Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Kev365428 wrote:

Starfire wrote: I don't know how you guys wake up so early to ride. I like my sleep!!

I'm making an assumption here Starfire, but I'm guessing your quite a few years younger than myself.

Kev, I think I'm younger but I'll bet a buck you're in better shape!

It was a beautiful ride this morning. The weather was gorgeous and I saw heaps of other bikes out too. Pity I'm working today....

Did my commute this morning. WeatherZone tells me that the temp when I left home was 6.9C, with the wind chill dropping it to ~ 4.1C.

Bloody felt like it to.

I was dreading a puncture at that temp, what with numb fingers and all, but instead I had a spoke nipple wind loose and had to put up with a rattling spoke for the last 20km or so.

So yes, it was a bit nipply out there this morning.

Kev.

Yeh, it was frigging cold at 6am in the inner west. When I left St Leonards at 815am it had warmed up.

Having the right gear on made all the difference tho.

This morning was the coldest I've felt it. Really think I may need a ski mask for the down hill ride. Going home was positively freezing too. Why didn't I start commuting in the Spring??

I heard it was freaking cold in Sydneytown today. Not much better here in Adelaide, rain and wind so nothing exciting to report. Mike n Kev, even with the right gear, thats too hard core for me Well done !

Pete

i thought it was nice this morning, commute from 7.30-8.30. Not too cold at all. Had a few layers on though.
Don

If yesterday was cold, then today was bloody freezing.

No wind, but the temp was down on yesterday for sure.

Weatherzone tells me it was about 6.9 or something, but perceived temp was 4.3C. Add to that the wind chill riding at 30-40km/h, and my fingers were frozen. In fact I got brain freeze.

On another subject, I've had three spoke nipples wind loose in my last three rides. Yesterday mornings one, another on the way home, and a third this morning. I got the spoke key out yesterday and tweaked all of the spokes so that they had the same "ping", then trued the wheel, but another still came loose this morning.

Just popped down to a local cycle store and picked up a basic spoke key so I could re-tension them again.

$19.95 for a basic old spoke key

The same type cost me $2.95 from Torpedo 7, but alas I left it at home. No wonder LBS' are loosing business with rip-off prices like that.

Kev.

went out at 6am and did 20k today (short by standards ive seen here).. and my legs are still cold now.

Nice day for a commute this morning. I did have 3 layers on the top half and didn't get too hot. Hills District to North Sydney isn't too bad.

Boognoss wrote:Nice day for a commute this morning. I did have 3 layers on the top half and didn't get too hot. Hills District to North Sydney isn't too bad.

Yeh, when you get the clothing right, its really nice commuting at the moment.

Really windy on the M5 this afternoon though.

Bought a nice Italian Long Sleeve Jersey in Adelaide yesterday so I just had to take it for a ride today. Left home at 12:30pm for a ride to Richmond (Lifecycles loop), dropped in to see my mate (deceased) at the Cemetery round the back of the RAAF Base, threw a couple of empty beer bottles in the bin and onto the coffee shop in Richmond. Managed to average 37.5 on the way there even with a little headwind. What a stunning part of the day to ride ! Its nice to be home and back on the bike again

Cheers..Pete

p.s they have some VERY VERY nice LBSs in Adelaide, I'm so jealous !

A balmy minus 2 up here today at 6.30am.
You know winter's coming when you reach for the water bottle and can't get a drink cause it's frozen

jr1991 wrote:A balmy minus 2 up here today at 6.30am.
You know winter's coming when you reach for the water bottle and can't get a drink cause it's frozen

Ouch!! I'm having a harder and harder time forcing myself to get out of bed and spend the 15 mins of getting dressed in the multiple layers needed to cycle up the road. Need to get some mental discipline back . It's only 8 degrees plus in my area.

7am to 8am commute this morning, was one of the colder days this week.
Still running with 2 layers (short sleeve shirt/jersey with winter jacket), looks like next week will be 3 layers on top, short and long sleeve jersey with winter jacket on top, leg warmers down below with ear warmers and winter gloves. If this is not enough i can add on 2nd layer of leg warmers and throw in some arm warmers. Lots of options

Don

Damn,

I'm feeling a bit jealous!! I've been on school camp all week and haven't been able to ride at all!! Bring on the weekend!!

jr1991 wrote:A balmy minus 2 up here today at 6.30am.

My area went thru that a month ago I've resorted to driving to work and back then going for a ride when the kids are at school

Postman Pat wrote:

jr1991 wrote:A balmy minus 2 up here today at 6.30am.

My area went thru that a month ago I've resorted to driving to work and back then going for a ride when the kids are at school

Right now I'm riding early twice a week. But that will change shortly. I can only handle one really cold ride a week. I'm lucky I own my business so I'll block off time around midday. Then the problem becomes wind not cold

Another brilliant Sydney morning today. Fog was forecast for the west and I expected to hit a lot but there wasn't any before or after dawn. Nice and cool with a bunch of layers and my new ear warmers and heavy winter gloves (wasn't cold enough for them but I was trying them out).

Hey Simon, Lifecycles ride was not too bad today. Must admit for the first time on the way back from Richmond, the arms did get cold. I went out and bought some long sleeve thermals today to wear under the long vest. After coffee I rode up to Glenbrook with one of the other guys, funny how the internal thermometer rises on a climb, was nice and toasty at the top

Cheers..Pete

Nice one Pete. How many km did you knock over today then?

I'm finally getting back to where I want to be fitness-wise and did a 146km run .

Hey Simon

Rode 80 something yesterday and got 121 in today so just breaking 200 for the weekend which was most good. Rode up to Hazelbrook in the Mountains today for a mates birthday, was most pleasant catching up with him. Tell you, the most fun I've ever had coming home today, well lets just say fun and tension !

Had this B-Double go past me just before Faulconbridge station ( the little climb comming up to the station from the west). I've pulled over at the lights and so did a bunch of other cars, lights change and we all take off. Well having a blond moment, the b-double slowly goes past in the left lane and I'm thinking here comes my ride. I've whipped out behind the truck and hammered it and "got on". Now that was just a bloody amazing ride, sat on him from Faulconbridge down past Blaxland. I must have moved outside of the slip stream and he's spotted me in the mirrors and then he gets the shits. Starts accelerating as hard as he can up hills to try and drop me. He almost got me crossing the railway line at Warimoo, think we got up to about 78km/hr going up this rise (checking the Garmin, I peaked at 81.6km in the draught) and he's weaving all over the place. Anyway, we got down as far as Blaxland and I've decided the fun is over and pulled back onto the shoulder and off he goes. Well I get down to Glenbrook lights and there he is pulled over talking to another Truckie. I've taken off from the lights and just as I start to go past him, he's jumped smack into the middle of the lane trying to force me off the road. Out comes the swearing and I thought, if I hit this guy doing 45km/hr, he's not going to get up too quickly and I think he worked that out at the last moment. He jumps out of the way (middle of the lane) and I've kept going. He got back into his truck and then passed me going down Lapstone hill, driving as if nothing had happened.

Oh well, that was seriously the most wicked draught I've ever gotten. Must admit I was looking for more gears to get the cadence down but in the end I've managed to stay on. I've just put new Dura-Ace brake rubbers on the bike, you should see them after this ride, bits of rubber hanging off the pads...

Most eventful day, got home 20 mins ahead of schedule

Pete

Hi sandm,
One time we had bbq at boss's place on the way back I was on the bike with about 3-4km to go one of the other workers was driving an empty semi which goes much faster than my mr truck, anyway he lets me hear his horn as I am going up a hill and suffering from eating too many hotdogs. I catch him at the lights somehow then the next light I catch him again then a down hill comes and I draft him to about 60 for a bit then he just gunned it. caught him again at the next light and was with him till I got to my house, anyway apart from being impressed he told me he freaked out cause he couldn't see me in his mirrors when we went down hill and thought he knocked me down or something. Remember they have no idea that a bike will do 70+ wether its downhill or whatever
So truckies will not be too happy with a bike that they can no longer see behind. Still I'd draft any truck anytime

Reminds me of "Breaking Away"

Stated,Zozza

Yeah I agree, he lost sight of me which may have unnerved him , what I didn't say in the original message was I think me "waving" at him kinda did his head in I think I should have just sat in the back and kept quiet. He was being an ass, cutting down the shoulder meaning in the bike/breakdown lane a lot of time. He did gun it on 2 rises and I dropped back at least another meter and I thought on this last one he had me but the legs kept spinning and I got him. Honestly it was my ass on the line, no one else's, I take full responsibility for what I did. In fact just before Springwood we were doing 80km/hr and a police car slowly went past, they looked at me and kept going.

Maybe he just wanted me to give him a buck or 2 for fuel for the ride Its going to cost me more in brake rubbers doing that, the bloody shreds of rubber hanging off them was amusing.

Pete