Today I put myself on the line and decided to conduct and experiment to get some realistic statistics on the crossing of Australian salt lakes.
the surface type we chose to test was the most common . STICKY MUD.
the experiment was to cross a known section of salt lake on a 18 gear 26" bicycle and record the following.
1. Distance travelled riding
2.Distance travelled pushing
3.Distance covered dragging
4.Time taken in total to run the experiment.
The location selected as the south west lagoon of Lake Lefroy
this inlet has no hard salt crust, has been known to be hard enough to be driven on at the bottom 2kms,and has large creeks draining in from the Widgiemooltha Ranges
The length of the trek is a simple 10km with opportunities to exit to the main highway at 6 and 8kms, mobile coverage throughout..
the plan was for my faithful companion Test Pilot 1 to follow by road and meet me at the other end.
I was to run from the railway crossing at the north end of the lagoon to the Widgiemooltha cemetery, wheer I have driven a landcruiser on the lake last year.
the lagoon is the route that is claimed by many original club members as being the way they used to sail down to widgie pub for a beer, so if they are to believed it can be done.
I used a bike rather than a yacht because the wind was light and the run was a straight downwinder, completely impractical for a landyacht. A bike was an obvious alternative as I could make good speed when I got on harder ground. the bike weighs in at 18kg,quite heavy due to the suspension and big fat trendy frame . The tread was about 50% on each tyre
Initially I walked onto the lake and didnt sink , or get sticky mud on my boots, so we started the clock and off I rode, TP1 planned to wait till I was out of sight the move down to the next get off point.
. So the comp is to guess the 4 statistics that we gained from the completed experiment
TP1 and crazy trav may not post or give hints as they have either witnessed or seen the tracks running off across the lake. The photos are great. and Im particularly happy with the very conclusive results. I feel that it was an afternoon well spent on Lake Lefroy.
the prize is simply the kudos of being the winner
let the best guess win
I have questions.........[}:)]
Was any alky involved 
before or after 
Were the tyres, knobbly or smooth 
What was the measure of Effort Expended 
Why..........
Did you basically ride across or with the slush 
Have you viewed the doco salt, similar bike ,
plus two wheel trailer, Weight around 100kg
He made it slush up to 8 k's wide before wet salt then dry salt.
You would be as capable as him, so i say you made it @ 2kph + rests 
What are you doing, I thought you got TP1 to do this sort of stuff for you!!
1. 50m
2. 30m
3. 80m back
4. 15min
Did TP1 do the tennis racket thingy while you rode/slogged 
swore
I checked google... can't see any fresh bike tracks or footprints 
did you really do it or r u just leg pulling
couple answers. Yes real experiment, 1 light beer courtesy of crazy trav
this was not a lush zone experiment. I did that one earlier in the day and I will discuss later.
This was a serious experiment on sticky mud , the kind found on so many salt lakes . at the Lake Eyre yacht club it extends for at least 500m out, same stuff. this is the stuff you go through BEFORE you get to the slush zone.
joes Google map is the right spot, but hes made the misinterpreted the surfaces on the image . i would hope anybody contemplating trekin on a salt lake will be able to use the results of this experiment as an initial guide to thier own efforts.
TP1 has his mental and limits
rode a few k, until the beer and heat took effect
dragged the bike to the 6k mark cause who could push an 18 kilo 'bike'
got out at the 6k mark.
time taken for the effect of the beer to wear off
really?
I have no idea!!!!
sorry I havent been on, computer hassles.
24hrs left for guess. Hopefully I will be able to get this old windup comput to upload photos
only a few hours to go so heres a taster to prove there was no leg pulling the lake ahead is a relatively even texture and composition you can see the 8km get off point in the distance. as well as the full 10km end point
Oh well, that blows my theory out of the water - didn't think you would even get that far
My guesses seeing as we got a nice picture for the thread as a hint
3.5 km riding
5.5 walking the bike
1 dragging bike
2.5 hr
After a couple of edits I think this is my final guess Im assuming you did the whole trip complete, or thats how I read it...
Last time I was on that part of the lake I was on a motor bike took me hours to get out. Dam thing sank up to the carby. Had trouble just walking on some parts of it. Why would you do it?
Cheers
vic
Did you let the tyres down?
Shift to low range?
Bit hard to tell from the photo if that machine can lock the centre diff to go into full 2x2 mode
Landyacht.....great piccky... I recon you should arrange it for a yearly
salt bash for some charity. 
Get the school kids in on their bikes.
I'll throw in $100 prize money for starters hope others do too 
here is the entire run as seen from the top of the landcruiser, 43m out riding. pushed 2 metres further after cleaning wheels, then after full lock up of wheels,and the deraileur gears, 45m dragging back.
Its important to note that the bike didnt sink past its tyres. initially the mud clogged the frame and brakes, then started dropping on the chain. after clearing the mud i pushed on , but the leftover mud on the tyres instantly picked up new mud. dried mud can be seen on the rims and spokes very quickly . and it sets hard , possibly due to the high gypsum content?. after dragging back to the trailer it took 2 of us to lift it .. when TP1 went back out to measure the distances, we noted that his boots were now damp and the mud was sticky to his feet. Me , being lighter was able to walk on the surface
Just for joe , earlier in the day we took the bike to an example of his beloved
"Slush Zones". unlike the sticky mud the bike just plain old sinks till the salt crystals get into the chain then the gears seize. I rode out on to a good size slush zone and managed a good 60m before stopping. I found that I could get off and carry the gear back , then come back for the bike , carefully wheeling it over fresh salt, as this was wet and sloppy , rather than sticky and being careful not to step on old tracks as I broke through.
I think we might scrap that charity run joe
If you compare the google images of Lefroy and Gairdner you will see some good comparisons. much of what you see is very thin layers of salt dried after being blown around by wind,but underneath is probably sticky mud.
My version 5 imagery of lake Eyre is so poor that I couldnt make any guesses of the conditions at the time the image was taken
Good go landy and tp1, there is much of australia where one would
have exactly the same problems. The only thing that makes some country
drivable is the compaction of previous vehicles. Move to either side of that and
down one goes. Some people loose vehicles, trucks and motor cycles for
months. we have lifted 175cc motor cycle with chopper. nearly lift stalled the
bell47 and bike exited like cork from a good wine. My summary, it's just as
treacherous as 50 percent of Australia. I'll put my $100 away for rain day
I am trying to get hold of some ground penetrating radar maps of Lake
Lefroy and Lake Eyre, to see if they can add much to the discussion.
Sn certainly got the Kudos.
The GPR should show shallow bedrock and Paleochannels for lefroy , and deeper sedimentary fill for Eyre The bit you need be concerned with is the tertiary fill that the radar has penetrated, in particular the top 2m. the ever changing 150mm on the top is the one that is of the most concern as 1 rain can completely change its properties. dont go spending money on data Joe,
Data make the world go rooooooooooooouuuuunnnnndd sorta,
You are just saying what Roma said many years ago. I will selectively, out of
context, post some of her observations after i read the book again.
Murray Prescote ? whatsit, who wrote and filmed "SALT" shows a similar transit
across the smuck. His producer / director Micheal Angus of Salt
www.saltdoco.com has given me the ok to reproduce some of the material here
it's very informative. I have to buy the video as yet.....sooon
How about we solve the problem once and for all and stop the ongoing waffle, who lives the closest Fill up the car, take a yacht, bike or buggy and a camera and put your feet on the ground. Take lots of photos and show what lake eyre is like NOW rather than in the past. SIMPLE
thats the reason for the research ,W Nut, as nobody lives nearby , we have to see what can be found out from other sources , and correlate them geographically, before filling the tank.
Having just laid hands on Romas book today I am immediately struck by the similarities in the surfaces of Eyre and Lefroy, and hope to learn alot from it.
At some future point , perhaps it may be a case of suck it and see.
Being a seabreeze member doesnt mean you Have to read , or agree/disagree with every post
Love Waffle's........ Wheelnut, but I think you have loosened again,
watching pretty water flow down rivers to the lake from a helicopter,
is a bit like wiping your a*se with a stinging nettle . Not very good for an
intelligent person .I wont bother continuing .
