair.





It's interesting to note that you can see how well the repairs to the bank in 2013 were in stopping erosion and prevented further damage. The area went under several times in quick succession with the final event being nearly at the bottom of the railway bridge/bottom of Sandgate Road.

Temp fixes. What do you want from a temporary fix? You aren't the only person that wants a temporary fix for something damaged from the floods be it a damaged footpath, a damaged road, clogged drains, damaged road signs, missing railings, creek erosion etc. Depending on the nature of the damage there is quite a lot of red tape factors preventing anything from happening. Take general bikeway and shared path cleaning. That's not a BCC job. They outsource that and when there is a big damage event to the network they can't rapidly get more cleaners to clean the bikeway or footpaths (Specialised Pavement Services are the BCC contractor for road and footpath sweeping services). If the bikeway is damaged between a join you'll get someone from BCC come out to identify the trip hazard, they'll put a request in and a private operator would come out and then perform the grinding job. Same as a footpath. IIRC Australian Grinding Company has the BCC contract for all footpath grinding services. Even with temp pathways comes with a lot of strings attached from a legal perspective which is why many try to avoid them until the ground dries up a bit or they get removed. Lets use Corbett park. The only temp pathway they could do wouldn't meet disability grade requirements without zigzagging or becoming a mess with any rain (which we saw with the temporary footpath during the original bikeway works). You also have issues with tree branches falling (there was a fatality a couple hundred meters east a few years back after the 2013 floods where a tree fell on a kid next to the bikeway and just recently a few large branches fell from the gum tree where the ride to EJ ended resulting in that tree being chopped up and turned into mulch last tuesday/wednesday) and the rainy season isn't over yet. Toombul car park has flooded quite badly as far as late May in the past - or last week to use another example). If any temporary pathway goes in expect it to be after the rainy season has officially ended, the ground has firmed up and works can actually be considered.

I understand where you are coming from but you can't snap your fingers and have a magical fix. Government procurement takes time, costs money and involves a lot of resources both in terms of people undertaking the procurement work and the design/construction/fabrication.

So how long to you think it's reasonable to wait for the primary cycle route to be fixed? 3 months? 6 months? 12 months?

I honestly believe that if the BCC saw this as a priority they have the resources to make this happen. It's just not a priority for them.

[Mr Purple]

There's another trail in the works in a loop from Crow's Nest:

Downs Burnett Cycle Trail:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084079193013

466.5km in total, though only 25% on dirt. Some really nice towns and interesting countryside through there - will be interesting to see what it develops into.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41069412 ... nuIA54CGhU

Early days yet - it seems more a 'suggestion for a ride' than an actual trail at this stage.

[vbplease]

I finally picked up a dedicated off-road bike and I'm planning a BVRT trip for this weekend

Although I was keen for a gravel bike, the second-hand market is slim pickings at the moment as they seem to be all the rage still? and I remember how chunky the linville-blackbutt climb is.. so I picked up a hardtail 29er.. 8years old but in mint condition.

Looking forward to another adventure.. this time I'll be joining onto the BVRT from Fernvale, via the Mt Nebo range from the Gap.. has anyone done this lately? There seems to be some good elevation there..

[Comedian]

I finally picked up a dedicated off-road bike and I'm planning a BVRT trip for this weekend

Although I was keen for a gravel bike, the second-hand market is slim pickings at the moment as they seem to be all the rage still? and I remember how chunky the linville-blackbutt climb is.. so I picked up a hardtail 29er.. 8years old but in mint condition.

Looking forward to another adventure.. this time I'll be joining onto the BVRT from Fernvale, via the Mt Nebo range from the Gap.. has anyone done this lately? There seems to be some good elevation there..

A good hardtail with fast rolling tyres is a very very good BVRT/firetrail bike. Do set it up tubeless if you can though.

[vbplease]

I finally picked up a dedicated off-road bike and I'm planning a BVRT trip for this weekend

Although I was keen for a gravel bike, the second-hand market is slim pickings at the moment as they seem to be all the rage still? and I remember how chunky the linville-blackbutt climb is.. so I picked up a hardtail 29er.. 8years old but in mint condition.

Looking forward to another adventure.. this time I'll be joining onto the BVRT from Fernvale, via the Mt Nebo range from the Gap.. has anyone done this lately? There seems to be some good elevation there..

A good hardtail with fast rolling tyres is a very very good BVRT/firetrail bike. Do set it up tubeless if you can though.

Thanks mate, I'm looking into getting some Conti race kings - have you heard good reviews? apparently excellent rolling resistance, but lacking in puncture resistance for the nasty stuff.

[Comedian]

I finally picked up a dedicated off-road bike and I'm planning a BVRT trip for this weekend

Although I was keen for a gravel bike, the second-hand market is slim pickings at the moment as they seem to be all the rage still? and I remember how chunky the linville-blackbutt climb is.. so I picked up a hardtail 29er.. 8years old but in mint condition.

Looking forward to another adventure.. this time I'll be joining onto the BVRT from Fernvale, via the Mt Nebo range from the Gap.. has anyone done this lately? There seems to be some good elevation there..

A good hardtail with fast rolling tyres is a very very good BVRT/firetrail bike. Do set it up tubeless if you can though.

Thanks mate, I'm looking into getting some Conti race kings - have you heard good reviews? apparently excellent rolling resistance, but lacking in puncture resistance for the nasty stuff.

Probably very good but I don't have personal experience. Schwalbe Racing Ralph or Rocket Rons is what I've used. Remember though you do have to top up the sealant every 6 months or so. The tyres get a million little holes and it gradually seeps out and dries up.

[vbplease]

The ride through the national park to cut from the gap to fernvale was wild.. for someone new to mtb it was really wild!!! The fire tracks were pretty steep then it turned to single track and got steeper.. so many creek crossings.. I fell in one and got completely saturated.
I was wearing old triathlon shoes and speedplay pedals and the repeated wetting delaminated the shoe from the carbon sole.. so the majority of the ride was like wearing a loose sock separated from a carbon sole.
Made it onto the rail trail at fernvale and got up to Harlin.. 142km for the day. The d’aguilar national park destroyed me..
the hard tail 29er bike has been a dream to ride.. can’t believe I tried a road bike with 28mm tyres last time on the rail trail.
I might get some mtb shoes and tackle the national park again?

[RonK]

I finally picked up a dedicated off-road bike and I'm planning a BVRT trip for this weekend

Although I was keen for a gravel bike, the second-hand market is slim pickings at the moment as they seem to be all the rage still? and I remember how chunky the linville-blackbutt climb is.. so I picked up a hardtail 29er.. 8years old but in mint condition.

Looking forward to another adventure.. this time I'll be joining onto the BVRT from Fernvale, via the Mt Nebo range from the Gap.. has anyone done this lately? There seems to be some good elevation there..

A good hardtail with fast rolling tyres is a very very good BVRT/firetrail bike. Do set it up tubeless if you can though.

Thanks mate, I'm looking into getting some Conti race kings - have you heard good reviews? apparently excellent rolling resistance, but lacking in puncture resistance for the nasty stuff.

Get Vittoria Mezcal TNT (not the TLR). Have done many KMs bikepacking in them, including quite a few BVRT rides. Roll fast, wear well and quite grippy in all but muddy conditions.

[vbplease]

Thanks Ron. I’ll look into getting some of those!

[Comedian]

The ride through the national park to cut from the gap to fernvale was wild.. for someone new to mtb it was really wild!!! The fire tracks were pretty steep then it turned to single track and got steeper.. so many creek crossings.. I fell in one and got completely saturated.
I was wearing old triathlon shoes and speedplay pedals and the repeated wetting delaminated the shoe from the carbon sole.. so the majority of the ride was like wearing a loose sock separated from a carbon sole.
Made it onto the rail trail at fernvale and got up to Harlin.. 142km for the day. The d’aguilar national park destroyed me..
the hard tail 29er bike has been a dream to ride.. can’t believe I tried a road bike with 28mm tyres last time on the rail trail.
I might get some mtb shoes and tackle the national park again?

I rode South Boundary today on my mountain bike. It's totally rideable on a gravel bike.. however it's pretty rough and washed out in places. Would be fine going up but I reckon it would be a wild wild ride at speed on the descent on a gravel bike. Probably you would be well advised to keep the speed down.

[vbplease]

I rode South Boundary today on my mountain bike. It's totally rideable on a gravel bike.. however it's pretty rough and washed out in places. Would be fine going up but I reckon it would be a wild wild ride at speed on the descent on a gravel bike. Probably you would be well advised to keep the speed down.

Would that be the same as the Payne road to rain guage segment?
https://www.strava.com/segments/3534703

Yes, from memory it wasn't too bad.. the downhill segment over the back had me freaking out a bit.. was very steep (considering my beginner mtb abilities). I was swearing more so thinking about climbing back the other way
https://www.strava.com/segments/1154393

The really tough parts for me was where it changed to single track.. that would have been somewhere past lake manchester and before the graded road coming back into Fernvale. I don't think there are any strava segments there? It was tough, but it was really beautiful with the pristine rainforest and creek crossings. Have you been this way?

[Comedian]

I rode South Boundary today on my mountain bike. It's totally rideable on a gravel bike.. however it's pretty rough and washed out in places. Would be fine going up but I reckon it would be a wild wild ride at speed on the descent on a gravel bike. Probably you would be well advised to keep the speed down.

Would that be the same as the Payne road to rain guage segment?
https://www.strava.com/segments/3534703

Yes, from memory it wasn't too bad.. the downhill segment over the back had me freaking out a bit.. was very steep (considering my beginner mtb abilities). I was swearing more so thinking about climbing back the other way
https://www.strava.com/segments/1154393

The really tough parts for me was where it changed to single track.. that would have been somewhere past lake manchester and before the graded road coming back into Fernvale. I don't think there are any strava segments there? It was tough, but it was really beautiful with the pristine rainforest and creek crossings. Have you been this way?

I typically go on to the hikers camp .. Don't turn left at gold creek and continue a couple of K's. You can also follow that .. it comes out on the main road just before Nebo if you need some emergency scones. I've never turned left at Gold Creek.. heard it was a bit wild.

I've had my gravel bike for a while now. I find it ok for descending pretty steep stuff as long as it isn't too rough, or fast. Otherwise I'd rather the security of the big tyres and suspension on the MTB.

[vbplease]

I typically go on to the hikers camp .. Don't turn left at gold creek and continue a couple of K's. You can also follow that .. it comes out on the main road just before Nebo if you need some emergency scones. I've never turned left at Gold Creek.. heard it was a bit wild.

Looking at the Strava segment leader board for the Creek descent those guys are going close to 50km/h.. that level of skill is pretty impressive.. seems like zero margin for error when you're going that fast down a dirt road? (-15%)

I've had my gravel bike for a while now. I find it ok for descending pretty steep stuff as long as it isn't too rough, or fast. Otherwise I'd rather the security of the big tyres and suspension on the MTB.

What gravel bike are you riding at the moment and tyre size?

I'm now daydreaming of a Canyon Grizl.. carbon fibre frame with rockshox fork.. at just below 10kg it might be nice and zippy, while comfortable in doing the full rail trail and return in two days

[vbplease]

I had another crack at the trail Friday-Saturday. This time I managed to convince my (72yr old) dad to join me.. he just picked up a new e-mtb Although he refused to hydrate (instead drink coffee), ending up in cramps.. and wouldn't eat enough, ending up in a major bonk.. and a couple of crashes.. he completed the full trail with me friday and back again saturday! Very proud of him! We got pretty lucky with some cool weather and not a single magpie swoop!
I may need to wait a couple weeks to let him recover before asking him to come again

[warthog1]

I'm now daydreaming of a Canyon Grizl.. carbon fibre frame with rockshox fork.. at just below 10kg it might be nice and zippy, while comfortable in doing the full rail trail and return in two days

I am unconvinced of the necessity of a suspension fork on a gravel bike. More negatives than positives imo, though it will depend on how rough the trails are that you go on.
Gravel roads and tracks here, some of the tracks are a bit rough but I just pick my line, stand and unweight the front a bit it it is rough. Works fine on my '21 CF Revolt on 40mm tyres.

Stuff like this and just slow down a touch, you would do that with a suspension fork anyway.

[vbplease]

I am unconvinced of the necessity of a suspension fork on a gravel bike. More negatives than positives imo, though it will depend on how rough the trails are that you go on.
Gravel roads and tracks here, some of the tracks are a bit rough but I just pick my line, stand and unweight the front a bit it it is rough. Works fine on my '21 CF Revolt on 40mm tyres.

Stuff like this and just slow down a touch, you would do that with a suspension fork anyway.

Nice track! It looks pretty similar to our rail trail.. I agree the revolt and 40mm tyres would be good, and just unweight on the bad bits.. it could really depend on the distance and time in the saddle too. I think if going for a 2-3hour ride that would be great. I like doing our rail trail top to bottom and back, over two days which is essentially 2 x days of 8hours in the saddle.
On the first day I thought I would be clever and lock out (maybe 80%) of the front suspension (i'm riding a hardtail mtb).. after 5hours my left wrist was killing me and had to let out all the suspension. The second day was ok with all suspension.
I passed one guy (going the opposite direction) who was on a very (racey geometry) gravel bike, and my back hurt when I saw him.. either he's bullet proof or he's only going for a 2-3hour ride? He's back and arms must be killing absorbing all those shocks?

Another idea could be suspension in the stem? This could be fun to play around with on a gravel bike
https://redshiftsports.com/products/sho ... nsion-stem

[warthog1]

Nice track! It looks pretty similar to our rail trail.. I agree the revolt and 40mm tyres would be good, and just unweight on the bad bits.. it could really depend on the distance and time in the saddle too. I think if going for a 2-3hour ride that would be great. I like doing our rail trail top to bottom and back, over two days which is essentially 2 x days of 8hours in the saddle.
On the first day I thought I would be clever and lock out (maybe 80%) of the front suspension (i'm riding a hardtail mtb).. after 5hours my left wrist was killing me and had to let out all the suspension. The second day was ok with all suspension.
I passed one guy (going the opposite direction) who was on a very (racey geometry) gravel bike, and my back hurt when I saw him.. either he's bullet proof or he's only going for a 2-3hour ride? He's back and arms must be killing absorbing all those shocks?

Another idea could be suspension in the stem? This could be fun to play around with on a gravel bike
https://redshiftsports.com/products/sho ... nsion-stem

Here is my gravelly with road wheels on and the roadie I most use.
Similar reach but the bars are a touch higher on the Revolt.




I haven't done 8 hr rides on the gravelly but a few 5 hr rides. No probs comfort wise.
Drop bars allow you to vary the hand position much more than flat bars.
I see no advantage in a suspension fork for my use.
There are quite a few gravel bikes in Bendigo. I've not seen or ridden with many that have suspension forks.
One bloke who lives elsewhere had a cannondale lefty goer at one point but have ridden with him since on another bike with a rigid fork.

It may work for you but try both first I reckon.