Beach bumming Mozambique

[Ross Riddle]

Awesome RR,

Looking at the route has got the juices flowing and going to start the planning!

[Charel]

As always, GREAT RR Xpat

[Xpat]

The GPS tracks for the section from Namaacha to Pomene are attached to the first post in this thread. The rest of the GPS tracks from Pomene through to Vilankulos and then back to SA are attached to this post.

[Xpat]

Thanks again for following and comments 

Cheers

[boland]

Very Epic!

Just out of interest, what pressure were you running the tubes that kept failing?

[africanSky]

Awesome RR!! you have the worst luck of anyone when it comes to punctures though. is there not possibly something wrong with the wheel / tyre?

[Xpat]

Very Epic!

Just out of interest, what pressure were you running the tubes that kept failing?

I kept if always above 2 bar - more like 2.5 bar - to prevent pinch flats. With tubeliss in Moz I was riding somewhere in the 0.5 - 1 bar range, as I was mostly riding deep sand.

As I said, the tubes mostly failed at the seams - they basically fell apart and didn't have punctures, if I remember correctly. I believe extreme heat had something to do with that as tau at about same time was doing Khaudum circimnavigation in Nam and Bots and was running into the same type of problems with tubes disintegratign and patches not holding on.

I have a hunch that the rear Motoz Tractionators didn't help, but of course cannot prove it. Compared to C02 that I usualy use, they have very soft sidewalls that flexed much more and - I'm guessing here - probably heat up more than stiff walled C02s. Now it is possible that I contributed to that by riding on them flat for 30 km on tar to Chokwe - I'm sure that may have caused some structural damage that may have then came to bite me in those later flats. But the tyre was soft even before I rode it flat so who knows.

@billy-joe : I will stick with Tubeliss as for my kind of riding it offers the best in terms of ease of puncture repair (plugs) and versatility in terms of tyre pressure, that comes handy on trip like this. For example first day and last days there were mostly on tar of fast dirt and I kept my tyre pressure high to prevent excessive wear on the knobblies. And then in sand I was riding at less than 1 bar to get best traction.

Mousses, while even more robust (though not unfallible) solution in terms of flats, doesn't give me that flexibility. I came to accept that there seems to be limited time span on those Tubeliss inners, but they still last few trips for me, so from that trip on I just pack a pair of spare Tubeliss inner tubes (as well as my last resort spare tubes permanently attached to my front fender) and that should in my opinion cover me sufficiently for basically any remote trip.

That is my view - most other people riding 500 prefer mousses and had a good luck with them so far, so you have to do your own research and decide for yourself what fits you best.

[Xpat]

Awesome RR!! you have the worst luck of anyone when it comes to punctures though. is there not possibly something wrong with the wheel / tyre?

Thanks. I just happened to be typing answer to that while you posted so please refer to the prior post.

That said, for a long time I have been more or less imune to the punctures. After this Moz trip I have spent more than month and a half riding rocks in Lesotho and had zero punctures. To be honest, I don't get too fazed by a flat here and there - on this trip it was exacerbrated by the broken sidestand and unusual frequent failure of tubes I had. The only other trip I can remember from top of my had that was really plagued by punctures was the Okavango delta one http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=192974.0.

Apart from these two trips, I don't think any of my other trips was particularly bad in terms of flats. Sure I had them here and there, but nothing out of ordinary, and quite frankly if you ride mostly long trips off the beaten track, they are to be expected to an extent.

[Mikie]

Thanks for sharing another epic ride report and sharing those routes.

I am so thankful my bike is Tubeless, dont you have an option of fitting tubeless rims?
I know they are pricey but considering the headaches you went through I would think it justifies getting a set

My gf has an AT now, I dread going on trips with her and having to sort out punctures all the way along.
I am seriously looking at how I can sort that out, Tubliss conversion is currently on my radar but from your experience it seems it isnt full proof

Tubes are for bicycles IMHO

[Xpat]

Thanks for sharing another epic ride report and sharing those routes.

I am so thankful my bike is Tubeless, dont you have an option of fitting tubeless rims?
I know they are pricey but considering the headaches you went through I would think it justifies getting a set

My gf has an AT now, I dread going on trips with her and having to sort out punctures all the way along.
I am seriously looking at how I can sort that out, Tubliss conversion is currently on my radar but from your experience it seems it isnt full proof

Tubes are for bicycles IMHO

I'm sure there are some Sickaflex solutions for tubeless, Tubeliss is superior for my riding to Tubeless. I can ride extremely low pressures - even flat with Tubeliss as the inner (if working) keeps the tyre on the rim. With tubeless, the tyre would lose bead. Also there are basically no proper offroad tubeless tyres availalbe (TKC80 is mostly tar/dirt road tyre IMO).

While this was a bit of bitch, if I would have been carrying spare TUbeliss inner, I would have been fine. And this kind of experiences fundamentally belong to adv riding IMO - it may sound perverse but I often even enjoy them as I don't work manually normally and this is a nice reality check that also keeps the brain exercised, as just getting tyre on/off without pinching tube is quite an interesting puzzle and enjoy findingi tricks to get it right.

Spare tubes are absolutely indispensable on trips like this - as they are the only solution that works when everything else fails (includingi tubeless - I have ridden many km on my 1150 GSA with tube in) and also can be repaired. So I will always carry them.

This whole raging debate about tubeliss vs tubes to me is clear symptom of how undifferentiated this whole adventure riding thingy became where on one extreme end it is basically people who just want to ride supersports with upright riding position and on other the traditional dual sporting, which is basically plated enduro riding off the beaten track along the lines of this trip.

If you ask anybody who has done this kind of DS trip rather than long distance touring, I think they would all agree that spare tube as a back-up is a must, regardless whether they use primarily tubes, mousses or some kind of tubeless solution. On these trips losing an hour chaning the tube is not such a big deal as these trips are open ended (I don't have to make the destination every night) and measured in hours and not in km (I spent 2 weeks riding 3000 km, which is what some people on those big tourers do in 2 days).

And vice versa, when your trips are well planned with bookings and stuff and involving eating lots of kms on relatively easy tar/dirt, then a puncture or two can throw your whole plan in the air. So I can understand the hate of tubes.

It is about specific application.

[Amsterdam]

First of all, thanks for the tracks (my Basecamp has a folder called Xpat tracks).  Secondly something about punctures.  This was unlikely to be the problem you had with the tubes but I have had it once before (okay, it was in 1979 but still, it can happen again) where I had hit a big rock that damaged the inside of the tire.  This damaged bit became almost like a pair of pliers that kept pinching the tube.  I would patch it and it literally ate the patch off my tube.  Only after several repairs did I properly inspect my tire and found the problem.

[adamktm]

XPat - what mobile phone apps do you recommend?
We use maps.me - what say you?
Thanks!!

I use:

- Mapout, which is German app and you have to pay R70 to get it in app store - after that the maps of the whole world are for free. What I like about it is you can very easily load gpx tracks on it, by just sending them to an email address you get assigned when you register. It automatically uploads to your device and you can see it. And of course it has very detailed countour maps of the whole world (you download only the ones you need) - for example it has many of not most cattle tracks in lesotho as well as hersmen huts in remote areas - no idea how they managed that.
- Mapy.cz: this is free czech application from the same people who do windity and windify. It has better maps than Mapout and it is easier to plan a route on it, but I didn't figure out yet way to load gpx tracks to it, so I use it inconjunction with mapout. Mapout for navigating while on the track, mapy.cz for route planning at base.

Hi Xpat

Loving yet another of your R&R’s! What do you use to plot your routes? You’ve mentioned before that you find the tracks on google earth so how do you go from that to having it on your Mapout app?

[Xpat]

I don't use Google Earth, I use My Maps from Google. This application is for some reason hidden away in Google portfolio - they don't seem to be keen to promote it for some reason, but I like it much more than Earth, because it allows you to combine layers, where in one you for example plot track on satellite image (same as Earth), while in the other you route track on existing Googlemaps maps (i.e. you don't need 'draw' the track yourself but just put points on existing tracks - and googlemaps have suprising amount of very remote tracks already in it - you just need to zoom in quite a bit as they don't show when looking on big map). The second way is of course much much faster, but it requires for the tracks to already exist in googlemaps (which they often do - even some that no bikers have done so far - like transit road between Khwai and Seronga in Okavango delta that I rode first time last year). So the preferred option is to use already mapped tracks, and where they don't exist on the map (as was the case for most of those Moz coastal tracks), I plot them manually looking at satellite images.

The easiest way to find My Maps is to type in google search bar "My Maps" and they will come up. You have to have google account though (for example gmail) as you are creating and storing those maps online.

Once the tracks are plotted - whichever way, I just export them as KML file (same as for Earth) to your computer and then use online converter (there are plenty just google) to convert them to gpx file. And then you proceed like with any other gpx file - you can load it directy to your GPS, or into Basecamp, or - in the case of MapOut - you just mail them to the dedicated email address you receive when you register with MapOut. After you mail them you just refresh your tracks on your phone/tablet (you have to be connected to internet of course) and they will appear there.

[Just Blip It!]

Great report Martin! Recognized all the Swazi sections and everything up to Bilene. I have ridden those a few times! Lovely photos and scenery. Thanks for sharing!

[Osadabwa]

You properly enjoyed those beach tracks! Only time I went that far down in Moz I was on a totally useless BMW F650 Dakar which fell down just looking at deep sand. Now on my XR, or on that 500 of yours, itd be a joy. I never fear sand anymore, in fact, after 5 years in Kenya I appreciate how smooth and not rocky it is!

Here comes one more opinion on tires/tubliss etc. You ride a lot of variety. The Lesotho trip and this one are totally different. Lesotho is technical, rocky and mostly slow. This one was fast, hot blasting... sand heats up those tires a lot, like you say. I reckon for the faster trips, you might want to try the Bridgestone E-79 Gritty. I finally had to change over to it after years of the CO-2 because it has an even tougher sidewall. Lasts me about 2x as long as the Mitas as well, but it's stiff... you can let air out, but she doesn't smoosh. As for the Tubliss... I also had the valve rip on me, so add me to the list. But I've decided it's still a good option for the rear. I put a mousse up front now (but again, it's always fast riding and always on horrible rocky tracks).

Sweet riding man. Go rest and go ride some more.

[Straatkat]

You properly enjoyed those beach tracks! Only time I went that far down in Moz I was on a totally useless BMW F650 Dakar which fell down just looking at deep sand. Now on my XR, or on that 500 of yours, itd be a joy. I never fear sand anymore, in fact, after 5 years in Kenya I appreciate how smooth and not rocky it is!

Here comes one more opinion on tires/tubliss etc. You ride a lot of variety. The Lesotho trip and this one are totally different. Lesotho is technical, rocky and mostly slow. This one was fast, hot blasting... sand heats up those tires a lot, like you say. I reckon for the faster trips, you might want to try the Bridgestone E-79 Gritty. I finally had to change over to it after years of the CO-2 because it has an even tougher sidewall. Lasts me about 2x as long as the Mitas as well, but it's stiff... you can let air out, but she doesn't smoosh. As for the Tubliss... I also had the valve rip on me, so add me to the list. But I've decided it's still a good option for the rear. I put a mousse up front now (but again, it's always fast riding and always on horrible rocky tracks).

Sweet riding man. Go rest and go ride some more.

Osadabwa, have you tried the fatty front tyre? Golden tyre and Michelin make them as far as I know. Don't have my bike here now, it's being prepped for Koakoland, but I seem to remember it is a 90/100 or something like that. They are awesome on rocks and sand, but you have to get a fatter mousse to go with it, obviously

[dirt rat]

Just a theory on tubliss- the failures mentioned on this forum have one thing in common- high temperatures.
Tubliss warns the user not to exceed 110 psi.Could it be that if you are already on 110 psi - added heat factor could take the pressure way beyond 110 psi causing the failure.
I have now done in excess of 25000km on tubliss and have noticed that they still work well between 90 and 100 psi and have had zero problems so far.
Maybe in really hot conditions you should not inflate the tubliss to 110 but rather run them at slightly lower pressures.
Anyhow I am doing Kaoko Land in April and will post feedback.

[adamktm]

I don't use Google Earth, I use My Maps from Google. This application is for some reason hidden away in Google portfolio - they don't seem to be keen to promote it for some reason, but I like it much more than Earth, because it allows you to combine layers, where in one you for example plot track on satellite image (same as Earth), while in the other you route track on existing Googlemaps maps (i.e. you don't need 'draw' the track yourself but just put points on existing tracks - and googlemaps have suprising amount of very remote tracks already in it - you just need to zoom in quite a bit as they don't show when looking on big map). The second way is of course much much faster, but it requires for the tracks to already exist in googlemaps (which they often do - even some that no bikers have done so far - like transit road between Khwai and Seronga in Okavango delta that I rode first time last year). So the preferred option is to use already mapped tracks, and where they don't exist on the map (as was the case for most of those Moz coastal tracks), I plot them manually looking at satellite images.

The easiest way to find My Maps is to type in google search bar "My Maps" and they will come up. You have to have google account though (for example gmail) as you are creating and storing those maps online.

Once the tracks are plotted - whichever way, I just export them as KML file (same as for Earth) to your computer and then use online converter (there are plenty just google) to convert them to gpx file. And then you proceed like with any other gpx file - you can load it directy to your GPS, or into Basecamp, or - in the case of MapOut - you just mail them to the dedicated email address you receive when you register with MapOut. After you mail them you just refresh your tracks on your phone/tablet (you have to be connected to internet of course) and they will appear there.

Thank you, I will give it a bash!

[adamktm]

You properly enjoyed those beach tracks! Only time I went that far down in Moz I was on a totally useless BMW F650 Dakar which fell down just looking at deep sand. Now on my XR, or on that 500 of yours, itd be a joy. I never fear sand anymore, in fact, after 5 years in Kenya I appreciate how smooth and not rocky it is!

Here comes one more opinion on tires/tubliss etc. You ride a lot of variety. The Lesotho trip and this one are totally different. Lesotho is technical, rocky and mostly slow. This one was fast, hot blasting... sand heats up those tires a lot, like you say. I reckon for the faster trips, you might want to try the Bridgestone E-79 Gritty. I finally had to change over to it after years of the CO-2 because it has an even tougher sidewall. Lasts me about 2x as long as the Mitas as well, but it's stiff... you can let air out, but she doesn't smoosh. As for the Tubliss... I also had the valve rip on me, so add me to the list. But I've decided it's still a good option for the rear. I put a mousse up front now (but again, it's always fast riding and always on horrible rocky tracks).

Sweet riding man. Go rest and go ride some more.

Osadabwa, have you tried the fatty front tyre? Golden tyre and Michelin make them as far as I know. Don't have my bike here now, it's being prepped for Koakoland, but I seem to remember it is a 90/100 or something like that. They are awesome on rocks and sand, but you have to get a fatter mousse to go with it, obviously

Mitts also do the fatty style front three in the C19 and C27

[wildside]

An interesting RR and choosing that hectic route encourages one to really discover Mozambique. I don't think I will be putting this one on my bucket list though....a little too rough for the likes of me . Loved your photos but sad to see the old bike always strung up and looking broken. Thanks for sharing