Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Adstar wrote:Got home to find two spokes have popped out. Rest day tomorrow now - disappointed but mildly happy now

excuse for second set of wheels.
can't beat pro-lite como's for commuting

EDIT: have to remember that this commuting thing is 5 days and not to burn myself out on Monday. nice commute home with a headwind anyway

This morning - wet - the gap in the rain I thought I had was a lot smaller than I needed. Oh well, dried out under the dessicating effects of the office air con in no time.

This arvo - like riding in front of a fan heater, with added humidity thrown in. Was good to be done with that one.

Roads still a bit quiet after the Xmas break, and managed to get the same (there's only one) green light on the way in as on the way out. It's at the bottom of a hill in either direction so makes all the difference to have it green. Ace. The small victories.

Cheers

Time

Perth:

Bad enough going in to work. But coming out - yech. Muggy. Unpleasant. No smart people were riding, just fools like moi.

I hope that we can send this weather over east like we did last weeks weather.

I was out in it for first commute back in the new year, cloudy wet humid morning but still sweating and humidity meant nothing dry by evening trip until out in the humidity again and hot sunlight.
Personally felt the rustiness in cardio and earlier muscle fatigue, but better in the evening as usual.
Home trip cut short just after I was thinking glad it was dry for less glass punctures. I had a 1inch slash to tyre edge of the contact patch on tread, tube bubbled through it and blew just after a live traffic crossing and on a freeway overpass. Fortunately parents live halfway along my commute so old man with recovery vehicle again (its keys used to demonstrate tyre slash below)



Last year it's been puncture only once every 3 months, and half of those only a 10-30min delay (depending on how many photos I take during the repair ;P), so this years stats are clocking up early.

Due to having a package sent to me...I have been forced to take the car today. Not too happy about it but may be grateful this afternoon if the westerly winds are blowing hard.

We have had warnings on the radio advising not to do any exercise today due to the projected heat...how soft have people become. Heat is not an issue as long as you keep the fluids up.

Perfect record so far this year. Light drizzle all the way in yesterday morning, which was a saving grace - on the way home it was just plain centre-of-the-earth, end-of-days hot. Had to soak my head about every 2km just to keep going

Did a riverloop this morning, and then for various reasons went home afterwards before jumping back on the bike to come back into work.

Anyway.. That had me traveling outbound from town on the north of BNE in peak hour. I was astonished at the number of bikes. I'm not sure if its because I'm normally traveling with the flow, or we have more New Years commuters but it was amazing.

First commute for 2013 was also my first commute in five or six weeks...
Happy to be back on the bike.

Comedian wrote:Did a riverloop this morning, and then for various reasons went home afterwards before jumping back on the bike to come back into work.

Anyway.. That had me traveling outbound from town on the north of BNE in peak hour. I was astonished at the number of bikes. I'm not sure if its because I'm normally traveling with the flow, or we have more New Years commuters but it was amazing.

same here. riverloop with the Lifecycle mob, then home for brekky with the kids, then back on the bike into work. Saw lots of bikes around Paddington/Rosalie/Milton etc.

Hoping to get more commuting this year as both my kids are in school now! I can walk them down to school then continue on to work. I haven't bothered recording commute kms on strava in the past, but I will this year to help me hit the 6k goal.

Nice morning commute today, 20 degrees at 5am so perfect temperature. Very quiet on the roads even though Sydney. I think everyone's still in holiday. Not so nice this arvo, 41 degrees and HOT, now I understand what it would be like to ride in Perth lately!

Commute home with a mad few from work. Had to airzound a driver at toowong roundabout. she was texting (looking down with her phone tapping away) with a child in the back stopped over the no stopping zone. Her look was priceless.

Left my hair elastic in my desk on the way out, and CBA'd going back for it. So my commute home was sort of like a Poison video.

1/3 of the way into my commute, tried to adjust helmet. Helmet not on head. Support team (angry wife) on way to throw helmet at me

Lizzy wrote:Left my hair elastic in my desk on the way out, and CBA'd going back for it. So my commute home was sort of like a Poison video.

Apparently you can get helmet hair...Its not working for me

Well am glad I didnt ride yesterday. The drive home was a classic...temps above 40 and headwinds the entire way home between 40-50 km/h. If I had been on the bike it would have been a damaging ride to the body.

This morning the temps were 30 degrees at 5:30 but the winds were going my way. Then with 20k's left in my ride the winds turned on me and the struggle began. The BOM says the winds are blowing 46 km/h at the moment, no wonder I had to work hard. I ended up sucking down two water bottles, I normally only do half a one on my morning ride.

I seem to attract the trucks...had two trucks pull out on me this morning forcing me to brake hard and come to a stop.

I commuted yesterday on the Gazelle. Coming into work was ok, a nice enough ride without any real pace cause I knew the mercury would work its way pretty far up before 8:15. Though going home at 5:45 was interesting. At one point I stopped at some lights, did what I normally do, and leaned the inside of my right knee against the top tube. Mistake. You know what happens to metal in the sun, right? Add the air temps to that, and you've got some pretty hot tubing. No air cooling effect was going to help with the air temps and dryness! The brake levers were hot to the touch, and the salmon brake pads were grabby cause the rims were so hot. I went through 3 600ml bottles in 19km, half of it going over my head. My arms weren't sweaty to the touch, but I knew I was sweating, the heat was just evaporating it that fast. I test licked my arm after I got home to check, to make sure I wasn't seriously dehydrated. Still a few of the more dedicated commuters about, but definitely no fairweathers (I say that in a good way, cause I am one most of the time!)

Jim

My commutes of late have been routine. Last night however Hamster was able to assist a fair damsel in distress. Seems that she bought herself and two sons bicycle shaped objects (BSO) for Christmas. The pedal on her BSO had been cross-threaded and never properly tightened, consequently fell off. Fortunately Hamster was carrying a spanner and so was able to assist .

A dual-suspension 21 speed mountain bike even with Chinese manufacture cannot be retailed in Australia for around $100. It simply isn’t possible. I’m therefore left wondering how many of the BSOs bought for Christmas won’t last more than a few months. Perhaps we should lobby for labelling of BSOs as being suitable for filling sheds, lawn ornaments or other decorative purposes but they should NEVER be ridden .

Good commute for me this morning. Interestingly... Within a few minutes of getting to work my phone was running hot with reports of cops booking cyclists for running through the stop signs on butterfield and Herston roads.

I've never seen anyone on a bike stop there. Personally.. The only time I can remember stopping there was one time when I threw the chain.

Needless to say they had a 100% hit ratio... But they could only book so many...

Comedian wrote:Good commute for me this morning. Interestingly... Within a few minutes of getting to work my phone was running hot with reports of cops booking cyclists for running through the stop signs on butterfield and Herston roads.

I've never seen anyone on a bike stop there. Personally.. The only time I can remember stopping there was one time when I threw the chain.

Needless to say they had a 100% hit ratio... But they could only book so many...

Yep they were booking somebody when I went through at about 8:15. I see some people blow through that intersection at 30-40+ after coming down the hill... Edit: This was the stop sign at butterfield and fagan rd. I have actually seen complaints from motorists on another non-cycling forum about cyclists going through the stop at herston & Aberleigh.

Really nice commute via the KBB this morning - 57km instead of 13km. Might have to do that one a lot more often. Nowhere near as hot as I'd expected either.

Melbourne was pretty pleasant yesterday, mild headwind in, then a lovely tailwind back at about 29C. Cool change hit at about 5pm.
Cool this morning, had some drizzle along parts, and an ugly gusting headwind. Hope it holds for the way back.
Here's one of the regulars at Uni Hill:

There must be a couple of dozen of them browsing in that patch of land.
Pic is a screen-grab off a Contour Roam 2 - clip is at 1080p - not all that great.
Working from home for the next couple of days, got all the high-intensity stuff out of the way. Nice to have a break, but the commuting mileage will suffer.

TailWind wrote:Working from home for the next couple of days, got all the high-intensity stuff out of the way. Nice to have a break, but the commuting mileage will suffer.

you're just giving gretaboy a chunky headstart

jasonc wrote:

TailWind wrote:Working from home for the next couple of days, got all the high-intensity stuff out of the way. Nice to have a break, but the commuting mileage will suffer.

you're just giving gretaboy a chunky headstart

Jason, TW is simply returning the favour from last year life is about give and take

hot ride home. garmin says average temp of 34.8

strange morning again...seemed like there was a cool outer edge to the morning but underneath was warm/hot...I was cool but sweated heaps at the same time..wasnt feeling very motivated this morning and had to push myself to do what I am trying to make the "normal" morning ride

Had some idiot blow a plastic trumpet at me as they went past, the type used at football matches...startled me, but apart from that was an ok ride, actually had cars give way to me instead of pulling out in front...always acknowledge that even though it should be standard common decency

Hamster wrote:My commutes of late have been routine. Last night however Hamster was able to assist a fair damsel in distress. Seems that she bought herself and two sons bicycle shaped objects (BSO) for Christmas. The pedal on her BSO had been cross-threaded and never properly tightened, consequently fell off. Fortunately Hamster was carrying a spanner and so was able to assist .

A dual-suspension 21 speed mountain bike even with Chinese manufacture cannot be retailed in Australia for around $100. It simply isn’t possible. I’m therefore left wondering how many of the BSOs bought for Christmas won’t last more than a few months. Perhaps we should lobby for labelling of BSOs as being suitable for filling sheds, lawn ornaments or other decorative purposes but they should NEVER be ridden .

The shop I do a bit of part time work in generally sees around 5-6 of these BSO a week in the later half of January and earlying February. Quite funny when we tell them the cost to fix all the things wrong on them. Even had a few demand that we fix it for free under warranty even though we did not sell the bike.