User:Ephphatha

36 / m / -33,149

I generally only attempt hashes that are within cycling distance of Bathurst (the green area marked to your left). I usually travel with a camera, GPS and CB Radio (but rarely use the radio). If you want to meet up you're welcome to email me. I am always idling on irc in #xkcd or #geohashing, so feel free to ding me in there. Don't expect an immediate response though.

I really, really need to remember to change to the page that shows position when photographing my GPS. Then again, I have reported three failures and one success... You'll either have to trust I'm telling the truth or I'm the worst liar in history. I also need to remember to print out or sketch a map of the area using Google's satellite view. The road maps are about as awesome my similes. (Must find my compass as well, I keep losing stuff.)

(I borrowed ideas for the formatting of this page from Ekorren and Koepfel. Don't hurt me :P)

Expeditions

Link	Summary	MoT	Distance
2017-08-26_-33_149	Breaking a dry spell with a bit of bushwhacking.		66km
2010-07-17_-33_149	About 10km south of Georges Plains, but close enough to Bathurst to give it a shot.		58km
2009-05-21_-33_149	On the outskirts of Kelso. A close midnight hash for hashday.		14km
2009-04-30_-33_149	Just opposite Raglan, too close to not try.		19.5km
2009-04-17_-33_149	On a hill halfway between O'Connell and Lagoon.		44.2km
2009-04-15_-33_149	Heading north this time, mother nature was a bitch that day.		35km
2009-04-09_-33_149	The same path as below, but a little further to ride.		31.6km
2009-04-06_-33_149	A short ride out to Chifley Dam.		27km
2008-10-02_-32_149	Drove up to a small town on the road to mudgee.		162km
2008-10-01_-33_149	Technology failed me. Well, I actually failed and misread the co-ords.		85km

Distances with a decimal point are exact based on my GPS's calculations, otherwise it's a guess based on the reported distance given by google maps. I also don't usually give myself ribbons, so if you think I deserve one feel free to add it to the expedition page.

Remember to bring...

At the very least:

• GPS
• A map of the area surrounding the hash
• Camera

If traveling by bicycle:

• Bike
• Gloves
• Portable music player
• Sunglasses
• Water bottles (x2)

Just in case:

• Compass
• Torch
• Tripod
• CB Radio

Bicycle Maintenance

I'll add some photos later. If anyone wants to tell me what I'm doing wrong and what the right way to do things is, feel free to edit this section or post a note on my talk page. (If it grows into something worthy of it's own section, that'd be great too).

Derailleur Adjustment

To adjust the rear derailleur, follow these steps:

• Shift to a middle gear and tighten the adjusting barrel until the derailleur cog sits perfectly over the chosen gear.
• Shift to the lowest (largest) gear and make sure the front derailleur is on the lowest (smallest) gear, then adjust the B-Tension screw (it's usually located at the point your derailleur meets the frame) until the derailleur cog lifts off the cassette.
• Shift into the highest gear and see which of the two screws on your rear derailleur causes it to move. It'll be the one marked H, but you may not be able to make out the lettering. Adjust that screw till the derailleur cog sits over the gear on the cassette. Shift into the lowest gear and then use the other screw to do basically the same procedure.

To adjust the front derailleur, shift into the most relaxed gear (usually the inner/lowest gear) and pull the cable tight as you can. Then shift to the middle gear and and adjust the cable tension a small amount at a time, shifting into the high gear, then back to the middle gear to make sure it shifts properly. Then check the limit screw is set properly so that you can still shift into the lowest gear easily. You could also try shifting to the lowest/highest gear and adjust the derailleur until it doesn't rub on the chain but still sits as close as possible.

Cleaning

Generally I just flip the bike over and rinse it off with a hose. Haven't had any problems yet. To clean dirt that wont rinse off I use a mix of dishwashing liquid and warm water, but only on the frame. I generally just use a brush to clean dirt off the chain and gears, reapplying oil afterward.

Brakes

My brakes started squeaking recently, looked on the internet and apparently the best thing to do is sandpaper them. Really. I gave it a shot and haven't had them fail on me, in fact they're even better than new.

Grab a scouring pad, a cloth, and a piece of semi-fine sandpaper (320grit was what I used). Run the scouring pad around the rim of your wheels and wipe off any muck with the cloth. Then run the sandpaper over your brake pads until the glossy layer comes off. (Probably easiest if you remove the wheel). You will have to replace your pads if they have worn all the way down to the groove in the center. But hey, no more squeaking brakes, and they stop better than ever.