Bicycle Kung Fu

BMX fight from "Lady Is The Boss". Don't mess with Tuff Wheels.

Jackie Chan dishes out some bicycle pain in Project A - even a bit for himself.

Awesome Photo of The Week

Image c/o The Oregonian on Oregon Live.

There once was a commentator named Hunt...

Here's this week's round up.

Rex Hunt breaks cyclist's finger. At least, we assume he did, as he doesn't plan to contest the charge. Let's just use the magic word - allegedly - to be safe. Rex Hunt allegedly needs anger management classes, and is charged with being a bit of a douche.  Make your own 'Hands of a Champion' jokes. The lesson here is one I've touched on before - getting up in a motorist's face just isn't worth it. Cyclist lawyers agree. Seriously, unless it's a reportable offence, let it go.

Armstrong rides! Yes, as much as the French hate to see Lance on a bike, the UCI have seen fit to waive the remaining 12 days of his notice period and allow the 7 time Tour de France winner to race the less glitzy, more churchy Tour Downunder in SA this January. Lance came second in the Leadville 100 earlier this year, but finished somewhere in the middle of the pack at last month's Cross Vegas cyclocross event. Cyclocross is nothing like a road race, but the lacklustre performance is one of those things... you know the ones I'm talking about.

American cyclists who aren't planning to buy their favourite events and whose Spanish Colonial mansions don't consume 38 times the average water usage figure for Houston needn't worry about the collapse of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, or Peggy Sue. Among the many Christmas Tree amendments used to sweeten the pot for wary politicians is a bit of pork in the form of a tax break for those who commute to work by bike. Now if they can just keep their jobs. I'd hate to be driving an economy right now.

The guys who write the Swobo Blog - How To Avoid The Bummer Life, brightened my day with this little gem;

I feel less confident that my packages will arrive on time, but more confident that I'm not the biggest dork on a bike.

Topeak releases new 'Jango' bicycle - Star Wars gags fly thick and fast

You read it here (after I read it here) - Topeak, the company that brought you the ridiculously comprehensive ALiEN DX multi-tool, have rolled out their 'Jango' range of bikes. The bikes are not to be confused with the Star Wars bounty hunter, nor Django Reinhardt, the gypsy jazz guitarist whose work you probably know from the kind of pretentious couch cafes in which any Stars Wars busts are strictly ironic and a coffee is $4.50.

The purchase process works a lot like buying a family sedan - first you select the model, then you tick all the dorky 'headlight protector' style accoutrements you can afford, then you print it out, develop a taste for that 'news for the visually impaired' AM radio station, pull on a pair of moleskins and realise you've turned into your father.*

In other news, the CSIRO does some stuff with 'nanotubes' that could lead to artificial muscles, and - less impressive but perhaps more relevant to the purview of this blog - semi translucent bikes. Forget Down Low Glow, just fill the frame with neon and ride. Patent pending...

Tour Down Under delegation prepare for Lance's arrival.

Oh yeah, and Lance Armstrong excited us, the little people, by announcing his return to professional cycling will kick off at the Tour Down Under. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) then delivered a boot to our collective lollipops by insisting that - because Lance won't officially clear the six month random dope testing window until the 1st of Feb - the South Australian event (from Jan 20-25) is off the cards. Weak.

On a lighter note, Brompton World Championship! Look at those teeny bikes go!

*Love ya Dad!

No matter the city...

Image yoinked from Walkenworks.com.

...in peak hour a bike is your weapon of choice.

This time it's Tel Aviv. Previously London, and NYC before that. Even Melbourne's been officially conquered by two wheels.

Speaking of potential weapons; this from the Herald Sun about scooter riders wanting a piece of the bike lane pie. I don't think the lanes are wide enough, personally, and may have said something to that effect in the comments. All due respect to the motorised.

Also, it's nothing new, but Calfree make bikes (serious ones) out of bamboo. How sweet is that? If the carbon footprint of transporting the frame from the US wasn't so huge I'd be saving right now. I mean, look at the cross model. Looks like something found in a shipment of 1930s Japanese office furniture. Sweet. The lugs are hemp soaked in resin. No, not that resin.

Wish you could pump your tires while riding? Little weird, but okay, sure, Uber Bike Nerd to the rescue. Audaxers are gonna love it.

On the subject of bike nerds (I'm on a segue roll), who said recumbents weren't cool? Check this thing out.

Saw a very stylish woman on a very stylish yellow Cecil Walker fixie with red anodised Velocity rims ride past Vic Gardens and up the bridge on Barkers Road this Sunday. Badass. Anyway, reminded me that Velocity USA have gone powdercoat crazy on their new Deep Vees. Of course, if you're low on funds you could always roll your own. Ahem.

The Weekend That Was

So I was standing on Swan Street at 10am Saturday morning - in the fullest, warmest, brightest sunlight of the past six months - surrounded by people in coloured scarves.

Some kind of sporting event I guess...

One the the small clutch of shops stuck like barnacles to the underside of Swan Street's Richmond Station is Abbotsford Cycles; a fine store if you're one of those rational people more interested in maintaining a bike than throwing it away to buy a new one.

Also good if you're one of those people who's broke.

It was to AC that I had travelled to replace a broken spoke on my rear wheel... aaaaand the rear hub axle. Turns out mine was snapped clean in half.

Good thing I didn't break the $50 before leaving the house.

"The problem with an aluminium frame like that" explained John the Mechanic, "is that there's no flex in it - it doesn't absorb any of the impact". He asked if I had hit a pothole, and took my hesitant shrug as uncertainty. Probably for the best - given a few more seconds I might have pressed index finger to digit after digit and recounted them like rides at the fair - without so much as a conscious thought I manage to sample them all before a day is done.

Anyway, the whole thing came to $40 - including a free derailleur hanger straightening. Funny that I never had a problem with it until BSC's spanner monkeys repaired a flat for me.

"Heh heh, your new tube, like, exploded, so like, now we have to upsell you to a new tire, heh heh, plus we kinda don't have it in the 700x32c you're after, so we hope you don't notice that we gave you a 28 instead, and like, we totally bent your hanger and left your bike in its highest gear. That'll be, like, $75!"

John also tells me I'll need a new bottom bracket soon, as I've mangled the current semi non-sealed one. Apparently I'm "cutting grooves in the cups", which, despite the lyric quality of the phrase, is not a euphemism for krunk DJing.

A Shimano UN-54 will set me back $35.

I ran my plan to buy a Cross-Check* past John, which was met with slow and steady nod of the head.

"A steel-framed cyclocross bike is a very good idea if you want both speed and durability".

Why doesn't everyone ride one again?

Simondo out.

P.S. Saw the Mummy 3 on Sunday with some free tix Jen scored from work. Up until that point I thought the two hours I spent inhaling RP-7 fumes while cleaning my drivetrain was the biggest hit my IQ could take before the weekend was out. Geeez. I mean, you've heard of wait 'til DVD? This is more like wait 'til drunken skeet shooting. End credit design was nice tho.

*This isn't throwing a bike away and replacing it so much as it is removing one from an abusive relationship.

I think it might be time for new tires...

What do you think? Had to leave some rubber at the bottom of Macarthur St the morning when the lights turned amber and a car (also on Macarthur, at the lights) decided to make a late run for it. I hadn't seen indicators, but I wasn't going to risk the 'left-hook' scenario (flip the images at this American site to see what I'm talking about). Turns out the motorist was headed straight into the top of Collins and I could have rode along side, but hey, I'm safe, and therefore I'm not in the least bit sorry.

Still, it's not quite as bad as this...

A rather tidy effort from Nancy Boy, whose blog is definitely worth reading if you've ever wondered what a 90 minute commute was like.

Most Ridiculous eBay Sale Ever

Someone just paid $500 for this Repco RT sport. How bad? Let's see.

It's a crappy mass produced 10 speed frame from 1970-1980 something with sloppy welds, a rear derailer cable boss that sticks out like Chopper's partially amputated ear, and cup and cone bottom bracket bearings - the kind that sound like a large pepper mill full of malteasers whenever it rains.

The seller proudly proclaims it to be 1020 high tensile steel. Steel, he says, is real. Yes, and in this case steel is real friggin' heavy too - 1020 the same stuff from which $89 K-Mart bikes are made.

It has a freewheel (it's not a fixed-gear or a coaster brake bike, so pushing back on the pedals will not slow it down) and yet it only has one brake - an old, single pivot caliper brake on the rear wheel (where braking power is at its least effective). He says he will add a front brake before shipping, but why it was ever anywhere other than on the goddamn fork where it belongs is a mystery.

The seat post is the kind where the clamp is held to the post with a band rather than molded as the one piece. Another sign of its bargain basement heritage.

The rims are budget, and 27", which is an outdated size. Nothing wrong with them, but not worth more than $80 a piece brand new from a good manufacturer (and these aren't either).

The chain is a 9-speed chain, and will fail sooner than a track or single-speed specific chain. I know from experience.

Speaking of not single speed or messenger, look at the frame geometry! I mean, most SS road bikes share with their track bike forebears the common goal of speed, and therefore the common features that facilitate hauling arse - rear wheel tucked right up against the seat post, short chain stays, high saddle, low bars, a wheelbase so short you'll clip your toe if you even think about turning. You couldn't achieve toe overlap on this bike with clown shoes. Frankie wasn't this relaxed.

And then there's the flat bar. Why? Was the prospect of three hand positions too mind-boggling? And where did those grips come from, your kid's trike?

I hope that Pro Max lever is non-linear compatible, or your braking power just halved again...

$500? Why not just save an extra $100 and buy an SE Lager brand new?

eBay is the devil people. Restoring old bikes is a noble thing, but to pay $500 for a bike that bears the kind of tenuous resembelance to an actual single-speed that a cave painting does to a gazelle is just plain dumb.

BSC opens new store at QV on Russell - Service may still suck

Apparently, Brunswick Street Cycles has opened the city's biggest bicycle store in the QV on Russell St.

I'm all for it, so long as the service is better than that provided at the eponymous festering heart of their evil brake mis-aligning empire.

Also, it'd be nice if the operators at Vodafone 123 didn't treat me like a total bonehead when I ask for Brunswick Street Cycles in the CBD.*

*I have some painful conversations with those folks (yes, The Westgarth is a Palace Cinema, but nobody calls it that!).

Awesome Photo Of The Week - Most Awesomest Wedding

At first I thought it was 'send-Simon-photos-of-nude-people-on-bikes' week...

Image pilfered from The Economist, all rights totally theirs.

But it turns out CB was actually linking to an article on Car Vs. Bicycle production figures.

Basic Bike Repair Workshop

From the Commuter Bikes emailer today. Looks like a really handy workshop for only twenty bucks and just two hours of your time!
- Kate :-)

1st Bicycle Workshop.

The best way to keep your bicycle running smoothly, is to get to know it a little better. We'd like to share with you a few handy tips that will help you perform basic routine maintenance and diagnose mechanical problems before they become costly repairs.

Our first bicycle workshop will be running on 6th October and will cover the mechanics, safety devices and the 'things that wear out'. Titled 'Pushbikes 101', this is a general overview of what makes a bike go, how to keep it going, and what can make it stop.

Huw Vellacott, principle mechanic, will be hosting the event, which will cover topics such as:

• The basics of how a bike works
  
• Routine maintenance
  
• Basic adjustment of gears and brakes
  
• Puncture repair
  
• How to diagnose the start of major mechanical problems
  

Light refreshments will be served. We encourage you to bring your bike in too, we might be able to use it for a demonstration!

We will be running workshops throughout the year for people of various skill levels, so if this one's not your cup of tea, stay tuned.

The Nuts and Bolts:

When: 6th October 2008 7pm to 9pm
Where: Commuter Cycles, 14 Prentice street Brunswick
What you get: An overview of bicycle functions, components and routine maintenance.
Cost: $20
Bookings are essential: We're keeping it intimate so you can get answers to your questions, this workshop is limited to 10 places. Call Huw at Commuter Cycles - 9388 1319 or email huw@commutercycles.com.au.

Ride To Work Posters

Eco Velo - An Excellent Blog

I'm comfortable with the fact that I'm a bicycle nerd, and for that reason I think this blog is great.

Ecovelo is a blog wherein people take really nice photos of their commuter bikes and submit them along with a description, or a story about them, or whatever they care to add.

In addition to some half decent photography (i.e. way better than mine), it's an insight into how other people solve common commuter problems, and the small-world vibe that pervades the content makes you feel pretty awesome about yourself.  

Pamela at Kalaroma

Big hills and beautiful views.

2009 Ranges Abound

Including this awesome offering from Bianchi, who have re-introduced good old steel to their line-up for the coming year.

Check the webpages of your favourite brands for an idea of what's headed to your LBS.

Warning: Some brands *cough*Avanti*cough*, have opted for basic colour and top tube curvature changes only (as well as a really annoying and badly compressed flash dude on the bottom left of the main page).

Not the Best Week

I haven't posted on the recent cyclist death on Swanston St for a few reasons; it's received attention in all the local newspapers and the best blogs, it sparks up the inevitable 'no-place-on-the-road' victim blaming debate, and talking about it at all sits somewhere in the uncomfortable space between community awareness and scaremongering.

Also, it spooked the crap out of me.

I've taken a dive on tram tracks more than once, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I cycle with my partner Jen halfway to her work in Parkville before turning onto Canning St - a route that sends me down Swanston St and past the now funerial Bourke St corner. The space afforded the commuter cyclist on that stretch is sometimes no more than the thin, creased strip between tram tracks and buses (parked, merging, turning).

Some commentators have suggested rider ignorance is to blame - tram tracks are an obvious hazard easily avoided. It's an oversimplification. Buses park in the outside lane with their hazard lights on. If you're halfway past them when they switch from hazards to their right-hand turn signal, how are you to know that the lights on the left have gone dark and the bus is about to merge out? If this happens in the blind spot, you're in trouble. If a tram is passing at the time, well, you can imagine.

The buses do have to go somewhere, that's certain. But that place is obviously not on the busiest bicycle route in the state.

This morning the shade was cool, but the sunlight heartening where it tiptoed through the buildings. It felt good. I didn't look to the flower memorial today. I just rode on past - over Flinders St where the station stood incandescent in the sunshine.

They're years ahead of us!

No hands (for about 2.5seconds)

Apparently there's a guy who rides down Smith St while reading a book.

I hate him.

I've never actually seen him, mind you, but I hate him.

He's endangering others - but that's not the most annoying bit.

There's no way he could be reading anything of substance if he can still navigate traffic - but that's not it either.

He's obviously preening - but that, too, pales into insignificance, because the truth is as simple as it is damning...

...try as I might, I can't bloody do it.

One hand is fine, but as soon as my left hand index finger leaves the ergo grip the bike feigns one way and then keels to the other as if leaning into a sudden invisible corner without any input from me, the apparent decision maker.  The result is the same regardless of speed or spin, surface or incline. I was busy making excuses for myself regarding this very thing as I rode in this morning (perhaps one of my legs is an inch longer than the other and I never noticed) when I stumbled upon something seemingly unrelated to do with holding a line.

You see, for some time I've been convinced that the key to sorting out my balance (and perhaps coming to grips with f%$#ing trackstands) is to work on holding a straight line at low speed. I'd noticed I was especially bad at this several times in the past. At one point, for whatever reason, I chose to modify my pedalling technique. Where I usually push the ball of my foot flat into the pedal to apply maximum force (so that at its forwardmost the sole of my shoe is at about 10 o'clock) this time I angled my foot down as far as was comfortable without losing grip - say, 8 o'clock. Suddenly things smoothed out, even during my more locomotive, I'd-sooner-have-my-knee-caps-fly-off-than-concede-one-more-gear-to-this-headwind moments.

I waited until a flat stretch of Merri Creek Trail.

One hand. Slight re-adjust.

One hand and 4 digits. No noticeable difference.

Two hands...

It was as if I was scooping at the pedals with my feet. Rather than pushing the bike from left to right by stabbing my soles forward, I was gently reigning the bike back in with my feet - ironing out the many small imperfections of balance.

I say this as if I rode with my thumbs in my ears and my tongue lolling out all the way down St. George's Rd. In reality it was a handful of meters, a couple of seconds at best.

But let there be no mistake, it was progress.

BMX = Insane People on Bicycles

There's a Handlebar Mustache Joke Going Here...

Bicycle advocacy in Hungary. Noice.

Tales From The Commute I: Passive Aggression

Construction workers, sand-filled plastic barriers, and traffic. Along Collins St the flow of cars and vans and trams stretches and breaks from intersection to intersection - imagine the slow drip of cold treacle from spoon to cereal and you'll get the idea. The crunch of weighted tires on damp asphalt is as crisp as the air - it's too cold to smell the exhaust fumes and the sweat. The sky is grey and blue, and brighter than last week. Not for the first time I wonder if I've missed daylight savings.

Jacketed cyclists rise from their saddles and coast across Russel Exhibition St with the green light, as a car parked behind the last legally parked car (wedged between barriers and the inner lane) pops its front driver side door and produces a largish man in a suit.

Standing in what would have been the bicycle lane but for the seemingly endless/fruitless construction work (I have a sneaking suspicion they're actually running a lucrative inner city construction worker free parking scam), he then swings the passenger door wide to allow yet another cyclist obstacle to disembark.

"Stupid place to stop." A woman in her 30s comments in an untraceable European accent as she pedals past.

"What was that?" Says the man who had heard perfectly well - his accent tracing its origins back to the foothills of Mt. Passive Aggressive.

"... I said, stupid place to stop!"

The man who grew up running through the daffodils on the shores of Lake Infarction considered this for a moment.

"F*$% off."

"Y-you!" Replied the woman, exasperated. Doubtless she was hoping for something better before Doppler robbed her of the opportunity.


What can we learn here? A few things. Firstly, Simon's Third Law of Commuter Cycling;

If a person is doing something stupid, and they see you coming and continue to do that stupid something, then they are obviously impervious to logic. Arguing with them is like arguing with stale porridge.


This relates to Simon's Second Law of Commuter Cycling;

Energy expended on reprimanding idiots should bear a direct and positive correlation to the degree to which their idiocy disrupted (or had the potential to disrupt) your commute.



For example, if some ruddy faced resident of Triplebypassville opens their car door twenty meters ahead of you, causing you to veer slowly out of their way, there's plenty of reason to let it go. For one, you were inconvenienced by only a few seconds and a couple of feet, and two, chastising this person will not result in their begging your forgiveness. More likely it will result in the water-cooler talk at Stomach Ulcer, Heartburn & Sons focusing on how some dope on a bicycle flew into a rage for no good reason.

On the other hand, if the person opens their car door two meters in front of you, causing you to veer wildly to save your own neck, then the potential for commute diruption (i.e. your untimely death by dooring) is severe enough to warrant at least a partial foaming at the mouth (also a call to 000 if you actually make contact with the door, as opening your door into oncomming traffic is an offense, and failure to subsequently exchange details on request is tantamount to a hit and run).

This is important, because working yourself up over small things distracts you, and distraction relates directly to Simon's First Law of Commuter Cycling;

The most dangerous idiots are the ones you're not looking for.


Addendum: This doesn't mean that you can't politely suggest to someone that they modify their behaviour in the future, nor does it mean that you shouldn't correct someone when they misinterpret the law (i.e. geddawfatharoad!). Just don't expect thanks for your efforts, and try not to become preoccupied with it.

"I said it once before but it bears repeating..."

Image from abc.net.au.

If you're going to cross tram tracks in the wet, either slow down to one third your usual speed, or increase your angle of intersection by at least 20 degrees. Preferably both.

I have a nice scrape on my elbow to remind me of why this is important.

From now on, when it rains I'm only going to turn off of Sturt St by way of a Right Hook Turn.

Wax Your Bike Chain

This image (along with the following link) care of the now defunct Recumbent Blog.

This might be one more suited to the socks'n'sandals crowd, but seemed interesting nonetheless.

Chain Waxing

Hal Grades Your Bike Locking

Hal doesn't carry bolt cutters (maybe for his hair), but he's still a reason to be afraid of lousy locking technique.

These two videos, filmed five years apart, showcase the most typical mistakes.

Trek Soho 3.0 - The bike you could win just by registering for Ride To Work

Just to the right of iced-mocha-sipping-guy-who-buys-his-clothes-at-Gazman is the Trek Soho 3.0, a very nice aluminium flat bar road bike complete with Avid BB-5 Mechanical disc brakes and SRAM X-7 27-speed gearing. If that makes no sense to you, just trust me when I say it's worth every dollar of its $1400 price tag, and you will be very happy if you win it.

All you need to do is register for Ride To Work Day. No money required, no commitment, nothing other than what you were going to do anyway, but now with a 1 in about 20,000 chance of winning a sweet bike.

If those odds don't sound good to you, you've obviously never looked into the stats for Powerball.

Bicycle Product Recall: Cervelo True Temper Wolf SL Carbon Fibre Fork

I don't think anyone here rides a Cervelo, but just in case, here's a link to the product recall of a fork fitted to some of their bikes.

Although the fork is not actually manufactured by Cervelo, after twelve instances of customers' handlebars detaching from their bikes mid commute/leisure ride/race, they're doing the honourable thing and recalling the lot.

Wacked Out Invention of The Week

Now when you blast through a red light, people will know exactly how fast you were hurtling toward that minivan at the moment of impact!

Okay, so there is a certain cool factor in this safety device, it's just that the person most likely to become one of these rolling speedometers is also the person most likely to be popping wheelies in traffic.

The design itself is quite clever - perhaps animated turn signals in the future?

Wrong about Connex

Recently I talked about Connex banning bicycles from peak hour trains. Turns out the ban was withdrawn shortly after implementation.

Thanks to Simon Ross for the heads up.

Be nice if cycling got some air time over here...

I'd like to see something like this UK ad on the teev down under.

Congrats to Anna Meares - Silver in the Women's Track Sprint

Meares with Pendleton. Photo nabbed from the www.abc.net.au (AFP: Daniel Garcia)

We've all heard her 'broken back to Olympic medalist' story a few times by now, but why the hell not? Competition at any level after that kind of injury is impressive - more so when you consider that Anna's silver is our only medal on the track at these games. BMX is still to come, so I won't say its the only cycling medal just yet).

Full credit to Victoria Pendleton from GBR for the Gold - she's bloody fast.

Funny the stuff you find on the internet...

Jason Pastor from the Carnegie / Caulfield Cycling Club in action in Mansfield
(Victorian Open Road Cycling Championships, Victoria, Australia, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2005)
Photo ©: Shane Goss/www.licoricegallery.com

In case you missed it - The First of At Least A Few Ride To Work E-mails

Yes, it’s coming, and no, I’m not going to shut up about it. Practice your stretches. Dust off your Stackhat. In two short months National Ride To Work Day will be here (October 15^th), and I’m not taking any lip.

Here (in a shameless rip-off of Letterman’s classic Top Ten format) are the

Top Ten Reasons You Should Do It.

10. For registering to ride your bicycle you could win… a bicycle! Last year it was this or this.

09. It’s easier than it looks.

08. All the cool people are doing it.

07. So is this guy.

06. There will be a free breakfast (Kate Guest has promised muffins).

05. There will be prizes (as yet unspecified) for various award categories (also unspecified).

04. I’ll be your friend.

03. Unleaded was about 144.9 per litre last I checked. Think about it.

02. The environment, and all that.

01. You couldn’t look dorkier than Peter Garrett did.

But It’s Too Far

This is one of the most difficult hurdles, and oftentimes it’s fair enough. Look into cycling to the nearest train, or cycle in and then train back, or some kind of cycle/car pool combination. It’s Ride To Work day, after all. Bear in mind that you may have to get up a bit earlier than usual – for capacity reasons Connex have banned bikes on peak hour trains (rather than, you know, running more trains).

I’m Worried That It’s Dangerous

If you need to mix it with motorized traffic, then risk is a factor, certainly. If you’re interested in riding but think you might freak out, let me know. We can always pair you up with an experienced bicycle commuter in your area. Also, weekend practice rides are great confidence boosters. Remember that not only is cycling safer than it seems, but Ride To Work Day is the safest day of the year to do it.

I’m Really Unfit

The great thing about cycling is that you can go as slow as you like. Give yourself plenty of time and enjoy it. Besides which, Cadel Evans just rode the Olympic times trials with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament and placed 5^th. In the world. Comparatively, commuting is a doddle.

I Also Have No Bike / An Un-roadworthy Bike

Well, you’ve got two months, get cracking! Just speak to a cycling co-worker and if they can’t point you in the direction of a decent bike store and a few product suggestions, they will know someone who can. If you are attached to your current bike, but so are cobwebs, get a cycling pal to look it over and recommend a repair store/course of action. Flat tires and a rusty chain are an easy fix! If it’s a matter of moolah, you’d be surprised how many of us have spare bikes…

Okay, okay, where’s the link already?

Click here to go to the Ride To Work Day homepage, and then click ‘Participant Registration’ on the right of screen.

The Omnilab Melbourne Team number is 866733 – you need to enter that number to be registered as a member of Team Us.

I’m hopeless with these entry form things, can’t you just do it for me?

Certainly. Just forward me your name, contact number, and date of birth.

Thanks,

Simon

P.S. I’ll be bugging you all again in a month’s time…

P.P.S. If you’d like to contribute foodstuffs etc, I’d love to hear from you.

Gardiners Creek Trail Closure

For those of you who use Gardiners Creek Trail, here's what the City of Boroondara had to say in an e-mail to Pamela about the current detour;

15 August 2008

Dear Ms Hammond

Re: Gardiners Creek Trail Diversion

Thank you for your e-mail of 5 August 2008 regarding the closure of the Gardiners Creek Trail.

I wish to advise that the section of the Gardiners Creek Trail between Tooronga Road and Great Valley Road will be closed for a period of 12 months until July 2009 to allow for construction of the Monash Freeway widening works, the re-alignment of Gardiners Creek and the development of the Glen Iris Wetland.

The freeway works, undertaken by the Monash Alliance necessitated the closure on 15 July 2008.

The Glen Iris Wetland works (west of Burke Road) to be undertaken by Melbourne Water, are proposed to commence by mid to end August 2008. The realignment and widening of Gardiners Creek between Tooronga Road and the Wetland site, to be also undertaken by Melbourne Water, is tentatively proposed to commence at the end of September 2008.

Realignment and widening of Gardiners Creek is necessary to reduce flood levels and to improve water flow and the stability of the creek embankment. It is noted that a section of the creek embankment collapsed in late December 2007 which resulted in the closure of the trail for 2 weeks to allow for emergency remedial works by Melbourne Water.

The freeway works are part of the State Government's commitment to widen the Monash Freeway to provide an additional traffic lane in each direction.

At the conclusion of the works a new wider path will be provided between Tooronga Road and Burke Road.

In the interim, a detour route for the trail involves the use of Tooronga Road, Carroll Crescent, Wills Street and Great Valley Road in the City of Stonnington and is considered to be the most practical solution (see attached plan). This route essentially utilises local and lower order local roads and the on road bicycle lanes in Tooronga Road. The City of Stonnington is also installing traffic calming treatments along Carroll Crescent to encourage motorists to travel more slowly, further enhancing the safety along this section of road. These works are nearing completion.

Use of Burke and Toorak Roads was not considered appropriate given that both roads are major arterial roads with heavy volumes of traffic travelling at speed, particularly Toorak Road.

The former Tooronga Village site is privately owned by Stockland and is currently being redeveloped with major earthworks occurring within its boundary. On this basis, use of private land and a construction site was not supported on several grounds, including safety.

The local street network in the City of Boroondara west of Burke Road provides no connection to Tooronga Road. It comprises a number of no through roads that link to Burke Road South Reserve and an indirect connection to Toorak Road.

As part of the Wetland works, major drains are proposed to be installed within the reserve which will restrict access through the reserve and use of the oval. Again whilst use of Burke Road, the street network and Toorak Road is still possible, it was not considered appropriate to formalise a detour given the steep grades and the volume and speed of traffic on Burke and Toorak Roads.

In view of the above, the local street network in the City of Stonnington was considered to be the most suitable detour in view of the constraints.

In relation to the other issues raised in your e-mail, I wish to advise the following:

· Council approached contractors on behalf of the Monash Alliance and Melbourne Water to seal, compact and sweep the temporary access path as a matter of urgency. The path was sealed on 28 July 2008 and a request was also sent through for the path to be swept. This matter will be followed up, including sweeping of the footpath and the on road bike lane in Tooronga Road.

· Additional detour and information signs along the entire detour route are proposed to be installed within the next week.

A copy of the detour route and a plan showing the extent of the Freeway, Creek and Wetland works is attached.

Should you require any further information in relation to the Monash Freeway or Melbourne Water works, please contact one of the following:

Monash Freeway Alliance
Communications
Ph: 9834 4700

Melbourne Water
Communications
Ph: 131 722

Should you require any other details please contact me.

Yours sincerely
Jim Hondrakis

Team Leader Transport Management
ph. 9278 4546
fax 9278 4512

e-mail : jim.hondrakis@boroondara.vic.gov.au

City of Boroondara
Private Bag 1
Camberwell 3124

Bike helmets that look like hats!

Yakkay's bike-helmets look like hats -- just slip a cover on (they come in beanie, sunhat, peaked cap and a couple other varieties, and in many colors) and pedal your way to sartorial splendour.
- Kate

http://www.yakkay.com/uk/cover_oversigt.html

RACV Bike Assist cover - now available

Pretty cheap peace of mind if you don't feel like your on-the-spot bicycle maintenance skills would pass muster (like me!). - Kate

RACV Bike Assist is designed to assist cyclists in the event that their bicycle cannot be ridden due to an accident, mechanical problem or puncture. You have the peace of mind in knowing that if we cannot fix the problem we will dispatch a taxi to transport yourself and your bicycle to your chosen destination

Members:

• $24 p.a. single cover
• $33 p.a. family cover

RACV bike assist - single cover includes:

• Up to eight service calls per subscription year.
• A taxi to transport your and your bike to your chosen destination, up to the value of $50, if RACV cannot fix the problem.
  

RACV bike assist - family cover includes:

• Coverage for two adults and two children under the age of 21 years.
• Up to eight service calls per subscription year.
• One or two taxis up to the value of $100 to transport you, your family and bikes to your chosen destination if RACV cannot fix the problem.

For more info / detail on what's covered:
http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Internet/Primary/roadside+assistance/bike+assist/

Awesome Photo of the Week

via Queensland State Library

I've been dared to post an article on saddles and erectile disfunction...

Picture nabbed from the blog of Robert Mackey, NYTimes.

Kate, you don't know me that well, obviously.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807175444.htm

I especially like that one of the tests for erectile function is called 'Rigiscan' TM.

Priceless.

Complete a survey, win an iPhone (maybe)

Worth a shot .

If you worked for Little Creatures...

... you'd be riding a very cool bike by now.

Just saying.

Made In Queens - a doco about some coooool bikes

http://www.madeinqueensfilm.com/film.html

MADE IN QUEENS

Just wanted to mention a great short doco that's getting a bit of attention. There's a bunch of ex-Trinidad-Tobago citizens living in Queens NY at the moment that decided to create a 'mobile dance party' of sorts by hooking up massive sound systems (generators, speakers, etc.) to their BMX bikes and riding them around town until they find a suitable place to stop and party. It's awesome. Anyway, if you see it screening in Melbourne it would be a great one to get to.

- Kate x

In case you haven't seen it yet...

This is the extent to which relations have soured between Critical Mass and the NYPD.

As most comentators on the web and elsewhere have already noted, Critical Mass are a tough nut to crack. On the one hand, they are a cyclist advocate group focused on reclaiming not simply 'the streets' (as per their ambiguous catch-cry), but a place for the bicycle in the collective psyche as a serious means of transportation, one deserving of recognition and thereby safety on said streets.

On the other hand they are a bunch of bike lifting, tunnel obstructing zealots in desperate need of a steady job and/or a hobby. Too slow for crits, too clumsy for XC, too impatient for brevets, too sane for cyclocross, but still eager to participate in group activites with their bikes that don't require a polo mallet, they turn bicycle advocacy into a kind of bicycle supremacy - Homo Velo Superior. They are the Magnetos of the road. Sure, it's great for 3Aw's talkback hour, but perhaps not most effective way to get motorists to hand over a piece of the asphalt pie.

My point, before anyone rushes to their keyboard in defense or denunciation of this or that, is not that Mr Long (the cyclist) deserved to be hoisted from his fixie in such a manner. Personally I think Officer Pogan (the hoister) is a disgrace. My point is that this is the kind of inexcusable behaviour that springs from either side of any 'Us v. Them' arrangement given enough time, people, and collective myopia. First a motorist nearly kills 50 elite cyclists, then cops start shoving people off bikes, then articles about deadly scofflaw cyclists claim that we're mowing down the elderly. It's tempting to think of the roads as a battleground, but it's a mistake. The CMers need to see what it's like to try and hold down a job with long hours 60-150kms from home, and the motorists and cops and journos need to get on a bike in traffic and see how long it takes for someone to almost kill them.

They need to, but they probably won't.

Stay tuned for red t-shirts featuring Stuart O'Grady smoking a cigar in a beret I guess...

New bike shop open - Brunswick

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to mention that a friend of a friend called Huw has just opened a new bike shop in Brunswick - if you live nearby you should check it out! He does repairs and all the usual stuff of course...plus he has this really great incentive where if you bring your bike in for servicing he loans you a courtesy bike to use while it's being fixed - RAD. Anyway thought I'd spread the word...

http://commutercycles.com.au

- Kate xx

Here's some info from the website:

Commuter Cycles is a dedicated bike workshop for everyday cyclists. Fixing bikes is what we do. If you love your bike, and ride it to get from A to B, Commuter Cycles is your bike shop.

We offer tailored servicing and repairs, reliable accessories and good value replacement parts. We take great pride in our workmanship and think bright lights, panniers and mudguards are cool. At Commuter Cycles, the workshop is the shop, so you deal with the same people who look after your bike.

Better still, Commuter Cycles makes looking after your bike easy by offering courtesy bikes, opening early and closing late, and we’re conveniently located next to the Upfield bikepath and Brunswick station.

Saving Motorists $35m a Year So That They Can Honk at Us for Not Allowing Them to Perform an Illegal Left-Lane Overtake...

Okay, that's a bit bitter of me, but you'd think people would cut bicycle commuters some slack considering all the money we save them.

Thanks to Georgia and Di for the link.

Do This!

As if I didn't already feel like a clutz...

Separated Bike Lane for Albert Street

Photo by Craig Sillitoe, c/o The Age

Looks like those living East of the CBD have recieved some bicycle lovin' from Melbourne City Council, with Albert St to get the full 'Copenhagen-Style' bicycle lane treatment.

Click here for the Age story.

More on the Glen Iris Bike Path Detour

Care of the Stonnington Leader.

Cadel Evans - Favourite for 2008 Tour de France

Photo: Bryn Lennon, c/o www.theage.com.au

According to this article in today's Age, Australia's Cadel Evans is the Yellow Jersey favourite for this year's Tour de France.

Despite this, Cadel is perhaps still better known as the only Australian Olympic Athlete to publicise his support for a Free Tibet.

To return to the subject of Australian's in the Tour however, it is also worth noting that 2007 Paris-Roubaix winner Stuart O'Grady is back in the mix after the broken bones and punctured lung of last year's tour.

Top Gear Peak Hour Challenge

Much like the Brooklyn Challenge featured a few weeks/posts ago, only bigger, longer, and - as is Top Gear's custom - sillier.

Still, Richard Hammond rode this bike to victory - leaving an SUV, Public Transport, and even a speedboat in his wake (pardon the pun). Check YouTube for illegally distributed copies of the footage.

Nice to see a car program give a nod to cyclists. I felt the show was fairly even-handed - in its own grossly exaggerated way.

Editor's Note: Something about the name Hammond that brings out the inner bicycle nut, it seems.

That Eastlink Ride

Both Pamela and Jason had plenty to say about the organisation of Ride The Eastlink - not much of it complimentary. 

It's not hard to see what they meant.

Find more videos like this on Melbourne Cyclist

Derailleur Adjustment Made EZ

This would have to be the most concise, sensible explanation of derailleur adjustment I've found yet. Very useful info for anyone who has to contend with the bloody things.

Amusing article on overcoming the obstacles to bicycle commuting...

Bike Snob NYC is snide, obnoxious, and his posts are full of bicycle nerd in-jokes and innuendo... but this was great reading nonetheless.

In a nutshell, his advice is that all the things you're afraid might happen to you while on a bike will happen, and the sooner you're cool with that the more fun you'll have.

Warning: Contains coarse language, sexual themes, and an allusion to mid-80s comedy Night Court.

Securing Quick Release Seats - A Tip Both Retro & Green

This unfortunate photo  - taken in downtown NYC - is the sole property of this guy.

I don't understand quick-release skewers. An adjustable wrench is a pretty easy tool to operate, and yet bicycles marketed as commuter bikes are sold with quick-release everything. Front wheel, rear wheel, seat post - everything held in place by these little levers that say "take me, opportunistic bicycle thief, I'm free".

If you park your bike on the street often, and don't remove your seat regularly, here's a trick to take the seat and seat post out of the 'theft of opportunity' equation. This is also good for bikes with hex nut or allen nut secured seats, as it provides an extra layer of protection.

For this you'll need;

1x old bicycle chain
1x old/dead inner tube
12x cable ties
1x roll of black electrical tape
1x pair of scissors
1x chain breaker tool

Ask a fellow cyclist if you don't have any of these.

1. Take the chain and, if it's not already broken open, use the chain breaker tool to push one of the pins out 90% of the way so that you can disconnect the links without completely dislodging the pin. I can give you a demo if you're interested, or you can see a quick 'how to' here.


2. Pass the chain through the rails of the seat (underneath), then under and around the seat stays (the tubes that come up from the rear wheel to meet under the seat) and back to the rails. You should have a loop of chain that (once reconnected) will secure the seat to the frame.


3. Pull the chain tight so that there is little slack. Try to be gentle - bare chain can scratch your frame up pretty bad (we'll get to that later). You are going to shorten the chain using the chain breaker, so make a note of where the chain should be broken to remove the slack. Bear in mind that a chain consists of inner and outer links - you need to place one link inside the other for this to work. It's best to shorten the 'inner' end that doesn't have the pin hanging out.
   


4. Break the chain at the point you have selected using the chain breaker in the same way you did for step one. If you've chosen the correct link the 'new' end should fit inside the end with the pin attached.
   


5. Check that the ends do in fact reach. If they don't you'll have to add 2 links back on. A little bit of slack is ok. 
   


6. Take the chain out from around the seat and frame (gently to avoid scratching) and lay it down next to your inner tube. Cut a section of inner tube to the same length.
   


7. Run the chain through the inner tube and (making sure the chain is just inside either end) use the cable ties to tighten the inner tube around the chain. This is to prevent the chain scratching your bike, and also to prevent the chain from rusting.
   


8. Run the chain back through the seat and frame as before, then use the chain breaker to drive the pin back through the links until it is 1/2mm above flush with the side of the chain (it should be the same on both sides). Flex the link back and forth, side to side to make sure it's back in properly.
   


9. Use the electrical tape to tape the ends of the inner tube closed (this keeps water out).
   

There you have it. Your seat is secure, you've learnt how to use a chain breaker, and you've re-used parts that might otherwise have gone to landfill.