Lights - Desert Dash

[gogo@]

I have both the Ryder and the Extremelights - prefer the mount for the second but found a piece of old tube wrapped between the bar and light mount for the Ryder stopped it sliding around. As mentioned before, the o-ring mount likes to swivel when the going gets rough. The endurance light is great. I got a larger battery (16000mAh if I remember) but that was way overkill. Rode 11 hrs using bright quite often and it only dropped below the 66% mark for the last 30mins.

[johannrissik]

I drove on that road a week ago.....it is in the worst condition I have seen it in 5 years.

If I were riding again, I'd take note of what the guys are saying about mounts and durability.

In terms of lumen? You aren't landing a C130, so you don't need to see 1km ahead.

 

You might also find that the slightly "softer" shades of white light are less tiring on your eyes.

Good luck

[sias]

For a 4 man team, 1 battery (generic Surge/Magicshine kinda thing) should be sufficient per rider right?

Yip, it was enough for us.

[Patchelicious]

I drove on that road a week ago.....it is in the worst condition I have seen it in 5 years.

If I were riding again, I'd take note of what the guys are saying about mounts and durability.

In terms of lumen? You aren't landing a C130, so you don't need to see 1km ahead.

 

You might also find that the slightly "softer" shades of white light are less tiring on your eyes.

Good luck

How do you know? I take back up support very seriously!

[sias]

Johan - which part of the route did you drive? The whole thing?

[johannrissik]

How do you know? I take back up support very seriously!

I can check the rules, but I don't think a seeonethirsty counts as a vehicle, so you might be OK.

That landing will clear the road somewhat.......

[johannrissik]

Johan - which part of the route did you drive? The whole thing?

We drove from WHK down into the Namib, near Ganab. The road is in a very poor state.

Our plan was to ride around the Mirabib area as we did in 2011, but we canned the idea due to thick loose gravel and corrugations.

We drove back via the Gamsberg pass where we saw a grader that had rolled into a ditch.......

All the roads we drove on were in bad shape, so I have no reason to believe they are any better closer to Swakopmund.

[sias]

We drove back via the Gamsberg pass where we saw a grader that had rolled into a ditch.......

 

 

   My daughter has to go down the Boshua pass in the bakkie. She has never driven on gravel roads! Let's hope the roads get graded by then!

[johannrissik]

   My daughter has to go down the Boshua pass in the bakkie. She has never driven on gravel roads! Let's hope the roads get graded by then!

Your daughter will be fine if she drives carefully and at a safe speed. There is no rush, you won't beat her to the checkpoint . OK, maybe I underestimate your ability

 

That grader (sadly didn't think to take a pic) had, by the look of things, hit a huge piece of bedrock protruding in the road on a steep downhill and then the operator lost control. I cannot assume that neither speed nor alcohol nor a long weekend Friday had anything to do with it..........

 

The sad thing is that Namibia's gravel roads were, until quite recently, renowned for the incredible surface quality.

[Patchelicious]

   My daughter has to go down the Boshua pass in the bakkie. She has never driven on gravel roads! Let's hope the roads get graded by then!

 

http://jennytrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/you-had-my-curiousity.jpeg

[IH8MUD]

sorry . .  a little OT

 

Thing is our gravel roads was all very good. 

But grading is just part of it.

It is not the only maintenance and not proper long term maintenance. 

 

The top "grade-able" part/layer of the gravel road need to be "re-stocked" after some years.

Sadly this type of infrastructure maintenance is not the way of the African government. (Eskom, railroad, water infrastructure)

 

In many places this top layer is already graded away and you end up driving on a softer, more coarse second layer underneath causing areas and depressions with a  sort of soft sand/stony corrugations.

It was never build or intended to get to this layer. 

Or you ride on, or hit (with the car or grader) bedrock.  

 

I see it every weekend I do Kupferberg.  

You guys will see the layers clearly on the 1st en 2nd Kupfer climbs.  

Also a lot of it at Us pass and further till Niedersachsen and a bit after. 

 

If we get one good rain year, Kupferberg will get serious damage. 

The individual doing the grading on Kupfer have no idea how water flow and  for 2 years have  been grading some sections lower than the drainage ditches and closing up and filling in the out-flows. 

All the water will now be coming strait down the pass.

 

Rant over. 

[sias]

And if you hit the Us pass in the dark, you'd better switch on everything you've got! It usually gets darker at around 19:45 and there are 3 corners in particular that can be dicey if you don't have plenty of light. Philip came into CP 2 at 20:25, just as the last little bit of light disappeared; when I left 5 min later it was pitch black.

If you get to the pass just before sunset, you should be fine with a headlamp up to the checkpoint, from there on you can go the whole hog...

[IH8MUD]

   My daughter has to go down the Boshua pass in the bakkie. She has never driven on gravel roads! Let's hope the roads get graded by then!

She should be OK. 

Does she have some gravel road experience? 

Even if it feels slow, remind her stay out of 5th gear. 

That would keep the speed of. 70-80km/h max. 

 

Mention engine braking  with little pedal braking and keeping it in gear down Boshua.  

Not pressing the clutch and only using foot-brake  possibly burning the brakes.  

[Frank71]

And if you hit the Us pass in the dark,...

I fully agree sias. In 2014 Dash I did the whole Us-pass in pitch black. One of the scariest things I have done. Luckily  I have done a few dry runs prior thereto in the day. You can't compromise on a proper light on 100% when hitting the pass in the dark. Took me at least 10 minutes longer to go down than on the dry runs.  Reason for doing it then in the dark - my team mates reckoned that you can't win the Dash on Kupferberg up, but you can lose it, so they decided to take it very, very slow up. 

[Warthog whisperer]

I fully agree sias. In 2014 Dash I did the whole Us-pass in pitch black. One of the scariest things I have done. Luckily  I have done a few dry runs prior thereto in the day. You can't compromise on a proper light on 100% when hitting the pass in the dark. Took me at least 10 minutes longer to go down than on the dry runs.  Reason for doing it then in the dark - my team mates reckoned that you can't win the Dash on Kupferberg up, but you can lose it, so they decided to take it very, very slow up. 

Ummm, must be hard in the dark!! Well, do the Dash Solo , then you cant blame your team mates!!

[partydave]

   My daughter has to go down the Boshua pass in the bakkie. She has never driven on gravel roads! Let's hope the roads get graded by then!

 

One of the local teams is doing the entire thing in 2 weeks time. I can confirm that stage 6 is decent shape. Will provide feedback on the rest