I Bike NZ

The Adventure Ends

2010-02-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

It's been two years since I started this blog and I'm throwing in the towel.

Some of the things I set-out to do have been achieved;

I've overcome my writing-shyness and now feel comfortable talking in a one-way conversation to perfect strangers.
I've shown-off some of the places I ride and the city I love to people around the world.
I've met some nice genuine people online with common interests.
It's ended up as a bit of a diary of my cycling life and is interesting (to me at least) to look back on and see what I got up to.

But I've failed in other ways;

My writing hasn't improved, and that was one of my main objectives.
I've fallen into the trap of feeling a bit full of myself at times and trying to make my life sound more interesting than it really is. There's a certain amount of ego involved in writing a "solo" blog and I'm not entirely comfortable with that.
My wife resents the time I spend on it and friends and work colleagues just think I'm stupid.
Hardly anyone reads it and fewer comment.

Although I plan to spend less time in front of the computer I'm starting a community cycling blog for my neighborhood. There is nothing out there for everyday cyclists, it's all about road racing, mountainbiking and BMX. Of course I may be the only one interested in nurturing bike culture around here, we will see.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by and left a comment or two, I really appreciated it. I will not be deleting the blog and if I do something interesting worth sharing there may be a post or two in the future.

And lastly a big thank you to Doug for encouraging me to start this blog in the first place and leaving the first comment. His cycle commuting has been an inspiration and taken me from a once a week "toe in the water" to riding every day without even thinking of taking the car.

Keep the rubber-side down,

- Antoine

America's Next Top Biggest Loser

2010-01-15T18:30:00.001-08:00

I've always been curious what the Pugsley weighed but have been a little shy to ask down at the the bike-shop to use their scales. I mean, it's like a public weigh-in for the poor girl and she's always going to be the heaviest one in the room.

I managed to jury-rig something on the bike-rack with some bathroom scales, a kitchen chopping board, a towel and some duct-tape (much to my wife's amusement) and was pleasantly surprised with the fat girl's results. She's a positively svelte 34.4lbs (15.6kg).

Getting ready to catch Mum's scales when everything collapses

I've spent the last four years telling everyone she was 36lbs, a total guess from figures I had seen on the internet. Apart from the Syntace stem and magnesium pedals there are no lightweight parts on there, it was specced for strength and longevity after all. With a normal seatpost and some 29er tubes I could get her down to 34lbs, but I like her just the way she is. "Warmth in winter, shade in summer" as my father used to say.

All I've had to replace in four years is a couple of sets of brakepads and a chain. A very reliable bike!

I ride singlespeeds cause they're lighter

As I had the Cross-Check all set-up with knobblies and a suspension seatpost for mountainbiking tomorrow, a shakedown for the upcoming DUAL, I chucked that up on the scales too and got 26.4lbs (12kg).

I'm pretty happy with that weight. She's built strong with 36-spoke wheels, MTB hubs and wearing a Thudbuster seatpost that weighs half a kilo on it's own. As I've been jumping steps and bunnyhopping ditches of late I'm happy with those build decisions. Tough components for trail-riding and loaded-touring was the idea.

Pootas, Platforms, Poo and Pā's

2010-01-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

A few little firsts on today's ride;

1. I scored a Cateye computer when I bought my eldest a new mountainbike just before Christmas. I want him concentrating on the tree he's going to hit, not looking at his terminal velocity as he's doing it. With a 50km race coming up I'm curious how many miles I'm riding so I put it on the Cross-Check in the interim. It might stay on there for good but I find pootas a bit distracting and am not usually fussed how fast or how far I'm going. On its debut I discovered that I ride very slowly and not very far!

2. I like the Eggbeater clipless pedals I got for this bike but the thin hard soles of my cycling shoes and the amount I'm riding in them is aggravating my trashed ankle. A fixed position on the pedal and lots of impacts with no cushioning is not ideal when you have no cartilage and a couple of snapped ligaments. It's also a pain having to wear bike-specific shoes when I ride to work so I've put on BMX platforms from The Nasty Evil Bike (MTB commuter) to see how they go in day to day use.

Since changing over to platform pedals on the Pugsley I've loved just hopping on and riding with whatever footwear I happen to have on at the time. I think I'll save my clipless pedals for racing or long rides until I get some more forgiving cycling shoes.

3. The Cross-Check got its first application of dog-shit and consequently it's first wash. What is it with these people? I like dogs but come on, clean up after your pets guys. The next dog owner I see breaking the law I'm going to follow home and drop a big steamer on their front lawn and see how they like it. It's only right!

4. I took this bike for it's maiden ride along the cliff path between Kennedy Park and Castor Bay not far from my home. It's only a few hundred metres long but the views of the harbour are outstanding and hardly anyone knows the path is even there. The point overlooking the bay at the southern end of it was a former Maori pā (fortification). There's not much evidence of that now, just a few pits and mounds, but the local council have constructed a cheesy-looking imitation of the wooden defenses that would have been there and used them as fences on the cliff edge. There's a photo of some of that below with what must be the most basic carving I have ever encountered. Still, they gave it a try.

I was disappointed to find that the rough gravel road down to the beach at the end has been concreted over, I used to enjoy sliding down there.

5. I'm getting more confident riding technical sections on this bike. The bit I struggled with is when you're in the drops riding downhill, it's steep and you're braking, but you have to loft the front wheel to clear a ditch or log for instance. Wheelying in the drops with your bum sticking up in the air was not coming naturally but with a combination of brute strength, more speed and half-hearted bravery I managed to clean an entire trail that's had me hopping off the bike a couple of times in the past. With the Pugsley I just bomb over everything. This one takes a little more planning and finesse.

Bumpy grass downhill at Kennedy Park

I have to shoulder the bike over this section. Needless to say I don't ride the Pugsley along here very often.

High on the cliffs above Castor Bay overlooking Rangitoto

Freshly hosed-off with no trace of poo

First BOOTY action of 2010

2010-01-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

Baguette Obtainer Of The Year [ B.O.O.T.Y ]

I'll let the pictures tell the story but if there's one thing that draws more attention than riding a fatbike around the neighbourhood or towing a scooter behind your trailer it's a double-barreled-baguette-holster hanging off the back of your bike.

I've simplified the design from last year's model. Less duct-tape and a simple twin-bungee attachment to the rack. Still need to trim a foot or two off the tubes as they don't make baguettes like they used to and I have to do a wheelie to get them out.

Cars give you a wider berth when your bike is 10ft long

Milford Marina in the background. Scungy but always looks pretty in photos.

Finding Dirt in the Big City

2010-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

[dirt] road bike - Centennial Park, Campbells Bay

The last few days I've been riding the Cross-Check with knobblies fitted to determine if it's capable of finishing The DUAL. Well I know it's capable, more to the point is can whether I can ride a rigid cyclocross bike with drop-bars and relatively skinny tyres off-road for 50km.

With this in mind I've been searching-out every piece of ridable dirt, gravel and grass as I ramble around the North Shore of Auckland.

It's amazing how much is out there when you look for it. Not a lot of technical singletrack but loads of gravel paths and grass for Africa.

So far, so good. After a handful of two hour rides I'm getting a little stiffness in my neck and wrists but no other aches or pains to speak of. I think my hands are slowly getting accustomed to the different angles of a drop handlebar.

I took these pictures of some of the varied riding surfaces I found in suburbia. Most of them are taken no more than 20 or 30 metres from a main-road or housing but you could be in the middle of nowhere.

Pupuke Golf Course

Rosedale Road Wetland, Albany

Long Bay Reserve

Dropping down to Long Bay on the cliff pathway

My local loop - The missing photos

2010-01-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

The holiday period has seen me on my bike a lot more than usual. With my wife not working I've been able to duck out for a few hours here and there and start to get my legs in shape for the The DUAL at the end of march.

Today when doing my usual loop I took the camera to capture some of the places I missed when my battery died on the last ride of 2009.

I only rode for two and a half hours today but got quite a work-out as the rolling resistance on those knobbly Panaracers is something else on the tarmac. They make a thrumming sound like a 4WD tyre on the road and it actually feels like you're riding with your brakes rubbing. Once you venture off-road they roll fine and provide a welcome bit of cush through the bars.

Overlooking Pupuke Golf Course. My house is about 1.5 kms past those trees and probably 200m closer to sea-level. I never ride on the fairways during the day, only late at night when I'm coming home from work. It is public land and you are entitled to use it, but I don't fancy collecting a golf-ball in the side of the head.

My old high-school, Takapuna Grammar. It's an impressive looking building and despite the name is a public school for everyday people. Funny how in England they call "private" schools "public", I've never understood that one.

My mother died in the Mount Erebus crash the first year I was there so it doesn't hold many happy memories for me. Wagging school to smoke dope and make home-brew under my friend's house was probably the highlight.

Narrow Neck Beach. My parents briefly ran the dairy (milk-bar) here in the 1950s.

Fort Takapuna. This wonderful old command-centre is built below ground level for protection from naval artillery. There are several gun emplacements on the cliff edge in the distance. Most of these european fortifications like North Head and Mount Victoria were also Maori ones in the centuries beforehand.

Cheltenham Beach. Nice town-houses, but with your front door about a metre above the high-tide line I'd be looking for alternative accommodation when the next Tsunami hits.

Cheltenham Beach again viewed from halfway up North Head. Half an hour from low tide. View large and you can see the previous town-houses at the end of the beach.

One of the smoother tracks on North Head. Great riding but you have to watch out for walkers.

The last remaining "disappearing gun" on North Head. Most of the artillery was melted down for scrap. There are lots of tunnels connected to this that you can explore. As a teenager we would wait in the darkness for mothers with young children to walk in from the sunlight and then blast them mercilessly with our pea-shooters before their eyes adjusted. Screaming kids would run in all directions and the mothers would often cower in fear or start crying. There is nothing as ruthless or cruel as thirteen year old boys!

Downtown Auckland in the distance across the harbour.

The Devonport Naval Base.

Victoria Road, Devonport's main street, with Mount Victoria in the background. We spent our wedding night in that hotel on the corner. It apparently overlooks Devonport wharf and the harbour but I don't remember the view.

I just love Devonport to bits. The yuppies are slowly taking over as property prices are sky-high, but it is still very charming and holds a lot of appeal.

I rode a considerable amount of grass today and sections of sand, shell, gravel and dirt. The bike was very comfortable and sure-footed. I wouldn't say no to a lightweight road-bike but this kind of all-rounder is so versatile and immense fun. I love the fact that I can jump a curb or ride down a flight of stairs if it takes my fancy. That's the mountainbiker in me talking. Just as well I built this thing with 36-spoke wheels ;^)

The DUAL 2010 - Pain to follow...

2010-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

Despite a distinct lack of post-christmas funds I have gone and entered The DUAL for it's second running. At NZD$145 it's a bit of a rip-off but the organizers have to shuttle several hundred bikes and a couple of thousand competitors across to an island in the middle of the gulf, so it is a logistical nightmare.

Supposedly some of the profit goes to the Motutapu Restoration Trust which is a very good cause after all. Motutapu means "Sacred Island" in maori and it's a special place with lots of maori and european history. It's also unique in that it's joined by a natural causeway to a young volcano and they both have quite different personalities.

I'm doing the 50km race again but they've added a 30km event this year for casual riders. The terrain is very hilly and you spend the second half of the race climbing in and out of valleys on farm-land. Very energy-sapping as a lot of this is on grass, not a trail as such.

For this reason I plan on taking the Cross-Check. I'll be much slower on the down-hills and will get beaten-up on the skinny tyres but can make up a lot of time if I can ride the whole course. A 36lb singlespeed fatbike was not the best option for the constant climbing involved last year. Most of the riders around me on much lighter geared bikes were walking the steep sections as well, but I reckon with a bit of training they are doable and I won't be stopping to take photographs this time!

With this in mind I threw the knobblies on the Cross-Check yesterday to get a feel for riding it on rough terrain. My main concern is whether my hands and wrists can take 3-4hrs in the drops at speed. It felt decidedly more plush riding a 45mm tyre @50psi than the usual 35mm/70psi combo. Only time will tell on this one.

Phat...

...Phatter

Mountainbike?

My DUAL nemesis across the waters. Motutapu on the left and Rangitoto on the right. I can see that damn volcano from just about everywhere I ride!

I'm loving these Paul brakes but the Fire-Cross tyres are painfully slow on tarmac. Practical for off-road only.

2010 Singlespeed World Champs

2010-01-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

WooHooooooooooo... I got an entry!

To be held a few hours down the road in beautiful, stinky Rotorua, or Rotovegas as we Kiwis call it. I raced the inaugural NZ Singlespeed Champs there on the Pugsley and had a great time. The trails are world-class and Rotorua is a very unique place.

One of the few sports that you can be crap at and still race in the world championships!

Last ride of 2009

2010-01-01T00:22:00.001-08:00

I've been really enjoying riding the Cross-Check recently, even more so since I tweaked my cockpit. I'll use any excuse at the best of times to run an errand by bike but if there's any distance involved the Cross-Check is now the first choice as it's so much faster.

The last day of 2009 involved a trip to the local library to return a (cycling) magazine before they repossessed my library-card. The library is only a fifteen minute ride away so I continued on to Devonport using the mainly off-road Devonport Cycle Route which I've been riding for years but is now "official" and has subsequently been sign-posted and had sections upgraded.

I'm often blown-away by the stunning countryside some of my internet cycling friends get to ride in, but you don't always appreciate what you've got in your own backyard. Most of the roads I ride have sea views and you're never more than a kilometre or two from the coast.

I borrowed my son's camera and attempted to capture some of my suburban riding environment on the way.

We start at Campbells Bay Beach about 400m from our house. There are lots of well-off types on the North Shore of Auckland and by the number of people on the beaches on a warm (but overcast) summer's day they are all off at their holiday homes or out on their boats.

This is up the road at Kennedy park. I come here a lot with The Midget Assassin as it has a wonderful playground. The funny looking building is an artillery observation post from WWII disguised as a house. You can just make out one of the gun emplacements in the background which is about 10m back from the edge of a cliff overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. The North Shore is full of decaying military defenses but the majority were built to protect us from the Russians in the 1880s and the Germans in WWI. This stuff is a bit more recent to repel the evil Japanese. Now we spend all our time encouraging these people to visit as tourists.

I then pass through Castor Bay. Not a soul on the beach today. Hard to believe there are over a million people living in Auckland.

Over the next headland is the Milford Marina. It's on a small tidal stream that exits to the sea at the north end of Milford beach. It's actually pretty scungy but does scrub up okay in a photo.

A couple of kilometres down the road is Takapuna. I was born and raised here but it's a bit of a shit-hole. Full of rich wankers and bars and cafés full of rich wankers. There is a move to rename Takapuna "Takapuna Beach". How wanky is that? Maybe London could rebrand as "London River"?

This photo is taken at the northern end besides the boat-ramp. The owner of this beautiful titanium and carbon Serotta prefers to drive it around town rather than actually ride it. Roadies... Doh.

Takapuna beach again. Taken beside the yacht club. Rare sighting of an Aucklander actually on a beach in the Christmas holidays.

I finally got to the library (which overlooks the beach) and took the bike inside with me as I was in a bit of a hurry after taking all these bloody photographs. Amazing how loud a White Industries freewheel sounds in a library, but I found that by avoiding all eye contact people could not see me at all. How convenient.

Past Takapuna on the way to Devonport is my old stomping-ground of Hauraki Corner. This photo is taken at a new and very impressive section of boardwalk suspended above the mangroves that enabled the cycleway to get a bit further around the coast and avoid a particularly nasty hill. I dread to think how much of my rates were sunk into these next 200 metres but it is a great resource and well used by walkers and cyclists alike.

Mudflats are a great place to play as a child. I used to frolic in the foreground mud with the crabs, smoke dope and ride my motorbike along the shell-banks at the waters edge and paddle canoes out there in the bay. Pollution, Life-jackets and helmets had not made it to New Zealand in the 1970s ;^)

This foot-bridge takes you across yet another mangrove swamp to the Belmont cemetery. It's build over a sewer pipe and really is as long as it looks. I found out today that my bike-trailer has one inch of clearance each side and that I wobble three inches each way when I tow it ;^)

Somewhat ironic that the cemetery is next to this lovely new bike path and not situated beside the main road where it is required.

Not far past the graveyard is this fantastic grassy downhill. This is where I proved my new handlebar set-up is perfect for flying down hills over bumpy ground at speed. I can even bunny-hop in the drops.

In the distance is Mount Victoria. Smack bang in the middle of Devonport and the half-way point where I turn around and head home.

"King of the Swamp"

The Sky Tower is behind the trees on the left and the Auckland Harbour bridge on the right.

If you can't train your eight year old to pick up his dirty underwear he's never going to charge a camera battery so this is where our journey must end, with all the good photo-opportunities still to come. I'll take those on another day as the scenery in Devonport is really quite something.

I managed to coax one more shot out of the Sony when I got to the top of Mount Victoria. I got married right there in front of us in this "mushroom patch" by a TV anchorman. It was like a cross between a Tarantino movie and Alice in Wonderland.

The volcano in the background is Rangitoto Island. I'll be racing the Cross-Check over there at the end of March in The DUAL 50km mountainbike race. Must get fitter!

Cross-Check Tweeking

2009-12-30T02:19:00.000-08:00

This bike is taking a lot more dialing-in than any other I have owned. The Pugsley was the first bike I specced and built-up from scratch and it was a perfect fit from the start - I haven't changed anything apart from hand-grips in almost four years.

The Cross-Check has some stuff I'm just not used to, like drop-bars and bar-end shifters and I didn't get things right on the first attempt.

The first problem was the beautiful Thomson stem I purchased by mail-order didn't get the bars high enough for my liking and I felt a bit stretched-out as well. The initial riding-position was no more severe than a typical contemporary road-bike but I wanted something a little more relaxed and suitable for riding off-road. It pained me to do so but I swapped it out for the ugly no-name stem on the Nasty-Evil-Bike and it felt better straight away.

Now that my position on the bike was okay and I was doing longer rides I was finding riding on the hoods was irritating the back part of my palm that rested on the bar. I would tend to move my hands from the hoods to the curve behind and then onto the flats and back again to get some relief. Not very satisfactory. I've cured that problem by rotating the bars up (and the hoods down) so the transition is dead-flat and also dead-level. I put an extra strip of cork tape behind the hood before wrapping the bars first in spongy cork and then a second layer of the original Fi'zi:k Mictotex. It looks a little portly now but is wonderfully soft and comfortable. I thought the angle the drop part of the bar ended up on would be a problem but it has proved fantastic going off-road on bumpy singletrack or grass, especially down-hill at speed.

Another thing that annoyed me from the start is that the cable-hanger for the front brake did not have provision for a barrel-adjuster. I ordered an inline cable-adjuster that is usually used for shifter cables on road-bikes and spliced that in while I had everything in pieces. These things are really easy to install and use and I'm very pleased with it. You could even adjust your brake or gear cables as you ride along.

I also bent the straddle-cables so they sat straight (this really irritated me) and increased the spring-tension on the Paul brakes so they looked better and felt a little snappier. You can see the difference in the photo above compared to an earlier shot below.

I am now a lot more comfortable on the bike and looking forward to some longer rides. I've not done more than two hours at a time which is not much of a test of long-term comfort.

Inflation? The price has almost doubled in two years and our NZ exchange rate is very strong at the moment!!!

Summer Wheeln'

2009-12-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

In-between the spring storms we're finally getting some warm sunny days. I haven't been mountainbiking or beach-riding in weeks but have enjoyed commuting to work as usual and pootling around town with The Midget Assassin in tow.

I took one of these girls home from the park

(hope I got the right one)

The school unicycle club got invited to three Santa parades this year. The boys and I weren't able to go to any of them last year so we made the most of it this time and attended two. The first was a low-key community affair up in Orewa. Thing-Two and I did that one and it was a good introduction to parade riding. Only a few thousand people so we were more excited than nervous and the route was nice and flat for the dad who doesn't practice. The second was the Farmer's Santa Parade in downtown Auckland. This was a much bigger deal with 250,000 spectators and some really professional looking floats. We wear blue club t-shirts and big red cowboy hats so we don't look as spectacular as some of the fancy costumes but the crowd doesn't seem to mind. Children just love to see other children riding unicycles and clap and cheer like mad, it's a real buzz. Some of the smaller riders were pretty tired by the end but everyone had a ball and the lanky forty-three year old can't wait to go back next year either!

Waiting for the rest of the group before the start

Our local council held a Family Bike Fest in Sunnynook Park only a few miles from home. I dragged my boys kicking and screaming away from the Xbox and we rode over the hill to see what was happening. Well, what a well-run event, it turned out to be a lot of fun. Lots of activities based around bike-handling and safety and unicycle.co.nz had many and varied contraptions there for people to try out. My boys always get a kick out of being the only ones able to ride them, although a few children had a go on the custom made penny-farthing.

Our family almost cleaned-up in the slow-races. Thing-Two won his age-group, Thing-One just put a foot down before the finish to claim second place and I won the dad's race. It was very hard to actually keep moving and not just do a track-stand. Every time the commentator would remind us we were not moving I momentarily released the front brake so my wheel would move an inch or two. So we rode away after a couple of entertaining hours with $40 in bike-shop vouchers, candy, stickers, a flouro-vest each (yay) and a nice cycling shirt.

Thing-Two gettn' jiggy on the penny

This contraption was just weird

Thing-One on the giraffe

On Sunday I got a couple of hours to myself to get out on the Cross-Check. I'm loving the speed of the thing but still need to tweak my cockpit a little, especially for riding off-road. I'm going to rotate the bars a little more and move the brakes to get a flatter area behind the hoods for my palms to rest and an extra layer of bar-wrap is also on the agenda. The other problem I'm having is the axle sliding forward on the drive-side so my wheel ends-up crooked and the brakes start rubbing. This has happened twice - both times after tearing down the side of Mount Victoria on the singletrack. It's quite bumpy on 35mm road tyres and my watch was hurting my wrist as it jumped around with the impacts. I have the quick-release done up pretty damn tight so I'm not sure how to remedy this problem. It may come right as the powdercoat wears off the drop-out face and the quick-release gets some steel to bite into. I must remember to wipe any grease off the dropouts before I go out again. The Lycra-Cowboys were all off drinking Babycham somewhere so I had the road to myself. It was a great ride.

Facing west on top of Mount Victoria in Devonport. Time to head home before the sun gets much lower.

All Roadies are Assholes. It's official.

2009-11-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

It looks like a road-bike, doesn't it?

I thought when I got a road(ish) bike some of the Lycra-Cowboy set might warm to me a little and the odd wave or greeting would be returned. No-way! Still the same bunch of arrogant assholes that depressed me in a previous post. Is it because I just wear shorts and a t-shirt when riding? I don't know, but moving to a 700c bike with drops has made no difference whatsoever.

I must just be a big-softy because I actually feel a bond with all cyclists, be it a spotty kid on a BMX, a professional road-racer or grandma on the rusty Raleigh 20. We share something don't we? Especially in a country like New Zealand where cyclists are treated with such contempt by the general public and law-makers. It would be different in Holland or Denmark I'm sure. There you're just an average citizen going about your day and you just happen to use a bicycle for transportation like most of your community.

Yesterday I hooked-up the Cross-Check to the trailer for the first time and the Midget-Assassin and I headed off to the Takapuna library for literary refreshment and teddy-bear torturing in the children's area. I was getting along at a good clip on the flats and even passed a couple of roadies (how embarrassing), but Lycra-Cowboys were blasting past us left, right and centre in total silence, and I swear they were trying to get as close as possible without hitting me. I thought that move was the domain of the tin-top driver!

So I'll have another go avoiding eye-contact, keeping my waving-hand firmly on the bars and resisting communicating with fellow bikers, but it won't come easily.

Saddling-up for the weekly library run

I felt a little uneasy leaving my new pride-and-joy locked-up in public (the bike, not the child)

ibikeoz

2009-11-18T02:28:00.001-08:00

The Queensland sky and some guy

Thanks to my lovely wife who spotted a cheap airfare I hopped over the Tasman this weekend to visit my father on the Gold Coast. The temperature was about double Auckland at 32ºC but with a sea breeze I managed a quick ride on dad's old mountainbike without passing-out.

It just goes to show you don't need a flash bike to have an enjoyable ride, well not on the flat anyway. Once I had scraped the dust off the seat and coaxed some air into the tyres I set off for a quick jaunt around Palm Beach. It's billiard-table flat terrain with a myriad of bridges that cross over the man-made canals. Every road I ventured down had a well defined bike path painted between the parking spaces at the curb and the traffic lane. This was much safer than a typical Auckland bike lane that is squeezed up against the curb where the storm-water grates, nails, broken glass and parked cars hang out.

I felt a bit of a maverick not wearing a helmet but relaxed somewhat after seeing several others flouting the law. A police car even pulled up beside me at the lights and didn't say anything, it must be a common sight.

If I lived there I would buy a beach-cruiser immediately, it would be a no-brainer.

I'm writing this 24 hours later after riding home from work in 12ºC and drizzle. Can't wait to get back over the ditch!

Bike paths everywhere

40lbs of thumb-shift'n steel goodness

29 inches, 36 Spokes... That's how I roll!

2009-10-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

unless...

I'm riding 26 inch/36 spokes

or the 16 inch/28 spoke - 14 inch/20 spoke combo

and not forgetting the 6 inch/spokeless monstrosity.

The 350 Big Bike Ride

2009-10-26T20:39:00.001-07:00

"You don't look at the camera and I'll eat a sandwich,

that'll make a good photo."

Waiting around for the start in Betty Winsdor Square.

On Saturday I packed the Midget Assassin, Pugsley and bike-trailer into the car and we headed over to downtown Auckland for The 350 Big Bike Ride. Kind of ironic that I had to drive to a climate change rally but it highlights the woeful situation bike commuters face living on the North Shore. I'm denied access to the only harbour crossing, there is no provision for bikes on the bus network and the ferry is a long way away, sails infrequently in the weekend and is expensive. I also doubt I could maneuver our road-train down the gang-plank successfully.

Any initiative to start cleaning up the planet has got to be good, right? But for me it was more an opportunity to ride around the city in safety and show my support for urban cycling. Cycling has been getting more than enough bad publicity lately in NZ and there is lots of bad will among the general public towards cyclists in New Zealand at present.

The ride started in Queen Elizabeth II Square at the bottom of town and the group of two or three hundred (best guess) sailed off up Queen Street on a beautiful spring day. What a different experience it is to ride in a group. I certainly felt the safety in numbers phenomenon as we cruised along soaking up the vibe of the city.

The riders were a real cross-section of society but maybe biased a little towards the save the whales and university student end of things. There were lots of families with children of all ages and the most fixed-gear riders I have seen in one place. It was also pleasing to see the Lycra-Cowboys that attended smiling and having a good time as I had always assumed the constrictive shorts prevented those facial expressions.

We left the procession near the end of the route and headed back to Ponsonby for a well-earned beer with friends as the ride carried on to the 350 festival at Mt Eden. The Midget-Assassin had been very well behaved to this point and I didn't want to push my luck. It was a great afternoon to be on a bike!

Heading up Queen Street, Auckland's main road.

Unity Finesmith of Auckland Cycle Chic frocking it in style.

The Midget-Assassin cruising back down Queen Street.

Mundo, Mundo, Mundo!!!

I so want a cargo-bike.

"What you look'n at mista?"

Every conceivable accessory including the family pooch.

Older guy, singlespeed (fixie?), elegant steel frame with fenders. Got my vote for cool-bike-of-the-day but was harassed with a few no-helmet comments from pedestrians.

Classic cars in the viaduct. They looked great but it amuses me how very average cars become "classics" if they make it to retirement.

"Shush, Lycra-Cowboys on the waterfront."

I just love seeing kids on bikes.

Sorry about the shirt.

Ponsonby Road.

First Mixed-Terrain Ride

2009-10-17T13:42:00.001-07:00

Riding the singletrack down Mt Victoria

I finally got out for a decent ride on the Cross-Check. Only 30kms or so but it included some gravel paths, grass, cobbles and singletrack. I changed over to some cheap Vittoria 35c touring tyres I bought when I first had the wheels built-up. I can't imagine what a 23 or 25mm racing tyre feels like at 130psi as these seemed pretty harsh to me at 65psi. On the Pugsley and to some extent my commuter with its 2 inch Schwalbes you just can't feel the pebbles and cracks that pass under your wheels but by the end of this ride I was getting used to the sensation.

It sure is different riding a faster bike on the road. Because I had those higher gears available I was blasting along with the roadies on the flats and also pedaling on the downhills so my legs never got a break. I'm sitting here the day after with sore quads and I never feel anything anywhere after a two or three hour mountainbike ride.

On fine, smooth gravel it was comfortable but I could feel the vibration through the bars when the rocks got up to matchbox size. Maybe I should double-wrap my bars or wear gloves?

The fun part started when I got to Devonport. I climbed up Mount Victoria using the sealed access road. This is a struggle on the Pugsley even when I am fit. It was way easier on the Cross-Check but I still ended up in my lowest 34/34T ratio. You can see most of Auckland from up there and I took in the views before starting down again on the singletrack that winds around the outside. I was careering down the initial part on damp grass (at Pugsley speed) when I hit the brakes to slow for the first switchback.

Road Tyres + Wet Grass = Chocolate Starfish Moment

The Paul cantilevers stopped the wheels beautifully but the smooth tyres weren't slowing the bike at all. I just pulled-up in time to avoid shooting over the precipice and took the next section considerably slower. I have to remember that when using road tyres this is an "exploring" bike not a "race" one.

I don't commute to work in rush-hour and on this ride really noticed the vehicle fumes on a busy Saturday morning. It was pretty disgusting in places and I'll head in the other direction in search of quieter roads next time I get a chance.

The drop handlebars don't feel natural yet but the gear-changing is coming easier. More miles required I feel.

You would think there was no traffic in Auckland in this shot.

You would be wrong.

Heading up Devonport's Main Street from the wharf towards Mt Victoria

A few kilometres from home I spied a perfectly good pair of plastic oars sitting in someone's inorganic collection at the side of the road. I had no rack, bungies of trailer so I plonked them on the bars sitting across the hoods and carried on. I got full ten metres before the left paddle hit the wing-mirror of a fancy-pants BMW and I had my second choco-starfish moment of the day.

I sure got some funny looks from people as I rode home and overtaking cars gave me an extra-wide berth. I'm tempted to always ride with a fluorescent yellow paddle sticking out a metre into the traffic - much safer!

Almost home

My new bike is oarsome

On a final note, roadies sure don't like it when you can ride at their pace in a t-shirt and baggy, shit-brown cargo shorts. I'm sure going to enjoy irritating Lycra-Cowboys on this bike. Just need to get a bit fitter so I can pull away from them for the ultimate humiliation.

I want to ride my bicycle!

2009-10-15T03:11:00.000-07:00

I'm itching to get a proper ride in on the new bike but just haven't had the opportunity since building it up. Just a few commutes to work and errands around the neighbourhood so far.

I got the indexing working on the second attempt and taped the bars when I was happy with the positioning of everything. I hadn't wrapped drops since my 10-Speed days as a teenager but made a reasonable job of it. I'll give myself an 8 out of 10 with some room for improvement.

The fat 45c Panaracer FireCross tyres are a tight fit but are awesome off-road. I will get some skinnier cross tyres at a later date or possibly some Schwalbe Marathons that will work better on pavement "and" dirt. The FireCrosses are deadly slow on the road, even inflated to the maximum 85psi. They have an aggressive, widely-spaced motocross-style tread and hum like a 4WD tyre on the tarmac. I wanted the fattest tyre possible for a couple of mountainbike races next year so I'm happy with the purchase, just wondering if there is a fat alternative that performs better on the road. I have put on some cheaper Vittoria 35c rando tyres since these photos were taken and it's rolling a lot faster now.

The Paul brakes are very powerful compared to the old Shimano canti's on my Avanti commuter. In the dry they feel as strong as the discs on the Pug but maybe with a little less modulation.

The bar-end shifters are taking a little while to get used to. Shifting is easily accomplished but I still have to think about each shift if you know what I mean, not intuitive yet. I hope that comes with time.

More pics when I can ditch the kids and if it ever stops raining. That could be easier said than done.

Fact: Mountainbiking is more fun than working.

2009-10-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

I had a day off work on Thursday as it's school holiday time and after shipping The Midget Assassin off to daycare the boys and I headed out to Woodhill for a ride in the forest. Spring in Auckland has been very wet and I was determined to make the best of an overcast but dry day.

We normally ride with other families in our street but it was nice for a change just having the three of us. It would be better still if the girls could join us but at three The Midget Assassin is still on training wheels. As it happened we met up with some friends at one of the trail-heads and rode with them for a while.

Someone needs a bigger bike

Thing-One led the way on the structures

I managed not to hurt myself...

but the youngest rider preferred dancing.

When I mail-ordered the last parts for the Cross-Check I got some flat BMX pedals for the Pugsley. Most of my riding is around the neighbourhood or along the beach and I don't need to be clipped-in. It's nice just jumping on wearing whatever footwear you happen to have on at the time. The Crank Brothers Mallets I had on there are a platform style with the "eggbeater" mechanism in the middle, but they were never comfortable with casual shoes as the eggbeater sat proud and you could feel it through the sole of your shoe. The new ones are Magnesium Wellgo MG-1s and they are very light and comfortable. Not so good on the fast and bumpy stuff but it was nice not being clipped-in when riding the structures.

There's always a groan when I say we're going cycling. I live in hope that with dad being such a fanatic the habit would catch-on but the boy's bikes sit in the garage for weeks at a time until I bribe them into a ride. Once we actually get going however they never fail to have a good time so they might pick-up the habit when they get a bit older.

When I was their age my bike and skateboard were tickets to freedom and I couldn't wait to hit the streets. I would ride just for the sake of it with no particular destination in mind - I still do!

"My name is Pugsley and I am an alcoholic."

2009-09-26T02:21:00.000-07:00

Pugsley was getting a little jealous with all the fussing over the new Surly in the family so I included a Niner YAWYD top-cap with the final mail-order of parts for the Cross-Check.

The casual observer will now be more convinced than ever that I have a drinking problem.

Y.A.W.Y.D. (You Are What You Drink). Until I can find a half-Danish, half-English beer brewed in NZ with a purple cap this will have to do.

Ahearne Spaceman Flask Holster. Got this for the NZ Singlespeed Champs last year.

Surly "Tuggnut" chain-tug and bottle opener was part of the original build. Heavy but works well.

Float!

Surly Cross-Check all but done

2009-09-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

The longest bike build in history is almost complete. With the exchange rate being so good against the U.S. at the moment I purchased the last components I needed with money I don't have.

This is the first time I've assembled a bike from scratch. I've just worked at it methodically at night and don't think I've stuffed anything up. The wheels were built for me and I had my LBS install the headset but I've done everything else myself. I don't particularly enjoy the wrenching part but there is a certain satisfaction to be had from it and I am saving money in the process.

Only a few hiccups along the way:

- The only front brake cable-hanger I could source in "silver" has no barrel adjuster so adjusting for cable-stretch will be a bit more fiddly.

- I cut down the "long" brake cable inner when installing the front brake then was doubly stupid when I rushed out to the LBS to purchase another one when I had a spare in the bike cupboard that came with my secondhand bar-end shifters!

- I can't get the rear derailleur indexing properly. This is not the first time I have failed indexing school despite trawling the internet for how-to's. The gears work perfectly in "friction" mode so I will have another go later or visit the bike shop as a last resort.

My "work-stand". I'm sure when I get a proper bike workstand it will be one of those "why didn't I do this 15 years ago" moments like when I bought a track-pump for the first time. They are very expensive in NZ and impractical to mail-order so I am making-do for now.

Setting-up the drop-bars and controls. This was new territory for a mountainbiker and I won't tape the bars until I'm sure everything is in the right spot and comfortable.

The "shakedown" ride around the block and through a nearby park. Feels light and FAST.

The Cross-Check rides beautifully but I am a bit stretched-out and the bars are lower than I would have liked. I will see how I go but a post with no set-back will be in the next parts order.

I kind of expected the bars to be a bit low as my legs are ridiculously long. Even on a big frame like this there is a lot of seat-post showing. Short of a custom frame there is not a lot I can do about this. If it had a threaded fork I could use a long quill stem but I like the strength and convenience of the threadless kind. I could extend the steerer with one of those clunky after-market bolt-ons (which I don't think I can buy locally) or I could buy a weird looking high-rise stem like they use on trials bikes.

The riding position is fine on tarmac and not as much of a drop as on a modern road-bike. It's only when riding technical stuff off-road that it becomes a problem. The budget is used up for now anyway. Down the line I could always have a custom stem made with my exact measurements in mind. Fillet brazed steel with a built-in cable hanger sounds just right.

So now I have a new road-bike, touring-bike, commuting-bike, city-bike, trailer-puller, cyclocross racer and geared-mountainbike and it's all the same bike ;^)

If it stops raining I'll get out there and ride it.

Spring Sprang

2009-09-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

The Road-Train arrives at Castor Bay

We are having some fantastic weather lately in Auckland. After a particularly wet winter it's nice to go for a ride on a fine day and leave the raincoats at home.

Dresses herself - I am not responsible!

Today (for no other reason than it would be a crime to not go for a bike ride) the Midget Assassin and I went to the beach for a picnic morning-tea. We live 500 metres from a perfectly good beach but it's hardly worth harnessing-up the trailer for that, so we headed over the hill to Castor Bay instead.

Only 16ºC today, but warm in the sun and perfect conditions for cycling.

On of the great things about living in New Zealand is there's hardly anyone here. Even in a city of one million we had the whole park, playground and beach to ourselves. Sitting in the sun looking out at the harbour, eating and drinking with your daughter - life is just too hard sometimes.

I took the long way home so I could get a bit of a work-out on the hills and we stopped in at a local butcher to pick up some dinner. On days like this you feel very lucky to be out and about riding a bike. It makes a potential chore like shopping a pleasant experience.

My new (to me) Dinky Panniers

A friend of mine mentioned that a local Hospice opportunity shop had a pair of saddlebags for sale. I've been looking for a secondhand pannier on Trademe (NZ eBay equivalent) since I started commuting, but nothing decent at the right price has turned up yet. It's a bit hot in the morning for a backpack so I've been wrapping mine in my jacket (to keep the straps out of the spokes) and bungying it to the rack. This is a bit of a hassle and it's not practical to stop and get something out of the bundle if it starts to rain for example.

The saddlebags turned out to be quite small but I bought them anyway as the price was right, it was for a good cause, and I don't need to carry much to work anyway. As it turned out a larger pannier would not work on this bike as I had to mount them at the rear of the rack to stop heal-strike on this compact MTB frame.

They had their first proper outing today and it was very convenient having a handy place to stash all my stuff. These ones are semi-rigid like little oval hat boxes and the lids fit snugly with velcro holding them shut. Just what you need for diving in and out of without having to deal with straps and buckles.

Of course I look like even more of a dork now, but at my age I'll take comfort and convenience over vanity anytime.

The Morning After

2009-08-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm in a happier place this morning. The sun's out, my clothes are in the washing machine shedding mustard and I survived Murder by Burger last night.

I think you need to have just worked a 14-hour day and be pumped full of adrenaline to beat someone to a pulp. If I get bacon & eggs thrown at me in an hour on my way back to work I might just take note of their registration number instead.

Road Rage

2009-08-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

I've just got home after half an hour riding around my neighbourhood trying to find the little shits that threw food at me and just about knocked me off my bike riding home from work tonight.

It's not the first time I've been hassled. I've been yelled at and had bottles thrown at me, but you almost expect that when you're out riding around town at midnight. This was much more dangerous as I was going close to 40kph and they slowed down very close to me to take aim. I got a hell of a fright.

So if by some strange coincidence the offender is reading this I suggest you don't do it again because if you get stuck in traffic this time I'm going to drag you out of the car screaming like the little coward you are and beat you to a pulp you miserable little fuck.

Ergon GE1 Review

2009-07-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

A whale dies for each display-card produced

I just re-read my initial impressions and fell asleep half way through, so I'll keep this one brief.

Thanks to fellow blogger DB I've been trying out the small size over the last fortnight as I had come to the conclusion that the large size was a bit big to use with gloves. I've been out to Woodhill a couple of times with mixed results. Super-comfy with my polyprop glove-liners but when I got hot and took those out they felt a little small and harsh on the bumpy downhill stuff. This was purely a sizing issue and may not be a problem with the suspension forks that most people run. I had lots of control for technical riding and I like they way you can slide your hands inwards against the flange for an alternative hand-hold.

What I liked:

- Comfortable

- Well made

- Really easy and quick mounting with the single clamp

- Quirky looks

- Wide grip area

What irked me:

- The packaging is totally over the top

- The clamp is a bit bulky (Slimmed-down on the updated model)

- No medium. Underwear doesn't just come in large and small.

As Ergon states on their website: "The sculpted shape better distributes the load away from the nerves entering your hand. It may not look revolutionary, but the effect is noticeable."

My grandmother always told me that things come in threes and I've just won a third pair of Ergon grips in a photo competition on Flickr. Hopefully they send me a pair with "wings" as I'd like to see if they'd work for me with the sweep of my bars.

Woodhill testing ground

Testing finished and heading for home

You don't want to lose that silver ring inside the clamps

This is as high off the ground as I get

Family Mountainbiking at Woodhill

2009-07-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned previously there's no shortage of keen mountainbikers in our small cul-de-sac so every month or so a call will come out of the blue arranging a group ride. We always go to Woodhill Mountain Bike Park as it's ridable all year round and the kids enjoy the man-made structures out there.

As anyone with children will attest to, just about any organized activity will cost you an arm and a leg. That's one of the attractions of Woodhill for me, it's actually reasonably priced and that encourages me to go more often. For casual visits it costs me $6 as an adult, $4 for my 11 year old and my 8 year old is free. We take our own food so the only additional cost is the petrol for the 70km round trip.

It's a good set-up with plenty of parking and toilets, a coffee hut and a shop if you feel like spending more money. My boys aren't keen cyclists but they enjoy the trails enough to tear themselves away from their Nintendos for half a day.

Thing-One tackles the see-saw while we decide which trails to ride.

"I'll be damned if my big brothers going to do something I can't"

It's good, clean, healthy fun and until my daughter (The Midget Assassin) gets off training-wheels it's also a chance for a bit of male-bonding in the family. A bit of mud, sweat and blood is good for the soul.

Blog Superstardom again!

2009-06-24T14:01:00.001-07:00

One of my recent photos of Thing-Two has been picked up by the excellent Change your life, ride a bike! blog for their "Photo-of-the-week". We made this robot suit for a school book week parade and I wanted to get some fun photos of it for posterity.

The original photo

Robot-free at unicycle club. The Midget Assassin having cone-avoidance-difficulties in the background.

Caught in the Helmet-War Crossfire

2009-06-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

To helmet or not to helmet? A question thats been floating around in my head this past year. Of course it's illegal to not wear one in New Zealand, though I don't know how vigorously the police enforce that law.

I recently left an innocent comment on copenhagenize.com, a site run by my old Flickr contact Mikael. Just a couple of anecdotes from my past where I felt a helmet had saved me at the very least a fractured skull, and in one of my motorcycle accidents I'm pretty sure it saved my life. For balance I mentioned that I don't think they should be mandatory and I certainly agree with the anti-helmet brigade that regulating helmet use reduces the number of potential cyclists in a population.

Well this is obviously a passionate subject! Insults were flying in both directions, examples made to support both arguments and statistics twisted to fit all views.

I'm so keen on all forms of cycling that I don't like to see us arguing amongst ourselves, but it is a subject that needs debate - rational debate.

So I walked away from this fight for now, a little gun-shy but determined to learn more about the subject.

What's your opinion?

International Blog Superstardom

2009-06-08T03:25:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked If I wanted to contribute some posts to the Mountainbiking New Zealand blog. If some of my stuff starts sounding a little poncy and formal (like the last review) It's because I'm thinking more than six people might end up reading it!

I was very flattered of course, but as I alluded to in an earlier ramble I then realized I didn't actually get around to mountainbiking much anymore, despite it being one of my passions.

Still if "real" mountainbikers are interested in the rantings of a forty-something-kid hauling-grocery shopping-singlespeeding-commuting-snowbiker than so be it. I'll soon take the hint if no-one reads it ;^)

Ergon GE1 Ergonomic Grips - Initial Impressions

2009-06-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Buying something you don't need

I saw these in the bargain-bin at a local bike shop. They were still there a week later and temptation got the better of me and I thought I'd give them a go. I've been wanting to try an Ergon with the distinctive flat palm rest but they are an expensive purchase in New Zealand for something that might not work out. The GE1 model is marketed for freeriding and downhill but I'm sure they will work just as well for everyday riding.

The large clamp on the outside of mine has been slimmed-down on the new 2009 model

It's not like I actually "needed" new grips, I've been more than happy with the Lizard Skin Lock-On's I've been using for the last three years. I've never had any hand or wrist pain and the only improvements I would wish for on the Lizards Skins are slight increases in length, grip-diameter and softness. The ODI style of Lock-On grips are not as soft as standard versions because under the rubber is a hard plastic sleeve that slides onto the bars and gets clamped at each end. I much prefer them though for the ease of taking them on and off and the fact that you could ride underwater and your grips aren't going to twist in your hand or slide straight off the bar. Two frequent happenings when I used to race in wet Auckland winters.

Installation

Installing them was straightforward with a quick wipe-down of the bars with spirits and then gently twisting them on. I had to look at the pictures on the website as I didn't think the large flange on the inside should be poking upwards, but that's what it does and the orientation marks on the outside of it backed this up. The grip is secured at the outside only with a single clamp. I'm sure you could crush a carbon or lightweight alloy bar if you overdid it as the hex bolt is pretty big and you could really apply some torque to it.

How do they feel?

Weird, but natural at the same time. The contouring looks very subtle to the eye but your hands can tell the difference at once. I measured the circumference at 10cm at the inside and it increased to 11cm in the middle portion. The grips on my other bikes measure between 9 and 10cm. There's a light grey panel of softer, tackier rubber in the area your palms rest on and this combined with a long grip-area provided ample comfort and hand positions.

The day after I fitted them we had a family mountainbiking day in Woodhill Forest so I got to try them out in anger. This is where I struck the first problem. It was a cold winter's morning so I was wearing light polyprop liners under my normal riding gloves. I'm 6' 5" with pretty big hands but I found it uncomfortable holding onto the larger grip diameter. I removed the liners and things got better but you would want to have large hands to fit the large size comfortably (they also come in small). When hitting stutter-bumps or landing a jump I could feel the pressure spread over more of my palm and I guess that is the whole idea. It still felt weird though and I think it's going to take more than a week to get used to them.

The larger diameter also caused me problems on a beach-ride the following day. Very comfortable when just cruising along but when I had to stand and hammer for extended periods to get up and over the headlands (I'm riding a singlespeed) I just didn't feel as secure. My middle fingers were wrapped around and touching the base of my thumbs but I ended up sliding my hand inwards to the narrower area by the flange to get more purchase. This is the opposite of what you are usually doing when climbing on a singlespeed - i.e. sliding your hands to the ends of the bars to get the most leverage possible.

The Verdict

These sizing issues aren't the fault of the GE1 of course. I think it's a sound design and just a little large for my hands riding in gloves. On my commute to work they feel just fine and I think I'll leave it a few more weeks before passing final judgement.

One thing I will pass judgement on is the ridiculous packaging they came attached to. A total waste of plastic, cardboard and metal bolts that looks cool hanging on the wall of a bike shop but is completely unnecessary.

The large flange on the inside sticks up and has markings for alignment

There is a specific left and right grip, just like pedals

Queens Birthday Ride

2009-06-02T04:10:00.000-07:00

Lets just start by saying I don't give a damn how old Betty Windsor is, but for reasons unbeknown to me New Zealand celebrates her birthday each year with a public holiday. It's not even observed on her actual birthday, but I'll take a day off mountainbiking with my kids over working any day.

We live in a very social street with lots of kids and lots of cyclists. Every month in summer and more sporadically in winter a few of the families meet at the Woodhill Mountainbike Park for a family ride. It's not too taxing, usually a two hour ride followed by a two hour barbecue, pine-cone fight and a re-hydration session for the telling of tall tales. The rider who has the most spectacular crash or sustains the most horrific injury is awarded the "Kamikaze Trophy" and a chocolate bar to ease the pain.

We had the coldest night of the year in Auckland where the temperature plummeted to 4ºC (thanks to some winds blowing North off Antarctica) but Monday morning dawned crisp and clear and the sun stayed out most of the day.

I might ride the Pugsley fixed next time as you don't get much of a work-out riding with kids, even on a 36lb singlespeed, but I had a great time and look forward to the next one.

My two boys are not as keen on cycling as their father, but with a dozen of their friends around there's always someone slower than you to pass and someone faster to chase after. It's fun and motivating and they always have a blast.

We just about had the lower car-park to ourselves.

Custom made Possum perch.

Post-ride munching.

Some extra trail-obstacles out there today.

Thing-Two performing for the camera.

Waiting for the stragglers.

Illegal Bicycle Activity in the City of Sails

2009-05-26T03:09:00.001-07:00

Well, it was a logistical nightmare for someone as organised as myself, but we did it, we rode across the Auckland Harbour Bridge!

I had the bikes already mounted on the car when we awoke to beautiful winter's morning. Cold, but fine and sunny. The scheduled ferry services from the two closest wharfs were very spread-out on a Sunday so we drove down to Devonport to catch the 8.30am ferry to downtown.

Thing-One and Thing-Two enjoyed the harbour crossing and it was a little unique to have the boat full of cyclists. The bike racks onboard filled-up instantly and there were bicycles and lycra-clad weirdo's strewn all over the place. I took a chance and purchased one-way tickets ($12!!!) for the 10-minute sailing to the city. Some folks were buying return fares as we weren't sure if they would let us across the bridge or not.

After a quick 10-minute ride through an empty city we arrived at the rallying point at the foot of the bridge.

A quick family portrait before joining the crowd of two or three thousand.

I was getting excited at this point in anticipation of riding over this thing for the first time in my 43 years. The bridge is 50 years old this week and it's still only available to cars, trucks and buses (buses with no bike racks!). The original design had provision for pedestrians and rail but the budget was slashed before construction began. Typically small-minded thinking from those in charge of New Zealand's largest city.

The crowd listened to the speeches and then started to get a little agitated as we were told by the organisers that we would not be allowed to cross. The police were willing to provide safe passage but Transit New Zealand were refusing permission.

Thing-One hangin' with some unicyclists as we were waiting for the go-ahead.

As negotiations continued a roar went up as a bunch of roadies appeared over the guard rail and sprinted straight up the left hand lane of the bridge. This caught the police napping and they took off in hot pursuit after them.

Word then filtered through the crowd that it was all go and we slowly shuffled around the (hastily erected) barrier-fence to gain access to the bridge on-ramp.

At this stage I had assumed, as most of the crowd would have, that permission had been given for the crossing. We found out later that night that the police had been forced to shut down all the Northbound lanes when the lead-riders ignored the police road-block and broke through it.

It's a great feeling being surrounded by a large crowd of people with a combined purpose. You feed off each-other's energy and there was real party-atmosphere up there on the bridge that morning.

The crowd was a real cross-section of society. Everyone from babies in strollers and on the back of bikes to walking seniors. Lots of children were out strolling with their families and plenty of young cyclists were having fun zipping in and out of the masses.

On the TV news that night, and in the paper the next day you would have thought we were a riotous rabble of anarchists. The media really put a negative spin on the whole event when in-fact it was just everyday Aucklanders getting out and enjoying the access we should have to our only harbour crossing.

It didn't look like many people when we were all standing around waiting, but by the time we all got up on the bridge we filled the whole thing up, all 1.2 kilometres of it. It was an impressive sight and the Waitemata Harbour was just stunning from up there.

You tend to stand out in a crowd when riding a Pug and a lot of my friends from the cycling community, local bike shops and even contacts from the internet came up and said hello.

Jakob was there on another Pugsley, or should I say "the" other Pugsley and he was singing the praises of running the Endomorph's tubeless. You save half a kilo on each wheel but I'm not sure I can be bothered changing at this point, I've only had one flat in three years after all.

Before we knew it, it was all over and we had reached Northcote Point on the other side. I did a few wheelies in front of the advancing police line for the cameras and then it was time to head full-circle back to Devonport.

The protest had delayed the traffic for 1.5 hours and there were a lot of pissed-off drivers stuck in the jam. I sympathize with them but you have to stand up for what you believe in and it's only by actions such as this that opinions change and things actually get done.

The motorist traveling in the opposite direction gave us lots of support and there were no end of waves and tooting horns as we made our way across.

On the way home we rode over the new pedestrian overbridge to the Akoranga Bus Station...

Across the long bridge to the O'Neill's Point Cemetery...

With a quick candy-break amongst the headstones...

And a detour past the Devonport Labyrinth...

...Before arriving back at the Ferry terminal to collect the car. We also had two bakery stops to fuel those eight and ten year old legs and stop-offs at two playgrounds. When you're riding anywhere with kids it takes you twice as long and costs you twice as much!

What a fun day we had and I'm looking forward to the "next" bridge-ride, although I suspect the police will take a much harder line in the future.

(I seem to have stuffed-up the links when I was rearranging the photos. If you want to see them big they are all on my Flickr photostream.)

Bridge Access Protest Ride

2009-05-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

I have to work out a way to get a myself, my 8 and 10 year old sons and our three bikes to the other side of the harbour, but we will be there. I feel strongly about this cause.

http://www.getacross.org.nz/

My Cycling Reclassification

2009-05-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hauling the Midget-Assassin home from unicycle club

It's come to my attention lately that although I've always classified myself as a "mountainbiker", I don't actual get much opportunity to go mountainbiking.

This became apparent when Paul from the mountainbikingnewzealand blog kindly invited me to contribute some of my posts and I've had nothing relevant to write about since!

Around the same time a good friend purchased a beautiful new Haro MTB and I still haven't had a chance to see it, let alone go riding with him. That's the problem with work and kids - they cut into valuable cycling time and there's never enough money ;^)

So I guess 95% of my cycling could be classified as Utility and I'm just going to call myself a plain old "cyclist" from now on.

(But NEVER a Lycra-Cowboy)

2009 New Zealand Singlespeed Championships

2009-04-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

I was not there. That was a bad decision on my part as the following photos by Graeme Murray and Mike Vincent prove, but I have a cunning plan for next year.

This guy gets my vote

Kiwi Farmer

Aussi Nana's

Cat and Mouse

Cross-dresser on cross-bike (nice fishnets)

Neon Sperm (hell, that was my best guess)

One of the older competitors

Kids Bike Day 2009

2009-04-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

Thing-One puts the Micro-bike though its paces.

I took some time off work to look after the kids during the first week of the school holidays. Luckily for me our local council puts on a Kids Bike Day a couple of times a year and if you pre-register it's absolutely free. Thing-One and Thing-Two at 10 and 8 fell into the 7-12 year age range so we packed up the bikes and headed down to Onepoto Basin for a fun day in the sun.

Onepoto Basin is a crater formed by a Volcanic eruption. It is just above sea-level on the edge of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and has been filled in so it's almost flat with the crater rim running three-quarters of the way around it's edge. After the last post it must be the time of year for bike events on volcanoes, but in Auckland you're never too far away from one, we have about 50 of them.

The crater is parkland with bush walks, sports fields, a pond for remote-control yachts, a playground and most importantly a series of bike-paths set-up like roads for children to learn to ride in safety. It has been really well designed.

The day started with a bike and helmet check then there was a unicycle demonstration. This guy was pretty skilled and the children were very entertained by his act with plenty of yelling and applause. Afterwards you were encouraged to give it a go but the boys and I were the only ones there who could ride one. Thing-One and Thing-Two thought they were a bit special as they zipped around riding the different uni's on offer. Truth-be-told I did too!

The kids were then split into groups and moved through six different modules with a free morning-tea somewhere in the middle. There was an obstacle-course, bike maintenance, rules of the road, bike handling, follow-the-leader and a bike-safety questionnaire. Lots of fun and I think they learnt some bike safety and skills without even realizing it.

There is another one at the end of the year and my two are dead keen to attend again. That makes for one happy (cycling-obsessed) dad.

The mandatory kid-jump. I'm still waiting for one of these to go wrong.

Thing-Two tackling the bike-handling course.

Thing-One on the Giraffe.

The Obstacle Course. Some children had no idea how to ride the ramps and see-saws but there was plenty of help on offer and a soft landing if you got it wrong.

I got to ride a unicycle with a tyre that made the Pugs look positively anorexic.

Learning to give-way on the road rules course. The police were there helping on this module.

And finally a mountainbike was given away to one lucky child.

The DUAL - Race Report

2009-03-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

It was the start of a very long day! My alarm went off at 4.45am and I gulped down a quick breakfast of muesli washed down with a cup of tea before my ride turned up at 5.15am. We got to the ferry terminal in Devonport in plenty of time and the excitement slowly built as more and more competitors arrived. Eventually the ferry made its way across the harbour from downtown Auckland and we clambered aboard to join the rest of the racers.

The trip over to the islands took less than half an hour on a very calm sea and after disembarking we wandered off in near darkness to find our bikes and prepare for the 8 o'clock start.

I am not competitive by nature but was a bag of nerves before the start. I have been having so much pain in my ankle since the operation (especially after riding on bumpy terrain) that I wondered if I had 50km in me.

The start was very slow as 600? mountainbikers of varying abilities climbed up a long and winding farm road heading over toward Rangitoto. Most riders were in their granny-gear and I was barely turning the pedals on the Pugsley as overtaking was nigh impossible.

This procession continued up to the summit of Rangitoto where the cautious riders slowed down even more and the skilled and impatient (me) finally had some room to move and took off like madmen down the other side.

My new Barbie racing mojo did the trick.

No cramp, no crashes and no flats.

The Rangitoto part of the race was over very quickly and we then crossed over a bridge to Motutapu again for the remainder of the race. At this stage we were mostly on farm roads (double-track) and without the impressive views the riding would have been a bit boring. I was feeling really good up to the 35km mark and would power past geared riders uphill only to be overtaken again when we reached the flat parts.

Motutapu and Rangitoto islands could not be more different. Motutapu is now mostly covered in farm pasture but 800 years ago it was minding its own business when a volcano erupted out of the sea right next door to it. They are almost touching and while one is covered in grass on top of rich soil, the other is a mass of volcanic rock covered in native bush.

The last 15km was a real grind as the terrain changed to riding the ridge-lines of farm paddocks. At least the grass was dry, but it was still energy-sucking to ride on up endless hills. I was walking a lot of the steeper sections by now as I didn't have anything left in my legs, but I was not alone. The sides of the track were littered with cramped-up riders doubled-over in pain or rolling around in agony. I must have also passed 15-20 people fixing punctures.

With a light bike and a granny-gear 99% of the course was ridable. I might put two chain-rings on the Pug next year and double my gearing options. A slightly lower gear to make the hills and something a little higher so I don't lose so much time on the flat sections.

It was with great relief when I crested the final hill and looked down on the finish line far below me. One last burst and a wheelie over the line and the pain was over.

I was mainly aiming to finish and hoping to get under 5 hours if I did, so I was really pleased with my time of 3:54. If I get a bit fitter, alter my gearing and don't take any photos I reckon I could break 3:30.

As soon as the race was over I hobbled into the cool sea to stop my ankle from swelling too much. At this stage I was thinking the last thing on earth I ever wanted to do again was a 50km mountainbike race on a volcano, but after a sit down, something to eat and a cool beer with my new riding buddies I was making plans for the next one...

Why wouldn't you?

When we got to Motutapu it was well before 7am and we had to walk from the wharf to the start-line in near darkness. This was the view looking back east to the ferry as the the sun was coming up.

I borrowed a set of friends for the day from my mate Dale. A good bunch of guys and I enjoyed their company both on and off the race-course. I'm the tall old one at the back.

The race briefing. I should have been listening properly instead of taking photos.

This was taken on Rangitoto half an hour or so into the race. You can see the jagged volcanic rock to the right, much like parts of Kona in Hawaii.

I was flying downhill from the summit of the volcano as the Pug's tyres were ideally suited to the fine loose gravel. I passed a ton of riders on full-suspension bikes and was even catching some air on the bumps.

When we reached sea-level and the road flattened out a singlespeed was not the ideal mount to have and I thought I may as well stop and take some photos. If I passed 50 riders on the way down I swear 100 rode past me as I was taking this shot!

About halfway through the race on Motutapu I saw a guy ahead taking a photo of the view so I pulled over and we did the camera-swap-bike-portrait thing. My home is in the distance somewhere in the East Coast Bays.

The run to the finish line was down that hill in the background (steeper than it looks) and through this chute. By that stage the marathon runners were sharing the same track and it was really rather dangerous but the pug just loves downhills and I was scything through runners like a slalom skier. Great fun!

Bike and rider resting after the finish. I was so exhausted I actually felt a little light-headed.

We had to wash our bikes after the race and they came back on separate boats the next day for collection in downtown Auckland.

It was a long line for a locally bred lamb-burger but well worth it.

The event was very well organized but there was a bit of a wait for the ferries as lots of people were leaving at the same time. We just missed out on this one and had to wait 45 minutes on the wharf for the next but everyone was still buzzing from the race and the time went quickly.

A last look at Rangitoto sitting on the back of the ferry enjoying a another well-deserved cold beer.

Pugsley Ramble on the North Shore

2009-03-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a bit guilty about the lack of local vistas in my posts lately. The inspiration that got me started on this blogging journey was the wonderful scenery on Doug's cycling blog up in Minnesota.

My posting has turned out to be a sporadic diary of my cycling life when I think there's something people might be interested in. Lets face it, my routine of bicycling to work, school and the shops doesn't change much from week to week. I guess you're not too interested in commuting, unicycles and kids so I made the effort this weekend on a four hour training ramble to get my camera out and snap some of the places I ride often.

I had to go to Albany to get my bike safety-checked for my big race this weekend. The salesman at Avanti Plus North Shore (Cycle Store) glanced at it for a fraction of a second and said "Where do you want the sticker?". I guess they can spot the kind of bikes that are showing neglect, but I did expect a bit more attention than that after a half-hour ride to get there.

I stopped at my LBS on the way to order some skewers for the Cross-Check build and a spare tube for the Pugsley. I had my first flat tyre in three years of Pug ownership last weekend and I don't want to be left stranded, out in the middle of nowhere on a volcano in the harbour.

It wasn't really a proper flat. We had just arrived at the forrest for some trail-riding and the valve-stem had separated from the tube while in the back of a friends truck. I have heard about this happening with the low pressures we run but thought I would be OK as my tyres tend to self-glue themselves to the rim with the adhesive at the edges of the wide Surly rim-strips and I didn't think they shifted under load. You live and learn. I think I'll run them above 10psi for a while and see how I go. That will get me through all but the softest of sand.

While in Albany I explored around looking for some gravel (dirt) roads to ride but although this area was "the country" not that long ago all I found was sealed roads and million-dollar homes. The traffic was light and I was enjoying the riding all the same so I eventually made my way across to Long Bay and started hopping from bay to bay on my way home. I usually ride on the beach as much as I can but I tackled plenty of inland hills this time to give myself a bit of a work-out.

Climbing up Gills Road out of Albany looking for dirt roads.

The highest point heading towards the coast. That's Rangitoto (look for it in other shots) in the distance. A dormant volcano in the middle of the Waitemata Harbour, just across the water from my house! That damned volcano haunted me all day and is the location of next weekend's epic race.

Developers want to build housing on this land behind the beach at Long Bay. There is much opposition and it will be a real shame if it happens.

Climbing out of Long Bay on the cliff-top (walking) path.

Waiake landmark. The Pugsley makes stuff ridable that you would be walking on other bikes.

Waiake (Some call it Torbay). Quite muddy sand but popular with boaties and swimmers when the tide is in.

Waiake self-portrait. This could have ended badly and people were watching.

Browns Bay. Big, but pretty scungy. I don't know why it is so popular.

Sampling the local Baker's Delight at Browns Bay. Apple, walnut and cinnamon scroll. It was divine.

Rothesay Bay. Looks nice but smelt really bad. I like riding down into here from Browns Bay because on the way out you ride up one of the biggest hills on the North Shore. I like hills!

Murrays Bay, home of the local sailing club. If you view large you can see dozens of children out racing in the harbour.

Mairangi Bay. A lovely day but nobody swimming for some strange reason.

(View large for impromptu brown-eye)

The author riding along Campbells Bay, the last beach heading South before I ride up the hill to home and a nice cup of tea. I can see the beach from my house.

Hired Help

2009-03-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Tried out a new mechanic in the workshop today for a pre-race tuning and lube. The standard of workmanship was good but it cost me a fortune in orange juice and biscuits.

The pink race-bike and Dolly's pram got a service while she was at it.

Susitna 100 - Fat Tyre Snow Biking Video

2009-03-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

Saw this little video on my friend Doug's cycling blog. Brought a tear to my fat-tyred eyes.

Susitna 100 from indieAK films on Vimeo.

CBS Cyclones T-Shirt

2009-03-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a t-shirt design for the School unicycling club.

They liked the original concept and the CBS Cyclones name but I had to modify it so it prints as black and white on a light blue t-shirt (school's colour). Parts of the blue shirt show through adding a bit more colour.

Not as much impact as the version for white backgrounds but I think it looks OK.

Nasty & Evil Weather

2009-03-05T02:48:00.000-08:00

Nasty Evil Bike sulks in the garage humiliated by my ghetto commuting set-up of an old day-pack inside a plastic bag bungied to his back.

Just got home from work after riding through a storm. 50kph winds, heavy rain warning, 90% humidity and although it's 11 o'clock at night it's still 20ºC. Weird!

The wind gusts were so strong (and the roads so wet) I had to ride 1.5m out from the kerb and keep my speed under 25kph because I was getting blown sideways up to a metre.

On an uphill section that I sometimes ride in granny-gear the wind was so strong at my back that I was being blown up it without pedaling.

Why don't more people commute by bike? This was the most fun I've had all week!

Go by Bike Day - 2009

2009-02-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

As I sat down tonight to write this post it has occurred to me that it's exactly one year (to the day) that I started this blog. My posting has dwindled as I've realized that I don't do many interesting things that people would want to read about, and when I do, I don't have time to write about them!

I have however gotten over my fear of talking to complete strangers (all 3 of you), and although I doubt my writing skills have Improved it was worth it for that alone.

I think my blogging days are almost over, but I do have time for one quick post...

Go by Bike Day - 2009

I went to my first one last year and really enjoyed the experience, so I was keen to make it along this year.

They are held all over New Zealand to encourage day-to-day cycling and my local one is but a few miles (and hills) down the road in Takapuna. I wanted to take the Pugsley again as people really get a kick out of it, but it's currently geared for the dirt only so I rode The Nasty Evil Bike instead so I could get back in time for work.

With the hours I work I'm normally out on the roads alone so it's wonderful mixing with fellow cyclists at an event like this. It was probably about two-thirds lycra-cowboys, but there were a lot of normal looking riders there as well and the racks had their fair share of older road bikes and mountainbikes retired for commuting duties like mine.

No goody-bags this year, but if you filled out a cycling survey for the city council you got a free cycling t-shirt. I got a small one for my boys so they can wear it mountainbiking.

There was tons of free food and drink, music, helmet-hairdressing, product displays, bike checks and information on upcoming cycling initiatives in our area. All good stuff - I'll be back next year.

By the time I dragged out the camera most people had gone to work so it all looks a bit empty in the following photos, but there was a good crowd there. I think It's important for the cyclists in our community to show their numbers at events like this so we can stand up and be counted (excuse the pun), as the motoring lobby gets most of the councils attention.

This old thing was my favourite bike there

Free bike-checks under the blue marquee

Another Surly sighting in Auckland! That's two Pugsleys and a Karate-Monkey.

(The Nasty Evil Bike lurks in the background feeling jealous)

Smile T-Shirt ladies, smile. You're on candid blog camera.

Tony from unicycle.co.nz (where I purchased my 29er Muni) put on a really funny and entertaining show.

The Dual

2009-01-20T19:09:00.001-08:00

In a moment of weakness at the request of "friends" (I use the term loosely) I have entered another mountainbike race.

Riding 50 kilometres on a lumpy inner-harbour island sounds bad enough but you also cross a causeway onto a volcano for a chance to lose all you skin crashing on the razor-sharp scoria.

The perfect pairing for this epic is of course a 36 pound singlespeed piloted by a skinny, unfit guy with a stuffed ankle.

Sounds like fun, I can't wait. I have two months to get fit enough.

I'm getting confused just looking at that course layout

Unicycle Clubbers

2009-01-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit late with this post but below are a few pictures from the final meeting of our local school's unicycle club for the year.

I thought The Campbells Bay School Unicycle Club was a bit of a mouthful so I suggested they re-brand as the CBS Cyclones and whipped up a logo. We'll see if they run with it this year when the new term begins, but the response was very good.

This club is wholly due to the enthusiasm of Mark, a keen unicycling parent who started it all and managed to secured Sports-Trust funding to purchase dozens of loan unicycles. They are available free for the children to learn on at club meetings and take home to practice their newfound skills. Ten or more new kids join each year and the school-leaver's uni's are passed on down to the new recruits.

The School thinks it's wonderful as the club represents CBS at local parades and a large bunch of unicycling kids sporting blue school shirts and red stetsons makes quite an impact in the community. Good PR never goes amiss!

The more accomplished riders trying out some moves

Mark hands out certificates (and ice-blocks)

Relay racing

Shitty, Shitty, Dog-Shit Day

2009-01-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

Told you the Pugsley was a 29er

The unicycling mania that has consumed our family has not left much time for casual bike riding. The only two-wheeling I have done in the past month is commuting to work and the odd errand to the shops or school. The Pug was looking a bit morose hanging in the corner of the garage so I dragged her out for a ride along the beaches.

It was one of those rides when nothing goes right from the start. It's been very hot and humid in Auckland over the Christmas break. 25ºC feels like 40 when it's really humid but the rain was cold on my back so I put on a cycling rain jacket that I bought 15 years ago and have never worn before. I put that damn thing on and off three times before I finally set off. Instantly I felt hot and clammy inside it, but I persevered because the wind was high and it can often feel a lot colder riding along the coast with the wind coming off the water.

One month off the Pug and everything was hurting, and things were hurting that had never hurt before! My bum was uncomfortable on the seat despite the suspension seatpost, my legs felt tired and leaden and most surprising of all the three outside fingers on each hand began tingling and went numb despite wearing gloves. This has never, ever happened to me before in my entire cycling life and was very irritating. I had to ride one-handed and keep swapping hands to keep the blood flowing. All this in the first few kilometres.

As I was riding along the sea-wall I looked down and noticed lots of sticky brown mud bunched-up around the bottom bracket and cranks. That's funny, I don't remember riding through any mud, it's the middle of summer here after all? I stopped to take off the damn jacket (that I will put in the cupboard for another 15 years) because I was wetter inside it than out, and to my horror discovered that the "sticky brown mud" was splattered up the back of it and was in fact dog-shit. Well, I'm calling it dog-shit, but It was from no dog I have ever come across. The shear volume plastered over both me and the bike was unbelievable, and now that I had stopped moving the stench was overpowering too. This was obviously from some kind of Great-Dane/Woolly-Mammoth cross. It was on my shoes, socks, legs, shorts, all over the frame and now that I had removed the jacket my gloves and hand-grips as well.

At the first sign of a tap I tried to wash it all off but despite the rain and the sweat it was adhering for dear life. I rode on. I wasn't going to let five kilos of dog-shit spoil my first ride of the new year. My sense of smell is pathetic, but riding along the coast you are surrounded by some pretty powerful odours; stagnant water, rotting seaweed and the ever-present briny-breeze. I detected none of that, all I could smell was a dog's rear end.

Well I reached the halfway turn-around and headed for home. Things just kept getting better. I misjudged the depth of a steam crossing and got wet feet. Three waves broke over me riding along the sea-wall and I had to portage my bike along part of the cliff to avoid the surging tide.

I was sure looking forward to a shower when I got home but the Pug got a soapy bath before I did. I usually just hose her down, but detergent was called for this time. She leant against the fence drying, purple paint sparkling in the sun (yes it stopped raining when I got home) and looked a lot happier than she did before our ride.

I guess a Pug doesn't mind a bit of dog-shit after-all.

Attack of the Flying Killer Bunnies

2008-12-18T03:54:00.000-08:00

Pugs in night-commuter mode

Things have dried up around here and I'm able to cut across the golf course on my way home from work without damaging the fairways. It's usually 11pm or later by the time I pass through so the green-keepers are all tucked-up in bed and I've got the place to myself.

There's a section of my golf-course bombing run where I get up as much speed as possible going down one side of a hill so I don't have to pedal up the other side. It's not dangerous, but I have to ride it like a downhill run because although the grass is cut, the terrain's full of bumps and hollows that would send you over the bars if you weren't concentrating.

So I'm motoring down there last night in the pitch-black, my headlight doing a pretty poor job of illuminating my path at speed when I see what I thought to be a large group of rabbits in front of me. I can barely make out the small dark shapes and I'm pretty sure it's not a pack of miniature Dobermans (I've made that mistake before) so I relax a bit and go for it. Despite my worst intentions my fluffy little golfing friends have always avoided my wheels in the past.

This is when things turn bad.

I am almost on top of them before they sense my presence and in a panic they take off in all directions. Now when I say say "take-off" I don't mean hopping along the ground as you would expect. These rabbits were launching themselves into the air in a frenzy of beating wings as I scythed through their flock at over 40kph. Several pass through the beam of my headlight and I can feel the wind off their wings as I duck my head for cover.

The still night air is broken with ear-piercing screeches and squawks but I somehow manage to make it through unscathed, hit the bottom of the valley and coast up the other side to safety.

I keep the pace on all the way home wary that Satan's winged avengers have tasted my fear and may well be watching me from above, ready to attack again.

I tell you, the life of a bike commuter is rarely without incident. These things just don't happen when I drive my car.

The day I helped win the Half-Ironman World Championship

2008-11-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

A fews week ago I was riding to work on a slightly longer route than I normally take. I can avoid a nasty wee hill if I go a little bit out of my way. It was such a nice morning I was enjoying the sunshine for as long as possible before being entombed in a windowless building for twelve or more hours and emerging in the dark of night for my ride home.

I'll set the scene;

Location: A quiet suburban street. It's all uphill, but not too hard going - middle chainring stuff. The odd car, but a pleasant ride because the road is wide and you don't need to concentrate too hard. The upper portion borders a golf course with nice views of the harbour.

Equipment: Ancient mountainbike covered in black electrical tape sporting fenders and a rear rack with my lunch, dinner and raincoat precariously bungied to it.

Attire: T-shirt, cargo shorts, sandals and socks.

Rider: Emaciated 42-year-old caucasian.

Demeanor: Both hands on the bars but not concentrating on the road at all. Instead looking at the houses beside me to identify a new acquaintance's abode. Totally in world of my own I was whistling a tune, either audibly or inside my head, I can't be sure.

Then it happened... A ROADIE PASSED ME AND SAID HELLO

I just about lost control of my bike. Partly from the shock of being woken from my daydream, but more from the enormity of the occasion.

A ROADIE PASSED ME AND SAID HELLO!!

I'll repeat it again in-case it hasn't sunk-in yet:

A ROADIE PASSED ME AND SAID HELLO!!!

I've just typed it out but I still can't believe it. Only the second time this has happened in the past two years and the first time I was pulling Carla in the trailer, so I had the "cute kid factor" working for me.

You should have seen him, he was gorgeous. All sleek and tanned and wrapped in Lycra like a shrink-wrapped Adonis. It's enough to make you change teams... and the bike, the bike! A time-trial Specialized in featherweight carbon fibre contorted and distorted to cheat the wind - my lunch weighed more.

I made my move and accelerated up the road to ride alongside him. I had to talk more with this rare breed of road-rider. I call this technique "Aggressive Friendliness". I'm finding the older I get, much like my father, I can talk to absolute strangers about absolutely nothing with comparative ease, despite my natural shyness.

Well we chatted for what seemed like hours for a minute and a half, mostly about absolutely nothing, but cycling was mentioned at times. I was having some trouble talking, breathing and remaining upright on the bike all at the same time, so it was with some relief that we reached the top of the hill and parted company in opposite directions.

As we were talking it dawned on me who he was - local triathlete Terenzo Bozzone. Even his name is sexy.

The impossibly handsome TB and his plain girlfriend

I have seen him out running on many occasions over the years but have not recognized him on a bike before. The lycra-cowboys all pretty much look the same to me with their matching shades, helmets and shoes.

New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of talented multi-sport athletes. Although Terenzo was a double Junior World Champion in both Duathlon and Triathlon two years in a row, he failed to make our three man triathlon squad for Beijing. Well he didn't sit around and sulk, this week he went out and won the Half-Ironman World Championship in Florida and that was the impetus to write this post. It's not often you meet a World Champion, let alone ride with one (although coincidentally the surgeon who rebuilt my ankle was also a Duathlon World Champ).

I'm sure the old guy on the beat-up commuter bike was in the back of his mind as he left the water for the 90km cycle stage. "If he can keep up with me on that old bike and talk so much crap I had better ride faster if I'm gonna win this thing". Despite the title of this post I accept no credit for his victory, but I know in my own small way I played a part ;^)

Well done Mr Bozzone, and if you need another training ride when you're back in town drop me an email. I'll ride the Pugsley next time to keep you honest.

New Zealand won Triathlon silver in Beijing and the Gold/Silver quinella four years earlier in Athens. I hope Terenzo makes the team for London and brings home another Olympic Gold. It couldn't happen to a nicer roadie.

Feeling unco

2008-10-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

Arriving home from "official" unicycle club after school. My D.I.Y. trailer extension is a bit overloaded here and tends to push up on the hitch when I have this much weight in it. Really needs the axles moved further back.

Not much has been happening on the cycling front this month apart from the usual trips to the park with Carla and commuting to work.

The unicycling obsession has continued though and despite horrific injuries to the backs of my legs, my groin and my pride, I have persevered and am finally making some progress. It's not like me to stick at something I'm not enjoying but I am determined to give it a good shot while we have the use of loaner "bikes". We are not in a position to buy any at the moment, but if the kids really get into it I might keep an eye out for second-hand ones at the right price.

I have managed to stay on for 80 - 100 metres on a few occasions and tonight rode for a very wobbly 60 seconds. I'll take that as progress even though I don't feel confident at all and zig and zag all over the place.

Laugh if you must! I'm going to need crutches sooner or later anyway. An hour of this got me traveling further without constant restarts and I'm riding unassisted now.

Riding through our local park on the way to school for a unicycle practice. The school is great as it has large areas of flat asphalt and lots of handrails to grab onto when you are first learning.

Hunter and Finn have not put as much time into practicing as I, but are coming along great. Finn has ridden 40 metres or so and Hunter about 10. It seems to be a mind-over-matter thing as some days you can't ride more than a few feet and start to get angry with yourself, and other times you can ride a considerable distance with relative ease.

It has been hard on my body though! The backs of my legs are covered in scrapes and pedal-bites from the inevitable wipe-outs. I usually land on my feet but sometimes the uni gets stuck underneath you and you fall on top of it. The other problem is the "jumping off to save myself routine" really aggravates my bad ankle. Its been a year since the operation and I'm sitting here typing this with my foot in a bucket of ice-water to bring the swelling down. That's after only an hour of practice, but once I get the hang of it I think the ankle will cope. I don't get much pain cycling anymore until after a long ride.

Hunter makes the "gap".

A week of bicycling

2008-10-05T02:37:00.000-07:00

Lots of riding done this week. Commuting duties, daughter hauling, food shopping, two lots of mountainbiking and unicycle training. My legs are all worn out!

A visit to Lake Pupuke to look at the movie set of "Under the Mountain" being taken down.

My sons have joined the school unicycle club and have loaner bikes (they're not really bikes, are they?) to get the hang of it. How cool is that, a primary school with a unicycle club. On mondays the school bike-rack has as many unicycles as bicycles locked-up in it.

Have you ever tried to ride a unicycle? I'm giving it a go as well, but seem to have made no progress at all, it's damn hard. I can ride a two-wheeled bike on one wheel no problem, but I'm finding it a great challenge on the real thing. A circus career is some way off.

I have learned one thing: When you start to fall, don't try and catch the unicycle. I read this on some internet instructions and ignored it to my detriment. I ended up in a pile on the garage floor with the uni on top of me and a gored leg from pedal-bite. I will let it drop next time!

Surly actually make a muni (mountain-uni) called the Conundrum which has the same Large Marge/Endomorph wheel as the Pugsley. Now that would turn some heads.

Bad drivers with small penises and stupid vehicles have made it down to our corner of the South Pacific. Look how this mental-midget has parked across the footpath.

I took Thursday off work to look after the boys as it's school holiday time and we went out to Woodhill Forest to the mountainbike park. Finn and Hunter aren't keen cyclists but they enjoy riding out there and we had a lot of fun together.

Finn and I got shown-up by eight-year-old Hunter attempting every jump and structure he came across, so we were shamed into trying some of them. I rode a lot of stuff that I would normally avoid and gained some confidence, but I think one metre off the ground is about my altitude limit. I must be getting old.

Thing-Two stealing water from my Camelbak

I went out to the same forest yesterday with my friend Murray and had a good 2.5 hr ride at a much faster pace. Last night my thighs were sore like I'd been to a gym or something, but I feel fine today. The great thing about Woodhill is it's a plantation pine forest effectively planted on coastal sand dunes, so the soil is very free-draining, even in the middle of winter, and just about never gets muddy.

The park is run as a business and you have to pay to use it, but the trails are fantastic and well maintained. It's $6 for adults and $4 for ten and overs which I think is reasonable. If it was more expensive I would go less.

Showing-off for the camera

I want to ride across the harbour bridge!

2008-09-22T01:59:00.000-07:00

They say there is enough room to add an extra lane. It would be a tight fit.

More Lycra than the Olympics out there

This Sunday I attended a rally in support of bicycle and pedestrian access to our only harbour crossing, the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Well that's not quite true, there is an "upper" harbour bridge, but it's so far away from downtown Auckland you are more or less driving around the entire harbour to cross it. I had to drive my car over the bridge to get there with Pugs on the bike rack, which is the whole point I guess. It's either that or ride miles out of my way for an expensive ferry trip.

I'm not involved in any kind of bike advocacy but I do support our local organization, Cycle Action Auckland. One of their major initiatives at the moment is lobbying for bike and pedestrian lanes to be included in the planned bridge renovation. Basically the outside lanes need to be strenghened before they plunge into the ocean in a shower of rust particles. They say it is perfectly safe, but only allow trucks on the inner lanes. How very reassuring!

The bridge was completed in 1959 and links North Auckland with the city, much like Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was badly planned from the start and 49 years on the bureaucrats making the decisions are still small-minded and not looking to the future. The original structure opened with four lanes, two in each direction. Your next door neighbours' dog, with a brief introduction to town planning, would have worked out that wasn't going to be enough.

In 1969 two lanes were added to each side, doubling the number of lanes from four to eight. The sections were manufactured in Japan and immediately nicknamed the "Nippon clip-ons".

Despite the doubling in capacity the thing is always gridlocked at rush hours, just as it was when I was a child in the 70s, and they still didn't include footpaths or bike lanes. The original design had them, but they were removed for budgetary reasons. How dumb are these people?

I was a bit disappointed with the turn-out. I'm guessing there was only 500 people or so, in a city of more than 1 million. That goes to show what a car-centric society we are.

Still, It was good to hang out with fellow cyclists and realise I am not the only one commuting by bike, as it often seems.

As we say in New Zealand - "I don't think there's a shit show of it actually happening", but you have to stand up for what you believe in, right?

Some local politicians got up on stage to massage votes out of the crowd. One from the Act party suggested "user pays" was the way to go, and cyclists should be charged a toll to help pay for the work. I'm surprised he wasn't stoned there and then and thrown off the top of the bloody bridge - it was in walking distance.

The Viaduct Basin with Auckland City in the background. Architects shield your eyes.

The speeches were short and sharp and it was such a nice spring day I went for a ride along the waterfront to downtown Auckland. It was great to see so many cyclists on the roads. The majority were Lycra-Cowboys (my term for roadies) but I saw a real variety of interesting machines. I've got a bit of a thing for folding bikes and I saw a couple of Birdies, some space-age looking Giant Half-Ways (with single-sided front and rear forks) and even my first Rivendell.

Just lovely, all lugs and shininess. I thought of Doug's new stead.

I cruised through an area we call "The Viaduct" where the America's Cup was hosted before New Zealand sailors won it for the Swiss and took it to Spain ;-)

It's full of cafés and bars, and the rich (and those without children) sit there and look out in envy on the yachts and floating gin-palaces of the even richer.

It was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and really made me think how great it would be to be able to ride over here from home with the family without having to use the car or sell a child to afford the ferry. We don't have rail and you can't take your bikes on the bus. There are no other options.

Here's hoping the bureaucrats see the light.

Looking back towards Devonport on the North Shore from downtown Auckland. I'm normally on the top of one of those little hills looking back this way.

Not a cyclist, but I do ride bikes

2008-09-15T02:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't done any mountainbiking lately or long road rides, but I am on my bike most days, if only to pop down to the shops or commute to work.

The Nasty Evil Bike waits impatiently for my morning commute.

We don't have many bike lanes in Auckland, there is no rail in my half of the city, the buses don't have bike racks and you can't ride across the harbour bridge, but you are permitted to ride in the transit lane and get flattened by a bus. Here I am taking the midget assassin to the doctor.

Addiction

Le Tour de Poo

2008-08-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't been riding the Pugsley much lately as the weekends have been busy with family stuff and the weather has been so rotten. The first half of winter was dry but it seems like in the last three months it hasn't stopped raining.

Today I had some rare time to myself so I went out for a ride along the beaches despite the wind, the cold and the threat of rain.

I call this regular route the Tour de Poo because between each beach in the East Coast Bays of Auckland there is a sewer pipe that runs along the bottom of the sandstone cliffs. Makes sense from an engineering point of view to keep it at ground level around each headland but it's hardly a scenic asset. To lessen the visual impact most of it has been covered in coloured concrete shaped to look like natural rocks. At least it would look like rock if you were stumbling home from the pub with a skinful. I think most sober folk would realise that rocks don't run in such straight lines and sandstone doesn't have manhole covers.

On these beach rides I normally don't even need to put a foot down. Sand, streams, stairs, rocks and small children can be ridden over with minimal effort on a Pugsley. My recent lack of off-road riding was highlighted today as I managed to fall over executing a turn in soft sand at no more than 1 kph. Luckily the beach was deserted and no one saw me. How embarrassing.

Pugsley Tip #1: Don't turn in a tight radius when you are in the soft stuff

There are sections between some bays where even at low tide you can't get around the coastline at sea level. There is a path up and over the cliffs but shouldering a Pugsley up hundreds of stairs is not an option for this weakling. I prefer to go inland slightly and ride on the roads. I love grunting up steep hills but the winter clothing I was wearing today was just too hot. It was fine on the beach in the wind but I was cooking buy the time I got to the tops of the climbs. I really need some sort of lightweight, windproof jacket instead of the thick polar-fleece I had on today. Another bike related purchase I'll add to the wish-list.

On the return leg the tide had come up very fast and I got a bit wet as the sea was really churning and it was hard to judge when the waves were going to break over the path.

To top it off about ten seconds after I had taken the photo above a rogue wave broke over most of me and all of the Pug. The camera was dry but I got a good soaking and the Pug got a longer shower than usual when we got home.

I procrastinated for an hour before I got out the door today but as usual had a lot of fun riding in the stormy conditions. I think as long as you're warm it can be more enjoyable than in good weather. There are less people around and you don't over-heat. A bit like running in the rain.

Still, summer brings better visibility, girls in bikinis and icecream stops, so I will attempt not to enjoy these winter rides so much in the future ;^)

The eternal problem of getting your baguettes home on a bike in one piece has been solved.

2008-08-24T02:20:00.000-07:00

Experimental Baguette Transportation Device outside the Baguette Dispensing Facility.

Baguette Obtainer Of The Year [BOOTY] in action.

Ellsworth Ride Ride

2008-08-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to go for a quick carpark test ride on this big-dollar Ellsworth Ride cruiser while buying some tyres and tubes for the Cross-Check at my LBS. I like cruisers but it's too hilly in my part of Auckland for this type of bike and I'm always too tall for them anyway.

The bike has some interesting features like the integrated rear fender but it was the rear hub that caught my eye.

I was curious how the NuVinci "geared" hub would ride after reading good reports about them. You just twist the controller and the gearing changes in a completely linear fashion, no steps at all. It was super-smooth and seemed to have a wide enough gear range but you had to twist the controller more than once to go from the lowest to highest ratio. Either that or the grip on it was slipping.

I think these hubs have a big future on city bikes and if they can get the weight down they would be great on all bikes.

Midget photographer's assistant wanders into frame

I like the internal cable routing

One-piece carbon-fibre bar/fork

Shiny New Things

2008-08-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

The Cross-Check project finally made some progress when my frame and wheel-set arrived last week from Christchurch after an agonizing two month wait. Life moves at a different pace in the South Island and I tried to be patient, but being from Auckland I wanted it Now, Now Now!

In the south they call Aucklanders JAFAs (Just-Another-Fucking-Aucklander) and although it's a bit harsh, it's fairly accurate. You tend to get a lot of wankers in big cities.

I have been buying parts over the last year or so for what was going to be a Surly Big Dummy build but making sure I could use them on other bikes if that plan didn't eventuate. It didn't eventuate! I would still love a Dummy but I need a more versatile bike that can do long road rides, around town stuff and the obligatory commuting duties.

In a couple of years when Carla can ride on the back I may still get a longtail of some sort. Maybe even an Xtracycle for the Nasty Evil Bike. The deciding factor was a Big Dummy would not be practical for riding to work as when I got there I would have to lug it up stairs, ride it through a busy factory, negotiate fire-doors, offices and desks that I have enough trouble with on my MTB, and then it would take up an awful lot of space in the studio. For one of the worlds most practical bikes that would just not be practical. A folding bike would be more appropriate for my commute.

Back to the Cross-Check. It's black, shiny and sexy but it will be some time before it hits the road as I have many more components to purchase and I have Champagne tastes on a beer budget. I want to do it properly so I'll buy stuff as I can afford it.

In the photo above I'm rust-proofing the frame with a locally made aerosol lanolin product. I used it when I put the Pugsley together and have no rust in that frame after two years of beach riding, so I think it will do the trick. Much cheaper than importing Frame-Saver from the States. How Kiwi is that - sheep oil in my bike!

Racer X rear - I ordered an MI5 and got sent this. Looks the same, but I think it's an older model

For the hubs I went with White Industries. I wanted a classic look with MTB strength and the polished finish will match the SON generator hub I plan to get further down the line. They are just plain beautiful and I think I will have to drink heavily before I can bring myself to cover them in mud. Maybe a few road miles first to wear them in first. They are certainly the nicest bike part I have ever owned and I probably went overboard, but I look after my stuff and will be using them for years to come. You only regret buying quality when you are paying off your credit card.

MI5 front

Salsa Delgado Cross 700c rims

I wanted really strong rims for riding off-road and future touring but there is not much available in silver with a braking surface. These Salsa's looked suitably old-fashioned and have been used on 29er mountain bikes for years. They should be tough enough built up with 36 double-butted DT Swiss spokes.

I need to get a headset, stem and skewers next so I can piece these bits together and have something resembling a bike to hang in the garage. I already have a saddle, seat post, rear derailleur, bar-end shifters and some drop handlebars ready to go on.

Who rents bikes?

2008-07-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Tramp's singlespeed outside the Auckland Public Library

I took my boys for a bus ride into the city centre on Sunday. We cruised around the art galleries, went to the library, checked out all the public sculpture, ate junk food and loaded-up on ice-cream. We had a good time despite the cold rainy weather.

I'm not a public transport user and was pretty impressed with our new bus route into the city over the harbour bridge. It's a separate two-way bus lane for most of the way and is not affected by the congestion on the motorway. I wasn't however impressed with the expense. It cost me something like $18 for 1 adult and 2 children and it's only a 10 minute ride. I would have used about $5 petrol if I had used my car, but finding free parking in Auckland is a challenge.

$3 per hour or $15 for 24 hours. I think you pay with your phone somehow.

The photo above is taken on Auckland's Queen Street. The main street that slices down the centre of town. In the past year or so these hire-bikes have been available but I have never seen anyone actually riding one. Auckland City is a cold, wet place in winter. It's a hilly and dangerous place to ride around and although I applaud any cycling initiative I just can't see this business making money. I think over summer they might get some customers, but it's never going to take off. I wish them luck all the same.

Fenders Rock!

2008-07-17T19:30:00.001-07:00

I put some SKS fenders on the commuter bike 6 months ago and last night was the first time they've been used in anger. I've had a dream run in a typically rainy Auckland and apart from wet roads and a bit of drizzle I've managed to dodge the worst of it. That's until Wednesday night. Wednesday night it bucketed down.

What a difference they make. My back and bum were bone dry and my feet only got a little damp (despite wearing sandals!) because I was crashing through every big puddle I could find to test them out. A home-made mud-flap on the front should fix that, my next project.

I remember riding my ten-speed in the rain to high-school in the 70s. The objective was to get as wet as possible and the ultimate was to soak people walking on the footpath as you rode through the torrent in the gutters. You didn't seem to mind sitting around wet all day when you were 13.

The Nasty-Evil-Bike sits outside the front door awaiting garage access

When I got the bike in the garage at home I noticed masses of grey sludge on the top of my rims. It looked like mud, but I soon worked out from the blackness of the braking surfaces my brake-pads had been dissolving on the mostly downhill run home. These are 15 year old MTB rims and they are rough as hell and almost worn-through. Little bits of aluminium occasionally come loose and embed themselves in the pads which makes a horrible scraping sound until I dig them out with the tip of a knife. The wet weather braking is as good as the discs on my Pugsley but I'm a little nervous about a "catastrophic wheel failure" at an in-opportune time. Time to learn wheel building I feel.

Dissolved brake-pad and rim

$1*

2008-07-03T04:30:00.001-07:00

My online auction buy of the century!

I've lusted after XTR for 15 years but have always been to sensible to pay the big dollars for it when XT or LX works just as well. I guess dollar reserve was not such a good idea for this guy. He told me he recently paid $200 for it.

*That's one New Zealand dollar, which is worth approximately nothing.

Rainy Day Cycling

2008-06-24T01:52:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of cycling done this past month apart from my ride into work and back. It's been cold and wet but I've had a dream run on my commute, not even needing to don a raincoat yet.

My days off looking after my daughter have been quite another matter. Long cold rainy days with no prospect of a quick trailer trip to the park or riding on the street.

To beat the boredom and stay warm we have been heading to the garage to race our bikes around my car. You couldn't do this on a normal bike, there's just not enough room, but the A-bike is perfect. It takes nerves of steel to pilot a 6 inch wheeled bike at high speed on the slippery concrete floor whilst a two year old is trying to t-bone you at every opportunity. God knows what the neighbours think... manic bell ringing, shrieks of delight and the roaring of "bike monsters" can be heard echoing up the street. We really have a good time together and get some exercise as well.

The self-portrait taken while riding a bicycle is known as a "Panda" in Flickr circles. I may well be the first to pull it off successfully on an A-bike without requiring hospitalization. It handles like a two wheeled office chair on ice at the best of times.

This cracks me up. When I pulled out the Bickerton for a pre-race tune-up I put it upside down and grabbed a rag and a stool. Carla then flicks her trike upside down, steals another rag and found a block of wood to sit on. Bike obsession at 26 months old, I'm so proud!

The best $149 I've ever spent

2008-06-04T03:16:00.000-07:00

This bike trailer has been so useful and was really cheap. I don't often say that about bike accessories in New Zealand.

A trip to the shops or to the local playground becomes an adventure not a chore. The handling is unaffected and you can barely tell you are towing it at all, just a little extra weight going uphill.

Carla and Dolly are captured here at high-speed, heading downhill on wet grass with road tyres and cantilever brakes.

You can't say I don't live life on the edge.

The Nasty Evil Bike

2008-06-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

A cross between Darth Vader and a run-away chainsaw

Those of you who browse through my Flickr photos will be familiar with this beast. It was my first mountain-bike and was raced for 3 or 4 seasons in the early 90s. I did several painful (metric) centuries on it and it's now my commuter "beater" as the Americans say, complete with electrical-tape paint-job, fenders and a rack borrowed from the Pug.

I call it The Nasty Evil Bike because it has tried to kill me on more than one occasion. The steering is lightning-quick and it is a real handful off-road. You don't get a chance to catch a front wheel drift or a locked-up front tyre, it just slams you into the ground!

On the road it's more manageable as long as you don't take your hands off the bars or start relaxing. I have tamed the handling somewhat with the fitting of Schwalbe Marathon 2.0 tyres. They provide some relief from the too-stiff solid gauge aluminium frame and grip wet or dusty roads much better than the 1.5 slicks I used to have on there.

Despite the physical and emotional scaring this bike has left me with I am quite attached to it. It has proven unbreakable and is doing a great job hauling me to work and lugging Carla around town in the trailer.

With the suspension seat-post off the Pugsley it's pushing 35 pounds, which is laughable for a fully rigid aluminium MTB, but I just might keep it for another 15 years.

Not exactly the Iditabike

2008-06-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

It's been in the family over two years now and I still love this bike to pieces. It hasn't lost that new bike allure and always makes riding fun.

This afternoon I was cooking dinner and it was tasting a bit bland. I had half an hour to pick up some zing from the local supermarket and get back home before the kids arrived from school.

Pugs to the rescue...

If I go by road there's a big hill in the way, but as long as it's not high tide I can ride from bay to bay along the beaches. Errand running doesn't get much better than a sunny ride along the beach in the middle of winter. I was back home and had the bike washed and dinner rescued before the family arrived.

Pugs resting after a post-beach hose down

Butt Service – aka: Why are all roadies assholes?

2008-05-13T03:27:00.000-07:00

My digital camera has died, so with no new new pictures to post it's time for a rant.

In the lead-up to the singlespeed champs I was riding a lot more than I usually do. I even got a couple of half day passes from Margaret to go out for a two or three hour stint, which is unheard of in my normal weekly routine. It was great fun and I was happy to just be out there on the roads exploring some local areas I hadn't had a chance to look around previously.

Now I'm a little shy, but when I see another cyclist I say hello or at the very least give a wave as we pass. I come from a motorcycle background and there's a real camaraderie in those circles. On the open road you always acknowledge other riders, be it a tattooed grandfather on a Harley or a skinny fifteen year old boy-racer hunched over his 125 like a dog humping a cricket ball. We are all having fun on two wheels and we are all targets for idiots in cars.

Mountain bikers are a bit like that too. Not as much as when I started in the early 90s, but they are still pretty friendly no matter what you are riding.

Road riders on the other hand seem to have a chip on their shoulders. I suspect that a lot of the lycra-clad assholes I run into on my neighbourhood roads are not really "cyclists" at all. By cyclists I mean people who love riding bikes, and as an extension of that love the bicycle.

I have a theory that a large percentage of these guys (and it's usually guys) are actually car drivers in disguise and are riding for two reasons only:

1. So they can LOOK and BE cool (just like Lance except he's a cheating, lying bastard) and

2. For the fitness benefits (substitute for dressing in lycra at the gym to LOOK and BE cool).

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of road racing. I love Le Tour. I love their sleek carbon machines. Even though I don't want one I can appreciate how fast, light and efficient they are. What I don't like is the riders attitude.

I did a little experiment on one training ride. I shouted out a friendly good morning to every rider I came across on my Saturday morning loop. The first thirteen riders passed within earshot without one single response. Not a nod of the head or the wave of a hand. Nothing!

I don't know if the results would be different if I was riding a road bike instead of a monstrous purple mountain bike but by the time I got to Devonport I was getting a bit grumpy myself.

Rider number 14

Rider number 14 was not going to ignore me. I was going to force him to talk!

I met rider number 14 on a short steep access road on North Head. North Head is a small volcanic cone that was heavily fortified to protect our harbour in the late 1800s. I was riding up the road to the summit at 8.30am and there was not a soul around. It was dead quite and I was enjoying the pain of grinding a heavy singlespeed up this climb when a roadie slowly overtook me without saying a word and just kept on riding. I saw red. I put on a burst of speed to catch him and verbally assaulted him with friendly small-talk. I made a real effort to breath easy and disguise the pain I was in as I could see he was hurting. Once I got him talking he even mentioned that he had noticed I had no gears and my tyres were very fat. Shame he hadn't thought to mention that as we almost rubbed shoulders on the initial encounter.

Well he seemed like a fairly nice guy once I got him talking so I let him off with an attitude warning and started for home... eight more riders were encountered without a single response. I got home a little depressed and formulated a plan. I'm not going to beat myself up trying to teach these people manners. That would be pointless. What I am going to do is fight them at their own game and wipe the road with their entrails.

I'm looking at getting a Surly Cross-Check at the moment. It looks a bit like an old-fashioned road bike but is tougher and you can ride them off-road as well. Not as light as a road bike, but still pretty fast. Mine will have mudguards (fenders)... Mine will have a rear rack... Mine will have a case of beer lashed to the rack... That case will not contain beer but will contain polystyrene... It will be ridden by a tall skinny guy in casual clothes and sandals... That tall skinny guy will blow past these bastards uphill, traveling so fast that pursuit will seem pointless... That tall skinny guy will give the impression that he is not even trying... You can tell he's not trying by the size of the smile on his face ;-)

I have just sold my first child

2008-05-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

Every now and then my wife reminds me (in that gentle but persistent way that they have, like a knife pressing between the third and fourth ribs) that my beloved motorcycle is sitting in the garage unused and I should really get rid of it.

"How can I sell the most beautiful thing I have ever owned?" "How can I sell the bike I was going to keep for life?" "An Italian classic, a life long dream, an extension of my manhood..."

I'll tell you how: Since the birth of my eldest son 10 years ago it's hardly got used, it's expensive to maintain and insure, and it's slowly deteriorating from sitting idle. I don't have any free time to myself to ride it for pleasure and it's too big and unpractical to commute on.

The bike corner

Motorcycles have a similar appeal to bicycles for me. I've been riding them since I was 15 and they are a life long passion. It's that unbridled sense of freedom. Fresh air you can actually feel on your face. You can taste, smell and hear the world around you and there's no such thing as a traffic jam.

If you like a bit of excitement in your life it also doesn't hurt that a reasonably priced motorcycle will out-accelerate a Porsche or Ferrari.

I first started cycling as an adult in the early 90's, not long after buying the Moto Guzzi above. What I really wanted was a trials motorcycle for off-road competition but that involved buying the trials bike, a trailer and a car to tow it with. I was working with road cyclists and mountain bikers at the time and was talked into getting a mountain bike instead and going racing. I was hooked! I'm still riding that bike to this day and I now have another obsession.

So it's out with the motorized version and I now have a little extra cash to invest in one of the pedal-powered variety if I can get that knife out from between my ribs.

Fear and loathing in Rotovegas

2008-04-28T02:35:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I tell you about the First New Zealand Singlespeed Championship experience?

I rode a mountain bike with 36 inch wheels

Half the Pugsleys in New Zealand were racing (that's Dave the Surly importer on the left)

There were pirates on tandems complete with hats and swords

Men had breasts

Men had skin suits

The male and female winners got tattooed and had to show them at prize giving

There were also;

Fairies
Neon orange Boiler-suits
Cowgirls
Men in tutus
and a guy wearing silk boxers (that's all he was wearing!)

It wasn't quite as manic as I was expecting but the organizers did a fantastic job and a field of over 250 racers was impressive for a fringe sport in a little country like ours.

The start was a 200 meter run to your bike followed by 3 laps of a figure-of-eight course. Each half-lap was about 7 kilometers of amazing single-track, most of it ridable, and when you came back into the transition area you had to take the opposite side to the last one you rode on. This was confusing under race conditions and was made even more confusing by the consumption of a can of beer on each lap if you wanted to take a shortcut. I managed to get it right (and drank the beer at every opportunity) but a number of people made a wrong turn and ended up doing the same half of the lap again! It all added to the fun but a simpler format might be better for next year.

My ankle was painful but held up and I finished the race somewhere down the back. That was OK, I was happy just to finish and the more social competitors pulled out at various times during the race to join the crowd and cheer on those still riding.

One of the main sponsors was the Pig & Whistle pub so for a NZD$75 entry fee you got a movie the night before the race, vouchers for free beer at the bar, the race-pack, the prize giving party and a cooked breakfast at the pub the morning after the race. It was really good value.

The whole weekend was great fun and with any luck I'll be back next year in better shape for number two.

Fairies on 36ers...

2008-04-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums up my weekend. Words to follow when I catch my breath.

I have a few photos from the event on my Flickr photostream:

Singlespeed Shakedown

2008-04-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

The big race is this weekend so I rode the Pug to work today to sort out any kinks. I converted it to a true singlespeed (was a dingle) this week and have not had a chance to try it out and see if any bits fall off.

I still get a thrill riding this bike after two years ownership, even with 32/20T gearing on the road. I did wheelies all the way to work in the sunshine and took silly photos like the one above riding home in the dark. You've always got a smile on your face riding a Pug.

The road trip starts tomorrow... wish me luck!

Sick Ride Man

2008-04-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

Officially Sick

A funny thing happened last week out at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park. I had the Pugsley propped-up outside the shed where you pay before you ride. Two young guys were behind the counter and I was initially asked if it was a "sick ride". I translated this into 42-year-old and informed them it was indeed a lot of fun.

The other guy then asked me if the fat tyres gave a soft ride like a bike with suspension. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I told them I had never ridden a bike with suspension, so I didn't know. It was priceless. Their young minds could not comprehend that someone had only ever ridden fully rigid mountain bikes. I wish I had my camera that day.

If I knew any other 6' 6" riders I would love to swap bikes and try out something different, but it has never happened. No one but me has ridden the Pug and apart from the odd blast around a car park I have never ridden anyone else's. The seats just don't go up high enough!

Braking Down

2008-04-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

The Pugsley is exactly two years old this week and until last month I have not had a single problem with it. I have been running the same chain, brake pads and tyres and I haven't even had a flat tyre yet!

I say "until last month" because I've been tearing out my hair getting my formally bulletproof braking system back on track. First my front pads lose all power with still plenty of wear left on them. I've been told it was probably oil contamination but I'm not entirely convinced. I pay $40 (rip-off) for some Kool-Stop replacements to watch my front fork resonate and shudder back and forth even under moderate braking and then last week when I'm riding under-water trails out in the forest my back brake goes all spongy at the lever and loses all power.

I finally get some XTR after lusting after it since 1993 and it turns out to be EXACTLY the same part as bottom-of-the-range Deore right down to the code number stamped on the back!

Well I spent another $40 (rip-off), on another set of pads (Shimano XTR resin this time) and put those on the front wheel. A HUGE improvement. Almost as much power, less noise, nice modulation and I don't have to watch the fork bouncing back and forth by half an inch as I slow down.

I took out the original rear pads and they had worn down completely to the metal holder. I am lucky I don't use much rear brake or I would have totaled my rear rotor. The lever had so much travel as one of the pistons had pushed right out and become stuck. I was pleased it wasn't a hydraulic issue as I don't know how to bleed them yet and I hate taking my bike into the shop to get work done on it.

This is what passes for a work-stand in my house

The Kool-Stops behave much better in the back and a ride in the forest today with the neighbourhood crew confirmed everything is working well again. That's a relief as my big singlespeed race is only six days away.

Wet, muddy, happy imbiber.

2008-04-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

Went for a ride in the forest today in near storm conditions with my friend Murray. A bit of a training ride for the race in two weeks and a chance to test out some of my new gear while riding a lot faster than I normally do. It was bucketing down the whole time and I have never seen the trails so waterlogged out at Woodhill. Large sections of singletrack were under 6 inches of water and it was fun blasting through that with 4 inch wide tyres. The base is sandy so you are doing no real damage.

Most welcome post ride warm-up dram.

Conclusions:

The Camelbak was great today. I didn't even notice it on my back and I drank a lot more than if I was using bidons and ingested a lot less mud.
It was not however waterproof and I'm glad I didn't take my camera. Everything inside got totally soaked.
The carbohydrate "squeezy things" that I purchased for the race tasted like licking a cat's bum, but with a hint of lemon.
They seemed to work however.
My new Kool-Stop brake pads which have been noisy, grabby and annoying on the road worked great in the dirt.
I still need to put on some more weight after the food poisoning as my baggy wet shorts kept slipping off my hips.
My ankle died after 2 hours but I think with a bit of racing adrenaline I could ride through the pain and get 3 or more hours out of it.
My new Ahearne Spaceman Flask Holster retained its contents over some pretty rough terrain.
My riding glasses kept the mud out of my eyes but fogged-up quite badly. I have some anti-fog spray from my motorcycle riding days somewhere that I must dig out and use.

Rusty Designer

2008-04-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

I designed a logo this past week for my "Flickr friend" Jeff at Bike Carson in Carson City, Nevada.

They loved it and are going to use it next month for their Bike to Work Week.

The simple designs usually work best.

It just occurred to me after I just posted this message and saw the logo next to my blog masthead that it kinda looks like a Pugsley! Must be subliminal.

Everything hurts!

2008-04-08T02:49:00.000-07:00

Today I went for a 3 hour training ride. My wife had a day off work and could look after my daughter so I had the whole morning to myself - Luxury! My training for the singlespeed race so far has consisted of half hour jaunts on my geared bike lugging Carla around in the trailer. That's all I normally have time for - trips to the playground or the shops etc. It's no way to build up endurance and I planned to be doing these longer rides 3 weeks ago, but food poisoning put an end to that. I have still not put the weight back on that I lost over easter.

I'm a little worried that I won't make it around the course in Rotorua at the end of the month. I am just not race-fit. After 2 hours riding mostly on the road I was feeling pretty stuffed and was going to call it a day, but I chewed up another muesli bar and slogged on for another hour and I didn't feel any worse apart from a sore bum, but that's to be expected. I should probably wear padded cycling shorts.

On the positive side my recovering ankle didn't hurt much on the bumps, kept working the entire ride and didn't swell too bad afterwards. I didn't even ice it. That is encouraging.

For the race I am hoping that a few of those energy gels and power-bars (that I have never used before) will pull me through. That and shear determination.

Today was the longest ride I have done with my new Camelbak. I was carrying 3 litres of water and all the stuff I need to have with me in the race; wallet, camera, phone, keys, food, tools and pump. I wasn't really that impressed. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't comfortable either. It's a lot of weight on you back when your tired, hot and sweaty and it got a little annoying. I still had 1 litre in there when I got home, so I might not fill it up so much for the race.

Riding the Shell Banks

2008-03-29T01:10:00.000-07:00

My first proper ride today since getting food poisoning. I expected to have no strength in my legs after 8 days of not riding but I felt fine. I took a detour off the normal Saturday morning amble and rode to one of my old stamping grounds as a kid. We used to play for hours on the shell banks in Little Shoal Bay and it was like going back in time riding along there again. I don't know what conditions cause it, but in this inner harbour bay there is a long breakwater of shells about 100 metres offshore. There is mud, and there are shells, and there is nothing in-between. No sand to be seen. It is much firmer than sand and you can even ride off-camber on the slopes without slipping, but you don't want to come off - this stuff cuts you to shreds.

Little Shoal Bay

Between the shell banks and the shore are mangrove swamps. As children we called these "the muddies" and had a lot of fun chasing fish and torturing innocent crabs. We would come home covered from head to toe in the sticky black mud with cuts all over our legs.

A very different surface to sand

Breakfast

Today I just cruised along, happy to be out on the bike again and listened to the shells crunching below my tyres. It was magic.

Saw this on the way home - Laughed out loud

The price of living in a small country

2008-03-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

The rear brake on the pug had lost all power and I couldn't even lock-up the back wheel on gravel. Not really a problem as the back brake doesn't get used much anyway, but I wanted this bike in tip top shape for my upcoming race so I decided to get it fixed.

The lever travel was good and it didn't feel spongy, so I cleaned the rotor and sanded the pads' surfaces in case they had got contaminated somehow. Still no power. Time to talk to the guys at Bikesmith - my new LBS.

Well you learn something new every day. This is my first bike with discs and I was informed the pads were probably contaminated and the oil soaks in, so you can't just clean-up the top surface. Clark said I could try burning it off with a flame (and I might still try that as an experiment) but I stumped up for a new set of pads and bought a Camelbak for the race while I was there.

Now the pain started. $32 US Dollars for something I can buy in the USA online for $14.95 at Speedgoat (and I'm sure you could buy cheaper). I don't begrudge the bike shop their profit. These guys have got families to feed and are not driving around in Bentleys. They shift a lot less product than the American shops would and are probably marking consumables like this up 100%. That's OK, they gotta make a buck somehow, but someone else in the chain is getting greedy.

People tell me "it's the transport costs, New Zealand is a long way away from anywhere". If that's the case how come I can buy a Chinese made sofa for $199 or a dining room table and six chairs for $99? You could fit a lot of brake pads in a furniture container.

Rant over... I can stop on a dime now, or at least a half dollar.

Training Nosedive

2008-03-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

One month to go to the New Zealand Singlespeed champs and I've spent the last five days sitting on the toilet.

"I WILL NEVER, EVER, EAT A SERVICE STATION PIE AGAIN!"

I started the Easter long weekend feeling like the bike on the left and now I feel like the little one on the right. Five kilograms (11lbs) lost in the first three days and I was skinny to start with.

This Easter weekend was supposed to include two three hour rides and a trip to the forest. I am never going to fit enough for this thing if I get sick again.

My new goal for the race is just to finish it riding the bike and not walking beside it. I had been aiming to not finish last ;-)

Fat Chance of finishing

2008-03-16T01:15:00.001-07:00

Not a lot of riding done this past week. I had a two hour ride last Sunday and that put my ankle out of action for the next two days. I'm trying to get fit for the New Zealand Singlespeed Champs and need to do longer rides, but despite icing it straight afterwards, it was very tender. I'll just have to manage it the best I can. The main problem is it still hurts taking my weight going over bumps, and that's not ideal for mountainbiking.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I have conned one of my friends into entering the race with me. Murray came over on Sunday morning so we could convert his Fat Chance to a singlespeed. In preparation I stayed up half the night at our annual street party drinking (and judging) home made limoncello. Why can't my neighbours brew beer like normal people instead of highly potent liqueurs that taste like icecream toppings? After a handful of headache pills, a vitamin B drink and two strong coffees I was raring to stand up. Things didn't improve much for the rest of the day.

Fat Chance "Wicked"

The conversion went well, all things considered. When I was able to focus, things looked pretty good! I had a Surly Singleator chain tensioner, a newish Sram 8-speed chain, single (steel) chainring bolts, cassette spacers and a selection of Shimano BMX sprockets sitting in my toolbox from the days when my commuter bike was a singlespeed. Muzza is going to restore this classic bike at some time in the future so it a temporary job with my parts for now, unless the singlespeed bug bites him like it has me.

Surly Singleator at work

Afterwards we went for a quick ride through the local park to try things out. Muz has always been a faster and fitter rider than I, so It was fun watching him suffer on the hills even though his bike must be at least ten pounds lighter than mine! Things will be different in the race I'm sure, but you enjoy these moments while you can.

I am not a morning person!

2008-03-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

Early morning is a great time for a bike ride. I work until 10pm, and by the time I ride home, cool down and floss the cat, it's usually well after midnight before I go to bed. This is not conducive to getting up early, but my eldest son has swim training at 8am on Satudays, so we are up and out the door by 7.30 after a quick breakfast.

I'm not the kind to sit around reading the morning paper as the other parents do, so I put the pugsley on the back of the car the night before and get in an hours riding while he's doing laps. It's a shame he doesn't swim for two hours, as I really enjoy this ride, even half asleep. There is little traffic around and it's a bit cooler at this time of the day.

The boat ramp at Takapuna Beach

The other end of Takapuna Beach

This weekend I rode to Devonport. It's a lovely old town on the water, just across the harbour from downtown Auckland. A bit of a tourist trap these days, but it still has a certain charm. The Maori landed there in about 1350AD on their first migration and it's one of New Zealands oldest european settlements too.

Looking toward downtown Auckland from the summit of Mt Victoria

The best part about riding in Devonport (if you like hill climbing), is it has two volcanoes! Mt Victoria and North Head. We call them mountains, but they are only hills really. Hard work riding up on the Pugsley, but you would fly up on a light road bike.
I normally ride up the sealed road, catch my breath and ride back down on the narrow walking trails. Great fun!

New Zealand Singlespeed Championship

2008-03-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

I have entered. What an idiot! 42 years old, no fitness and a 36 pound snow bike. At least other people will get a laugh out of it. I see nothing but pain...

I have 7 weeks to get fit enough to finish, which isn't going to be easy with my busted ankle. The recovery from the reconstruction is taking a long time and I am really only riding with one and a half legs at the moment.

None of my friends ride singlespeeds but I have conned one of them into converting his lovely classic Fat Chance with my spare parts for the event. I wanted some company and someone to share travel and accommodation expenses with. Thanks Murray.