A winter tandem tour.

These last school holidays Marc and I decided to try and get away on our tandem without the kids for a change. Babysitting, therefore, was required, so to maximise our riding time, we decided on a route that departed from and returned to the grandparents' place in Sydney (particularly because we already had to be in Sydney to watch #2 daughter play at the netball State Age.)

This is what we came up with:

Five days and around 400km, travelling up to through the Central Coast to Newcastle (using a ferry service to take us from Bobbin Head down and over to Patonga.) From Newcastle we rode across to Wollombi through Cessnock, then down through St Albans to Wisemans Ferry on the last night. Rather than take the shortest route back, we took the "scenic" route downriver to Spencer, up to Mangrove Mountain, and down through Peats Ridge to Brooklyn. At this point we used our escape clause of jumping on a train to take us back up to Hornsby - and then hooned the last 7km back to Pennant Hills.

This was the first time we'd done an unsupported tour on the tandem, so beforehand we had an interesting time deciding on essential, and warm, on and off bike gear for the duration. We didn't get round to weighing the panniers, but there wasn't much we didn't use, including our rain jackets and new rain pants. The extra weight we were carrying certainly gave me an eye-opener into just how much weight Wally and Sue would be hauling on their Top End adventure!


This is us about to set off. For more photos, click on the pic above to link to an album of photos I've put up elsewhere, complete with captions which should pretty much give you an overview of the trip. (It won't open in a new window for me, so you might want to read ahead first!)

It's kind of hard to get action riding shots when you're on the one bike! Plus we don't tend to stop much when Marc is in the driver's seat!

In retrospect, some of the routes we chose were great, some not so. (Wouldn't detour via Minmi again - we'd put up with the traffic on the link road. The road to Cessnock wasn't great, with significant hills AND traffic, but there wasn't a lot of choice - we think the alternative might have been steeper.

Favourite parts were the Fernleigh Track in Newcastle, and the Great North Road from Bucketty to St Albans (aside from the freaky downhill bits, and the d***head in a car trying to pass us on a steep uphill pinch!) And we would have enjoyed the road from Wisemans to Spencer more had it not been so damn cold and foggy! But then, where would be the fun in a bike tour if you didn't overcome the challenges of terrain and temperature?!

We're already talking about where we're going to escape to next year!

Tracey

South Arm Road to Bellingen

Emma sent me this beautiful description of paradise. I have her permission to publish it - Carolyn

"Was the most glorious winter's day for a pedal along the picturesque rambling roads though the hills. Those hills hadn't become any smaller since our last visit though, and they still required the appropriate huffing, puffing and hurting to reach the top. As we rode along the South Arm Rd where it follows the Kalang river, the water was perfectly still and became a perfect mirror of the thick riverside forest and brilliant blue winter sky. Yet another a moment cycling provides that makes one glad to be alive."

This ride is not easy - some hills. But well worth it.

Women on Wheels

As you know, I ride a recumbent trike. Before making what some might say was a lunatic decision (I think this myself sometimes when I wonder how I can take my trike on a plane for touring - uprights are sooo easy to pack-up, and so familiar to airlines) I researched carefully.

Terry's Bicycles site was a light-bulb moment for me. Being small in stature, some unkindly have said "hobbit-like" (only friends and family), with kinda short arms and legs, I was fascinated to read about Georgena Terry's exprerience. She started off as a cyclist, became a design engineer to get skills to design a better bike frame for women, and here it is. Unfortunately, I can find no Australian distributor for her bike, but here is a link to a whole bunch of videos around upright bicycle knowledge and her design logic. Enjoy! (And no, I'm not the Carole who is quoted on the link! It's just that great minds think alike.)

This woman's story is inspirational. As a confirmed cynic, I do not use "inspirational" lightly - spinal compression, cancer, thyroid removed, 8 children (only 7 of them by birth, ladies), 58 days across the US by trike, and runs a trike tour company. I need to win Lotto, and go, go, go. And she likes pink! Yes! Lucinda Chandler you rock. What do you think Lucinda might do next .. across the Andes by frog, perhaps? Wow!

Team Estrogen is another great site - although mostly an on-line shop, go to community and learn lots.

Meanwhile, back at home ... some Australian women cyclist's stories.

From Carolyn.

Trike Trio

Just when you thought it was safe to get up off the couch and get back on the bike after the "Tour de France", I present to you Trio de Tricycle. Three "you tube" clips which might just give you minutes of fun.

1. KMX Kart - Stunts (3 minutes). Watch this kid go! Is he any good or what?

2. Greenspeed GT3 on a Downhill Run (about 7 minutes). A bit long but well worth it - listen closely to the punchline at the end. (28mph = 45kph approx.) (Warning: the narrator has a wicked sense of humour that might gross some people out and / or might offend)

3. Combines three of my favourite things - dogs, trikes and the colour pink. It's a slide show - view this and the next 4 for best effect - then it's up to you.

Cheers,
Carolyn

Flykes - Test One Out at Byron Bay

"What is a flyke?" You may well ask this question. But, it's always comforting for me to know there's somebody out there who's willing to try something completely different.

Watch this clip and find out just how fluky a flyke really is. (Scroll down the page to the third video entitled "Hessenschau" East Wind.

The commentary is in German - but you'll have no trouble getting the general gist of the clip. The words "extreme sport" say it all.

If you would like to investigate further, Australia has its own Flyke Flying School (I dare you to say that quickly three times). It is located at Byron Bay, and for a starting cost of $2200 you can give it a go. (Insert legally binding disclaimer here ... the Coffs BUG take no responsibility for any injury, death or misadventure ... yada, yada, ... )

Just don't invite me along, I'll be sticking to my trike with its three wheels planted firmly on the ground.

cheers,

Carolyn

Unicycle Mania

Just when you thought it was safe to hop on your bike - someone comes up with a new idea. Or, is it an old idea, revisited? Anyway, I discovered that even unicycles can be duplicitous - there are trick ones, touring ones (yes, touring) and my goodness only knows what other kinds. The mind boggles, but it looks fun.

It is good to see our youth are off the streets and trick cycling (20" wheels) - even if some of the language is explicit. Be warned, Emma is a lady, but the second one has got street language in it.

Emma's unicycle show

Unicycle championships set to rap (Explicit language).

But wait, there's more, they're off on a tour of India - single wheels strapped to their backs - what size are those wheels (26")?

And now a link to a wheely good website.

Enough!

Happy Cycling to All - whether it be one wheel, or two, or three, or four (yes, four!), be it with / without a small motor ... you get the drift ...

from Carolyn

Synchronised Swimming Has Competition

My son was telling me about the trend to "fixie" bikes among messengers - especially in New York. We leapt onto this conversation from one about Schwalbe "Big Apple" tyres. I needed to know more about fixies - searched the net, and voila, this appeared. Now, how cool is that? From Carolyn

Enthusiastic riders (Northbank 2008)

Brian in seventh heaven

Wally and Sue Sims Great Adventure - Darwin to Carnarvon

Armidale & Coffs BUG dinner 27th June 09

Left - Henry, Lloyd, Robert, Brian & Cheryl
Right - Jan, Jan, Rob, Jean & John

Rob, Judi and Jo

Neville

Jan and Jo

Marion and Ian

Cindy, Leo and Lloyd

Bruce, Chris and Andrew

Sims Top End Adventures

Above is the newspaper clipping of Wally and Sue Sims taken before commencing their big ride from Darwin to Carnarvon on 30th May 09. Also, below is their itinerary.

Slime is good, muck is bad - my experience grows.

Day 1- Coramba to Nana Glen return via Eastbank Rd (about 30km total)

I ride a recumbent trike. I was sold on this concept as soon as I saw a picture of a Greenspeed trike on the net.

When I realised I could take my lounge chair with me, that my bike would cost more than my hubbie's and this would be fitting punishment for the man who had silently nagged me for 12 months to get back on a bike after 20 years. The fact that Greenspeed is an Aussie company was a bonus.

Twelve months down the track, my tyres were looking worn and thin. They were "on order" due any day at my favourite bike shop. My trike needed a good clean, the cogs were covered in muck, but the day was sunny and my favourite ride beckoned. So, I set off - ride today, clean tomorrow. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I lagged behind, the hills grew steeper, the gears needed much lower than normal. Suffice it to say, the engine of the beast was fine, heart, lungs and legs in good condition but ... the going got slower and tougher.

I told my husband to ride on ahead, I rang Deb, the ride leader, and said "I'm officially off the ride". Fortunately, the riders were to return along the same road as they went out on, so I persisted (I adore this ride) and decided that when I met the group on their return journey, I'd chuck a u-turn and follow them back to the vanilla slices.

Back at the coffee shop, I asked Emma, a criterium rider, who understands coffee, cake and "fair-weather cyclists" like me, for some advice. She had some really helpful tips I'd like to share (I have taken great liberty with Emma's words, she is definitely not quoted verbatim!):

1. Clean cogs are good cogs. Well, I had bought the "all over" wet down, spray-on, scrub-with-special-brush, rinse-off product but it had remained unopened on the shelf. The weather had finally cheered up, and why waste valuable time cleaning? Yuk! The product, whose name actually rhymes with yuk, followed by "off" proved brilliant when I finally got around to using it. Should have known - it was a lovely pink colour after all!

2. Oiled chains are happy chains. Chains shouldn't squeak - well, I knew that but ... oil is so messy.

3. Tyre pressure should be checked before every ride for best performance. At least I'd done this one! Okay, so my husband checks the tyres, but gimme a break ... cut me some slack here.

4. For reduced rolling resistance, tyres should be pumped (just like us) to just below the maximum pressure they can stand. Check the side wall of your tyre for the pressure range of your tyre. If I've remembered right, this should also help to reduce the chances of flats from outside sources (eg glass on road), but does increase the chances of a pinch flat (but this can be controlled by the rider through careful tyre changing - careful and this writer, you might be thinking is an oxymoron).

The trade-off for the increased performance is that you'll feel more of the road's bumps and potholes. (If going over mostly rough ground, decrease your tyre pressure to the lower end of the range).

5. Brakes should be checked to see if they're grabbing by spinning the wheel. A free spinning wheel means the brakes aren't grabbing. The wheel should run "true" and not wobble. If it does wobble, there might be a problem. As I have drum brakes sealed up in a nice, shiny package (well, shiny now), Emma said there might be a problem with the cones. At this, my eyes glazed over, I knew she wasn't having a laugh, she's far too kind for that, but cones? who comes up with a name like that in this age of double-meaning?

Emma said that if it was the cones, then my friendly bike mechanic was the go. I was thinking I'm going to have to clean my bike (trike) really well or the man will break down and cry when he sees it.

So, after coffee and passionfruit tart, we packed up our trikes, and took my Betty Blue home for a good scrub.
Sadly, the faster riders had consumed all the vanilla slices, and happily gone off to do the ride again - after all, it was a beautiful day!

Day 2 - Cruzy Ride around Bonville Valley

Deb, the long-suffering ride leader of the previous day, Robert (my husband) and I wanted an easy ride - Deb's trying to build up the k's for a cycling holiday she's doing O/S - and my trike was cleaned and "good to go" . The wheels spun true and free, and the tyres were pumped as suggested. I took no notice of the bulge which had appeared in the side wall - I knew better but ... it had been so wet for so long, and I only cycle in fair-weather not foul. I had cabin fever bad, and the day was perfect.

The tyre blew, bang! Even calm Deb jumped. I have 16" diameter wheels, the tyres are really hard to get off the rims. An hour, one bent and three broken tyre levers later, a second five-dollar note lining the wheel (see earlier blog), and one of Deb's patches on the outside of the tyre, we limped to the coffee shop. It took the three of us to wrestle the tyre off and on. I kept thinking "there must be a better way".

Which tyre lever?

Question: Why do they come in packs of three?
Answer: For when you inevitably break one!

I've got small hands and they're not getting any stronger, so a set of good levers is vital. I've summarised a forum on "bicycles.net.au":

Yes - Crank bros speedlever (look an interesting design), Zefal, Pedros, "Soma" steel core levers
No - Quik Stik lever (especially on 700c wheels), Conti

Yes/No/Maybe/lots of debate - yellow Michelin (though a favourite in bike shops) one comment was "they just bend" and that's been my experience, too. They are wide and have no spoke hook. The pointy ones (risk of pinching the tube), the metal ones (Brooks).

I wonder where grandma's antique silver got to?

"Nice teaspoons - the old-style ones with a spoon shape (sic), and rounded handles. Put the spoon end in your hand (face down to spread the pressure) and lever the tyre with the handle end." Op shop, here I come.

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13710

Do you need a lever at all?

Some thoughts from the Team Estrogen site.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/asa_levers

My new tyres have arrived! (or, Betty Blue gets a new pair of shoes)

I have 3 lovely brand new tyres, all fitted in the bike shop. Ignoring the workshop dog, I pat my new tyres. I sniff the fresh rubber. Okay, I know practice fitting tyres makes perfect but it's so much easier to and they're so good at it. Working on the theory "avoidance is good" I now have top quality tyres with "slime" inserted as recommended by the professionals. The little bit of extra weight is not an issue for me, being stuck out on my own trying to change a tyre is.

Just in case things still go wrong, I keep my mobile phone charged, husband on speed dial, carry two spare tubes (I have a trike, so that covers 66% of the wheels available. Bikes carry one tube, 50% of the wheels available, ok, so you're calling me paranoid, now tell someone who cares), the levers recommended, a pump and a patch kit (just in case), and 2 X $5 notes. They'll be handy if I forget my coffee money, too.

I cheered the workshop person up by saying "I change the tube, I never patch (well, only as a last resort)" when he asked. I said "Do you think I'm crazy?".

He just looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.

How to change a bicycle tyre ... in five easy (sic) steps ...

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/changingbicycletire

P.S. Deb uses pipe cleaners (craft shops) to get in between the cogs - it's like a dental floss for bikes. I use an old toothbrush for the other fiddly bits. The brush sold with the cleaning kit fits neatly in between the cogs, and would work work well for bikes not let get filthy like mine was.

Happy cycling,

Carolyn.

Relaxed Ride on a Sunny Saturday Morning

Coffs Coast residents are fond of saying "just another day in paradise" and this Saturday morning ride certainly proved that!

The Coffs BUG has two regular weekly rides:
1. Thursday morning ride. In the saddle at 7.30am at Howard St near the Racecourse for a 28km (total) ride to Bonville Headland (Sawtell) and return. Easy to Medium ride, some hills. Coffee at Sawtell.
2. Saturday morning ride. Meet at the Yacht Club, Coffs Marina for 5-10km (total) ride to Macauleys Headland, return to the Jetty Marina area, then to Corumbirra Pt, the old quarry, and return for coffee at Yacht Club. Easy ride. Suitable for beginners and those returning from injury or needing rehabilitation (okay, so you're thinking "crazy people who love bikes" - don't they all need rehabilitation?). Think 'global warming' and ponder again, gentle reader.
The beginner's ride is normally led by Robert on his conventional Trek bike.

Bikes (and riders!) of all shapes and sizes are all warmly welcomed by Coffs Bug members as the photos below testify!

A recent Saturday ride had the recumbent riders outnumbering the uprights!

Basia, a beginner rider, who has progressed fabulously and is now doing the Thursday ride, all in a little over 8 weeks happened to have her camera handy, and was gracious enough to leave her mountain-bike on her car rack, and give a trike a go! Basia was able to borrow a KMX-Kart (trike) for the occasion from a generous fellow rider. Basia is in orange T-shirt with stylish flouro yellow safety vest.

Janiece, also a recent beginner, has quickly progressed onto the Thursday ride kept saying "I feel like Dr. Who leading the Daleks!"

The beginner's ride usually has more uprights than recumbents. This particular Saturday was exceptional! Janiece is in blue. Janiece has progressed in confidence over 8 weeks, and lead the ride for us. (There were no new riders). Thankyou, Janiece.

Max, tall and with sun-protection visor on helmet on his Barchetta recumbent bike - I love the orange colour! It just looks fast.

Heath (tall "in black" one with fair hair) was very impressed with his loan of a Cattrike. "Fast, easy to ride, comfy on the behind (ok, so his Mum has cleaned up "behind"!)"

Robert (beard) on a Trisled Gizmo (his own), a sporty trike and Carolyn (your writer, purple top) on her Greenspeed GT3 (series 1), more the limousine kind-of-trike.

Neville (blue shirt) also on an upright.

Thanks to Basia for the photos. Your blogger is Carolyn.

Bargo BUG website link

So, I'm a net junky ... came across some fabulous cycling quotes on the Bargo BUG website. I can't go past Mark Twain's: "Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live." without raising a smile.

The Bargo website has lots of good info.

http://www.bargo.info/barblog/barbug/

The W&S Adventure Continues #5

Fitzroy Crossing, WA (email dated 27 Jun 2009)

Well, our compatriots were not drawn into the quartz seam and never seen again. Instead, they communicate from an alien, and sad-sounding place in our very own Heartland. Herewith your reporter cites:

"Hi! all, here for 2 days, had 3 hard days ride,100km each day, to get here, 2 days into a headwind - but we made it. Getting stronger by the day. Camped the 2nd night out on top of a cliff, the sunrise and sunset were magnificent.

The shops and businesses here are all heavily barred, even the church, and there's a total ban on all takeaway alcohol - a bit sad. Wally left the road yesterday for only 1 metre and pulled 40 burrs out of his tyres, we now have thornproofs in.

Our tent is slowly deteriorating, if it gets any worse we'll just buy another cheap one in Broome. 4 more days riding and we'll be in Broome in a cabin for 4 days - that will be pure luxury. We're staying at a resort c/park where they charge $40 for 2 steak burgers and you have to search for the steak and yet this is a huge beef area.

Happy riding, Sue and Wally"


Aren't they wonderful? I wonder if it is the headwinds or Wally and Sue that are getting stronger day by day. I suspect both.

Their email says it all, so I have left it unedited.

Till next time, happy trails,

Carolyn.