Oddball Crash

Doubled the Shogun down to Caba Cycles this arvo. Riding the MTB and holding onto the head tube to pull it along steering basically when required... until! On the bike pathe between Round Mt Rd and the skate park there is a sharp round a tree zig-zag. This is where the Shogun zagged when it should of zigged. the pedal's locked together riping the head tube out of my hand and completely losing it on the MTB.

A crash in the peleton but there was only one rider. Picked myself and both bikes up. a quick inspection showed only damagwe was a bit of bark off me and some bar tape scrapped off the the shogun... and added expense to the degrease repack and head tube bearing replacement I was taking it to the LBS to get.

Towards the end of the 5kms the left hand was getting a little worn out. The shogun was continually bucking over small , (or large), joins in the concrete paving. A few times I had to lift the Shoguns front wheel off the ground to keep some control. Then managed with luck to rebalance the Shogun and was able to put it down  again.

Anyway job done.

Windy Flats

This afternoon I rode to a small short job at Hastings Point and finished just as the storm was nearly breaking. Nearly, because there was a lot of promise but nothing eventuated with it just rushing out to sea. Anyway my daughter had asked me to show her the route to Kingscliff via Salt so I gave her a call and said I would meet her at Cabba Cycles, (I needed a spare tube for the cypress). Off I rode into the 35-40km/hr Northerly at a chugging 15km /hour.

We joined up and I let her draught me on her 3 speed Beach Cruiser and we managed to sit on a constant 18 km/hr along the bike path up through Casuarina. At the end of the current path we entered the old Coast Road section, which has been denuded of all vegetation in preparation of the stalled development, and the wind just cut us to shreds getting us to suffer dropping to 12 km/hr.

At the sand pit, Salt, we just turned around and floated back home at a leisurely peddled 25 km/hr.

Making 26 kilometres all up. The return trip took less than half the time as the North bound journey had.

Yukon

Picked up the new Yukon 18" I ordered from Cabarita Bikes last Saturday. Couldn't actually take it for much of a test ride just around the carpark and later at home around the driveway and garden. I had already ridden a 20km circuit on the cypress through the dust and wind today and then only managed to pick it up at 5:00pm on the way home from working at Tweed Heads, lucky for the bolted on rooftop bike rack. Hope to test it on a Wabba Road loop soon but I will have a few months before the wet season begins. So maybe an attempt on the 22% driveway in the next couple of days. I will see.

[caption id="attachment_375" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Giant Yukon 2009 mid-low end sports bike"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_376" align="alignnone" width="128" caption="dusty day 23/09/2009"][/caption]

Here is a animation of images taken hourly for the Sand Bypass System  Monitoring

Shopping

Short Trip to Cabba to pick up a new saddle bag, tube and dry-lube all courtesy to yesterdays ride and an afternoon of maintenance...

It's Here

Today, after I finished welding the Sieve {900 x 1.8 weldmesh} I will be using to remove the rocks from the 8 truckloads of TerranoraVolcanic Soil over the summer for a vegie garden, my new Giant Cypress arrived at Cabarita Beach Cycles. Excellent!

I got a lift down with Joyann taking the helmet and a full water bottle... anticipation....

Gee it looked nice and clean, well lets put paid to that! So after quickly finalising the fit it's on the bike... rode along Clothiers Creek Road to the freeway to take a flat smooth 15kms to check out the feel... I was suprised at the speed and power that was available from the 24 gears with the front suspension locked out, but I must try out the handling on the dirt with it unlocked... so onto Cudgera Creek Road and off the tar onto the gravel of Reserve Creek Road and then further onto Round Mountain gravel so about 15kms of loose dusty gravel... not so clean now! The hill climbing was surprisingly easy but there was still no need to use the granny gear! I'll have to try somewhere else for this experience, maybe Cudgera Creek Road tomorrow?

Handling was throughly enjoyable with no nasty surprises! There was still some time left before sunset, ( I haven't added any lights yet! and I must remember to take a pump next time just in case that is) so rode off along Kanes Road through to Pottsville and rode over the forge hill at a speed I have never achieved before! the bike seemed to maintain it's momentum easily ah beautiful! Then it was a bit of a windout along the Coast Road at a high cadence with the wind finally on my back to be amazed that I will need to find more energy to get the ride into top ring and attain the highest speed possible on this bike. I was still able to peddle riding down some hills that i know top out on the old Elwood as soon as your speed reached 40kms/hr. Wow! I might be able to increase my long term average speed above 19kms/hr on this bike! 

Ah the pleasure of taking the first run on a new ride!

I'll post some more later about the second hand commuter with drop bars I have also just bought, but I don't want to lose the feeling of breaking in a new steed just yet!

I will need to readjust the front derailleur before tomorrow's ride it seemed a little askew and shifts between the three front rings was quite hit and miss during todays ride!

 



 

All in all I felt like an 8 year old on Christmas day!

[caption id="attachment_281" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="The new all purpose ride bought in October 2008"][/caption]

A wedding and so much more

September round up.

Possible trip to Hell's Hole on the 7th or 14th, yet to be confirmed and finalised.

Disbandment of the hopeful ride to Grafton for Fathers Day 2008.

Jeff from Cabarita Cycles is sick with the flu again, as is one of my both riding partners Mark and Mark.

I should be picking up my newly ordered black Giant Cypress (19" frame 2009 model)  Hybrid, from Cabarita bike shop in three weeks when they are going to be released by Giant in Australia.  A good bit of luck that I didn't win the bid I made on the 2008 Elwood SE, for only $200 more I'm getting a much better bike with all the services of a local bike shop, and no dodgy history tied to it.

Aside: Jeff and Lyndall are getting married on Sunday at the Hastings Point Headland. Should be good weather but maybe a little windy!

And hopefully complete the restore of the old steel frame dropbar road bike for commuting.

Anyway I'll get on my bike and cruise to work now, as this morning the NSW Teachers Federation is having a 2 hour stop work meeting so I can arrive a little later than usual this morning, yeah.

Someone else Spoke

Today's afternoon commute saw me once again tailing a roadies rear wheel. In a way it was pleasant travelling at an average speed of 29km/hr out of the wind and only really needing to peddle with any vigour up inclines.  We came down the Coast Road after the freeway and rode the 21km quickly. I dropped in on Jeff at Cabarita Beach Cycles to see if the peddle arm puller I had ordered a cup-la-weeks ago had turned up yet. It had and Jeff gave them to me on the  spot to come back and pay later. Both he and Mark, the roadie I was slipstreaming, (this Mark is not my usual riding partner who is also named Mark just a flukey coincidence), ride as members in the Murwillumbah Bike Club B Grade but for whatever reason had never met before! They have both probably been too busy psyching out the "other guy" to get time for a friendly chat. Ahhhh... the sociability of racing!
Anyway to the topic, we continued past my place as I was going to ride Mark back to the freeway interchange at Clothiers Creek Road. About 3kms past my place "PING", a front spoke on Marks bike comes away from the hub on the front wheel. I look through my saddlebag and get a rubber-band to tie it back. Mark tells me the wheels have already been respoked as the "New" bikes wheels had had a history of breaking and they were all replaced under warrantee. Also he had broken a spoke in the same wheel 2 weeks ago! About 1km down the road on the tangle wood flats of Wattie Bishop Road "PINGG" one of the rear spokes lets loose... Mark finds another rubber band and makes the come and get me phone call to his partner, who sounds none to impressed!.

I left Mark to wait byhimself at the interchange for his lift and set off on the return journey home, all uneventfully, for a change!

Caba Cycles

Looks like Cabarita Cycles has found it's niche in the local area, sponsoring along wth many of the areas other cycle shops, the roadriders of Murwillumbah Cycle Club. Jeff has also informed me that he will have a dedicated site available online soon. Good luck with the enterprise, glad I could help you get yourself started with a web presence.