Melbourne Artbike Grand Prix

Prescript: I was so excited about the cruelty-free Melbourne Artbike Grand Prix when I posted this, but have just found out (6.40pm on 1st Nov) that this event got postponed because of rain!! What a bummer! It has been (tentatively TBC ) moved to 10th Dec – but the awesomeness still rates, so here it is!! NG.

Today is the Melbourne Cup.

I was impressed to see that the Coburg Velodrome is holding a animal-free alternative to Melbourne Cup, by offering the inaugural Melbourne Artbike Grand Prix. If only I was still living in Melbourne!!!

Community event

This event is most certainly a community activity. First conceived by Bradley Ogden (Tower of Babel Burning Seed 2015 and Synesthesia), this is a wonderfully designed event encouraging active participation. It is a very well thought out and promoted event. From the gorgeous graphic design by Lauren Massy of @masseydesign (as seen above in social and media and online promotions) to the clear and informative website content, this is an exemplar bicycle inspired community event.

I hope they have a massive turn out, have far too much fun and the event is an outrageous success and is held for many years to come!!

For me it ticks all the boxes; supporting respectful and ethical lifestyle choices that do not harm animals, supports a charity in a productive and meaningful way, advocates for increased positive bike use, uses local cycling facilities in an innovative way that draws people to the location, has teamwork and creativity as a participatory prerequisite, is a celebration of ideas and expressions that are unusual, personal and innovative, supports a bicycle charity, creates a space for the community to come together to interact, share, have fun and be creative with unique bicycles as the central focus, and a whole host of other benefits – what more could you want?

Melbourne Artbike Grand Prix

All are welcome to come on the day to spectate and be part of the event. To enter, you need a team of 4 people to register ($25 per person, $100 per team), you fill out a survey and then create your art bike. As long as you follow the race rules and your bike passes the race check – you are good to compete in a relay style knock-out competition! Riders need to interchange after each lap and the first team over the line advances to the next round. There is also a solo category. Any profits made on the day go directly to Bicycles for Humanity.

Artbikes

By definition, an artbike can be cosmetically altered or purpose built – it is only limited by the owner/creators imagination. As a lover and producer of artbikes, I am particularly excited about this event. For this event, the focus is on producing creative, fun and inspirational bikes that met the criteria to enter and complete the event.

More info on the event:

All details are on their website where you can check the About page, Get Involved (Race, Create, Donate), Registration, Partners and the Event. There is also a blog page.

The event blog page gives details about:

Some inspirational artbike pictures
What an art bike actually is
What to expect from the Grand Prix
Support for Bicycles for Humanity
Ticketing
Event location and timing

Bicycles for Humanity

Aside from being a brilliant day out, promoting bicycles and providing an ethical alternative to ‘riding’ to the pervasive horse racing Spring Carnival Festival, this event is a collaboration also to support Bicycles for Humanity. Aside from the event supporting this charity, there are also options to the community to support Bicycles for Humanity either financially or by bringing bikes on the day to donate.

From their website, Bicycles For Humanity explain their volunteer-run, grassroots charity organisation as being focused on the alleviation of poverty through sustainable transport – in the form of a bike.

They do this essentially by collecting bicycles in develop countries and shipping them developing nations so that “each of the 40 ft shipping containers that Bicycles For Humanity sends becomes a bike workshop – providing employment, skills, training, business, opportunity and economic development for the community in which it’s placed. Each of these Bicycle Empowerment Centres (BEC) becomes a self-sustaining entity – fitting very cleanly into the model of micro-financed small business that is lately seen as one of the central ways for the developing world to move away from aid dependence”.

I wish them the best of luck, would be attending with bells on if I was in Melbourne. I cannot wait to see some pictures!

For any follow-ups email: melbourne@artbikegrandprix.

28/10/201628/11/2016

Bicycles Create Change 1 year blog anniversary!

Horray!

Today is Bicycles Create Change 1 year blog anniversary! Amaze balls!

Wow.

It certainly does not feel like one year has passed (to the day) that I started sharing my love of all things on two wheels. It feels like we only just celebrated the 6-month anniversary. So much has happened since then.

What a year it has been, since its inception and the first maiden post. For the last year, this blog has been home to a wonderful collection of stories, research and personalities detailing bicycles, riding and positive community change.

I am very pleased that I have stuck with it. I have learnt much along the way and have thoroughly enjoyed sourcing content to share. I definitely feel that there has been a change in my approach to blogging (for the better). Aside from being more strategic in how I invest time and energy into this blog, I have also derived much pleasure and satisfaction. It has been surprising to see improvements in my technical skills, written confidence and some fantastic contacts and opportunities cropping up.

I am still humbled by the impact that a single bicycle can have on a person’s life. I know firsthand how integral riding my bike has been to my own mobility and mental health, and as a social cohesion tool that connects me to other people, locations and experiences.

I am constantly in awe of the amazing adventures, inventiveness and genuine passion that so many people have for their bicycles and getting out to contribute back to their communities. It has been such a delight to be involved in such a dynamic area. Although self-managing a blog can be difficult and challenging at times, I have been rewarded with inspiration and a sense of productivity that has been very affirming. This blog has helped my PhD research in many ways and I have been very happy with the complimentary way my research and this blog have developed concurrently.

I’ve included below a breakdown of the last 12-month analytics for this blog. It is very interesting to see and track such results. For example comparing the 23,000ish monthly visits from the 6-month mark, to the current result of 32,800 monthly average visits. I accessed this blog summary feature in the last six months and was both surprised and thrilled to see the results. Especially considering I have never officially ‘launched’ the blog, developed it to make money, or broadcasted or networked any promotions (which quietly, I have been happy with!).

Bicycles Create Change 1 year blog anniversary

The analysts and stats so far..

I have been very fortunate to have a very supportive partner, family and immediate group of friends. It has been lovely developing a wider support crew and readership as well. All these people have been instrumental in helping me stay productive and interested. So to all those who have contributed time, ideas, feedback, material, suggestions and support – I cannot thank you enough!

And thank you to the readers!! Your time and support is invaluable to the creation of this blog. A very genuine and heartfelt thank you for your encouragement and interest!

Although I am still waiting to hear back from a scholarship proposal as to the results as the outcome pretty much governs my next move, I will continue posting and promoting on our amazing cycling culture. In addition to progressing my PhD, I have big plans for this blog in the 12 months. So stay tuned!

26/10/201626/11/2016

Invite to SSWC 2016 riders to be research participants

I am hoping to collate some ideas, reflections and experiences from SSWC 2016. Hence an invite to riders involved in the SSWC 2016 to participate in an academic research project.

At this stage, I am still formulating possible research directions as I have been very disheartened at the lack of interest and exposure that singlespeeding has had as a cycling community. Coming from a community development and academic research background, I am hoping to positively contribute to this oversight – and the SSWC event is a good place to start given the concentration of passionate enthusiasts.

If you would be interested in being involved (Australian or overseas), please send me an email so that if/when this project gets off the ground, I can contact you to invite you to participate in the project. I will email you more details as the project comes to hand and this shout out is just a preliminary Expression of Interest (EOI).

Contact for SSWC 2016 Research Participants

So, if you participated in the Singlespeed World Championships 2016 in Woodend and would be interested in being part of a research/community project about the event and other Singlespeed culture and lifestyle explorations, then please send me an email at: <sswc2016.bicyclescreatechange@gmail.com> with ‘Count me in‘ as the subject line.

At this stage, there is no guarantee that this project will eventuate, but I will most certainly be pushing for it to happen in some shape or form and will email you with details so you can make an informed choice moving forward. You email contact will not be given, sold or used for any other purpose – only for contact my me (NG) only for this research project. If you know of other riders who maybe interested in being involved, please pass this on to them. This invite will be active until 1st December 2016.

Thanks so much of your interest. Happy riding until then!

24/10/201618/07/2017

SSWC 2016 ‘ARSE’ Event Wrap

What a weekend.

Very hard to put into words an overview of what we experienced at the Singlespeed World Champs 2016. But I can give you a SSWC 2016 ARSE Event Wrap.

I am not going to give a race review or a trip report, but limit myself to 4 main points – why 4? I tell my students that 3 is the magic number, as it avoids binary and one-sided thinking – and five is too many at this stage (on the flight on way home so limited time, energy and concentration) – so four is the happy medium. Also, I am hoping to synthesise a collection of participant reflections from the event later on as part of a research project I have in mind – and I want the other participants to speak for themselves. So, to avoid going over material that others will most likely cover –in no particular order (and certainly not as a definitive wrap-up on the event), here are my top 4 highlights from my first ever Singlespeed World Championships.

Out of respect for our Australian hosts, I am categorising these 4 highlights into the totally innocuous acronym ‘ARSE’ (Antics, Riding, Social and Event) – which incidentally, is the same as the Australian Recreational Singlespeed Enthusiasts Facebook page where pictures and updates from this weekend can be found….

SSWC 2016 ARSE Event Wrap

1 Antics
There were numerous activities organised over the weekend to satisfy all types of needs – social, hosting rights, entertainment, riding bikes, keeping warm and the like. I had a great time getting involved in some of the tomfoolery (especially during the 16” SS finish line – hilarious!!) – and a few other antics over the weekend. They still have me smiling a few days on. I love the playful and mischievous nature in which people employed and accepted all manner of shenanigans – so refreshing and entertaining.

We were staying in town with friends, so I loved having coffee in the morning at the café and getting an update of what had happened the previous night at the campsite. The best thing was that everyone had a different story to tell, as each person either saw the same thing, but from a different angle, or was in a different place and saw something completely different. I relish hearing about these antics as they were told with such personal detail and enthusiasm, the experience made all the more richer in the vivid retelling.

But for you dear reader, I am sorry to say; I am not going to rehash any particulars here. Mainly out of respect for those involved, but also, these stories are for others to tell, not mine. However, you may still read about some on this blog at a later stage! I am resisting employing the adage that you ‘had to be there’. As I am sure you can appreciate – what goes on tour, stays on tour.

To see a little of what happened at the actual SSWC 2016 ‘ARSE’ Event – check out some of the photos on Australian Recreational Singlespeed Enthusiasts (ARSE) Facebook site or Instagram photos from the event #sswc2016.

2 Riding
Sat ride to Hanging Rock: I had a great time on the Sat ride. We had breakfast in town with the Tassie boys and perfectly timed our departure from town to connect with the main bunch leaving the campsite. There was a decent whack of us, maybe 60 or 70, and we wound around the bike path out of town, then onto the quiet main road for the 12+ km ride out to Hanging Rock. It drizzled a little, but no one cared. We had all paired up and mingled and chatted the whole way. I had a great time getting to know the Tassie crew – it was a real highlight for me.

Sunday Race: It was awesome to be back on the bike and riding through the Wombat State Forest. I’d taken the winter off, with no early morning rides in the cold, which was a new experiment. I did catch myself thinking during the race that I was not ‘fully’ race ready/fit, but I doubt I was the only one – and it didn’t matter either way. I was there to participate. I had a brilliant Le Mans start, which was what I wanted, then settled down to relax and enjoy the ride.

The full track was a 6km prologue loop that took riders through a very muddy bog before returning to the start line (beers only after the first loop), then off on 2 x 15 km loop out from Camarray Waters through the forest to include the G-out dip and the Tardis sections. As so as the winner passed the finish line, no one else could start a new loop.

It had been raining previously, so it was pretty muddy and slippery. I really loved the track. The forest was beautiful. It had stopped raining, and the sun peaked through. Everyone was still rugged up except for a few brave souls who were bearing a lot of skin. The format was great, as it meant that there were always people behind you and always people in front. I ticked away at my own speed, sometimes passing a few, sometimes being passed, sometimes jumping on the back of a rider who was playing some cool tunes.

3 Social
I knew I was going to get my social on and was looking forward to meeting some new people, but I was not fully prepared for the outstanding calibre of those I met. I was blown away by the quality of character and quality conversations I had with everyone; it was so engaging. I loved the amount of facial hair, how many red-heads were there (just a personal preference!) and how many kids and dogs were involved – all of which was a bonus for me.

Apparently, 30% of the entrants were from overseas, and from the conversations I had; I would say that was pretty accurate. I chatted to Alaskans, Kiwis, Americans, Japanese, Canadians, Colombians and Aussies from all over. I met some stalwart old school icons and some new up-and-comers – each with their own fabulous story to tell. I was impressed with the number of women there for Sunday’s race, but as always would have liked to have seen more.

It was quite entertaining to see how the local townspeople and businesses handled the unruly out-of-town mob descend upon their town. Bikes pretty much continuously lined up outside of the pub, the café and the hotel and there was always someone eating or drinking to catch up with.

4 Event
For me, the Carni-velo theme worked a treat. It was interesting to hear others feedback about the 4-day multi-site festival scheduling. Satellite events (My mechanic rules) during the lead-up week in Melbourne, Friday registration and social get-together that night at Holgate Brewery in Woodend, then a night street party. Saturday ride out to Hanging Rock for day of events and races then ride back into town for evening events at the Hotel. Sunday out at Cammeray Waters for race day and follow up activities, then pretty much everyone ended up at the campsite for the Closing Ceremony (where the fire brigade only got called out once).

Some thought it spread people out too much, others saying it was a good way to showcase the surrounds and include sponsors. Either way, I would have like to have seen a designated Info Desk that had all the event info in one place, with a person who could answer all event questions that could act as a central hub. I thought the organisers did a great job considering the scale and requirements necessary to pull off such an event. I tip my hat the crew who put the time, effort and love into making it happen for the rest of us; it is no mean feat to pull off. I had a brilliant time and will most certainly be back.

Next Year

NZ won hosting rights for 2017 SS World Champs next year and Melrose (SA) in conjunction with Burning Bike Festival will be hosting the Australian SS National Champs in May 5-7th 2017.

17/10/201627/11/2016

Singlespeed World Championships 2016

I’m gearing up (pun intended) for this weekend’s Singlespeed World Championship (SSWC) 2016 – the Carni-velo festival of the bike in Woodend, VIC. I’ve been so looking forward to this weekend – and have been getting more and more excited about it since I entered back in July (with a post of my favourite Singlespeed videos ). Last year I didn’t go to the Nationals, (but I did post about it), so it is extra special that the World Champs are in Australia this year.

Cancel everything…

I’ve turned down an acceptance for me to do a poster presentation at the Australian International Education Conference (in Melbourne on Sun) and I’m not going to the HDR Student Conference that I am on the organizing committee (on Friday) – as this opportunity is too good to miss! I could well go to another WSSC, but certainly not on home turf as well as being physically willing and able and having the means!

So, packing up the singlespeed tonight. I took her for a ride out in the rain this afternoon. She’s riding like a dream and I can’t wait. I’m decorating her in a similar vein to Leki (my flower bike) and you can see a prototype of when I rode my single speed at an MTB event last month. I’m going with colour and flowers so that she will be easy to see at the starting line – just in case there are any shenanigans. I’ve also bought a beard to wear, which I am very happy with and am very excited about catching up with some old and new crew. See some of last years photos here.

There are apparently 1,000 registered of the event form all over Australia and the world. Checking the latest weather updates this morning, showed that it is going to be raining and between 1-12C! After being in Brisbane’s balmy and sunny 26C – this could be a real challenge and reduce the actual riding cohort on the day – but certainly not the festivities!! Just more people to cheer on those who are game enough to ride!

SWWC Weekend Events

The events run all weekend and on offer are activities for riders (and competitors), non-riders and kids. There are heaps of entertainment and satellite events in the week leading up to the main event in Melbourne. If I was there, I would be getting down tomorrow for My Mechanic Rules.

General Run Sheet for the weekend.

Tuesday 18 Oct: My Mechanic Rules heat 1 (Melbourne)

Wednesday 19 Oct: Melbourne pub ride (Melbourne)

Thursday 20 Oct: rides, early bird drinks at Holgate Brewhouse (Woodend)

Friday 21 Oct: social 12 kms ride and Opening Extravaganza at Holgate Brewhouse (Woodend)

Saturday 22 Oct: Group ride, Carni-velo at Hanging Rock Reserve (Woodend)

Sunday 23 October: SSWC 2016 race day, hosting rights competition and after-party

SSWC Social observations – new directions

I find the singlespeed community so welcoming and interesting. I love how it seems to naturally evolve and is so accepting of all types of people, with minimal pretension, yet in its own way, maximum membership identification. This aspect in particular is very curious to me. I’ve often thought that its a pity there is not much accessible, authentic, respectful and insightful work undertaken about the singelspeed lifestyle – sure popular media and advertising has gone to town – but not so much from academia.

As I ride along on my single speed, I’ve often thought about this. I’ve got a few research ideas that I am hoping I might be able to put into motion about some sociological work and/or possible collaborations using the SSWC as a basis for participant recruitment. There are a few areas within the ethnographic literature that are void of original voices and narratives – and none more so than within cycling subculture communities.

After reading work discussing alcohol in sports such as Ultimate Frisbee and Roller Derby (as opposed to Football and other sports which use it as a way of team-bonding or representations of hypermasculinities), I’m curious to see how this might factor in at SSWC. I’m not a big drinker myself, so I’m interested to see if/how that will factor into my experience of the event.

In considering such deliberations, I’ve come up with a general list of sociological perspectives I’m keen to keep massaging and working on. SSWC is a great opportunity to see it all in action, add some new ideas and reevaluate others. I’m interested in seeing what the social functions and mechanisms of the SSWC as a singular event is, as well as singlespeed culture as a whole, such as:

The role of alcohol as a social integrater: drinkers, abstainers, defer-drinkers and under-aged
How SSers self identify individually and collectively – aspects of social distinction – what are the differences between hipsters, fixies and singlespeeders??
Role of gender (women/girls and hypermasculinities?) within the SS community
Values, indicators and central themes to the singelspeed lifestyle
Networks, groups membership and representations of self and image (as opposed to media diffusion?)
Subcultural/Subsocial artefacts, behaviours, norms and signifiers

However, this weekend I am going to enjoy, relax and get amongst it all – who knows what might come up!

13/09/201627/11/2016

Happy Chinese Teacher’s Day

I knew this would be a busy week – all my 4 classes have assessments due, which means an intense week of marking, uploading feedback, moderating scores and dealing with student (and my own) associated paperwork, technical difficulties, administration and all the general ballyhoo that goes with a convergence of assessments.

Happy Chinese Teacher’s Day!

So imagine my surprise when out of the blue, I get and email from an ex-student that I worked on a bridging program to get into uni. He was on campus looking for me – to give me a present – as it was Chinese Teacher’s Day (on Saturday). He finally tracked me down, scouting across campus and hauling his wrapped gift with him, until we managed to catch up two days later when I was back on campus. Today we met for coffee and he gave me his present (see below) as a thank you for being his favourite teacher.

He described the thought and time he put into looking this gift and how he remembered I love bicycles. It was a lovely surprise. We talked about what some of the symbolism in the picture might mean and we retold stories for our old class days.

I was deeply touched to have such an unexpected gift, presented with such genuine gratitude. Especially when juxtaposed against such a hectic week. This lovely interlude reminded me of the importance and valuable of education and authentic interaction. I treasure such moments and am really humbled to meet students at a certain point in their life and have the opportunity to work with them – but then see them move on and go their own way.

Having a chance to reconnect with students and hear what they are doing and what has transpired since we last met, is a part of my work that I adore. Some stories are hard, most are good, but to have a personal link and connection with each of them is truly remarkable.

Did you have one particularly good teacher?

Did you have a teacher who made a difference in your life? We remember the good ones (and the bad ones) and not many in between. Have you ever gone back to revisit a teacher after leaving school? If you have – share you experience in the comments below, I’d love to hear how it went!

31/08/201613/03/2017

Markus Stitz -Singlespeed around the world

First full single speed around the world.

In the last couple of days, a German long-distance cyclist, completed a full circumnavigation of the world. This makes Markus Stitz, the first to (unofficially) single speed around the world! He averaged 96.5kms per day, to complete the 33796 kms journey in 12 months. Many riders undertake cycling trips of varying durations, levels of difficulty, riskiness and fitness, but in the bike touring fraternity it is not often that all this is done with one gear. Although Markus has had a number of cycling adventures before, it was this unassisted, enduring trip across the globe that has recently gained attention.

Markus Stitz -Singlespeed around the world

More detail about his actual trip and experiences can be found elsewhere in cyberspace. His exploits have been making headlines lately especially considering that the local UK media were quite taken with his adventuring and have been active in following his final closing kilometres given his trip terminates in Scotland. Having lived in Scotland for 2.5 years myself, it makes me incredibly nostalgic to think of travelling through the landscape contemplating life, the universe and everything.

There is so much about Markus’ story that I find appealing; taking a year off to cycle through and across the world, doing it unassisted and completely under his own steam, finishing his 33796 km trip in Scotland, reading about some of the amazing experiences he has had and seeing some of the stunning photos he took along the way. It is a reminder that bicycles are a vehicle for freedom, and often the only limiting factor to that freedom is our inability to recognise and embrace it wholeheartedly.

Being an avid singlespeeder myself, I find the idea of riding one anywhere and everywhere is tantalising, and I certainly understand the attraction. However, practically it is something that I was interested to see how it worked on a daily basis. That is why I appreciated Markus keeping a blog (as best he could) during his time on the road. I like the fact also that he explained the most inspiring aspects, but equally the more challenging and difficult times as well. Not only does it have a slew of juicy travel tit-bits detailing the locations he visited and recollections of interactions with locals and the like, but interspersed throughout are some technical difficulties (so few) – he did the full 33,796 kms trip with ‘just one broken spoke and no punctures since Singapore’.

He has a Youtube Channel with some videos you can check out here.

Click here to see more of Markus’s blog.

Markus Stitz Instagram: @reizkultur

What do you take on a trip like this?

Source: Markus Stitz

One thing I was very interested to see from his blog were details of everything he took on his trip. With his gear and bike (which he speaks more of here) weighing in at about 32kg, here’s Markus’ list of what he took on his journey:

Bike:

Surly Ogre with Halo Vapour Rims, SP Dynamo Hub in front, Surly Ultra New Hub in back, Halo Clickster 18t freewheel, Schwalbe Marathon Mondial 2.0 tyres with tubes, Thomson seat post, Brooks Cambium C15 saddle, ESI silicone grips, ESI bar tape and silicone tape, Jones 710 Loop h-bar aluminium, Avid BB7 brakes, Shimano square taper bottom bracket, Middleburn RS7 cranks, Surly 32t chain ring, KMC chain

Mounted on bars and frame

Exposure MaXx-D Mk4 Front Light
Garmin eTrex20 with 16GB MicroSD and Energiser rechargeable batteries
GoPro Hero3 in casing with bar mount
CatEye Strada wireless cycle computer
Specialized Cage with Optimus 0.6l Fuel Bottle
MuckyNutz fender
Spot Gen3 Satellite Tracker

Salsa Anything Cage HD with Salsa Anything Bag 1:

Alpkit titanium pot and lid 800 ml
Primus Omni Fuel stove and fuel pump
Foldable cup
Matches & lighter
Tea and coffee in plastic bag
Windshield and ground shield for stove
Sea to Summit Ultra Sil Day pack
Olive oil in Nalgene container

Salsa Anything Cage HD with Salsa Anything Bag 2:

Cable and combination lock
2 spare Schwalbe tubes
Brooks MT 21 multi tool
workshop gloves
Optimus tool for stove
Ice Tools chain checker
1 tube of Schwalbe Latex for tubeless tyres
Freewheel tool
Purple Extreme Lube and 2 cloths
Diverse nuts and bolts, spare cleats, chain link, brake cable
Patches & tyre boot
ESI silicone tape
Electrical tape
2 sets of Avid brake pads, sintered
Cable ties
1 small tube of grease
Leatherman Wingman tool
Torx T25 key
Strapped outside on bag
- Schwalbe Rocket Ron foldable tyre
- Lezyne Micro Floor Drive Pump with pressure gauge
- Oakley Racing Jacket glasses with black, yellow and clear lenses in Swiss Eye protective case

Apidura Handlebar Pack Compact (lined with Exped Dry Bag)

Nordisk Telemark 1 ULW tent (aluminium instead of carbon poles)
Yeti Purity Down Jacket
Exped Synmat Hyperlite M sleeping mat
Montane Extreme Mitts
Tineli Thermal Gloves
Tineli Thermal Booties

Apidura Accesory Pocket

Sea to Summit X-Pot expandable 2.8l pot
Sea to Summit X Bowl (fits into pot)
1 tube alcohol gel
2 tubes sunscreen
Opinel knife and Snowpeak titanium spork
Logitech Keys To Go portable keyboard (in Sea to Summit dry sack)

Spokwerks Jones Loop Bar Bag

Xtorn Powerbank Air 6000 (in Sea to Summit dry sack)
PDW Aether Demon USB backlight
USB cable for charging light
USB cable for charging Exposure light
Pepper spray
Citrus Squeezy (against dogs)
Sinewave Cycles Revolution (USB charger)

Spokwerks Cookie Jar 1 (lined with Sea to Summit Dry Sack)

2 Duracell batteries for Canon S120 camera
4 Energiser AAA batteries
2 Energiser AA batteries
Charging cable for portable keyboard
Charging cable for GoPro & GPS
Shoulderpod mount for iPhone
Additional mount for GoPro
Tripod mount for GoPro
Apple USB charger
Apple iPhone cable
Petzl Tikka Plus head torch

Spokwerks Cookie Jar 2 (lined with Sea to Summit Dry Sack)

Canon S120 camera in Hama Case
Montane Featherlite Jacket

Apidura Frame Bag (Prototype)

6 spare spokes and nipples
Camelbak 3l reservoir
Katadyn FIlter Mini
Manfrotto Pixi Mini Tripod

Apidura Top Tube Pack Extended

Used for food only

Apidura Saddle Pack Regular (lined with Exped Dry Bag) & everything I wear on my body

iPhone 6plus with Lifeproof NÜÜD case
Specialized BG Gel Wiretap gloves
Lifeventure wallet
Bottle opener (!)
Buff mobile phone cleaner
Pen
Nike Free 5.0 Shoes
Travel towel
Lake MX175 MTB shoes and 45NRTH Japanther Boot (Iceland)
Gore Bike Wear Element GT Paclite Jacket
Surly 5’’ wool socks
Halo Aireator socks
Defeet Woolie Boolie 6’’ socks
2 boxer shorts
Tineli Knee Warmers
Tineli Aero Gloves
Tineli MTB Trail Shorts
Skins A200 compression tights
Tineli Thermal Bibtights
Tineli Lime Bibs x 2
Montane Bionic SS base layer
Montane Bionic LS base Layer
Short sleeve base layer
Tineli Lime Intermediate Jacket
Tineli Lime SS jersey
Tineli Sun Protectors
Defeet Merino Arm warmers
Insect and UV proof Buff
45NRTH Greazy Merino Hat
Tineli Winter Cap
Tineli Team Cap
Specialized S3 Helmet
Yeti Passion 3 Sleeping Bag
Teeth Kit: Tooth brush, floss, interdental brushes, tooth paste
Wash Kit: Shower gel, soap, shaving water, ear plugs, hand cream
Pixo C-USB Charger
Moleskine Diary
Medical Kit with plaster, antibiotics, Ibuprofen, scissors, bandages, gloves and sewing kit.

Source: Markus Stitz

11/08/201601/12/2016

Moving People – Bekka Wright

This post looks at Bekka Wright’s speech given at an independently organised community TEDx Event in Somerville 2015. She is the artist behind Bikeyface. In this talk, Bekka Wright recounts how her personal journey on two wheels was the literal vehicle for her changing her goals, her career and her overall life outcomes for the better.

Moving People – Bekka Wright

Bekka’s talk gives a human element and background to the immensely popular comic series she created called Bikeyface which perpetually showcases Bekka’s poetic drawings, keen observations and eternal love of life on a bicycle. I like how her talk is peppered with her comics, which add warmth and hour and always adding a little something extra to her narrative.

I find myself returning to Bikeyface, just to explore what musings are on offer. I find myself often smiling with the comic’s characters and thinking to myself, “Wow, how many time has that happened to me too”!

I appreciate Bekka’s eternal wrestle with her city, the street, the cars, the personalities and the weird and wonderful things that happen to us all when riding a bike in the city.

I find Bikeyface funny, affirming and altogether lovely – and it is delightful to see Bekka telling her story of how it all originated. Enjoy!

31/07/201601/12/2016

Dirt de Femme 2016

Canberra’s Dirt de Femme 2016 was held on May 1st at Stromlo and was a great event on all accounts. Now in its 5th year encouraging women and girls of all ages to get out and ride MTB, the ride is not only a race, but a great event to get female riders together and have a great day riding.

This year saw the highest record of entrants and the reasons for this post, is that this month saw a cover change come over the Mountain Biking Australia’s website, with David Blucher’s photo of Micheala Watt, riding in all her resplendent glory on her fat bike during the Dirt de Femme this year.

It is great to see healthy lashings of happiness, colour and fun being injected into ride days – and at races – keeps the smiles on the dials and everyone humble. If you are out to race on the day, by all means, go for it. But, it is also equally just as important for those at all levels to have an equally challenging and engaging time. So I tip my hat to Micheala, who provided much fun and energy on the day and serves as a healthy reminder not to take ourselves too seriously – ever!

24/07/201617/10/2016

Calling all singlespeeders!

Today I registered for the Single Speed World Championships 2016 (SSWC 2016) to be held in Woodend, Victoria later this year on October 21-23rd 2016. Yahhooooo!

Yes, you heard correctly, the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP for 2016 is in Oz – not just the National SS which I posted about October last year.

From a preliminary count of entrants, there are currently 177 registered, with about 25 women and good peeps from all over the world are decending- so if your keen to ride (and you’ve got a costume in mind), get online and register ASAP as the entries are only available until September 1st – only another 8 days left…. so, calling all single speeders …….. local, regional and international…..

Entry will set you back $140, but if you want all the perks of the full event calendar, but none of the riding, there is also a Party Animal option.

I’m getting very excited and can’t wait. I’m even forgoing a full day HDR Workshop, of which I am on the organising committee of, to attend because this kind of opportunity does not come around very often!

If you have never heard of the Singlespeed Champs, or have never been to one – check it out the videos below…

The clip below is still my favourite SSWC clip – it is from NZ’s race last year – it typifies what the event is all about…

I found the below 7 minute video recently and it gives some good insights into the earlier origins of SSWC. It is hilarious to see what is the same (beards, drinking, tamping with bikes and fun activities, and what has changed (mostly the elaborate nature of the costumes!)