Tahune MTB Marathon

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That’s right, we’re taking the soft option! Bottles And Chains are entering a rolling gang into the 50km leg of the Tahune MTB Marathon (technically it’s called the Macquarie Accounting Challenge, but no one knows what you’re talking about if you call it that). Everyone else is probably doing the 100km leg, but heavy beer consumption over the last few years has resulted in lower peak fitness for the BnC crew, so that would likely kill us all. Much better to do 50km and still be able to walk during the following month. That said, a bar-stool recovery program holds some promise of rehabilitation.

If you want to come along and join us you should go and register. We’re not going to be doing it in a stressful manner (not if I have anything to say about it) and no one will laugh at you if you fall off (much). Registration closes today! So yeah, do it now or you’ll miss out and you’ll have to sit at home on a Sunday and spend all day recovering from your hangover on the couch eating chips and watching DVDs, when you could quite easily be out in the wilderness getting dirty and sweaty and feeling like you’re about to die!

Register here, hombres.

Grundyundies new bike

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As promised earlier, here are some better quality pics of Mat Grundy’s new ride. Built (Frankenstein style) by the big man himself (with a little help from Grasshopper jnr jnr..). The set up has a few unusual attributes. Ah, note the front hub.. yep, it’s a BMX hub.. but the hub and rim hole counts didn’t match so there was a bit of improv wheel building action.  ..um, the front fork is an old school 1″ touring job.. probably perfect for a man of his stature? The seat post bolt is out of Russ’s old Repco Superlight.. the stock Soma bolt stripped out on the 1st attempt to tighten it.. Lame. Brake lever courtesy of my Surly emo and until it’s recent liberation, the brake itself had been living at the bottom of a spare parts box @ Treadlies for the past 15 years. Cranks are old Campy mountain bike cranks? WTF? Strange but true. Seems to ride well.. although the pilot did whinge a bit about having to pedal ALL the time.. so much for him being a seasoned single speeder.* 

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*(I always suspected that single speeding wasn’t about bikes and was all about the beer).

Live fast, die old

Andy linked up to the kids at Cycle Jerks today, and because I’m always impressed by a cheesy punk rock reference I felt the need to spread it further (given how our readership is so massive and all, ha!). They’re a bunch of nuts from Denver, Colorado and their blog has a bunch of videos and other suitably random and good shit on it. “Full of racing, blood and beer. What the fuck else is there?”. Sounds good. They also have a radical logo, suitably ripped off.

So yeah, don’t get off the internet quite yet, go look at their website. If you’re from Hobart, don’t buy a t-shirt or I’ll be forced to wrassle the shit outa ya.

Christmas Carnivals past..?

THE Latrobe Wheel

How fkn cool are these shots? I fished them out of some old issues of ‘Tasmanian Mail’. The above shots were taken at the 1907 Latrobe Wheel.. Hard packed clay track.. supposedly the best in the state at that time? And the shot below is of the 1908 Scottsdale Wheel!! This is the track my Grandmama’s cousin’s were racing on back in the 1940s.. (See my earlier Old Bike’spost) My Grandma can’t remember if this was a dirt or grass track and I can’t tell from the pic which it is either.. yeah, sorry about the picture quality eh.. Photocopying micro-film! Not ever going to be good!!

Ah, these shots are getting me pumped for some B’n’C grass track racing!! hmmn.. another possible future event?

Scottsdale Wheel

No grave but the sea

The Sea Shepherd crew are at it again, with two of their crew being held on a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters. They’re a great organisation whose direct-action protests actually target the guilty parties, which is all too rare these days (although there’s nothing quite like a bit of black bloc molotov cocktail action). Go read!

In bicycle news, clouds have been gathering and the forecast seems to be for another alleycat some time soon. We’ll let you know when we find out more.

There’s also been some chatter regarding the 2008 Single Speed Nationals in Tasmania, so hopefully we’ll see more info surfacing on that!

The photos from the now-infamous Christmas Alleycat have been provided to us in an unmarked manilla envelope, obviously shot by an unknown contributor with a high powered telephoto lens. We’re all being watched! While the race report has yet to materialise (I take full responsibility, but if you want to know what happens at these things you should just show up! Haha), the photos and results will finally be online…shortly.

We’ve also got some plans for official BnC jerseys (and skin suits?) in the pipeline, so we’re going to be needing your feedback! For starters, if anyone can recommend a jersey manufacturer who make good quality gear with low minimum unit requirements, let us know!

Stay tuned, this party’s only just getting started!

BnC’s weekend in review

Friday – Track @ Newtown

8 riders turned out, but with 1 escaped dog needing rescuing (?) only 6 riders raced.. and as no Hobart Wheelers were present, well, we held the fort and organised some races.  Andrew took out the 10 lap scratch race with Michael coming a close 2nd, myself in 3rd and Glen in 4th. Ah, next we held a sprint derby complete with heats and finals.. the end results were.. 1st Ben 2nd Glen 3rd Michael 4th Clint 5th Andrew 6th Mat. It was a fun night, Mat Grundy had his first ever crack at track and rode well.. and we’ll all be out there again this friday so come along!

Saturday – Advocate Newspaper 

To the Advocate readers who overwhelmingly responded in the affirmative to the newspapers poll question, ‘should bicycle riders be banned from major roads?’ ..wake up! Shame on the North-West Coast! : (

Sunday – Mersey Valley Devonport Cycling Club Carnival

Attended the MVDCC Carnival on Sunday. Great event.. but one bad fall in the womens Keiren stopped racing for several hours and the program had to be cut short. I don’t know who the rider that fell was or what injuries she sustained but I hope you recover and are back on track soon! Ah, a few riders from Hobart turned out (Justin x 2 & Andrea) and we all made the finals of our respective events (1000m & 2000m), I think Justin McMullins may have placed 4th in the 1000m but I may be wrong? (geez those NW boys are quick!!) Cheers to the blokes from the MVDCC who help with pushing, I owe you a beer!

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But most exciting was what I found under the grandstand.. A roller racing set-up! Took a few pics for reference and asked a few questions.. and as a result, we may have secured the first parts for our BnC R.R build!

Old bikes

I’ve just read Manbau’s post on Fixed.org.au (http://fixed.org.au/forums/index.php?topic=3448.0) regarding a 1938 four star Malvern Star track bike he picked up after posting a ‘wanted’ ad in the local rag.. It got me thinking, “How many old bikes are still out there in A-grade condition?”. I imagine that alot of pushies have ended their days on the tip face, replaced by more modern equipment or discarded after the owner passed away.. but surely a few would have survived the passage of time?

I know from my own forays into backsheds and garages that treasure is out there.. I once spent an arvo in a old packing shed sorting through a hundred or more bikes. There were certainly ‘gems’ in there, a Massey Harris track bike circa 1890/1900, assorted track bikes/frames dating from the 1920s to the 1950s, a 1970’s cruiser with GT racing stripe seat and sissy-bar as well as a 1950s Ken Self townbike with sparrow bars and 3spd hub. This collection was owned by an old bloke who had spent the past 40 years rescuing bicycles from the tip and although alot of them were in perfect condition, many weren’t. Regardless, this isn’t what I’m really referring to..

I would love to know the fate of all of those bikes that were loved by their owners , bikes like our own that have memories attached and have been carefully maintained and looked after. For example, what of the track bikes ridden in the 1950s? The owners would now be in their 70s or 80s.. and I imagine that alot of them would have hung on to their rides for nostalgic reasons, there could be a whole mothball fleet out there! Actually, come to think of it, I can think of a similiar example. Only recently I saw a 1970s blue and yellow Ken Self track bike get pulled out of storage after not seeing the light of day since 1978. It was in immaculate condition still.. but the owner, now well into his 50s and highly unlikely to ever race track again was not selling. After an hour in the sun trackside, the Ken Self was returned to it’s resting place in the backshed.

It’s a similar story in my own family.. what happened to the bikes I see in old family snaps? My Great-grandfather rode a wonderful looking bike to work everyday and several of my Grandmothers cousins rode trackbikes seriously in the 1940s ..but where are those bikes? I think I’m going to have to spend a few more sundays going to garage sales. Out.

Ben’s Great-grandads bike

Track is back! Tonight!!

Track is back! Tonight!! Newtown Oval, 6pm with racing beginning at 6:30pm. No points, no money, no trophies or sashes, just some fun. It will cost you a fiver (got to pay for the track somehow). Anyone who is keen for a second series, come along.. The Dirt Devils/Hobart Wheelers are gauging interest and a second series will depend upon numbers. Bring your friends, bring your families, bring your grandma, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Riding our luck. PART 2

THE SECOND INSTALLMENT IN OUR GRIPPING SAGA

Fortunately before too long Mischa’s keen eyes spotted what appeared an ancient, overgrown horse and buggy road which lead away down the hill. We decided to follow it figuring it must join up to a road somewhere. We were right. A raucous bash down the dodgy old road ended in an abrupt halt when we were confronted by a barbed wire fence that cut right across the path. As we desperately skidded to a stop and the bracken settled we could clearly hear the sweet sound of tyre on asphalt. We had found the highway. Ben lead on AS Mischa and I followed and we carried our bikes over one last fence, through a ditch and over a blackberry bush to finally stumble out onto our own ‘yellow brick road’. Never mind that this road was black and sticky with the heat, it was going to lead us straight to the Longley hotel and sweet relief. Continue reading “Riding our luck. PART 2”