New year, new challenges and new bikes

Hi everyone.

It has been a while since I have posted but I am proud to say that I have a come into 2011 with a new resolution and a determination to get get some unfinished projects done and of course to write some more. To this end I have got drop bars, bar end shifters and some new road bike style brake leavers fitted to my CRX4 and converted it to a touring bike. This will assist in doing the long distance rides and getting some Audax rides in.

I have also got a new single speed which is an interesting project as as is the trend these days I bought it on the internet. I wound up assembling it myself and had some interesting times setting it up. For a while I was under the impression that I had wasted my money but it turned out not to be all that bad. The bike is quite good although it has it’s faults. It is heavily based on a track bike, and as a consequence of it’s track heritage I have noticed that there is a possibility of contact between the front wheel and the toe of my cycling shoes. This may be resolved with thiner tyres. It came with 700 x 26 (probably 25) and it may be able to take 700×23. I doubt if it would take 700 x 28 or 35 tyres because the rear wheel is close to the seat post. Anyhow the bike will be an awesome commuter in the wet weather and a good bike for working up the leg strength to take on hills It will also cost less in maintenance. The fact that it it made in china is one thing. I lost one of the nuts for the front wheel and was advised a a bike shop in Katoomba that it used track nuts of which they had none. I wound up trying the shop in Blaxland (recommended by the guys at Katoomba and run by their relatives) and wound up getting the axel replaced. Despite this I am relatively happy with the bike.

I have already taken it on it’s first major ride – from Ruth’s new place in Springwood to Rooty Hill, where I did some of the M7 Cycleway. If the cycleway had been open I would have gone on to the city. It was a good ride and in many ways reminded me of the importnace of simplicity.

There are some new challenges coming up. I am looking at transerming my membership of Cycling Australia to one of the clubs here in Canberra there are 2 clubs Canberra Cycling Club and the Vikings Cycling Club. I will wait and work out which Club I will join.

As I aluded to earlier I am also looking at taking up Audax rides. Ther are a number of rides in the ACT and it is quite popular here. The mmain rides I am considering doing will be the Tour de Hills and the Amy Gillett Canberra ride which will be held on the Canberra day weekend. I am also looking at doing one of the Bicycle NSW rides in Goulburn which has been selected as a town at which there will be a major cycling even probably over the Easter Long Weekend. I have also signed up with the ACT Vets as well and will do some of their races as well.

All in all I will be out to enjoy cycling in 2011. I hope I will be able to share some of the experiance with you all.

New Years resolutions and a brush with fame

It has been a tough week at work and generally, I have been working on a public counter and am getting pretty tired of it. I do occasionally go out on the road but this week was dealing with the ugly beast that is the general public for all 5 days. To make matters more interesting one of the guys who was in the work area when I first arrived is coming back from military leave. He was an officer in the army reserve and went fulltime for 3 years (after having a pretty rough year with Customs). He is not far off becoming a major (I could say what kind of major but will leave sleeping dogs lie). I don’t know if he will want to stay. He was saying he was happy earning $75000 a year tax free while on overseas service (when he sees his first payslip from Customs he may want to call Arthur Scargill!).

With all of these issues on the horizon I began to make plans for the rest of this year. I had a look at the ride guide from Sydney Cyclist (the online edition) and did some research. I came up with a selections of charity rides which sound interesting and challenging and could (with a bit of luck!) enable me to ride 1000 kilometres for charity.

Some would call it a New Years resolution but New years resolutions are so difficult to keep and are often a complete and total waste of time. However there is one that I am deadly serious about. I have called this project “A Grand for Charity“. What is it? Well normally I ride in a large number of charity rides. These are rides frequently organised by Rotary Clubs and other service groups as well as the MS Society and other interest groups to raise funds for their activities. Distances range from small rides such as 25km for the Woodford to Glenbrook Classic & the Big Canberra Bike Ride which I did on the Fearless Gearless, up to the 120 km Amy Gillett Ride which I under took earlier this year.

I have always been interested in how many kilometres I go when riding for charity and I have decided that this year will be the year I start calculating how far I ride to raise those desperately needed dollars for charity.

There are a number of charities that I am committed to. These include the Amy Gillett Foundation and charities such as Coast Shelter (which look after the homeless on the NSW central coast).

I will also give an idea of how much I give/raise for the charities and write a profile of the charities I ride or raise money for.

To qualify for the project the following rules will apply

1. The ride must be in support of a registered charity

2. The organiser must give the distance. I will record the distance given by the organiser and write about the ride, how I got there and what the conditions were like etc.

3. Rides selected earlier in the year may be substituted for rides that are easier to get to. These rides may be or lessor, equal or greater distance.

4. As I am on the redeployment list at work the project may be suspended or cancelled if I am rotated to a shiftwork area and thus limit’s the amount of charity rides I undertake.

5. I am not a machine, the project may be cancelled or suspended if I am injured or sick.

6. I will endeavour to give a profile of the charity I ride for – this will enable readers to understand why charity rides are a good event and why (In My Humble Opinion) we cyclists do more for charity than most other road users.

I will also try to do a couple of rides interstate with the view of being able to ride in all 3 states on the eastern seaboard. I have already taken part in my first Victorian Ride and will be looking at doing one in Queensland.

The other issue of interest that I will add was on Saturday I rode with a celebrity. I met Antony Green, who comments on elections & politics for the ABC on television, radio and on the internet. I never knew he rode much less lived in the Marrickville area! He rode with us all the way to Centennial Park and joined us for coffee when we returned to the Marrickville Road Café.

I also began riding the Fearless Gearless this week as a commuter. She works quite well although I suspect that another service is coming up soon. She will need some minor wheel trues and probably a new chain. I was considering getting a new rack after the pannier got caught into the wheel Friday and Saturday rides.

It was quite a good ride though. As usual we had some interesting discussions about rides. Some people went on a ride from Marrickville to Mona Vale and back which is about 85 Km on a weekday morning. They apparently had little trouble although there was a lot of traffic on the road at the time they went.

I also had some news on the health front. I went to the Red Cross Blood bank on Thursday. It was the first time I used the new facility at Elizabeth Street. I did the usual filling out of forms and had the usual tests when I was told that the Iron level had dropped. This is concerning – It was still normal though although it could explain a lack of energy over part of the holiday period. There are a number of ways I can deal with this. One way would be eating more red meat – steaks, beef etc, eat more green vegies and take supplement. I am of the opinion that I would do well to eat more of the meat and green vegies. Supplements can be useful but they do need to be monitored.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This week has seen the Good, the Bad and the Ugly come out in a really big way. Most weeks see the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in much lesser strengths but this one they came out in almost maximum strength. I have to say that it has been a week of extremes but I will write about the good first as it is the bit we use to take our minds off the bad and dilute the ugly.

The good is that I have signed up for the Amy Gillett ride in Victoria and have sighed on as a fund raiser. I am normally a doubter but a doer and put the word out on Sydney Cyclist, The Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club Website Forum and the MASSBUG and Critical Mass email lists. I really doubted if I would raise much at all but I am pleased to say that so far I have raised $210. This is in spite of an economic down turn and the closing proximity of Christmas.

The good also flows into the logistics I have organised for the ride. I have been able to get a promotional first class seat on the train to Victoria on the 2^nd of January. I have booked the bike onto the train and have been able to get a flight on Jetstar with carbon offset to return to Sydney on the 5^th . I have also been able to book a motel room in Geelong for the evening of the 3^rd (the ride is on the 4^th). I will book a room in Melbourne for the 4^th and Vline ticket for the 3^rd on Wednesday when I get paid. I intend on travelling light and will get a day bag soon.

I now have to give you an idea of the bad and believe me I have had some interesting times. I have been doing some training for the ride and was using the Fearless Gearless for some hard training. I rode out to Olympic Park as a Training/Recon ride. I had a reasonable tail wind most of the way there and was able to get there quite comfortably. I have to say that I have encountered what athletes call the “bonk” on previous occasions. One this occasion I was hit pretty bad. I was able to keep myself going but had to stop at a service station on the way and got a cereal bar which got me the rest of the way home.

The problem with the bonk in my case is that it is a condition that can raise it’s ugly head and affect me for days. I have only limited time before the Amy Gillett ride and am anxious about copping the bonk on the ride.

I also had a moment which could have qualified as an “Ugly” moment but just works out the be a bad one, when I left my keys at work and went to the Broadway Shopping centre for Christmas shopping. I found out that I left my keys at work when I went to lock the bike to a rack and got the shock of my life. I searched my jersey pockets and the bag I had desperately. In the end I put the cable lock on the bike in such a way that it looked like the bike was locked. I went to Rebel Sport and bought a cable lock and locked the bike securely. I got my shopping and emails done and then went to the Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club roller training session. I had a dream run to Tempe Velodrome and got through the training session. I then helped one of our guys out with some advice on a first aid course before heading back to work to collect my keys.

While I was on my way to collect the keys I ran into Paul Johnstone and we got talking about what was happening. It sounds like I will have to put the link to the Amy Gillett Foundation page on the Critical Mass email list again soon. Fortunately I got to work and found the keys. Things would have been ugly if I hadn’t been able to get them. The Broadway shopping centre is known for bike theft so it was a good thing that the bike was still there when I came back with the new lock. Curious thing about the new lock is that it is not all that good , I found this out when I had to lock the bike outside the office when I went to get my keys. The lock literally unlocked without keys. I will have to tinker with it to see if I have done anything with it or if it really is a useless lock.

On the Ugly side I am sad to say that I and other rider with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club were witness to some of the worst demonstrations of driving I have ever seen. We rode to Centennial Park on yesterday as part of the Saturday Slowies ride. We got there and did out individual training and were waiting for the group to regroup before heading back to Marrickville when we saw a black BMW 4 wheel drive do a left turn and drive the wrong way up a one way street. It seems that with drivers with big cars and no brains have come out with the drop in petrol prices.

We then headed out towards Marrickville and I and a few others got separated from the main group. When I caught up one of our guys was rendering the air blue with expletives directed at (from what I could see through the tinted windows) a woman in a small sedan. The others had moved off and I asked what had happened. It turns out that our idiot driver had either almost reversed into the group while reverse parking. Our rider was quite irate and I decided to hang with him until the anger subsided and we headed off. I did this because if could have turned violent and it may have been necessary to restrain either party. When I caught up to the main group I checked if everyone was OK – they were fortunately.

While motorists actions imperilled the safety of the group of riders, our riders reaction to the motorist’s actions was not good . I would not be surprised if we see more issues with drivers not all of whom will have the good sense to stay in their cars.

The other ugly incident I had was with a white HSV Commodore on one of the back streets behind King Street. I was on my way to the Rocks Markets and turned into one of the side streets off King Street Newtown and he followed me. The driver started yelling something unintelligible and revving his car’s engine. When I got onto the back street he sounded the horn and overtook me at speed. It was unsettling but I got to the Rocks OK.

These incidents have made me determined to do the Amy Gillett ride. I will do it and raise the funds. I will let you all know how things go.

Resurecting the Katana & Triathlon

There has not been much going on at the present moment. I have been looking at the possibility of participating in the Lithgow Triathlon. It has been set up to be a fun day. There are 3 categories, Try a Try for small Children, the Preliminary (which I am likely to participate in) has a 200m swim, a 10 km bike leg and a 3 km run & the main event which has a 400m swim, 20 km bike leg and a 5 km run.

I have decided to try (pardon the pun) things to see how they go before I enter. I went to the pool on Friday and did some laps. I got sunburned in the process. I also found that I am a slow swimmer doing freestyle while being slightly faster doing breast stroke. The pool has not changed much in the years since I last visited (I must have been at school at the time).

Today I did a slow run to one of the bike shops involved in the Triathlon and found that I had to stop a few times for breath more times than I care to admit. I have never been a runner. I have to say that it was a major effort to get things done at school when running came up in the PE classes.

All this effort is making some of my muscles noticeable (read tight) I would have to say I wonder how I would go riding to the pool andriding back. I intend on doing the training a day at a time. I will make a decision by the end of the week as to if I am going to enter the event the decisive factor will be if I see if my fitness improve. 

All this has turned my attention to the Katana which has been languishing in my room for months. I have decided it will get the new wheels from another 2nd had bike put on it It will also have a new chain and a new set of cables. I took it to Belly’s Bikes in Bathurst for the service and adjustments. I will find out on Monday if things have been successful.

I have also been considering getting some aero bars for the triathlon (should I enter it!) I have searched the on-line bike shops and eBay for time trial bars andhave found that they are hot items on eBay and expensive everywhere else. I have even tried looking at some overseas sites. Aerobars also known as Time trial bars or triathlon bars are used for triathlons but have been used for time-trialling. They may be useful for time-trialing if DHBC competes in time-trials. I have heard that they are not used for group rides so they will have to be taken off the bike should I take it on slowies.

I have also decided to get the new wheel for the fearless gearless in spite of the price going up due to the drop in the Aussie dollar (otherwise known as the pacific peso). The impact of the drop in the Aussie dollar has been felt in the cycling industry – most bikes containing any US content eg Trek, Cannondale and Surly now have hefty price tags. Combined with the drop in petrol prices due to the crash in the economy it will be interesting to see how things shape up in 2009 with regards to cycling infrastructure.

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.

Olympics + Single Speed raid on Olympic Park

A lot of readers may be curious as to why I have not included the Olympics and the Tour De France in this blog. I have followed both events with interest but given that this year is another of those years of poo, I have restrained myself from barracking for Cadel and the gang. This year as anyone who has seen TheSydneyBlog has not been a good year as a spectator for me. Both my rugby league team (the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs – with the Money Bill William$ saga) and my AFL team (the Sydney Swans with Big Bad Barry Hall Belting several shades of brown out of his immediate opponents) are not faring too well on the sports field.

Like everyone else I desperately wanted Cadel Evans to take the Tour De France, but had this sneaking suspicion that this was not the year. This suspicion was confirmed and people began the usual post race analysis along the lines of the post match postmortems that are held by supporters of the loosing sides in football games. Some especially foreign bloggers like BikesnobNYC were quick to bandy the word Chocker around. This despite the glaring fact that the Silence Lotto team for which Cadel rides were out spent – multi million dollar teams have almost no limits. Others pointed out that the other Silence Lotto riders did not give Cadel the support he needed in the mountain stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees.

What both sides failed to realise is that the rider came second. That is a good effort for someone facing the financial hurdles and team work issues that came up. When it came to the Olympics there were those who complained about his withdrawal from the Australian team due to injury.  When he came 5thin the time trial it turned out he was riding with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury – one that sidelines footballers for weeks without shame! (www.smh.com.au/news/cycling/cadel-evans-soldiers-on/2008/08/13/1218307011869.html) At the end of the day 5th is still good and in closing my piece on the Olympics I say to anyone who wants to knock Cadel or Michael Rogers or indeed any of the Australian Olympic cycling team – if you can do better get on your bike and do it!

It is the same with women’s cycling Oenone Wood looks set to retire and unfortunately Sara Carrigan was not able to repeat her performance at Athens where she won the women’s road race. She wound up having to settle for 38th. All the results are on www.au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/sports/results/-/cycling

Last night I went on a speculative ride. Purely a recreational one although it became a real test for the fearless gearless.  I have been riding the Green Trek into work recently, it has a rack for panniers and it is my favourite for commuting. I had been doing little favours for the coffee club at work and scored some chocolate for my efforts (very naughty). To burn off this energy I decided to  ride the fearless gearless out to Olympic Park via the Cooks River Cyclepath.

I watched the end of the men’s time trial on SBS and after watching Fabian Cancellara and co take the medals, I decided to go and really give it to the Fearless Gearless. I took the lighting off the Green Trek and mounted up. I went all out for a while but was pleasantly surprised. I have found that my average speed on the Fearless Gearless is about the same as on my geared bikes. This time was no different. Given that we are at the tail end of winter I have been able to ride the Cooks River Cyclepath without the usual pedestrian traffic on the past two occasions I have riden it.  

I had the usual issues with the bridge at Dulwich Hill. but once I got across. I picked up the pace and found I was able to climb some of the hills that I had serious doubts about climbing. I found myself pretty much alone although there were some of the usual suspects as I went along. I wasn’t looking at going to Olympic park initially but given things went so well I decided to give it a go.

After the Bridge across the M4 I found that the road leading to Olympic Park was closed for road works. I followed the diversions until I got to a park. I road across the park, I can thank God for cross country tyres because I was able to go over a grassed area without any serious trouble. I got to the entrance to Olympic Park and was able to ride a circuit around the park. I thought I would be clever and ride to Pommeroy Street but wound up taking a wrong turn and wound up on Homebush Bay Drive. This was potentially dangerous as I wound up having to rely on the shoulder with cars pelting past at 80 km/h. I walked the bike across the road when a suitable gap in the traffic appeared and rode back the other way and got back to the cycle path Fortunately I got back via the Cooks River, I took the hill from hell by sprinting all out and then climbing. I would wonder how I would go when the Peds particularly the walkers (with or without dogs and or ipods) and the joggers with or with out ipods are about.

The reason for this raid was to see if I could commute to Granville/Clyde on the Fearless Gearless. I know Lindsay Munks for Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club has commuted from Marrickville to Parramatta on a one speed mtb and it looks like I will be able to do the same even if it does mean doing some things differently. That said I will have to repeat the effort with a rack and loaded panniers not to mention at some diabolical hour in the morning or late evening (after 10pm) after putting in a full days work or at times when masses of pedestrians and other path users (I gather a Tai Chi group hold their lessons right on the path at certain times) are milling around in the way.

World youth day cycling & getting on the (bike) bus with single speed commuting

For those not from Sydney or who have been living in a parallel universe, Sydney hosted the Catholic World Youth Day (WYD 08). To cope with all the expected issues with motor traffic and to accommodate something like 2-3 hundred thousand happy young Christians. We had some altered traffic arrangements in Sydney.

As I had stated earlier in the blog the changes began the week before last and it went right up til Monday when the majority of pilgrims were to fly back to the countries they came from or in the case of the Aussie based ones fly interstate (some may have taken trains!).

On Saturday I went on my usual ride with the DHBC under the impression we would still be able to access Centennial Park without any issues. We had a good clear run until we got to Anzac Parade where there was a largish fence erected to give the pilgrims a clear run to Randwick race course (they were walking from North Sydney across the bridge to Randwick Racecourse. We were directed a little way down the road where were were able to cross and ride to Centennial Park.

The park was totally devoid of cars – probably the best thing about WYD08 was the limits on cars. This meant we were able to do laps and not worry about motor vehicles (we were even able to use the car lanes!) Centennial Park has a car free day on the last Sunday of the month, I have never rode in the park on that day but from what I was told Saturday was better, No cars and also no Rollerbladers. No triathletes (I suspect they mostly drive to Centennial Park with their bikes on roof racks), so not much in the way of runners. No horses, so almost no horse manure aroma.

The ride went well although we concluded early to avoid loosing our access through Anzac Parade. The park was pretty peaceful. We got back to the point where we entered and what was initially a trickle of pilgrims was becoming a busy wave of pedestrians. We rode part of the way through then joined the path at Moore Park. The pilgrims weren’t bad, I was more worried about locals and of course the police.

We had a good run back to the cafe were we had coffee. I told some people about a case in the SMH about a gay couple who took pilgrims in (An Islamic school even let them sleep in their hall). When the pilgrims found out they were staying with a gay couple they walked out saying it was against Gods law. That brought a laugh from the group.

The road closures affected Sunday and as I am a St John Ambulance Volunteer I saw one guy weaving through the crowd on a road bike at about 6 in the morning. When the papal mass ended the road closures were still in place and the local cyclists were able  to enjoy some moments of riding on roads normally chockablock with cars. The velo cops even rode in a straight line up Anzac to Moore Park and I was able to walk to Central in the middle of the road.

This week also saw me going into Surrey Hills for an Occupational First Aid Course with St John Ambulance. I decided unlike previous years where I have gone into town on a train and claimed the fare back on petty cash when I returned to work; I would ride in with the Bike Bus which was organised by Fiona Campbell from MASSBUG. This would mean that I would continue to get my exercise in for the day and avoid the overcrowding that occurs on City Rail trains.

A Bike Bus is a group of cyclists who commute together. They join the bus at various point along a set route. There is a “Driver” who provides leadership to the “bus”. In Sydney Bike Buses are usually organised by local Bicycle Users Groups (BUGS). There are other Bike Buses that go into town these include one organised by BURSTBUG (Burwood Strathfield Bicycle Users Group) and ASHBUG (Ashfield Bicycle Users Group) and The University of NSW bicycle co-operative.  Being in MASSBUG the choice was obvious.

What was to make things difficult was the choice of bike to take. There was a very real possibility that I would have to lock the bike outside. So I did not want to take my good Green Trek hybrid for the commute. I also would have to take a lock. Fortunately I have the Fearless Gear-less for such a job as this, but would it go up the hills?

My other concern was gear to take with me. I don’t ride in street clothes so I would have to take some with me. I am not wealthy enough to eat at restaurants and cafes 4 days a week (the course went that long) and so I would need to take food. I also needed writing equipment and two towels for the trauma management scenarios and as something to relieve my knees (they weren’t needed as much as I was led to believe), to I had to have space for them. Unfortunately the Fearless Gear-less does not have a rack so panniers were out of the question. I took the gear in a day bag/pack designed for everyday use. It worked although I had to break the load up and when I got the WYD08 Pilgrim pack I was to get as a reward for volunteering for St John on WYD08 I had to put that to the back of the pack and ride in a driza bone we got as a bonus.

On Monday I waited for the Bike Bus outside the Henson Park Hotel and caught up with Fiona the “Driver”. We waited for others who normally join the bus at the Henson Park before heading off. We went though some of the streets we cover on the DHBC Saturday Slowies ride and some which I didn’t know existed. We got to the Newtown Neighbourhood centre where we met two more riders who’s names have escaped me now. These were regulars.

We had to walk our bikes to a point on Bedford St where we could cross into Wilson St when the lights changed. When they did we rode down the equivalent of the Hume Highway for cycle commuters. When we got to Redfern we rode through Lawson Street to the bicycle facilities near Regent St. We rode through the quite areas and into the city via Prince Alfred Park. From there we rode on down Elizabeth St to various points in the city.

It was suggested that I get to Hunt Street via Campbell Street. This proved to be a very good idea. I found that the Fearless Gear-less handled the hills well. I got to St John House and found from a very abrupt and officious instructor that I had to lock the bike outside. I wasn’t the only one to arrive by bike and was joined by a lawyer on a rigid forked cannondale. Fortunately nothing happened to either of our bikes. On Monday I took the front wheel off and locked it with the frame to the pole and took the seat post and front light.

Over the next 4 days I was able to refine this using the cable lock to lock the front wheel and later the seat post to the frame as well as using the U lock to lock the bike to the post. I was able to enjoy a bit of sweet revenge on Thursday when I left after successfully completing the course. I spotted the officious oaf and gently reminded him that “smoking kills” as I passed (Fortunately he was not liked by our instructor).

The highlight of the week was riding with the Bike Bus. They are a good group of people and it would be excellent to see more of them around Sydney.  I would like to conclude this post with a special Well Done to Fiona Campbell who as the “driver” organised the trip and helped calm nerves on more than one occasion (I don’t regularly ride through Sydney in the Peak).

Things that go bung in the night

It has been interesting riding the fearless gear-less over the past week. I was able to ride to Centennial Park and did about 6 laps before I went home on Monday. Feeling good nothing becoming an issue. The next night I went to Centennial again – I even had better lights for the occasion and was doing laps when a Police car, fire engine and a ute from the fire brigade came into the park.

They went up to the Kiosk end and the fire engine and ute parked in the areas designated for motor vehicles, while the idiot cops parked in the bike lane. The idiot cop who drove the police car got out not wearing any high vis gear – in fact he was wearing a dark jumper over his police uniform. His partner called out to him about the legality of parking in the bike lane. The idiot cop replied “The park is closed to bikes they shouldn’t even be here” in an accent that reminded me so much of Guido Hatsis.

Being a bit of a stirrer I decided to do another lap and rode around again (there was other cyclists training in the park at the same time I was. When I went through again there was space for cyclists to pass the pigs and the fire engine and firies ute. I wrote a post on Sydney Cyclist and got a couple of replies. It is good to see that not everyone is on the side of the cops. I even got some good feedback from a staunch opponent.

I decided to call it a day eventually and rolled back home. Just as I was going to go I heard an explosion that I thought was a tube going off. I thought I was in trouble until I checked the tyre and found it was still very much intact. When I saw the spoke I knew the trouble was worse. The other times spokes have gone on me they have died quietly. Only to be noticed when the wheel was out of true, this time the spoke has broken in 2 places. It makes me think something got caught in the spoke?  I checked the wheel under the light of the bike headlight which I held in my mouth while I rotated the wheel around. I was able to get the bike home but could not be adventurous with regard my route home.

I took the fearless gear-less to Cheeky Monkey to get another spoke. The ride there was hairy enough. I was going to ride from there to Toastmasters at Petersham. I got there and they were busy. No problem I thought I would collect the bike on Friday arvo – if they got it done and given that there was going to be overtime on Saturday. The last 2 illusions were dissolved on Friday. Saras – a workmate whom I am supposed to be training decided to renege on an agreement we had that I would go early on Friday. I was soooo p!ssed off! I couldn’t speak to Saras for most of the morning. I

t turned out my overtime was cancelled as the goods had gone to Brisbane so my only chance was to go to Cheeky that afternoon. When I left work a bit after 5 I was swearing heavily – I even used the words Robert Hughes used to describe the prosecutor when he got off his dangerous driving charge. I had left the front light on the fearless gear-less and I was using the light that I use on my helmet on the bike. The weather darkened as did my mood. I had some near misses but I got to Cheeky Monkey safely and on time to pick up the bike. Pushing 2 bikes home is not easy. I had to use the road on a couple of occasions and duck and weave around obstacles such as power poles and street furniture. On Erskinville Rd City Rail has erected some kind of screen to prevent people from throwing rocks at trains and has implemented a whole heap of obstacles I swore heavily as I went around them.

When I got closer to King St I was accosted by a couple of drunken idiots. One guy offered to take one of the bikes off my hands. Given that I was annoyed I told him in no uncertain terms to F@ckoff! He went down the road a bit and then yelled out “There was no need to talk to me like that! Did you hear that? Maybe we ought to tell him to F@CK Off?” I must remember to make a note for myself that I must not swear at drunken idiots in Sydney. I got bikes back and got them stowed safely. I am still not happy about Friday as it isn’t fair that I carry the can for an idiot.

The spoke is not the only thing that has gone bung with the fearless gear-less, there is a high likelihood in my opinion that the non drive side crank is on it’s way out. I will have a look today but we will wait and see. On Saturday Slowies the front tyre copped a tack – I suspect it has been around for a while but it went into my tyre and stayed there while the tyre slowly died. I pumped it up thinking it had been a case of slow leak caused by perishing. But when I found the tack I knew what had happened. I took the tack out and the tyre began to die. As I didn’t have a spare tube I wound up patching the tube on the spot. It is not my favourite tasks and I had to let the others go. I patched the tyre and got myself underway.

When I got out the gates and on my way to Moore park I found the others gathered around one guy who copped a double puncture. We were going to be late for coffee at the cafe and there was a high likelihood that I was going to be late for the Rocks Markets. We went back the usual way with me leading – I found that I am not a good ride leader and I would say that I missed issues such as pedestrians up front and went through intersections where I should have gone through with the group. We got back to Marrickville safely.

I was terrified that the crank would come off and things would get even more sticky than what they were. I survived the ride.