Ride To Work Day

So, with all the intentions of getting up at 7am to make the meeting time of 8am this morning for National Ride To Work Day’s free breakfast in Hobart’s CBD, I slept through and woke up at 8:30am. Shit eh.

Still, today provides a bit of a prompt to think about how we get to work every day. While we might struggle through winter’s gusts, rain, sleet, hail, and freezing cold early mornings, it’s coming into summer, and biking around the city is a real joy. Being outside, somewhat free of traffic, and breathing in the fresh air (unless you’re stuck behind a coughing mid-70s Mercedes Benz, that is) seems much more sane that being behind the wheel in peak hour traffic every day. While we don’t have the massive congestion problems of other cities, cycling to work is way less stressful than driving, at least for me, and there’s already enough stress at work for most people to deal with.

Good to see that NRTW Day is getting some coverage nationwide too. The report in that article suggests the number of commuters using bicycles to get to work in Melbourne has doubled in the past year. Some of this, no doubt, is due to the new trendiness of fixed-gear bikes, but regardless, whatever is making people hang up the car keys and drag out the pushies, it’s all good, and the more people cycling for commuting, the better things will be for cyclists in Australia’s cities.

City cyclist, courtesy ABC online

Not all of it is chance and luck though. Check out this article, from two years ago, that looks at ways of encouraging people to cycle to work in Melbourne, rather than drive or take the bus/train/tram. With a bit of foresight, cities can plan to become cycle-friendly. Let’s hope more cities can be as forward-thinking.

Dutch Courage

knoppies

Elite cycling and performance enhancing drugs are almost synonymous. Rasmussen, Vinokourov, Landis, EPO, Testosterone, Nandrolone.. but what about amateur cycling? Is it tarred with the same drug fuelled brush??

Anecdotally, I’d say yes.

Think back to the first time you attempted a large drop on your Mountain Bike.. had you consumed a few cans first? What about the first mono you ever pulled?? Was it done outside a pub after midnight??? Or think of the circumstances surrounding your first successful skid on a fixie.. did it involve consuming half a dozen pints at Knopwoods on a Friday arvo????

Without performance enhancing drugs many of us would never have progressed past bunny-hopping the curb.

Weekend fun and a Monday spin

Nate Saltus’ SchwinnNate Saltus’ SchwinnNate Saltus’ Schwinn

It’s been a while between updates here at BnC HQ, and for that we’re sorry. We (and we actually mean we, as there’s a few of us) have been riding, talking shit, and getting into the summery weather that’s been teasing us for the past month or so, which has meant a slowing down of new content on here. OK, well, it’s been quiet here for the past month or so. We’ve had a couple of group rides, and they look like being a regular thing.

So, if you’re not busy Monday the 15th, cruise down to Hobart’s Salamanca Lawns at 5:30 and say hi. We’ll go for a quick cruise and maybe throw down a couple of brews. All welcome, bring a skid lid and lights. It looks like we’ll be doing this a bit as the weather warms up, so get in early and come and have a spin with us. Casual as you like, as long as you can keep a reasonable pace.

The bike is Nate Saltus’ Schwinn. Appropriated from fixedgeargallery. Have a good weekend!

eWars

Ok, so for those who follow the online fixed community, you’ll no-doubt know that when it comes to Australian sites, Andy’s fyxomatosis.com and Dan’s shifterbikes.com are the two leaders of the pack (bad pun). There’s recently been a little bit of controversy over a new website (fixxxation.org, currently offline) that’s sprung up, and its similarity to Andy’s site. Understandable, because the likeness is a little strong. We’re a bit low on content here at the moment, so I thought I’d post up my 2c, as cross-posted from the fixed.org.au forums.

Continue reading “eWars”

Like xmas morning

Waiting for parts to arrive in the mail is like the excitement I felt waiting for xmas morning to roll around for so many years when I was a kid. There’s the feeling of anticipation – you don’t know exactly when your ill-gotten gains will find their way to you until you roll up panting to the letterbox and find that red and white parcel collection notice. And, like xmas morning, you don’t know exactly what surprises you might get. Granted, paying for something and waiting it to arrive from the US or elsewhere in the world isn’t quite the same as knowing you were going to get something, but not knowing exactly what, but hey, when can we really say we experience the same childish excitement these days?

Me, I’m waiting on the last piece of my build to arrive. There’ll be a very excited run to the post office when I get that golden ticket in the letterbox, and some feverish spanner work going down when my cranks arrive.

For now, my blue, red and white steed will do the job while the canary yellow fixed-to-be sits waiting for the heart transplant it needs to live.

Scream it until you’re coughing up blood

Against Me! are one of a few bands that really make me hurt. I mean a good hurt, deep down. Songs that hit me in a way I can’t explain. That make my chest feel like it can’t contain my heart. Their early stuff seems to make horizons open up and scream with potential. There’s an emotion locked inside those songs that wants to smash its way out every time I play them. I don’t know how many other people feel that, but I’d like to think a few others do. Maybe it’s the place I was at when I first heard them, maybe it’s the impact that band has had on where I am in my life right now, maybe it’s just that searing honesty that seems to tear its way through each lungful of air. Either way, it still hurts.

…and i cannot help but hold on to a handful of times when what was spoken was a revolution in itself, and what we were doing was the only thing that mattered.