This is a follow-up article on my earlier post a few weeks ago, which covered planning and logistics for the 1000 km Munda Biddi (MB) dirt track ride from Perth to Albany.
Having now successfully completed the adventure in a comfortable 20 days with only 1 puncture and 2 days of light showers all I can say is WOW!.
The trails, signage, overnight shelters, towns, bakeries, flowers, forests and people met along the way and flowers are all amazing. Having ridden a number of similar trails in other countries, this trail is absolutely world class, a view supported by many overseas riders we met on the trail. It is a shame we don’t have anything of this scale on the east coast.
My initial plan for part 2 was to go into details of our day by day experience, but after reading the following excellent recent article that very much mirrors our experience, I decided it may be of more interest to discuss some of the issues that we discovered along the way in the hope that it may give anyone thinking of doing the ride a better idea of what to expect.
Munda Biddi Trail | Pedal 1000km From Perth to Albany - We Are Explorers
For those wanting a quick visual overview of the trails, this 3 minute video is well worth watching and there are many others on YouTube that document others personal endeavours.
https://youtu.be/4mtzF6rwTOo
The following bullet points summarize our observations and advice.
- The major decision that needs to be made up front is whether to ride light and fast from town to town. This option will take 2 weeks and you will need to do a number of 100+km days with daily ascents well over 1000m (longest 2000m+). A high level of fitness is clearly required and you may be more exposed to delays due to weather, mechanical, medical or fatigue. The heavy and slower option requires you to take sleeping & cooking gear, food and an optional tent so that use can be made of the excellent shelters strategically provided to allow for daily rides of less than 60km. We chose the second option, as it provided more time to enjoy the ride, stop and photograph the flowers, visit wineries and other attractions along the way and we found the camaraderie and friendships gained overnight at the shelters well worth the additional 6 kg of weight on board.
- During our October ride, a rain front came through about every 5 or 6 days and lasted for a day or so, but other than a few large shallow puddles, the tracks dried remarkably well and rain related traction was not really an issue. If you are on a very tight schedule, you won’t have the luxury of waiting a day for the worst of the weather to pass or for mechanical issues to be sorted. I would definitely plan to have at least 2 rest/rain delays built into any schedule.
- Accommodation in most towns does not need to be booked ahead of the ride, although it is clearly comforting to know where you are sleeping for the night. The only exception to this is during school holidays which finished at the end of out first week. A few people we met said that it was not possible to get beds at a couple of spots which were known holiday hot spots.
- The main mechanical issues we saw were punctures and sticks through derailleurs/spokes, but these were fairly rare. If you have the option, tubeless tyres are the safest way to go.
- More than 50% of the trail is single track, and therefore best suited to flat bar mountain bikes with more grippy tyres. Gravel bike riders were slightly in the majority, however most commented that they had grip issues in the pea gravel and on many of the single tracks and they also would have preferred lower gearing for some of the steeper climbs.
- Both regular and March flies, ticks and mosquitos were slight problems in some locations. This was a little surprising given the relatively still cool temperatures and is likely to be a major issue in warmer months.
- We were a little surprised by the relative lack of observed wildlife, given the nature of the country we were riding through. The first half of the trip had an abundance of black cockatoos, particularly in the mornings and late afternoons, but other than a few wrens and finches and the odd crow or magpie, we observed very little birdlife. Emus outnumbered wallabies/kangaroos, but in total, we saw less than 30 of each. A few of snakes and lizards sunned themselves on the trails and in the last few days around Denmark and Albany, bandicoots could be regularly seen scurrying off the trail.
- The trail is very well signposted with yellow posts at every intersection and at least every kilometer on the roads. It was however useful to have the MB trail app to pinpoint your location should you decide to make side trips. It can be purchased online and supports the work of the MB Trail Foundation. Munda Biddi Trail App . A number of riders have also posted their routes on Ride With GPS.
- As with anything remote and adventurous, preparation is key in planning food, accommodation, spares, tools and bike prep. etc.
- If you are unsure as to whether this ride is for you, I would recommend the Central West Trail (500km & 4,100m) Central West Cycle Trail as a great preparatory ride. While the two rides are quite different in terms of the surfaces, the Central West is much more gravel road focused than single track and has less relative elevation - MB (1,050km & 12,400m) it lets you know what it is like to back up day after day on gravel. You should anticipate average speeds being up to 50% lower on the Munda Biddi, due to the large amount of slow single track and this is particularly the case if you are travelling heavy.
- Some people may have a question relating to whether the ride is e-bike friendly. The short answer is no, unless you are very good at rationing usage, happy to ride at times without battery assistance or have a support vehicle with spare batteries. Distances between power points are substantial. Having said that we met a couple who had completed the ride on e-bikes.
- Seriously think about spending a couple of days exploring Albany. It is the biggest town on the ride, and while some of the attractions can be explored on bike, hiring a car allows you to reach a number of National Parks Porongurup National Park and other attractions within an hour’s drive. The white sandy beaches and bays surrounding Albany are spectacular. Having a two day buffer at the end of your trip also allows some time to catch up should you encounter delaying problems earlier in the ride. Using exploration days is better than missing flights.
- There are a number of shuttle providers at different parts of the trail should you require assistance, although phone reception is very patchy outside of the towns. We used the services of a shuttle company to bring our bags from Perth to Albany, but there are a couple of bike shops in Albany should you need a box to return home.
- Providing Rex Airlines continue to service regional Australia, I can recommend their return flights from Albany back to Perth. While a little more expensive, it gets you back to Perth Airport for a connecting Sydney flight, and saves a lot of time sitting on the bus and then having to Uber it out to the airport lugging bikes.
Happy to be contacted if you need further advice, spreadsheets, maps