Dan's Bicycle Blog

virgin blue and bicycles

2011-04-27T12:41:00.000+10:00

I've always flown domestically with virgin blue, mainly because they allow me an extra 5kgs when travelling with a bike. On my return from a flight to adelaide with the bikes yesterday, I was informed that this rule is changing, as of the 27th of April 2011.

The new rule is that bicycles count as regular baggage. So if you go over 23kgs (the current checked baggage limit), you are hit with excess baggage charges. This was $15 a kg last I checked.

Why would they change such a rule? I think it's a silly business choice. I doubt that there are many passengers taking advantage of this and resulting in higher fuel charges. And because of this favourable treatment of bikes, passengers like myself choose to fly virgin blue even when not travelling with my bike.

Gaining weight is hard

2011-02-11T13:55:00.000+11:00

When I finished high school, I was about 70kgs. At 175cm tall, that's a reasonably lean weight. Within 2 years of working full time, and going to university part time, I gained 20kgs. That puts me on the wrong side of overweight, but not crazy overweight. Since that time (starting 10 years ago) I got into riding everywhere, and increasing the mileage to a point where I now ride everywhere except for holidays and some trips with the missus on the weekend. I eat a lot more now that I used to, a LOT more. I never think about how much I should eat, or what I should eat. I try not to eat too much junk, but quantities don't bother me. I'm still the same weight, despite cycling a couple of hundred kms a week. But, I have a lot more muscle mass, and I eat a lot more.

I think that it's actually hard to gain weight, just as it is hard to lose weight. Your body tends to want to stay in equilibrium. By sitting down all day in a sedentary job, and eating a lot, we are really trying quite hard to gain weight. If on the other hand you have an active lifestyle, where you exercise a couple of hours every day by riding a bike everywhere (even if you spend 8 hours sitting down at your job), it's remarkably hard to gain weight. Try it for yourself. Despite my best attempts, I can't gain weight while riding this much. On the other hand, it's damn hard to lose weight too without focusing on the diet side of things.

In my opinion, the best way to avoid weight gain, particularly with age as your metabolism allegedly slows, is to get into regular daily exercise early, while you're still young. This will result in you building up muscle mass, which burns more calories. As you age, muscle mass normally decreases. You can arrest this decline by regular daily exercise.

Cycling in my view is the best way to do this. If you cycle for transport, you will ride just about every day of your life. That way you're not exercising, you're commuting. Lets face it, exercise just for the hell of it sucks. I prefer my exercise to be commuting (cycling) and competive sports (squash, etc). The objective is not to exercise, but to compete, or get somewhere. These are things I enjoy.

Find ways to incorporate exercise into your life that isn't just exercise, but another activity that requires exercise. Start early, and gaining weight will become almost impossible. Works for me!

The road bike

2010-11-12T11:59:00.000+11:00

I built up my road bike round January 2008. It's a no-name custom build using Columbus SL cyclex tubing. This tubing has external splines on it, and is quite unique. I used some older parts, including RX-100 cranks, RX-100 brakes, Cane Creek SCR-5 brake levers, and a threaded FSA headset. The crank length is 170mm, which I find to be perfect for me.

From Bronte

All other parts are new, including the Fulcrum racing 3 wheels, with a shimano freehub body. These wheels are great value, strong, and lightweight. Tyres are continental conti black chilli compound, 23mm. I pump them up to 120psi. The small chainring is ultegra 39, and the large is a 105 52 tooth. I would have got ultegra, but the local shop had none in stock. I find 52 tooth to be more appropriate than 53 tooth on the front. Not that it makes a huge difference.

From Bronte

The rear cassette is ultegra 12-25, with an ultegra rear derailer. Shifting is done with dura ace downtube shifters, which are outstanding. Shifting is crisp, and smooth. The chain is also dura ace, because i found a few of them on special.

From Bronte

The saddle is a brooks swift, with titanium rails. It's a bit pricey, but it's comfy, and looks awesome. Pedals are Look Keo sprints, and I use shimano r132 shoes.

I find ultegra to be a good value point. Much cheaper than dura ace, and not far off the pace in terms of performance.

I use this bike for training rides, not for commuting. It's fast, light, yet quite comfortable. I'm a little stuck in the past, and am not interested in carbon or STI shifting. Let alone electronic shifting!

Early morning training ride

2010-09-24T10:54:00.001+10:00

Since spring is here, it was time to dust off the road bike, and go on a decent morning ride. Todays weather is gorgeous, with expected highs of 24 degrees celsius. The morning was a little crisp at 14 degrees celsius, with not a cloud in sight. A slight northerly breeze was blowing, and it was absolutely terrific.

Bronte training run full version

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

I rode from Botany, to Centennial Park, around Bronte, past Coogee, Maroubra, with a sprint down to La Perouse, and back. Overall I felt pretty good, despite it being my first training ride since winter started. All the daily riding to work has probably kept me in reasonable shape.

Bike work stand

2010-09-13T16:42:00.000+10:00

I'm sick of leaning my bike on something, or having to turn it upside down to work on it. So I found some timber offcuts, and I made one. I used regular pine, and made it so it is put into a bench vice. You could make a stand alone one quite easily.

From Bike work stand

Magpies

2010-09-06T10:55:00.001+10:00

It's magpie season in Sydney again. So look out for swooping birds!

You can read and edit a map about magpie sightings by clicking here

Only in America?

2010-08-10T08:17:00.001+10:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/aug/05/free-cycle-schemes

What a nut!

Installing a star fandangled nut

2010-08-05T16:06:00.000+10:00

Threadless steerers have a "star fandangled nut" pushed into them. The headset top cap has a long bolt that is screwed into this nut, and it's used to adjust the headset bearings. Tightening the bolt pulls the whole system closer together, tightening the bearings, and vice versa.

Most people get this done at their local bike shop, but it's actually really easy to do yourself. Use a screwdriver, and a hammer. You can't really do any damage, other than destroy the star nut, which costs a couple of dollars. I've done this twice, and haven't done any damage.

The only tricky bit is keeping the star nut flat, rather than having it go down on one side. It will take a few minutes to get right. You want it about 15mm into the steering column.

The concave part of the nut should face upwards (convex down). The idea is that while it's possible to push the star nut downwards, it will never move upwards.

Vandals targetting cyclists

2010-08-05T13:25:00.000+10:00

I was riding home from the city at about midnight on Tuesday night. I took the Anzac bridge, and the cycleway that goes along the river, parallel to the City West Link.

Ashfield to Sydney city via Anzac Bridge

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

I was riding along on the singlespeed at about 25km/h, when I saw this:

Some cheeky vandal had made a barrier out of clear tape. It was quite strong, and would have resulted in a nasty accident if a cyclist had not seen it. Luckily, I saw it and stopped in time. I removed it, and rode home.

Cycle trails round Australia

2010-08-05T13:05:00.002+10:00

I stumbled across this excellent website describing riding trails around Australia.

http://www.cycletrailsaustralia.com/

Sydney cycleways protest

2010-08-04T13:55:00.001+10:00

Alan Jones (nutbag shock jock on 2GB radio) organised a protest at Sydney Town Hall against Sydney's cycleways which are being built currently. He didn't turn up. Was probably stuck in traffic. Over 200 cyclists turned up as a counter protest though. It was awesome hearing them all sing an amusing variant of Queen's "I want to ride my bicycle".

Carrying large boxes

2010-08-02T13:16:00.000+10:00

When I moved to Ashfield, we got some chickens. They are free range in an area of about 10 square metres. We also let them loose in the backyard on occasion.

For feed, I get vegetable leaves which are thrown out by fruit shops. I usually ride to Leichhardt, about 3kms away and get a large box from there.

The box on the front rack is about 900mm wide, and 450mm deep. Fits perfectly on the cetma rack :-)

Self inflicted bicycle accidents

2010-07-22T15:55:00.001+10:00

On my morning commute I witnessed an unfortunate accident. A middle aged woman was travelling on the road in the opposite direction on King St, Mascot in front of the fire station (map).

She veered slightly left to go up the driveway and on to the footpath, where she may have intended to stop. Unfortunately the driveway has about a 50mm (2 inch) lip, and she approached it almost parallel. Her tyre couldn't climb the lip, and she went flying. She was not wearing a helmet, and she hit her head on the pavement as she fell to the ground. I skidded to a stop and did a u-turn immediately. As I was coming to a stop, several firemen came out to assist. She could not have picked a better place to have such an accident.

I hung around for a few minutes, before the firemen assured me that they were going to take care of calling an ambulance.

I've seen a few mistakes like this made by inexperienced cyclists, and thought I'd put together a blog post about them. These sorts of mistakes are made by my partner, and can be quite scary.

1. Going up a lip in the road or a driveway at an angle (the accident above). This is where there is a driveway, and you go up the bump almost parallel to it. Another example is when riding on a concrete path, and you ride off it slightly on to the grass, and then try to get back on it, once again, almost parallel to the bump. Fatter tyres increase the margin available for error when attempting this maneuver. They allow you to approach the bump at more of an angle. To be perfectly safe, you should approach at a 90 degree angle to the bump.

2. Striking your pedal against the gutter. If you ride to close to a gutter, your wheels may be just clear, but your pedals can strike the curb.

3. Striking pedal in a turn. Similar to the above point, if you're leaning over too far, and keep pedalling, the inside pedal can strike the ground. This is worse on bikes with lower bottom brackets, such as touring bikes. When cornering, freewheel with your inside pedal up. i.e. if you're turning right, keep your left pedal downwards, close to the road.

4. Getting "doored". Bike paths in Sydney often go alongside parked cars. If you ride too close to the cars, you risk getting hit by a door being opened for a driver to exit their vehicle. You could also avoid the door, but end up getting squashed by passing traffic. You're best to keep 1-1.5 metres away from the "door zone". Remember, some doors can be especially long, particularly in 2 seater vehicles.

5. Metal grates or wooden bridges in the wet or on frosty mornings. These can be very slippery. Old wooden bridges in the frost are notorious for this, and I've been caught out a few times. Try not to turn or brake sharply if you have to cross them.

6. Getting your tyre caught in a metal drain. This is worse with thinner tyres. You can do serious damage to your wheel, and have a nasty fall. Try to cross these metal grates at an angle to the direction of the slits in the grate.

Girls on bikes

2010-07-14T15:20:00.000+10:00

For some great photos of girls on bikes, check out this thread:

http://www.bikesmoveus.com.au/showthread.php?t=445

It's slightly NSFW, but only in the strictest sense.

Parents chided for allowing their kids to cycle to school

2010-07-06T11:32:00.000+10:00

Parents in South London have been threatened to have child protection services called because they allowed their 5 year old and 8 year old to cycle 1 mile (approx 1.6kms) to school. The school claims that it is too dangerous, and presents an unacceptable level of risk to the children, which I'm guessing makes them unfit parents according to the school.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7871046/Couple-warned-over-allowing-children-to-cycle-to-school-alone.html

What hasn't been considered are what the risk levels actually are, compared to say driving to school. Also (and this is probably the most important), what are the benefits? Better health, learning responsibility, etc.

I strongly support the parents, and so does the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/7871753/Hail-the-heroic-parents-who-let-their-children-cycle-to-school.html

Boris is a cyclist too, and it makes me very happy to read his logical response to this ridiculous story.

Two bolt seat posts

2010-07-05T13:29:00.000+10:00

Two bolt seat posts are almost essential for brooks saddles, where the tilt adjustment is important. Two bolt posts allow for very fine adjustment, and often a small change in tilt, can have a dramatic effect on comfort.

Two bolt seat posts are also stronger, and won't slip, while single bolt seat posts can slip if not tightened excessively. This is particularly true for heavier riders.

Wherever possible, I always try and put two bolt seat posts on my bikes, despite what some bike shops will claim about there being no need to do so. It may cost a little more, but the advantages are well worth it.

The best two bolt seatpost I've ever used is the Nitto S-83. It's strong, and gorgeous to look at. The only downside is that it's a little pricey.

mileage summaries

2010-07-05T13:20:00.000+10:00

I'm not going to be posting mileage summaries anymore. I've stopped caring how many kms I travel. I just like to ride my bike, without thinking about how far/long/etc.

Mounting a rear rack on a Surly 1x1 (a bike without rack mounts)

2010-06-28T14:50:00.000+10:00

The Surly 1x1 frame has no rack mounts, but it does have fender mounts at the rear dropouts. I had a spare rear rack sitting around, and really wanted to mount it. There were a number of issues that I needed to work around to get the rack mounted properly.

The first problem was that the space between the eyelets and a horizontal steel tab around the track ends was very small. This meant that the rack couldn't get low enough for the screws to be inserted into the eyelets. There were two possible solutions. The first would be to use some spacers to move the rack out, and around the steel tab. This would weaken the rack though, because more torque would be applied to the bolts.

Instead, I decided to file down the bottom of the rack. The force applied to the bolts would be downwards, applying an equal and opposite force upwards to the rack. This means that having less steel on the rack under the bolt, wouldn't weaken it at all, since the pressure is all applied upwards.

The filing was done by putting the rack in a vice, and using a hand file. I rounded the corners a little to make it a little neater. Ideally, you could put some paint on there to stop it rusting, but I just used nail polish.

The second problem was mounting the front of the rack to the bicycle frame. There are no eyelets for this. All the commercial solutions that I know of use hose clamps, but I really didn't want to have to go buy hose clamps, and then have the problem of figuring out how to attach the hose clamps to the rack, and having to pad them to make sure they don't scratch the frame.

The Surly 1x1 does have a threaded (5mm I think) hole going downwards through the rear brake bridge. However, the struts from the rack are horizontal, and the single hole is vertical. To get around this, I cut a piece of timber to size. The struts are screwed into the side of the timber, and a hole was drilled down through the timber, so a long allen bolt could be put through the timber, and screwed into the threaded eyelet on the rear brake bridge.

It's not the prettiest solution, but it's cheap, easy, and very strong.

Week ended 27th June 2010

2010-06-28T14:16:00.000+10:00

Monday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

18:20 - rode home via Newtown (14.5kms)

Total: 31kms

Tuesday

09:00 - rode to work via Newtown (14.5kms)

17:40 - rode to the pub at Central (8kms)

02:00 - rode home via Anzac bridge (10kms)

Total: 32.5kms

Wednesday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Thursday

09:10 - rode to work via Newtown (14.5kms)

15:45 - rode to UNSW for squash (5kms)

17:40 - rode to Central station (8kms)
04:00 - rode home (10kms)

Total: 37.5kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 101 kms

Week ended 20th June 2010

2010-06-16T13:00:00.002+10:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Wednesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

15:45 - rode to mutch park for squash (3kms)

17:40 - rode to the pub in Central (8kms)

Total: 27.5kms

Thursday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

15:45 - rode to mutch park for squash (3kms)

17:40 - rode to Central station (8kms)

Total: 27.5kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 55 kms

Week ended 13th June 2010

2010-06-16T13:00:00.000+10:00

No riding.

Total: 0kms

Week ended 6th June 2010

2010-06-16T12:59:00.002+10:00

Rode the Loire a velo in France.

Total: 800kms.

Week ended 31st May 2010

2010-06-16T12:58:00.003+10:00

Rode in France. All kms recorded next week.

Week ended 24th May 2010

2010-06-16T12:58:00.000+10:00

Monday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5km)

Total: 35kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5km)

Total: 35kms

Wednesday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Thursday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 70 kms

A phone and ipod charger for the Schmidt Dynamo Hub (SON) - part 2 - the implementation

2010-05-19T17:35:00.001+10:00

This is the implementation phase of my previous post which can be found here

The circuit designed in the first post was implemented as follows:

The list of things I needed were:
* 1 plain circuit board
* wire
* soldering iron and wire
* 4 diodes (1n5819)
* 5V voltage regulator (7805)
* 1000 uF capacitor rated to at least 10 volts
* 25 uF capacitor rated to at least 10 volts
* USB socket plug
* spade connectors and bolt on spades
* plastic case
* nut and bolt to bolt the finished circuit to the case
* drill and drill bit to make a hole in the case and circuit board

I placed all the items on the circuit board, and soldered them together. The dynamo input goes through the 4 diode rectifier, which then charges the large capacitor. This capacitor will store some charge for when there is not enough input. This is then connected to the voltage regulator to ensure that the voltage is limited to 5V or 0V if 5V is not achievable. The small capacitor is then hooked in, and the output goes to the USB connector.

The positive voltage has to be fed into pin 1 (the leftmost pin when looking head on) of the USB connector plug, and 0V is put to pin 4. Pins 2 and 3 are the data pins, and I soldered them together. The reason for this is because some newer phones send a data packet and expect a response before charging. Soldering the pins together means whatever is sent, is also received, fooling the device into thinking it got a response.

I did the initial testing with a variable power supply putting out 6 volts to the input in DC. Even though the hub dynamo provides it in AC, a DC input would still provide the correct output. I plugged in a USB light to the USB plug and if it lit up, I knew that it was working. I also had a volt meter and amp meter to check the outputs.

The output initially read 4.5volts which is about right, considering losses with the regulator. But the USB light didn't work. I discovered that I had soldered pins 1 and 4 on the USB connector backwards, so I had to reverse it. Once I did that, the light worked fine. I then plugged in my phone, and voila! it worked.

Next I grabbed a plastic case which had been used for storing electrical connectors, and bolted the circuit to it, and made a hole for the USB plug to go into, and another hole on the other side for the input wires.

The wires connect to the SON hub via spade connectors, which I have to manually swap out with the ones for my front and rear light. One day I'll make a switch so I can switch between the two very easily.

I did a test with the circuit and my phone connected to the hub, and it works great when i spin the wheel. My ipod also worked great.

If you want to do something similar, and need help or more details, leave a comment.

The charger in my handlebar bag on tour:

Carrying grease on bike tours

2010-05-18T10:29:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it can be handy to have a blob of grease with you when on a bike tour. Whether it be for reassembling your bike after getting off the plane, or for routine maintenance, grease can be invaluable. Usually you only need a small amount, and want to save weight. I achieve this by using a ziplock bag, as per the picture below.

Week ended 17th May 2010

2010-05-17T12:13:00.000+10:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5km)

Total: 35kms

Wednesday

09:00 - rode to work via newtown (15.5kms)

17:00 - rode to pub at central (8kms)

22:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 24.5kms

Thursday

07:30 - rode to work via newtown (15.5kms)

18:15 - rode to squash at mutch park (3kms)

22:30 - rode to central station via centennial park (8kms)

23:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 27.5kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 87 kms

Week ended 9th May 2010

2010-05-11T09:01:00.001+10:00

Monday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5kms)

Total: 35kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)
16:30 - rode to pub at central (8kms)
22:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 25.5kms

Wednesday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Thursday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

18:15 - rode to squash at UNSW (5kms)
22:30 - rode to central station via centennial park (6kms)

23:00 - rode home from summer hill station (2kms)

Total: 29.5kms

Friday

18:30 - rode to Petersham for dinner then to Leichhardt, and back home (15kms)

Total: 15kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 105 kms

Cycling in the Netherlands in the 1950s

2010-05-10T20:33:00.001+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/markenlei#p/search/0/1HgLqts3qJs

Awesome!

Bicycle technology gone mad

2010-05-04T09:11:00.001+10:00

I've often been known to criticize some technological advancements in bicycle componentry. Here is an excellent example of my point:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Crank_Brothers_Joplin_4_Seat_Post_with_Remote/5360048375/

Why on earth would you want to adjust your seatpost via remote control, while riding your bike? It introduces complexity, requires batteries (although I imagine you could come up with a way to power it off a SON hub), and is completely useless!

Week ended 2nd May 2010

2010-05-03T08:58:00.000+10:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5kms)

Total: 35kms

Wednesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

13:00 - rode to banksmeadow (2kms)

13:30 - rode back to botany (2kms)

16:50 - rode to mutch park squash (3kms)

17:30 - rode to central station via centennial park (10kms)

22:30 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 34.5kms

Thursday

09:15 - rode to work via newtown (14.5kms)
16:30 - rode to pub at central (8kms)
21:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 23.5kms

Friday

13:00 - rode round ashfield and five dock (5kms)

Total: 5kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 98 kms

A phone and ipod charger for the Schmidt Dynamo Hub (SON)

2010-04-28T15:48:00.000+10:00

In preparation for my upcoming bicycle tour in Europe, I have been working on a charger for my phone that can be powered by my SON hub.

The SON hub provides 6 volts (3 watts) of AC power. This needs to be converted to provide an output equivalent to that of USB, which my phone (and countless other devices) can be charged from. AC power means that the voltage varies between positive 6 volts and negative 6 volts, i.e. the voltage to time curve resembles a sine wave. USB on the other hand is DC, which means it provides a constant voltage of 5 volts.

The first step is to rectify the AC input from the SON to only provide a positive voltage. This is done using 4 diodes, which don't allow current to flow in the reverse direction. This rectifies the wave so that it looks something like this:

The 4 diodes will look something like the central circuit diagram in the following image:

Next we have to get rid of the troughs in between the rectified waves. This is done through the use of a couple of capacitors, which store charge, and release it during the wave troughs. This results in an even DC output.

Unfortunately there is still one more issue, and that is that the voltage will exceed 5 volts, which is the USB standard. Also, if we can't achieve 5 volts (perhaps im pedaling too slowly), then 0 volts should be supplied. A voltage regulator is used to do this.

Finally, a large capacitor is used to store charge as I'm pedaling, so that when I stop at lights, or for just a moment, the stored charge can be used to continue to charge my phone, rather than having it cut off, and restart all the time. The capacitor acts as a limited capacity battery in this case, storing some charge for later use.

The final circuit I have will be posted in a future post. I will also show photos of the construction, and steps to build it.

Week ended 25th April 2010

2010-04-27T10:25:00.000+10:00

Monday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5kms)
21:00 - rode to ashfield station (1km)
21:10 - rode home with kate on the back (1km)

Total: 37kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Brighton street, Croydon Park (20kms)

Total: 36.5kms

Wednesday

08:00 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)
16:50 - rode to mutch park squash (3kms)

17:30 - rode to pub at central (8kms)

22:30 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 28.5kms

Thursday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Friday

06:20 - rode from botany to centennial park, did 3 laps of the park, 2 short laps of bronte and 1 long, then down past coogee, maroubra, to la perouse, and back to botany (48kms)

Total: 48kms

Saturday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 150 kms

Why a longer stem does not necessarily mean more weight over the front wheel

2010-04-19T21:08:00.001+10:00

It is often incorrectly stated as a fact that using a longer stem means putting more weight over the front wheel. Some people claim a longer stem as an advantage for a touring bike, because it means less weight over the rear wheel, which is already stressed enough.

Less weight over the rear wheel may indeed be an advantage for some, and in setting up a bike this way, a longer stem may be used to assist in achieving this.

Lets say you have two identical frames, except that the top tube is 57cm on one, and 59cm on the other, and you put a 110mm stem on the shorter one, and a 90mm stem on the longer one, and all other variables remain constant, including the seat position. In this case, the mass you put on the handlebars is the same for both bikes. Yes, there is a longer stem on one, giving more leverage, which means more force on the steerer tube. The mass is still the same on the front wheel. Some of the mass that is being applied to the seat may now be transferred to the front wheel. But this will be a negligible amount.

Of course other things change. For example, the steering on the longer stem bike will be slower. But the front wheel has the same mass that it's carrying.

There was an interesting discussion about this on the LHT-CC owners group. You can find it all here:

groups.google.com/group/surlylht/browse_thread/thread/bb9c512687fdf03d

Week ended 18th April 2010

2010-04-19T09:08:00.001+10:00

Monday

07:20 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5kms)

Total: 35kms

Tuesday

07:20 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

13:15 - rode to banksmeadow (2kms)

13:30 - rode back to work (2kms)

17:00 - rode home via Croydon Park (18.5kms)

18:00 - rode round the block (1km)

Total: 40kms

Wednesday

08:00 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)
17:30 - rode to pub at central (8kms)
22:30 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 25.5kms

Thursday

07:30 - rode to work via Hurlstone Park (16.5kms)

18:15 - rode to unsw the long way (8kms)
22:15 - rode to central station (5kms)

22:50 - rode home from ashfield station (1kms)

Total: 30.5kms

Friday

07:30 - rode to work via Newtown (14.5kms)

18:15 - rode home via croydon park (18.5kms)
19:00 - rode to balmain east (9.5kms)
22:00 - rode home (9.5kms)

Total: 52kms

Saturday

00:30 - rode to ashfield station (1km)
00:40 - rode home (1km)

Total: 2kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 185 kms

Bicycle tour from Paris to Amsterdam

2010-04-12T14:05:00.000+10:00

In late May, Kate and I will be flying to Paris, France and cycling to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Our route is flexible and will be largely made up as we go. But the general idea is to head north to Saint Quentin, up through Roubaix, Gent, Antwerpen, Roosendaal, then randomly up to the Netherlands. I've named some big cities there, but they are just a guide. It's quite likely that we'll avoid the city centres, and stick to the small towns, as those are the places we tend to enjoy the most.

We will stick to the small "D" roads in France where possible, and aim to camp most, if not all of the trip. Our preparation has been minimal, but the route we're taking is fairly flat, and we will be averaging only about 50kms per day on average. Perhaps a little more towards th latter end of the trip.

I will be taking the Surly LHT as usual, and Kate will be on her Fuji touring. It has been 3 years since my last major tour, and I can't wait!

I will be keeping a journal here:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/6524

It is still only in it's initial stages, but I will have it updated before I leave, and finished not too long after I get back.

Week ended 11th April 2010

2010-04-12T08:45:00.000+10:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

19:15 - rode to ashfield station (1km)

21:00 - rode in city (2kms)

00:20 - rode from city to home (12kms)

Total: 15kms

Wednesday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Thursday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 15 kms

Week ended Sunday 4th April 2010

2010-04-12T08:43:00.000+10:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Wednesday

13:30 - rode round ashfield (1.5kms)

18:15 - rode to squash at mutch park via newtown (17kms)

23:05 - rode home (17kms)

Total: 35.5kms

Thursday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 35.5 kms

Week ended 28th March 2010

2010-03-29T08:52:00.000+11:00

Monday

09:00 - rode round ashfield (3kms)

Total: 3kms

Tuesday

09:00 - rode round ashfield (3kms)

Total: 3kms

Wednesday

09:00 - rode to work via newtown including a detour in ashfield (15.5kms)
18:00 - rode to squash at mutch park (3.5kms)
22:30 - rode home via newtown (16.5kms)

Total: 35.5kms

Thursday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Friday

09:00 - rode to work via newtown (14kms)
16:30 - rode home via newtown (14kms)

Total: 28kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

14:10 - rode to bicentennial park (9kms)
15:00 - rode round olympic park (19kms)
17:30 - rode home via flemington (12kms)

Total: 40kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 109.5 kms

Bourke street/road cycle path

2010-03-26T15:32:00.000+11:00

City of sydney council has been working on creating cyclepaths in Sydney. This cause has been championed by Clover Moore, and in my opinion is an excellent idea. The objective is to increase cycling rates in Sydney.

The latest addition to the network is a cycleway on Bourke road in Alexandria. From the south, the cycleway begins near the corner of Collins street, and heads north, for about 3kms. It is a dual direction path which is on the road, but is separated from motorised transport by a concrete kerb.

The intention is for bicycles to be able to get to the city from Alexandria. This is an important addition to the network, since it opens up the possibility of cycling down car free paths all the way to the city.

I have three main criticisms of the cycle paths being built in Sydney.

Firstly they are bi directional, but on one side of the road. This means that when cars turn across a cyclepath, they are likely to forget to look in the direction that traffic doesn't normally flow in. I feel that this is likely to increase accidents.

Secondly, intersections give cars right of way to turn across a cycle path going straight. This requires a bicycle rider to stop at every intersection to give way. This is often every 50metres, which makes cycling far slower than it should be. Ideally, it should be the reverse, making cycling more attractive, and encouraging cars to take a different route. This is the way it's done in The Netherlands, and I feel that it works far better for the cyclists.

Lastly, red lights favour cars. This is particularly evident on the King street cycleway in the city. Everytime I've taken this cycle path, I get multiple red lights. This makes cyclists use the main road, where the light is green for cars.

There is still a very strong bias towards giving right of way to cars. Until this backward mentality is changed, cycling will be treated as a fringe recreational activity, rather than a serious mode of transport.

Despite the drawbacks, I think that the building of separated cycle paths is a good start towards making cycling more attractive to the masses.

Week ended 21st March 2010

2010-03-21T11:50:00.001+11:00

Monday

09:00 - rode to work newtown (14kms)
17:00 - rode home via croydon park (18.5kms)

Total: 32.5kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16kms)
13:00 - rode to banksmeadow (2kms)
13:20 - rode back to work (2kms)
17:00 - rode home via croydon park (18.5kms)

Total: 38.5kms

Wednesday

07:30 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16kms)
18:00 - rode to squash at circular quay (10kms)
22:30 - rode home via lilyfield (10.5kms)

Total: 36.5kms

Thursday

07:30 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16.5kms)
17:00 - rode home via newtown (14kms)

Total: 30.5kms

Friday

09:00 - rode to work via newtown (14kms)
16:30 - rode home via newtown (14kms)

Total: 28kms

Saturday

00:50 - rode to ashfield station (1km)
01:15 - rode home (1km)

Total: 2kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 168 kms

Week ended 14th March 2010

2010-03-15T10:40:00.001+11:00

Monday
07:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16kms)
12:30 - rode to banksmeadow (2kms)
12:50 - rode back to botany (2kms)
17:00 - rode home via croydon park (19kms)

Total: 39kms

Tuesday

07:30 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16.5kms)
17:00 - rode home via croydon park (18.5kms)

Total: 35kms

Wednesday

08:30 - rode to work via newtown (14.5kms)
17:00 - rode home via newtown (14.5kms)

Total: 29kms

Thursday

07:30 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16.5kms)
17:00 - rode home via croydon park (18.5kms)

Total: 35kms

Friday

20:00 - rode to newtown (7kms)
22:00 - rode to city (5.5km)
00:30 - rode home via lilyfield (8kms)

Total: 20.5kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 158.5 kms

Week ended 7th March 2010

2010-03-08T09:24:00.003+11:00

Monday

08:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park with detour round tempe (17kms)
17:00 - rode home (16kms)

Total: 33kms

Tuesday

08:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park with detour round tempe (17kms)
13:30 - rode to banksmeadow (2kms)
13:50 - rode back to botany (2kms)
19:45 - rode to squash at mutch park (2.5kms)
22:00 - rode to newtown station (11.5kms)
23:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1kms)

Total: 36kms

Wednesday

08:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park with detour round tempe (17kms)
17:00 - rode home via croydon park (19kms)

Total: 36kms

Thursday

07:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16kms)
17:45 - rode to rosebery (4kms)
19:00 - rode to waterloo (1.5kms)
22:30 - rode to redfern (5kms)
23:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 27.5kms

Friday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 132.5 kms

Cooks river cycleway, and dealing with high tide

2010-03-02T15:18:00.001+11:00

I go along the cooks river cycleway to get to and from work. It's a useful cycleway that runs from South Strathfield, all the way to Sydney Airport. You can join the cycleway round Botany Bay which goes all the way round to Kurnell.

Ashfield to Botany via Hurlstone Park and Cooks River

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

At high tide, there are a couple of points where the cooks river spills over on to the cycleway.

At Tempe, when going under the railway bridge, this is a big issue. The water can get to 300mm (1ft) deep, or possibly even more. In this case, you have to turn around, and go over the bridge the cars use, and head back down to the cooks river once on the other side of the railway.

There is also a tunnel right near the end of the cycleway which gets flooded. Fortunately it's no deeper than about 200mm at it's very worst, so you can ride through it. Fenders certainly help!

Finally, on occasion the end of the cooks river cycleway on Coward St can sometimes flood in heavy rain. You can get through by going on the footpath, where the water is only 50mm or so deep.

From Dan's Bicycle Blog

Could you imagine if major car freeways got flooded and there was no way through? This wouldn't be tolerated by society. Why is it acceptable for bike ways to be flooded at random?

From Dan's Bicycle Blog

Regardless, the cooks river cycleway is a great place to cycle. It's peaceful, flat, an

Week ended 28th February 2010

2010-03-01T17:54:00.000+11:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Wednesday

07:30 - rode to earle avenue (0.5kms)

07:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home (16kms)

Total: 33kms

Thursday

07:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16.5kms)

17:00 - rode home via croydon park (19.5kms)

Total: 36kms

Friday

07:50 - rode to work via hurlstone park (16kms)

17:00 - rode to pub in the city (8kms)

20:00 - rode to restaurant at town hall (2kms)
00:00 - rode home from ashfield station (1km)

Total: 27kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

10:45 - rode round ashfield (1km)

Total: 1kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 97 kms

Schmidt SON dynohub and Dlumotec Senso Oval Plus

2010-02-24T11:26:00.000+11:00

When I first had my Surly LHT built up, my LBS (Cheeky Transport) convinced me that a Schmidt dynohub was worth investing in, since I was getting my wheels built by them.

This was the best decision I ever made. The Schmidt has no noticeable drag, and combined with my DLumotec Senso Oval Plus lights up my way wherever I go. The beauty of this system is that your bike becomes infinitely more useful as a form of transport. I never have to worry about whether I have lights, or batteries. If it's dark (or wet), I can turn my light on.

The DLumotec Senso Oval Plus also automatically goes on when it detects a lack of light. You can also force it to stay on or off via a switch. There is a standlight function where the light stays on for a few minutes when you come to a stop. A simple capacitor would achieve this in the circuitry.

I also have a B&M toplight as a rear light which is connected to the dynamo via the front light. This automatically goes on whenever the front light is on. It has a constant beam rather than a flashing light.

The wiring goes from the hub, twisted up round the fork blade, and along my front rack to the light. A separate wire is connected to my front light, and goes underneath my top tube, under my rack, and secured to the rear fender with packing tape. A cleaner solution would be to put it under the fender, but I was concerned about how it would handle the constant splatter of crud under there. It then connects to the rear light which is attached to the back of my tubus cargo rack. Zip ties are used to secure the cabling along the top tube, and up the fork blade.

The Schmidt hub has done over 10,000kms, and rolls as good as ever. It also looks really nice in shiny silver. It would look a lot better if i cleaned it, but cleaning my bike is not very high on my priority list. I'm more concerned with servicing it to ensure that it runs well, than having it look good.

The hub is designed to run for 50,000kms before needing a service. I purchased it back in late 2006 for about $350AUD. Not cheap, but worth every cent in my opinion.

Week ended 21st February 2010

2010-02-24T10:38:00.000+11:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Wednesday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Thursday

20:00 - rode to pub in glebe via haberfield and leichardt(9kms)

00:10 - rode home (9kms)

Total: 18kms

Friday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 18 kms

Week ended 14th February 2010

2010-02-19T09:19:00.000+11:00

Monday

no riding.

Total: 0kms

Tuesday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Wednesday

09:00 - rode to botany via hurlstone park and cooks river (16kms)

17:00 - rode home (16kms)

Total: 32kms

Thursday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Friday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Saturday

no riding

Total: 0kms

Sunday

no riding

Total: 0kms

TOTAL FOR WEEK: 32 kms

Week ended 7th February 2010

2010-02-10T11:58:00.000+11:00

No riding all week due to renovations.

Week ended 31st January 2010

2010-02-10T11:57:00.000+11:00

no riding all week due to renovations.