I had proven my handlebar box and my behind seat bottle cages unusable off road and looked envyingly at Lindsay's freeload rack when we rode together around Cape Palliser. I wanted to copy Lindsay's superior setup exactly as it quickly became obvious to me that he was more prepared for Africa than I. His gear had become well refined over many long offroad rides and was now reaching the point of perfection.
Surprisingly every Tour D'Afrique rider I had spoken to about racks, on bike storage and hydration systems seemed to have a freeload already. A father and son from Colorado recommended this Dunedin designed rack system. I wanted one. I needed one. Riders in America had already figured it out. Why didn't I have one already? Flying to Cairo on the 5th of January my time was getting tight.
I sent an enquiry through the freeload website and was soon talking to Tim Armstrong: one of the designers. That kind of quick response is pretty cool and from one of the inventor-types too. The freeload was in the post to me that day, and what is even cooler is that I was gifted it. Tim was supportive of what we are doing and gave it to me for nothing. Does that make me sponsored? I'm very pleased. Thanks Tim!
The rack arrived when my bike was already boxed for my flight to family Christmas and I've just arrived back in Welly now. I'm keen to fit my new piece of kit asap. I'll post some photos of the freeload complete with the bag and hydration system in place soon. I'll be fitting the rack on the front forks so I can drape the hydration tube easily over the handlebars.
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