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.

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.

Getting ready for the Gong ride

With the Gong Ride coming up I will move the training up a notch. The good thing is I got the green Trek serviced at Woolys Wheels on Friday. I rode there and got there at 8. As they open at 10 (why do all bike shops in Sydney open late) I did a few laps around Centennial.

The Green Trek made it down to Wollongong two years ago when I did the ride. I may need a new seat but however given that I have only been using the single speed for training for quite a while it may be a case of me getting used to riding the Green Trek all over again.

When I got back to Woollys I found we were in for more than just a $89 service, I had a feeling we would be in for a new chain but a new cassette was also in the mix to. Further more the bike is going to need new chain rings very soon. I didn’t get them this time round but I will next service. It was a very expensive excursion to Paddo – all of $250 blown on the Trek. I will hopefully be able to use it until it is dead (frame is in perfect nick – almost!) but that will be a while.

I also scored some new shoes and a couple of jerseys at the Netti sale. I found that the jerseys were from the same group. But at least I scored the shoes. I saw heaps of people I know at the Netti Sale. Fiona Campbell took the bike bus to the sale from Marrickville. There was a guy I worked with when I was at Clyde and who lives up the Mountains. He came down to score some goodies. I put cleats on the new shoes yesterday so it will be curious to see how things go.

I also had trouble with the Fearless Gearless. The wheel is chewing up spokes quickly. I have come to the conclusion that I will need a new wheel. I spoke to the guys at Cheeky Monkey and they have come up with a single speed wheel with BMX cog etc for $380 or there abouts. I will probably have to go with that, although I may ask the guys at Bike Repairs what they can do. In short the Fearless Gearless isn’t working all that well. The only good news from it is that the slicks work well – really well.

If my legs are good and the wind doing the right thing (still or even better still behind me) the fearless gearless can go as fast as 31 or 32 km/h. I have been able to use it for general commuting and for the occasional shopping trip. She can also do well as a MTB but for general use. I like the fearless gearless enough to think of it as a good ride. Once she gets a new rear wheel I will start looking at the other modifications I am looking at doing to her up even further with riser bars and maybe even some fancy handle bar grips.

Yesterday I went to the Saturday Slowies ride with the Green Trek and enjoyed riding it around Centennial. I am getting stronger as a rider (at least that is what I think. I know that I have been able to do most of the stuff I used to do with the granny gear with just the upper 2 chain rings. This is good in someways because it means I am becoming fitter.  It was an interesting ride in more than one way.

I noticed a guy with a bike with bull horn handle bars similar to the Kat. The Shogun Katana or Kat as I call it has the bull horn handlebars previously used by triathletes, time-trials and more recently messengers and couriers who want the rest of the world to think they are messengers. The difference between the Kat and the other bike was the other bike was a Pinerello and was pretty much in good shape. The Kat has been lingering in my bedroom with some issues with the old wheels.

I am going to do it up. I have a set of wheels from an old road bike that doesn’t fit me. They are 700 wheels but the Kat’s brakes will need to be adjusted for them to work with the new wheels. Further more the Kat will need the cables repaired and a new chain and a good old fashioned strip down service. I will have to get the bike ready soon for the summer season of rides. It may be a good step in case of the Green Trek or the Fearless Gearless going bung.

I also got a bit of sageous advice from Lindsay yesterday. We were at the cafe after the Saturday Ride. We were discussing bikes and he mentioned that a really good investment would be a good road bike. Something in the vacinity of $2000. Something from Giant, Trek, Avanti? or a similar brand. NOT CELL or any other dodgy brothers brand. I like the idea quite a lot. If I am going to be a serious rider I am going to need a serious bike. I am considering something like a top of the range Cell but that has changed. As I had yesterday off from the Rocks Markets I went out to Parra to checkout the bike shops there. I operate on the suspicion that everything is cheaper out west for a reason. They don’t use bike for commuting all that often (serious roadies live out there somewhere but by and large the bicycle is regarded as a leisure vehicle).

When I got to Parra I was checked out Blackman cycles. They also have a shop in Penrith that I have visited before but there is always the possibility of cheaper things elsewhere. I didn’t see much except the Giant Bowery that is cheaper than it is in town. I went to Universe cycles and saw where most of the bikes advertised on Ebay go. There were more bikes that were 2nd/umpteenth hand there than anywhere else. I asked about how much they cost. It turned out that they buy ’em up cheap and sell ’em of dear!

I also went to the Parramatta Bike Barn and saw what has to be the last remaining Masi single speed in the country. There are some good deals from trek and Giant but the usual story from Apollo et al. I will still keep my options open though.

The week that was – shit happens to good people (including me)

Well it looks like this week has been one of those weeks where anything that could go wrong did go wrong. I had a relatively easy week commuting. I was able to get an early mark at work on Thursday. I went to Ashfield Cycles where I had dropped the Red Hybrid off for a service. I was able to made it on time and collected the bike. The price of the service had grown due to the number of parts that were needed (Mainly brake pads and a bidon cage). I got the bike back and took off to the Cooks River Cycleway.

Unfortunately I missed the park where I was able to get on to the cycleway and wound up going through the streets of Ashfield, Campsie and Canterbury, until I found a point were I was able to join the cycleway. When I got back I wound up going to Tempe Velodromefor the spin session with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club – my club. I rode to the velodrome only to have the chain snap at Tempe station. I lost half the removable link.  I searched desperately but could not find it.

I met another guy on his way to the velodrome who suggested I continue on to the velodrome where someone would be able to help me. I went to the velodromeand caught up with Lindsay Munks who sorted out the chain issue. He had the tools and was able to get the chain linked together. It was strongly recommended that I see the guys at Ashfield Cycles and find out what went wrong. It was also recommended that I get a new chain as the chain was too tight.

On Friday I rang the guys at Ashfield Cycles and was told that they did not remove the chain for the service. I get the feeling that things were not going to get any easier despite the dead chain. On Saturday I got up and prepared for Slowies only to find that the rain was going to put the kybosh on the event.

I went out to Coles in Monterey for a Birthday present for a friend of mine and a carton of UHT Skim milk. I took the fearless gear-less to see how it would handle the path. There has been some changes but the fearless gear-less handled everything quite well. I got the milk but did not get the present as it was not in stock. As I went back to Tempe my rear tyre blew out. I cursed and swore and got the bike to a shelter used for picnics. I took the rear wheel off using a spanner from my multitool. I found that the tyre was worn out at the side rim, with the tyre coming away from the bead. I replaced the tube with a thorn proof tube. I intended to get back to Tempe pushing the bike but wound up riding it.  Towards the end the issues with the tyre became problematic. I copped the fishtailing as I turned and wound up slowing down. I got the bike in and changed the tyre. I will now be running WTB slicks from the Iguana.

I will write back with details of how the Fearless Gearless preforms with Slicks.

The other issue was major. On Sunday I was still in Sydney for some overtime. I decided to go to Waterfall with DHBC and had prepared myself for the event. It would have been my first Waterfall and I got myself down to Mick Mazza cycles at 06:30 after getting a new chain from Mick I headed off. The drive train seized up with on the way which was the reason for the new chain. After the Club President gave his speech outlining the risks of cycling and stressing that we accepted the risks if we rode with the club that morning, we headed off. We headed down Warren Rd and went through to Gannon Street. We got on to the highway and went past a RBT station and were going down Marsh Street when the rear derailleur came off.

Geoff said it was the end of my ride and I concurred with him. I walked the bike back to Tempe and met a guy who left the peleton due to concerns about rain. He said that the bike may be dead because the hanger is bent and may be elongated as the derailleur bolt has been sheared off. However he reckoned it would be repairable. I got the bike back and put it into the car for the trip to Bike Minded in Wentworth Falls. I took the Green Trek out for a ride. Woolys Wheels was open but it is booked out till the 18th. I dropped into the Addison St Markets at Marrickville after checking out Cell bikes and Stanmore Cycles (both closed due to the long weekend). After the week end I went back to Lithgow.

This morning I took the Red Hybrid to Bike Minded in Wentworth Falls. They reckon it may be dead but it will be wait and see. They will try to get the bolt out and then straighten the drop out. If all is well there will be a new derailleur and everything realigned. If not I may either make the Red Hybrid a single speed or take it and stip it for parts to be put onto a frame either from Europa Cycles or Peter Bundy in Riverwood. In short it was not a good week. God has had an ear bashing from me and I am not a happy boy. But there is always next time. I will also be willing to get out and give everything a go when the Red Hybrid – or it’s replacement is ready to roll.