Registered by Australia Post Publication No NBH2266 November /987 If it had one more gear, it could climb trees. The Ricardo Ridge Rider 15 speed. The bike that can take you almost anywhere, on road or off. The Ridge Rider is a real adverturer's bike. Its CroMo lugged frame gives you the strength and lightness to take the rough with the smooth. Add concave Alloy Wienman buckle resistant rims and thorn resistant tubes and you've got a bike that can handle just about any terrain. Take a closer look at the Ridge Rider and the all purpose city bikes like the Bush Bike, Easi?_treet and the Beach Bike, at your local AUSTltAUAN HADE Ricardo Mastercare dealer. Aust,ahan lrames If you want a bike that can match your sense of adventure, you'd made by Auslrallan craltsmen better ride a Ricardo. It'll take you to new heights of achievement. HA8711B Number 46 November 1December 198 7 Contents Sport and fitness 8ic1Jcle maintenance 22 GOLD FOR VI ECOMBE 68 ALLABOUTBRAKES Full coverage of the A guide to brake World championships maintenance 26 WILD IN THE STREETS International criterium Columns series 5 WARREN SALOMON 34 PEDERSON POWERS IN 7 JOHN DRUMMOND The Grafton to lnvere/1 9 PHIL SOMER\ULE Classic 57 l~TO :U'RICA 10 PRO DEALERS 40 GETIING FIT ON YO[R Touring the eastern 12 WORLD AWHEEL BIClCLE regions of the continent 19 NEW PRODUCTS AND The Freewheeling 62 AND THE BIT[MEl\ IDEAS fitness program BOILED 20 WRITEON 49 fflE END OF AN ER.\ Tall tales and true from 36 PARTS & ACCESSORIES Alf Twentyman: crack the deep north 77 SUBSCRIPl'ION DEPI'. wheelman 82 DON HATCHER 82 CLASSIFIEDS 84 CALENDAR fleewliHilg IS published SIX llllltl a year Ill the monihs of Januan. March . May. Juli. Scptemller and ll\ember. I Ne: 8L46 "519. t:aorill llll Allffltisi11 Olllm: Room ;7 Tradn Hall. cnr Dixon & Goulbum Sis. Sydnei NSY. Aumalia. Address all correspondence 10 Freew•ffling PO Box K26. Hai marke1 SSW1000A umalia Telephone (02) 264 8.'-1,1. P•rtlls•er/U iler: Warren Salomon •• 1•1 lnlio• ••• cimdallH: Manlyn Stl\C\ l.a,o•l ... mmWy: Brett Cht hire N•lillll AMfiai•g Wes: Da11d Turner Telephone (011913 l:!6b or (02) 264 854,1. TyptselJiac:Pa\lhon Press Se1(021211 om. Everysize Tipeart Servu:e (02) 451 2579. Prl•d11: Offse1A lpine Pty Lid Derby & Wetherill Sts. Silverwater NSWPh . (02) 647 1000. Distrirt•lio• - 65 Kl~GAROO ISL.\ND New• p•ls: Gordon & Gotch Pt) Ltd(02)6670Wioroffffl miour state. •-ripliRs ... llkyde timer mlrirt•tio•: Frec•heelmg Superb riding in South Australia PublicabOIIS (021264 5-14 Tratlel and tourinlJ Material ID this publicallOII Rm IOI be stored or reproduced III ani Australia form wnb out permis 100 Request for pemns 100 should be 43 HOLIDAYS O WHEELS cmcted to the Publisher Editorial rontnbutions 111dudin2 black and ~hue prints or colour Iran parenc1es on all a1pec1 of ~, chn, are Where to plan your next welcomed Send an enqun:) or • nte for J11tde lines . ..__.. can not accept material pm IOUslv published III other journals. Letters holiday 8ic1Jcle facilities and from readers for the Wrllt O• column are ala11\~ "clcomed c.,,n;it © 1987 FrecwhtthngAustralia Pubiicanons 52 NE\\ ZEALAND safetlJ Com..._ •Id pllot111r•plly lly Wane• S1lo• o1. Cu- Touring in the land of 78 fflE STR~GGLE FOR THE 1- dis ,•ce l,y PU So• mlle. the long "hite cloud MELBOt;RNE BIKEPLAN More comfortable ... or your money back. t this year's International Bicycle Show, Avocet amazed even the most discriminating bicycle A dealers with th e new GelFlex'"'saddle. Many thought saddle technology had matured. That Avocet's original leather saddles provided the ultimate in support and comfort. Once Avocet put GelFlex saddles in the dealers' hands, they were convinced. Avocet had gone one step farther. GelFlex improved saddle support and comfort. Pelvic Structure positioned on Avocet's new GelFlex saddle with Spenco gel. New multi-layered cover- ThicThi~"' shell ... a critical new component the foundation of The GelFlex saddle cover is an Avocet's patent important fea ture of the GelFlex The thinner shell wall sections cushion support system. Durable as directly under the saddle's contact well as extremely supple, this nylon area offers controll ed flex under cover constantly reshapes under the pressure. This controlled flex, in slightest pressure. The Spenco gel conjunction with the gel, represents a conforms instantly to the entire design that provides contact area. patented saddle the greatest amount of support and comfort. Spenco gel- an integral part of Avocet's new GelFlex saddle. GelFlex saddles use a specially­ form ula ted gel d eveloped for Avocet by Spenco Medical Corporation. The hydrostatic properties of Spenco gel GelFlex Saddle Guarantee are more effective than foam in dis­ persing pressure. Foam concentrates If, within 30 days of purchase, point of the you decide that the GelFlex pressure at the lowest saddle is not more comfortable depression. The fl uid-like properties than your present saddle, return of Spenco gel distribute pressure the GelFlex saddle to your eq ually over the entire contact area. Avocet dealer for a full refund. Yo u feel greater support and comfort. 1 Eng ineering for Cyclists .. SPENCO is a trademark of Spenco Medical Corporation, 1987 AVOCET 1s a registered trademark of Avocet Inc ., 1987 Warren Salomon Bicycling: not a problem but part of the solution. In the century's final quarter the writinR is already on the wall. WAS travelling on an electric train vide the necessary leadership to pull all this time I'm beginning to wonder where to Footscray in Melbourne when I of the little plans together into a decent its all heading. I saw it. On an embankment wall scheme for Sydney as a whole. The prob­ At least the impending predicament near North Melbourne station someone lems of the Sydney cycling environment of diminishing oil suppl ies is gaining had written in large letters, " IF YOU can not be solved by the present attention . Obviously the giant interna­ ARE NOTPARTOFTHESOLUTION piecemeal approach. tional car make r can see that some time YOU ARE PART OF THE PROB­ ·Im agi ne what would happen if the state in the future the oil is going to peter out LEM''. government treated other transport sys­ and they are hedging their bets with ex­ At the time I was travelling to see tems in Sydney like it currently treats perimentation in solar energy. Alan Parker who was having his own bicycling. In the next ten years we should see problems getting the Melbourne Bikep­ The o nl y way Sydney will become a more and more emphasis on alternatives lan (see our story on page 78 of this better cycling environme nt is through to oil as an energy source. Since the oil issue) implemented by the various state the creatio n of a city-wide ne two rk of cri sis of the early seventies it has been government roads and traffic depart­ bicycle safe routes using existing back clear that something will have to be ments. streets . Such routes a lready exist and done. Lets face it the stuff can't lastfor How strange, I thought, the govern­ are being used daily by riders who know ever and we only make it more difficult ment bureaucrats probably see the of them but until they are brought to­ the longer we fail to live up to that fact. bicyclists as a problem but to Alan the gether into a visible system bicycling will As much as I admire Paul MacCready Melbourne Bikeplan is part of the solu­ remain a h azardous a nd un attractive and hi s work, I can't see that solar cars tion. It just goes to show that a success­ mode of transport in Australia's oldest can provide even part of a solution. The ful solution largely depends on your and largest ci ty. solar car may use a freely-available non­ perception of the problem its self. Recently the Minister announced the polluting energy source but it is a costly Take the city of Sydney for example: a ll ocation of an extra $1/2 millon to be high-tech approach. it has the worst traffic in the country but spent on engineering p rojects over the It may be cheap to run but it is not the state government's perception of the rem ai nder of the financial yea r. Even cheap to build. If it could be made using problem has lead it to increase the ca­ with this increased funding the SBC solar energy qnd cheap materials then I pacity of the roads leading into the city chairma n ad mits th at hi s committee may not be so doubtful. and to concentrate traffic generati ng does not intend to address the problem Bicycles on the other hand can be projects such as t he Darling Harbour of bike planning for the city as a whole m <1 d e easily and efficiently, use very Fun Park within the city its self. Obvi­ this financial year. The problem for the little fossil fuel (both in ma nufacture ously the wooly thinkers who are advis­ time being, I am told , rests with local and use) and are cheap to manufacture ing the remarkable Laurie (monster government. and run . What's more there are already rail) Brereton can not see that if you It is probably unreali stic to expect any millions of them in use .