Exploring Canberra by bike – the Red Book

For those who know I have joined Pedal Power the ACT equivalent of Bicycle NSW. I have been able to get a couple of rides with Pedal Power in on Saturdays. These rides are similar to MASSBUG rides with the riders being a mixture of ages and led by an experienced ride leader.

Like the MASSBUG rides the leader has planned the ride weeks if not Months in advance and has been able to take us to some interesting places. On the first ride we went to Reid and saw the Turkish memorial to the ANZACs and their service in Korea along side troops from New Zealand and Australia.  Last Saturday we went to the ACT bushfire memorial to the fires that happened in 2003 and destroyed most of Mt Stromlo and several suburbs.

The Saturday rides all finish at a cafe. On the first ride it finished at a cafe in Dickson and on the last one we finished at Weston Creek.  I have enjoyed these rides although they are not as fast as the rides with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club. I am still considering joining either the Tuggeranong Vikings Cycling Club or the ACT Vets Cycling Club. I will make a decision as soon as I have been able to get in on a training ride.

I have also purchased the famous Red Book of  rides which outlines some good places to ride in Canberra. On thursday I went on a ride to Belconnen and back to Civic after work. The day was hot and dry. The temperatures were in the 30s so I was drinking water most of the day to keep myself hydrated for this ride. I was able to get a good ride in although it was just a exploratory ride, the route was mapped out in the Red Book and it used a lot of the ACT’s bike paths to Belconnen. I started from Weston Park where I rode to after work. I then went through Yarralumla past the Governor General’s residance and then around the lake and Scrivenor Dam.

I then took the path that lead to Parkes Drive near the ANU and got talking to some rodies. It is interesting here in the ACT given that a lot of people ride road bikes  (not just the guys in clubs wearing lycra). The riders are also friendly and when I stopped to check things out they did ask if I was allright or needed directions. I rode along the bike path under Parkes way and then encountered what would normally be a slight rise. I say this because it was either the heat or the lack of preparation that really sapped my strength. I was riding the Katana and lacked the range of gears that either the Trek, Red Hybrid or Black Magic has. I continued on however and got to Belconnen way.

After a wrong turn I got back on to the route suggested in the Red book and went up Benjamin Way. I then took the path around Lake Ginninderra and noticed the transition from urban suburb to what would be almost European farm land (yellow not Green however). I rode around that lake and would have gone on past the University of Canberra but took a few more wrong turns and wound up back in suburban Canberra. I rode through some of the northern suburbs. Some of which resembled housing commission suburbs in Sydney.

I finally found myself on familiar territory when I got to Lyneham. When I got there I took the bike path I know leads to Dickson and then took myself up Northbourne Avenue back to Woden via Adelaide Avenue. It was a really good ride but one I will have to repeat again to make sure I get the benifit of the good landmarks.

Canberra Cycling

Everyone who read the last post will know I wanted to write something about Canberra. To update everyone, I moved to the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) in September for work. I have cycled in the ACT on a number of previous occasions. It is a nice area although it has its issues.

I was put up for 3 weeks in the Pavillion on Northbourne – a motel with Serviced Apartments. It was reasonable but lacked cooking facilities. I took the Green Trek there and began riding to work in my second week. There are more people cycling to work in the ACT than there are in Sydney.  I feel that this is due to their superior facilities. To get to Customs House, I rode down the bike lane on Northbourne Avenue and then went left into London Circuit and then rode down Constitution Avenue. I then took a left into Allara Street and then went up a lane and then rode into the basement car park (there are more bicycles parked there than cars.

While I was in the Pavillion I had to look for permanent accommodation. I found a unit in Mawson and I keep the bikes inside.  I now use the bike path from Mawson to Adelaide avenue where there is on road cycling facilities which I take to State circuit and then ride over the bridge over Lake Burley Griffin. I then ride around a block so I can get to London Circuit and then do as I did before

I have yet to get a locker – there is a waiting list and I am on it. I keep a suit bag with my office clothes in the office. I leave it over night in the locker room and take it with me after I get dressed.

The process is a bit different for the ride home. I ride up Northbourne and then take State Circuit. I then go up Adelaide Avenue and follow it all the way to Woden. I then use all of the on road facilities until I get to Hindmarsh Drive where I go onto the  bike path.  I then take the bike path back to Mawson and from there get back to my unit.

So far the trouble from idiotic motorists has just been the issue of space invaders on the on road facilities and some abuse from idiots. One of which sounded his horn while I was riding up Northbourne Avenue on the way to the Sutton Roadhouse on the Federal Highway (they make good milkshakes!).

I recently joined Pedal Power the local equivalent of Bicycle NSW. I signed up on their website and went to their office and bought the red book which was loaded with some interesting rides. They run a large number of social rides. I went on one last week which left from Acton ferry terminal.

It was quite a mixed group mostly older riders. There was some people my age there. I broke the ice with a few people. I met a couple on a tandem – I enjoyed talking with them. The ride went from Acton around Lake Burley Griffin into Reid, behind the war memorial and on to a cafe in Dickson. It was from there that everyone went their separate ways. It wasn’t quite the training ride that I was expecting but it wasn’t bad.

I went on to a bicycle shop in Lyneham, I was browsing there and saw some single speed bikes. Apparently this shop in Lyneham specialises in single speed and fixed gear bikes. It is quite a good shop. I went there yesterday and got a new seat post for the Shogun Katana. It was fitted and is a vast improvement on the original seatpost. 

I got to test ride one of the SE Drafts they had on the rack. It has been a bike I was looking at ordering off the internet because they are cheap. As with everything cheap there is a reason. In fact I found out why there have been some critical comments on the internet about this bike. It weighed about the same as the Katana (which by the way had 2 chain rings + 7 cogs at the back and 2 bidons with water in them and a wedge pack with spare tube and tools and a rear light!!!!). This was due to the fact that the SE Draft is made of High Tensile Steel and has a number of heavy low end parts. It has a BMX style one piece crank set. This would make it difficult to fit SPD pedals (I would have to get a set of adaptors if I were to make it work). I also eyed up a Mongoose Maurice HiTen- it is a smilar story to the  SE Draft. Unlike it’s more expensive cromoly brother it is 11.25 kgs and and it is made up of low grade parts.  It would make a good project but I will wait a bit more before deciding if I buy a single speed.

I have enjoyed riding in Canberra and will be looking at joining a club soon. I know there are 3 potential clubs that would be good fun to join. There is the Canberra Cycling Club – which is affiliated to Cycling Australia. The Tuggeranong Vikings Cycling Club which is also affiliated to Cycling Australia and the ACT Vets which is affiliated to the veterans cycling organisation. I have heard there are some informal training rides but I will wait and see what happens as regards joining a club.

In any case there is plenty of variety in the cycling events in the ACT. I was able to catch up with Lindsay Munks and some of the people from Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club at Mount Stromlo for the Scott 24 hour race. They had a ball and Lindsay won some good gear. It was good catching up with them. I was interested in the 24 hour race and gave Mountain biking some thought. The race is an event for the Canberra Off Road Cyclists. They are a mountain bike Club with good local connections so it would be useful to keep them in mind should I go in for mountain biking.

I have found the ACT interesting and will post another post soon on the Tour of Canberra’s hills as soon as I find the time.

Magda Szubanski the woman living in a glass house who threw stones

I was hoping to write a good post about riding in the Australian Capital Territory. I was hoping to write a good post about new experiences cycling in a great place with good people and with excellent facilities. However today I am writing the first post since I moved to Canberra about an ugly rant by an unfunny comedian Magda Szubanski.

Magda Szubanski is the female equivalent of Mikey Robins – a comedian who used self depreciating humour regarding her obesity. Recently she decided to lose the weight by going on the Jenny Craig program and has now become the poster girl for Jenny Craig. It probably pays for her to promote its products (Jenny Craig is extremely expensive) as it does for other formerly flabby celebrities.

Her success with the Jenny Craig program had a good run in the press, including the usual blurbs in the women’s magazines and the newspapers. There was even an interview on the television news. However there was a moment when the wannabee shock jock on Today FM Kyle Sandilands came said words to the effect that Magda would lose more weight if she were put in a concentration camp. Immediately there was an outcry. Kyle who had come off a suspension for questioning a 14-year-old rape victim about her sex life. Was suspended again and sent to counselling.  There is still speculation as to if his show will return after the Christmas break.

On Good News Week a television program that sends up current affairs Magda took part in a segment which encourages participants to rant about something which irritates them. During this segment she ranted about cyclists on Beach Road Melbourne, saying “a four-lane highway is not your gym”. She continued to rant like a small child who missed out on a lolly about cyclists in lycra with their “bums in the air”. The rant was pretty much the usual crap that comes out of News Limited papers such as the Daily Terror or the Herald Sun. One would have thought that she had taken to ghost writing some of the crap used by Anita Ugly.  Until she and her fellow alleged comedian Julia Morris started coming out with “just drive and take them out” and ”open the [car] door!”

Thankfully, I didn’t actually see the actual show. I saw the unedited version of the rant on YouTube. When I saw it I was disgusted. I thought about Ali a mate of mine who was killed while looking for a route to ride to work.

Ali was a keen cyclist and he was encouraged to ride to work by his workmates in Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service AQIS. He lived in Belmore. I work for Customs and we were working at the International Mail Centre in Clyde. Customs, AQIS and Australia Post. I initially thought it would be a real physical challenge for anyone to ride from Belmore to Clyde. 

Ali made it as far as Auburn. He got doored by an elderly woman and struck by a four wheel drive . It was a real shock for his workmates in AQIS and everyone at Clyde.  As Wade Wallace who runs cyclingtipsblog.com said in the Melbourne Age ”every cyclist out there is probably about one or two people removed from knowing someone who has been killed or is in a wheelchair… That’s where it hits home pretty hard.”

This episode has led to some interesting stuff on the web. On one had we have had the Terror opening its article on the issue for comment and bringing out the usual bogans as only News Ltd can. On the other hand someone has come up with
http://twitpic.com/josl4 which basicaly a spoof of her environment week advert. There is now a Facebook group Magda Szubanski – Cyclist Hater. I thought it would be worth while posting this quote from a Melbourne cyclist who survived an incident on Beach Road
“My name is Michael Forbes. 15 months ago I was hit by a truck and ricocheted into a parked car whilst riding my bicycle on Beach Road. The accident was absolutely no fault of my own and I am now a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. GNW has always been my favourite hour of television and nothing has made me more angry than last night’s episode. For someone who is getting paid to lose weight to carry on like that last night showed no understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle and keep that weight off. Beach Road gets more cycle traffic than car traffic on the weekend and it is best that they do not use the bike path as it would not take long for a child to be struck by a cyclist at speed. So excuse me if I have taken this comedy show a little bit seriously in this segment but could you imagine my anger as somebody goes on a rant about knocking cyclist off their bikes on the exact road that life as I knew it ended? Especially someone who is respected in this community. I can honestly say I have not been more angry than right now in my entire life. When my wife makes her way into a cafe wearing her cycling outfit by losing weight through exercise to meet me in my wheelchair, if you are there Magda be sure to expect me to introduce myself. This rant from my perspective is infinitely worse than Kyle’s effort on the radio.”

I agree with Michael in fact the “apology” is that came about as a result of the public pressure from the internet was such I had to go looking for the remorse. You can read it below:

“I am so sorry that the skit on bikers has caused offence. There are so many safety issues surrounding cyclists. Motorists need to become much more aware of cyclists on the road. My belief is that responsible cycling is to use bike paths where possible and if it’s not possible, to be extra careful on the roads.

We all make mistakes and the point is that hopefully we learn from them. Clearly my joke has brought to light that there are frustrations amongst cyclists and motorists. Hopefully some good will come of this and it will help promote useful dialogue between the two groups where some of these frustrations can be worked through in a productive way.

I am a bike rider from way back and in fact have been planning to buy a new bike. As a gesture of solidarity I have offered to participate in Bicycle Victoria’s sector of the National Ride to Work
Day on 14th October. Apologies again.

Magda.

And, yes, I will be wearing lycra.”

 I wonder how this effort will lead to ” useful dialogue between the two groups (I assume cyclists and motorists) where some of these frustrations can be worked through in a productive way”.

My own message for Magda is that the holocaust about which Kyle Sandilands joked was brought on by German contempt for Poles and Polish Jews in particular. They used words like subhuman to describe both Poles and Jews, pretty much in the same way that moronic motorists use similar words to target cyclists. In Nazi Europe it was OK to kill, maim or injure Jews so much so that Concentration Camps were used to bring this aim about. The contempt for nonmotorised road users in our roads legislation is such that the penalties for killing, maiming or injuring someone on our roads is best described as a joke – perhaps the only one that should have been highlighted in this sad and sorry saga. For the record Channel 10 is not innocent either. The GNW was not shown live and the producers chose to broadcast Magda’s comments.

My last ride in Sydney

On Friday I got up and rode to Office Works in Camperdown. It is easy to get to, all you have to do is go through Sydney University and then get to Ross Street. The Office Works shop is directly opposite the uni. I bought myself a Kodak camera to use the going away party.

I then rode to work and got myself ready for the party and the cleaning out of the locker. I got through the party alright, but found had a bit of difficulty taking all the remaining stuff from my locker. There was a bit of head scratching as I worked out how to put a coffee percolator and the other gear into the pannier and a day pack. I used the you beaut Aussie invention Occy Straps to secure some of the gear in a plastic box to the rear rack. I also had to hang a green bag with stuff in it and a pair of boots from the rack before heading off.

It kind of worked. Some stuff came off before I left and some of the razors, pens, and a shaving brush wound up under a bus. However when I repacked the goods again it all worked. I did get some interesting looks from police who were talking to people on South Street Tempe. I made sure I got home OK.

When I got back home I unpacked some of the gear from the bike into the car. I did another ride back to work to make sure that I had not left anything along the way. The police were still at South Street and I found nothing so I did reasonably well. I got myself home and moved the rest of my stuff into the car.

On Saturday I got up and 5.00am as I usually do on a Saturday for my ride. I had already got the bike and the riding gear ready the night before. I got myself fed and ready and rode out for Saturday Slowies. The day was shaping up to be a find spring day for Sydney.  I got to Mick Mazza’s before any one else had turned up.

I watched as one bunch of riders rode down Marrickville Road. After a while the riders began to turn up. Some of the riders knew that this was to be my last Saturday Slowies ride from a post I put on Sydney Cyclist. At one stage we had about fourteen riders at the start and we were to collect more as we went on.

We headed off and rode up Illawarra road toward town. We turned into Newington Street and had a dream ride up the hill to Enmore. We had a reasonable ride through Enmore and Newtown. We got to Redfern and we had the only fly in the ointment. An idiot in a Four Wheel Drive decided to rev his engine and then over take the bunch over double unbroken lines and then roared along only to be stopped two hundred meters along at the traffic lights.  His petrol and car maintenance not mine.

We rolled through Surrey Hills and into Moore Park. We then rode into Centennial Park where I had a good look around as I rode. I did one regular lap before I did the hills with a lap. I noticed the Triathletes having issues, one of their coaches was screaming at them because of a mistake. It was a good day to be out and about in Sydney. The sun was out, the sky was clear and the traffic was minimalist. 

On one of the hills I got talking to Lindsay as he was doing his preparation for the Mont. I would love to see how he does on the Mont and  I will definately make time to see how they go when the go for that ride in Canberra.

I returned to the group at the traditional time and we headed off back to Marrickville. We had a reasonably good ride back to Marrickville.  It was quite a good ride. I have done the Slowies ride for about 2 years and have found it to be a very good introduction to cycle training.

We got to the Marrickville Road Cafe, where we have coffee at the end of our rides. I got talking to people about their up coming rides. I was sitting near some new riders who asked me if I do the Sunday ride to Waterfall. I had to break it to them that I don’t and won’t be doing that ride.  I got talking to the other regular riders and got the photo taken under the 3 signs. On the forum on the Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club website the Marrickville road Cafe signs has become a celebrity landmark. I hope one day I will see it and the riders I have ridden with again.

It turns out that there will be another Fixie Century ride that will happen on the same day as the Gong Ride. Lindsay has planned that in fine detail. Suzy has been retrenched and is looking for work. I thought she was in a secure job in the HR department of Stockland. It turns out the jobs done by her and an offsider have been combined and offered as a senior managment job. She is now looking atgoing into the public sector.  She cited work – life balance. I promised Lindsay I would try to turn up and catch up with them at the Mont in Canberra.

After we all left for our individual activities, I went home and finished my packing. I took off and went to Deus Ex Machina to do some browsing. I went to Glebe and bought my Fathers day present. I decided to have my last meal in Sydney at a place I like – the Badde Manners Cafe on Glebe Point Road. My last meal in Sydney was a piece of Hungarian Cheese Cake and a skinny latte. I then went back to mum and dad’s place, where I got myself ready for the trip to Canberra.

The actual photos from the tale of 2 rides

I was told by a reader that I hadn’t successfully posted all the photos from thelast post,so here they are Thanks Vera (you know who you are!)

Tale of two rides

Adora cafe

On Friday I borrowed a camera for Fridays ride to Bronti for a ride to watch the sun rise. Some would wonder why anyone would bother getting up at 4.00am to watch the sun rise. However watching the sun rise over the sea can be a pleasure. I got up at 4.00am and rode Black Magic down to Bronti.

The traffic at 04.30 was quite good. I was able to ride all the way down Unwins Bridge Road and then rode most of the way up King Street. I was able to turn into Wilson street and rode all the way to Little Everleigh street with out any traffic. I was quite fast and it was a bit surreal riding through King Street Newtown.

When I got to Redfern I was able to ride all the way up Redfern Street and followed the Saturday Slowies route to Centennial Park. The thing that struck me about riding at this time was the number of other cyclists out and about at that time. I was followed from Wilson Street through to Redfern Street by a roadie and I met other commuters at Centennial Park.

When I got to Centennial Park I found myself riding to Bronti along the road that goes up from the TAFE opposite the park. I made it up the hill and then rolled through the streets of Waverly. I rode into Bronti after I got lost looking for Gaerloch street. I found myself near Tamarama. I found the spot where I had last watched the sunrise and got myself set up I took some before photos. Yes they are almost useless with the sky still dark. But when considered with the other photos things became interesting. I waited and waited and watched the sky turn from black to grey and then clearing to a beautiful azure.

The running track behind the place where I had set up became busier and I noticed an increase in the traffic on the streets near where I was waiting. Eventually the sun began to rise and I took the photos of Bronti, Tamarama and Bondi. Eventually things got to the point where I packed up and rode to work. I rode through Tama, to Bronti and then went through Charring Cross and Waverly to Centennial Park.

As I got closer to Centennial Park the idiot level of driving grew. I rode into work, through Newtown, Marrickville and used the Cooks River Cycle path to make right into work. I was amazed at the number of riders out and about early on a cool spring morning in Sydney.

In contrast yesterdays ride was interesting ride. I as a prologue I did the Saturday Slowies ride with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club as I usually do.While I was waiting for the ride to begin I met Simon Sharwood, who told me Mike had decided to have a go at the hands free record. I asked if this would be the world, Australian or club record but was told it was a record. Eventually more riders turned up and we were joined by many a new face. This included a couple who were Audax riders. They were a lovely couple but the reminded me of a power couple for some reason.

We took off for Centennial with just over twenty riders. We broke the group into two bunches. I rode with the last bunch. We had a few riders who were obviously new and in one case was using new cleated pedals which they were not used to. Mike joined us and we stuck at the back after the guy with the new pedals almost came off.  We had to shepherd the riders at the rear when the bunch broke up. However we got the bunch to Centennial Park.  We all went about doing what we normally do but eventually I caught up with Mike and Weiyun opposite the cafe.

Mike took off on his fixie with his hands either by his side or on his hips. I went off to follow him as a witness if required and he dropped me riding on his fixie. Mike made the record or so I am told and he got some photos done. I don’t know if it is official but I would say that it is pretty much up there.

When we got back to the Marrickville Road Cafe we had the usual coffee and raisin toast and other goodies. We also had our good old chat. I found the power couple charming. I was still confronted with what to do for the rest of the day.

 I did not have anywhere to go afterward so I contemplated my options. I had thought about riding to Penrith. It was one of my favourite rides when I began riding but some uncertainty over the diversions to the prospect reservoir ruled it out.

I decided I would go to Olympic Park and have a look at the Newington Armory. I needed a second bidon cage and went to Cell Bikes in Stanmore to get it. I rode to the shop in Stanmore and found myself eying up a pair of shy shorts which I could use for commuting in Canberra. I picked up a bidon cage and went to pay for them and found that I had left my wallet back at home. With the radio story of a female cyclist being struck by an idiotic P plater ringing in my ears I rode back home to pick it up.

I returned to Cell Bikes and completed the purchase. I got lunch at Subway in Stanmore and then headed off to the Cooks River Cycleway, via some of the streets in Hurlstone Park. I took the photo of the Hurlstone Park war memorial after the smoke had cleared from a car hoon’s doughnuts. I then rode on to the Cooks River and rode up to Olympic Park.

When I got to Olympic Park I met a guy who had been cycle touring. He had is bike panniers loaded and was going to head back to Queensland as soon as he could. I rode to the lookout area and took the photos of the surrounding wetlands and how the urban growth encroaches on them. I then rode on to the Newington Armory which is an old munitions depot near Olympic Park. It is now a museum and art space. I took some photos there.

While I was at the armory it turned out that there was an art exhibition on. I decided I would go and have a look at the exhibition after I had a look around. I have been on Army bases before and took some photos of the armory because some of it is extremely old. Some of the buildings were built in the 19th century. I was on my way to the art exhibition when I came off after my wheels got stuck in the tracks. I landed heavily on my right side and have bruised my right thigh and my right shoulder. I was helped up by a couple walking close by.

I went to the exhibition after I had sorted myself out. It was quite interesting. There was an installation and one of the oddest treatments of a drawing I have ever seen. There was a room hived off with black curtains. On the curtains was pinned a sign saying “This exhibition contains material that may offend. Viewing recommended only for those over the age of 15″. Curious I went into the room and found it only contained a large drawing of the female pubic area. In my opinion there are few people who would be offended and many people over the age of 15 have seen this time and again. There was a video installation of a cover of Bette Middler’s “Industry”, which was set in the armory grounds. It was a good exhibition.

I got myself together and rode to Olympic Park which was being set up for the Bledisloe Cup match that evening. I had an iced coffee and headed off. I got back home and got myself together to catch up with Ruth.

Last Bike Sydney Ride – the Sydney Push ride

On Wednesday I went on what will be my last Bike Sydney ride.  I took the Green Trek on the train to Martin Place in time for the assembly at the stairs near the GPO clock tower.

When I got there I met one of the local bike messengers, who surprised me when I found he was riding a Raleigh Mountain bike as opposed to the usual single speed bikes. I hung around the GPO waiting for the other riders and Gilbert Grace – the ride leader turned up. Gilbert turned up and I signed on. If he was surprised to see me he didn’t show it. I had not gone on a Bike Sydney Twilight ride for ages. They really are something special.

Before too long the bike messengers departed either for jobs or back home/the pub or another hang out and the other riders turned up. These included an older rider with an electric power assist hybrid and a young commuting cyclist.

Gilbert gave us the lowdown on the theme of the ride. It was going to be the Sydney Push. The Push was a group of famous and some would argue infamous intellectuals who included the likes of Paddy Mcguinness, Germaine Greer, Harry Hooton, Eva Cox and Robert Hughes. They used to meet at some of the Royal George Pub pictured and held meetings and took part in activism that was particular to their interests. They took their name after some of the local criminal gangs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like the gangs there was a connection – tenuous at best between the Push and the Sydney Underworld, who also frequented the Royal George and other venues which the push frequented. They were prominent from the 1940s to the 1970s.

After we signed on we were joined by a couple of other riders including Kerry Chin who I had met previously on Massbug Rides and Critical Mass. When the ride started we headed up Martin Place through the grounds of Sydney Hospital, through the Domain to the Art Gallery. From there we went on to Woolloomooloo via a lift. Gilbert and I took the stairs and were joined by the other riders when they came down in the lift. We then headed up through the back streets up to the Cross where we went to the first landmark of the ride. The former residence of Juanita Nielsen on Crown Street.

Gilbert related the story of Juanita’s disappearance and her campaign to prevent the destruction of the Darlinghurst Kings Cross area. We also heard how Tropfest began in a pub down the road. It had begun in the back room of a pub and then grew. It is now one of Sydney’s big events – a short film festival which thousands enter. We also heard about Bea Miles one of the Sydney eccentrics who also frequented the area.

From there we went through to the lower end of Darlinghurst road where Gilbert pointed out a studio/residence where Brett Whitely and others lived and worked in the 1960s. We then headed though the back streets of Potts Point and Darlinghurst before we returned to the City. I found it ironic that as cyclists we had a discussion about the Aston Martins on show in the showroom in Darlinghurst.

We rode back into the city and then rode to Pyrmont where we saw the Royal George (pictured above). It is now the Slip Inn and famous as the watering hole where the Price of Denmark met Mary his Australian wife. We discussed the pub for a few moments before a safety briefing on the areas we were going to go through in Pyrmont. We then followed the path accross the Pyrmont bridge and rode around the buildings near the Channel 7 area in Darling Harbour.

We then rode through Pyrmont, where the rain began to play havoc with the ride. I wasn’t sure but I suspect Gilbert cut the ride short when we got to Glebe because we were initially going to go to a pub in Forrest Lodge. Instead we went to the Friend in the Hand in Glebe. I wasn’t worried about cutting the ride short and welcomed the opportunity for a meal and a couple of schooners of beer.

One of the guys who had a cable lock allowed me to lock my bike with his. We went inside after taking all the stealable stuff of the bikes and were able to score a table near the fire. The thing with the Friend in the hand is that like a lot of Sydney Pubs it has a lot of international clientele, some of them no doubt have stayed there and there is a lot of souvenirs on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Some of these things include what I suspect is a surf boat hanging upside down, any number of remote control aircraft, a large number of photos of celebrities – who may or may not have something to do with the pub and the usual number plates and foreign currency.

Like a lot of Sydney Pubs The Friend also has some good food going cheap. I scored the Spaghetti Bolognaise and a garlic bread all for under $10.00. I enjoyed my schooners and partook in the bread that was handed around by the pub management. We also got some olive oil to dip it in.  While we ate we discussed future rides including an underbelly themed ride that may happen sometime in the future. We discussed the likes of Neddy Smith and Roger Rogerson. I also mentioned the possibility of seeing the old Commancheros club house at Louisa Street Birchgrove. Gilbert knew of some good places such as the place in Pine Street Chippendale where Roger Rogerson shot Warren Lanfranchi. We also had a discussion regarding religion, moving house, Atheism, the causes of  World War I and other topics before it became to call it a night.

I decided to ride back to Tempe through Petersham, and Dulwich Hill. It was a good ride and I got back in time for some good sleep. It will be a shame to miss such fine company and food, however I may try to get to Sydney for the occasional ride.

New bike, new location, new job

I haven’t written for a while because things have been changing quicker than I anticipated with my job. I will be going to Canberra and will be riding to work there. The nations capital has been designed for cycling. I will be there for at least 12 months on a fixed term assignment. I will still keep the blog going as there will be some interesting times as I get used to the Australian Capital Territory.

I have also finally got the Rudd money and invested it in a new bike. The Rudd bike is a black (they only come in black) Giant CRX Four. I bought it at the recommendation of Lindsay Munks from Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club. He has one that he converted into a touring bike. It worked well on a tour of Tassie. I would like to do some more touring. Lindsay had a look at the Rudd bike when I brought it to roller training the day I brought it back from Ashfield cycles.  He found the 2 things I had to get rid of from the first look. He said that the adjustable handlebar stem would wear out in weeks and that the suspension seat post will wear out as well. I got a replacement handlebar stem and that got replaced on Saturday outside the Marrickville Cafe. I have yet to get a new seat post.

I have see photos of Lindsay’s tourer, he calls it Black Beauty. He bought his CRX 4 from Ashfield Cycles and changed the previously mentioned parts. He then changed the handlebars from drop bars, using retro brake leavers and bar end shifters to replace the rapid fire shifters. He also changed the brake shoes for cyclocross brakes. It works well as a tourer. Having seen touring bicycles in Cheeky Monkey and other places I have been surprised at the quality of Lindsay’s work. Yes the CRX 4 is an 8 speed flat bar road bike but it’s frame is light and it can be converted to a touring bike. Lindsay’s bike is up there with the Surly Long Haul Truckers and the other bikes that cost in excess of a grand and a half to buy off the shelf.

There will be new challenges with the new location. I will have to leave a number of groups that I have been involved in. Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club membership only lasts till the end of the year but I will still have the benefit of the insurance through Cycling Australia. I will also try to find a new club in Canberra or Queanbeyan – depending on where I end up. I have given consideration to joining Audax, which is a club for long distance cyclists. It is popular in the ACT and a number of my friends from Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club are members of Audax and the rides are cheaper and longer or so I am told.

I will also have to join Pedal Power which is the ACT equivalent of Bicycle New South Wales. If I end up in Queanbeyan I will still use the Pedal Power membership because they apparently retain a large number of members in the Queanbeyandistrict and they do run some recreational social rides in Queanbeyan. The other thing I will have to get will be a book of rides that Pedal Power produces which covers the ACT and some parts of Southern and Central Western New South Wales. There have been some members of Bicycle New South Wales who have left Bicycle NSW for Pedal Power after the 2006/07 Board Elections which appeared to have been stacked. Some of these as illustrated in one comment on this site have lead to a similar amount of dissatisfaction with Pedal Power or have been regarded as a success as the people involved are no longer funding a group they regard as unethical. I will leave my judgement until I find out what Pedal Power is really like.

The other minor issue is that I will have to try to get used to the ACT and this may put the Grand for Charity project back a considerable bit. The intention of this project was to do 1000 kilometers of charity rides in about 12 months. I have done some good rides and there are some good long ones coming up in the ACT but it will be a bit of a battle to keep the project on track and get myself moved in and settled in but I will keep trying. There is the tour of Canberra’s Hills and the Fitz’s challenges. I also believe that the Lake Hume Rotary Club also has a challenge at Kergunyah. My next move as regards the charity rides was to undertake some multiday tours like the Hartley or the Sydney to Surfers ride for Youth Off The Streets. I will still have a crack at them but I will try to get the Grand for Charity done as best I can.

There are some good things about moving to Canberra from Sydney. The better cycling facilities are one thing another thing is the camaraderie that exists between cyclists in the ACT. There are some minor issues however. The ACT laws allow footpath cycling in the same way that the Northern Territory and Queensland allow riding on the footpath. This then creates an expectation by motorists that cyclists will use the footpath instead of the road. This is a bad situation for road or racing cyclists who ride too fast for the shared user paths or the footpaths.

The other big challenge will be the temperature. The ACT is infamous for it’s freezing cold weather. I have bought a base layer from Torpedo7 and will buy some more base layers before and after I head off. The base layer will help warm me up on those cold Canberra mornings.

Besides it’s cold mornings the ACT is infamous for it’s dry heat so there will be a great need for a lot of bidons to carry water in. I will probably build the Rudd bike up over a period of time to avoid blowing all my cash at once.

Bicycle tyres and the Internet conclusion

This week I finished my quest for the best deal on tyres. I checked the price of tyres at most Local Bike Shops (LBS). None of them could compete with Probikekit. As Paul who commented on last weeks post mentioned that the postage was now set at $9.95 and when I came across a couple of Michelin Speedium 2 tyres for $19.00, it meant that I had been able to get a set of tyres for just under $50.00. Many thanks to Paul and Probikekit.

However on the issue of LBS, I found myself at a loose end on Monday so I took myself to Stanmore. I went to the Cell Bikes Shop on Parramatta Road. They do stock Conti and Maxxis but found that there was nothing under $35.00.

Walked up to Stanmore Cycles and had a look there. I didn’t get any tyres at Stanmore Cycles. What I did get though was a lecture from the guy who owns/manages the shop. He pointed out rightfully that the tyres are the contact point between the road and the bike.  He also told me more than he intended when he said that he commuted on a $10000.00 road bike. For the record Stanmore Cycles sells tyres for $45 – $100.00. The tyres they were selling could be bought cheaper at other shops.

I then went to a couple of LBS I know that are near Centennial Park. I went to Centennial Park Cycles and found very little of interest. They appear to cater to the recreational market. Evidence of this was in the amount of mountain and hybrid bikes in the shop.

I then went to the Cheeky Monkey Multisport just up the road. Cheeky Monkey Multisport cater to serious road cyclists and triathletes. Their shop is pretty much wall to wall Cerevelos and Pinnerellos. They had some good tyres from Vittoria that were close to the price range and some Continental tyres.

I went to King Street Cycles in Newtown and found that the range there was similar to their repair depot Bike Repairs in Marrickville.  They kept Vittoria and Maxxis and very little else on hand. The girl at the counter did a good job of trying to sell me an expensive set of folding tyres which had carbon in their bead. They were $119 each and well and truly out of my league.

I also asked at the new Bike Depot shop on Enmore Road and found that they have very little in the way of tyres. None within my price range and mostly costly folding tyres. It seemed that the Local Bike Shops were well and truly understocked compared to the Internet.

I was still surprised at the lack of tyres in the stocks of the Local Bike Shops in Sydney’s Inner West. Yesterday on my way to visit family and friends in the Blue Mountains I went to Kingswood Cycles near Penrith and found they carried very little in the way of road bike tyres. I also found they carry only 3 road bikes per year (apparently from Gitane and Felt) and mainly cater to the local recreational riders. The guy working there was more than helpful. He suggested visiting Panther Cycles in Penrith, which are a road bike specialist.

I visited Panther cycles and found they carried little in the way of tyres. It was almost similar to Cheeky Monkey Multisport. They have quite a large number of road and triathlon bikes with a few MTBs and hybrids.

On the way to Panther Cycles I dropped in at Lifecycles near the Penrith Plaza. They mainly had Maxxis and Vitoria tyres. I have to admit that I have chosen the transition period for most bike shops.  The 2008-09 bicycles are now being sold off and the 2009-10 bikes are now being brought in. Some riders are replacing the cheap tyres that come as stock standard on their new bikes with better tyres. This may limit stock.

I also checked Blackman Cycles out and found that there were just folding tyres on display. I found they did have some folding tyres but these were on the expensive side.

Based on my research, I can conclusively say that the Internet based bike shops and wholesalers do stock a wide range of bike parts. You can get some very good stuff ranging from tyres and tubes to saddles and even wheel sets. Like most things sold on the Internet there are reputable suppliers such as Probikekit, Wiggle, Torpedo7 and Probikekit. Some LBS are now getting into Internet sales and I found a number of bike shops on the north side of Sydney getting into Internet sales.

What does this mean for cyclists? The Internet bike shops will benefit cyclists. They will have a greater opportunity to get quality components delivered right to their door. This will help cyclists in the outer suburbs and country towns get tyres, wheels, group sets and other components their city based cousins have open access to. Like everyone else they will have to be aware of the usual pitfalls of buying goods off the Internet and also the issue of returns and refunds.

What does it mean that the LBS? In my opinion the LBS will not hold much in the way of stock. If you want tyres for your bike now or even ASAP, you will have to put up with the what the LBS has on offer. It will not kill off the LBS. Cyclists will still get bikes serviced and repaired. I would not recommend purchasing a bicycle from the internet. Furthermore there is the issue of duty and GST if goods are purchased from overseas based bike shops. Goods that are valued in excess of $1000 have to be formally entered for Customs purposes and Duty and GST paid. Goods under $1000 are will be considered too small for duty. Some cyclists I know are ordering goods as a group to minimise postage and should be aware of the $1000 threshold for Duty and GST. Local based Internet sales will include GST in their costs.  I have noticed that some LBS in Western NSW use Internet based shops to get special orders in, but beyond that there is very little in the way of co-operation between the two groups.

I am now eagerly awaiting my new tyres and lookforward to letting you know how they go.

Bicycle tyres and the internet.

This week I found I have worn the tyres out on the Shogun Katana. They are old tyres. They came with a wheel set that I got from another bike that I bought off ebay and found did not fit me anymore.  They are Michilin Brand tyres and are quite good. They have stood up to on and off wear for about 2 years. Lindsay from Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club noticed the issue and identified the fault. The casing had going in the rear tyre meaning that we had a bulge that made the tyre unstable.

Lindsay recommended Continental Gator Skins. I have had some experiance with Continental tyres before and found them to be reasonable. I ran a Contential Ultra Sport on the back of the Red Hybrid for a number of years and found it to be reasonable. The only drawback to Continental tyres is cost. The thing with good tyres is that they need to have some form of puncture resistance. This is usually in the form of the casing or the bead which on good tyres is usually kevlar similar to that used in flack jackets.

A couple of months ago I found I wore the rear tyre out on the Green Trek, I bought another Schwable tyre from Cheeky Monkey at about $50. With this in mind, I decided to see what I could save on road bike tyres for the Katana by taking a look on the Internet. I would then compare them to local bicycle shops and work out if I am going to get a good bargain. I dencided to limit the amount I would pay for the set of tyres to $75.oo.

Starting with www.torpedo7.com.au  I had a look at the tyres available. They are selling Continental Ultra Sports for $29.95, the Michelin Erilium2 at $32.95 and the Michelin Speedium 2 at $29.99. Theydo not have the Continental Gator Skin. I ordered some stuff of Torpedo7 before and it took about a week to get to me. They are based in New Zealand but do have a presence here.  Postage is set at $9.00, so this will have to be factored in when ording.

Next on the list was Dean Woods Direct (www.deanwoods.com), which is run out of a bike shop in Wangaratta in Victoria. It is owned and run by Dean Woods a former champion track cyclist. They have the Continental Ultra Sports at $59.00 and the Continental Gatorskin Ultra at $75.00. They also offer a Michelin Lithion tyre and Tube combo for $89.00. I have found Dean Woods to be reasonable with the timing of their deliveries although you will pay more to get their gear quicker. However in the words of Ned Kelly such is life.

My next stop was www.cellbikes.com.au which are a site run from a shop in Stanmore in Sydney. I am likely to visit this shop sometime soon and will upgrade the post when I do. They list the Continental Gator Skin at $65 a pop. They also list the Continental Ultra sport foldable road bike tyres at $45 and the Maxxis Detonator road bike tyre at $34.95. I have dealt with Cellbikes before and found them to be reliable. I would also contrast the prices for tyres etc on their website with those in store. Occasionally they have been known to have extra stuff they do not list on their website in store.

The next stop is a new site Probike Kit. This is a site mostly based in the UK that has an Australian offshoot and Australian Prices. Nothing really exciting here, though they do have the Continental Gator Skin folding tyres at $31.14, the Michelin Speedium at $20.41 and Vittoria Zaffiro pro slick tyres at $23.91. I haven’t had much to do with Probikekit but I do know people who have. They are based in the UK and charge a flat rate of 12 pounds. Depending on the exchange rate used it is likely to put the price of the goods up significantly.

Pedals Plus – a website run by a chain of bikeshops in Bondi Junction, Mona Vale and St Ives has Vittoria Zafferos at $29.00. They state they will deliver the goods to anywhere in Australia for $9.95.

I then went to Woolys Wheels which is run by a bikeshop in Paddington. There was nothing exciting here either. I suspect that the sites run by bike shops actually would prefer customers actually come into the shop as opposed to buying on line.

All of this leads me to the my visits to bikeshops in Sydney. Yesterday Ivisited Innercity Cycles at Glebe and found I can get a Specialised road bike tyre for $35.00. I have replaced the front tyre on the Red Hybrid with one of these. It seems that they are just as good as the Continental tyres. 

I have also visited bikerepairs.com.au which are the repair depot for the King Street Cyclery. I found the Vittoria Zaffiros there on sale for $29.95. I am inclined to try the actual King Street Cyclery to see if they do have any more tyres available as the number of tyres there were limited.

The other bike shop I visited was CheekyMonkey/Cheeky Transport in Newtown. They have Schwable tyres there for $40.00 a pop. They are reliable and having used them on the Green Trek I would normally recommend them but they can be problematic.

My position on ordering gear on line is that it has to be compared with actually purchasing gear from the bike shop. The internet has given consumers in general greater choice however it does have some dangerous pit falls related to quality and price. You can get burned on line in the same way as you can get burned in a normal shop. Thre are some people who have some ethical hang ups with purchasing on line putting the Local Bike Shop in jeopardy. However as with all the other parts of the economy the openess to trading online can save you some money and some hassels if you actually do some research. As I have also pointed out the reach of some of the Local Bike Shops has been extended by the internet.