Cycling UK Forum

thirdcrank wrote:Whenever it's on telly here, our own commentators seem determined not to bore anybody by explaining what's going on. The result seems to be that a lot of people just get bored.

Who does the commentary onthe cycling shown in the UK? It always used to be Phil Liggett I think, and I found that he kept it entertaining. A few of my friends while I was studying, and lately my partner over here who had little interest in cycling other than as a means of transportation to the local, got quite invloved during the summer TdF. There have been some shocking commentators on the tv over here in Australia - one bicycle forum complained so often about one of the commentators who was stumbling over his words so often as if his only use for a bicycle had been for transportation to the local, that he was removed from the broadcasts. (Apparently the complaints worked, although I'm not sure if it wasn't the forum bragging about their collective strength).
I only tend to watch the highlights, 4-5 hours of a flat stage where nothing happens until the final 5 km tends to require a .lot more dedication than I have!

Manx Cat wrote:But once a pon a time, I did have a telly, and despite the fact that horse racing in my own mind is both cruel and exploitive, I used to like watching that more than anything else. Then suffer hours of guilt due to the pleasure it gave me to see beautiful powerful horses running against one another. Never betted, just liked the thrill of it, even though its a bad thrill.

I think I'm similar with boxing. When I think about it rationally, its a daft 'sport'. When its on tv, I find it can be very exciting to watch.
grw

Mick F wrote:One thing that wasn't mentioned, where was the dust coming from, and has it ever happened before?

I'm just south of Sydney, about 30km south. The news reports here say that the dust has come over the Great Dividing Range: some suggest that it is from the Lake Eyre region as geocycle mentioned, while others are sayng it originated from the far north west of New South Wales - Broken Hill (which is basically in the same direction from Sydney as the Lake Eyre basin). Apparently in the west of the state, dust storms are failry common. Last night we had very strong winds which managed to get the dust over the range. Autumn was very warm here and the far west of NSW has been in drought for nearly 7 years so vegetation cover is less than usual. We've just received much of that region's topsoil which I guess doesn't bode well for the farms of that area, either for their immediate growing season or for their futures unless they are able to keep hold of their topsoil.
My partner nor her parents who are Australian and from Sydney have never seen anything like this before, and the reports are that it is the worst dust storm for 70 years, although there was bad dust storms in the west a couple of years after the Olympics.
Its not been a very pleasant day - while a strange novelty to look at first thing, it quickly faded to a grey colour and has apparently affected a lot of people's breathing, particulalrly those with asthma. The dust has got through all the window screens, its all over the flat - and I'd spent yesterday cleaning and polishing the car (for the first time since I arrived here last year)... Sod's law! Still - at least it wasn't my bike I'd cleaned.
grw

We've woken to a dust storm this morning - at 6 the sky is normally fairly light but today it was red. I went down to the beach, and no body was out on the water. Its quite uncomfortable to breathe (although admittedly not as uncomfortable as not breathing) and I'm not heading out on the bike today. It's like a scene from Total Recall, or Mad Max!
grw

Can't tell too well from the video but are you high enough in your bent to 'communicate' with drivers in normal cars? I mean, are you at window height or do you find yourself looking up at them?
grw

You could look at it in a positive light - 'if you're not falling off, you're taking it too easy'. This is how I prefer to view it on my regular 'dismounts' I guess this shouldn't apply when you are actually out for a pootle around the tracks, but it hasn't stopped me using it yet

EFMax wrote:...the bike didn't get a scratch and is still rolling sweet...

Good to see you still have your priorities right!

(btw - are helmets supposed to crack? NOt sure if I remember rightly but I think I read that a helmet is supposed to crush to absorb impact in order to work properly - not sure if this would make you eligible for a refund though )

eileithyia wrote:...and as i work with the lady who owns the Cobbled Corner I might be able to source the coffee for you

I used to stock up at the Cafe in Chipping on the way back after weekend rides in the Trough. Loved it. EIther there or the Sun Inn...
What does everyone do for coffee on tour? I take instant, and its mainly muck. But I still drink it for the caffeine fix which I guess I must be addicted to

willem jongman wrote:Fit the widest tyres that will fit the frame. Schwalbe Marathon are a good reliable choice, as are their 50 mm Big Apples, if they fit.

Willem, I agree with most of what you say, bar the above. I've just come back from 2 weeks on mainly unsealed dirt roads. 1.5" more than fat enough for me (fully laden) and I struggle to see what the major advantage would be going fatter...
grw

Obviously an intellectual discussion of the merits of fixed wheel vs road racing bikes....
http://gusk.posterous.com/hilarious-racer-vs-hipster-bike-rap-wend-blog
Made me laugh anyway!
grw

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12483
The above is from the BNA forum - quite useful.
Fairly sure skype mobile is available here now.
Prevailing wind information at this site: http://chestofbooks.com/travel/australia/Art-Living-Australia/The-Climate-Of-Australia-Part-6-Prevailing-Winds-Hot-Wind.html. I'm not sure how accurate it is. In NSW I had the impression that the wind was most often from the North East in summer (November to Feb) which made it very warm and you'd occasionally get a southerly, which would cool things down significantly. I'm really not sure about the other states - when I've cycled in Queensland in spring (Central Queensland - west of Brisbane) and winter (Cairns and north), there was not much wind at all but I'm sure this varies considerably.

welshman82 wrote:you aussies!

Please, no! Last time I checked, 'Gareth' is not a typical Australian name!
Gareth

hi, jezer,
I stayed in the area in September 2001 - the weather was perfect for me, although maybe I was just very lucky. There was bright sunshine and clear skies almost every day. It could get a little cold towards the evening - the tip of one of my fingers froze as I came down the Galibier as it was going dark.
I sarted staying at the campsite in the town of Bourg d'Oisans with a friend but he fell off his bike and broke his arm and he returned home. Bit cold as well for camping in the valley without a decent sleeping bag so I moved to the hotel la Cascade which was about 10 minutes walk from the town centre. The owner was a keen cyclist and him and his family were very friendly and helpful. We stayed in email contact for a couple of years afterwards until I changed jobs and lost email addresses. They fed me tons of pasta each night when I came back from my ride. The hotel was old and a little run down but good value and if I was going back to the area, I'd stay there again. Although I don't know if the same family are still there running it.
As for good climbs, you're spoilt for choice. I loved a route up to La Berarde although I don't think this is particularly famous.Otherwise you have the Glandon / Croix de Fer, Galibier / Lautaret, Telegraphe, D'ornon, plus good rides in every direction from the town - some of which are on very poorly maintained narrow roads, (very quiet though).
gareth

Thank you! Much better than the leaflet that came with them!
And no, no late night struggles - I'm down under, so it's late afternoon (arvo?) here

ThirdCrank wrote (on another thread - http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=24835&hilit=ortlieb#p196680)
On the other hand, an Ortleib roll-top properly fastened could be completely submerged and remain waterproof.

Having just taken delivery of some new Ortlieb panniers - how do you close them properly? I am baffled - the instructions look like a dish of spaghetti with lines and arrows everywhere. I am feeling particularly inept at the moment... (They had no carradice due in stock til mid-July - I was impatient!)
Gareth

If you already own the kit, bring it with you or have it shipped over a month or so before. Buying cycling kit in shops here is expensive, you've got a more limited range of stock (two of my local shops don't stock panniers). Many cyclists over here end up ordering from wiggle/ribble or other UK based online sources as this is cheaper. Even a guy I know of who works in a cycle shop has ordered stuff from wiggle...
South Australia and Victora can get silly hot in summer. I know some people like the heat though. Earlier this year there were 10 consecutive days of over 40 deg c in Victoria. If that kind of heat is your thing, then you'll be happy!
Australian motorists are bad. Little consideration, impatient, too fast. Crude generalisation I know, but I've found them to be much worse than their equivalents in the UK. Monash University produced a study which showed that exceesive speed of cars was a contributory factor to a much higher propertion of road fatalities here than in the UK (something like 30% vs 8%). However, once you get off the main highways, the cycing can be good - you've really got to pick your route though. What looks like a quiet road between two places of no significance on a map, can in reality be a fast busy road. The Google street view feature is quite useful when planning a ride - over here it covers all roads rather than just cities (unsurfaced roads not covered yet!) so you can take a look at a broad section of the roads before you go out.
Lonely Planet do a good book called Cycling AUstralia - it has a 30 day tour from Melbourne to Brisbane along the coast described - I have a copy somewhere which I'll try and dig out. There are a couple websites which are good too: http://home.pacific.net.au/~dasmero/index.htm and http://www.cycleaustralia.info/index.html which look quite useful
I think I would avoid a lot of the coast and come inland for some of it. Some of the coast is beautiful, but then again so is much of the interior of Australia which I thingk tends to get overlooked as people on holiday dash from Sydney to Melbourne to Perth to Brisbane via Ullaroo.
I doubt I'd be able to join you for the ride but if I'm still here then, I'd be happy to join you for a couple of days in the SYdney region
Gareth

Mick F wrote:Hope that helps. He is still here, but if he were to answer this thread, he'd give the game away!

Is it just me or does anyone else hope this turns into an "I'm Spartacus", "I'm Spartacus" thread?

DaveP wrote:Ta Daaaah!!!!!!
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Altu ... -19602.htm
I was looking for something else - Honest!

Brilliant! Spot on.
Thats my excuse when I'm in the bike shop too.
However, my partner has also started to use it when she gets in from the clothes shop, and they're not lycra clothes
gareth