Author: Mischa

Clever Trails

I’m a big fan of dead space being used for alternative activities. Be it markets, skating, music or any other public events. Mountain biking is traditionally a nature activity, which generally goes without saying. Apart from the guys riding trials and skate parks, there’s not a huge amount of attraction to riding your knobbly tyred suspension rig in the city. You usually have to ride a bit of a distance or jump in the car to get to trail heads, and it’s made worse the bigger your city. Which makes the i-5 Colonade MTB Park in Seattle all the more awesome. In a similar style to Burnside in Portland, C0lonade is a park built under the i-5 freeway. The obvious difference being that this particular park is build with dirt and wood, and designed for mountain bikes. Utilising a space that would otherwise be empty, the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club (who built that crazy rotating northshore section you saw in NWD) has built a brilliant skills park for local riders. It winds through the concrete pylons under the freeway and is filled with wall rides, drops, switchback sections, rock gardens and everything else mountain bikers love.

Naturally a space like this isn’t going to be a haven for flowing singletrack or epic downhill descents, but skill building parks like this can be invaluable to riders, especially when you’re stuck in the middle of a city.

Unfortunately it’s a long way from Hobart, but it’s inspiring to see that people can make such positive things from what was previously an empty area. Luckily we live at the foot of a brilliant mountain, criss-crossed with awesome singletrack and fire trails, and being improved with the likes of the new North-South Track.

Check out the following links for more info about i-5 Colonade.

Colonade Wiki
BBTC Website
Colonade Photo Gallery

Ride Of Silence

For those who may be near-by:

During the Ride of Silence, cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor their fellow riders, it is not a bunch ride nor a critical mass, it is a solemn occasion for riders to contemplate sharing the road with all road users and to remember those riders who are no longer able to enjoy riding though serious injury or fatality.

Every rider has their own story; many ride for personal reasons, to remember a friend, family member or colleague. Other cyclists take part to show respect and to show they still love cycling after injury or road incident.

Original link. 

… vs Cars

Posted on forums.farkin.net earlier today (emphasis mine):

Fuck them. (The motorists that is.) They’ll hate you because you’re a cyclist in front of them, no matter what. Whether you’re a reflective-vest-commuter-noob, lycra-clad-Dura-Ace-racer, an average joe on a mountain bike or a hardened-streetwise-courier.

It MAKES NO DIFFERENCE.
 Follow the rules. They hate you for slowing them down.
Break the rules. They hate you because you get to your destination faster than them.
Ride on the road. They hate you because “you don’t pay rego”.
Ride fast. They hate you because you’re constantly in front of them or passing them.

Basically, your average motorist has made up their mind a long time ago if they’re sympathetic to cyclists or not.
A sympathetic one will see a noob trying to make a difference, doing the right thing while out of their comfort zone. The vest will only reinforce this.
An unsympathetic one… well… nothing will ever convince them that a bike should be on the road, no matter what the skill level or experience.

Bottom line: Don’t worry about what the motorists think of cyclists. It won’t change things or their mind. Certainly not a full-on-flouro-vest-commuter, anyway. Support your own kind. Support other cyclists.

Original.

The Hobart papers have been filled with articles regarding the danger on our roads for truck drivers, cyclists and scooter riders. The common factor? Cars. It seems that far too much effort is put into regulating other forms of transport when the most common problem is the average moron who gets behind a wheel and thinks he/she has a god-given right to be on the road. If we don’t start seeing serious penalties for drivers who use their vehicles as weapons, things are going to get nasty.

A recent letter to the editor in The Mercury talked of trendy cyclists with their “trendy flashing lights” and how they become just another set of lights on the road. It seems that some drivers don’t believe their use of the road includes using their eyes to watch for other road users. Perhaps a helmet with a police-style flashing light and a loud, continuous siren would be the appropriate way to inform drivers that there’s a cyclist in the area. Maybe the best thing to do would be to cover cars in padding and limit their maximum speed to 10kp/h, that way drivers won’t have to take any responsibility for their actions and can bump into anything they damn well please.

Life is for the living

Quiet times at BnC HQ. Winter’s just around the corner and it seems to be scratching quite loudly at the door. The thermometer says 3 degrees celcius tonight, which made for an icy ride home at 9pm. Leg warmers are in full effect, as is the windstopper. Winter gloves are on the shelves at the moment and I’m sure it won’t be so long before they’re on hands as well. Not to mention ear warmers, neck warmers, thermals and all other assorted goodies
(I wish). The great thing about winter is that it makes for sweat-free riding. Good layering and good clothing can make for some damn enjoyable rides despite the cold. Early dark means night time trail riding becomes inevitable, which turns all your old favourites into fresh new tracks. Just make sure your lights are fully charged or you’ll end up bleeding on the whole walk home.

Friday night Silo Runs are happening again fairly regularly. We’re meeting on the lawns at Salamanca in Hobart, opposite Knoppies. Usually at about 5:30pm. The rides are casual and not super fast paced. Usually followed by (or involving)
food and some beers at the end of it all. Come along and stretch your legs before the weekend.

Ben’s building his SS mountain bike, while I’ve been taking the opposite direction and riding full carbon XC race machines. The future of the ol’ aluminium hardtail is looking grim indeed, as is the insides of my wallet. Love or lust? Either works for me.

Jerseys are in the works as well, but looking to be somewhat expensive due to our lust for rankings not earned (BnC WCS). Stay tuned ’cause we’ll be looking for feedback shortly.

Plans are happening for skid crits, alleycats, hipster street fixie builds, and plenty of other antics. Keep in touch and let us know what you’re doing over winter. If you want to ride, you know where to find us!

Silo Run – TONIGHT!

Yo suckers, we’re meeting tonight to get the BnC Silo Runs happening again. All your winter riding and Friday boozing needs wrapped up into one messy package. Bring ya bike and come for a fairly short ride to somewhere, before returning to the city and drinking some beer. Bring a friend.

Meet at Salamanca Lawns (opposite Knopwoods) at 5:30pm. Bring a bike, some lights and a lock. All welcome!