At the You Yangs yesterday I noticed that someone had tried to break into my car by busting the drivers’ side lock.
Grr!
Not happy. Second time in 2 years that people have had a go at my car. Last time, they smashed the rear drivers’ side window. This time, thankfully they didn’t manage to get in. It’s still VERY annoying though.
But what is it with my car that just attracts thieves? There was definitely nothing expensive stored in view. In fact, all that you could see from outside was a couple of packets of tissues, my glasses and my bike pump. Sure it’s a nice pump, but surely not worth the trouble!
Winter has rolled around again and with the turn in the weather, I’ve busted out the layers. Unlike last year, I don’t have the problem of being unable to carry everything.
With the build of the folding bike now all but complete, I found myself with a problem. The tiny 20″ wheels bring the rear rack just a little bit closer, causing my foot to foul against my pannier. So what’s to do? A new bag of course. (on that note, anyone want to buy a large Ortlieb Office Bag?)
So through a bit of searching and keeping an eye on sales, I found myself with a Topeak MTX trunkbag, with fold down panniers. Sure it’s a bit of a downgrade from the Ortlieb on the bombproofand waterproof stakes, but I’ve always liked the way that Topeak integrates all of their products to work together.
Having used this bag for all of two weeks now, I’ve realised that it’s started to happen…
with all of the extra space, I’ve started to carry more *stuff*, for the just-in-case scenarios. For example, last night, I looked at the weather forecast and decided that winter tights would be more appropriate for today’s ride, but packed the leg warmers just-in-case it warmed up. I’m also carrying a second set of gloves because the winter gloves I wore in are going to be too warm for the ride home.
I get the feeling that I will soon be carrying my whole cycling wardrobe with me, just so I can adjust my comfort at the microscopic level depending upon the prevailing temperature, wind condition and humidity.
It’s a worry… and I haven’t even started carrying extra tools yet…
Some rides… just don’t work out the way you planned.
Being a long weekend, a bunch of us decided to hit the You Yangs for a spot of MTBing.
One of my first ever MTB experiences was at the You Yangs and I was absolutely terrified. Steep drop offs, abrasive granite boulders, wooden boardwalks and huge berms. Scary stuff for a newbie and in fact, some bits are still pretty scary. None the less, I was determined this time to ride more stuff and walk less.
You know what? I think it’s working.
I did manage to ride pretty much everything I set out to do on this ride. So much so that for the first time, I actually put my rear derailleur into threat riding through a rock garden. I also managed to ride straight up to a fairly sizable drop off on Cressy’s Climb and commit to it before realising how big it was. I somehow managed to roll off safely, but twinged my left quad in the process.
Of course, it wasn’t all good. To offset my generally good technical riding, I was having an annoying day with all things beginning with C.
First up was my cranks. Can I just say that having a crank fall off while you’re riding is quite scary. Thank goodness for external BB cranks which can be put back on with basic tools.
Then there was my camera - I was having a generally useless day with it. I actually spent the first hour of the ride with the camera taking stills, rather than video. Then, once I’d switched it to video, it was in super macro, so the next 10 mins or so was slightly blurry. Once I’d figured that out, the handlebar mount came loose. Then the tripod bolt started to unscrew. And once ALL of those problems had been sorted out, I ran out of batteries. None the less, I did save some of the footage.
Thankfully, I didn’t get to the third C - crashing. I left that up to my brother, which you can see in the first video.
Despite all this, it was still an enjoyable day in the saddle. I think I’m actually starting to enjoy riding rocks.
I have for some months, been the owner of a folding bike. Just a cheap one Dahon copy. Probably about as cheap as folding bikes get.
Either way, I’ve spent some time messing with it, adding a few bits out of the part box, removing a bits and now I have myself a new old bike…
Yes, yes, the rear wheel plus the seat post is worth many times more than the bike itself.
Anyway, first ride in today on this bike. Just to make it interesting, I was also riding pretty heavily loaded.
All I can say… what a fun bike to ride and it’s soooo comfortable. That’s not just due to the Thudbuster. The natural flex of the frame inherent in a folding bike also provides some form of suspension. Sure it’s not as fast and efficient as my road bike, but I think I could ride this bike all day.
The one thing I miss though is a top tube to sit on at the lights…
So I received an email last night, asking if I’d be interested in assisting the local paper in an article about Eastlink. Being a local paper, I’d guess that this would have a few quotes from me about how I love to ride my bike on the trail that runs alongside, accompanied by a photo.
One problem though…
I don’t actually like the trail that much [1].
So I think I might have to give this great media opportunity a miss. It’s probably not the feel good news that the local paper is after. None the less, I’ve had a think about how I could put a postive spin on things…
Eastlink - One Year On
As the one year anniversary of the opening of the Eastlink Tollway approaches, the Journal has asked local residents for their opinions of the facility. We approached a wide cross-section of individuals to see how their lives have been impacted by Eastlink.
Saves moneyRob, 42, Park Orchards
I have a holiday house down on the Mornington Penninsular and Eastlink saves me around $4 in petrol compared to driving my Land Crusher down Springvale Road and it’s great that they cap the tolls at $4.96. It’s also excellent how all of the freeways out of the city now funnel into that narrow stretch of highway behind Frankston.
Fun for young…Scott, 8, Ringwood North
I like how the little tag beeps when we go through the gates. But why are you asking me? I can’t drive yet…
… and old.Ethel, 87, Ringwood
Oh it’s wonderful that they’ve opened the freeway just outside my back window. I just love to sit near the kitchen window in the afternoons counting all the colourful cars as they go past. Can you believe that I saw a whole 16 cars go past over 2 hours yesterday afternoon?
As a keen recreational and some-time competitive cyclist, the Eastlink Trail has opened up massive opportunities for me. Firstly the designer of the Mullum Mullum trail has done an amazing job creating a location for hill intervals. As you can see from the photo (inset), the gradients of the hills provide me the perfect opportunity to max my HR while more recreational trail users, such as the mother with the child seat on her bike in the background, must walk their bikes up the hills, keeping them well out of my way. Also, the inclusion of wooden bridges which never really dry out due to the dampness of the gorge, ensures that the trail is kept clear for me as it sends other trail users sliding off into the bushes.
However, it is not just this component of the trail which the designers must be applauded for. Other components such as the long expanses of straight path that run alongside the road in the southern reaches of the trail provide an excellent location for me to test my aerodynamic profile and maximum speed. It was an excellent choice to avoid diverting the path through a more scenic route, as this ensures that I am able to focus on my training goals (I hit 48km/hr on the trail the other day!) for sustained HR at time trial effort.
Furthermore, while other trail users see the delays in building road overpasses as an inconvenience, I have turned these into an opportunity. These construction sites have, over the last 12 months, provided excellent locations for me to test my skills on the mountainbike. Bumps and ruts that I’d normally have to travel to the bush for can now be found at my doorstep. Hub deep gravel and sharp, unmarked drop offs where the trail enters the construction site ensure that I always stay loose on the bike.
Great work Eastlink!
Do you reckon they’ll publish it?
[1] I say “that much” because I will concede that they have actually built a bike trail that effectively links my house to my girlfriend’s place… that would be the one saving grace.
Limped my way into the lift this morning, which runs express to the stratosphere where my desk is. As the lift blasted off, I felt the usual increase in gravity and change in air pressure, followed by a swell of pain in my left leg.
For the most part, Melbourne is a great place to ride. Decent weather. Wide roads. Hills that are manageable around town. Bigger hills to test yourself just out of town. Sure there are some things I could complain about, but for the most part, I love riding around Melbourne.
What is it with MTB videos that make them look so slow? Even DH videos, when taken from onboard the bike, somehow manage to look kinda slow and tame. Yet, I maintain that it FEELS fast when I’m riding through some twisty bit of singletrack and that I could defnitely pedal harder, but choose not to because of the upcoming corner or log.
Okay, I admit it, I’m very average in the techy stuff.
Time to go for a road ride and get some speed going…
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