Archive for the 'Bikes' Category

Forwards, backwards or sideways

Published at February 23, 2007 in Bikes and Websites. 0 Comments

Over the past few years, I have spent several thousand dollars on various pedal-powered vehicles. I must say, I’m pretty happy with my purchases, and I get a lot of use out my bikes.

It seems that the traditional forward-facing bicycle is getting a bit old, a bit stale for some people. If you feel that you fit into this group, maybe you should check out the Sideways Bicycle. I wonder how long until my Local Bike Shop has one in stock?

Personally, I think this “invention” is a load of rubbish, but nobody cares what I think.

You gotta want it

Published at October 6, 2006 in Bikes and Media Watch. 0 Comments

I’ve wanted a road bike for quite a while now, but haven’t purchased one because I have had more pressing things to spend my money on. Apparently some people aren’t as patient/honest as me.

This guy wanted a road bike REALLY bad!

Cyclists and road rules

Published at October 2, 2006 in Bikes and Media Watch. 0 Comments

Driving to work this morning, we travelled much of the length of Bridge Road with a 30-something male cyclist who we see most mornings. The reason I keep noticing him is because he’s one of those cyclists who feels it’s not necessary for him to obay the road rules. He doesn’t stop at red lights, he doesn’t indicate when he’s going to turn, etc etc. Cyclists like him really get on my nerves.

How can we (cyclists) hope to have a fair go on the roads and be respected by other motorists and not be killed because other road users are actually aware of us and keep their eyes open, if motorists see cyclists as arrogant pricks who think they are above the law.

I bet most car drivers would like to run red lights if there are no cars coming in the other direction, but they don’t. Pull you head in, bikers, and do the right thing.

In a related story, an article in the paper this morning: If you’re male and you ride, beware. Maybe our law-breaking cyclist should have a read.

Watch for cyclists

Published at September 29, 2006 in Bikes and Media Watch. 0 Comments

It’s been a horror 24 hours for cyclists in Melbourne. Be carefull please cyclists and motorists.

Cyclists critical after road accidents

A quick update

Published at September 14, 2006 in Bikes, Our House and Work. 0 Comments

It’s quite obvious that I’ve had a busy few weeks and have neglected my posting responsibilities. Here is a speedy update for those of you who are suffering any withdrawal symptoms – cold sweats, shakes, hallucinations etc.

New job
Going really well. I’ve been there 3 weeks now and have made some good progress on a few major projects.

House
I’ve evolved into a bunnings-addicted handyman, going there every weekend since we moved in. I’ve learnt about plumbing (for the dishwasher), the correct screws for plaster-board (to hang towel rails and pictures), how to install a dealock and that you can buy a ladder for only $36.
The only negative about the house is the ‘fly problem’. There are flies getting in the house from somewhere, and we can’t find where, therefore we can’t stop them. Hopfully, with some through detective work, we will get to the bottom of the problem on the weekend.

Mountian bike
Haven’t been riding for weeks, probably a direct result of the Bunnings addiction mentioned above.

Miscellaneous ovservation
Jane and I were driving home from work today and we stopped at one of the 400 sets of red lights we caught. We were stopped in front of one of those huge Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD beasts. In a fairly sterotypical comment I’m going to say that the driver was predictably a middle-aged women who would have been no taller than 5’5″ and was only just able to see over the steering wheel. It seems that the short genes were passed down from her mother who, I assume, was sitting in the front passenger seat. I must say though, I could only just see grandma in the front seat, with just her forhead and eyebrows poking up over the dashboard. I had three thoughts about this situation: 1. Why is a very short adult allowed in the front seat while a young child who may be taller, not allowed?; 2. the car trip must have been very boring for grandma, not being able to see the outside world; and 3. It was a hilarious sight.

That’s all for now.

Nano-gear set to ride into the future

Published at July 7, 2006 in Bikes and Tech. 0 Comments

The future is small, bright and weighs next to nothing.

Nanotechnology, the manipulation of materials at the atomic or molecular stage, is still an emerging science but developers are throwing millions of dollars into discovering ways to harness its many applications.

As part of the Melbourne Design Festival’s Fabric of the Future showcase, RMIT University textile student Jaqui Valdman developed a concept to use luminescent nano polymers and integrate them into safety gear for cyclists. “I cycle and I just find that the safety gear around at the moment is pretty naff and a lot of women don’t wear it because it’s pretty ugly, so I tried to think of an idea where you could have something really cool but be safe at the same time,” Ms Valdman said.

NanoVic, a joint venture between three Melbourne universities and the CSIRO, provided the nanotechnology for the exhibition of 23 student works.

Ms Valdman’s project is a prototype jacket with glowing plastic-coated currents running across the seams. Melbourne bag designers Crumpler produced one of their courier bags with glowing stripes sewn to the front. The light is powered by a small battery pack.

Ms Valdman, a final-year textile student, hit on the idea for the “Commuter” when considering a future where the availability and cost of petrol causes people to turn to man-powered transport, such as bicycles.

Fabric of the Future is at the RMIT Brunswick campus from July 12 to 14.

Source: The Age, By Dewi Cooke.

Broken chain

Published at June 18, 2006 in Bikes. 0 Comments

A few of the boys went for a ride at Lysterfield today. I broke my chain while riding from the car to the park entry gate – a distance of about 15m. This was after I had repaired a link that had half broken. Obviously I need more practice with the tools. I didn’t attempt to take the broken link out again because the chain is already 3 links shorter than it should be, and the shorter it gets the more it plays havoc with your gears.

The bike needed a good servce even before this happened, so I will take it to the shop and get it back all ship-shape and good as new.

As it happened, Rob forgot his shoes and so I rode his bike and he took mine home.

Wear a helmet!

Published at June 7, 2006 in Bikes and Websites. 0 Comments

I just found a website that is a perfect example for why you should wear a helmet when riding your bicycle. The site has some pretty graphic pictures of a brain surgery procedure performed on a guy who suffered an Epidural hematoma (bleading artery in his brain) after a bike accident. He cracked his skull through his helmet, imagine what damage would have been done if he wasn’t wearing it. In his words “my helemt saved my life”.

If you need convincing, look at the site. If you have a weak stomach, just take my word for it.

Tom’s Brain Surgery

Death of a Flying Pigeon

Published at May 23, 2006 in Bikes. 1 Comment

It seems that everyone wants a bike as cool as mine!

——————-

China’s bike fades to black
By Tianjin
May 23, 2006

ONE of the most iconic symbols of old China — the sturdy, gearless black bicycle ridden by the masses — is running out of customers in Lycra-clad, mountain-biking modern China.

Sales at Flying Pigeon, the state bicycle company set up after the Communist revolution in 1949, have plummeted so far that the company is considering outsourcing to South-East Asia and Africa to cut costs.

Tens of thousands of Flying Pigeon and the other two former state brands, Forever and Phoenix, still travel the cycle lanes of China’s cities. But cars are now king and the cycle lanes are being rebranded highways.

Bicycles have been banned in parts of Shanghai to ease congestion and cycling in Beijing has become a daily suicide mission with 1500 new cars a day swerving onto the capital’s roads.

In a cut-throat market, the only bicycles selling well are racers and mountain bikes. Most up-and-coming Chinese would not be seen dead on Flying Pigeon’s sturdy 20-kilogram bone-shaker with its reinforced crossbar to carry pigs.

Sales have plunged since the 1980s when 4 million cycles were sold each year. Last year 1.5 million were made, 30 per cent of which were exported.

Yet the company does not believe in advertising. “We have no need to advertise. Everybody in China knows Flying Pigeon,” the company’s export director, Wang Dajian, said.

Asked if he was willing to enter a joint venture to help to modernise the company, Mr Wang was horrified. “Never! No! Too much history, too much culture. We can never have joint venture here. Flying Pigeon is too Chinese, too traditional.”

Traditional perhaps, but many of the young employees who make up the 500-strong workforce arrive at work on stylish mountain bikes.

Source: theage.com.au

Roaming

Published at May 15, 2006 in Bikes and Movies. 0 Comments

Yesterday I went to a special screening of uber-cool MTB movie Roam. It’s made by The Collective, who I made mention to a few posts ago. I must say, after the ground-breaking work that was done for the original Collective film, I was expecting Roam to be very new and different again. Unfortunately, it was very similar to its predecessor. There were lots of the same riders (including Ryan Leech, who is a superstar), some of the locations were the same as was the camera work. Don’t get me wrong, it was very entertaining and I will probably buy a copy on DVD, but I thought it could have been better.