bikemonster

Hello My Imaginary Friends I’ve been in Aussie for a few months now, and have re-started my riding. I ride with a shop squad in Lane Cove, in North Sydney. Saturday morning rides are around 60-80 km, and include some very pretty scenery and some good climbs. So I thought I’d share some it with you. What is really, really different from riding in South Africa is the relationship between cyclists and motorised traffic. Let’s face it, it makes a mahoosive difference having drivers who a) all hold licences and B) none of those licences were bought. (On a related note, the waiting period for the NSW licence test is around 2 weeks, and a credit card licence, with photograph, is issued while you wait.) The squad that I ride with takes up a lane when we ride on multi-lane roads. The guys at the front raise an arm to signal to the guys at the back that they want to move across into a lane. The guys at the back signal to the traffic that they want to move to the right. The traffic makes space, and the squad moves across, starting with the guys at the back. Once they “own” the lane, they yell “Over!” and the rest of the squad moves across. When the squad encounters a red light, there are two new things for a transplanted Saffer to learn. 1) we stop at the red light. Weird, or what? 2) when we stop at a red light, we stop where we are in the traffic stream, we don’t lane split through to the front of the queue. This morning we drove over a busy bridge (2 lanes) and the climb of approx 2km once past it, which has no shoulder to speak of. The whole way, traffic drove around us. Nobody hooted once, nobody monstered us. Just wonderful. Oh, and no minibus taxis either. Lovely. The bike that I have borrowed lives outdoors, behind the house that I am staying in. Yes, it is locked up, but it’s locked to a mild steel bracket. Next to it live two BMX bikes that have never been locked, and have been hanging there for several years. There are two major down sides to cycling in Aussie: 1. As far as I can tell there is no equivalent of the Hub. There are forums, but none as vibrant as this site. (Possibly ‘cause they never discuss whether Darwin or baby Jesus did it.) 2. There is no equivalent of the PPA with its weekly races. Those of you who bitch and moan about PPA, hush your mouths, you do not know how good you got it! As you were! James

Welcome. Some of us on here are petrolheads and pedalheads. Some cyclists ride like knobs. Some motorists drive like knobs. Some people are knobs even when they are away from wheeled transport.

Many bikes. Few chains. Looks more like the hangout of a fetishist than a cyclist.

Son of bikemonster has a Giant with 16" wheels, back pedal brakes and a reach-adjustable lever operated brake on the front wheel. He's had it two years and it's been bullet (and child) proof. Styling is sort of BMX meets Sherman tank, with the svelteness of Kirstie Alley (the big version). Weighs about the same as a small planet.

Do you have pics of the puppies? What breed? Are they pedigreed and registered?

Pearoast! https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/98421-world-naked-bike-ride-cape-town/

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm283/djsyda/holy_thread_resurrection_batman.jpg

What kind of riding do you intend to do, and what sort of budget do you have? (Sits back and waits for somebody to suggest alu hard tail, regardless of your answer.)

Read the story here

Ease of cleaning, quality of design.

Yes, I've heard that to. (And can I just say that righting in sucky grammar makes my brain hurt!)

Camelbak Rogue (if they still make it). Otherwise you end up with the equivalent of a woman's handbag: the more space there is, the more cr@p finds its way in there.

My Scott Spark is defiantly a duel suspension bike. Edited to add: When I was shopping around for a new bike, I could of bought a Merida instead.

This won't work - think about it: if everybody gets faster, then the seedings must remain the same. Seeding is relative, not absolute.

Obviously there is a limit to what you should carry. So, to pick an obvious example, a BB facing tool is not something you would carry. Ask yourself this: would you call yourself a numb nuts if you left the tool behind and then needed it on a ride. I have a dinky chain breaker, which prolly weighs around 100g and takes up minimal space. If a chain broke and I'd left the tool at home, then I'd call myself a numb nuts. Similarly a pump. I want to race as fast as I can, but I don't poo my pants about every last gram. If I suffer a puncture or chain break I want to know that I am self sufficient. I'll take my chance with BB rebuilds, wheel rebuilds, cable breakage and frame failure. At the other extreme, some guys head out without so much as a spare tube. I have lots of names for them. None of them polite.

Pffffft!!!! And who appointed you chief of the style police? A Camelbak on the road is excellent. I'll stop using it on the road just as soon as I have a domestique to fetch bidons for me from the team car. Until then, the 'bak stays! It has space to carry a lightweight pump, small multi tool and small chain breaker and a R50 note for emergency money. To answer the OP: Saddle bag with two tubes, tyre levers, tool-less chain link and some glue on patches for just-in-case. Saddle bags are rated uncool for some for exactly the same reasons that Camelbaks are rated as uncool: you don't see the pros using them. Do you want to ponce about looking like a pro or do you want to ride your bike (and be reasonably self-sufficient)?

You were riding on the underside of the road, weren't you? Beneath the tarmac... Either that, or you exceeded the value of C in E=MC^2 and went back in time. Do you ride a Litespeed?

Your Poe's one was a p0es one! You could have at least stayed with Dickens. (Hello mate! )

I couldn't hear what he was saying 'cause of my cough. I had great expectorations. Oh, is that my coat?

Sadly I won't be doing this ride - pity 'cause it sounds like a great ride with a great bunch of pansies peeps. But riding before dawn on roads that bikes shouldn't be on in the first place? Not so very clever. Consider the likelihood of a drunk numb nuts side-swiping the bunch going down to Hospital Bend. I'd suggest riding Main Rd as far as Newlands, then Clipper Road and Newlands ave. to Paradise Rd and join the M3 there. Still naughty, but you will get the joy that is Edinburgh Drive and the blast of charging down the Blue Route. But, as I am not doing the ride, feel even more free than usual to ignore my comments.

Pride something something a fall.

Dude, you oughta know I'm a not-so-secret agent for straight thinking. No more, no less.

And quite rightly too! Like I said, if you are regularly riding away from your start group then you should be in a faster group. If you are not, then you are prolly seeded about right. But if everybody's seeding is moving up, then the seeding process is truly flawed.

About two weeks to go. You're going too aren't you?

The formula doesn't really matter, and the flaws don't really matter either. Here's why: 1. The field needs to be spread out across the alphabet. 2. The faster groups will be more sparsely populated to cater for people moving up between annual number issue. 3. Unless you are riding away from your start group every week, you are prolly in the right start group. 4. Just ride your bikes, you whingeing pansies! That is all.