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.

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

Day's Mech

I rode the Samurai to Cabba Bike Shop this 'arvo after work to get the front derailleur fitted and also to have the cluster changed to give me a granny gear of 27-12 range. Ahhh! Sextons Hill without any knee pain is what i want! So I will most likely see tomorrow if the reality is what it's cracked up to be....
hear's hoping! The Chain was OK for length so I will have a spare 10 speed chain now.

The 105 cluster didn't come in so Jeff put a 10 speed Ultegra 27-12 on for the same price, thank-you. Some have said I should have used e-Bay but I don't completely trust main component parts that may be used or faulty rather than as described.. It was only a few extra dollars for a local guarantee.and supporting a shop that I will want to be there for long a while yet especially when I need it in a hurray! Things are fairly quiet in the shop at the moment, after the flurry of activity during the last school holidays. Is it the rain, wind or heat? It might even be the economy!

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!

Good Job, Not falling down

Last Saturday Jeff, from Cabarita Beach Cycles, asked me for a hand to help him load and later unload his new shop fittings, which loo good and are very functional. Only took an hour or so and no injuries sustained except for Jeff who managed to have a sliding cabinet door slam close onto his thumb and with his young daughter present he managed to withhold the obligotory expletive! Well held!

On a ride the weekend before I also managed to knock a bit of bark off my right knee and elbow. Well it's embarrassing but... Riding slowly up Reserve Creek Road toward Kanes Road I/the front derailleur decided to change to a non-existent cog when I shifted down once too often!  I attempted to re-engage the chain and with the little momentum I had I right turned across the slope of the hill and continued to turn the peddles hoping the chain would take up... Next thing I knew I was laying sprawled on the ground having made no effort to arrest my fall. Without clips or straps quite the stupid thing to do... live and learn then repeat. Healing well now.

I have used my spare time Autumn pruning the beautiful, though massive, out-of-control and overgrown Boganvillia creeper near my front gate. Now I have given myself a mild case of RSI from using the 'ratchet pruning shears' to cut up 2 heaped trailers full and 3 stationwagons packed to the roof to take to the green waste depot (they don't come and collect it here Tweed Shire Council's reason supplied: not enough demand in that area... Oh! I get it! A Catch22 excuse.) 

Back to bikes, I finally took my tired old MTB rear wheel down to Cabarita Beach Cycles to get the long needed new bearing fitted. I need to get a couple of tools if I am going to continue to ride cheaply. A peddle crank arm puller and a rear screw-on cluster remover (cause I use cheap equip) so I can replace these bearings when they require it. I bought a set of allan keys to go with the chain breaker and spoke spanner. If I plan on traveling with all this equipment and spares I will need a support vehicle just to carry it all. Might require a re-think here! Might be better off staying home, nah! just kidding.

Also I have stripped the Aluminium Frame and repacked and replaced the crank bearings next task buy a top pull 3-speed front deraileur to suit this particular frame. Then I can transfer all the other kit from the slightly too large "Old Peak MTB"... I must ask Jeff...

What an off the norm week

After last week replacing the crank bearing I decided I might need to actually pull the finger out and do an overall maintenance check. So it really didn't come as any surprise to find that the seam of the rear wheel had decided to crack about 3/4 the way through. So it was off to Cabarita Beach Cycles again to see if Jeff thought it was still safe to ride! It was possible that riding over rough gravel roads might allow the wheel to collapse and cause an accident. So I ordered a new rear wheel.

While waiting for the wheel to arrive (7days) I decided to ride the mountain bike. After just 1 night loop I wasn't that happy with the feel and decided to ride "Old Humphery"  the old Malvern Star from the tip. At the start of the week it was quite fun with just the differences making for new experiences. By the end of the week after 150kms the little ticks, clunks, bumps and clangs started to make for an annoying ride rather than an exciting new experience. By Friday night I could hardly wait for the new wheel to the point where I just, and thats just, rode the loop at a very slow leisurely pace.

The only thing of note this week was a few snakes to avoid and a couple of wallabys scared off beside the road. One night had a pretty cresent moon in a clear stary night with a pleasent slight south breeze blowing, a night to stop occassionally to take in the temperate autumn effect.

Anyway got the wheel fitted today with a new cluster and chain. So to give it a light workout. After the 10k cuircut return trip to Caba in the morning, I couldn't wait until tonight so started of at 4:00pm towards Cudgera Creek thinking of doing a Waba road loop, but the few snakes during the week turned me off this and so I decided to keep it simple and rode over to Burringbah through to Moobal and on to Wooyung then on to Pottsville against a mild head-crosswind to home giving me an loop of 44kms.

So 54kms for the day and 200+ for the week. And only a couple of very light showers during the time in the saddle.

That was quite a different tone to the week. I hope that this sees an end to repairs for the hybrid for a while! Jeff was kind enough to trade labour so it was only a matter of me paying for parts but that so far this year is climbing above $300.00.....

Wet n' loopy Tuesday

Today was my first venture out into the daylight since the end of November last year. It seemed that I would not have to worry about any skin photo-sensitivity. A day with full cloud cover and rain easing to torrential down pours. It is still raining as I write this entry.

The distance was a hard 48kms, for me anyway.  I started out and thought that today would be the day to attempt a bit of a bush bash. So off I go over Towners Road towards Clothiers Creek Road. At the end of the Road is some private property owned by a bloke I know by the name of Jim. So it was over the locked gate and an attempt at his hill/driveway. Well I only made it about 10 meters before the rear wheel  slipped losing traction and at the same time the front bumped a rock so off the bike I came. This was to be the start of the long push to the Summit of Round Mountain (the hill itself). After arriving at the top it was a little unclear as to which way to go as the whole area had been cleared. I selected a western track and finally got back into saddle. Came to a gate after some twists and turns and as it was scrub on the other-side lifted the bike and rode on onwards the North. This was to be a fairly short time in the saddle as the incline got so steep that the brakes no longe held the bike both the front and rear wheels slid over the leaf and sticks covering the running water covered clay. So it was off the saddle again. The descent was harder than the climb earlier. Just holding the bike by the brakes was difficult, it was sliding and so were both my feet for a meter at a time before I could get some purchase and take another step! This continued for about 200 meters until the track slowly started to level out a bit. So it was back in the saddle and on with the ride at last.

Leaving the forest behind I came out inside Tanglewood and decided to do a little look around as it turned out I was able to climb up to the top of Tanglewood Hill along Tanglewood Drive and through the next downpour down to Clothiers Creek Road. From here I decided to do a loop over Reserve Creek along Round Mountain Road via Watti Bishop Road etc This didn't seem long enough even with the heart pumping Maremma Race along Reserve Creek Road so I doubled back via Kanes Road and onto Bogangar along Clothiers Creek Road.

At Bogangar I went into



To ask Jeff about a 700c rear wheel as a spare  for the  Home-Grafton Trip and as a replacement for Humphery's warped one. While I was there I asked how he was getting on with his website, to cut a long story short nothing is in the works but the desire is there, so in the meantime I offered to promote his shop here (for free) and he agreed. It would be good if happy and not so happy clients were to add comments about the shop as It is good to have this shop locally and I think we need it to stay and will need to thrive to do this!

OK! back to the ride. After the rest stop I was now thinking of extending the ride by doing a standard Hastings Point, Pottsville, Cudgera Creek then Home loop and that is what i did.

But I was really starting to feel the last couple of little climbs, my legs were now spent, even though it was only just aproaching the 50k mark. I had not taken anything to replenish my depleted energy, especially after those couple of kilometers of pushing the bike which had taken a lot out of me...



All in all a thoroughly enjoyable Rainy Summer Ride!

Mon-Tues day

Monday after riding down to check the post box at Cabba I checked the state of parts delivery at "Cabarita Beach Cycles -- o266761519" they had arrived so when I returned home I doubled the Giant with the old Peak MTB to get the service done by Jeff. I then decided to do the circuit on the old bike, stopping in at Hastings Point Headland to watch the whales on their way past returning to the Southern Ocean.

There were a at least 4 and they were quite close to shore and very energetic. I hung chatting with a local for a ½ hour or so then started back on the road finishing the 20k in a slow and steady flow.

Tuesday after checking the PO I found out the bike would be ready in a couple of hours. I road the Malvern Star down to double the Giant home a little later.

Then after getting home I took the now smooth gear change Giant for a quick circuit. 

Of note today and yesterday I monitored the Magpie and its approaches.

When there was 2 riders side by side it did not come close at all, When I was doubling the extra bike it approached but did not swoop closely.

But when I was just a single rider it swooped and clacked, making contact with the helmet up to 8 times .

It seems this Magpie might get a bit confused when there is more than one target.

All passes were made with no attempt to scare the bird off not even turning the head or raising the arm nor making any reaction to strikes when they came.

Cabarita Beach Cycles - Semi-Final

All's well! When I went for my bike ride today, (after the dentist etc see earlier post if you are really that interested) I called back into the "Cabarita Beach Cycles" Shop, just to see how it was going, Humphery was finished. Yeah! So I doubled the repaired bike the 4.6kms home and then decided that i should take it out for a spin, (about 30kms) Anyway jumped on and it felt a little cramped after my everyday bike. But I got used to after a few k's. I rode to Cabba and got attacked by the Magpie then rode over Clothiers Creek Rd to the freeway and then down to pottsville-cudgera creek turnoff, chatted with a motorcycle cop on the overpass using his radar gun trying to catch speeding motorists travelling north, then onto Kanes Rd and home. It went well and will be a good second/spare hybrid bike when required. But the price was a little more than I wanted to spend ($170)  as he had to replace both front and rear brake calipers. The derailleur worked smoothly and the chain and cluster didn't show as much wear as my usual bike does but the rear tyre may have a very slow leak. 



So removal of the black mark is complete!!! and everyone should give Jeff at Cabba Cycles a go!

Cabarita Beach Cycles - Update

The promised turn around time on the repair has come and gone. When I dropped the bike in yesterday morning I was assured it would be ready later that afternoon. As I had some things to do I thought leaving it until the morning after my, what seems to be perpetually booked, visit to the Dentist at 9:30am would be cool. Not to be when I got to the shop he said "sorry! got busy yesterday" "it will be ready at 3:00pm today".

He had not started on it.... a tiny black mark.

Hope he can fulfill his second completion schedule. I don't need the bike desperately, though it would be nice to not waste the time checking to see if it is ready to be picked-up.

At least he says he has ordered the chain and cluster for the Giant.

I will upload a picture of the results on the old Malvern Star - Bogart. I'm thinking of nicknaming it Humphrey

Something to...

Well it's been a while since my last.... blah-blah....

Anyway I haven't bothered to post until there is something new besides the weather, wet and stormy of late. So here goes...

A new Bicycle Shop has opened locally in Cabarita. A 9-5 weekday supply and repair store stocking Huffy and Giant amongst other brands all at reasonable opening store prices. I'll get some parts and servicing done on my bike in the coming weeks, The drive chain is stretched and the rear cluster needs replacing from wear and tear. (mainly it's lack of maintenance after riding some of the local dusty roads but mainly it is slackness on my part and some small part due to the kms we have travelled since we met last February)

In other news my daughter has returned from Japan. Which is very nice listening to her regale stories of her first OS trip!

And lastly I have finally got permission to access the Moobal Forest from Cudgera Creek Road and so will be able to complete some cruising circuits through the forest and Wardrop Valley in the coming months. But will wait for company. In amongst the hills and bush fire trails, being so far from aid and the closeness to some slithering sun loving reptiles could result in.... anyway I asked about taking another rider or two with me and that's cool.

While I'm here might as well say today's ride saw a wallaby, a goanna, and a live brown snake (cudgera creek road hill) and yes, you guessed it... the swooping attack of the nesting Magpie(s) resident on Round Mountain Road near the Hastings Point Sewer Works.

I'm not sure but it seemed like it was 2 separate birds as the attack was sustained over a distance of at least 250 meters. With me getting a weary arm from waving it about above my head as "the bird?" performed its ritual drop out of the sky, wings beating into a stall and then lunging at the helmet with it's beak. Ah Spring!