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. ... ~;..J~~_b . L.J • .!:::="":'m!M The all ne 89 Slwgun Grouno'BreaR r ·s a welcome addition to our quality A.T.B. range. It features lightweight chromoly tubing, Shimano's incomparable 18 speed Mountain LX Groupo with SIS capability, Hyper-Glide Cassette and Biopace HP chainrings. All this for only $835.00 recommended retail. S H OGUN BICYCLES THE TRADITION CONTINUES Regular columns 82 CALENDAR 31 HI HATCHER ft NEWS 1 JOHN DRUIIIIOID 14 NEW PRODUCTS 5 WARREN SALOIIOI • PHIL SOMERVILLE • CLASSIFIEDS

Editor warren Salomon Production Manager Ian WIiker Administration Manager An1•e Daskalak•s Marketing Director LynclaPMnce Subscriptions Coordinator a•nalhomos lumber 51July/Ausus1981 Promotions Coordinator PhHUsAa•os Contents Group Advertising Manager Features Travel & touring 51:ephen Kay 26 IIARYELLOUS 42 THE EMERALD ISLE (02) 331 5006 Touring in Ireland Advertising Sales Executive MELBOURNE Andrew Jeffery The greatest ofour 56 JOURIEYTHROUGH (02) 331 5006 cycling cities? JORDAN Advertising Production • ULTRA In search ofthe red city of Bre1:1: Cbesll•re LIGHTWEIGHT Petra Editorial Director HELMETS 60 ALLTHEWAYTO Andrew Cowell We survey the latest head THETOP Publisher protection By bike to the top of PhmpMason JO BUYIIGA Kosciusko Freewheeling is published seven times a year by Mason LIGHTWEIGHT Stewart Publishing Pty Ltd in the months of January, Sport and fitness March, May, July, September, October and November. A strategic bike buyers ISSN No: 01S6 4579. 46 RIDING II A BUNCH Adve rtising, Subscription and Administration guide addre ss: PO Box 746 Darlinghurst NSW 2010. Training/or the road Telephone (02) 331 S006. Telex 72964 MASPUB. 48 11111 AID NE Fax: (02) 331 6624. The youngest rider tells 62 WONDER WOIIEI Edi torial correspondence: PO Box K26, Haymarket Aussie women winners NSW 2000. Telephone (02) 264 8544 Fax (02) 264 8357. her story Distribution: Gordon & Gotch (A/asia) Ltd Mel bourne. Type setting:Everysize Typeart Service (02) 982 116 3 66 WORLDCUP Printing: O ffset Al pine Pty Ltd D erby & Wetheri ll Sts, TRIATHLON Silverwater NSW (02) 647 1000. Mountain bikes Material in this publication may not be stored or repro­ A pictorial feature duced in any form with out permission. Requests for 35 IIUD NIST AID permission should be directed to the Publisher. Editorial contributions including black and white/colour prints or NADIESS Technical colour transparencies on all aspects of cycling are welcomed. Send an enquiry or write for guidelines. Oz MTB champ breaks 15 SHORTCRAINS Copyright © 1989 Mason Stewart Publishing winning spree Pty Ltd Only long legs need long 30 GEARING IP FOR cranks Cover photograph by Chuck Smeaton taken THE IATIOIAU Jt BOTTON BRACKETS during a very muddy NSW Mountain Bike Championships held recently near Newcastle. Our New gear and coming Part3 ofour coverage of this event starts on page 35. events maintenance p lan

Freewheeling J Another epoch-making development in chains by Izumi. The shift change is now. Lighter, quieter, and smoother. IZUMI CLICK INDEX CHAIN Features Hard coating 1. The shift response is quick, and the shift point deviations are small. This de­ By special treatment, the surface of the steel pins is combined wrth metal com­ raileur chain is ideal for the index system. pounds. The hardness of the pin surface is therefore very high, recorded as a 2. The shift changes accurately at the same time as the click sound of the vickers hardness of HV 1,400 (Diamond is HV 10,000). It has outstanding durabil­ system. ity and wear resistance even in the endurance road races. What's more, its chain 3. By lzumi's original chain design, complicated adjustments can be done quite life is more than 3 times longer than the standard product. The change of the simply. side bow due to elongation of the chain is very slight, so that a stable shift 4. As the chain is of a bushless structure and the shape of the inner plate changing performance may be maintained over a long period. minimized, with the burring process, even while shifting the gears, running is very quiet. 5. Wrth this lightweight parts design, the weight is reduced by 7 to 10% compared with our standard type.

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Wide type 800 Carburising w (pin length 7.6mm) (blank) Standard type Contact to: Narrow type REPCO CYCLE COMPANY 1400 Hard coating N (pin length 7.3mm) s Lightweight type Head Office: 25 Hamilton Street, Huntingdale. Vic., 3166 Phone 568 0211 Remarks 1) You can make any selection from the above. 2) In accordance with your request, gold, silver and other combinations are available. Specifications are subject to change without notice. EDITORIAL Warren Salomon A bumpy road ahead for Nelbourne•s cyclis1s How anew Minister has set back the cycle scene by at least a decade.

N THIS ISSUE OF FREE­ As the confe re nce proceeded I be­ At the end of the Geelong conference wheeling we a re continuing our came aware that up in Me lbourne the a valuable consensus was reached wh en series on the great cycl ing cities fate of the State Bicycle Committee was the delegates agreed to a statement of with a look at what the fair city of being decided by Transport Minister Jim direction summing up the findings of th e MelbourneI has to offer. When o ne Kenn an and hi s advisors. His SBC chair­ gathering. To date this statement has not thinks of Melbourne as a cyclists' ci ty man , who some say was appointed last been released to the public by the SBC o ne immediately thinks of bike paths, year to oversee the dismantling of the and a number of the interstate delegates wide tree lined boulevards, flat terrain committee, o nl y ma naged a sho rt feel sli ghtly miffed by the Victori an gov­ a nd a benign and sy mpathetic govern­ speech before he took off back to the ernment's new fou nd lack of interest in ment to inj ect a bit of equity back into a seat of power leaving all the other SBC the welfare of cycling and cyclists of th e transport system loaded heavil y agai nst chairpersons to chat among themselves. state. the humble pedal pusher. The SBC staff put up a brave front Things have unfo rtuna te ly taken a and were gracious hosts but they were As matters stand now the State Bicy­ turn for the worst in Victoria a nd its plainly embarrassed by the disgraceful cle Committee has been disbanded and capital Melbourne. The bikepaths, wide political ma noeuvrings wh ich were will be reconstituted as an advisory com­ streets and fl at landscape are still the going on behind the scenes. Later in the mittee probably simil ar to the commuter attractive features but the government week aft er a bit of public skirm ishing in counci l or th e lik e. The staff of the old has turned negative and even antagonis­ the media Bicycle Victoria re presenta­ SBC have now been taken to the bosom tic. tives met with th e minister and received of the Road Traffic Autho rity whi ch is Recently I was in Geelong with rep­ a to ngue lashing seemingly intended to soon to be combined with the Road resentatives of the country's state bicy­ make them feel like naughty school chil­ Construction Authority to form the cle committees a nd bicycle advocate dren. Roads Corporati on. • groups to attend a three day workshop hosted by the State Bicycle Committee of Victoria. Before I set off to that con­ ference I even wrote about it o ur last issue . Perhaps I was too harsh when I predicted that the gathering would be no more than a gab fest for junketeering bureaucrats because for the West Aus­ tralians , New South Welshpersons and others it was not. It was good to see so many earnest and hard working professionals meeting in one place for a free exchange of ideas. However I was amazed when one of the suspicions I mentioned in my last edito­ rial - the Victorian Government's ul­ terior motive behind the choice of Geelong as the venue - was proven to be reasonably close to the mark. The selecti o n of Geelong as a venue (when it should have been held in Mel­ bourne) was apparently made because of the lack of a suitable venue with li ve­ in confere nce faci li ties - a t re lati vely short notice - in the capital. Regardless of the physical reasons for the choice of venue it still served its political purpose to keep the influential meeting at a safe distance while dirty work was being done in Melbourne. Cartoon by Phil Somerville

Freewheeling S • Those in favour of the move say that Both the RTA a nd the RCA have em­ li sts in th a t s tate a nd no a mo unt of as a legitimate pa rt of the state road barked o n cycle re la ted programs of smarmy explanations can hide this fact. constructio n a utho rity the staff of the their own and even have specialist staff By a lso shoving cycling in with the Bicycl e Coordination Unit (as it is now who work on these projects so it is hard roads a utho rity it will ma ke it much known) will have a much better chance to see what the new a rrangeme nt will easier fo r the lazy bureaucrats in Educa­ o f influe ncing the way roads are built cha nge within these very la rge bodies tion a nd the railways to wash thei r hands and be bette r able to integrate the needs other th an a loss of staff working in that of the who le cycling business a nd the of cycli sts into the overall road building a rea as th e departments me rge into programs they a re s upposed t o unde r­ program . Roads Inc or the like. take as part of the Melbourne Bikepl an.

It is importa nt to no te th a t a ll the As Australia hurtles towards an uncer­ No matte r what is said to defend the state bicycle commi ttees around the ta in e n,·ironme ntal future s tra pped to Ministe r's decisio n it is plainly obvio us country s ta rt ed the ir lives as advisory th e wheel of a petroleum guzzling tra ns­ th at in th e past cyclists had a hi gh level committees to the minister a nd were portation system (which already pumps body with direct access to the top deci­ upgraded to full stat us as the ir work mo re carbo n dioxide a nd o the r sion m ake r, with its own budget and able proceeded. In this li ght it is clear that Greenhouse gasses into the atmosphe re to in itiate programs fo r the good of its what has happened in Victoria is a con­ tha n anything e lse) it would seem sensi­ constituents - the cycli sts of Victoria. scious downgrading of the s tatus of eye- ble to regard the bi cycle as a useful con­ tributo r t o the health a nd future well being of the community as a whole.

Bi cycles are the ideal short haul ve hi ­ cle a nd can be used very e ffective ly to get p eople around their local neighbo ur­ hoods to railway sta ti o ns, to work and the like. Instead cycli sts a re being MR. PRESTIGE treated quite cynicall y as insignificant nuisances who a ught to be put in the ir Meet Mr. Prestige, pl ace. MTB racing's razzle­ At a time in hi story when the bicycle dazzle rider who gets needs to be put to use as tra nspo rt it s dirty with dignity. He role is bein g downgraded and a ll this is ha ppe ning in the s tate which has lead rides with TIOGA's the country in the past decade. • Prestige II Handlebar and T-Bone Prestige Stem , because they're strong, light, durable ~ TQl·FlOW- and nearly indestructible. Mr. Prestige is grinning. And he's winning with Prestige parts from TIOGA . I BEST TEFLON BASED LUBRICANT FOR Prestige II HancUebar BICYCLES

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6 Freewheeling ------~!• ik•hiti 1~------John Drummond

A quescion of surwiwal Were asmall nation with an impressive cycling record How do we keep it that my?

fte r a seri es of earth shatte r­ Martin Vinnecombe photographed by Frank Walsh program . G rants th rough the Commis­ ing perfo rmances at the Seoul at the end of his I/ 0OOs win in the 1989 Canterbury sion have enabled the Australian Cycl­ Olympics in 1988 a nd the Velodrome title. ing Federatio n to expand its sche me to world professional track cycl­ both t he road a nd track . Ride rs in Aing c hampio nships Australia n Cyclists Cycling Federati on saw the provision of Seni o r, Junior and women's categories emerged overall as our most successful Intern ati o nal competition as the princi­ now travel to intern ati onal competitio n inte rn atio na l spo rting competito rs in pl e means o f achi eving its a ims. T hi s and world champio nships. 1988. On the track at the Olympics o ur could be accomplished by ei ther bring­ The idea of bringin g world cl ass riders five individua ls a nd t he pursuit team ing worl d standard cyclists to Austra li a to A ustralia has a n a ttracti ve bo nus. contested six events fo r a return of two to compete against o ur riders or by as­ More of our racers are given the c hance si lv e r (M a rtin Yinnicombe a nd D ean sisting Australi an cyclists to go overseas. to compete again st such riders a nd thus Woods), two bronze ( G a ry Ne iwa nd While both alternati ves had their meri t in crease the possibility o f uncove ring and the team pursuit), a fourth (Robert the cost in volved in full y im plementing pote ntial champio ns, who mi ght oth er­ Burns) and fifth (Julie Speight). the pl a n was prohibitive . T hus concen­ wise re ma in o bscured through lack o f It was a truly re m a rka bl e pe rfo r­ trati o n on t rack cycling was indul ged at opportunity or incentive. mance against the world's best e li gible the expense of the road. The presence of leading intern ati onal tale nt. But that i s no t all. E ddie Salas With one of the best track coaches in riders a lso adds gla mo ur to the s po rt. finished the na rrowest o f sixths in the the world in Charli e Walsh we returned T his face t h as in recent yea rs been road r ace witho ut the help of hi s team to the w inners podium at the LA O lym­ necessaril y neglected in track cycling by mates, Scott Steward and Stephen F air­ pic Games and had a clean sweep at the the Austra li an Cycling Federati o n with less, who h ad withdrawn because o f Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. The the result that the publi c a nd potential m ech a nical p robl e ms . The road time Fed e ra l Governme nt establi shed the new recruits we re a tt racted t o o the r trial fini shed a creditable ninth. Austra li a n Sports Commission with a sports. Now that is about to e nd . Only the Sovie ts had a bette r strike view to o rganisi ng a sports development It is A ustrali a's pl easure to host the titors Oceania Contine nta l C hampio nships rate a t S eoul in which 375 compe Tasmania's magnificent all purpose indoor fo r 27 fo r the region l ate r this year. They will competed in t he cycling events velodrome/sports centre where Vinnecombe set a be he ld i n Tasma ni a with La unceston medals. new world record within days of his blustery rld in I ncloor Stadium bein g the venue fo r the Across the o the r side o f the wo outdoor win at Canterbury. • G he nt , Be lgium , D a nny C la rk a nd Ste phe n Pa te wo n w o rld titles a t the p rofe ssiona l ch a mpionships in the mo to r paced a nd the s print eve nts re­ specti vely. In the Wo rld 's second largest spec­ ta to r sport Austra li a now ra tes third be hind the USSR a nd E ast G e rma ny a nd a ll the world still marvels at how a nati o n of 16 millio n p eople ho lds this exalted position. It is basicall y the result of-good leader­ ship/administ rati o n in the Austra li a n Cycling Federation, the influence on the sport of the Australian Institute o f Sport (the C h a rlie Wa lsh link) the positive acti on of the Australian Sports Commis­ sion and the dedicati on of the cyclists in overcoming the lack o f m o de rn track facilities on m ainland Australia. Ove r the past d ecade the Austra li an

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DISTRIBUTED BY BICYCLE BUYERS COMPANY P/LTD VICTORIA 729 0344 SOUTH AUSTRALIA TERRY DAVEY (08) 347 1293 BRISBANE PYRAMID CYCLES (07) 881 2313 8Freewheeling CAIRNS PYRAMID CYCLES (07) 824 2435 The track is a magnificent circuit and John Drummond was to be full y o perational by 1983 with an arena large e nough t o accommodate a Hockey fi e ld . But to this d ay it has • track events fro m D ecember 6 - 10. never been completed. RAY'S Foll owing the c hampio nshi ps wi ll be NSW a nd VIC w ho have lo ng pro­ the O ceani a Inte rna tiona l Grand Prix vid e d the bulk of Olympic a nd Com­ ope n t o a ll Commo nwealth Games na­ monwealth Games teams have lost the BICYCLE ti ons and other in vitees. All these events initiati ve and that is sad , for despite the will be co nducted b y the A ustra li a n e m barrassme nt o f th e weathe r NSW CENTRES Cycling Federatio n as a forerunne r t o emerged the Premi er State from the na­ th t: 14th Commo nwealth Games, to be ti ona l carni val With 6 track cyclists o n conducted in Auckl and, ew Zealand in scholarship at the Australian Institute o f January 1990. Sport plus a remarkable depth of junior A t otal of 15 nati ons have so far indi­ ta le nt the s tate is po ised t o ta ke Na­ ca te d that they a re consid e ring hav ing ti o na l L eade rship in Australi a n c ycl e their Commo nwealth Games teams in racing. ElEVEN A ustralia fo r prior Games competition. Despite the achi eveme nts a t w o rld Whilst m odern facilities have been level of NSW cyclists the re has been a built to accommodate the structure of relu ctance to f inish Cante rbury Ve lod­ HUGE the gambling s po rts of horse a nd dog rome. The o nl y improvement I noticed racing and the traditio nal spo rt of foot­ since 1984 w as the a dditio n o f pl astic ball and cri cket , the Olympic sports by bucke t sha ped seats re pl acin g ba re contrast h ave langui shed on the A ustral­ boards. These were of little advantage in STORES ia n m a inl a nd. O nl y little Tasma ni a the uncovered sta nd whe n the rain s supplied the ultra modern facilities and came. comfo rts now avail able. Generall y there· has been no improve­ •PRESTON Having to race o n yesterdays cycl ing ment in the rider or spectator fa cilities 545 High Stree t ve nues, track cycling in the te levisio n in fiv e years. It was a s orry sight to see Ph : 4 78 2064 or 4 70 2090 age fell away. Sponsorship became thin the world champion and olympic s ilver because promoters could not guarantee me d a llist , Ma rtin Vinnicombe, a lo ng •FOREST HILLS television owing to poor li ghti ng and the with fe ll ow o lympic med a lli sts Bre tt 29 1A Canterb ury Ro ad possibilities of ra in washing o ut t he fi x­ Dutto n a nd Steve McGled e huddle d Ph: 877 2311 ture. Witho ut publi c s upport riders lost with Gary Neiwand and Scott McG rory inte rest t o concentra te on a ll weathe r and sheltering from the e lements in the •FOOTSCRAY criteriums. , entrance tunnel underneath the track. 170 Bark le y S tree t Since Seoul there has been a c hange. In a week of rain no t one sessio n of Ph.· 68 1385 An indoor stadium is nearing comple­ the c hampio nship carnival wa not in­ tion in West Australi a. Another has com­ convenie nced b y the weather. I am ce r­ •BALWYN me nced building in Adelaide to supple­ tain the conditions were the reason for 268 Wh itehorse Road ment the cycling satellite of the A ustral­ Martin Vinnicombe's slow time o f 1 mi­ Ph : 830 59 02 ia n Institute o f Spo rt. We unde rstand nute 09.38 seconds in winning the Vi cto ri a is in limbo pe nding the 1996 Kil o me tre T ime Tria l. If proo f o f this •MOORABBIN determination. was needed it was evidenced a few days 825 Nepe an H ighway Olympic G ames Ph : 55 7 7898 But what of New So uth Wales who has later when the World Champion blazed twice as ma ny racing cyclists as a ny a trail a round the s urface of Launces­ •MOONEE other state with the worst t rack condi­ to n's indoor cycling track in 1 minute ti o ns. It became a questi on of survival 02.84 seco nds to lower the wo rld PONDS tate w hen the 1989 Na­ o me tre record set b y E ast G e rman 650 Mt Alexan der Road fo r the Premier S kil Ph: 370 61 55 tional Track Championships were trans­ LotharThosm in 1980. fe rred from Perth to Sydney. The s porting public of Sydney love to •SPRINGVALE o f what h appe ned in witness contests between cycling champ­ It was a re run Shop 3, 134 Spring vale Rd 1984 when the Nati onal Championships io ns, this has been co nclusively proved Ph : 562 4322 were the selectors guidelines for the LA sin ce the turn o f the ce ntury but they Olympic G ames. T he n, as now, a week will not exte nd their support to a s port •GEELONG of rain left spectators and cycl ists awash that operates in obsolescent conditions. 64 -66 Ryrie S tre et ent. NSW track cyclists have a fin e World with disappointm Opening early The 1982 season o f t rack cycli ng saw a nd Olympic record exte nding from • the newl y built Canterbury Velodrome Dune Gray who won Australia's first July: come into operation . It was built to re­ Olympic Gold cycling medal in 1932, to 300 Chap el St, place Sydney's o ld Wil y Pa rk Cycling Martin Vinnicombe, 1987 World Time Prahra n 3 18 1 Arena which was located in the Canter­ Tria l C ha mpio n a nd Seoul Olympic • Opening early bury Municipality a nd was demoli shed G ames Silver M edallist. If NSW wi shes August: by the D e pa rtme nt of Ma in Roads to to see tha t r ecord continue it canno t 111 96 Ca nterbury Rd, widen a road . afford a repetition of the 1984 and 1989 Bays wat er 3153 The original estimate of $1. 75 millio n d e bacles. The only way to avoid this for the completed v e lodrome was appears to be to join the approaching •FACTORY 4 funded b y a grant fro m the DMR, the track cycling push by finishing a nd roof­ 1 Vesp er Drive Narie Warr en 3805 NSW Department of Sport and Recrea­ ing Cante rbury Ve lodrome, o r a lte r­ (03) 70 4 89 28 ti on, Canterbury Council and the NSW nately, pushing to have cycling in New­ Amateur Cyclists Union now NSW Cycl­ castle included in the feasibility study of ing Federation Inc. a $20 to $40 million sports and entertain- - -•______.Freewheeling 9 • ment centre by Internati onal Facility Pty and Internati o nal competition prior to Ltd (IFC). competing in the world track ch ampion­ It's a ll in the hands of the NSW Cycl­ ships in Lyon , France, comme ncing o n ing Federatio n . They have to take the 14 August 1989. initiative a nd lo bby the s ta te s po rts The Team i s: R o be rt Burns VIC; minister Rowland Smith. An enormous Bre tt Dutto n NSW ; Ma rk Kingla nd amount of Government money is being NSW ; Ste phe n McGlede NSW; Scott spent, o r abo ut to be s pent, on provid­ McGrory QLD ; G a ry Ne iwa nd NT; ing facilities for less successful sports in Sha un O ' Brie n VIC; Julie Spe ight the Newcastle regi o n while the cycling NSW ; Clay ton Stevenson NSW; Martin velodrome, like C ante rbury, re mains Vinnicombe NSW; Darren Winter SA. unfinished. The 1989 Junior world team fo r M os­ cow USSR July 9 -1 6 is: Bre tt A itke n SA; D avid Brink NSW; Simon Cald er lniernai•onal aams NSW; Danny Day QLD; Brt:tt Dennis The Australian C o mmonwealth Games QLD ; Steve McMa ho n NSW ; Dean team left Australia o n M ay 16 for Dus­ Mather VIC; Nathan Page QLD; Jamie seldorf, Germany, for special training Rennie SA;

••s••n1u•shec1 1ues1 ,When you want Carl a Guilia ni the Itali an secre tary of the Inte rna ti o na l Federation of the best Amate ur Cycling ( FIAC) attended the Commonwealth Ba nk sponsored N a­ from your body, tiona l Track Champio nships in Sydney during March. Mrs G uili ani was present give your body in an unoffici al capacity as a guest of th e President of the Australian Cycling Fe d­ erati o n , Mr Ray G odkin. The v isi t t o the best. Austra li a by Mrs G uili ani is indica ti ve of Austra li a's hi gh standing in the hi e rar­ chy of world cycling. CycUn1's world cup G ove rnme nt legisla ti o n b a nning t he advertising of Liquor P roducts a t sport promotions in France has had some re­ percussions o n cycling, not the least is a discontinuation of the long time Pernod consistency competition fo r professional cyclists. Howeve r, it's a n ill wind tha t d oes nobody a ny good and its place has been take n b y Perrier, a mineral water com­ pany who have s igned a three year con­ tract with the Unio n Cyclists Inte r­ nati o na le fo r spo nsorship of cycling's first World Cup. The driving force behind professional racing's biggest shake-up in years is Fed­ e ratio n Inte rnati o na l Cycli sts profes­ sio na l Preside nt H e in Ye rbruggen whose mission is to make cycle racing a true world sport. After 5 events the first Perrier World Cup seri es seems to have reall y gripped the imaginati o n of bike fans e ve rywhere, with ma ny lesser­ known riders getting a look in and the racing proving imagin ati ve and wi th no processional riding as so oft en h as been the case in the past. Edwig Yan Hooydonck was holding a sle nde r two po int lead as the seri es ~ustralia's lines! Cycle Clothing halted for the major Tours ( Spain , Italy and France). EXCLUSIVE SUPPLIERS TO THE This column will review this inte rest­ COMMONWEALTH BANK CYCLE CLASSIC ing seri es and the World 's greatest sport­ in our next Australian Distributor Atom (02) 550 1655 ing event the Tour de France iss ue . •

10 lftewheeling ti :11J.I

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Available at leading Bicycle Shops Australia Wide Australian Distributor Ron Angel Wholesale 136 Barry Road Cambell field, 3061 Victoria. (03) 357 2244 FAX: (03) 359 0207 Trade Enquiries Welcome. ------~IHiiiii 1i------

There is a 150mm concrete median strip to separate the cyclists in their own lane from the motorised traffic, which is of course travelling in the opposite direc­ tion. This sounds a good idea, giving far greater visibility to motorists and thus giving cyclists a safer ride , but one has to wonder about the head winds that commuters will now be battling with as the traffic whizzes by.

The Wattle Street contra flow lane in Sydney protects cyclists from the traffic. This type of road treatment is common in Europe where bicycle aware traffic engineers are more commonplace. New cycleway In Sydney's far south the longest on­ road cycleway has just been completed: 15 km through Bradbury, Campbell town and Leumeah. This type of bike way is cost effective when compared with off­ road facilities and the only concession is that motor vehicles are allowed to use the lane for parking. Stop Police! Sergeant Bill Robertson of the WA lhe1N1nce Police force shows how the new law enforcement Now here's a good way to greet the programs will affect some riders in that state. The Around 01 record attempt spring. The trans Australian ul­ WA Police have one of the most progressive law While you're reading this, one Rod tramarathon bike race start on 15 Oc­ enforcement programs in the country. Evans will be attempting to break the around Australia cycling record which tober and is a straight through race from The Minister claims that this reloca­ currently stands at eighty days ( didn't Melbourne to Perth , some 3500 km. tion will enable the SBC to provide pol­ someone else travel around somewhere Last year the current record was set with icy advice on cycling matters more effec­ in eighty days?) and was set by four a time of four days and 22 hours. Com­ tively. Let's hope it's not only a matter of Danish cyclists in 1985. petitors are to be in teams of four cyc­ providing advice but also having it lis­ He sets out from on 14 May from lists and six back up crew, and the first tened to and acted upon . prize is $10 ,000. Enquiries to Lisa Wat­ Perth GPO and will ride in an anti­ kins on (03) 456 0211 or John Turner on flow lane clockwise di rection following the coast Contn crew (03) 456 0295 . A new development in bike paths is and Highway 1. He takes a support the introduction of a contra flow lane for of two Canadian females and is usi ng bikes on a one way street in Sydney's the attempt to promote the work of the •SW SIC relocaMd Asthma Foundation of Western Austral­ Changes in the New South Wales inner west suburb of Ultimo. The need ia and encourage the wearing of bike transport administration have resulted for a radical solution arose after a new in the State B icycle Committe being arterial road system effectively blocked helmets. The total distance is 14602 km . Daily relocated to the newly formed Roads off the existing cycle route at Wattle stages range from a few days with about and Traffic Authority which is itself an Street from the western suburbs into the sixty kilometres to days with a massive amalgamation of Motor Transport, city. After a while the Department of target of over two hundred kilometres. Main Roads and the Traffic Authority. Main Roads got wise to what had hap­ Rod is 31 years old and Secretary of T he State Bicycle Committe will oper­ pened and reinstated the lost section of the WA Audax Club. He retired from ate as part of the Road Safety Bureau. route.

12 Freewheeling ------1•~•111~1------competiti ve cycling a few years ago and commenced training for this attempt in 90 88 BICYCLE USE 1986-1988 May 1988. IN MILLIONS data: Bicycle Jnstin11e of America us 1a1•onal Con1ress graphics: League of American Wheelmen On 30 June a tradition that dates back to the 1800's is being revived with a one '86 '87 '88 day National Congress of cycli sts in \.. Salisbury, Maryland on America's East 10 ~' coast . The congress will consider the ro le of bikes in o ur society and tyhe s - need to co-ordinate the pl ans of action of the country's biking organisations. .75 .85 l.O The following three days are devoted TOURING& to the League of American Wheel man's VACATION National Rally. This includes over sixty workshops , a consumer show and a choice of forty bike rides to participate in . The Rall y has been held since 1880. Figures released as part of Bike Month (May) in the The Congress is expected to have 300 USA show some interesting trends: cycling is Eas1er1t01e fun for all participants and the Rall y 1500 particip­ growing in all sectors but most rapidly in Bicycle Victoria in conjunction with ants. mountain biking. Bicycle commuting is alive and the National Heart Foundation hosted a ••a1hlon 1Hles well but the bulk of cyclists are occasional riders successful Easter extravaganza, Easter­ The National Biathlon Championship cycling mainly for fun and fitness. bike . Over 1300 cyclists descended o n is set for 13 August. The event takes the central Victorian town of place in the ACT's Stromlo Forest and Castlemaine to camp, take part in rides, and enjoy the film shows and bush you have a choice of distances: either 6 The rural town of Castlemaine in Victoria was dance. km run , 40 km cycle, 6 km run ; or 3 km overrun with almost a thousand people this Easter A highlight of the weekend was the run , 20 km cycle , 3 km run. as Bicycle Victoria held its second successful Easter parade on Easter Monday from For an entry form send a stamped ad­ Bike rally. A tent city of three hundred and ninety Castlemaine to Maldon which included dressed e nvelope to PO Box 2384 , tents provided shelter for the participants who several riders on penny farthings dres­ Civic, ACT 2601. You ca n get further spent their days eating, riding, swimming, eating, sed in period costume. Charlie Farren details fro m R ob Caune of the ACT riding and even more eating. This young more won the coveted " Best decorated bike" Triathlon Association at the above ad­ participant was photographed by Andrew award, and the townsfolk of Maldon are dress or by phone o n (062) 47 5360. McDowall on one of the guided day rides to still reeling from the influx of cyclists. Chewton. Easterbike raised funds for the National • Round 1he world 1our Heart Foundation and will be run again next year. Here's a fellow who's just done what many of us dream of. Bernd Schubert of Frankfurt has cycled 77 ,971 km around the world, visiting 45 countries. The trip took him three and a half years and after crossin g Australia he went to A laska from where he rode down to Argentina. T hat's a lot of bike riding. ------;I·~•i\li 1~------NEW PRODUCTS Naps ing at Kuranda and following backroads The Victorian Road Construction with the Valley of Lagoons as a highlight Authority has nearly completed its new at a cost of $1085 from Cairns. The tours series of road maps for the state which take place between late April and early aim to show every road in the state. The November with several scheduled depar­ state is covered by eighteen sheets, of tures. which the sheets for Ballarat, Mel­ For a brochure or other information bourne and Warburton are as yet un­ contact Crocodile Cycles, PO Box 5155 , finished. CMC Cairns, Old 4871 or telephone The scale is 1 :250,000 which should (070) 93 7689. In New Zealand you can make the maps useful for cycling and contact Suntravel Ltd at PO Box 9778 , especially for planning a tour. The maps Auckland, telephone (09) 54 3521. show roads and waterways but give no topographical information other than a Speak•n1 of socks... few spot heights. A little piece of advice from the South Aussie Touring Cyclists' Association CrococHle ·cycles newsletter advises riders who wish to cut It's getting cold isn't it? Why not head down on weight (in their luggage, not up to sunny ( or is it wet?) Queensland body fat) to take three socks when they for a cycling holiday with Crocodile Cy­ tour. The idea is to wear two when you cles who organise tours from their base leave home; then wash one, change in Cairns. your left sock to your right foot and put They have three cycling tours on the clean sock on your left foot; later offer, all on mountain bikes, and using you take the right sock off and wash it, quiet mainly unsealed roads, logging having moved the left sock over and put trails and bush tracks. The tours are the spare on your left foot. fully supported with bikes provided and There's only one catch: socks aren't use either lodge accommodation or sold in threes so you'd have to buy two BrakeU9h1 camping beside rivers and waterholes. pairs and leave one sock at home, and Bicycles can now be fitted with a rear You also get to try your hand at canoe­ that's poor economics. Or can you buy stop light made by the British Ultralight ing and there is swimming and walking socks in threes in SA? • company. The unit fits to the rear brake at many of the spots visited. bridge and is activated by the action of The three tours are: seven days on the the caliper brake. The Ultralight comes Atherton Tableland, starting at Kuranda complete with two AA size batteries and finishing in Cairns at a cost of $740 Freewheeling fi tness writer and bicycle racer plus all mounting hardware. out of Cairns; three day in the Cairns Cyndi Holmes is off to the USA to race with her hinterland exploring the forested moun­ team the Brisbane Blasters. The blasters ready to tains and valleys at a cost of $295 from ride (Lto R): An ita Crossley, Robyn Holan, Cyndi Cairns; twelve day outback safari start- Holmes and Trish Maude.

UHraU1htwe•1ht helmet Rhode Gear have released what must be the helmet of the future - a polys­ tyrene ultralightweight helmet for sports use. The helmet weighs about half that of the average hard shell helmets and unlike other ultralightweight helmets has no lycra/mesh cover to keep the hel­ met from splitting in the event of a se­ vere impact. Instead the helmet is sea­ led with a thick plastic spray on coating to strengthen the helmet and enable it to be easily cleaned. Shjmano I-speed hub The Japanese parts giant Shimano has released an eight speed hub as part of its NEW PRODUCTS Our firsteuer top o f the ra nge Dura A ce compo ne nt group . The cassette freewheel works o nly with th e Dura Ace rear d eraill eur and levers to give fas t p ositi ve indexed shifting. Because the freewheel is fitted to a cassette type hub improved wheel spoke dishing can be achi eved even with the eatra cog. The 8-speed gear system is avail abl e in 12- 19, 12-21, 13-24, 13-21 and 13-26 rati os.

GENUINE BARGAINS on bikes, clothing,

New Sunlour ensembles partsa!Jtl Corporate a ll egiances have shi fted in Japan as three small er component mak­ accessories ers regroup to compete more effecively with the wo rld's largest bike parts maker - Shimano. SunTour has combined with Di a Compe a nd SR t o produce the new G PX compo ne nt range. The ra nge whi ch f eatures smooth mode rn styling consists of bra kes, chain wheel set, hubs , freewheel, seat post pedals, headset and derailleurs. Power brakes for bjkesf With the li ghtest t o uch t o the b ra ke lever the SunTo ur XC9000 SE rear self Starts e ne rgisin g b ra ke mecha ni sm begin s moving the pad in a 'three dimensional arc' towards the rim . As the pad engages JULY the rim a he lix m echa ni sm u ses th e energy of the turning rim to multiply the brakin g fo rce. The SE fit s a ll standard ONE WEEK ONLY cantilever mounting bosses Apollo io handle Rsher (Ends5aturdayl5th) One of th e to p US mo unta in bike brands will now be distributed in Oz by the Apoll o Bicycle Company. Four mod­ e ls will be a va ila bl e through Apo ll o •=••LS deale rs fro m Jul y o nwa rds. So me of Fishe r's models will feature an oversize 82 Oxford St Paddington NSW steering head and bearings (call e d Evolution) designed t o a dd sti ffness to Telephone (02) 331 2671 frame handling characteri sti cs. •

Freewheeling IS PHIL SOMERVILLE Two way sians

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/6 Freewheeling It not only looks great ...

__ Aerodynamic air vents Attachment points for optional -- designed to keep head cool sun protection peak. and comfortable.

-- Ultra-violet light resistant shell ~ material to withstand many Terry towelling sweat band./ I \ years under the sun. Removable for washing. Reflective strip for i night riding safety foam. Double layer protection. Tough outer shell lined with expanded polystyrene foam to absorb shock.

it is a great helmetl

COLOURS: WHITE, YELLOW, PINK, RED, BLUE, BLACK. Sleek aerodynamic styling, plus a range of Now there's no reason for risk: you can colours to choose from, means you can now buy comfortably wear the ultimate in safety and still a helmet that is not only a superior safety device look great doing it! ATOM safety helmets come but a fashionable sporting accessory, too. The in your choice of six brilliant colours in the widest ATOM helmet exceeds every rigorous test to pass available range of sizes. You might only need the 2063.2 standard and yet has also managed your safety helmet once .. . but that could be the to keep its stylish good looks. time it saves your life. Buy yours now.

AUSTRALIAN MADE Because it is important that a helmet be correctly fitted, ATOM is available only through bicycle shops and sports stores. Enquiries to: ATOM, 75a Burrows Road, Alexandria NSW 2015 . (02) 550 1655 ULTRA LIGHNEIGHT HELMETS A Freewheeling market survey BY WARREN SALONOI his year's crop of bicycle helmets Ultra lightweights were originally de­ proves once and for all that head veloped for competitive use but nowa­ protection doesn't have to be hot days many recreational and fitness cyc­ or heavy. Since our last helmet lists are preferring head protection with­ survey (this time last year) the ultra out the bulk and weight of a traditional lightweight type helmet - often called hard shell helmet. As well as the weight the shell -less or EPS helmet - has ar­ factor this type of helmet generally has ' rived in force and in this survey we take much better ventilation than many of a close look at the fifteen models avail­ the older designs. able to the Aussie cyclist. Ever since the first cycling helmet went on sale back in the mid seventies Scott Tinley third place winner in the recent World helmets have been getting lighter. Why? Cup Triathlon held on the Gold Goast wean the Because unlike motorcyclists bicycle latest aerodynamic ultra lightweight helmet the riders have to propel them selves along Giro Aerohead. Photo Nigel Barber. and often in a crouched forward posi­ Top to bottom: The Atom Airlite has lycra covers tion. Pushing the pedals also produces to match all Netti tops and knicks. THe LT has sweat and a heavy. bulky, unventilated multi density EPS. The Avenir has plastic tape helmet is uncomfortable and even un­ reinforcing. Shades by Oakley, Clothing by Netti. bearable. The ultra lightweight is usually made from a thicker than normal expanded polystyrene (EPS) base without the tra­ ditional hard plastic shell covering (see box - "How a Helmet Works"). In place of the hard shell manufacturers have substituted one of a number of mea­ sures; sprayed-on plastic coatings; em­ bedded plastic bands; plastic perimeter tape; varying density EPS ; or lycra/ nylon mesh covers. These measures are designed to prevent the EPS from crack­ ing apart during a crash (see box - "Re­ placing the Hard Shell"). Some of the ultra lightweights have even passed the Snell standard (see box - Performance standards) the most strin­ gent test available in the USA so they are not just a gimmicky design aimed at a transitory market sector. In this country and elsewhere they have rapidly become the choice of a majority of competitors in sports where mandatory use is required such as triathlon and mountain bike events. For a helmet to properly protect you in an a crash it has to be properly fitted and have a strapping system which holds the helmet securely on your head. Of course it should be comfortable to wear. To do this its padding/fitting and reten­ tion/strapping systems should correctly position and hold the helmet o n your head at all times. The strapping should also allow adjustment for different head shapes. Most helmets have holes in their shells and liner to allow air in . For a helmet to offer effective ventilation it also must allow air out. In the marketing jargon of the manufacturers this is cal­ led flow-through ventilation. For flow-through ventilation to work the helmet shell must have holes at the rear and some form of channelling in the EPS liner or pad arrangement to encour­ age the air flow and generate the suction that will pull the hot air out. Recently the respected US cycling magazine Bicycling conducted its own tests on helmet ventilation. The results of its test have been printed in its May 1989 edition. In the main the ultra light­ weight helmets included in our current survey turned in good results in the Bicycling study. The helmets which gave only fair ven­ tilation results were the models which had large foam fitting pads which formed a band around the inside of the helmet and prevented hot air from exhausting around the rim . Of the hel­ mets in our current survey the Avenir, Bell Ovation, FFM Vivo, and the Sorelli are of that type. • Top L-R: Bell Ovation, Vetta Corsa Lite, Nolan Force Flow. Centre L-R: Bell Quest hs a reinforcing ring embedded in the EPS, Rhode Gear's helmet has no cover but is coated with an easy to clean Shellex finish, The Giro Aerohead. Bottom L-R: Mistral, FFM Vivo, Sorelli Supremo. ~~ ·.... 'if.;~-- ·-"-i~­

. .. ·~, ·''""''-7.i)if\\f l} ·•1f~"rf:},-ft,,. < -_,' • , ""ll}.'~:.•c-,r• .·· · -----reva1

~-.,- . ~.,,i,~{i~~Y/:Jn the hea~ of competition or on a long training ride, noth~_g helps_k~ep ·. :__ :~-<\·~ :\"·;: '.· . you cool like the Bell Quest. The Quest features a more efficient ventilation · · · system with ducts not only at the front and rear, but also on the top (because after all, hot air rises). The Quest is the only lightweight foam helmet with an internal Surround rn reinforcement ring for shatter-resistant protection. And, for your comfort, simple Web -LockT\\ retention moves adjustment hardware away from your face. Try on the Bell Quest. And discover just how cool wearing a helmet can be.

The Quest passes both Af\'Z/ Z90.4 and Snell bicycle helmet standards. of helmet could become the design of • Performance standards Replacjn9 the Hard Shell the future as this type of helmet has the Because safety equipment has a life sav­ A helmet is made up of three important advantage of better ventilation (even ing role it is important that some form of parts: the outer shell; the inner shell or the mesh used in lycra covers inhibits to testing and technical evaluation be avail­ liner; and the strapping or retention some extent the flow of air through a able to guide purchasers and protect the system. Doing away with the outer shell helmet) and a surface which is easier to community from shoddy manufacture. completely is not the aim of the makers clean offering better protection from Most manufacturing countries have per­ of ultra lightweights because the outer minor knocks and abrasions. formance standards to govern a wide shell has to perform the important task Expanded polystyrene can also be range of safety equipment sold to the of keeping the liner in one piece during made in differing densities and hardness public. In most cases the standards vary a crash. and the LT700 helmet uses this fact in its little from country to country. In order to substitute the weight of a multi- density liner/shell . LT uses softer A performance standard consists of a traditional thick plastic hard outer shell EPS on the inner surface of the shell and list of design requirements and a series with something less bulky and weighty, harder density on the outer with a lycra/ of a tests laid down by a national associa­ helmet makers have resorted to a mesh cover to maintain overall shell in­ tion designed to make sure that helmets number of measures from lycra slip on tegrity. function properly as this type of safety covers to special surface treatments. In addition to the lycra cover a equipment should. The Standards most The Bell Ovation is the only ultra number of helmets use other methods to commonly affecting helmets sold in this lightweight to be made with a " hard further strengthen their shells. The Bell country are the Aussie Standard (the shell" . It has a thin plastic outer shell Quest has a ring of plastic imbedded in Australian Standards Association's which is glued tq a thicker than normal the shell material and the Avenir Advan­ AS2063.1), the New Zealand Standard EPS liner. Bell has patented this design tage, FFM Vivo and Nolan Force Flow NZS 5439 - 1986, the two US Standards and even plans additional models in this have plastic tape around the outside of - ANSI Z90.4 and Snell. style. their shells. A number of tests, such as energy at­ Apart from the Ovation only one A word of caution though; the ultra tenuation (which evaluates a helmet's other helmet does not have a lycra outer lightweight type helmet can not be ab­ ability to absorb an impact similar to cover: the Rhode Gear Ultralight. Its sent mindedly thrown into the boot of a that experienced in a crash) are com­ outer surface is coated during manufac­ vehicle or in the corner of a room and mon to all the above standards. The ture with a thin film of Shellex plastic (a covered with gear. Without the hard energy attenuation test is the most im­ proprietary coating). This is also sup­ plastic shell the expanded polystyrene portant test and it is now used by the posed to keep the shell from splitting in could break or crack if struck or Federal Trade Practices Act to restrict a crash. squeezed from the sides. Similar advice the sale of sub-standard helmets within Given the availability of even tougher could also be applied to teenagers care­ this country. spray-on coatings the Rhode Gear style less of their possessions. From June 30 this year it is illegal to •

MAX GETS SMART! "Hello Chief? Max ... " "Listen, I've discovered a secret weapon to eliminate KAOS and strengthen the ranks of fellow MTB riders ... '' ''No Chief! That's illegal in 20 states! This is the new TIOGA T-Bone Stem ... '' "STEM! Not steak, Chief! This is incredibly light and strong and the top secret Tange Prestige tubing makes--it almost indestructible .. . '' "Stop worrying! 99 has discovered it even has a 'diffused stress' design. Get the hint .. . ?'' "Yes, Chief. We join forces with TIOGA and win with the new T-Bone Stem!

: I • •

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Freewheeling 21 • sell helmets in Australia which can not m e ts which have removabl e (vclcro the weare rs head if the he lmet sits up pass the AS2063. I EAT. tabs) a nd replaceable s izing pads in var­ ht g h . The correct st ra p a djustme nt Buyina an ultra li9htwei9ht ying thick ncsses will give you the best sho uld be made when you buy your he l­ fit. met so that you get a good fit right from Never buy a he lme t with o ut properly tha t sit furthe r d own o n the the word go. fitting it first. It is importa nt that the He lmets to hold the m Much has been done in the past few helmet fit you securely and comfortably. head require less strapping a fu ll face motorcycle years to improve the buckle or strap If it feels too tight then it wi ll proba b ly in p lace. Compare which only has a chin strap. The be irritating to wear for mo re than a few helmet for bicycl ing helme ts nowa­ minutes. If it feels too loose the n you design trend he lmet that exposes run the risk of it falling off your head in days is towards a the lower part of the neck. a crash. the ears a nd eep this type of helmet secure ly o n The re are many different types of fit­ To k s head extra strapping to the ting systems. This is important as not all the wearer is needed . These nape head s a re the same sha p e. Some times rear of the he lmet e rally need to be a djuste d to o ne brand wil l fit be tter than another. straps gen suit the weare r. Some mode ls fit oval shaped heads bet­ nape straps o ften re­ ter than round o nes. If your head i s a n Non-adjustable a t will tip fo rwa rd o n odd shaoe vou m av find tha t those he l- sult in a he lme t th

~ Made from a special work hardened Sheffield steel, Citadel W offers the ultimate in high secu rity value. No other lock has all the crime-beating features of the English made Citadel. Although

Bell Streetrider is designed for kids and has a simple easy to operate quick release buckle

• special Shelf~ld Sleels v.

CYCLING HOLIDAYS SOUTH AUSTRALIA Carry Vour Citadel With Vou The standard of bike security • Flinders Ranges • Kangaroo Island F11s all u-lype locks, fastenmg secureiy 10 Popular length Ci! adel secu1es frame. any bike without damaging pain1work rea1 wheel and de1ached fronl wheel 10 a Simple 10111 and use 1a1hng or post up 10 .4 ins d,ameter FLINDERS RANGE THESE ANCIENT RANGES OFFER SUPERB CYCLING. RIVER RED Extra length shackle GUM LINED CREEK BEDS WIND THEIR WAY Over 3 l n che1 l o n ger •hackl e BETWEEN RUGGED CLIFFS. ABUNDANT allow s more c on ven ien t l o cki ng of on e or more cycle s . WILDLIFE, SUPERB WILDFLOWERS. ALL INCLUSIVE $465 TRADE ENQUIRIES TO EX-ADELAIDE LEISURE BIKES 7DAYS PO BOX 1026 . NTH. RICHMOND , 3121 . VIC. ISLAND PH : (03) 861 6771 FAX : 862 3097 KANGAROO OUR ROUTE FOLLOWS THE COAST LINE OF THIS UNIQUE ISLAND, AFFORDING SPECTACULAR VIEWS AND DESERTED ROADS. INTIMATE CONTACT WITH WILDLIFE. INCL. SEALIONS & PLATYPUS AND A STAY AT A REMOTE LIGHTHOUSE COTTAGE, ARE JUST SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS 6 DAY TOUR. ALL INCLUSIVE $495 EX-ADELAIDE BIKE MOVES ----1 P.O. Box 64 2, nley 5061 Tel. (08) 271 1854

22 Freewheetmg 1989 Narket-Uhrali91H helmets

Brand/model Price$ Weight (grams) Surface cover Fitting Standards Retention Comments Atom Airlite 59.00 188 Lycra/mesh TV AS * ANSI FQ Numerous coloured covers

Avenir Advantage 75.00 234 Lycra/mesh NV AS* ANSI PQ Reinforcing tape on shell

Bell Ovation 79.00 298 Microshell NV AS* Snell ANSI FQ Lycra bottoms to dress up helmet

Bell Quest 79.00 275 Lycra/mesh NV AS* Snell ANSI FQ Nylon reinforcing ring

Bell Spectrum 69.00 210 Lycra/mesh NV AS* ANSI FQ Bell Streetrider 59.00 210 Shellex coating NV AS* Snell ANSI FQ Sticker set su lied Brancale XP-7 56.00 220 Lycra/mesh NV AS * ANSI FQ FFMVivo 56.00 243 Lycra/mesh NV AS * ANSI FQ Re inforcing tape on shell

Giro Prolight 130.00 235 Lycra/mesh NV AS* Snell ANSI FQ Giro Aerohead 190.00 284 Rubberised lycra NV AS* Snell ANSI FQ Aerodynamic shape LT700 75.00 211 Lycra/mesh NV AS* Snell ANSI FQ Multi density shell Nolan Force Flow 59.00 218 Lycra/mesh NV AS* ANSI FQ Re inforcing tape on shell

Rhode Gear Ultralight 75.00 253 Shellex coating NV AS*ANSI FQ Scott Aspen Mistral 59.00 178 Lycra/mesh NV AS*ANSI FQ Sorelli Supremo 59.00 172 L cramesh NV AS * NZSANSI FQ Yetta Corsa Lite 59.00 260 Lycra/mesh FV AS *ANSI FQ

Abbreviations used in chart: Fitting: received a significant impact. Helmets N - Nylon faced foam pads; only work once! T - Towelling faced foam pads; Howahelme1 One furthe r advantage of E PS over V- Velcro removable pads; other materi als is its extreme ligh tn ess A- Adhesive fixed pads. works an important factor in reducing wearer Standards: fatigue. T hough o th er materials have AS* -Australian Standards AS2063 The most important thing a helmet does been tried (such as closed cell energy attenuation test only; in a crash is to a bsorb, spread a nd to a polyurethane) EPS continues to out per­ ANSI - American National Standards Institute lesser extent deflect the impact your fo rm all others. Z90.4; Snell - Snell Memorial Foundation USA; head e nco unte rs as it collides with a If the liner's job is to absorb the im­ NZS - New Zealand Standard NZS 5439 - 1986. solid object or surface. It also has to pact of the blow then the outer cover or Retention: protect your head from abrasions. To do shell has to spread the impact over a F- Fully adjustable straps; thi s effectively most mode rn helme ts large area and keep the line r m ate ri al P - Partially adjustable straps; use a moulded helmet lin er m ade from from splitting a nd fa lling away from the Q- Quick release buckle. expa nded p olys tyre ne protected by head. Ultra li ghtweight helmet makers fasten ing device. Most models tested some fo rm of outer shell. employ lycra covers, spray on coatings used some form of quick release device The most important part of a helmet plastic tape and bands to perform this capable of being undone with one hand. is the polystyrene liner. It's job is to functi on and this is dealt with at lengih The newer Bell s (Quest and Streetrider) absorb the e nergy from the impact of in the box: "Repl acing the Hard Shell". have a clasp that is wonderfull y simple, th e fa ll. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is Some c ritics of the ultralightwe ight easy to operate a nd removes a usually th e mate rial most commonly used be­ type helmet have claimed that the lack bulk y object from under the chin to the cause it crushes on impact and cushi ons of a hard shell increases the helmets cheek. the blow. EPS is also used widely in in­ adhesion to the road surface in a c rash dustry and in the home as an insulation resu lti ng in the helmet being dragged Wha•'s •he prjce on your materi al. EPS can also be made in vary­ with great force from the wearer's head. ing grades of hardness so the type used Tests conducted by the British Stan­ head1 in helmets must not be too soft (it will dards Institute o n behalf of Bell Inc When considering the cost of a helmet it compress too easil y) or too hard (other­ USA (and reported in the May edition is important to reali se that yo u are buy­ wise it will damage the head). of Bicycling have shown that there is no ing something to protect yourself from As the EPS material absorbs energy appreciable diffe re nce between both injury so yo u should consider its perfor­ by collapsing and compressing you must hard she ll s a nd ultra lightweights o n mance and fit before yo u put a price on always replace your helmet once it has simulated road surfaces. yo ur head. • Freewheeling 23 wm ultra li9hf:wei1h1: The helmet Standard (compared to other simila r Thus criti cs of the Standard say that it favou rs hot product safety standards) has received an inordinate and heavy helmets and restricts innovative newer helmets be banned in amou nt of attent ion and cri ticism si nce it was ori gi­ designs like the ultra lightweights. Aus1:ralia1 nally drafted. Part of the problem seems to be that the Howeve r the main reason AS2063 would fail all the ultra lightweights reviewed in our survey Though there has been much public debate in Austral­ comm ittee responsible fo r its drafting has , in the is because of its penetration test. The rationale behind the penetra­ ia over the pa st ten yea rs surround ing the current words of one delegate at the rece nt Geelong State ti on test (which invo lv es dropping a pointed weight helmet Standard the answer to the rhetorical question Bicycle Com mitt ee Workshop, been too obsessed like a plumb bob from a set height to see if it penet­ posed by the heading is - not likely. with the engineering aspects of helmet design and has ra tes the helmet's outer and inner shell s) Much of th e heat in the hel met cfebate has been not paid attention to the needs of the users. is to check shell integrity - that is to see if the helmet will remain fuell ed by Victorian Road Traffic Authority's tentative This has primarily resulted in a Standard which is intact and not split apa rt in the force of a crash. It is moves towards making helmet wearing compu lsory in open to accusat ion as being design restrictive. For not (as so me would have us believe) designed to that state. Since its plans were originally drawn up the example one of the world 's mgst popular hard she ll ensure that helmets are made bullet proof as well idea seems to have fa llen from favo ur. helmets the Bell VI-Pro wi ll not pass AS2063 because as crash proofl One of th e reasons for thi s is the cu rrent 'incom­ its ve ntilati on holes exceed the 25 mm max imum hole Th e crudeness of this test plu s th e fact th at most plete' nature of th e Australian Standard AS2063. l. size all owed. overseas Standards do not test at all for penetration has placed pressure on the Standards committee come up with a set of tests which will ac hi eve the respect of the international cycling co mmunity and provide an adeq uate check for overa ll helmet integrit y. Supporters of the origina l Standard say they want 11 the Australian Standard to be the best in the world but Next to Nothing'' if thi s mea ns th at three quarters of all the helmets made do not pass the test then what use is that to the Australian cyclist. For example: none of the helmets included in ou r current survey would pas AS2063 because of its - penetration test. Competitors and recreatio nal/fitn ess , rid ers who curren tl y use these helmets are worried ' that their comfort is being ove rl ooked in a futil e quest to provide perfect head protection . This quest for perfect cycling head protection is futil e impl y because it has already been ac hi eved. And yo u don·t even need a helmet - all you rea lly I need is an indoor trainer! •

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135 Abbotsford Rd MAYNE Q 4006 One piece high density polystyrene shell Telephon e: (07) 252 2903 with interchangeable lycra cover AGENTS IN MOST STATES Above and below: The worderful Maribrynong River bikepath constructed along the river between Footscray and Brimbank Park was built under a Federal Government CEP scheme. Photo NARYELLOUS Alan Parker. have the opportunity to enjoy the area you're riding through without having to worry about what the other crazy road users are up to. NELBOIRIE The most central , and best known bike path in Melbourne starts at the Continuing our series on the great cycling cities Arts Centre and follows the Yarra River as it winds its way to Richmond . It makes an enjoyable Sunday morning BY JULIA THORN ride for the family and is also well used S MELBOURNE THE TOP Much of the Melbourne area has the by commuters from the suburbs to the cycling city? Certainly the city advantage of being flat and con­ east of the city. The path is at the river's streets are wide e nough to encour­ sequently popular with pedallers. Over edge for virtually the whole nine age more cyclists than in many of the years many bike paths have been kilometres and passes many parks, gar­ ourI other cities even if yo u have to seer developed both for recreational riders dens, recreation complexes, colleges clear of the tram lines . and for commuters. There is a fair and stately homes. Attempts are cur­ For ma ny peopl e the tram is their amount of variety in the areas where rently being made to extend the bike favourite symbol of the southern capi­ you can ride and you do not have to go path and to make it continuous through tal. But a recent survey showed that far out of the city for an enjoyable out­ to Hawthorn but there is a problem with more people commute to work by bike ing - a couple of hours or a whole day. a stretch of route crossing land owned by than on the trams . This should mean On one side of the city are the Dan­ Scotch College which is taking a while to that Melbourne is a good cycling city, denong Ranges, rainforested mountains resolve. There is another short stretch of and it does, but only up to a point. The with unrivalled views, to the south are Yarra bike path from Hawthorn Bridge good routes and pleasant touring areas bay beaches with calm waters or surf, to Abbotsford which is nearing comple­ exist but public funding which was for­ and in between is flattish land with tion . merly used to provide advice and guid­ places of historical interest and rural Slightly away from the Yarra in ance either in written or verbal form has farmland . Hawthorn are more bike paths for visit­ dried up.Let other pens dwell on the There are many bike paths in the met­ ing some of the suburb's reserves and politics of this sad turn of events; suffice ropolitan area. Usually these are off the historical mansions. You can leave the it to say that this is a tremendous shame road and are either solely for cyclists or Yarra bike path at Wallen Road and ride and I hope the situation will soon have to be shared with pedestrians. This past Hawthorn station then continue change. is great: it's safe and also means you westward through Glenferrie and Au­ burn. The City of Hawthorn has produc­ ed a leaflet on biking in this area. Other stretches of Yarra bike path follow the river from Ivanhoe to Bulleen and do a short circuit of Westerfolds Park in Templestowe. There is a further short section at Birrarung Park. If you don't want to follow the Yarra north you could ride along Merri Creek instead. There is a bike path linking the Yarra path at Collingwood with Coburg Lake and continuing to Broadmeadows.

Another popular area to ride that is not far from the city is the sheltered beach front stretch along Port Phillip Bay between St Kilda and Brighton . There are plans to make a continuous route from the city out to Frankston but at the moment the bike path fo ll ows grassy dunes from Bay Street to St Kilda pier. Further south the path starts again at Mentone and parallels the beach to Mordialloc. Inland from this area there are bike routes through Sandringham on quiet roads and bike paths, passing reserves and golf courses. Several of Melbourne's Board of Works parks have paths which are in­ tended for riders and walkers. One such area is the Maribyrnong River path which starts in Footscray and extends for eighteen kilometres to Brimbank Park, Keilor. The route passes a number of parks, fish in g platforms, landing stages and picnic areas. Along the route you have good views and some of the less attractive areas are being turned into parkland. There are several bridges including a pipeline bridge to which cyc­ li sts can gain access using a Chinese bike ramp. At Brimbank Park there is a small network of bike tracks. Another area is Jells park in the Dan­ denong Valley Metropolitan Park which has both sealed and unsealed paths. There is an extensive network of bike paths around the Dandenongs. You can ride along Dandenong Creek from Bays­ water to Wantirna through bush and open grassland. From Wantirna you can ride to Upper Ferntree Gully through parkland. Or you can ride from Ringwood to Upper Ferntree Gully fol­ lowing the railway line through the treed railway reservation. Another route to Upper Ferntree Gully takes you along Corhanwarrabul Creek and Ferny Creek starting in Scoresby. Most of these bike paths are fa irl y short and would only form a part of a full or half day ride, or can be incorpo­ rated into commuter routes. If you want to go for a longer ride their is no shor­ tage of choice , even within the met­ ropolitan area. Right near the city you can make a short tour of South Melbourne and Port Melbourne by riding from Flinders Street Station south to Albert Park Lake, then head for the bay and pay a visit to the merchant vessel Polly Wood­ side and return via the World Trade Centre and Arts Centre. Or if you want to have a look at some of the city's great architecture why not do a loop around Carlton, Fitzroy and North Melbourne. There are plenty of places where you can stop for a snack on the way. • Above: In Melbourne's eastern suburbs the Knox municipality has constructed an extensive network of bikeways. This bridge takes cyclists over a busy major road. Below: Where the terrain is too steep a Chinese bicycle ramp has been constructed on the Maribrynong bikepath. Photography Alan Parker. Don't try this with your helmet, by Life unless it's the new LT 700 Technologies This is not just another styrofoam helmet! This is the LT 700, the only multi-density helmet on the market today. What makes the LT 700 superior to any other helmet is a process which marries two densities of expanded polystyrene into a unique single piece with a hard exterior portion and a soft interior portion. This multi-density protection allows impact to be dispersed around and across the surface of the helmet, which eliminates shattering of the protective coating, while the soft inner shell minimizes the amount of shock transmitted to your head. Point of impact Multi-density properties:

Hard outer shell dissipates shock from point of impact Soft inner shell absorbs and minimizes remaining shock waves Head injuries are life threatening. The only cure is prevention, wearing and ANSI and SNELL approved helmet can greatly reduce the risks of concussions, lacerations or even skull fractures. So why not wear the safest helmet you can buy? The LT 700 's performance far exceeds the requirements of both ANSI 290.4 and SNELL standards as evidenced by independent engineering/testing services. *(See chart)

HELMET TEST AVERAGE"G" LT is also ... LT700 ANSI - 84 LIGHTWEIGHT - only 184 grams. LT700 SNELL 131 COOL - engineered air channels provide outstanding cooling ADJUSTABLE - comes in 3 shell sizes, each with 3 sets of sizing pads release safety buckle LOW= SAFETY and adjustable strap system w/quick under 200 G = Comfort & Safety (The lower th e better) WASHABLE - foam sizing pads and helmet covers remove easily to 200 G - 300 G = Discomfort/headaches wash with fine washables 300 G - 400 G = Possible brain damage STYLISH - LT provides a wide variety of helmet covers. You can even 400 G and up = Permanent brain damage personalize a cover to match your club or team. Standard colours yellow, blue or green The LT helmet meets the impact energy availabe are red, black, attenuation requirements of Clause 6.2, Finally, perhaps one of the nicest features -~ AS2063. l-1986. besides safety is the price. The LT 700 will cost ~IUJ you significantly less than its competition. How , , rating of others to Check the energy many more reasons do you need to choose the satisy yourself that the LT has the lowest LT 700? Yoursafetyisour•J goal G rating of any soft shell helmet on the market.

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28 Freewheeling • Slightly further out you can tour the ity has many wa lking tracks which yo u parks of the Moonee Ponds area, many NOUNIAIN could also do a day ride so lo ng as you of which have picnic areas on the are considerate of the other users. Wom­ Maribyrnong Rive r. See how ma ny bat State Forest has tracks and the scen­ parks you can visit in one day. BIKING ery up there on the Dividing Range is To the north you can do a short ride worth a ll the effort. The air in the from Coburg to Bundoora Park, visiting AROUND eucalypt forest is fresh and smell s great. La Trobe university on the way. Nea rer to Bendigo is the Whipstick Beyond the northern suburbs is excel­ State Forest whi ch has forest trails. le nt riding towa rds Kinglake National MELBOURNE Enter the forest from the Eagle hawk Park. Kinglake is up on the Great Divid­ direction . And east of Bendigo is the ing Range so there is some steepness as BY JULIA THORN Rushworth State Forest which is crossed you pedal these roads but the vi ews by a maze of roads fa nning out from the from the plateau make it all worthwhile. H E EASIEST PLACE TO GO hi storic township ofWhroo. Take a good And not too far from here is the with your mountain bike is one map because there are so many forest pretty Yarra Valley where there are of the as yet unfinished bike roads that you could easil y get lost, but ma ny wineries to form the basis of a paths of the metro a rea. Since the roads are wide and quiet. tour. The roads are flattish and quiet these paths have not been tarred they To the west of Melbourne there are despite being so close to the built up are far more comfortable to ride o n a good places for your MTB near Heales­ mountain bike than a raci ng bike and areas. You can start at Lilydale, which is ' vill e. Access is via Lilydale on the subur­ easily reached by suburban train , a nd access is not difficult. Your Melbourne ban rai l netwo rk. The terrain starts to visit four or five wineries in a circul ar Bikeways Book shows rideable tracks as get pretty mountainous as yo u go to­ ride of up to fifty kilometres. wel l as bike pa ths a nd often the in­ wards Marysvi ll e or Warburton but if The Dandenongs are of course well tended continuation of an existing path you stick to the va ll eys yo u still get the suited to a short tour. A long one may be is shown . mountain views but with less effort. too exha usting. The roads here do get You can a lso fo ll ow creeks, riding There are trails in Kin glake National fa irly busy at wee kends so you want to along beside them and fo ll owing their Park, which is in three sections and fea­ try to pick a quiet time of year and keep course. Doing this it is possible to pick a tures waterfalls, dense gum forest and to minor routes. There a re several route from Ferntree Gully (in th e city's rain forest gu llies. places where you could stop riding for a east on the edge of the Dandenongs) In the state's south Wilsons Prom is while and do a forest walk instead, such back to the city. Merri Creek, Kororoit crossed by many tracks which take you as at Olinda State Forest. Creek and the Maribyrnong River can to remote beaches and to lookout points be followed for many a happy hour. over the park. There are plenty of lovely To the north of Melbourne are many places to bush camp. Some of the tracks good a reas for mountai n biking. The do get a bit sandy so you may have to PulltUca1jons Brisbane Ranges National Park is easily combine your ride with wa lking, but There are a number of useful publica­ reached via Bacchus Marsh ( only twenty that's part of the fun , isn't it? You get to tions available to help you decide where minutes away from the cit y by train) and this area either by driving to the park to ride your bike and assist in planning a offers ma ny dirt roads into the bush. and leavin g you r vehi cle a t the Tid a l trip. A good starting point is the Mel­ T hese are fa irl y rough roads through Ri ver visitor centre to do a day ride. bourne Bikeways Book produced by the eucalypt woodland and not sui ted to a Or make a lo nger trip of it a nd ap­ State Bicycle Committee of Victoria . touring bike. There is camping in the proach the park by bike havi ng driven to This book lists a nd describes a ll the park and the spring wildflowers are con­ Foster, the official gateway to the Prom main bike paths in the metro area with side red by some to be the best in Vic­ which is 62 km fr om Tidal River. A ll ow an accompanying map highlighting toria. three days fo r this latter opti on to give points of interest. The routes are nicely North of here but still only a short time to travel to and from the park and presented to encourage you to ride dista nce from Melbourne the enjoy its tracks. them. The book costs $7.95 and is avail­ Blackwood State Forest offers more And close to the G reat Ocean Road , able from newsagents, some bike shops poss ibilities with forest roads radiating seventy kilometres west of Geelong, are and Bicycle Victoria . from the small town of Blackwood and many places for mountain biking in and Another useful source of information fire trails. This is an a rea of mineral around the Otways. This is a region of is the series of Melbourne Bikeplan springs a nd some people still try gold dense dripping rainforest and offers route maps. These cover the e ntire panning. quite a contrast to the dry forests of the metro area in seven sheets: Keilor/Sun­ Climbing o nto the Great Dividing north and centra l parts of th e state. The shine, Broadmeadows/Melbourne R ange there are sceni c a reas to be Department of Forests. Conservation centre, Epping/Eltham , Moorabbin/ explored around Woodend , Hanging and La nds do a useful map of the Ot­ Dandenong, C helsea/Franks ton , Rock and Lancefield. For an enjoyable ways which shows a ll the mino r roads Hawthorn/Melbourne and Nunawading. ride you could take the train out to a and tracks. The maps are available from newsa­ point on the Melbourne-Bendigo line Apart from the inl and Otways you gents, some bike shops and Bicycle Vic­ and return ho me from a station o n the could explore dirt roads to th e south of toria for $2. They also include advice for Ball arat-Melbourne line . Preferably this t he Great Ocean Road , riding o ut to bikers on taking quiet stress-free roads would be a weekend trip but this is suffi­ Cape Otway lighthouse (a detour of 17 and details on hazards. ciently close to the city that you could go km off the Great Ocean Road). If you Bicycle Victoria have produced a use­ just for the day. ride down to Blanket Bay o n the east ful map showing the best routes out of Dista nces between settlements are side of t he cape their is a seclu ded the city for cyclists. The map is entitled not too great and the scenery is superb. campsite. Or ride the sandy tracks Melbourne Day-tours and Approaches Carrying a lot of supplies would not be a around Lake Craven on the west side of and as well as suggesting routes it indi­ proble m as faci lities are available at the cape, getting access from the haml et cates major hills, hazards and wh at sort many poi nts. of Hordern Vale . of faci lities you can expect to find at the Nearby Daylesford, just over 100 km However the reall y top area to take various settlements you pass through. from Melbourne, is another good base your MTB to get away from it all and see Contact Bicycle Victoria for your copy. for off road riding. The immediate vicin- what mountain biking is all about is the •

Freewhee/ing 29 Bogong High Plains. Go for a ride in the ond Floor, 318 Little Bourke Street, feet place for a tour. Especially if you Bogong National Park and see the true Melbourne, telephone (03) 663 3760 or can travel outside the peak holiday sea­ splendour of the Australi an alpine king­ get in touch with Bicycle Victoria as they son so that traffic is at a minimum. dom. If you can, spend a week up there; may have a copy of what you need in For mile upon mile the road hugs the a weekend wi ll only make you hungry their library. indented coastline between Geelong for more. For information about the National and Allansford nearWarrnambool, com­ This is an area for the warm months Parks contact the Dept of Forests, Con­ ing inland only to skirt around the and hopefull y for fine weather. Up on servation and Lands. Their head office Otway range whose rainforested slopes the treeless tablelands the views are is at Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, reach down to the shoreline. The scen­ endless and you are in sight of eleven of telephone (03) 412 4111 and they also ery has you constantly reaching for your the state's twelve hi ghest peaks. There have a number of regional offices. camera. are gravel roads, fire trails and for night When you get tired of pedalling there time you can shelter by o r inside old is likely to be a gold en sandy beach to stockmen's huts. At slightly lower al­ TOURING relax on, or, for those who do not find titudes there are stands of snow gu ms, the cycling exercise enough, there are alpine ash and black sallies, and a ll over many signed walking tracks in the rain­ the plains are a profusion of wildflowers YlalRIA forests . These lead to waterfalls, into in spring and summer. deep gullies and pass huge ferns. You would be best off to go to this The coast is extremely rocky, which area by car and do a circuit from Fall s Freewheeling suggests makes it all the more attractive but has Creek or Hotham. If you want to go some places to ride caused numerous shipwrecks. Before right off the beaten track see if you can the li ghthouses a lo ng this section of fo ll ow some of. the many cross country outside of Melbourne coast were constructed ships frequently ski trails - the signposts stay there a ll used to lose their bearings a nd not year. BY JULIA THORN realise how close to land they had come. ICTORIA IS SO COMPACT. Along the coast are numerous lookouts Further inlorma•ion Within a couple of hours you with fine views - to my mind Cape Pat­ There are several bike clubs in Vic­ can be virtually anywhere in the ton gives the best views. toria solely for MTBers. Contact Bicy­ V state. Which means that there's For most visitors the most impressive cle Victoria, tel. (03) 670 9911 for details never too fa r to go for a good bike ride area is the sectio n enclosed by the Port of the one closest to you. when you need to get away from the Campbell National Park. Here you will Always take a reliable and detailed suburban sprawl. find the famous stacks known as the map with you. If you can't find what you One of the best areas for cycling is the Twelve Apostles, many natural arches, need at an outdoor specialist try the west coast of Victoria. Wet though it grottoes, bays of islands and high sheer Map Shop at Information Victoria, Sec- often is, the Great Ocean Road is a per- cliffs.

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JO Freewheeling To ride the w hole G reat O cean R oad Just n o rth of the O tways is Victori a's need to be self sufficie nt in food wa ter you sho uld sta rt at Geelo ng w hi ch i s wettest town, and a ll along the coast the spares and accommodation. T he'road i; easil y reached by train from Melbourne , weather is unpredictable . mostly unsealed and reaches 620 metres and fi ni sh at Warrnambool, from where For m ore s trenuous riding you shoul d above_sea level. Access is from K o rum­ you can r e turn ho me by t rain . T his take to the hills. North eastern Victoria, b u rra which can be reached by train wo ul d be a fi ve to seven day ride. The where a ll the state's hig h mountins are to fro m Melbourne . inl and return route from Warrnambool be fo und , has some ve ry special coun­ A no the r rid e fro m K o rumburra to Geelo ng is across dairying country trys ide. woul d take yo u down to Wilson's Prom­ and takes about three days. In summe r the mountain s a re pleas­ ontory, otherwise known as ' the Prom'. Because the a rea is popular with holi ­ antly cool fo r riding a nd in the a utumn T he route is hill y b ut scenic, all on sea­ day makers there are pl enty of pl aces to you can see the fa bulous di spl ay put on led roads and a return trip would ta ke stay and lo ts of cafes and restau ra nts. by t he deciduo us t rees that the earl y two o r th ree d ays. As you r each the O n the first p art of the route t he road is settlers pl anted - the leaves are a b laze southern end of the Prom you enter the almost continuously built up, in a spread of reds, oranges and golds. natio na l park of the same name whe re out sort of way. T he resorts of A nglesea, H owever it is certai nly hard work rid­ there is an abundance of wi ldli fe . E mus Aireys Inlet, Lorne a nd A po ll o Bay fo l­ in g the mo unta in s. T he roads a re fre­ a nd ka ngaroos graze by the roadside low fast on each others heels with many que ntl y twisting a nd steep with little and at the visitor centre there a re hun­ othe r small settle ments in between. A ll respite. But as ever, ha rd wo rk is re­ d reds of crimson rosell as waiting for these pl aces have at least a va n p ark o r warded . Riding around Healesvill e and your food scraps. T here is a camping camping reserve, if not a row of m otels out towards Marysvill e you are assured reserve at Tidal Ri ver in the south of the as we ll . of great scenery. lf it's raining the moun ­ park . But once yo u leave Apollo Bay there tain tops may be hidde n in mi st which For an area of great historical interest is little in the way of human h abitatio n makes them look mysterious. you should try the gold t owns of central fo r quite a d istance, the tiny hamlet of Further n orth there's the c ha ll enge of Victori a. The gold rush of the 1850's left Lavers Hill offering the o nl y s ho p , riding to t he top of Mount Buffa lo . You an in deli ble mark on the a rea, nt only in motel and va n park fo r just under eighty have an uphill climb of 26 kilometres to the fo rm of ta ilings heaps but a lso in kil o metres until Princetown . The n the the highest p oint in the Mount Buffalo te rms of pe ri od a rchitecture w hich i s commercial e nte rprises start up again National Park. Easiest access points a re being carefull y preserved. aroun d Po rt Campbe ll a nd Pe te r­ Bright and Myrtleford. But don't go in Yo u can m a ke a very pl easant to ur borough but this section is fa r less built winte r, unless yo u h ave snow chain s o n visiting several of the o ld towns, such as up than the first hundred kil ometres. your bike. Castle mai ne , Ma ld o n , Duno ll y a nd T he route is not especiall y hilly a part East of Melbourne is the route a long Clunes as well as the larger cities of Ben­ from a lo ng climb up to Lavers Hill and the to ps o f the Strezlecki Ranges, the digo and Ba ll arat. The grades are gentle a fe w sho rt climbs a round Lo rne . It's 138 kilometre Grand Ridge Road. There until you r each the G reat Dividing mo re the rain. you h ave to worry a bout. are few facilities alon_g the route so you Ra nge foothills no rth of Ballarat a nd • Spokes to w in with - Chief Mechanic Richard Gilstrap

"Imagine, no broken spokes!" " During the 1987 Pro Season ,n Europe, the Team raced plenty of miles, with plenty of cobblestones, without a single broken spoke. After years of cross testing . my wheels are built today exclusively with ( DT-SWISS SPOKES) I select the highest quality components available - it's only that quality that gives us the confidence we need to win 1" " Take my word for it and choose the best - OT-SWISS SPOKES". DY.SWISS SPOKES Traae enquiries: BIKETECHI PO Box 1521 Wallsenal NSW, 2H7, PH: (OU) 524 40~ FAX: (OU) H1 ~21 Freewheelin6 JI Peninsula and the ferry op­ Peace; Rushworth Again (18)Ray Peace; the scene ry is green hills a nd farmland. Mornington • r to April. Melbourne to Beech worth (12) Michael All the towns have accommodati o n and erates Octobe ta ll y re member that Victoria Burlace; Melvi{{e Caves ( 17) Ray Peace; the distances between places a re not In ciden midday on Saturday so Cycling through Victoria ( 13) Jo hn Pil­ great. closes down after for a weekend ride be sure grim a nd J a ne Quin. Copies of these If you visit the area you sho uld call in if you are out ample s upplies o n you. If you back issues are avail able from our edito­ at the local tourist information offices - to have or tube it could be a rial office. the re are offices in Ballarat, Bendigo, wreck you r tyre to get a new o ne . Maryborough, Avoca, Maldo n and see if long wait they have specia l s uggested tours for Maps Victoria has brought o ut a cyclists. The shire of Bet Bet has put o ut lnlorma1jon Bicycle g maps covering ma ny of several leaflets with cycli ng tours, centr­ For cycling information you can con­ series of cyclin popular areas of country Vic­ ing o n Dunolly a nd the so call ed Golden tact Bicycle Victoria at 29-31 Somerset the most U nfortun a te ly o nly the map for Triangle. Maryborough h as many signed Place, M e lbourne, telephone 03 670 toria. Murray a nd High Plains is cur­ bike paths a nd recommended to urs. 99 11. Upper the othe rs being out of The little towns, now returned to For general t o urist information go to rently available, H opefull y it will not be long be­ being rural service centres afte r th e gold the Victour office in your capital city. print. are avail able to e nable the fever has gone . have pretty verandahcd They can provide you with a reasonable fore funds to be reprinted. shopping s treets, ornate civic buildings road map of the state to he lp you decide whole series road a nd topographic ma ps go a nd ma ny c hurches. The locals can tell where to go, a nd also a camping direc­ For o bookshops, newsagents or o ut­ you m a ny stories from the gold rush e ra tory. In Melbourne they a re at 230 Col­ either t pecia li sts , or fo r the official and each t own h as a s ma ll museum. lins Street, telephone 03 602 9444. If door s 100,000 seri es go to the Possible weeke nd rides in clude the you want to find out more about the I :25000 and 1: In fo rma tion Victoria, 318 circuits Be ndigo - Castl e ma in e - Mai­ National Parks contact the Department Map Shop at Street, Melbourne, te le­ don - Be ndigo; Kyne to n - Trentham - o f Forest, Conserva ti o n and Lands, tele­ Little Bourke (03) 663 3760. Woode nd - H a ngin g Rock - Kyne to n ; phone (03) 412 4 111. phone Ballarat - Ballan - Daylesford - Bal­ Tours in Victoria have appea red in larat. Freewheeling over the years in the fo l­ BH1eclubs Finally Philip Isla nd is a good destina­ lowing issues (the number in brackets is Bicycle Victoria o rganises weekend ti o n for riding no t t oo far from the c it y. the issue numbe r): Melbourne to Sydney rides most weekends, e ither o ne or two Outside the ho liday season the roads a rc via the coast (26) Viola Wiedmann; The day rides for a ll levels of ability, includ­ quiet a nd you can e nj oy the fine coastal Grand Ridge Road (5) Peter Sigorin i; ing mountain bike rides and BMX rides. scenery or visit the histo ri c s ites. There G reat Ocean Road (1 1) David Martin; For more details contact them on the are ma ny caravan parks a nd tea rooms. Ocean Road Odyssey (24) Gay le number given above. They can also te ll Yo u reach the island by ferry (whi ch Sprengewski; The Ceelong-Orway Cen­ you about regiona l bike clubs is the takes bikes) from Stony Po int o n the tury a nd A C rear Ocean Road (2 1) Ray major cities. •

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NIDNISI Out of the mist and into a tight tum - Jamie Hales on the Short Enduro. Photo Kevin Hoare. A very muddy Werner Wohlrab aosses the line happy to have retained his NSW title on home AIID territory. Photo: Chuck Smeaton. national champ Werner Wohlrab by ACT rider Graeme Allbon. With $10,000 worth of prizes at stake the com­ petition was hot in spite of the cool weather. NOIIIAII The racing kicked off on the Saturday with the Uphill, Downhill and Sprint events followed by the Falls Creek Class­ ic long enduro and a short enduro on the Sunday. MADNESS Graeme Allbon recorded the fastest time on both the Uphill and Downhill Recent rains may have dampened the trails but not the with Wholrab runner up in the Uphill and Ian Downing in the Downhill. The competition Short Enduro saw Dave Perry take line honours from fellow Hunter Club member Werner Wohlrab. Karen Wells BY WARREN SALONOI was the top woman; Colin Paynter won the Novices, Bryan Wright the Veterans streak when he was defeated at Falls ECORD SUMMER AND and Ben Munroe was top Junior. Creek the weekend after Easter. Autumn rains throughout the The main event - the long enduro - eastern states has provided In what could only be described as saw a close contest between Dave Perry, mountain bikers with some of miserable weather for most of the week­ Graeme Allbon and Werner Wohlrab in R and the slushiest conditions for years. And end approximately 60 competitors which Perry came out the victor only a as the weather cools down there is every their supporters took part in the coun­ second ahead of Allbon with two mi­ indication that the competition is hot­ try's first advertised Fat Tyre Festival nutes to Wohlrab. The event was run in ting up. Reigning Australian Mountain held at the Falls Creek ski resort in Vic­ cloudy misty conditions throughout Bike King, Werner Wohlrab recieved a toria. Upset of the weekend's races was placing extra strain on the competitors severe jolt to his unbeaten winning the defeat (on overall points) of current stamina and handling skills. • Freewheeling JS BONDI JUNCTION CYCLES 63 OXFORD ST. (NEAR DENISON ST.) DAYS I .-. IOPEN 7 ;- BIRTHDAY SALE DURING AUGUST & SEPTEMBER st PROUD SPONSORS OF SPOT ANDERSON (AND THE "BONDI DIGGERS" TRIATHLONS AND RIDE'N' STRIDE SERIES) PI-I: 387 8266 ~ ,~ STOCKTAKE SALE MELBOURNE'S BIGGEST RANGE AT UNBEATABLE PRICES LIGHT WEIGHT RACERS WAS NOW MOUNTAIN BIKES WAS NO'N SHOGUN SELECTRA (Small frame) $649 $399 SHOGUN Team Issue $1499 $1099 SHOGUN KATANA $709 $549 KHS Montanna Pro $1099 $899 MALVERN STAR Equipe $899 $739 MALVERN STAR Bushranger $879 $699 SHOGUN Celeste Beau $1499 $1249 SHOGUN Prairie Breaker $1199 $949 ALL OUR BIKES ARE EXPERTLY BUILT BY OUR OWN TRADESMAN

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• In a weeke nd highlighted by upsets cious duo Graeme Allbon (ACT) and national Trials champion. Glen Roche Nigel Perry (Hunter). fell during a crucial part of the competi­ Wohlrab Laurent Vignes, despite a s trong early ti on and was defeated by hi s close rival showin g had to retire with mecha ni cal Ewen Gellie. Last year's Trials title a lso retains his problems. The pace of the ro ughl y 12 witnessed a c lose tussle between these minute laps produced large gaps back to two expert bike handlers whi ch resulted NSWtitle the rest of the field and a spate of retire­ in a pl ay off after both had ti ed in the fi­ ments ( 10 o ut of a field of 30). nals. Wohlrab maintain ed the pressure to In spite of the poor weather and the record o ne of hi s solo victories well low turnout of competitors (due mainl y Hunter ¥alley club hosts a ahead of the c hasin g A llbo n and lanky to the la te change of venue from muddy championships Queenslander Tony White ly. Next to Thredbo to Falls C reek) the event was cross the line were: Grant Croese, D av id Collin gs, Brad Maund, Nige l conside red a s uccess and the o rganiser ho ugh m oss may be growin g o n and T Clark in Gary Patterson l ooks forward to a big­ the walls a nd pavements Perry, D Foster, P Smith 10th position. ger and better fa t t yre fest n ext year. th roug ho ut the soggy eastern Winne rs of the other secti o ns were: Patterson says that he wants to stage a states it is certainly not growing Sport -A Hawke, C Paynte r and N Ir­ proper festival with recreational rides to o n m o unta in bikes this year. And the - K We ll s. PTho mpson ; som e of the High Plains' best scen ic sports keenest adherents were o ut in vin e; Women Vete rans - W Hipwe ll. R Williams, R spots. moderate fo rce recently to keep the ris­ ' - A Cable, M Schipp The promoter r eceived good support ing damp at bay with a sticky slushy Moyston; Juniors from sponsors Scott USA, Refl ex bikes round of events to decide th e NSW and T Datson. and the Victori an Alpine Resorts Com­ moun tain bike champion. mission. That organisation is to be com­ On Sunday May 14 the Hunter Vall ey 980 Paterson Cross Country mended for possessing the foresight to Mountain Bike Association played host Classic take on an event concept so new to this for the third time a nd staged an exciting Sunday August 20 is the date for th e country. In the USA the fat tyre festival event over a pa rtly muddy 3.5 km e n­ sixth a nnua l Hunter Va lley Mo unti an is now a well establi shed event type with duro circuit. Over 90 bikers signed up Bike Association's classic cross country up to a week of activities offered to both for the day a nd raced in sunny condi­ race he ld a t R ed Hill in the no rth e rn recreati onal and competitive riders. In tions o n o nl y one of the two fine week­ part of the Hunter region. All levels of most cases the events have been staged ends experienced so fa r this yea r. competit or will be cate red for a nd a in ski resort areas as these have accom­ After the preliminary classes were run generous prize li st is guaranteed. modation , facilities and mounta in s in the mai n championship field charged at The clu b members are also willing to abundance. the first hill in close formation with eight provide orien tat io n rides for keener For news of future fat tyre festivals be laps ahead of them. After three laps the entra nts by arra nge men t prior to the sure to read Freewheeling. We'll keep incumbe nt and ho me c lu b s ta lwa rt event. The Paterson Classic has grown yo u posted . We rner Wo hlrab drew clear of a ten a- to be one of the more p9pul ar events on •

Freewheeling 37 • the MTB calendar and is expected to championships are alternated between attract a large field this year. private promoters in the USA and Fr­ For details contact Bob Jones (049) ance. 341 919 (w) (049) 385 193 or Bruce With the arrival of an officially Richards (049) 327 820. sanctioned Worlds moves are now awheel in this country to study the feisa­ ANIA sends Austnl~an bility of hosting the event here in 1993. team to Worlds As the sport is still in its infancy it is not The Australian Mountain Association's sure what the outcome of the investiga­ first national team will leave the country tions will be. What ever happens we can late in August bound for the USA to look to a time in the not too distant fu­ compete in the World Champonships ture where we will be able to witness the held at the Mammoth Mountain resort cream of the worlds best mountain bik­ in California on September 9 and 10. ers deciding their champions on Austral­ The team selected is headed by the cur­ ian soil. rent national champion Werner Wohlrab With FIAC involved the winners will and consists of the country's most prom­ be able to be issued with rainbow jerseys ising expert, women and junior category - the most obvious physical sign of an riders: Karen Wells (NSW) , Robbie Yan international champion. A further be­ Nooten (NSW) , Pete Smith (OLD) , nefit resulting from the FIAC connec­ Travis Temm~ (VIC) , Ben Munroe tion looks likely to be the inclusion of (OLD), Leigh Nilsson (NSW) and Scott mountain bike events in the Olympics Finlay (OLD). some time in the future. FIAC to adm~n~ster the sport The world governing body of ameteur Nore clubs alfllHate wHh cycling the International Federation of ANBA Amateur Cycling FIAC has recently The recent affiliation of the Canberra established a techical commission to Mountain Bike Club has brought to facilitate the international administra­ twelve the number of local clubs offi­ tion of the sport. The commision has cially involved with mountain biking in already issued some findings to in­ this country. According to AMBA presi­ terested national bodies such as our dent Martin Whiteley there are even AMBA and has to report by July next more clubs in the process of forming year. (inclusing new groups at Nowra and Dave Wells in the cold misty conditions powers on There are considerable advantages Wollongong) and he expects all of these through the Short Enduro. Photo Kevin Hoare. attached to FIAC involvement in the to apply for affiliation. AMBA is its self sport apart from a formal association affiliated with the Australian-Cycling racing is an ideal compliment their regu­ with the most prestigious amateur cycl­ Federation and its members have access lar training programs. ing body (which is its self part of the to a common competitors insurance The Mersey Valley Club in Tasmania UCI - the peak world sports cycling or­ scheme. has taken this one step further by renam­ ganisation). Most importantly FIAC One of the most intesresting trends in ing its self the Mersey Valley Racing and will sanction the world championships the recent growth of the sport is that Mountain Bike Club. The club is now bringing them onto a recognised and more and more road and track racing affiliated with both the Tasmanian Cycl­ legitimate footing. At present the world cyclists are finding that mountain bike ing Federation and AMBA. Members SURFSIDE CYCLES Z WILMETTE PL, MONA VALE ..A. JUST ARRIVED DIRECT FROM THE USA cannondSle Heat treated, oversized all aluminium racing and mountain bike frames .

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J8 Freewheeling The USCF •buys' NORBA T he US National Off Road Bi cycle As­ sociati o n h as been sold to the U nited States Cycling Federation. NORBA was set up originall y to encourage, sancti on a nd ad ministe r the sport of mo unta in bike racing in that country b ut has ex­ pe ri enced d ifficult times in past years. As the o rgani staion is legall y set up as a private company able to be bought and sold it has seen a number of owners in ­ cluding a BMX group and now the main amateur cycling body. While it may be a good thing for th e two s ports to pool resources a nd ad­ ministrative matters ( li cencing a nd race sancti o ning in particular) many mo un ­ tain bikers are concerned that the sport will s uffe r an ide nty crisis if it doesn't have its own administrati ve body. In Austra li a th o ugh the Australian Mo untain Bike Association has very close links with the a mateur cyclin g body they are still nevertheless separate o rgani sations both serving the differing needs of the ir own members. Fat tyre freaks all around the world are watching with great interest to see wh at will hap­ pen n ext. With the world amateur con­ trolling body FIAC moving to set up an effecti ve administration of the new sport the possibility that the USCF may have to eventuall y divest its self of NOR BA is a scenario that can not be ruled o ut. NZ 10 send team 10 01 NIB The field starts up the hill from the Falls Creek the average age for mo unta in bikers Na1~onals Village on the Long Enduro. Photo Kevin Hoare. (calcul ated at l ast years AMBA Nation­ A team of 24 riders will represent New Misty weather for these riders competing in the als) is 27. This means that many talented Zealand at the 1989 Nationals to be held Uphill event. Photo Kevin Hoare. track and road riders may switch t o fat near Canbe rra o n the weekend of who wish to race in both disciplines still tyre competition once they have passed November 18 and 19. The team is being need to pay a little more to obtain their their athletic peak on narrow tyres. sent by the newly set up New Zealand racing lice nces but they do n't h ave to AMBA will ho ld its a nnual general Na ti onal Off Road Bicycle Association join a diffe rent club to do it. meeting this year on Saturday August 19 which now represents around 500 mem­ While the ACF says that the average at Swansea prior to the Paterson Class­ bers organi sed in regional clubs. Moun­ age for its top competitors is around 20 ic. tain bik in g is o ne of th e fastest growin g • Heads orTails? Take the guesswork out of M range of Apollo, Repco and where to go for your cycling Shogun bicycles are simply needs - head straight for ~~a. A unbeatable value for money. Maroubra Cycles, where all the After purchase, our bicycles receive a staff are dedicated cyclists. free service and all carry a I 5 year The staff with the know-how to cackle guarantee on the frame and forks. any repair, w ithout leaving the familiar So if you are after a mountain, BMX , racing or family ache in your hip pocket. bicycle, at a sensible price a nd backed up by great Our custom building service will satisfy the after-sales service, beat the odds and shop with us - fussiest of bicycle connoisseurs and our wide Maroubra Cycles.

Freewheeling 39 • sports o n th e o the r side of the Tasman 271 5152 (h) o r J ohn Hosking (08) 468 and the size of the NORBA numbership 780 (h). compares well with the older established lobbies Enclun road a nd track r acing o rgani sati o n 16 July is the date fo r the 1989 Shogun whereas AMBA individual membership Nobbies E nduro whi ch t akes place at only represents a bout 5% of th e ACF's Hidde n Valley near M a roota north of total. Members Sy dney. T hj ere a re to be fiv e cl asses: The Nati onals have established a tract­ novice, wo me n ,sport , expe rt and ob­ ion of open i nte rn ational competiti on served trials. Entry costs $10. (simila r to othe r m ajor sports). Last F0r more info rmation telephone (02) year a n umber of Europeans took part 4115466. but wh at m akes the New Z ealand effort diffe rent is that they wi ll be sending a Simpson DeseN nee full national team. counidown AMBA offi cials beli eve th at open Na­ More news about the Simpson D esert ti onals a re good for the sport and will Cycle Classic whi ch is happening 26 to give local riders the benefit of intern a­ 30 September. The event is being held in ti onal competiti on on our home soil - or aid of Paraquad , the Paraplegic a nd should we say: home mud! As the sport Quadriplegic Association of NSW whi ch develops a nd strengthens it will then be was fo rmed in 1961 to help people with possible to establi sh a national points severe spinal injuries. seri es whi ch should have the b enefit of Funds raised b y the race will be used fo ste ring our own riding talent a part to assist P araquad in its c urre nt p ro­ fr o m the na ti o nal a nd inte rnati onal Stephen Kidd puts.his special 20" wheel bike gram, particul arl y with regard to accom­ events. through the Trials course. Photo Kevin Hoare. modation for the physically disabled. We live in exciting times. Stay tuned. Entri es fo r the event have opened and Fo r e ntry fo rms contact Zig Z ag 92 will close on 28 August. Participants will Comme rcial Rd Po rt Augusta 5700 receive a pre event briefin g o n 25 Sep­ Pichi Richi 11TB Classic phone (086) 42 3277. On Sunday 30th of July the Adelaide tember and the after race awards will be Mo untain Bike club with assista nce Winier series ha nded out o n 30 Septe mbe r in fro m Re pco Cycles a nd Zig Z ag Po rt T he Adelaide MTB club will ho ld its Birdsvi ll e. Augusta will , tagc a mountain bike race Repco Cycles Winter Seri es (racing and Contact J ack Mullins, telephone (02) a t Pi chi R1 c hi Pa~s north of P o rt Au­ trials) on three Sundays - 25 June, 23 588 5617 o r I a n H ese, tele phone (08) gusta . The J ay~ ac tivities wil l consit of July a nd 20 August. For fu ll detai ls of 281 0966 fo r entry fo rms and other info r­ Trials a nd Enduro races for all classes. the events contact Andre w Fi eld (08) mati on. • PUNC TURES NO WORRIES!!!

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Distributed in Australia bJ1Steve Cramer Products (03) 587 1466 The Ring of Kerry one of Ireland's magical places. Photo by the author. (abo ut 40 km) removed any tho ught of morning packing up and pannie r l oad­ ing. IRELAID'S O u r first m ove was to have a look aro und Dingle . It is the e pito me o f " quaint little fi shing v ill ages" with col­ ourful cottages nestl ed around a central wh arf area. BEST Heading west out of Dingle, we found that the westerly wind of the day before A memorable day trip in the Emerald Isle was sti ll blowing , but t he s un was shin­ ing a nd the thought of a tail wind home made the low gear we were peddling in BY IAIN LAIGUSCH seem justifi able . Y QUEST FOR THE ULTI­ a private hoste l with hot showers a nd The fi rst few kilometres out of Dingle m a te d ay trip took m e re ­ warm dry beds. revealed everything that was most m e­ ce ntly o n a three a nd a ha lf D espite o ur low mo ra le, a warm morable in o ur tour of Ireland . Ro lling week t o ur o f Ire la nd . Two shower a nd dry c lo thes a nd some hot green hills c ut into a patchwork by a wNeeks into the tour, we found ourselves food soon h ad us ready to see wha t myria d of sto ne wa ll s. lre la nd ·is no t in a charming fi shing village o n the most Dingle had t o offer b y ni ght. Pubs are call ed the E merald Isle for n othing, and westerly piece o f la nd in E urope, the not h a rd to find in Ire la nd, ma ny o f to say that Ireland exhibi ts at l east one Dingle peninsul a. This village is call ed the m h ave traditio na l fo lk music , the thousand shades of green would not b e Dingle, and we reached it aft e r o ne o f Irish p eople a re fri endly a nd I h ad de­ an exaggerati on. the least pleasant days of our tour. veloped a particul ar fo ndness for G uin­ T he reason for the g reens is not h ard I h ad n eve r expected to stay particu­ ness. So O ' Fla he rtys p rovided a re­ to fi nd as it rains a ll the ti me in Ireland. larly dry on our tour of Ireland, but the cuperating good ni ght o ut. T he bad It did not rain fo r one fo ur day stretch of day took d ampness to e xtremes. It took me mo ri es o f earlie r that day were lost o ur to ur a nd the locals were ta lking us e ight hours to ride 40 kilometres. We amo ng the sounds o f flutes and fiddles, drought. faced 40 knot winds and continuous face pints o f e nriching black liquid a nd T he s to ne wa ll s a lso fr inge th e road stinging, morale sapping, Gore-tex t est­ fri endly conversati on in O 'Flahertys . and are usua ll y o vergrown by bl ackber­ ing rain blowing in from the Atlantic. Whe n n ex t d ay d awned clear a nd ri es and fuchsias. It was September and Afte r a rriving in Dingle, it was no t sunny, the a ppeal of a no the r night at both these plants were a t their full glory. ha rd to pass over the " te nt set up in a O'Flahertys as we ll as the prospect of a The b lackberries were covered with the delightful spot by a s tream" in favour of day tour around the end of the peninsul a bi ggest and juiciest blackberries I h ad

42 Freewheeling ever seen and all we had to do to enjoy know as "Guinness leg". It is a form of them was to wiggle a foot loose from the lassitude involving heaviness and total toe clips. The fuchsias bore bright and lack of energy in the legs. A few minutes intricate drooping flowers. Enough to spinning in a low gear is the only known make any gardener's head spin . cure and thankfully there is a one The road signs of I re land are some­ hundred percent success rate. thing I will never forget. To say they are One of the sights of the Dingle Penin­ unreliable is not an overstatement. sula are various buildings, some of Firstly, they are in either kilometres or which are up to thirteen hundred years miles and you have to try and work out old , making them among the oldest in which depending on the age of the sign. Europe. The most spectacular building They are often (especially in the west) in is called Galarus Oratory. It resembles a Gaelic and some place names bear no medieval church or meeting place and, resemblance to the English equivalent although thirteen hundred years old , used on our maps. Lastly they are often looks as though it was built last week . very misleading and inaccurate. Every stone is perfectly in place. One rain sodden day of our tour, we Having reached the most westerly rode for half an hour towards a p articu- point of Europe, we finally turned east 1ar town to find it had mysteriously and started heading back towards moved further away, at least according Dingle. The absolute joy of a thirty knot to the road signs. · tail wind had us back in Dingle before About eight kilometres out of Dingle we knew it. It was only mid afternoon we reached some of the most rugged and the cloud was starting to look omin­ and beautiful coastal scenery. The road ous, so the only thing to do was to pop is fairly narrow and winds its way along into O'Flahertys to reflect on a wonder­ the top of impressive cliffs which drop to fu I day unencumbered by distance, the sea where the strong westerly winds schedules or load. had whipped up huge seas. The movie To anyone contemplating cycle tour­ Ryans Daughter was filmed in Dingle ing as a serious means of seeing the and some of the splendour and rugged­ world, do not forget the day trips. ness of the landscape is captured in this film . We paused often as we headed around this coastline, and the amount of film we used had me thinking of asking Kodak for sponsorship. The Gap of Dunloe, County Kerry. Photo by the As lunch time approached we started author. looking for a pub, I could not recom­ rather to give a selection of the best mend Ireland to anyone looking for a riding Ireland has to offer. gastronomic tour. Irish food tends to be Each route guide is prefaced by a largely meat and potatoes, but a pint of brief itinerary for the ride and a sketch Guinness is almost a meal in itself. map. The style of the text is anecdotal, We found a pub and eagerly downed IRISH which brings life to the descriptions and our usual on road meal of the delicious makes the text more than just a list of local soda bread covered with anything TOURS t.RIJlll"T instructions. It also gives the reader from ham , cheese , honey or my last added faith in the guide to know that the scrap of vegemite. The mandatory cou­ BOON REVIEW BY JULIA route has been cycled successfully be­ ple of pints of Guinness had us ready for THORN fore. the afternoon. By Bicycle in Ireland by Martin Ryle. To make the best use of the book you The first few kilometres after lunch Published by Impact Books (Harrap) London would want to incorporate some of the were beset by a condition we grew to 1988 160pp paperback RRP $19.95 routes into a longer tour. You could use Distributed by the Australasian Publishing Co. the book to advise which areas to head S SOON AS I CAN scrape to­ for and then use the suggested routes to gether the money I'm going to start you off. At least then you would be take my bike over to Ireland. comfortably sure that you were starting This new book has filled me in a good place. withA such a rosy picture of this tradition­ The book also has a lengthy introduc­ ally wet country that I cannot wait to tion covering such basic topics as what cycle the roads there. kind of bike to use , what the weather is This book is filled with enthusiasm for like (surprisingly the rain is not as op­ the country and its quiet lanes. I found it pressive as you might expect even a pleasure to read a book which the au­ though it is rather frequently occurring), thor so clearly enjoyed writing as it obvi­ tools to take and the usual cycling ad­ ously brought back many happy vice. memories of past cycling trips. There follows a summary of the fea­ The guts of the book are 22 route tures of the various parts of the country guides for day trips of varying lengths all which is a bit hard going unless you have over the Republic of Ireland. There is no a map in front of you , and a history of particular intention for the routes to link the country which to my mind is far too up or to provide the basis for an ex­ brief. I suspect the reason for this brev­ tended tour through the country, but ity is that the book is primarily aimed at •

Freewhee/ing 43 • British readers who have had the history of the Republic drummed into them and don't need to hear any more about it , but I think a couple of paragraphs about the reasons for the creation of two coun­ tries out of the one island would not have been superfluous. Christie Cycles are the bicycle The main problem with a book such travel experts with years of as this one is to know when is the most experience to help you suitable time to read it. You have to equip your next overseas expedition, peruse it before planning your route so day trip or that you get an idea where to go but weekend adventure. until you hit the road the more detailed Bicycles, panniers, descriptions make little impact; it's not camping gear, the sort of book to read as you ride accessories along as it isn't intended as a gazetteer; \ and friendly so maybe the answer is to read it twice, advice­ once to help with your planning and a Christies second time when you get back home have the lot! and want to compare your experiences with the author's. Many of the route descriptions fea­ ture an account of a night's camping at some scenic spot. I found it a great sur­ prise that the writer was able to spend so Don't do it many nights under canvas as I had al­ the hard ways presumed it was far too wet and way. soggy in Ireland to even contemplate s taking a tent. But he seems to have Doitthe fared well and had many interesting en­ THE TOURING AND TANDEM EXPERTS counters with the locals as a result of Christie.,...;-- 85 Burwood Rd Hawthorn VIC 3122 Phone (03) 818 4011 pitching his tent in someone's meadow . way,/ - or on a peat bog they were cutting peat from for winter fuel. • Ara•Airlite The name says it all The helmet designed specifically for the serious competitor in our hot Australian summers.

~ g pads absorb perspiration •a • Aust. Standard 2063 Impact ing & American ANSI Z90.4 • Many other colour combinations • Quick-release buckle available. Australian Distributor: ATOM (02) 550 1655 with an emphasis on the beginner end of the market. Lengths range from eleven to 95 kilometres but most rides are around thirty to forty kilometres. The rides are on sealed roads and are suited to any geared bike. Each tour description is accompanied by a clear map, usually on the facing TOURING page for ease of use on the road. The text provides a brief overview of the SOUTH OF tour area followed by a more detailed description of sights along the way. In­ structions are precise and the text in­ SYDNEY cludes spot distances to ensure that you keep on the right trail. Details of the BOOK REVIEW BY JULIA type of terrain are given including men­ THORN tion of hills that you will encounter. The only problem with this rather Cycling the Southern Highlands and clinical presentation is that the descrip­ South Coast of NSW by Richard D tions are somewhat lacking in liveliness. Kenderdine. Published by Bicycle Institute of Personal reminiscences are absent, and NSW 1988. Paperback 80pp, $7.95 few of the rides leap off the page urging the reader to pack his panniers and get HIS SLIM PAPERBACK on the road. contains 30 suggested cycle The rides are not precisely graded in tours of varying lengths in the terms of difficulty and it is left to the Southern Highlands region of reader to decide which ride is suited to New South Wales plus helpful his level of ability. For the most part one information on the area's history, land can judge this from the length of the ride use, and touring tips. It is a revised ver­ as the roads are relatively undulating sion of the author's earlier touring guide throughout the Southern Highlands. to the Southern Highlands and adjacent The order of the tours is according to coastal areas of NSW and contains addi­ geographical location of the starting tional rides not included in the previous point, working southward from volume. 1 _!) Campbelltown to Kiama. As well as covering the areas around In the majority of cases the author has Moss Vale, Bowral , Nowra and Berry designed tours which enable you to start ConYeNJOUr thoroughly, the new version includes and finish at a railway station ; some­ rides based on Picton, Albion Park and times this involves a loop route and at Goulburn to give a broader appeal to other times the tour takes you from one bicycle 10 an readers. All the best touring spots are station cross country to another. there: Kangaroo Valley, Fitzroy Falls, Being able to access a touring area by indoor fli1ness Bundanoon , Robertson to name a few. train is very convenient for several The peripheral touring hints section reasons. Not everyone wants to leave cen1re provides brief advice on what to take their car parked unattended outside a with you on a tour, whether to camp or pub or by the roadside for a prolonged Indoor training is even more fun with seek hotel accommodation on an ex­ period while thf;!y are off touring and not the most up to date fitness equipment tended tour, how much to eat and where everyone has a car which can readily - the Tacx Variomatic. Since you have to get tourist information. Meteorologi­ accommodate one or two bicycles. your bicycle already set up for cal data, location of bike shops and The only sector of the Highlands that comfortable riding why use a separate types of accommodation avail able are is not reachable by train is the Kangaroo trainer? Just slip your bicycle into the included as appendices. Valley region, so to get there you would Variomatic and in an instant you are The information is all sound and is have to ride up from Berry or Nowra, or ready to begin your training session. clearly presented. My only criticism down from Moss Vale. Tours approach­ The Variomatic is compact and easy would be its brevity. For example ad­ ing Kangaroo Valley from both these to store away - a big plus for flat dresses of accommodation are not directions appear in the book. dwellers. It is adjustable for racing bike given; the reader is advised to consult The author has certainly done a frame sizes from 48 through to 65 cm the tourist information offices, but I thorough job in including virtually every and it weighs 8.6 kg. A handlebar think it would have been useful to know road in the Southern Highlands in this mounted control switch allows you to what camping areas are most suited to book. It all goes to show what an excel­ adjust the magnetic pressure from cyclists travelling with a tent as opposed lent area this is for touring. Even if you your riding position. to motorists travelling with the kitchen didn't want to do one of the suggested So, don't wait for the winter chill - sink . Another omission is the address tours you could easily use the book to convert your bicycle now with the Tacx and telephone number of all the relev­ construct your own. Variomatic. It's available from your ant tourist offices ; their location is This book is a useful addition to the local specialist bicycle retailer. given, but prospective visitors may have touring lite rature. The Highlands are liked to give them a tinkle before their easily reached from Sydney or Canberra visit to do some planning. and this volume provides plenty of ideas tacx The detailed tour guide forms the for the tourer who wants to expand their Wholesale stockists: Hanley Trading Pty bulk of the book. The rides are intended horizons beyond the metropolitan areas Ltd (02) 666 9633 for novices and experienced riders alike, of New South Wales. •

Freewheeling 4S 30 centimetres. Join longer pacelines of four or more riders once you feel confi­ dent with your basic bike handling skills. When riding in a paceline, there are a few points to keep in mind. Your pull at the front normally lasts twenty to thirty seconds or a set number of pedal strokes, usually thirty. Riding smoothly and at an even pace is important. The responsibility for selecting the line that the riders will follow belongs to the lead rider. Gradual movements are better than unpredictable swerves. As you approach a road hazard, such as a pothole, smoothly pull out in the road to pass it, give it space and point to it so the following riders are aware of it. Likewise, always signal turns. Many times there may be someone in your group who does not know the route. Crashes can be caused because of riders not knowing when to turn. ,... , When riding with a group it's common ~- courtesy to stop if someone in the group --•--- •--- ..... punctures a tyre. Usually someone will yell "puncture" and the group will care­ fully come to ·a stop. You 'll all get back to riding quicker if one person assists the unfortunate individual with chang­ RIDIIGIIA ing his tyre or tube. If you are the one who punctured , continue in a straight line to allow the other riders to see you and safely go around you. When you are clear of other riders, pull over to the BUNCH side of the road. When you finish your turn at the front , pull off into the wind . If it's a The Freewheeling training guide to pacelines and echelons headwind it's usually safer to pull off towards the curb rather than into traffic. Don't slow your pace until you have BY CYNDI HOLNES pulled off. If you slow before you pull EMBERS OF THE NON­ Pacelines provide for fast riding and off, the rider coming through to lead cycling public (they tell me aid physical conditioning from the inter­ may have to stop pedalling briefly or there are a few out there) val training effect. They also allow riders even brake to avoid running into your often marvel at how fast and of differing abilities to ride together rear wheel. You won't be a popular train­ closeN together experienced cyclists ride. with the stronger riders taking longer ing partner if you do this frequently! Maybe you've shared their awe , not pulls at the front. In small groups of up to six riders go being exactly sure yourself how to ride The bike handling skills you' ll need straight to the back of the group and get this way. The key is pacelines. Pacelines before you attempt to join a paceline back in the line. Soft pedal as you move are necessary for continued fast riding, include being able to ride straight and back, staying close to the riders moving and bike handling skills are a prerequis­ relaxed, without extra movement. You'll forward . Relax a bit to aid your recovery ite for pacelines. need to keep your head up and look past and get ready for your next pull. the hips and shoulders of the rider in In larger groups of more than six rid­ Pacelines take advantage of the draft­ front of you , while riding close behind ers, the paceline will resemble more of a ing effect. Because wind resistance has a that rider. circle, with riders in two lines, one mov­ great affect on speed, it is easier to ride Practice riding close with another ing forward and one going back. when you are sheltered or sitting in be­ rider to build your confidence. First It takes a bit of practice to get back in hind another rider than it is to ride alone allow about two feet of space between the forward-moving li ne without having or at the front of the paceline. your front tyre and your part~r's rear to sprint. You'll need to practice judging tyre. Don't yo-yo back and forth but your speed so that you can smoothly Riders in a paceline take turns at the rather keep this distance constant. If move over diagonally to get behind a front of the line, pulling at a speed faster your wheels touch , you will be the most wheel. than they would be able to maintain for likely one to fall. At first you'll probably find yourself extended periods. Because of the draft­ Don't make the mistake of just watch­ drifting to the back and realising, a little ing effect, the other riders in the line are ing the wheel in front of you without too late, that the wheel you need to be able to travel at the same speed while regard to the road or traffic. Learn to on is a metre up the road. You'll learn to recovering and awaiting their turn to judge the gap by looking down at the watch over your shoulder so that you pull again. The effect becomes more wheel occasionally, but looking forward can time your move so that it's gradual apparent at high speeds and in windy most of the time. As you learn to judge and doesn't waste energy, otherwise conditions. the distance, reduce your gap to about you' ll end up suffering from all those

46 Freewheeling little sprints you' ll need to do to stay with the group. Riding in a paceline mi ght be a bit frighte ning a t first , but once you feel comfortable with it , you' ll find that you've become a more fit a nd skilled cycl ist. The Echelon T he pros know what to do whe n a crosswind starts. T hey fo rm an echelon. A n echelon is a paceline that is stagger­ ing to the side , with the rider_s overl ap­ ping depe nding upon the wind direc­ ti o n . Prope r eche lo ns are most com­ mo nl y seen in top a mate ur o r profes­ sional races. As a race tactic it takes a bit of skill to master, and usually quite a bit of road too. You can make small group rides more effici e nt a nd less · uncomforta bl e in windy conditio ns by le arning how to ride an eche lo n . First de te rmine the ture exceeds about 105 degrees F, the wi nd direction. Re me mbe r to a lw ays DEHYDRATION risk of pote ntiall y fatal heat stroke is pull off into the wind . For in stance, if markedl y increased." the wind is coming from 11 o'clock, your Treating heat stroke must be quick , front tyre sho uld be just to the ri ght, but CANBE the best method being bodily immersion not overlapping, the rear tyre of the in cold water. During an afternoon ride, rider in front of you. any water will do: a river, a lake, a swim­ As the wind becomes more of a cross­ DEADLY ming pool , a front yard hose. The resear­ wi nd, you move more to the front ~nd to BY MARK JENKINS chers at Simon Fraser determined that: the side of the rider yo u're followmg to ver forg0t to fill your water "elevated heart rate and core tempera­ get sheltered from the wind. bottles? You probabl y race ture a re produced by d e h ydra ti o n at In large echelons , particularly in rac­ through work , shot home , 2.8% to 5.5 % of a n individua l's in g, every ride r immediately pulls off jumped into your bike shorts, we ight. " After 40 or 50 kilometres of when they reach the front of the group. bange d through the screen riding ... even wh en you have drank the This keeps the pace much higher than doorE and were hammering for half an conte nts of one waterbottle, yo u may an individual could ride. In small eche­ hour before you realized it. Suddenly have lost 3% of your body weight . lons in touring or training, the pulls can you were o n the edge of nowhere with Preventing acute dehydration is sim ­ be lo nger depending on how fast you no water. Like most people you prob­ pl e. Be aware of the weather. What is want to go. H owever, you'll find that in ably just " toughed it out" and rode on. the day's expected hi gh, the e xpected really strong winds, short pulls will not But toughing it out can knock you out, humidity? If you pl an to pedal parched wear you down as much as long pulls. even kill you. Dehydration, believe it or country take at least two litres of water The technique used in an echelon is to not, can be deadly. and drink them both. Contrary to bever­ pull off into the wind, slow your pace_as Sweating is the culprit. Sweat glands age advertiseme nts, the best drink - you slide back, staying close to the n~­ are like a radiator, they keep the engine when you're truly, phys iologica ll y, e rs who a re movin g forward. Take 1t from overheating. But they also deplete thirsty - is water. Pl ain old water. easy, but keep pedalling and slip in be­ the body of both salt and wate r. Perhaps When it's rea ll y hot, cotton (for jersey hind the last rider. surprisingly, water loss without almost ma te ri a l) is better than lyc ra or a ny As with pacelines, never reduce your instant re placement can cause acute o the r sy nthe tic because the fibres ab­ speed when riders a re on you_r wheel, dehydration. The two most common so rb water. Whe n you sweat wearing wait until you've moved to the side. And hazards of acute dehydrati o n are heat cotton, the fluid is retained in your shirt because in eche lo ns riders wheels·a re exhaustion and heat stroke . Symptoms and cools your body. Another trick is to ofte n overlapped , ride re laxed a nd of heat exhaustion , the lesser of the two soak two T-shirts before setting o ff . avoid swerving or over reacting. evils, include undue fatigue, headache , Wear one and wrap the other in a plastic dizziness and mild confusion , all central bag. When the first one has been blown The Double Echelon nervous syste m ma lfunctions simply bone dry, trade it for the cool wet re li ef A common sight in the early stages of remedied -- just drink a litre or more of of the second . a long race or when you see a group of water. Finally, warding o ff heat exhaustion racers training is a double echelon. It's a It is heat stroke that is life threaten­ or heat stroke can be accomplished sim ­ good formation for social _rides as well as ing. Without constant rehydration while ply by rearra ngi ng yo ur cycling time q uick training, as the nders nde two riding, even if the d ay isn't peculiarly ta ble. During the summe r, the hottest abreast. At a comfortable pace you can hot, sweating ceases and the body's core time of the day is between 12 and 4 pm. get to know your riding partners better. temperature can quickly soar above 104 Just ride in the mo rning or late after­ The technique used is for each of the degrees F. Pre monitory sy mptoms in ­ noon. two lead ride rs to pull off at the same clude dizziness , headache, muscle Dehydration is probably the most eas­ time one to the centre of the road and cramping, in some cases coll apse a nd il y avoid ed mo rtally dangerous cycling one toward the side of the road, leaving even unconscious seizures. hazard . A drop of forethought and a few eno ugh space for the following pairs of Stephen Brown and Eric Ba niste r, litres of fluid are a ll that a re need ed . riders to ride between the former le ad­ both researchers at Simon Fraser Uni­ Two full waterbottles? Never leave ers, who slip in behind the last pair. • versity, state that " when core tempera- home without 'em . •

Freewheeling 47 people around me had n ever seen a trailer specia ll y made to tow behind a bike before. So right away, I was attracting lots of attention. Well , I wasn't u sed t o this, so ltlltAIDltE after a while I buried my head under my blanket. Mum to ld me th at if I just The youngest participant in the 1988 MeJbourne to Sydney smil ed for people while they ta lked to me a nd took my picture it would be a lot ride tells her story more fun and they wouldn't h ave to spe nd so much time tryin g to coax me into a s mile. BYDOIIACLARNFORSARACLARN Mum soon learned she didn't n eed to Y NAME IS SARA AND way around from where we live in Ohio, worry about me or traffic. My trailer is a my mum 's name is Donna. and pointed to a place s he called Aus­ bit wider than a si ngle bike, so people Some of you met us on our tralia. She told me we were going there driving motor vehicles can't sq ueeze by bike ride in Australia. I was on vacation in November on a bike ride in o ne lane and have to slow down and the youngest ride r (I didn't actua ll y fro m Melbourne to Sydney as part of pa s using another traffic lane. pedal a bike but I did ride - in my trailer their Bicentennial celebrations. I tho ught the road conditio ns were which" mum pulled behind her bike). So we started practising. We s tarted fine. The bumps a nd the rolling moti o n Since I h ad such a great time on this with short dista nces a nd gradually put me to sleep. One day, a lot of people ride, I wanted to tell you all about it. worked up to metric centuries. We we re asking mum how she did o n dirt Now, you have to realize that since I'm worked out an acceptable combination and gravel road, which apparently lasted only five years old, my mum is writing of things mum would have to pack for about 17 or 18 kil o me tres. She said it this for me . And because she's doing all me in my tra il e r: helmet , flag on a tall was reall y hard to negotiate because the the hard work , she gets to interpret my pole with an America n Flag windsock, dirt was soft and even though she tried thoughts and inte rj ect hers when she water bottle, lunch box with peanut but­ to keep her bike's two tires on the pack­ wants. te r a nd jelly sandwiches, bananas or ed part, my traile r's two tires we re o n One day in the early summer of 1988, grapes a nd , most importa nt , bubble the soft part which made the pulling mum took out the globe, spun it half gum. I also had a backpack of toys, difficult and te nd ed to ma ke her bike dolls, books, a small pillow and a beach slide a ll around . We ll , I sle pt from the towel I used for a blanket so I could take beginning to nearl y the end of th at road naps whenever I wanted. so it didn't b o the r m e . And I ate my Finally, on a drizzling Saturday morn­ peanut butter and jell y sa ndwich when I ing, the bike ride began. We took a train woke up. What dust? in D andenong and rode over to the fair I liked the mountains because I could grounds to the official start of the bike see so much from the tops. Most of the ride . We had an hour to wait before the time it felt like I was riding in a roller big send off and , during that hour, mum coaster going backwards. (Oh, I fo rgot and I r eali zed that not only was I the to tell yo u tha t m y trailer faces to the only child in a tra il e r, but a lot of the rear so I go to see Down Under back­ wards.) On the mounta in s I helped o ut by stration byJeff Hook Illu sin ging when it got r eally tough. Mum had to pedal ra the r than walk up be­ cause she's not strong e nough to push the bike , trailer, a nd me up. " No op­ tions," she would say. It's very hard to stop on an incline a nd get me out of the trail e r because I'm all strapped in and everything would roll downhill. Some people tho ught the downhills would be the pay off for difficult uphills because we could go faster be ing heavier. But the fas test we ever went down a ny hill was just under 50 km/h because we would reach a point where the added rolling resista nce of the traile r, and especially the wind resis­ tance against it , would negate any added benefit the extra weight gave us. The weather conditions were not th e best for me. I especiall y didn't like the mornings because we had to wake up so early and it was almost always cold. Mum always woke up first at about 5:30 to 6:00 am - her alarm clock was the sound of zippers (te nts , sleeping bags, duffle bags, e tc) being zipped open and closed. The first thing she did after she opened her eyes was slide my clothes for the day into my sleeping bag with me while I slept to warm the m up. The n , s he tucked m y jacke t unde r m y sleeping bag so it would be wa rm too and ready fo r m e . Nex t she got dre sed , roll e d up he r sleeping pad a nd bag, packed everything up that she could and began coll apsing the tent around me. At the very last second , s he woke me up, he lped m e ge t dressed into my wa rm clo thes, and the n I climbed o utside to check out the new day. Then mum ro ll ed up my sleeping bag, and finished p ack­ in g. On the reall y cold o r dri zz ling mo rnings , mum collected breakfas t fo r me so I had breakfast in bed. The other p art of the weather I didn't always like was the rain . When it rained during the day, mum ri gged up a ta rp which covered m e like a te nt. I didn't have windows, but I could peek out the side if I wanted t o. On a rare o ccasion got t o e nj oy some heat a nd sunshine. I r eall y liked th at b ecause th en I could paint my face with all difference flu orescent colour of zinc oxide just like lots of other p eople. I felt reall y cool then. I think more mums a nd dads s ho uld take the ir kids a long a nd the n I 'd h ave more pl ay mates. Sara asleep in the Cannondale trailer with her I reall y liked camping. That is wh en I mum hard at work on one of the dirt mountain got t o run a round a n pl ay with my road sections of the Melbourne to Sydney route. fri e nds a nd burn off all tha t e ne rgy I Sara and her mum on their new bike "Blue saved all day while riding in my trai le r. Beauty" training indoors. While mum set up the tent and took her val rides and be part of th e fes tivities. shower, I expl ored th e campground and At Eagle Point we went to a wild life looked for my fri ends. rese rve a nd wa lke d up close to ka n­ Mum sa id she didn't h ave to wo rry garoos. In Cooma I rode the Ski Tu be up about watching me a ll the time because to Mt Blue Cow a nd hiked around o n I had 2200 baby sitters - that's how many the moun tain top. I could even see snow people we re o n the ride. My b est o n t o p of Mt Kosciusko. A nd I h e ld a campsite was in Cooma because the re baby wombat at the lodge. we re two po ni es in a s ta ble a nd the Canberra was a reall y neat cit y. I went owner let my new friend Nicki and me to the ne w S cie nce Centre to see the ride them a ll by o urse lves. Coo ma is dinosaurs - they reall y moved a nd also the pl ace where mum and I t alked roared . Next I w alked through the new to Jeremy and his mum from Australia. Parli ame nt Ho use and Prime Minister Je re my is only nine years o ld a nd he Bob H awke came o utside a nd spoke to rode his bike a ll by himself for the whole our group of cyclists - mum and I got to ride. sta nd right up ne xt to him whe n h e I a lso m ade fri e nds with D o mini spoke. And the neatest thing was I go to who's five and Jillian who's fo ur. Their go up in the Towe r a nd vi e w the ci ty daddy rode his bike while Domini and from way up hi gh. Jillian rode in their car with their mum In Goulburn I saw the Big Merino: it 's and met at each campground. a b uilding s haped like a b ig shee p and So me times mum a nd I w a lke d into it's three stori es hi gh . I l earned h ow the little towns that w e camped near. I sheep a re s heared and got t o feel fresh re member when we wa lked to Orbost wool. And in Camden, the last ni ght of with Dave and pull ed our dirty laundry the bike ride , I got to see firewo rk s. In in my traile r. We ll , the laundromat was Sydney, aft er the ride was over, I went to ve ry busy so we just knocke d o n the another wild life reserve a nd hold a real ne ighbour's door a nd a very ni ce lady li ve koala. na med M a rge washed a ll o ur cl o thes Mum used to joke that she had m e o n while o ur fri e nd D ave (fro m Ohio) a diet so I wouldn't gain weight so I'd be chopped wood for her fireplace . easier t o pull . I'm a ve ry se lecti ve eater. Orbost w as whe re we we nt to the I'm sure the re we re ma ny peopl e who beach . There we re a lot of bi g rocks to hear me say "yuk " or "gross" as I passed climb a nd we hunted sna il s a nd sea through the fo od line getting served . shells. I also remember that Cann Ri ver But I liked the co rn fl a kes a nd bread a nd Bomba la had f estivals while we rolls. So every morning I ate corn fl akes were there so I got to go on some carni - and buttered bread for breakfast (some-

Freewheeling 49 • times Elizabeth and Michele who were stories. Norma was from Australia. She out a lot and with their team effort and my friends and worked as food servers has four kids and her oldest son, who is support. Ed from Connecticut and Al would even give me two bowls of corn 17 , was on the ride but she never rode from Indiana both used to work with flakes) . with him because he was too fast. mum, and Dave from Ohio who went on Mum always asked for four slices of Norma rode with me a whole day once some Ohio bike rides with us, always got bread so she could make me two peanut and she taught me about Australian to camp before mum and me so they butter and jelly sandwiches to pack in words. I was really curious about what selected a campsite and collected all our my lunch box (I'm really glad she words might be different. So, I asked gear from the big trucks that hauled it brought my peanut butter and jelly from Norma how she said "sky" ... "sky" she from place to place each day. If you can America) and I ate lunch whenever I said. Then I tried "clouds" .. . "clouds" imagine 2200 people's camping gear and wanted during the ride. The servers at she said. I got frustrated because all the duffle bags all scattered around three the lunch stops gave me my own fruit words I could think of were the same in huge semis, then you can imagine the and that was good. Australian but they were pronounced difficult task it was to simply find your At dinner time, I went through the differently. stuff. food line and asked for some of every­ A Canadian rode by one day and gave Shirley from California, shared our thing, and every now and then I actually me a little Canadian flag. An American tent with us. She read me my bedtime ate it. Anything I didn't eat was never gave me a compass so I could be the story and then rubbed my back so I wasted because mum was always hun­ navigator for mum. And lots of Austral­ could fall asleep. Don't tell mum, but gry. Even after eating her own food , she ians threw candy into my trailer - my Shirley gave better back rubs than mum, ate all my leftovers. favourite were Red Skins and bubble and I usually fell asleep in two minutes. Now I am gqing to tell you about the gum. I made so many more friends. I can't very best part of the whole ride. All the And Poppo from California, let me remember everyone's names and neither PEOPLE. Mum says she's sure all 2200 carry his stuffed koala in my trailer be­ can mum but we hope they know how people knew who I was by the end of the cause it was a better ride than his bike. much we appreciated them as they pass­ ride but I think she exaggerates a little Gabe and Thomas from California took ed us on their bikes and yelled "Good and it was closer to 2000. Some people videos of me blowing bubbles with my on ya mate." even said we gave them the inspiration bubble gum and after the ride, they sent So now, what's next? Well, I'm afraid to keep on going when the going got a copy of the video to mum and me so mum had had enough of pulling me tough. A lot of people would ride up and we can enjoy it for years to come. Lots around because she just got a tandem ask if they could trade places. Mum al­ of people took our picture and some and guess who gets the back seat? Me. ways said "yes" with great enthusiasm have even sent us a copy which we really Donna and Sara Clark are currently but I don't think they wanted to trade appreciate. living at: 1344 Donwalter Lane, Worth­ with her, they wanted to trade with me. And now my friends who made up our ington, OH 43235 , USA and would My friend , Nicki , rode along with me camping circle each night. They were enjoy hearing from others who partici­ lots of times and we told each other very special because they helped mum pated in this trip. • Farmer John 's Nephew

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Biketech h as been operating as a wholesaler of speciali st bicycle acces­ sories and componentry for 12 years and is the Australian distributo r for OT­ Swiss stainless steel spokes.

With the recent profusion of rim sizes and designs combined with the variety of hubs available and the choice of spok­ i ng fro m 24 to 48H , it has made the selectio n of spoke le ngth for a wheel­ build often a matter of guesswork even after consultati on of usually highly inac­ curate tables. It is no wonder as there are a t least five factors that determine spoke length. They are, hub flange di a­ BEING SEEN meter, hub fl a nge separation, rim dia­ meter, numbe r of spokes and most im­ PRODUCT REVIEW BY portantl y, the type of wheel (front, rear, JULIATHORN dished, wh eelch air etc). ne of the big problems with Wear a Techtop and feel the warmth winter riding is being seen in of Drytech, a remarkable new fabric for Bike tech offers to bicycl e retailers a the dark. Any new product that chilly winters. free computeri sed spoke lenght advisory helps make cyclists more visible Drytech's soft, brushed surface traps a service which not onl y does the calcul a­ a0t night time has to layer of warm air next be welcome and to the skin. At ti o n but a l so incorporates 25 years of Sidelights is such a product. the same time the fabric's unique personal speciali st wheelbuilding experi­ Sidelights is a set of highly reflective multiple density knit draws moisture ence with the findings of recent overseas sticke rs which you p eel off a s heet and away from the body. So you stay dry and research o n the aspects of wh ee l stick around the inside of your rims, in comfortable in damp weather and when strength. No t a ll configurations are ap­ between where the spokes e nter the you 're exercising. propriate. Many wheel proble ms stem rim . You stick a few of these stickers Layer a Techtop under other garments from in appropriate wh eelbuilding pat­ onto each rim and the idea is that as the or wear it as a smart shirt. Best of all the terns. wheel ro tates car h eadli ghts pick out a Techtop weighs just 145 gm and is easy band of luminous white li ght which indi­ to wash and wear. See the Techtop The in fo rmatio n required from the cates your presence. $59.80, and matching Techpants, at your retail er is either the brand and model of T he pack of stickers comes with a in­ Paddy Pallin store. the hub and rim as well as the number of formation card whi ch gives tips on cycl­ spokes in the wheel. ing safety, and a logo sticker for you to To back the service, Biketech stock a put on your lunch box or whatever. Curi­ wide ra nge of spoke lengths with most of o usly, the in fo rm atio n card does not TH E LEADERS IN ADVENTUR E the range in 2mm incre me nts. Spoke make it abundantly clear exactly where types stocked include pl ain gauge 14G, SYDNEY JINDABYNE BOX HILL on your rims you position your (02) 26 4 2685 (06•) 56 2922 (03) 8988596 sin gle butted l3/14G , double butted 14/ Sidelights, although I suppose it is fairly MIRANDA CANBERRA LAUNCESTON 15G and 15/16G as well as the OT Aero (02) 525 6829 (062) 57 3883 (003) 31 4240 obvious because if you stuck them any­ spokes. MELBO U RNE HO BART ADELAI DE where else on the rims they would inter­ (03) 670 4845 (002) 31 6777 (08) 212 7857 The results of the spoke length advis­ fere with the brakes. ory service come in the form of an easy PERTH The stickers are acryli c coated and oil/ (09) 325 5984 to read h alf-page print-out , indicatin g water resistant , and the self adhesive ------x the s poke length(s) and the number of Please send me your new 1989 Integral Catalogue. backing bonds to the rims in 48 hours. 'crossings' that wi ll eventuate. You can a lso attach them to helmet , I I Name If you are a bicycle retaile r, to avail shoes and pedals, making the m visible I Address ______yourself of this service and he lp you too. " D o it Ri ght the First Time" you can In dayli ght the sticke rs do not look ______P/Code __ I te le pho ne o r fax yo ur information to like much u se but in the dark they are I Send to: Paddy Pallin, Unit l•F, H ordern Place, I Biketech. PH : (049) 524403 , FAX: (049) effective as they do make the wheels L _ Camperdown. NSW 2050. ___ _ .J 561621. • very visible in car headlights. •

Freewheeling SS der's rickety clothes stand by riding my bike into it. Reve nge is sweet, and paybacks are a bitch! One night, when camped in the bot­ tom of a river canyon , a strong wind came up . My efforts to bang my tent pegs in further had the unfortunate re­ sult of waking the local junk-yard dog. He continued to bark all night despite the friendly visits of a rock or two. It was two disgruntled cyclists who dragged themselves onto the road in the morning, in what had become gale force JOURNEY wind. Climbing out of the canyon was a tortuous task , with each bend seeing us blown either to a standstill, or right off our bikes. Not having any form of me­ dical insurance we were a bit concerned THROUGH about the consequences of being blown over the side, as there were no guard rails to break our fall. When I was nearly at the top, a rather strained sounding, rattly old Suzuki van pulled up beside me. Its driver was quite JORDAN persistent in his attempts to have me accept a lift . There was no way I could A ride to the Red City of Petra make it to the top on my bike according to his way of thinking. I refrained from pointing out that having made it this far BY SHELLEY HORNAII 1 had a good chance of survival and that HIS WAS THE LAST LEG IN The first "wadi", or river, we came to he should be more worried about an odyssey that had begun four was particularly welcome , as it rep­ whether his own hunk of junk could months earlier in London . We resented the first bath we'd had in a make it. It sounded in infinitely worse had survived the worst that number of days. It was also the first time shape than me. winter could throw at us as we battled in three months - since leaving the coast I caught up with my friend Les out­ our way through Europe, Turkey and of Yugoslavia - that both the water and side a small shepherd's house. It seemed Syria. It was a trip approaching epic air temperature were sufficiently high we'd been invited in for tea. After in­ ' mental proportions, just scratching the enough to consider such a dip. numerable sugary teas (twelve heaped will power together each day to mount Getting undressed without being seen tablespoons of sugar to a small pot) we our bikes. were happy to accept the offer of a nap. Now we were standing on Mount presented a problem. Arab shep-herds On awakening several hours later we Nebo, the spot where Moses had sup­ had the habit of appearing when least found the weather conditions had de­ posedly surveyed the "promised land" expected or wanted and we didn't wish teriorated markedly. The temperature over two thousand years ago . to offend the high standard of morality had fallen and the sky had turned a Looking across the Jordan Valley we displayed by the local populace. highly unusual shade of yellow. The could see our destination, Jerusalem . This wasn't the only trouble we were wind hadn't weakened. It seemed we We felt almost as though we could reach to have with the locals. Kids in the Mid­ ' were destined not to proceed that day. out and touch it. Camping that night on dle East have a nasty habit of throwing In fact we were left stranded with this Mount Nebo, conversation was limited rocks; nothing malicious in it, you just family for the next two days as the worst as we gazed at the lights of that holy city make a good moving target. But it still storm of the year descended on the reg­ in Israel, each lost in thought. hurts when a rock connects. One day the ion, with quite a bit of snow falling. But first we had to see more of Jor­ urge to retaliate came over me, so I rode The family we had inflicted ourselves dan. The friendliness and welcome we back and demolished the latest offen- on accepted the situation with the minimum of fuss. But despite our had received so far from the Jordanians Jordan is located right in the centre of the Middle made it seem insulting to leave again so East next to Israel. The West Bank of the Jordan gratitude for the shelter and hospitality given we found it hard to cope with the shortly after our arrival. River is still occupied by Israel. So we decided to extend our stay by constant noise level. Much of the day riding the old King's Highway south to was spent crouched around a diesel hea­ Petra, the fabled Red City. ter while the TV went on noisily in the This turned out to be slightly more of background. Endless cups of tea were a challenge than originally envisaged. prepared. O ur initial thirst upon escap­ Not only did we have strong head winds ing the wind had left us with a tea con­ the whole way, but the ride was sumption record to maintain. punctuated at regular intervals by "More tea" the daughters would cry. enormous drops into river canyons. Un­ "No, no more tea. " we would reply, fortunately, what went down also had to waving our hands over the tops of our climb out the other side. Our morale cups. "Finish". was saved by the spectacular nature of "No finish", they would reply as an­ the downhills; the speeds reached de­ other onslaught of tea came our way. pended on the strength of the death Huge meals appeared at irregular in­ wish on the day. tervals, with the men eating first in tradi-

56 Freewheeling Village people welcome weary bikers

a man holding dual citizenship of Jordan and Australia who in vited us into his restaurant for lunch , then told us to take whatever other food we wanted for the road ahead. Our last night before reaching Petra was spent with a high ranking and weal­ thy family, the father being a personal friend of King Hussein. It was interest­ ing to note the difference between their living standard and that of less well off Jordanians. Their house was a mix of Arabic and Western style , with one lounge room furnished with sofas and coffee tables, another retaining tradi­ tional mats on the floor for seating. On awakening to yet another fresh fall of snow, it was hard to feel much like riding the remaining sixty kilometres to Petra. But once there we knew we could have a hot shower and a rest , maybe other soundly on The impressive Roman ru ins at Palmyra. ·ing up and slapping the even get to wash our clothes. hobbis the back making a g reat floury Coming down the la st mountain we ot tl at tional Arab style, using pieces hand print. paused at the view. The sun was just be­ up from a com­ came for bread to scoop food We were glad when the time ginning to set on the rose-red rocks in out for the munal tray. the bedding to be pulled the valley below. We knew that nestled dubious honour in As a guest I had the night. After months of free camping, in there somewhere was Petra, the city of waiti ng of eating with the men instead relative peace and quiet , we weren't carved out of rock over two thousand for a share of the l of with the other women mentally prepared for such a leve years ago by the Nabateans. leftovers. commotion. Red City, here we come! Every so often either the son or the We were pleased to hit the road once father would leap up and after putting more. It was o nl y a few days ride to on many layers of clothes venture out­ Petra; despite bitterly cold weather and AddHjonal jnformaijon will be issued either side to check on the goats. riding through snow fields , we were A Jordanian visa on the spot (depending on The girls' job on arriving home from keen to be there. overnight or it) and should be free. school was to make the daily " hobbis" We weren't in so much of a hurry as to where you get applies unless you are (bread). Inevitably this resulted in more turn down hospitality though. One of An exit tax of$ 15 were arguments culminating in one girl leap- our most welcome encounters was with exiting via the West Bank. We •

Freewheeling 57 • fl atly refused entry into the West Bank that you've never even heard of the The Kings Highway runs to Petra , with our bicycles as it is forbidden to place. before entering the Desert Highway just King south of Ma'an , 100 km north of Aqaba. take private vehicles across the Roads. There are only two roads that This road has the most spectacular scen­ Hussein bridge. run the length of Jordan. One borders to the ery, travelling through enormous river Ways of leaving Jordan are on Israel and goes through several re­ have canyons and past the ruins of important north through Syria (provided you stricted military areas. Because of this Crusader castles, at Karak and Shobak. an entry stamp for Jordan), to the south you need a special permit to travel along from A good free map is available from any from Aqaba to Egypt by fe rry, or this road. Amman by plane. It is difficult to obtain Jordanian tourist office. a suitable visa for bicycle travel in Iraq T he Desert Highway runs from Bike shops. There is a small racing club and next to impossible for Saudi Arabia. Amman to Aqaba. With Aqaba being a in Amman and several bike shops. It is It is possible to come to Jordan from main port of access for goods bound for, best to come equipped to do you own the West Bank if you thought to get a Iraq, as well as the home market, this repairs though its nice to know that the Jordanian visa before entering Israel road is heavily used by trucks. Despite ten speed is a recognised breed in Jor­ ( and have no passport evidence of hav­ this it is safe to travel on, but the scenery dan. ing done the latter). While you know is boring. The road surface varies from Weather. Unless you enjoy freezing your in Israel and they know that you've been good (though with no shoulders) to tootsies I don't recommend a trip in the you've been in Israel, the official line is downright atrocious. winter. On the other hand, in a country where displays of bare flesh aren't ap­ preciated and in the case of women may be the cause of riot, cycling in the heat of summer may not be very enj oyable. I would recommend spring (March/April) as a good time to visit. Food and water. Most of the food that you find in Europe is available, in can­ ned or packaged form, but a price. If you enjoy more traditional arab foods such as flat bread , yoghurt, goats cheese, olives, etc, you'll find yourself living a lot more cheaply, fruit and veget­ ables were p lentiful and reasonable priced, even in the winter. Tap water is safe to drink, though bot­ tled water is freely available if you pre­ fer.

Czmping. Camping out is no problem in WE THINK WE 'RE THE ONLY BICYCLE SHOP IN AUSTRALIA Jordan, though if anyone sees you you'll THAT RECYCLES probably be invited home. Due to pre­ vai ling social customs I would suggest AROUND 90% OF ITS CARDBOARD, PAPER, PLASTIC, STEEL AND ALUMINIUM, that women camping alone should AND HAS DONE FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS. choose their spot wisely. I never saw any camping gas in Jordan and there is a distinct shortage of firewood , so if you're into self catering bring either a multi:fuel stove or a good supply of gas . The only place we saw anything resembl­ ing a commercial campsite (and the re­ semblance was slight) was in Petra. In the more touristy towns you can find hostels/hotels of varying quality. Starting prices are around $10. Feel free to bargain, People. "Welcome to Jordan" seemed to be the only thing many people knew how to say. Arab hospitality is at its best in Jordan and English is widely spoken.

Women. While the Jordanians are more HOWEVER, WE'D LIKE TO BE PROVEN WRONG! westernised than some of their neigh­ bours they still aren't prepared for the sight of a woman on a pushbike. Leave HILLIAN CYCLES (ut. 1938), more thin I bike ,hop. 46 Gr1nthlm St. Wut Brum,ick Vic. 3055 the lycra knicks at home, Avoid embar­ PHONE (03) 380 9685 rassing the local male population by doing a bicycle rebuild in their front (Current c1t1/ogu1 $3.00 po,ted} yard ("women in our country don't do this sort of thing"). If travelling with a friend of the male variety, its best to be related, • -- 1it: --~- - ~ ------.. ,,

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Phone (02) 899 3022 for stockists. Dealer enquiries welcome. The author on her way down the mountain with the granite dome of Kosciusko in the background. The road is closed to motorised traffic. was created by the S nowy Mo untains scheme . Once I left Jindabyne I knew I was in the mountains. The ra te a t which I was climbing accelerated r apidly. From Cooma to Jindabyne I h ad o nl y gained 130 m etres in 61 kilometres but the n I started t o soar. The road wound upwa rd to Sawpit Creek and the Kosciusko Na­ ti o na l Pa rk Headqua rte rs. The re is a pleasant camping a rea, with tame kan­ garoos lo lling a bo ut a mo ng the s now gums, and I was tempted t o camp there as the re was hardl y a nyone around out of the holiday season. But those muscles that h ad sprung into acti on at the s ight of a winding mo untain road b ade me continue . By the time I r eache d R e nnix G ap whe re the first of the a lpine meadows appeared I h ad already been p assed by two cyclists s peeding down the moun­ tains. As we waved I was afraid that they might topple over, they were fl ying by so fas t. I hadn't expected t o see any o the r bike ride rs but I saw quite a few day trippers on bikes. ALLINE Then I began to feel cheated . Because aft e r struggling to a n altitude o f over 1500 metres I was confronted b y a long downhill to a creek, so I lost most of this hard won height. My enj oyment of th e respite from effort was tempered b y the WAYTOTHE feeling that the c limbing had b een in vain . This happe ned several times and on one such descent I passed a mountain bike r t oiling up towards me as I sped down ; and I was the o ne who was going UP the mountains. TOP Diggers C reek is in one o f these dips a nd a t the s ide o f it I saw Spo na r's A ride to the summit of Australia's highest mountain Chalet in delightful isloation. It seems a pity that so many of these resorts can't be o pe n in summer so that n o n ski e rs BY JULIA THORN co uld ta ke a dva ntage of th e g reat set­ ting. he c hall enge to ride fro m the The ride from C anberra to Jindabyne By Peri sher I was getting tired. But at nation's capital to the nation's was absolutely no indication of what was 6 pm it was still warm. It was a beautiful roof was one I could not resist. to follow. Eveything was very dry and evening, little wind and the lengthening I fl exed m y muscles, massaged yellowish and the Monaro Highway un­ shadows making pretty patterns in the my kn ees a nd set o ut to con­ dulate d inte rminably. Probabl y I was va ll ey. The re wasn't much going o n at quer that pinnacle o f the Snowy Moun­ just anxious to get to th e mountains, but Pe ri she r apa rt fr o m a s ma ll group of tains a ffecti onately refe rred to as Koz­ the tiny villages along th e road seemed people drinking o n a s undeck o utside curiously lifeless. Even th e cows looked the pub. The vall ey looked so inviting z'ie. When I studied the map it seemed an bored. The only memorable parts of the with a g li ste ning s tream trickling e xcell e nt trip because I could climb early stages were the views of the paral­ through. alo ng o ne s ide o f the Main Range a nd lel Tinderiy and Brindabe lla ranges on Beyond Peri sher it fe lt truly a lpine. descend by a nother route, avoiding a ny eithe r side of the highway before Gone were the snow gums a nd the road need t o backtrack. By ascending vi a the Bredbo, and the huge granite boulders meande re d through grassy meadows Summit Road th rough P e ri she r a nd that adorned the fi elds between Cooma with increasingly a bundant wildflowers C harl o tte Pass a nd the n coming down and Berridale. - white, yell ow and violet. I p assed the th rough R awson's Pass and desce nding Around Jindabyne the hills s ta rt in occasio na l fishe rma n b y a roadsid e Crackenback I was spared having to ride earnest. This small town is in a lovely creek but apart from them there was no­ to the top of Kozzie only to turn around setting and I could see the buildings body. and retrace my steps back down . Little around the lake many kil o metres and I h ad b een aiming fo r Charl otte Pass did I kno w tha t I w as giving myself a several hills away. It's a shame to think for the night. This is the e nd of the road route down that was considerably more of the old town lying subme rge d be­ for mo torised vehicles and the gravel arduous than the climb up. neath the waters of the ne w lake that track beyond is o nl y open to bikers and

60 Freewheeling walkers. Here the snow gums reappear, structed to protect the alpine flora fro m a s mall patch of forest looking rathe r excessive trampling by walkers. A lot of curious amid the treeless expanses. people were somewhat surprised to see MTB H.Q. There would be lovely camping by the a bicycle on the path. Snowy Ri ver a few hundred m e tres It was when I reached the top of the below the road . But when I took a quick Crackenback chairlift that m y problems look at the continuation of th e road I began . For a s tart the s ight of Thredbo knew I had to keep going. Some hidden so fa r below, say 600 metres , made me stre ngth ( endo rphins?) he lped when I feel quite dizzy. The mountai n dropped knew I was exhausted. down sheer at my feet. For bike riding th at eight kilometre I located the walking track down and REFLEX, P E UGEOT, stretch of gravel road is perfect. As I decided to give it a go. This was Merritt's GRAECROSS , MALVERN rode a lo ng, climbing impe rcepti bly, I Nature Trail and clearly not intended for S T AR . felt as though I had the whole of the alps bicycles as it wound down the slope like to myself. The going may have been a a corkscrew. I tri ed a scree slope as an ~BE L L, AVENIR, little s to ny but th e views were unriva l­ it was so hard to keep the alternative but ~LOOK, SORELL/, led ; peak after peak along the horizon, bike under control and stop it fro m rac­ wildflowers carpetting the grassy ing down ahead of me that I returned to meadows and si lvery sli vers of streams the nature trail. Pretty soon I r eali sed I From $59 crossing the va ll eys. Only a few birds was goi ng to have to carry my bike broke the sil ence. down. The path was narrow, had steep CLOTHING EXPLOSION: After severa l ki'Iometres I saw the steps with log retainers and was fl anked Dazzli ng di s play of Le Nicks, Gi nam o nd s, Look , Sco tt Tinley , of two e me rgency able to wh eel the Seaman's hut , o ne by bush so I was un Adidas, Jana , San tini , Fancy she lters remaining in the s ummit area, bike by the side. -Pa nts , Le Co q , Kelly, Vlug, pe rched betwee n two granite outcrops With a n unl aden m o untai n bike it and more!! and I decided to make that my stop fo r would have been a n exhilarating trip If they don't do it, we the ni ght. It was such a solid looking down the mo untain across the grassy custom-make it . building made from big lumps of rock slopes I could glimpse through the trees. th at it welcomed me like a home a way With a heavil y laden touring bike I was TRIATHLETES WORLD from home. de ni ed the pleasure. In stead I de­ 8 Allison Rd, A l lison, Cooma , which I h ad left that morning, veloped blisters on m y hands and fou nd was in a world apart. this the most tiring part of the ride. The The hut was in a bit of a state. Dust beautiful stands of snow gums were and soot coated the walls and ceiling so some compensation as were the views artists had been . ~ itti · that the graff s be hind Thredbo BJm thickly " over the mo untain able to use their fingers rather th an have Tiny purple fl owers peeped out from the to chisel out th eir messages. There were undergrowth around me. fo ur bunk beds with amazingly sagging Eventuall y I reached the c hairlift ac­ mesh bases and two thin lumpy mattres­ cess road and went the rest of th e way ses plus some blankets. Some of the win­ down o n it. I couldn't really ride it be­ dow panes were broken which gave me a cause the rock chips a nd gradient made ni ce breeze at ni ght but might not be so it too slippery - whenever I braked the we lcome in winter. bike s pun around si deways. So it took It was a bit eeri e with some o dd me two and a ha lf ho urs to go the fi ve creaks and rustl es in the dark but I got a kilometres to the village . And comin g buzz from thinking that I slept a t a down is meant to be the fun part of it ! hi gher a ltitude th an anyone e lse in Oz In contrast with the other resorts I'd th at night. passed th rough Thredbo wa s bustling In the morning I watched the orange with walkers and tourists. Ma ny of the dawn envelop the mountains and bring a sho ps were closed but the pubs were perfect clear day. I made a quick assault doing a good trade and the re were on the summit two kilometres away. The plenty of picnickers by the river. track became a bit hard to ride in places The road down from Thredbo to Jin­ due to s lippery granite c hippings but I dabyne was quite different from the A was surprised to fi nd that you can ride road I had taken uphill the day before. I right up to within ten metres of the 2228 rode a lo ng hi gh above the T hredbo metre top. I h ad Kozzie to myself fo r a River o n d e nsely wooded hillsid es. I ~r.lSHER\ brief twenty minutes before the first camped that ni ght at Ngarigo rest area walke rs arrived . The sight of ti er after near the park entrance wh ere I found a ~OUNTAINBIKE~ ti er of bluish peak fa r into the distance large grassy area with picnic tables, fire­ was stupendous. places and an opportunity to have a cool There fo ll owed a stead y stream of swim in the river. wa lke rs approaching from both C har­ The descent th rough the foothills ARRIVING JULY lotte Pass and Crackenback directions. I seemed fairly gradual. In fact near Jin­ had had no id eaa that the mopunta in dabyne there were some climbs that had ( 0 2) 899 3022 would be so busy. One group was climb­ me back in my granny gear when I was ing to celebrate a 75th birthday and had least expecting it , before I was back to last been up in 1951 by motorbike which to grazin g land and old fa rmhouses. But they had to carry some of the way over the town and the lake were a welco me snowdrifts. sight afte r a ll this hard work . Maybe The first stage of my descent was easy next time I should take a parachute for due to the iron mesh walkway con- the return trip. • The brilliant Kathryn Watt whose 7th placing did much to aid the Aussie women's th ird team placin2 in last year's Tour de France Feminin.

Doreen Middleton , 19, of Victoria who in 1931 made history by riding to Adelaide in 4 days 21 hours then returning in 3 days 23 hours 56 minutes. world has kn own to present time. In A ustra li a wo me n's cycling made slow progress with little recognitio n by the spo rts hi erarch y, b ut neverthe less some intrepid wome n indulged in set­ tin g some capital to capital records at a AUSTRALIA'S time whe n Hubert O ppe rman was re­ writing the record book. Notable among these was Doreen Middl eton, a membe r of a fa mo us Victori an cycle racing fa mily who at 19 years of age cycled from Mel­ bourne to Adelaide in atrocio us weather WONDER in 4 d ays 21 ho urs, the n re turned in 3 days 23 ho urs 56 minutes. In the earl y 1950's the Australian Cycl­ in g Coun cil decided to pe rmit wome n to race in clu b events with me n. In 1952 WOtlEN Iris Bent (VIC) won a nati onal all round cha mpionship a t Mo unt Isa , Quee ns­ Cycling once dominated by the men is now a sport for land , when wome n's titles were revived . A daughte r of George Be nt , a promi ­ female champions too ne nt Me lbourne road ri der, Iris was re­ garded as the fas test eve r woma n cyclist up to that time. BY JOHN DRUNNOND However, the practice of wome n rid­ H E W O RLD 'S F IRST 25 mile champio nship event , while the ing with me n p roved e mba rrassing in bicycle race fo r women was con­ conservati ve National Cyclists Uni on - NS W whe n Newcastl e's B a rba ra d ucted over two miles at fo unded in 1878 - at last officia ll y recog­ Whitche r and Margaret Mcl ach la n o f Ashfie ld, NSW in 1888 and won ni sed the girls by givin g the m two title the Dulwich H ill club we re both barred by Dot Morrell. It att racted little pub li c events o n the track. fro m racing ma les in the ir clubs afte r interest. T he press of the time continued E ncouraged by th a t success at na ­ several wins. to regard wo me n racin g competiti ve ly as ti onal level the Briti sh girls made inter­ In June 1966 th e sa me M a rgare t ' almost a criminal offence. na ti o na l recognitio n the ir next ta rget. Mcl achl a n reduced Joyce Barry's Syd­ T hi s attitude persisted until afte r the Le d by E il ee n Gray, who h ad been a ney-Melbourne time whe n she thrashed Fi rst Wo rld War whe n objecti ons gradu­ good ri der in the mid 1940's they eventu­ he r slim body over the gruell ing 880 km a ll y softe ned a nd wome n's cycle races a ll y convi nced the UC! (the world con­ (553 miles) in 58 hours 10 minutes. A l­ occasiona ll y appeared on European pro­ trolling body) that wome n had a role to tho ugh Ma rgaret admitted she was so grammes. Meanwhile in Britain whilst play in cyclin g a nd the first wom a n's weak tha t s he cove red the last ho urs women's cycling had developed after the world cycling cha mpionship was staged witho ut knowing where she was - within First Wo rl d War there was even greater in Fra nce in 1958. 12 mo nths she was at it again . progress afte r the second conflict ended. Later Beryl Burton won Britain's first O n 21 Ap ril 1967 she attacked Fatty A real breakth rough in fact. T he road worl d championship and was destined to Lamb's 37 year old Canberra to Sydney, time tri als council organi sed a wome n's prove t he greatest fe ma le cycli st t he 323 km (203 miles) record of 11 hours 37

61 Freewheeling Tasmania's 14 year old schoolgirl Leonie Roach Kathleen Shannon surprised the whole cycling who extended Margaret Mclachlan's one-hour world by finishing 9th in the 1985 World Road record. Championships.

Margaret Mclachlan photographed on the Melbourne Velodrome - Picture The Herald. minutes 14 seconds, a nd although no sa ne person tho ught the li ghtly built Sydneysider could beat the time of that Sian Mulach (Mulholland) won a national double in great m a le champion, she shocked the 1982 and was the first to give the reviving womens whole of the cycl in g world by getting to racing movement a new dimension. the Sydney Post Office within 28 mi­ nutes of hi s time , and in doing so offi­ cials who declared th at h er Injuries cially created a women's record with 12 would have ca used the ave rage ma le hours 5 minutes 19 seconds. rider to call fo r a postponement. I was fortunate e nough t o be present The sto ry of Margaret's achi evement at the Melbourne Yelodrome when Mar­ is pe rhaps best told in a comparison of garet Mclachlan a ttacked Valda U n­ her progressive sectional totals. than k's 29 year old hour record . Whe n In the first 15 minutes Margaret co­ West Australian Jacqui Uttien who was forced out the intrepid lass came o n to the track to vered 8 kil o me tres. At the 30 minute of the 1986 Tour de France Feminin with a broken sta rt the record attempt her arms a nd mark the Sydney girl had covered 16.18 arm. legs, were literall y covered in bandages. kil o me tres. At the 45 minute m a rk , Before s he was ten minutes into her Mclachl a n p e d alling well within he r­ task she discarded the me di cal a ids self, had covered 15 kilometres. And for which revealed the s ta rk evidence of the full ho ur the total distance was 32 three severe tra ining falls fro m which kilometres. A new Austra li an record. It she s usta ined multiple c uts a nd abra­ was a controll ed ride - the hallmark of sions. every true record breaker. The Melbourne Yelodrome track was After her plucky feat Ma rgaret o ri gi nally a concrete s urfa ce which was Mclachl an said she was overcome at the la te r covered with vertically placed warmth of the Melbo urne people who boards to comprise a s teeply banked gave he r the e ncourageme nt to see the board track. it was difficult fo r a ride r thing through. not skilled in riding ba nked tracks to But no sooner was the ink dry on the maste r and Mclachlan had great d iffi­ record book th an L eoni e Roach , a 14 culty handling her bicycle because she year o ld schoolgirl , wh o a tte nded Tam­ couldn't gene rate e no ugh speed . Con­ worth High added 1,088 yards to Mar­ seq ue ntly s he fell o n h er first training garet McLachl an's o ne hour Australian session and again a few minutes after re­ womens unpaced record at G le n Innes mounting. cycling track on 23 March 1968. Leonie Three days late r she had conquered rode 21 mil es 55 yards compared with the s teep slo pes, but blew a back tyre Marga re t 's 20 miles 727 ya rds in Mel­ hi gh up on the track and tumbled . The bourne on February 3. smil e o f achi eveme nt left her face but But despite these deeds final recogni­ the determination t o s ucceed n ever left ti o n of womens cycling o nl y came in he r mind. Against medical advice s he 1980 when the Australian Amateur Cyc­ The consistent Linda Orrow defeats Jenny insisted o n proceeding with her record li sts A ssociation added two womens ti­ Albrecht to win the right to represent Australia in a tte mpt which amazed ha rdened offi- tles to its championship li st aft er a lapse• the world titles.

Freewheeling 6J of several decades. D iane Brown of Shanno n , Donna Rae-Szalinski , Robyn West Australia, won the sprint title from Ba ttison and forme r O lympic a thle te Sia n Mulholland. Michell e Byrnes won turned cycli st Donna Gould . a five kilome tre scratch champio nship The girls performed with great distinc­ from Vickie Carn e (both Sydney tion whe n ·Li z Hepple won a stage and women). came second placed in General Classifi­ In a 446 kilome tre road race con­ cati on , with the team third pl aced in the ducted in Tasmania in July 1981 victory teams section. went to a 17 year old Victorian, Heather Joined by Kathy Watt of Victoria, and Ke lson . Thus o pe ned a new e ra in Aus­ Marissa Gori of Queensla nd , for the tra li a n womens cycle racing. Tour De France Fe minin the Australi an It was the ACT Public Servant Sian gi rl s were in the top bracket for most of Mulholland ( now Sia n Mulach) who the Tour. The team e nded third in gen­ first gave impetus to a new dime nsion in eral classification. E li zabeth Hepple was A ustra li a n Wo me n's cycle racing . In thi rd placed ind ividua l. Other pl acings 1982 Sian was winner of both Wo me n's were: Kathryn Watt 7th , Donna Gould National Track Titles decided at her own 11 th, Ka thleen Sha nnon- 19th , Donna ex pe nse to test her sk ills against the Rae-Szalinski 27th, Robyn Battison at world's best, the Titles being held in 31.45 and Marissa Gori at 34.25. Leicester, Engla nd that year. A ustrali a was the o nl y nati on to have Women were scheduled to e nte r all seven team me mbers finish in the top Elizabeth Hepple had a magnificent inaugural 35. That was an earth shattering perfor­ O lympic Road Cycling at the LA Games Tour de France Feminin matching the European in 1984 a nd the articulate Canberra lass ma nce at the hi ghest level of Wome ns women in every department and riding the cycling in the world . But sadly di­ reckoned that giv en some success in the Pyrenees to finish fifth. Worlds champio nshi p on the track , the n minished by the lack of effecti ve report­ swit ching to the road for a season she ing in the A ustralian media. would be on line for a n O lympic berth. Bravo Girls. Besides being of We lch descent Sian Conducted o n what most cycling cri­ had relatives in Wales whom she had not tics throughout the world , a nd even seen and was anxious to visi t. But all he r some Koreans would agree was an un­ p la ns became unstuck when she had a satisfactory course, the Olympic road fa ll in the only track championship. race was reduced to little more than a In 1985 two Australi an cyclists star­ farce. Not even World C ha mpion Jean­ tl ed the cyclin g world by finishing close ni e Longo of France could get away o n up in the world cha mpionships in Italy the flat cri terium circuit. over 75 km. They were Kathlee n Shan­ E li zabeth Hepple was the first to ar­ non, then 21 , of Sydney and Robyn Bat­ rive in a massive bunch sprint officia ll y ti son , 25, of Burwood, Melbourne. who being declared 20th. fl ashed across the finish line 9th a nd On the track , sprinter Julie Speight 12th respectively. came fifth. Very good at Olympic level. Those two rides at the highest level of With Linda Orrow, the 1989 National the women·s sport signalled to a cycling Sprint Champion, Julie Speight wi ll rep­ world that Austra li a n women were a resent the women in the 1989 World force to be recko ned with. Communica­ Championship Sprint in Lyon , France in tions fl ooded into the A ustralian Cycl­ A ugust. Kathryn Watt of Victoria will in g Federation offic e in vi ting participa­ represent Australia in the Women's indi­ tion in th e worlds top line womens vidual pursuit. events, including the American Tour of . It was sheer delight to see Li nda Texans and the Tour De France Femi­ Orrow re turn to the winners. rostrum in nin. the wome n's sprint at Cante;bury Ve lod­ The A ustrali a n team shook th e very rome a nd win he rself a cha nce at the fo undations of the continent's favourite Julie Speight was the fifth best woman sprinter at World title in Lyon , France, late r this sport from the first year of participatio n. the Seoul Olympics a position she hopes to year. No o ne deserved the chance more A tea m of E li zabeth Hepple (OLD). improve on in this years Worlds. than this dedicated Queensland lass. Robyn Battiso n (V IC). Donna Rae Now 23 , Linda won the Women's Na­ Back for the l987Tour the Australian (V IC) , Kathleen Shannon (NSW) , De­ tional Title in 1984 a nd again in 1985. girls had a difficult race ma rked by bbie DeJongh (ACT) and Jacqui Uttien She is th e c urren t Queensland sprint acclimatisation problems a nd Hepple's (WA) took part in the 1986Tour De Fr­ champion fo r th e ninth time a nd a past indifferent health , neve rtheless she was a nce Feminin . winner of the Australian Woman Cycli st the first of the Australians to arrive on O n the mounta in s Liz Hepple just of the Year Award. the Champs Elysees in 15th position, kept going up the steep slopes, matching The incumbe nt c hampio n , Julie Robyn Battison , Donna Rae and Kath­ the European women at every turn of Speight , was absent recupe rating fo llow­ leen Shannon also arrived at the finish. the pedals with a precision that saw her ing a recent accide nt at Canterbury Vel­ 1988 was a big year for the Austral­ in fifth place when the girls rode in to odrome, but victory was no ne the less ians. The Ita li ans had organised the in­ Paris. Elizabeth finished only 35 mi­ easier for Linda as SA's second pl aced a ugural Womens Giro (Tour) a nd Aus­ nutes a nd 25 seconds behind winner Jenny Albrecht is no slouch. tralia had accepted an invitation to ride M a ri a Canins of It a ly, a nd a head of Julie was also selected in the A ustral­ as a lead up to the Tour De France and some of Europe's fin est cycl ists. ia n tea m for the Worlds o n account of Seoul Olympics. Elizabeth Hepple It was ride e qua lling that of Aussie her fifth in the Seoul Olympics Sprint , headed a team under the control of Aus­ Phil Anderson when he finished 10th to w hile Ka thryn Wa tt won selectio n to tra li an In stitute of Sport Road Coach , Berna rd Hinnault in the me n's Tour of represent in the womens individual pur­ Shayne Bannon , comprising Kathlee n 1981. suit . e

64 Freewheeling PURPOSE BUILT •• •

Greg Brown in the 1988 Ironman,japan FOR YOU. At Centurion our goal is to give you frame geometry, components and tubing materials that make the most sense for all your competitive needs. Centurion Triathlon Bicycles come equipped with everything you need to be competitive, except a heavy price. See the complete range of Centurion bicycles, including the Master and all new Carbon, at your local Centurion Dealer now or call (02) 938 3734 to find a Dealer near you.

CEll'IVIION TIIE INTELLIGENT CHOICE CENTURION BICYCLES. 126 OLD PITIWATERROAD,BROOKVALE,NSW. PH: (02) 938 3734. WORLD CUP TRI· FASTAND FURIOUS

The World Cup Triathlon BY WARREN SALONON PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIGEL BARBER HE WORLD CUP TRI­ athlon held on Queensland's Gold Coast on April 30 proved to be a big drawcard for the cream of triathlon talent. The event comprised of a 3 km salt water swim on the Southport Broadwater (with some assistance' from a flood tide) , a 130 km cycle leg on a large loop through Surfers and Nerang back to Southport and a 30 km run to Hope Island and return . Heavy rains in the lead up to the event created poor road and running surfaces for the 400 competitors who numbered among them some of the worlds top ranked triathletes. The race was won by Mark Allen (USA) who fin­ ished in 5 hrs 26 min 52 sec and took home a purse of $20,000. Runner up was Dave Scott (5 :50:57) and third was fel ­ low American Scott Tinley (5:33:42) with New Zealander Richard Wells com­ ing in on 5:37:47 . First Australian across the line was Greg Stewart (5 :39 :31) from Victoria who came in fifth ahead of Henry Kiens (5:39:53) NETHERLANDS, Mike Pigg (5:41:18) USA, Ray Browning (5 :43:48) USA, Pauli Kiuru (5:44:54) FINLAND and Nick Croft (5:45 :49) QLD. The top two women finishers were both from the USA - Julie Moss (6:19 :55) and Paula Newby-Frazer (6:24:51) - while Australia's big hope for our first Tour de France Feminin win , Elizabeth Hepple (6:32:04) of Queens­ land came in third.

Top: World Cup Winner Mark Allen. Bottom: Runner up Dave Scott. Photography Nigel Barber. Brett Marshall was the lead com­ the high tech nature of the sport with Numbers in -the womens field were petitor out of the water in a ridulously many of the competitors using disk dissapointingly low in spite of the equal fast 20 minutes 5 sees (9 km/h average wheels and carbon composite frames. $20 ,000 prize money. During the race, speed) closely followed by fellow Kiwi Most useful Gadget of the Year seemed however, all that was forgotten as in­ Rick Wells. All competitors swam the to be the pulse rate meters and these terest centered on a duel between Julie leg in rapid time aided by a fast flowing were used by many of the top athletes. Moss and Paula Newby-Fraser. Many tidal current swollen by flood water run One notable gear failure was experi­ thought Newby-Fraser had the race off. enced by many users of the Grip Shift sewn up as she lead well into the final gear shifting device. This component run leg but she was overtaken by Moss Nick Croft who was first out of the works like the hand throttle on a motor who eventually came home five minutes transition was quickly overtaken and bike - twisting the grip pulls the gear ahead of the athlete from Zimbabwe. outpaced by Mike Pigg , Scott, Tinley cable and changes gears. Ray Browning, and Allen . Many of the Australians one of the pre race favourites, jammed Moss and Allen are to marry in Sep­ wore them selves out in the cycle leg and his rear derailleur control at the start of tember so their combined winnings left themselves very little in reserve to the leg and had to finish it with only his sahould provide the happy couple with a be eventually run down by the better front changer operating. wonderful wedding present. • paced Americans.

First out of the cycle leg was Dave Scott but it was his ,fellow countryman Dave Allen who rode the most impres­ sive cycle race. In spite of having to re­ pair a flat tyre Allen still managed to catch the top Americans and go third Reynolds Cycles into the run leg. It was an amazing bike ride and he finished in 3:24 only one SPECIAL BARGAIN FOR minute behind the fastest time! MELBOURNE SUPPLEMENT

But it was in the run leg that Allen BICYCLES really exerted his dominance of the PUCH MAXIMA - 1 ONLY - 6 SPEED ALLOY TOURING race. No one could match his stamina BARS, WEINMANN ALLOY WHEELS, WEINMANN and endurance completing the run in 1 CENTRE-PULL BRAKES - SEMPERIT TYRES - ZEFAL hour 41 minutes. PUMP - LOCK - HALOGEN LIGHTING SET - ALLOY The bike leg once again emphasised CARRIER.

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(BRING THIS ADVERT FOR 10% OFF NORMAL MARKED PRICE.) A We h11ve " /11,ge stock of cycles, to meet yowr reqwirements ~f.1SHER\ or we c11n bwild one to yowr specific11tio11s. LONG OR SHORT SLEEVE WOOL JERSEYS $ 5 2

.60UNTAINBIKE~ WARM - UP JACKETS (FROM) $ 5 2_ IOI "/~ q~ TRAINING JACKETS (FROM) $ 6 5 -~_JiLA~ A L S O I N S T O C K ~ I ~~ ARRIVING JULY EUROPEAN TRADE TEAM JERSEYS FROM $80 _,,-<.6/( - LOCAL & IMPORTED SHORTS & TIGHTS FROM $39 (02) 899 30 22 SHOES, LEG & ARM WARMERS - HELMETS. COMPREHENSIVE STOCK OF SHIMANO & SUNTOUR COMPONENTS. !SEE YOUR AT REYNOLDS LIGHTWEIGHT CYCLES I IITHE COMPLETE BIKE SHOP.

Freewheeling 67 IHEGOIG RIDE

BY WARREI SALOIIOI N SUNDAY NOVEMBER 26 turnout is expected - even bigger than time trial option will be introduced start­ this year the 8th annual Sydney last year's estimated crowd of between ing ahead of the main part of the ride at to the Gong Community Fun five and six thousand riders. 6:30 am through to 8:30 am. The main and Fitness Ride will take place A number of new features will be ride will start at 8:30 am. O added to this year's event to encourage Time trial riders will start from a along a spectacularly scenic route be­ tween Belmore Park in Sydney and all types of riders to participate. For timed starting ramp and will use a 100 Flagstaff Point in Wollongong. A big sports and fitness riders an individual km route similar to the touring route except that it will substitute a longer sealed section for the beautiful but un­ sealed Lady Carrington Drive in Royal National Park. Time trialists will be timed and wi ll have to comply with a strict set of rules governing the event. To undertake an event of this mag­ nititude we will need up to 500 volun­ tary base and route marshalls to ensure a safe day for all. If you or your friends are interested in helping the organisers with this important community work please contact the Ride Administration office (02) 264 8544 during business hours or send your name address and day contact phone number to the Syd­ ney to the Gong Ride Operations Man­ ager, PO Box K157 Haymarket NSW

68 Freewheeling The e mphasis this year will be o n safe riding be havio ur and the theme of the event will be: the rules of the road are the rules of the ride. We expect the co­ operati o n of the Poli ce and other com­ munity o rgani sati ons but we a lso expect ride rs to act r espo nsibility whe n they take to the roads fo r cycling's big event. The ride will o nce again support the efforts o f the Multiple Sclerosis Society and ride rs will be e nco uraged t o seek per kilomete r sponsorships from fa mily a nd fri e nds to e na bl e o ur ta rget of $100 ,000 to be raised from the e ve nt. Last year in a c redible first time e ffo rt fo r the ride individual riders a nd teams raised $50,000 fo r MS . Prizes will be awarded fo r this year to the top fundrais­ e rs i n b o th team a nd individua l categori es. . Prizes will a lso be awarded fo r the best dressed teams of fiv e o r more riders in schools, corporate , amateur and open categori es. G reat fun fo r all . If yo u d o no t cycle r;eg ul a rl y you sho uld do some training fo r the event. On the d ay you h ave 9 ho urs to com­ pl e te the jo urney a nd o ur sag wagons will come to yo ur rescue if your health a nd lack o f fitn ess le ts you d o wn . St Jo hns A mbula nce will sta ff the fo ur major stopover p oints if you n eed assis- tance in the e vent of injury. The Sydney to the Gong ride is a great day o ut fo r all the fa mil y a nd fri e nds - even the o nes who don't ride bikes . T hi s year our carni val at the Woll ongong end of the ride is growin g a nd we wa nt yo u to in vite your frie nds and fa mily to mo tor down t o meet you at th e e nd o f the day. If yo u are travelling up from th t Gong to s tart the r ide we a re providing truck t ranspo rt to ca rry you r bikes leavin g from the s tati on around 6:30 am. In th e aftern oon Sydney ride rs w ill be able to load thei r bikes o nto the trucks a t Fl agsta ff Po int fo r tra nspo rt back t o Be lmore Pa rk. A security a rea will be o pe rating back at the Park so you ca n stay and enjoy the carni val atmosphere at the Gong before you board yo ur tra in to Sydney. A free shuttle b us se rvice will operate between the F lagstaff Point carni va l and the s tati on th roughout the a ft ern oon. If your fri ends want to train it down to the G ong to meet yo u te ll than that the shu t­ tle bus from the s tati o n t o the Po int is fo r their use too.

E ntry fo rms w ill be available during September from bicycle retail outlets in the Sydney, Woll ongong and Newcastle a reas a nd you will be a ble to e nte r at selecte d sto res fro m the beginning o f O cto be r o nwards. The officia l e ntry fo rm and full detail s will be published in the Se pte mbe r/O ctobe r editio n of Freewheeling out September. •

Freewheeling 69 the stock and have the space to di spl ay th em. The number of brands on offer is un­ important provided that the dealer has the right bike to s uit yo ur needs. But BIYIIGA more o n needs a little late r. It is important to be comfortable and confident about the dealer who sell s yo u the bike because they can be of imme·nse help to you throughout the life of the LIGHNEIGHI bike. One of the most common complaints I receive about the bike retail trade con­ cerns what is often referred to as nega­ ti ve selling. This is where one dealer will heap damnation on a model of bicycle BICYCLE them but sold by usuall y not stocked by some o the r d eale r somewhere else in A strategic approach town. This almost always produces con­ fusion in the minds of potential custom­ ers and a huge loss of confidence in the BY WARREN SALONOI professionalism of the industry. IN THESE DAYS OF HIGH ings when yo u finally have to part with If a dealer can't sell on the merits and interest rates and rising prices it is your hard earned dollars. positive features of their own stock and most importa nt to choose wisely has to resort to condemnation of a n­ when purchasing a lightweight bicy­ What brand ~s best1 other trader in the same industry you cle.I After all , thi s type of bike even The short answer to that oh-so-com­ best leave them to wallow in their own though it may run better and lasts longe r mon query is : all of them. Well , as long negativity. It's alw ays best seek out usually costs more than the old ten­ as that only includes bikes sold by someone who will give you the facts on speed clunker of yesteryear. speciali st bicycle deale rs. Supermar­ wh at they have to sell . This guide to buying a li ghtweight is kets, sports stores and chain stores don't designed to provide you with a strategy sell li ghtweight bikes. A buyers nraten to help yo u cut through the salesman's Perhaps a mo re pertinent question Before you set off with yo ur fistful of hype. You may need to do a little more should be: which bicycle dealer should I dollars or plastic ask yo urself two si mple research if you want to seek out the ab­ buy fro m? Specialist dealers generally questions. You will probably be asked solute best bargain so the best place to sell at least o ne o r two of the major the same o r similar questions by bicycle start is to talk to your cycling friends and brands. Some, if they belong to a buying dealers in your travels so it can shorten ask them what they think. You may get group or have a special arrangement the search if you know the a nswers be­ twenty different answers so a little addi­ with one brand name wholesaler, will fore the questions are put to you. tional knowledge can be very handy to often concentrate on selling onl y that What t ype of riding do you want the help you reach the best decision. Such one brand. Others prefer to carry the lot bike for? And - how much money are knowledge will also convert to real sav- provided they are big enough to afford you prepared to spend?

70 Freewheeling Both questi o ns w ill drasti call y a ffect rear tria ngle a nd fo rks a re o ft e n high often the fi tting of one group instead of anothe the choice of machine. Take the first one tensil e steel. r will affect the overall pri ce and qualit for instance. If you wa nt a bi ke to r ide in As the fra me is t he s ke leton upo n y of the b ike . To help you fathom the diffe triathlons or to r ide fl at out on fas t tra in ­ which the 'flesh· of the componentry is rences between the groups here ing sessions over sealed roads the n a fastened your bicycle must have a frame are both m anufacturer's ra nges starting from the twelve o r fo urteen speed r acin g bike is t ha t fits your body o the rwise you will top: Shimano for road bikes - Dura the type of machine fo r you. If you wa nt no t b e a ble to ride it comfortab ly a nd Ace, Sante , 600 U ltegra, 105, to a lso ride to work then a s imilar bike effi cientl y. The correct height is onl y one Sport LX, Exage Spo rt/ Acti o n/Moti on; may also do b ut you m ay need sli ghtl y consideratio n the length of the top tube Shima no fo r m o unta in bikes - Deare XT II , wider rims or tyres to e nable you to cope is a lso important - see box " Fitting your Deare II , Mountain LX , Exage Mo untain/Trail with city streets. Frame"). /Country; SunTo ur fo r road bik Sho uld you wa nt yo ur bike prima ril y C heck the fra me fo r b razed-on fit­ es - Superbe Pro, Sprint 9000, as a recreatio nal ve hi cle with the possi­ tings wa ter bottle mounts, rack m ounts, G PX, O le , Edge 4050, Blaze 3040; Sun ­ Tour fo bility o f some holiday touring included brazed o n lever m o unts ; these are a ll r m o unta in bik es - XC 9000, the n a li ghtweight to uring bike is the consi dered sta ndard fo r a good quality XCD 6000, XCE 4050, XCM 3040. type fo r you . A mo unta in bik e is the bi ke tho ugh cheaper frames o ften dis­ ideal machine fo r cit y a nd suburban rid­ pense wi th th e m t o reduce manufactur­ Extns ing o n a ll kinds of road. ing costs. Most bikes come ready fo r the road Telling the retail er yo ur price limit is with only basic equipment so you sho ul d not a bad thing as that w ay the reta il e r Wheels always be o n the look out fo r extras that can then offer you all they have to s how The wheels a re your second biggest add valu e to a bike. Howeve r if these you in that range. If you are concerned cost. Quick release hubs cost more than extras are of no use to you the n why a bo ut be in g sold up (offe red a dearer bolt-ons. Tho ugh racing type bikes are have the bike a t a ll. Impo rtant extras bike a bove your b udget) the n do as I seldom sold with anything other than QI are: toe cl ips and straps ( useless if yo u always do when I go into delicatessens: I R hubs it is commo n t o find mounta in plan t o fi t a pair of clipless pedals later ask fo r 200 gra ms of expe nsive ha m bikes with hi gh quality bolt type hubs. o n); water bottle cages; gel saddle ; and when I reall y want 250. Sealed bearings were popular a few perhaps an all oy rack. So there you are in the s to re wa nting years ago but are not so these days be­ to buy a sleek road racing machine o r cause they are difficult to replace when Aker sales senice fast m ountain bike to ride to v ictory in wo rn and are not easil y adjustable a nd Most dealers these days offer a free the Nati o nals a nd the dealer shows yo u user serviceabl e (you n eed speciali sed tune- up service at the e nd of a t hirty day three bikes around your ta rget price. tools to take them apart) . Even moun­ period so that your bike is correctl y run­ H ow d oes o ne evalu ate a bicycl e? Lets tain bike competito rs a re s hyin g away in fo r the road. T hi s may be offered free divide the bike up into four majo r sec­ from them n owadays so don't think that by some shops but if you have to pay fo r tio ns: the fra me; the wheels; the gear if a bike has them fitted that it is neces­ it elsewl1ere it may be worth your while and brake components; and the extras. sarily an advantage. What you have to do here is we igh up The quali ty o f the rim is impo rta nt. each of these fo ur areas with each bike Heat treated all oy rims a re consi dered and the result of your me ntal equati on the li ghtest and most durable a nd t hese should indicate the best deal. a re ma de by the leadin g rim m a ke rs You could of course trust the retail er. often with a g rey or brown surface col­ The majo rity o f our bicycl e dealers are our. T he colour of the r im is onl y surface ethical traders a nd as they all buy from deep but the brand name is important; the same sources it's unlikely that prices name s lik e Mavic, Araya, U ka i a nd will vary greatly from shop to shop. The We inma nn a re some of the leading most important thing is that you end up names. with a bike that you a re comple te ly Lower quality tyres are often fi tted t o happy with and that it suits your phys i­ hi gh quality rims because the manufa c­ cal and budgetary needs. turer kn ows that m ost buyers a re more concerned with the hardware - frame, Thefnme rims , gears - rathe r th a n the rub be r. The most expe nsive single ite m of a Good qua lity tyres cost lo ts so do n't bicycle . It is usuall y made o f ch rome overl ook this important item. mo lybde num tubing. Chrome moly is the most common of the steel all oys. Geann1 and bnlle systems It comes in vari o us g ra des - the Almost all the top range li ghtweights li ghte r (thinne r) the g rade the higher sold these days are e quipped with inde­ the cost . The o ld adage - the more o ne xed gear shi fting systems. "Cli ck' gears pays the less o ne gets - most certainly as they are known offe r adva ntages to applies to bicycle frames. the compe tito r over sho rt-dista nce The re a re o ther types of tubing like courses requiring a lot of gear changing. the manganese molybdenum Reyno lds They a lso a re much m o re fo rgiving o f 531 - the most widely used racing tubing unpractised ride rs a nd a ll ow the com­ in the world. This type of tubing, how­ petito r t o concentrate o n other factors eve r, is seldo m seen o n a facto ry b uilt than hitting o r missing the ri ght gear. fra me a nd is o nl y a vail able o n special SunTour or Shimano a re the names to order through a frame builde r. look for. It is a lways wise to check if a ll tubes The same a pplies to a ll the other com­ are made o f the same material. Often as po nentry o n the transmi ssion and brak­ a cost cutting measure o nl y the three ing syste ms. Each m anufact ure r h as a main tubes are c hrome moly while the hierarchy o f compo ne nt groupings and

Freewhee/ing 7/ • to consider this with your ultimate a nd beverages that had fu e ll e d it all . sure a nd click sto ps , to take the purchase decision . Your dealer is impo r­ Good grief! Even putting hi s shoes on guesswork out of gear changi ng" . tant if you want to keep your bike in top was getting hard . " Surely re marks like that a re in ap­ working order throughout its life . So it So , it was to be a mo unta in bike. propriate, if not outright illegal, in these pays to think abo ut the after sales ser­ Enjoy the bush and trim the waistline. times of equal opportunity?" vice which each dealer could provide Hang on! She liked the bush, and walk­ The re ply included something about along with your other considerations. ing, and a bit of orienteering at least as the real world. "The tax re fund is still much as he did. And she hasn't been intact. We reall y can afford bikes" . Sud­ Rtt~n1 your frame running recently either. She wondered denly, avid interest. Coloured brochures Fitting your frame to your body has whether a ny o ne had no ti ced he r take on real meaning. She finds it all a been covered in two excellent articl es in waistline recentl y. fo re ign la nguage. " SIS, Bio pace , Freewheeling back iss ues. For our two So the o rde r became two mounta in chrome mo ly, Tange tubes, e ighteen issue fitting set send $6.00 to Freewheel­ bikes. gears! Eighteen gears? Does that mean ing Back Iss ue Sales PO Box K26 Their first move, as usua l: ta lk to th a t I have to ma ke e ightee n gear Haymarket NSW 2000 and we will post those who have been down that path . changes to get this thing rolling? you back copies of issues 41 and 46. One work mate obliged with brochures, Two gear levers , you say! How on prices and a calm appraisal of the fea­ earth can I cope with a ll that? Do I have tures of hi s bike: chrome moly, Biopace, to wear one of those helmets?" Tange frame , ca ntilever bra kes ... He couldn't he lp la ughing; it was THE DECISION Another coll eague just ha ppened to dangerously close to being patronising. BY BJ RYAN have the same make and model. Power­ "A re you laughing at me?" fully persuasive! "No. It's deja vu. I had this very con­ They live on a mo untain - a very small " My bike's ri ght here. Have a ride" . versation at work today. " one, but a mountain nevertheless - so a Around the grounds, over the speed They talked about it. " No, you don't mountain bike seemed to suggest itself. humps, (bumps on mo unta in trails?) , have to use all gears. Click stops let you Gravel roads, fire trails and tracks lead around the car parks , through the sc­ know exactl y where yo ur gear changes in many inviting directions. reenings of the new driveway; it's low are. " Welcome to the real world! Not exact ly te rra in for hi s old te n­ geared and slow by comparison with The nex t hour was a lot of fun . Try it ! speed "racer" . what he's been used to, but it all feels Get brochures for two or three brands of He used to run . The usual kind of good. Back to its owne r. bikes, and compare the way they pitch thing. Thirty minutes before breakfast. "I find " , he said , " I need to use the their spiel at men and "ladies" . And the Sometimes a lunchtime run with mates palm of my hand to change gears, and "ladies" in the pictures don't need exer­ at work; fun runs. A bit of orienteering, the gear I am in is a matter of judgment. cise! a couple bf maratho ns - back trouble We bought a beautiful bike for my wife. We lcome to the real world! (They put paid to all that, but not to the food It's just made for a woman: thumb pres- hope to keep yo u posted). • CALYPSO C V C L E . S takes you and your dollar further

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BIKE BARN J~-;~j. PARRAMATTA / ~~ 'I Sydney's original triathlon shop. THE ffiEEDOfd CALYPSO CYCLE2S Catering for triathletes and cyclists. MACHINE Our knowledge of bikes and Takes you and your dollar further. triathlon equipment is the best. DREAM MACHINES Our large turnover of quality stock enables us to First class service assured. Family-Touring-Triathlon keep our prices low. 7 Victoria Road, Specialist CaU in and see our extensive range of bicycles Parramatta. Accessories & expert and accessories . opp. BBC Hardware repairs. (02) 683-5969 404 KI NG STREET, NEWTOWN NSW 401 Chapel St, South Yura (02) 5H 1655 Open 7 Days. VIC 3141 Ph: 241 5014 MR CYCLING For Quality, COMPONENTS Range Supplied to and Valu e _e~• The bicycle shop on PRO BIKE DEALERS Sydney's North Shore that· By meets your individual needs. Freshwater Bicycle Touring and Mountain bikes Imports are our apeclallty. 92 Pacific H'wav Rosevllle (02) 526 2647 OR (02) 522 8163 (AH) 411 5116

BRISBANE'S BIGGEST C~AffiPIDn BLACKMAN RANGE OF BICYCLES, BICYCLES PARTS, ACCESSORIES & Two outlets offering the service CLOTHING 've come to know and you e Apoll o e Malv= Sur e Repco • Ricardo appreciate. e Shogun Now at 59 Queen St., St Marys Phone 673 4017 1,jbJ BEST RANGE - BEST VALUE Larga range of aparea and acceaaorlea. And as always at Blacktown 5 Alpha St., Blacktown Wheel bulldlng a apeclallty. 621 8158 •IGBI~ 2938 PACIFIC HWY. QUEENSLAND West Lane, St Marys NSW 2780 BLACKTOWN UNDERWOOD, (Behind Kentucky Fried Chicken) BICYCLE (07) 341 7 444 (02) 623 1157 CENTRE "JUST NEAR THE BIG GUN" Only 1 2 minutes from the city

SPEARNAII THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS CYCLES FOR JUST CENTENNIAL PARK CYCLES WOIILD OF WHEEU DU1.U ROCKDALE CYCLES 50 years of serYRe to die $75 a Full-time mechanics lllawarra resjon INCLUDIN G TEN F R EE e Wide range of bicycles SEE YOU ON THE GONG RIDE CO P IES O F F R E EWI-IEELIN G • Wi

From fat tyres to skinny tyres you11 find the latest news in FREEWHEELING. Whether you bicycle for pleasure, spon or health and fitness FREEWHEELING has everything you need to know. Travel and touring, events and competitions, technical features, and safety, it's all in Australia's leading bicycling magazine. Don't miss an issue. Subscribe now and pay only S19 .00 for seven issues. That's a discount of over 20%. Plus you have the benefit of free . ., ~- home delivery, in a protective plastic envelope. ______·--i ____ • • • • • ______YES! Please stan my subscription to FREEWHEELING. I SEND FREEWHEELING TO: enclose cheque/money order for $19 .00 OR charge my credit card: - NAME ------<1 --1 Bankcard D Visa D Amex D Mastercard D ADDRESS ------______P/CODE ------t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I send coupon to: FREEPOST 33* CARDHOLDER NAME, ______Freewheeling Magazine PO Box 746 SIGNATURE ______Darlinghurst NSW 2010. EXPIRY DATE ______* No Postage Stamp Required With standard cranks, a short rider ha~ to bend her knees much more than a tall rider.

The length of the cranks on your bike should be related to the length of your thighs. conveni ent fo r bike s ho ps because they o nl y have to keep one s ize in stock. But it means that short riders have to bend WONEIIEED their kn ees much more when they pedal than ta ll riders do . Suppose you swap the 170 mm cranks on your bike fo r some longer ones, say 180 mm . Wh at di ffe re nce will th a t SHORTER ma ke ? The lo nger cranks will give yo u more leverage, and you may be able to ride o ne gear hi gher than u sual. But the lo nger cranks will also slow d own your pedalling rate. For example , whe re you CRANKS mi ght have pedall ed at 70 revs pe r mi ­ nu te before , yo u will now d o o nl y 66 female pedalling comfort revs per minute . A look at how to improve T he o pposite is true fo r sho rte r cranks; you will use sli ghtly lower gears BY RON SHEPHERD with the m , b ut you will be a bl e to turn , neither H AT'S T H E T H E ORY H ow lo ng a re the cranks o n yo ur the pedals a li ttle fas te r. O verall be hin d t he le ngth of a bicy­ bike? If you don't know, it's likely that lo nge r n o r s ho rte r c ra nks w ill a ffect This has cle's cranks? Idea ll y. yo u they are 170 millimetres long. earl y a ll your pe rfo rmance no ti ceabl y. es. both sho ul d have cranks the ri ght bi kes have cra nks th a t l e ngth . T hat's been shown by laborato ry studi W Tt doesn't m a ke in Australia and overseas. size to s uit your legs. This rider has thighs IS 1/2 What thighs are you? We ll if cha ng in g your cra nk le ngth you go a ny faste r, b ut it d oes m a ke x 10 = inches long. So her ideal crank length is 15.S u ride fas te r, why pedalling much more comfo rtable. is n't going to le t yo 155 millimetres. does it matter? Yo u need cranks the ri ght le ngth fo r comfo rt. C ranks that are too short feel awkwa rd , a nd so do too lo ng c ra nks. The ideal length seems to be wh en your knees swing through an angle o f a bo ut 90 degrees. To get that angle ri ght , your cra nk le ngth needs to be ma tched t o your thigh length .

The cranks on your bike should be in proportion to your thigh length. The re's an easy way to find o ut your ideal cra nk le ngth . With a pen , put a cross o n the s ide o f yo ur knee wh e re it p ivots . Put a no th e r c ross o n you hip j o in t. ow m easure the dista nce be­ tween the two c rosses. You can measure •

Freewheeling 75 ...-.-.-• ia:N (AUST.) PTY. LIMITED IMPORTERS. DISTRIBUTORS AND MANUFACTURERS

SALES REPRESENTATIVE BICYYCLE ACCESSORY INDUSTRY SYDNEY AND BRISBANE METROPOLITAN AREAS "I demand POSITION VACANT quality, Matich (Aust) Pty . Limited require a serious , performance professional and experienced wholesale sales and reliability ... person to join our distribution and marketing team . I demand Our company is a leading impor ter, dis tributor TIOGA!" and manufa cturer spe ci ali zin g in the motorcycle , bi cycle and leisure ac cessory indu st ry . We require a sale s person to work wi th our new and exciting range of bicycle and lei sure safety helmets . .,.a An interest and experien ce in the bic ycle industry would be an advanta ge .

~-. ·~·····=·····:•'• ...... ·: ·: ·: ... •,• .. .. . ! ·. ❖.: ❖,❖,❖: •:•:•:•:•,•.'.','•'❖'• , ,•. ::•. •❖: •,•,• ❖.;:::• ·: . :::::: • ··:.::;_;:•.:::.:•:.:.:.:•:::::::_: Please repl y in writ i ng or by telephone to : Kri s Matich Matich (Au s t) P t y . Ltd. 84 Darley Str e et Mona Vale N.S . W . 2103 Ph : (02) 997 2733

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76 Freewheeling • the dista nce be tween the two crosses. Most w o me n are bette r suited b y s ho r­ Yo u can d o it yourself, but a fri end will te r cranks , down to 140 mm (see di a­ probably be able to measure your thigh gram). more accurately (see photo) . Bikes with sm a ll e r fra r,es a re now If your ta pe measure has inches avail abl e fo r sho rt ride r , but unfo rtu­ marked on it , just multiply by 10 to get na te ly these bikes still have sta ndard your ideal crank length. For example , if cranks. lt is both difficult and expensive your thigh is 15 in ches long, your crank to get any other crank length fitted. Thi s 'Vive {a difference I le ngth sho ul d be 15 x 10 = 150 mil ­ is a worldwide proble m b ecause the stry is mo re inte rested in KNICKS limetres. bi cycle indu * 11 models If your t ape measure o nl y has cen­ selling bikes to the ' middle majo rity' 5 sizes !! time tres o n it , measure your thigh and tha n in cate ring fo r l arge o r sm a ll multiply by 4. Fo r example if your thigh people. • TIGHTS is 42 cm , the n 4 2 x 4 = 168 , a nd your Acknowledgmenls: Thanks to Caroline and A ndrew * n J-lar/{J nd, and 10 Roger D 11 rh{Jm of ideal crank length will be 168 mm. McDowa/1 , Joh Bullseye Industries f o r their assistance. An- * BIB SUITS Fo ll owing this rule , the average adult 1/rr op om etric data f ro m J-1 11ma11 sca/e I , 2, 3 pub­ male can u se standard 170 mm cranks. li shed b y MIT Press for Henry Dreyfu ss and As­ * SHIRTS Othe r m e n will need cra nk le ngths be­ sociates. 1974. tween 155 mm and 185 mm , if they can What size cranks suit you best! At the top is a 200 * FINEST find the m . But it is fe male ride rs wh o mm crank specially made to suit John Harland's EUROPEAN are most di sadv.antaged by the lack o f long legs; in the middle is standard 170 mm crank; suita b le crank le ngths . The usua l 170 at the bottom is a 150 mm TA crank imported CHAMOIS /✓ y the tallest w ome n. mm cranks s uit onl from France. t1//f /1/f J1111111t ti Jt;I /;ftff'II

Dealer enquiries : PH: (07) 862 1569 FAX: (07) 862 15 74

ldealcranklensths

It features a 122 page book which is a comprehensive guide to maintaining and fine tuning your bicycle to its peak condition. Also included are chain care items, a rivet extractor with spare pin, 2-sided cleaning brush and arguably the best oi I for bicycles, TRIFLOW™.

contact:

Short female Short male Average female Average male tall female Tall male ISSmm 170mm 185mm CYCUNG INNOVATIONS 140mm Phone (062) 584 21 2 Fax (062) 515 251

Freewheelin_g 11 BOTTON BRACKET Top: Using a cotterless crank extractor to remove a crank from a nut type axle. Bottom: Tightening the adjustable (RH) bottom bracket cup using specialised spanners. Two of the many excellent ltAIIIIENAIICE Cycle Repair photographs used in the book The Freewheeling Maintenance Program - Part 3 Step By Step. BY WARREN SALONON N E O F THE MOST DlF­ o f sta nda rdisation . Yo u a re about to fi cult o f bicycl e mainte na nce e ncounte r thi s if yo u h ave cotterless tasks is reall y the easiest. And cranks and do not have an extractor tool the secret b e hind easy bottom to match your type. The domin ance of O is to use Japa nese manufacturing firms has bracket maintenance and repair the the ri ght speciali st t ools. Bottom brac­ produced some confo rmity with the ISO ket bearings usuall y need t o be cl eaned standard requiring basicall y two types of and ove rha ul ed at least once a year or tool: one fo r b olt type a xl es using a 14 every six months if yo u r ide yo ur bike mm bolt head; a nd the o the r fo r nut daily. type axles using a 14 mm nut. To do this yo u n eed a crank remover If your bike does not h ave Japanese tool (if you h ave all oy cotte rl ess type cranks you m ight need a diffe rent type cranks) or. a hammer and block of wood of extracto r t ool. Yo ur bik e dealer if yo u have cottered cranks. In addition should be a bl e to sell yo u the correct yo u will also need a set of specialised tool a nd you should take yo u m achine bottom bracket spanners of a type a nd with you t o e nsure a positi ve identifica­ brand that wi ll fit yo ur bottom bracket ti on. cups. As the cotte rl ess crank is wedged E ithe r Sugino o r Shimano s pa nne r tig htly o nto the axle you fi rst h ave to sets should fit your bicycle a nd these are remove the axle bolt or nut with a socket sold by most speciali st bike s hops. Such spanne r or the part of the extractor de­ spanners are often costly and as yo u will signed fo r that purpose. The right hand thumb rule for right handed o nl y use them once or twice a year it is Once thi s has been done screw the threads (use the left hand for left handed best to share the cost with a fri end w ho extractor's pulle r shaft right back and threads): The thumb points in the direction has need of simil a r equipme nt. Take scre w the tool into t he crank . Yo u you want to move the nut or bolt and the your bike to your local bikeshop if yo u should be a ble to screw the tool into the finge rs indicate the direction you will have can n ot identify the type of spanner yo u crank fo r the full le ngth of the tread to turn the spanner to achieve this. require . Some types of E uro pean bot­ without the pulle r shaft bottomin g o ut tom brackets a re compatible w ith the on the axle. If you can not screw it in fa r two Japanese spa nne r sets me ntioned enough wind back the puller shaft. a nd your bike deale r will help track If yo u attempt to pull a crank fro m an down other m ore esoteric brands if the axl e when the tool is onl y wound one o r need arises. two turns into the crank you are li kely to Before getting down t o b usin ess it is strip the threads from the crank making best to set up yo ur wo rking space so that it very difficul t to remove. yo u can perform yo ur tasks with ease. If The types of extractor tool. you do not own a workshop stand you can try to suspe nd the bike fro m the beams of your garage or upend the b ike on the g round. If you choose to upend the bi ke you should support the ha nd­ lebars o n a b lock of timber so that the ca bles a re not squashed at the b ra ke 14mm Hexagon Socket levers. Ma ke s ure the ground is c lean a nd smooth so that yo u can easil y fi nd any vital small parts which may accidentall y fa ll off the bike d uring the maintenance 15mm Heaxgon Socket session. To begin di sassembly yo u will fi rst

78 Freewheeling Once you have re moved the locking ring use the pin head spanner to remove the c up proper. As yo u remove the cup from the bottom bracket she ll you sho uld aim to catch the loose ball bear­ ings as they fall - that is if your botto m r bracket does not use caged bearings . Once the cup has been r e moved you ~ --~-·-!Q2_.. ._.. .iii;iitil~ can gently pull out the ax le collect the bearings and begin the cl eaning opera­ B.B TOOL SET ti on which must remove a ll traces of the old grease and grit particles clinging to the components. In spect the bearing surfaces on the axle a nd the cups for signs of irregul ar wear and pitting. When ball bearings self destruct through metal fatigue they te nd to tear chunks out of the normall y smooth bearing surfaces. Replacing the ball bearings is a good idea even if there are no signs of wear but if both the cups and the ax le are badly worn they should be replaced as well. If you do your own bike maintenance need to remove both cranks. For bikes Sugino (top) and Shimano bottom bracket it is a lways good to keep a set of spares cottered cranks you wil l need to spanner sets. with ha ndy to avoid a trip to th e local undo the nut on the wedged cotter and Once both cranks are off the right and bikeshop for replacements in the middle the n support the crank with a solid left bottom bracket cups can be easily of your mainte nance session. Axles block of wood seated on the fl oor while removed . Begin by removing the a djust­ come in a bewildering range of sizes and u tap out the cotte r pin with a ham­ able (left hand) cup first . To do this you yo types. The cha rt only s hows the mo re mer. Once a cotte r pin has been re­ will need to use the hooked part of your common Japanese types and bike shops moved in this way it is not reusable so bottom bracket tool to remove the lock may have to order yours in specially if you will need to have bought new cotter ring. The left h and cup has a right hand your bike has uncommon parts fitted. pins before you commenced the session. thread so to c heck the direction yo u You should always use cups and ax les Because bicycle parts are made a ll must pull to loosen the ring use the right made by the same manufacture r as the over the world there is an appalling lack hand rule as shown in the di agram. •

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Freewheeling 79 • bearing surfaces differ and will seldom source of that irritating complaint: the match between brands. If you have to cli cking bottom bracke t. The fixed wait weeks for a replacement ax le a nd (right side) cup ha a left h and thread so cups you may consider instead purchas­ use your left hand to determine the cor­ in g a complete BIB bearing/axle set rect direction to move your spanne r. The (with ax le le ngth a nd ta per profile to spanner to use is the o ne with the special match your cranks and frame) made by end to match the fl at sides of the cup. a diffe re nt ma nufact ure r. Yo ur bike Begin reassembly by first seating the shop has the technical knowledge to right hand bearings into the c up with advise you on interchangeability of parts grease. If you use caged b earings grease between bike brands so check with them the bearing assemblies well and slide first. the m o nto the axle a nd facin g in the Before comme ncing reassembly you correct directi on. The balls should poke can also re move the fixed (ri ght side) through the cage towards the c up and cup o r choose to leave it and clean it in the fl anged edge of the cage should face position . In any case you sho uld make the ax le bearing surface. sure tha t the c up is screwed in ti ght Slide the ax le through the bottom when you comme nce· reassembly. A bracket until it holds the right hand bear­ loose fixed cup is mo re than often the ings in place then ho ld the tip from the

So where does o ne s ta rt? Most amateur bike mechanics look to books fo r the answers and in the past d ecade there have been a number of ma nu als whi ch h ave in some way covered th e mecha ni cal side of cycling. Richard's Bicycle Book has been a fa vourite fo r many years but I have always found it an excell e nt general cycling boo k r a the r tha n a good m ainte na nce a nd re pa ir manual. At last someone has got it ri ght. Rob va n der Pl as in hi s new book Cycle Re­ pair Step by Step has got togethe r with a n excellent design team and a pho to­ grapher and has produced a wonderful 112 page colour manual on basic bicycle repair. I should stress the basic nature of the book and with this in mind I would In the cycling world have no hesitation in recomme nding it the skilled wheelbuilder still CYCLE REPAIR as an ideal first manual for anyone start­ igns supreme. Machines re ing out in bicycle maintenance. make better bike ports may STEP BY STEP The book has a n excell e nt set up good at but they're not very chapter with recommendations on tools building and trueing wheels. By Rob van der Plas RRP $ 19.95 Springfield and home workshop techniques and suc­ Cranks expert Books UK. Paperback. Distributed by ceeding chapters dealing with the major spokesperson is Capricorn Link Pty Ltd. parts of the machine. The format of the Colin Liddle who con build book -clear well written text with bright mountain bike, touring or racing BOOK Rt:YIEW BY WARREN colour photographs to illustrate the dif­ wheels that ore a joy to ride. SALOMON fe rent steps - i s the book's biggest asset. At Cranks you con NE OFTHE wonderful things The colour pictures are s harp and pro­ choose from our about the bicycle is its simpli­ vid e much better d efinition and cl arity hubs, ri ms and wide range of city of design . You hop on, push than any of the black and white photo­ Colin's expert spokes or take on the pedals and it goes. And graphs in all the o ther manuals. suggestions on combinati ons eveOn when it doesn't go it is still possible Of course there is more to the bicycle which work best for the to do most of your own maintenance - than the simple machine of my introduc­ type of riding you do most. that is if you h ave the time and some tion. With many manufacturing nations Coll in today and manual skill. Bicycles are loved by tin­ working to different technical standards see Colin for some ke re rs the wo rld over a nd there is a there is a enormous amount of informa­ free wheeling advice. rumour in the bike trade that many bicy­ tion to be a bsorbed if one is to become cle deale rs get into the business just so and expert. However the strength of this they can tinker with these amazing ma­ book is that it avoid s the more chines all day long. specia li sed areas of bicycle repair and I must confess to a certain pleasure devotes its self wholly to the basics. that comes from fixing a broken part The re a re many o ther books which and restoring the machine to its former specialise in the various aspects of bicy­ state of well being. cle mechanics but if I were to own only 92 PACIFIC HWY, ROSEVILLE. But to do that you need knowledge one maintenance book to help me with and even the simple bicycle has its com­ my tinkering I think it would have to be (02) 411 5466 plexities. this one. D

80 Freewheeling outside of the cup while you wind in the It is worthwhile noting that too much left hand cup with your fingers. If you grease will often inhibit smooth running CLASSIFIEDS are using loose ball bearings you should of the bearings at first givin g yo u a false seat the balls into grease smeared liber­ adj ustme nt which may have to be cor­ a ll y on the bearin g surface of the cup. rected some days after your bike is back TOUR HATES The main reason that caged bearings on the road. OUR MATES is a FREE service are almost always used in bottom brac­ Cups whi ch are difficult to adj ust may for readers wishing to find com­ ket bearings can often become painfully no t be the cause of the proble m. You T panions for bicycle trips and obvious during reassembly when the may find that the outside face of your holidays. Entries are limited to thirty loose balls try to escape from the grease. bottom bracket she ll is o ut of true so words (excluding your name and con­ If the bottom bracket shell threads are that the c ups do not seat prope rl y a re tact details). There is a charge of tight you may have to use the pin head not exactl y a li gned to each other or the thirty cents per word for any long en­ tool to tighten the adj ustable c up the ax le. Yo u can ofte n de tect this if the tries exceeding the limit. Payment (if last few turns. Aim to tighten the cup so wear pattern on the inside of the bearing applicable}must accompany your list­ that the ax le rotates smoothly with resis­ cup is off centre . If this is the case your ing. Name, address and phone tance onl y from the grease. bike s hop has the tools a nd expertise to number should be attached for verifi­ Screw on the locking ring and with the reface the bottom bracket she ll with cation purposes. pin spanner holding the adjustable cup great precision. Nullarbor Crossing Leave Kalgoorlie WA on Synday and the hooked spanner turning the loc­ Comple te the ma inte na nce task by 24 September via Ceduna to Port Lincoln by October k ring ti ghten the ring against the bottom refitting your cranks. Cotterless cranks 20. Fully self su pported. Contact David Hulett (08) 339 1056 bracket shell . sho uld be bolted up tight to force the England Young 61 year old seeks companion for lei­ Check that the .bearing adjustment is crank onto the tapered ax le . A long han­ surely train and cycle tour in June and July. Contact Wal still correct. If it has tighte ned o r dl ed spanne r sho uld be used with the Uddle,5 W ilima Pl ace, French's Forest, NSW 2086. u h ave Phone (02) 452 1172. loosened yo u may have to loosen off and extractor tool to e nsure that yo Townsville to Broome leaving Townsville late July. repeat the procedure with a s lightly dif­ e nough l everage to make sure the Companions wanted for a low budget crossing of the fe rent setting of the adj ustable cup. cranks are wedged on tight. • northern half of the country with as few highways as possible. Phone Ju lia on (02) 399 5581 . Across the USA Companion wanted fo r tour from Japanese Bottom Bracket Axle Types and Lengths Boston to the Pacific Ocean. Leaving early September and mostly camping. Contact Ken Moylan on (062) 431 014 (W ) or (062) 477 617 (H).

HIRE RENT-A-CYCLE TASMANIA 10-speed low gearing, Bolt Type Axle all frame sizes, ladies and gents. Completely equipped for touring. Postal bookings accepted. Seven years hiring expe rience. Brochure, rates, your questions. 36 Thistle St Launceston, Tasmania Phone (003) 44 9779 BICYCLE HIRE SYDNEY. Inner City Cycles hires ten-speed touring bikes, mountain bikes, racks pannier bags, high security locks and li ghts. Contact ICC 31 Glebe Pt Rd Glebe NSW 2037 (02) 660 6605.

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3N-8 32 52 36 120 72 5 3P 32 52 35 11 9 71 5 SINGLE Cyclin1 holidays in North-East Victoria rn1t1ng 35-8 32 52 37 5 1215 74 SINGLE 3N 32 52 36 120 725 DOUBLE National Trust gol d to wn s, Rutherg len and M daw;i JT-B 52 39 123 755 OOUB'.E 3SS 32 52 37 5 1215 74 32 w ineries , Ned Ke lly Country. historic hotels ;ind fine 3U-8 32 52 40 5 124 5 77 68mm 3S 35 52 37 5 124 5 74 68mm restaurant d1nong PO Box 221 Oxley VIC 36 78 Te le ­ 3R-8 32 52 42 126 785 DOOBlE 3T 35 52 39 126 755 ohone 1057\ 27 3382 TRIPLE JTM-B 37 5 52 39 1285 75 5 3U 35 52 405 127 5 77 FREEWHEELING CLASSIFIEDS are seen by over TRIPt..E 3TR•B 42 52 39 133 75 5 3R 35 52 42 129 785 15,000 readen across the country. Rates for 1988 3AR-B 42 52 42 136 785 SN 32 55 35 122 73 are: $15.00 per 30 words or one column cen­ SINGLE 70mm SINGLE SN· B 32 55 35 122 73 SSS 32 55 37 5 124 5 75 5 timetre. Additional wordin1 costs 50 cents per - DOU BLE DOUBLE SS-8 32 55 37 5 124 5 75 5 SS 35 55 37 5 127 5 755 word. Multiple insertion diKounts: Six insertions 70mm 71mm TRIPL E SU-B 32 55 405 127 5 785 DOU BL E ST 35 55 39 129 77 - fifteen percent; three insertions - ten percent. SU 35 55 405 1305 785 Display classifieds rates: $15 .00 per column 71mm TRIPLE order. SA 35 55 42 132 8D centimetre. Payment must accompany Send typed advertisement text (phone orders can not be accepted) to FREEWHEELING CLASS­ IFIEDS, PO Box 746 Darlinghunt NSW 2010.

Freewheeling 8/ CALENDAR

Club secretaries, race directors and event or­ ganisers help us to publicise your event by send­ NON CO ..PETITIVE EVENTS RACING CLUB CONTACTS ing details to us early. If you are planning a ride in The Australian Cycling Federation and the state the coming twelve month period you should send JULY cycling federations will direct you to a club in your notice to Freewheeling National Bike Events Sunday 16 Barossa 100 Challenge Organised by the your area if you want to get involved in bicycle Calendar now. We publish advance notice of all SA Touring Cyclists' Association. Starts 8 am at Tanunda. road or track racing. Phone numbers and con• bicycle events both competitive and non com­ Contact Mick (08) 258 7376 or Geoff (08) 340 0229. tacts for each state are: NSW Margaret Balmer petitive but because of our publication lead­ (02) 241 1870; VIC Ruth Birznieks (03) 328 4391; times we need your copy at least two months in AUGUST QLD Mike Victor (07) 390 1489; WA Mike Poyner advance. Send your copy to PO Box Kl6 Haymar­ (09) 384 4130; SA Bruce Quinn (08) 381 2398; TAS Sunday 13 Strathalbyn 150 Challenge. Organised ket NSW 2000 or phone it through on (02) 264 Joy Bestwick (003) 31 2712; NT Shirley Davis (089) by the SA Touring Cyclists' Association. Starts at 8 am in 208 798. 1544. Strathalbyn. Contact Mick (08) 2S8 7376 or Geoff (08) Riders wishing to take out a professional licence 340 0229. should contact the National Secretary of the Australian Professional Cycling Council, Reg CO ..PETITIVE EVENTS SEPTEMBER Marriner, PO Box 329 Torquay VIC 3228 Phone Sunday 17 Green Valley Twin Century Join the fun (052) 61 406 7. JULY in Australia's longest running endurance event, riding 50 MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB CONTACTS Sunday 16 1989 Nobbies Enduro A great day of to 200 km in the scenic Nepean valley south west of racing events out at the Lower Hawkesbury organised Sydney. Contact Russell Moore (02) 608 1125. The Australian Mountain Bike Association is the by the North Shore Nobbies. Contact Steve Nesbitt Saturday 30 to Sunday October 8 Bicycle SA 1989 sanctioning body for all mountain bike races on a state (02) 411 S466. Hawker to Adelaide Revisited. This week long ride and national level. Local clubs can affiliate and offer their Sunday 23 July Adelai de Winter Series Trials and roughly follows the same route as the first Bicycle SA members the benefits of insurance coverage for their endure for all classes. Centennial Drive Picnic area Mt ride held in 1986. Free bus from Adelaide to the start. inter club events. Enthusiasts interested in contacting a Crawford Forest Williamstown SA. Contact Andrew Contact Brenda (08) 339 3613 or Evelyn (08) 213 0637 local MTB club in an area not listed below should contact Fi el d (08) 271 SIS2 (h) or John Hosking (08) 468 780 (h). for details and entry forms. AMBA on (02) 27 2977 AH (02) 92 1922 as the list is Sunday 30 July Pichi Richi MTB ClassicTr ials an d growing all the t ime. All of these clubs offer both Enduro for all classes. Pichi Richi Pass area north of Pt OCTOBER competitive and non competitive events and are a good Augusta SA. For entry forms contact Zig Zag 92 Com­ Sunday I 5 Sydney Spring Cycle Celebrate spring source of information on what equipment to buy and the mercial Rd Port Augusta 5700 phone (086) 42 3277. with thousands of fellow cyclists in a 35 km ride from best places to ride. Sydney to Parramatta. Contact (02) 212 5628. QUEENSLAND - Brisbane Mountain Bikers Paul Sunday 15 Meadows 200 Challenge Organised by Hargraves (07) 344 1907, Velo Club Brisbane Mike the SA Touring Cyclists' Association. Starts 8 am at Roberts (07) 359 1244, Sunshine Bushbashers (Sunshine AUGUST Meadows. Contact Mick (08) 2S8 7376 or Geoff (08) Coast) Pete Smith (071) 428 572; NEW SOUTH Sunday 13 Lynton Park Trials If you haven"t tried 340 0229. WALES - North Shore Nobbies (Sydney) Paul Barnes observed trials riding for mountain bikes this event is the (02) 449 1978, East Side Ground Hogs (Sydney) Chuck one for you. Come and join in or watch the experts strut NOVEMBER Smeeton (02) 371 5278, Brookvale Fatheads (Sydney) their stuff. Organised by the North Shore Nobbies. Laurent Vignes (02) 982 2574, Western Suburbs MTB Saturday 11 EBTC's Hard Hundred Begins at 8:00 Contact Steve Kidd (02) 981 5859 (H). Club (Sydney) Jeff Blackman (02) 622 8196. Southern am in Bayswater, Melbourne and travels through Bel­ Sunday 13 National Biathlon Championship A 6 Cross Cycle Club (Sydney sth) Tony Marsh (02) 520 grave, Narre Warren, Berwick and Five Ways (turn km run, 40 km cycle, 6 km run or a 3 km run, 20 km 4600. Hunter Valley Mountain Bike Club Bruce Richards around for metric century riders) to Hastings (for cycle, 3 km run through the Stromlo Forest in the ACT (049) 32 7820, Blue Mountains MTB Club Kerry Barlow imperial century riders) before returning to Bayswater: organised by the ACT Triathlon Association. Contact (02) 264 2994 (W ); AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TER­ Entry fee $6.00. Contact Ian Pengelly (03) 728 3180. Rob Caune, PO Box 2384. Civic, ACT 2601 , telephone RITORY Canberra Mountain Bike Club Mark Vardy John Richards (03) 729 640S or John Weller (03) 870 (062) 475 360. (062) 491 806 (w) or (062) 489 301 (h): VICTORIA ­ S894. Sunday 20 August Paterson Classic Cross country Fat Tyre Flyers (Melbourne) Mick Jamison (03) 817 2917: racing in the Hunter Valley NSW region. Organised by TASMANIA Northern Tassie MTB Club (Latrobe) the Hunter Valley Mountain Bike Association. Contact Stephen Foster (004) 262 107 (H) (004) 265 263 (W ); Bob Jones (049) 341 919 (w) (049) 385 193 or Bruce SOUTH AUSTRALIAAdelaide Mountain Bike Club Richards (049) 327 820. Peter Heal (08) 263 3605: WEST AUSTRALIA Perth Sunday 20 August Adelaide Winter ·Series Trials Mountain Bikers Jack Thornley (09) 453 1434, Cycle and enduro for all classes, Devil Gully Picnic Area Tourin2 Assn of WA (09} 330 36S9. Mt Crawford Forest Kersbrook SA. Contact TOURING CLUB CONTACTS Andrew Field (08) 271 5152 (h) or John Hosking (08) 468 780 (h). These clubs regularly run rides in their cities and SYDIEYTI welcome new comers. Some even publish tour­ ing calendars listing forthcoming rides. Contact SEPTEMBER them for details. Sunday 17 Watagan Cross Country Race A 40 km Armidale Community Cyclists (067) 72 89SI. Audax THEIOII Australia (03) 43S 4437 (02) 608 1125. Bathurst blast through the Watagan Ranges just north of the COMMUNITY FUN&FITNESS BICYCLE RIDE Hawkesbury. Organised by the North Shore Nobbies. Bicycle Touring Group (063) 31 9459. Bicycle Australia Contact Steve Nesbitt (02) 411 S466 day. Tuesday 26 (046) 27 2186 (after 9 pm). Brisbane Bicycle Touring (start)Simpson Desert Cycle Classic A five day Association (07) 369 9326. Canberra Pedal Power gruelling ride along the Rig Road from Alka Seluer Bore ACT (062) 49 7167. Darwin Huffers & Puffers (089) 81 to Bi rdsville. Contact Jack Mullins on (02) 588 5617 or VQ/1\)7 2141. Geelong Bicycle Touring Club (052) 75 6661. Ian Hese on (08) 281 0966 or write to 38 Ocean Street, lllawarra Touring Cyclists' Club (042) 83 6524. Mel­ Kogarah, NSW 2217. bourne Bicycle Touring Club (0 3) 818 4011. Melbourne Sunday 26 Eighth annual Sydney to the Gong eastern suburbs - Knox Bicycle Touring Club (03) 754 Bicycle Ride in aid of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. This OCTOBER 4069. Eas tern Bicycle Touring Club (0 3) S43 5970. year bigger and better than ever. A one day fun and Essendon Mountain Bicycle Touring Club (03) 337 Sunday 15 (start) Trans Australian Ultra fitness ride through Royal National Park. Some say its the 1379. Victorian Pedal Clubs provide fun and training Marathon A straight through race from Perth to London to Brighton Ride with scenery. This year a time in bike handling skills for children of bicycle rid ing age. Melbourne for teams of four cycliHs. Contact Lisa trail option will be available for sports riders. It's a ride Call for information on a club near you: (03) 337 6399. Watkins (03) 456 0211 or John Turner (03) 456 029S. not a race. Don't miss it. Entry forms in the September Newcastle Cycleways Movement (049) 46 8298. issue of Freewheeling magazine. Bicycle Institute of New South Wales (02) 212 5628. NOVEMBER South Australian Touring Cyclists Association (08) DECEMBER Saturday and Sunday 18 & 19 AMBA National 272 6406 (08) 388 8331. Sydney region bicycling clubs Mountain Bike Titles A weekend of cycling events to Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 Great Victorian Bike can be contacted through the Bicycle Institute of NSW decide the top riders in uphill , downhill, trials and cross RideA two week ride from Yarrawonga to Melbourne. (02) 212 S628. Tandem Club of Australia (03) 241 4453. country enduro events. All classes. Camping available and Organisers take good care of you , from entertainment Bicycle Victoria (03) 670 9911. Cycle Touring Associa­ good spectator facilities. Contact AMBA or your local to a sag waggon for your luggage. Camping, meals and tion of West Australia (09) 330 3659. Wagga Bicyc le mountain bike club for entry forms (02) 27 2977 or the full medical and mechanical support provided. Organiser Touring Group (069) 21 6787. Vintage Cycle clubs promoter Active Australia (062) 95 9498 for details is Bicycle Victoria. Contact (03) 670 9911 for entry Vintage Cycle Club of Victoria (03) 527 57S9. Southern closer to the event. forms and prices. Veterans (Sydney Vintage Cycle Club) (02) 587 8017.

82 Freewheeling Now there's a Shogun ~for everyone

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ALPlnEGI The new 1989 Shogun Alpine GT is everything that a top class touring bicycle should be, a perfect combination of lightness durability and comfort. It features Tange's lightweight chromoly tubing, Shimano's new 18 speed Exage Trail drive train with SIS indexing and Biopace triple chainrings and at a recommended retail price of only $665.00 is incredible value. SHOGUN BICYCLES THE TRADITION CONTINUES THE REFINED OFF-ROAD COMPONENT SYSTEM FOR UNREFINED RONMENJ:5.

Cycling in the rough demands rugged components that operate with precision That's the Deare XT component system from Shimano. Precise thumb-s hifting SIS, powerful U­ brake, and triple Biopace chainwheels s1 ..11mRno \\A'F provide a level of performance with control that makes off-road cycling as DEDREII\\U safe as it is fun. Deare XT from Shimano. Simply the finest off-road components available today

c 1988 Shimano lndustr,al Corp fJ, Sl-llmRnD ~~ S~lmRnO lnOUSTRIRL CO,, LTD 3-77 O,matsucho. Saka, . Osaka , Japan. Telex 64225 SHIMANO J