Very happy right now :)
 

I have been doing this particular piece of road for about 3 years or so
now - you know the one I am talking about, that one with the long lonely
dark stretch.

Well, it is 13.8kms with lotsa flat bits and a bit of a climb in the
last 300m or so and try as I may and try as I might, my best time over
the years has been 32 minutes (usual range 34-38mins).

That is until tonight :) I finally cracked 30 minutes and yes, I cheated
by using the Cannondale which allowed me to maintain a relatively high
cadence throughout the ride by judiciously selecting the right gears.

I could have had been a bit quicker except for the road being a bit wet
and I did stop for the traffic lights as I normally do.

I am happy :)

I doubt I'll ever do 30mins again as I'll be back on my everyday bike
from tomorrow. Never mind - at least I know I cracked it once :)

Very happy right now :)
 

On 11/01/2011 1:11 AM, Geoff Lock wrote:
I have been doing this particular piece of road for about 3 years or so
now - you know the one I am talking about, that one with the long lonely
dark stretch.

Well, it is 13.8kms with lotsa flat bits and a bit of a climb in the
last 300m or so and try as I may and try as I might, my best time over
the years has been 32 minutes (usual range 34-38mins).

That is until tonight :) I finally cracked 30 minutes and yes, I cheated
by using the Cannondale which allowed me to maintain a relatively high
cadence throughout the ride by judiciously selecting the right gears.

I could have had been a bit quicker except for the road being a bit wet
and I did stop for the traffic lights as I normally do.


Stopping at traffic lights - is that mandatory now for cyclists! doesn't
seem to happen too often in Sydney tho.

I am happy :)

I doubt I'll ever do 30mins again as I'll be back on my everyday bike
from tomorrow. Never mind - at least I know I cracked it once :)

Very happy right now :)
 

On 11/01/2011 1:24 AM, Rob wrote:
On 11/01/2011 1:11 AM, Geoff Lock wrote:

I could have had been a bit quicker except for the road being a bit wet
and I did stop for the traffic lights as I normally do.


Stopping at traffic lights - is that mandatory now for cyclists! doesn't
seem to happen too often in Sydney tho.

Heheheh :) I know, many don't and good luck to them. I guess it is the
same in any big city anywhere in the world with very few exceptions if
at all.

It is tempting to jump the lights at 0300 as there are usually zero cars
on the road but I use the stops to practice my balancing act at which I
am pretty hopeless at. I am always jealous of cyclists who casually pull
up beside me at the lights and just "stand" there on their two wheels
like it was the most normal thing to be doing.

On a more serious note, the way I see it is that when I am on the road,
I demand the protection of the law as I am more vulnerable compared to
other traffic. So if I cross the "t"'s and dot the "i"'s, my estate
could make a lot of money in the event of anything unfortunate happening
to me on the road. :) I know I know, it's not that I am a law-abiding
goodie-two-shoes but the $$ payoff I am chasing :)

Very happy right now :)
 

On Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:56:58 +1100, Geoff Lock wrote:

On a more serious note, the way I see it is that when I am on the road,
I demand the protection of the law as I am more vulnerable compared to
other traffic. So if I cross the "t"'s and dot the "i"'s, my estate
could make a lot of money in the event of anything unfortunate happening
to me on the road.

What are you talking about?! Everyone knows it's always the cyclist's
fault, he just swerved in front of me officer!.

(PS steer into the camber of the road, it makes it easier to trackstand)

--
Dave Hughes -
Lithospheric flight paths typically result in extremely high drag
coefficients, often quite a bit in excess of design parameters.
- Rick Dickinson

Very happy right now :)
 

On 11/01/2011 6:35 PM, Dave Hughes wrote:
On Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:56:58 +1100, Geoff Lock wrote:

On a more serious note, the way I see it is that when I am on the road,
I demand the protection of the law as I am more vulnerable compared to
other traffic. So if I cross the "t"'s and dot the "i"'s, my estate
could make a lot of money in the event of anything unfortunate happening
to me on the road.

What are you talking about?! Everyone knows it's always the cyclist's
fault, he just swerved in front of me officer!.

Not this cyclist, officer :) He gonna dots as many "i"s as he can and
cross as many "t"s as he can and he has a good solicitor who has been
already been informed of his very safe riding habits, eg 2x rear lights,
2x hi-vis vests, his traffic awareness, his road positioning, etc etc
etc etc :)

I am reasonably certain I have done enough for my estate to collect but
it does not mean I shouldn't be doing more, of cos :)


(PS steer into the camber of the road, it makes it easier to trackstand)


Mate, I've tried EVERYTHING and I have blamed EVERYTHING and it ain't no
use - I am hopeless at it. :( I just know I am totally useless :( More
practice probably the only thing left for me to do even if it ain't
helping very much so far :(

Very happy right now :)
 

Geoff Lock wrote:

snippage


(PS steer into the camber of the road, it makes it easier to trackstand)


Mate, I've tried EVERYTHING and I have blamed EVERYTHING and it ain't no
use - I am hopeless at it. :( I just know I am totally useless :( More
practice probably the only thing left for me to do even if it ain't
helping very much so far :(

Have you tried finding a quiet piece of road with a grassy verge lined with
logs or those low treated pine 'fences' that come about halfway up your
front wheel? Ride your bike slowly up to a log/railing so that your front
wheel jams up against it at a right angle. In this position your bike
doesn't wobble sidways so quickly while you practise trackstanding, and you
can get a feeling for what works and what doesn't.

Middle Head Road out on Georges Heights past HMAS Penguin has suitable
infrastructure for trackstand practice.

HTH

Very happy right now :)
 

On 12/01/2011 10:40 PM, beerwolf wrote:
Geoff Lock wrote:

snippage


(PS steer into the camber of the road, it makes it easier to trackstand)


Mate, I've tried EVERYTHING and I have blamed EVERYTHING and it ain't no
use - I am hopeless at it. :( I just know I am totally useless :( More
practice probably the only thing left for me to do even if it ain't
helping very much so far :(

Have you tried finding a quiet piece of road with a grassy verge lined with
logs or those low treated pine 'fences' that come about halfway up your
front wheel? Ride your bike slowly up to a log/railing so that your front
wheel jams up against it at a right angle. In this position your bike
doesn't wobble sidways so quickly while you practise trackstanding, and you
can get a feeling for what works and what doesn't.


Hmmm, ok, maybe I haven't tried everything :) Jamming the front wheel
against something sounds interesting. Thanks for the tips guys! :)

Very happy right now :)
 

On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:28:38 +1100, Geoff Lock wrote:

Mate, I've tried EVERYTHING and I have blamed EVERYTHING and it ain't no
use - I am hopeless at it. :( I just know I am totally useless :( More
practice probably the only thing left for me to do even if it ain't
helping very much so far :(

Find a gentle uphill - something where it's easy to start riding, but
you'll roll backwards if you don't use the brakes. Once you've got the
basics you can work on flat roads and even downhills, but it's much easier
on a slight uphill. You should be in a gear that's comfortable to start on
that gradient.

Stand up with your strong foot forward and lean over the bars, turning
them to one side. Some people say toward the front foot, others away. Try
and find what works for you. Use tension on your front foot to hold you
still. You can also use the brake to help you.

If you're falling towards the direction the wheel is pointing press on the
pedal. This pushes the bike back under you. If you're falling away then
release pressure and roll back a bit. The trick is to have your weight a
fair way forward so it's more or less above the stem. While they're
different, it's no harder on a road bike vs a mountain bike or vice versa
(except that really long travel bikes are awkward because you have to deal
with the suspension sag!).

Start without any clips or straps on your pedals, preferably where it's
fairly soft if you totally stuff it up!

Bikeskills.com has a howto video, but it's not that great. If you can get
hold of "Tricks and Stunts", a trials instructional video from the 90s,
there is a really good tutorial. I've got a copy on VHS somewhere...

Remember, it's 100 bonus points for completing a ride without haveing to
touch a foot to the ground! Keep practising and you'll get there.
--
Dave Hughes -
The family that chooses words with care together is the family that
avoids needless violence and gunplay together, is our motto.

Very happy right now :)
 

On 13/01/2011 10:13 AM, Dave Hughes wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:28:38 +1100, Geoff Lock wrote:

Mate, I've tried EVERYTHING and I have blamed EVERYTHING and it ain't no
use - I am hopeless at it. :( I just know I am totally useless :( More
practice probably the only thing left for me to do even if it ain't
helping very much so far :(

Remember, it's 100 bonus points for completing a ride without haveing to
touch a foot to the ground! Keep practising and you'll get there.

Oyy!! How did you know I chase those 100 points on every ride I do? :)

I have scored a few of them bonus points on my rides and yes, it is very
satisfying even if I don't really trackstand - it was more like a track
wobble with a few lurches thrown in :)

Thanks for those tips, folks. I'll keep practising - I promise.

Very happy right now :)
 

On Jan 11, 1:24*am, Rob wrote:


Stopping at traffic lights - is that mandatory now for cyclists! doesn't
seem to happen too often in Sydney tho.


I see a hell of a lot (most) pedestrians walking across intersections
against the red light, all ages, sexes and nationalities. You never
hear anyone comment about this but as soon as a cyclist does it seems
to be a heinous crime.