Registered by Australia Post Publication No NBH2266 March 1988

Registered by Australia Post Publication No NBH2266 March 1988 esigned 1011ne senous ott- 1oode1, 1ne new eignleen Dspeed 1-\igl"I Sie!!O'S on\V nrnilolion is 1ne 1ide1 .1ne norne. toll<.. siern and nondle-bO! oie rnode ot p1erniutn cn10-rnolV. o pertecl balance ot ligl"IIWeigl"II and du1obililV, Md 10 lnis cornPonenls sucn as Snirnono oeoie SIS indexing svsiern , Snirnono Sio-Poce cionK sel. NOVO o\\OV nrns will"I QR sealed beefing nubs and you nO\/e on ,t>.1S 1nol will loKe you onywneie you wonl 10 go. and bocK. (08'~ ~~~~, REPCOCYC 25 HAMILTON S}ES HUNTINGDALE, 3166 Available from leading Repco Cycle dea lers. Columns 65 CALENDAR 65 CIASSIFIEDS wheelinri March/April 1988 9 JOHN DRUMMOND Number 48 3 DONHATCHER Contents and tourin9 61 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Traf/el 44 AND PINE TREES 20 PRO DEALERS KUCHEN 5 WARRENSALOMON The Mountain Bike Cycle touring in the 46 PHIL SOMERVILLE 22 THE BIKE Black Forest 49 FOR 1988 12 WORLD AWHEEL Th e mountain bike THE BIG RIDES comes of age A preview of the year's Freewheeling is published six times a year in the months of January, 24 WHAT MAKES A big non-competitive March , May, July, September and November. ISSN No: 01.S(i 4579. Editorial and Advertising Offices: Room57Trades Hall, cnr Dixon & MOUNTAIN BIKE events Gou Iburn Sts. , Sydney NSW Aust ralia. Add ress all correspondence to: Freew hee ling PO Box K26 , Haymarket NSW2000 Australia . Almost everything you 8ic1Jcle sport Telephone (02) 264 8544. Pu blisher /E ditor: Warren Salomon . Administralion and wanted to know about 54 OPPY CAPTURES PARIS cimi lation: Marilyn Stivey. National Advertising Sales: David Turner Telephone (02) 913 1266or (02) 264 8544. MTBs Opperman 's historic Typesetting:Everysize Typean Service (02) 451 2579, Pavilion Press Set (02) 211 0252. Printing: Offset Alpine Pty Ltd Derby & Wetherill 32 THE MTB SCENE IN OZ Paris-Brest-Paris ride Sts, Si lverwater NSW Ph . (02) 647 1000. Distribution - N~agents: Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd (02) 667 0466 or offices in yo ur state. Events are still thin on r elived Subscriptions and bicycle dealer distribution: Freewheeling Australia Publications (02) 264 8544. the ground 8ic1Jcle facilities and Material in this publication may not be stored or reproduced in any form with out permission . Requests for permission should be 33 WERNER'S WINNING WAY directed 10 the Publisher. Editorial contributions including black and safetlJ white prints or colour transparencies on all aspects of cycling are · Th e National Champ 's welcomed. Send an enq uiry or write for guidelines. Freewheeling can 38 IS BICYCLE COMMUTING not accept materia l previously published in other journals. Letters training program from readers for the Write On column are always welcomed . LOSING FAVOUR? Copyright© 1988 Freewheeling Australia Publications 34 WHAT'S HOT? Commuter numbers fall Cover design and photography by Warren Salomon, Cartoon New equipment for the in Melbourne and this page by Don Hatcher. new season Canberra Freewheeling J GUARANTEED BUILT WITH GUARANTEED BUILT WITH ~REYNOLDS Familiar sounds for a competitive cyclist. ~REYNOLDS Sounds that mean intense concentration, 531" followed by explosive effort and controlled 753R ~•:.A-!,l'e"''1 FORK BLADES, STAYS & FORK BLADES, STAYS & exertion to produce times faster than ever BUTTED FRAME TUBES BUTTED FRAME TUBES before. ':!.."'jf, . • ••• Every second counts . every effort counts : .. Competitive cyclists the world over l"i:-~~~i~t.ii.ir..:\GUARANTEED BUILT WITH GUAAAN TEED BUILT WITH specify Reynolds lightweight "butted" frame ~REYNOLDS ~REYNOLDS tubes to amplify their efforts, to work with ,;~.,~ 501" them efficiently, smoothly ... transferring energy to the road or track with the '-!lflJrll1m· ' : Etr1..,.~·1J. ', ·.jill , absolute minimum of power wastage. OlH1·i\'e~~~t'IMtTED.England e~~~"~':iCtMtTED,Engtand Reynolds have the ultimate performance frame tube set for every discipline, whether it be Track, Road, Criterium or Cyclo cross. '\ ' ;..;REYNOLDS @) ... trustit BRITISH INTERNATIONAL TRADING 69 Powers Rd , Seven Hills, 2147. Phone: (02) 674 4566 _____ Reynolds-a race apart____. ,f Freewheeling Warren Salomon GOOD BETTER BEST Keeping ahead in a changing world The helmet Standard, Committees and a Sydney Bikeplan announced. TUCK OUT here at the edge of mets for motorcyclists. Now bicycling countries our own makers are protected the Pacific it is easy to pretend that headgear makes up the major part of its from competition from without. Sthe rest of the world doesn't exist. sales. Bell has only managed to survive The Japanese are masters at the Its the old Australian problem. because it is large and persistent enough game. They have erected a barrier of But we are part of the world and we to withstand the onslaught of the litiga government regulation which effectively can't pretend that we can get by without tion happy lawyers. The company has frustrates and prevents foreign com playing our part. We have to be brave never lost a case but it still costs millions panies gaining access to their market. and embrace this reality not put our to mount a successful defence. They do it subtly; an Australian Stan heads in the sand like a bunch of Ozzie In the USA it is quite common for dard is much more direct. ostriches. If we don't others will define lawyers (on behalf of their clients) to A strong case in point is the current our role for us. sue product manufacturers for vast sums generation of ultra lightweight "shell The bicycle scene provides a good of money. In that country lawyers take a less" helmets or, as the Americans call example. We are a smaU market with no cut of the action so if a 4 million dollar them, "beer-cooler" helmets currently manufacturing capacity so we rely en suite is successful the attorney stands to the rage in North America. The Austral tirely on imports. We have very little say make a cool million. Clients and poten ian Standard (as it is currently worded) in the direction of cycle equipment man tial clients are lured by the fact that would not pass this type of helmet. ufacture and mostly we are content to lawyers do not charge a fixed fee and This is a worry because the informa follow Europe, America or Asia. courts do not order the losers to pay tion I am getting from the States is that However, we do make very good bicy costs. in the sport ( and to a lesser extent in cle helmets so our manufacturers have I spoke to one of our local helmet ma recreation) this type of helmet is the one an ideal opportunity to get involved in nufacturers and asked him why his firm the riders prefer. In the US amateur race the huge international marketplace and did not sell its helmets in the US market. competitors as well as triathletes are not only influence future directions but The litigation problem was his short required by race rules to wear helmets make a lot of money in the process. If it answer. I don't blame him but litigation and the most recent magazine pictures only were that easy. has not stopped the multitude of Euro tell the story: these helmets are very, It's not easy. Take the world's largest pean companies from plunging into the very popular. bicycle helmet market: the United US marketplace with helmets of every The ultra lightweight helmets do not States. With more heads to fit helmets shape and style. pass the Australian Standard for two onto than anyone else there are only two Strangely enough one of the problems main reasons: because they do not have local helmet manufacturers. There are for our helmet manufacturers is our Aus a hard outer shell they do not pass a more than that in Australia. There have tralian helmet Standard AS2063 .l. Be penetration test (this is done by drop been others in the past but they have cause we have decided to develop our ping a pointed plumb bob type instru been sued out of existence. own standard we run the risk of erecting ment onto the test helmet from a pre One of survivors is Bell the largest a barrier to the rest of the world. That is , determined height) ; and because some international helmet maker. This corpo if our standard is so different that it re have ventilation holes larger than 20 ration earned its reputation making he!- stricts the entry of helmets from other mm dia permitted by the Oz Standard. Freewheelin1 S This last requirement is supposed to committees natural home is under the it its direction into the 1990's. In the prevent handlebars from slipping umbrella of the Minister of Transport. corporate sector this practise is quite through ventilation holes and is the only Often the Committee has to seek the common and it is only recently seen use reason why the world's best selling hel co-operation of individual government in the Public Service. met the Bell Vl-Pro will not pass our Oz departments so it is the job of the com To formulate its Business Plan the Standard. As it stands at present the 20 mittee member representing the particu committee members met over a week mm minimum hole requirement gives lar agency to see that his or her organisa end and in an intense series of meetings Australians some of the hottest helmets tion responds to the wishes of the SBC looked in tum at all of the current areas made. Some of the recent (Standards and the program is implemented. of SBC involvement. approved) offerings from Taiwan work Of course the cyclists themselves are What they come up with is a brief like little pressure cookers on a sweaty represented on the Committee.

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