Epic Mountain Bikin Road Trips

MARKL

Eats Squid
Finally at Thredbo, yesterday's trip turned into an epic. Share your adventures.

We were finally packed and ready to go at 4.00pm. 4 blokes/8 bikes and associated crap. 40+ degrees.

Got onto the M4 and about 200m in the panhard rod on the front of the Jeep let go, front axle moving all over the place. Pulled over, inspect diagnose decide to head back and grab other mates Grand :pound: Vitara. Move gear across, repack and on our way. Mate excitedly tells us how it was serviced this week, including reverse flush of cooling system and it is now running 10deg cooler.

Driver is getting a bit excited and pressing on when the aircon dies, he then notices the temp needle has dropped to zero. Pull over and we start trying to cool the thing down when candidate for the Genius Bar turns off the engine. Heat soak, fear of engine seizing etc bit of a blow up between a couple of the boys and we are still on the outskirts of Sydney. A phone call is placed and favours called in and the absolute legend that is John Hardwick :help:comes to the rescue. Car cooled and restarted, debate ensues whether the bubbles in the radiator are left over detergents from the flush - Hanrahan diagnoses blown head gasket. Owner decides he wants to press on - who am I to argue and it's not like I will get my accomm money back.

We give owner an assessment of his driving so far and strict instructions to nurse the heap of shit. Temp gauge sits at normal level from then on, slow trip. We fill up petrol and more water at Pheasants nest and keep going. Driver change just before Canberra followed by more petrol. As we come to Cooma Hanrahan in the front seat is feeling crook. We make it to Cooma and Hanrahan disappears to the bathroom for ages. I take over the driving. Hanrahan still hasn't returned from bathroom, we joke that maybe fart was a shart and still cleaning himself off. Hanrahan returns looking like crap, told us he had been sick...don't ask about the shart. A couple of k's down the road we pull over and Hanrahan spends the next ten minutes throwing up.

I'm driving the bucket of bolts as gently as possible, one eye on the temp gauge, low revs, even if that means slow progress, weather has cooled down. Eta for Thredbo 1.30am.

Then the wildlife comes out, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies deer...my eyes a wide open it seems every couple of hundred meters something is about to jump out at us. A heap of near misses, swerves, braking moments. But we are nearly there. Through the Nat park gates, 15km to go, 10 to go...we are o close I can taste it...when I call for Hanrahan to wind his window down, it's misting up...brain working slowly in background...don't rev the engine, watch the temp gauge for change, where is the next animal coming from? I can't see...:boom: and windscreen covered in water. WTF did I hit? Drive into break down bay, open bonnet, steam everywhere, grab torch to see what happened. Then I see the top tank on the radiator has split. We cool the thing down, get some liquid into it and crawl into Thredbo....I'm fucked and we haven't even gotten near riding.

Work out how we get home later this morning.
 
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MARKL

Eats Squid
I'm guessing the bikes are better maintained than the cars!
And worth more, though as I always say:

"All Jeeps are cheap...it's just the price that varies"

Thinking of updating to...

"All Jeeps are cheap....until you own one"
 

evObda2

Likes Bikes and Dirt
And worth more, though as I always say:

"All Jeeps are cheap...it's just the price that varies"

Thinking of updating to...

"All Jeeps are cheap....until you own one"
Absolutely spot on.. An anyone who owns a jeep and likes it or says is reliable is simply lying.
The hard slog of a journey will just make the riding even better!!
 

MARKL

Eats Squid
Two days of great riding so far. I bought a season pass due to the extended stay - today will be an easy day I think. All the chair lift access tracks are running great. The new 'all mountain' track is #soendurocool it's not funny.

The piece of crap Vitara, the Shonk confirmed blown head gasket and wants $3k plus to fix it....the car is worth about that. Current plan is to get a new radiator, bolt that in and limp it back to Sydney with the cooling system de-pressurised. Then burn the POS...well that is what I would do, not sure of owners plans. Another mate, Alex you're a legend :thumb: is trying to get clearance from she who must be obeyed to come down do a days riding and to tow the trailer and bikes. That should ease the load on the POS and make the return trip easier...and hopefully I can negotiate my way into Alex's vehicle :pray:
 
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pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Design life for a car these days is tops, 20 years, less for one that does a normal number of kms a year. I'm guessing the stress of towing didn't help the vitara.

Car hire with a towbar is going to be tricky in jyndabyne - hope you get home !
 

MARKL

Eats Squid
Design life for a car these days is tops, 20 years, less for one that does a normal number of kms a year. I'm guessing the stress of towing didn't help the vitara.

Car hire with a towbar is going to be tricky in jyndabyne - hope you get home !
Funny thing is I have only driven the Vitara twice. Once when it was new on a shuttle trip, a few gear box smells and I was barred from ever driving it again...until this trip :pound:
 

MARKL

Eats Squid
So, got back to Sydney tonight. It has been entertaining if nothing else...where do I start...

The piece of crap Vitara, mechanic confirmed blown head gasket and wants $3k plus to fix it...
Filling in some details...
The mechanic...the mechanic is a shonk and a low life, whilst I won't name him on a public forum if you are travelling through Thredbo/Jindabyne and need a recommendation of a mechanic to avoid, PM me. From this point onwards he will be referred to as the Shonk.

As I said before, Shonk diagnosed blown head gasket and $3k plus fix...may need heads sent away to be machined...etc. Shonk was very clear that the head gasket was completely gone and he didn't need to do any testing as he could tell, absolutely head gasket and it will cost at least $3k to fix. Shonk tried to get us to get the vehicle towed to his workshop in Jindy, we looked at the value of the vehicle, the owner's (aka the Candidate for the Genius Bar) personal circumstances and decided to limp the vehicle back to Sydney but we would still need a new radiator and to have it installed. Asked Shonky for a quote, his price for the radiator was more than twice the cost that we had been quoted to get the radiator, including delivery - would have been a thousand bucks plus to replace the radiator from him. And the delivery would take longer. When questioned about the cost difference he said he was getting it from XX. I later phoned XX and they advised that they don't actually sell that model radiator but anyhow...

Shonk was going to come and install the radiator that we sourced but then changed his mind and told the Candidate for the Genius Bar that he wanted nothing to do with the job. Then phoned back a few hours later to try and stick us a bill of a few hundred for quoting the job...then he abused the Candidate for the Genius Bar...not a nice piece of work. Clearly his MO is to get the vehicle towed to his yard and to hold you to ransom from that point on - avoid this scenario at all costs.

Anyhow we got our new radiator delivered last night by the awesome Alex :high5: who came down to rescue us. Today is Alex's birthday - Happy Birthday Alex :woot:

This morning I was too stuffed to ride so I told the Awesome Alex to take his son for a ride, I would pack the vehicles, trailer, bikes etc while the Candidate for the Genius Bar and the Hanrahan installed the new radiator. Anyhow Candidate for the Genius Bar finally did something smart and called his regular mechanic, who serviced the POS last week and his over the phone diagnosis was thermostat...which made sense to me considering how far we had driven the vehicle, lack of water in oil/oil in water. Hanrahan said 'no we will all be runed its a head gasket' and carried on like a pork chop. Candidate for the Genius Bar and Hanrahan had a couple of blow ups but eventually installed the new radiator.

We took about 40 liters of water in various containers and headed off with a plan to get to Cooma, get a mechanic there to remove the thermostat (chances of having the thermostat in Cooma were assessed as zero). I was travelling with the Awesome Alex and had at last escaped the POS Vitara. We get to Cooma and pull over at the Shell servo. On the opposite side of the road is a beautiful looking workshop, neat, maintained looks like an oasis in a sea of despair. I'm encouraging Candidate for the Genius Bar to take it to this new workshop, Hanrahan is insisting no mechanic will remove the thermostat and that he should do it. Hanrahan starts to remove the 'thermostat' housing*. Candidate for the Genius Bar tells Hanrahan that he wants to speak to his mechanic before anything happens so that he can be sure that removing the thermostat is a good idea. Hanrahan asks if he can speak to the regular mechanic, Hanrahan then starts 'Candidate for the Genius Bar is second guessing me...', instant blow up and Candidate for the Genius Bar takes the phone off Hanrahan and explains to him that he is a cock head - Candidate for the Genius Bar and Hanrahan have no more speakies from this point onwards.

*Thermostat housing - I was suspicious, the shape looked wrong to me for the thermostat housing. I dialed Dr Google who informed me that it was not the thermostat housing...in fairness it was next to the thermostat housing. Candidate for the Genius Bar takes the POS across to the oasis other wise known as Kel's who advised that they would not be able to work on the car for an hour or so. Not a problem, we will go and get some lunch. I go to pick up some of the things that are where Hanrahan is standing and he asks 'am I still a cock head'. I advise that I am unaware of any update to this status (not my fight).

After lunch I jump into the car with the Awesome Alex and head back to Sydney, leaving Candidate for the Genius Bar and Hanrahan to wait for the car to be fixed...I figure they can do with some alone time. Anyhow a thermostat is sourced, Kel confirms that the old thermostat was the problem and there is no issue with the head gasket. He puts in some coolant, tops up the trans fluid and Candidate for the Genius Bar and Hanrahan travel back to Sydney...still no speakies. They make it to Sydney without further incident...safe, sound and...in silence.

And the riding was awesome - the new AM trail is magic
 
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pink poodle

気が狂っている男
I do love a good silence. Some people can't appreciate the pleasure of quiet. Sounds like quite an adventure.
 

Moggio

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I hope you guys go away again as I really enjoyed that story and would like a new one.

Bloody shonky mechanics, they really seem to come out of the woodwork when you are stuck somewhere far from home.
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
Mate, well done. You need to write novels. I only wish this came with video as it sounds like it would have been hilarious to have been a fly on the wall. Not necessarily a part of other than the sweet riding.
 

MARKL

Eats Squid
Thanks for the kind words guys, it was certainly an adventure.

Moggio - I think you have met the Candidate for the Genius Bar before as he has helped out on Knapsack build days.

Next trip will be in December to Canberra but my expectation is that it will be less eventful.


Surely somebody else has a road trip adventure that they want to share? If nothing else to keep Moggio entertained.
 

ForkinGreat

Knows his Brassica oleracea
That was excellent! Well written and observed & I got a great chuckle from reading about your adventures.
At least the riding was great :thumb:

Looking forward to the Canberra installment.
 

stirk

Burner
Nice story, thanks for sharing.

I particularly liked this bit! Lol.

Genius Bar takes the phone off Hanrahan and explains to him that he is a cock head - Candidate for the Genius Bar and Hanrahan have no more speakies from this point onwards.
 

Moggio

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Moggio - I think you have met the Candidate for the Genius Bar before as he has helped out on Knapsack build days.
Now that has piqued my interest... will have to check out who has done any trips recently!

If nothing else to keep Moggio entertained.
I love these sort of stories, probably because the group of us who go on riding trips have dodged major disasters many times and seemingly have a charmed existence with only minor disasters that we all laugh at.
 

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
Gold. Absolute gold
All wrapped up in a label saying 'Genius Bar'.


Given that the Vitara is not actually deceased, I look forward to more appearances in future episodes of 'MARKL's Misadventures in Mountain Biking' AKA 'Shuttle Shenanigans'
 
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